The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Andy McCarthy’s Grand Jihad Is A Must-Read

Posted on | July 19, 2010 | 9 Comments

by Smitty

I just finished Chapter 9, ‘Not Such Strange Bedfellows’ in McCarthy’s book. The summary paragraph:

Revolutionaries of Islam and the Left make fast friends when there is a common enemy to besiege. Leftists, however are essentially nihilists who hazy vision prioritizes power over what is to be done with power. They are biddable. Islamists, who have very settled convictions about what is to be done with power, are much less so. Even their compromises keep their long-term goals in their sights. Thus do Leftists consistently overrate their ability to control Islamists. Factoring the common denominator, power, out of the equation, something always beats nothing.

Looking at these bedfellows, it’s been obvious for some time that each thinks the other a tool, and both are correct.
However, the notion of timeframe as a factor hadn’t occurred to me. This is a profound insight.
Also, I’m unsure that the corrosive nature of Lefty nihilism cannot, in the long run, have the same kind of destructive effect that it has had on Western civilization. I would expect that they depend on their seeming ability to bury almost anything in Critical Theory. Convincing the audience not to answer sophistries with the scimitar will be the challenge.

Category: Progressivism, Terrorism

Comments

9 Responses to “Andy McCarthy’s Grand Jihad Is A Must-Read”

  1. Bill S.
    July 19th, 2010 @ 1:04 pm

    “Empowering”? Seriously? The point of the burqa is to hide the female form (making HER suffer having to wear such things in all types of weather) so the men wouldn’t be tempted by her. God forbid that the men in Islam actually take responsibility for their own actions and control themselves… (Yes, I know this is done rather effectively in many Islamic nations. I am referring to those places where burqas are mandated.)

  2. Bill S.
    July 19th, 2010 @ 9:04 am

    “Empowering”? Seriously? The point of the burqa is to hide the female form (making HER suffer having to wear such things in all types of weather) so the men wouldn’t be tempted by her. God forbid that the men in Islam actually take responsibility for their own actions and control themselves… (Yes, I know this is done rather effectively in many Islamic nations. I am referring to those places where burqas are mandated.)

  3. Jeff Weimer
    July 19th, 2010 @ 1:27 pm

    I suppose if a woman wants to wear a burqua, that’s her privilege and decision.

    It’s when demands that others, who wish not to, wear it out of deference to “multiculturalism” and “respect” in their own country that it becomes a problem. It is no more than an attempt, at that point, to exercise a measure of power over those who would not otherwise follow that custom.

    But enough about your threadjack, gg. what do you have that’s constructive to say about the post itself?

  4. Jeff Weimer
    July 19th, 2010 @ 9:27 am

    I suppose if a woman wants to wear a burqua, that’s her privilege and decision.

    It’s when demands that others, who wish not to, wear it out of deference to “multiculturalism” and “respect” in their own country that it becomes a problem. It is no more than an attempt, at that point, to exercise a measure of power over those who would not otherwise follow that custom.

    But enough about your threadjack, gg. what do you have that’s constructive to say about the post itself?

  5. Obi's Sister
    July 19th, 2010 @ 1:31 pm

    Ignore g. She’s trying to hijack the thread.

  6. Obi's Sister
    July 19th, 2010 @ 9:31 am

    Ignore g. She’s trying to hijack the thread.

  7. Roxeanne de Luca
    July 19th, 2010 @ 1:36 pm

    Perhaps progressives think that they can manipulate Islamic extremists with the same success that they’ve undermined a lot of the Christian faith (I’m referring to the people who call themselves Christian, go to church, but don’t really seem to follow any of the basic tenets of the faith.) The mistake, of course, would be buying their own propaganda: that evangelicals are exactly like the Taliban, just in America.

  8. Roxeanne de Luca
    July 19th, 2010 @ 9:36 am

    Perhaps progressives think that they can manipulate Islamic extremists with the same success that they’ve undermined a lot of the Christian faith (I’m referring to the people who call themselves Christian, go to church, but don’t really seem to follow any of the basic tenets of the faith.) The mistake, of course, would be buying their own propaganda: that evangelicals are exactly like the Taliban, just in America.

  9. Somali women divorcing their husbands for not joining the Jihad | MorallyRight.org
    July 19th, 2010 @ 9:49 am

    […] Andy McCarthy's Grand Jihad Is A Must-Read : The Other McCain […]