Islam: The Gathering Storm

According to the Vatican Islam is now the largest world religion. Catholicism used to be with 17.4% of the world's population but now Islam can claim 19.2% of the world's population. Now as far as statistics go this is somewhat mundane. Why should I care you say? Well I'll tell you why. Islam is the ONLY religion on the planet that states that if someone REFUSES to be converted then they MUST be killed. That's right. There aren't any Islamic "missionaries" out there trying to better the world and bring people into a better understanding of who their god is...instead when Islam is spread it is done so with violence. That is the main reason why it is called: The Religion of the Sword. If you study it's beginnings you'll see that when Mohammad brought these "new" teachings to the Arabs at the time they rejected him as did the Jews and the Christians and he actually for a short period of time was in fear of his life because he was branded a heretic. Soon though he and his devoted followers, with the help of a benefactor, grew stronger and began to convert the peoples in Arabia by force. There was much blood spilt in the beginning of the establishment of Islam and that continues today. Now there are some"moderate" Muslims out there who just want to practice their faith and be left alone but there is a growing minority that craves power and confrontation and in the last 25 years they have launched a new attack on civilization. These are the radicals, the Wahabbists who follow the teachings of Syed Qtub (Wahabbism) and who plan to spread Islam by force and ultimately to rule the whole world. That is their goal. These Muslims have no affiliation with Muslims that are not part of the "jihad" and consider them to be legitimate targets as well. They have patience and are willing to wait for that time but the plans are being made and the soldiers are being trained. Think about this: Islam now controls most of the Middle East, most of SW Asia and is rapidly starting to gain a foothold in Europe through immigration. Once they outnumber the non-Muslims they will put their plan into motion. They are biding their time, waiting, watching, training, praying.....for the right time to strike. Make no mistake, there is a storm gathering in the horizon and it's moving quickly in this direction.

The Hero's Welcome

Some of my friends and I were hanging out the other night when suddenly the conversation turned in a completely unexpected direction. We started to talk about being a father and of course our kids. Now to set the stage I can tell you that I have 2 teen aged daughters while one friend has 2 year old twins and the other is a father-to-be. So as you can see we are all in different stages of parenthood so we all have very different points of view about the subject. It was interesting to hear the "war stories" of late nights, sleep deprivation, temper tantrums and the such and how each of us had dealt with it (at this point my one friend who was the father-to-be looked somewhat paranoid and I could tell he was having second thoughts about this whole thing). But at some point in order to kind of reign in the conversation I remember saying "Yeah, it's a tough job being a parent and it takes a lot of patience, understanding and willpower to make it in the beginning.....but the one thing that I still look forward to everyday is coming home from the office, walking in the door and hearing "Hi daddy" from my kids." My one friend commented "the hero's welcome". I started to think about that phrase and it started to really resonate with me. It's not something new this concept of welcoming home the conquering hero who is returning from war, mankind has been holding these types of rituals for thousands of years. I would imagine that every culture has their own way of welcoming home those brave souls that put it all on the line for the sake of the tribe, empire, nation what have you. I have also been involved with these types of celebrations before after I returned home from Desert Storm and the first Gulf War. But I realize that there are only so many of these "hero's welcomes" that I will have left and a part of me is saddened by that. The fact that your children look past all of your "stuff" and just welcome you home with loving arms is a powerful thing and something that I don't think we as parents appreciate enough...until it's gone. My daughter's are growing older and maturing each and every day and I know that it is only a matter of time before I will no longer be their hero and there will be another man in their lives who takes that place. I realized once my friend said that that I was running out of time and for a brief moment I envied my other 2 friends because of the hundreds of hero's welcomes that they had left and the few that lie ahead for me. Enjoy them now boys because they are only here for so long... enjoy them each and every day and make the most of the time you have because it will (and I know everyone says this but it's absolutely true) go faster than you realize. And before you know it........it's over and the hero is nothing more than a memory, a fable...forgotten. Until the GRANDCHILDREN arrive!!!!

The Magic Web

Ok, so I have a question for everyone: Do you remember what your life was like BEFORE there was an Internet? I mean in the short time of it's existence (about 16 yrs) it has literally changed the way we do just about everything. You name it and the Internet has affected it in some way, shape or form. Think about it: business, pleasure, education, interaction with others, politics, the media, relationships and the list goes on. I don't think it's an accident that it's called the "web" either. I know that technically it gets it's name the web because of the inter-connections that look like a spider web when they are mapped out but I also think it is called that because just like a true spider's web once you get involved with it...you're stuck. There are many good things and bad things about this thing we call the "web" but I don't think we have really taken the time to think about how it has changed our lives. I was just speaking with my teenage daughter about this last night and the conversation we had told me that this generation and those that follow may never know the true "magic" that is the Internet. After all, it's all they know and have known. They don't recall having to go to the library and check out books or encyclopedia's to do book reports. Now they just logon and the information from the world's libraries is at their fingertips. How many or them know the proper way to address or write a letter? Heck email gets there in back in seconds. No more waiting weeks for a letter from a pen pal around the world. Now they can use web cams and see and hear each other in real-time! Speaking of real-time that reminds me of how the Internet has changed the way we speak as well. Terms like: surfing the web, reboot, refresh, browser, cyberspace, and heck even BLOG did not exist 20 years ago. Never before in the history of mankind has one medium been able to satisfy the desires, wishes and inquisitive nature of so many at the same time. I imagine that this is what people were writing when the first television set burst onto the scene as well and look what THAT did to our world. If that is any indication as to where we might be headed......hold on and strap in... the ride ahead is going to get interesting.

The Changing of the Guard

I was thinking about something the other day and I'm not sure how many other folks have grasped a hold of this yet but I think it could have major world-wide repercussions in the future. Has anyone noticed how many countries in the world have recently had a change in leadership? Just to name a few: England, Russia, Cuba, France, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Australia and the list goes on. Not to mention that soon we will have a change in The Presidency here in the U.S. Does anyone else see this as a major issue? I mean think about it for a moment. Our world has literally changed overnight. With so many major shifts in policy and leadership styles we are technically entering into a new era of world government. What concerns me about this is the lack of experience that some of these leaders have in running a country or in politics at all for that matter. I believe that the next 5-10 years will be a pivotal time in the history of mankind and there could be some major events that the world will need to deal with. Are these the leaders that are best suited for this time? How can we know until they are tested for the first time? Again, I'm not saying that these changes and these leaders are bad, per se, but it's something to be aware of I think. Don't you?

It's what I love

Well, I finally did it. I started my own blog! I have been thinking about doing it for some time but I just never got around to it. Well, in the spirit of Carpe Diem...I finally did it. It makes sense for me since I love to spend time on the Internet and I also love to talk with, debate, converse, whatever you want to call it..with others over the Internet. I have to admit I have long thought of writing a book but what to write about? I'm hoping that this will become so popular that I will get some ideas to that end. But even if it doesn't go in that direction I think this will be fun and I am curious about what others have to say and there opinions as well. So come one, come all, let's chat. Welcome to my world!!!