You know, I’ve never really read this before. I don’t know who from Osama’s side so eloquently translated this letter, but it’s worded like an intelligent (although somewhat religiously-rabid) rationalization for some of their motivations. It’s long, but it’s an excellent read. Unfortunately, I don’t really see any peaceful resolutions to issues that come down to a difference in religious beliefs. When two peoples each believe that something is due to them or theirs by the grace of their different Gods? I just don’t see a diplomatic fix. God is so big, and certainly doing something in the name of God is right – without fail. And when you run into the blank check that is “the will of God,” there’s no arguing. I mean, God is always right, God told me to do this, this is right – case closed. Scary.
On a semi-related note, Ben and I are going to see Fahrenheit 9/11 tonight. I’m somewhat leery of Moore’s manipulative techniques, but I’m dying to see the film. Apparently it’s only opening in something like 500 screens nationwide, but CA must be extra liberal or something because there are three Sacramento-area theaters alone that are showing it. I’m no raving liberal, more like I flirt with the tamer aspects of both liberal and conservative stances, but I’m always open to checking out someone’s spin on things. Sometimes the spin itself can be interesting even if the meat is junk, but we’ll see.
We were debating the other day about whether or not it’s a moral quandary for vegans to eat non-meat foods which have been shaped/formed to resemble meat-foods. The whole discussion was spurred by Ben’s ordering of “vegan prawns” at a seafood place, partly because he hates seafood and partly to see what the heck a vegan prawn was. Turns out they are carbon-copies of prawns, fashioned from tofu. He said they look just like prawns. That seemed strange to me. I mean, what’s the vegan’s objection to eating animals? I understand it’s the actual “killing” of a living thing for food that they don’t dig – but is it not a tad hypocritical to then eat something that’s been specifically made to look like something that was killed for food? We have tofu hotdogs, tofu turkeys, tofu lunchmeat, really, tofu meat. I guess it’s a social thing, eating prawn-shaped tofu must be better than just horking down a big plate of tofu cubes or something. I guess vegan prawns are to vegans as non-alcoholic beer is to the teetotaler – something that makes them look less nutty in a social situation but doesn’t run afoul of their beliefs. Ahh, the power of the “everyone else is doing it” rationale.
Sunday night it’s off to San Francisco for a week, so the next blog will come to you from the city of fruits and nuts. Dave out.