News-Record.com

OK, I'll bite. But being the lazy lout I am I'll post verbatum what was left as a comment at "the Rouch Racing of blogs":

1. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:

a. Olga Corbitt
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzeneger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:

a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:

a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:

a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year-old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:

a. The Smurfs
b. Davy Jones
c. The Little Mermaid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:

a. Captain Kidd
b. Charles Lindberg
c. Mother Teresa
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:

a. Scooby Doo
b. The Tooth Fairy
c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:

a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:

a. Mr. Rogers
b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems
c. The World Wrestling Federation
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:

a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:

a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:

a. Bonnie and Clyde
b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

I'll be even lazier and simply link to the counterpoint.

Your counterpoint, isn't the point. No one, least of all me has attempted to say Muslims (or Americans) are the only source of hatred, racism in the world.

But as long as you are "counterpointing" here is mine that cuts to the heart of the matter:

NASCAR and Islam: two and the same?

Interesting column, Marc - thanks for digging it out.

Precisely why? Because it's their job.

Security are supposed to spot odd activity and keep an eye on it.

Muslim people praying on mats at a NASCAR race doesn't seem odd to you? Muslim people in full-dress at a NASCAR race doesn't seem odd to you? It didn't have anything to do with the color of their skin. It had to do with how they were dressed (strangely) and how they were conducting themselves (praying on mats) at a NASCAR race.

The same thing would have happened to me if I had showed up at Infineon Speedway wearing a big ol' parka in the 99 degree heat and started dancing a jig & speaking in tongues at the ticket office. That doesn't make NASCAR fans or security suspicious of me because I'm a white chick or a black chick or a purple chick from Mars. That makes them suspicious of something way out of the ordinary for the given situation. What's wrong with that?

One dude in MN reported something way out of the ordinary for his flight school. Because of that, Zacarias Moussaoui didn't get to fly his plane into the White House on 9/11. But, I guess he should have just kept his mouth shut for fear of being called racist or politically incorrect because Moussaoui's skin happens to be brown?

As it's been stated in many places, if NBC was really interested in the real story of whether there is anti-Muslim sentiments in America, they wouldn't have to stage events like a Muslim on his prayer mat at a NASCAR race. They should have been able to find it by just following a Muslim around in their normal, every day routine.

They aren't interested in reality, though. They are interested in the story and, because there wasn't one to be had, they had to create one.

Actually, Carrie, given Infineon's close proximity to San Francisco, no one would notice if you did that.

Now if you show up wearing a "Jeff Who? ROBBY Gordon" t-shirt you might get a reaction...

(Seriously, excellent point made.)