Ann And The Ragheads

I am not as exercised of Ann Coulter's comments at that conference as many other people seem to be.

I am totally uninterested at the reactions of those on the Left, after all I have seen what they have called Clarence Thomas and Michelle Malkin. I am not particular excited about what those of my rightwing brethren ans sisteren have to say about her, either. Ann is what she is. She is pretty well grown, grown ups don't usually change a whole lot. I don't have to vote for her, she isn't running for anything.

I do wish she hadn't used the raghead statement, not because it is wrong, but because I am not sure that the timing is right. My parents generation used the terms Japs and Nips for the Japanese, and Krauts for the Germans. They did it on purpose because they were involved in the slaughter of vast numbers of those people. My mother was involved in that slaughter just as the men in the military were, just in an indirect way. She worked for the railroad here in the States, anybody remember how the bombs and bullets got to the ports? Then thirty+ later my mother loved her Japanese American son in law. The time for killing was long over and so was the time to dehumanize our late opponents.

When we are involved in the slaughter of vast numbers of an enemy, we tend to use words that dehumanize that enemy. That is a good thing, assuming that we believe that such killing is the right thing to be doing and I believe that it was.

Are we going to have to kill vast numbers of the world's Muslims in order to survive as a civilization? Ann thinks so. I am not sure, but each day I wait for these "moderate Muslims" to shut up those chanting "Death To America!" I'm still waiting.

Are the world's Muslims making any more noise after Ann's comments than before? Now George W. Bush is still trying to keep this war on the small size, I am not sure that it is possible. I do not blame Dubya for trying, if we can get through this war killing thousands instead of millions it will be easier on our souls. By the same token, I don't blame Ann for believing we're past that point.

Make no mistake, if Dubya's attempt to keep this war small is unsuccessful we will have to dehumanize Islam. Without such dehumanisation we will lose this war.