Nothing funny when you duck reasonable questions. Your personal failure to face calm logical questions bodes poorly for your religions future. When someone like BHD's posts are what you face, I can understand your reluctance to respond, but a ducking and running from defining "unfounded"?

Negative: My answering a question..or decideing not to answer a question, has nothing to do with my chosen religions future.

True: I will usually try to refrain from engageing in any dialogue with a person who has a reptilian brain (not you).

In conclusion: Sometimes people make the choice as to what they wish to discuss, and what they wish to over-look. Over-looking a subject does not constitute ducking and running-as you are trying to portray it- it only means that perhaps you should find another line of questioning.

As for you MTU: I think that you are being much more reasonable than you have in the past. Therefore I would not mind discussing things/issues with you...as long as you keep in mind that there are perimeters, and guidelines that must be kept.

Quite honestly, this thread no longer interests me..so catch up to me another time/another place/ a differant thread.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

It's not the "me's" you or your religion need to worry about- it's the BHD's and others who feel as they do and express that feelings with the shouting. Your and your religions reluctance to discuss rational questions will only add fuel to their fire, and frankly, mine as well. Either end of the spectrum comes with the extremes, and extremes are bad IMHO. Islam's extremes comes with such heavy baggage that it drags the whole boat down so that it nearly sinks. (Of course the anti Muslim side also has extreme members as I'm sure you know.) Members of Islam need to get really serious fighting their extreme members, and they seem to be shying from that, and instead paying lip service to it. Americans do not shy away from a fight or an attack- and moderately extreme Muslims have attacked us. Just like white americans slowly but surely expelled the racist jokes and KKK type thoughts from everyday thought by in large (and made them non PC), Muslims need to take a machete and cut off all extreme members to make themselves clean. Muslims need a worldly campaign to rid itself and distance themselves from the extreme members and make that a core belief and teaching of Islam if they want to enter and enjoy the modern world. This thread bores you- and you do not want to define "unfounded"- well that means I think less of you and thus adds to the belief that Muslims shy away from reasonable questions. I do understand that no one would want to talk with the shouting going on however, so don't take it too literal.

^^ A key lesson of 9/11 is that hard military power is esential in countering terrorism by the likes of Osama, but that the soft power of ideas and legitimacy is essential for winning the hearts and minds of the mainstream Muslim populations from whom Al-Qaeda would like to recruit.

This should be the subject matter you need to focus on, and is a good place to begin dialogue.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

In the long term, ie 100's of years, ideas always win. War is only useful because the human lifespan is too short to realize a meme's full impact. It's a blunt, terrible instrument. But can we wait? Dare we risk the possibility that our meme will not triumph?

and where is the CIA getting the money?

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

It's not like it's your money, Mistress. Sheesh.

A "smart power' strategy does not ignore the tools of soft power.

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.

Both of you are correct IMHO.

Chilcutt your post suggests that Al-Q recruits from mainstream Muslims- meaning mainstream Muslims can and do "go bad". If that's the case then it certainly bodes poorly for those that wish to limit Muslim churches and teachings and the religion itself. If all it takes to poison the drinking pool is a few drops poison then people will want to limit the pool AND the poison.

Negative: My post does not suggest anything close to what you are attempting to portray-
That is your usual tactic of inserting something into what is said to fit your format-
My post says.."from whom Al-Qaeda would like to recruit".

Re-read post's #50-#58. There you may find an answer as to why it is useless to attempt to engage in any sort of dialogue with you.

Adios Amigo~

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CHILCUTT~
The secret to a long life. Is knowing when it is time to leave.