And then I wrote...

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that it was disconcerting to open the morning paper this Fourth of July and read of another Islamic state slaughter, this one in Baghdad. And there was another attempt in the area as well that was less successful. And there seems to have been almost daily instances during this period of Ramadan.

Islamic terrorists reportedly were advised to step up the killing during the Islamic period of fasting. Contrast that with the Lenten fasting period practiced by Catholics and some other Christian churches. I don’t recall ever being asked to kill people.

What makes it even more ironic, is that in this latest attack, it was a case of Sunni Moslems again killing Shi’a Moslems. Same religion, different beliefs.

Blame the religion? Syndicated columnist Walter Williams recently wrote: The diversity, multiculturalist argument that all races, religions and cultures are equal borders on idiocy when they say one set of values cannot be judged superior to another.

Some hearing that will call it discrimination. But discrimination is a good thing, although the word has been co-opted by the political correct crowd. The first dictionary definition of discriminate is : 1(a) to make a distinction, (b) to use good judgment. Earlier, to perceive the distinguishing features of something. It isn’t until the final meaning, to do so without merit, comes up.

Williams notes that the values of western civilization are superior to all others, adding that it is not necessary to be a “westerner” to hold western values. Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, African and Arab can all do so.

Is there any doubt about the representatives of which religion are responsible for the repeating acts of terrorism both in this country and abroad? Not all are in nations of that same area. Witness Orlando in Florida. And California and Texas and Massachusetts in recent years.

My apartment mate for over two years at university was assigned to what was then called East Pakistan for his second tour with the CIA. It’s now called Bangladesh. When I wrote to him, the capital was spelled Dacca. Now I have seen it as Dahka and Dakka. But the embassy where he worked is only a block from the blast site.

He never talked or wrote about it, or any of the other places he served, maybe only saying it was “interesting.” But if he was alive, now, I wonder what he would say. Unfortunately, he died at 58 after more than 30 years of service, and shortly after retirement.

But it’s a different world. And I am guessing July 4, 2017, will be even more different.