Sunday digest

- Aly Hindy, imam at a Scarborough mosque, has attempted to deflect questions away from his community by playing the race card and blaming W., among other things:

Aly Hindy, imam at the Salaheddin Islamic Centre in Scarborough, said the charges would be proved false.

"I think it will fall apart. I'm just worried for the community. This is an attack on the Muslim community. Canada has the best Muslim community, we are very safe and peaceful," he said at the centre.

"We are abusing our boys for the sake of pleasing (U.S. President) George Bush," Mr. Hindy said outside the courtroom.

"The CSIS and RCMP are feeling threatened -- not of terrorism but of losing their jobs. They need to create an atmosphere of fear in the country to keep their jobs.

"They talk of homegrown terrorism. This is homegrown baloney."

More accurate would be Rosie DiManno's observations from the Toronto Star, which I urge you to read for yourself.

The danger in analysing the attempted bombing of Ontario landmarks by these radical Islamists is to ascribe rationality to them - in other words, using traditional Western methods of explanation when determining motive in order to take the steps to prevent groups like this from forming elsewhere in Canada. For instance, one might say to themselves "they wouldn't act like this if we left Afghanistan, were less friendly with the White House, spoke out more strongly against Israel" or any number of seemingly reasonable yet wrong-headed explanations. The bottom line is that there is no rationality with al-Qaeda, and they hate us BECAUSE of that very rationality. They hate us because our society accepts multiple truths instead of the Quranic-inspired one. They hate us because our society accepts shades of grey rather than black and white. And that has nothing to do with Afghanistan, George Bush or Palestine.

To believe that these attacks wouldn't have happened if only we took this or that seemingly less-offensive-to-radical-Muslims route policy-wise as a nation is folly. We are infidels to them, no matter how deep we bury our heads in the sand, and we always will be, so we might as well just get used to the fact that we will always be a target until this war is won.

- In the wake of Haditha, where early reports seemingly demonstrate that US Marines killed 15 Iraqi civilians, the far left is claiming a "propaganda victory" despite a lack of conclusive evidence as to what really happened. But as Mark Steyn points out, the Vietnam crowd will slobber over anything that reflects poorly on the troops. Thankfully, although it's coming two years too late, some liberals like Peter Beinart are recognizing that there's got to be more to the left-leaning option than just cheering every time America stumbles.

- Drilling in Alaska would likely increase America's oil reserves by 50%. I know there are caribou there and all, but I don't see this as a difficult decision.

- And on a lighter note, the top ten worst songs of the 80s. #'s 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 are all definitely worthy of inclusion, but my own personal choice for #1 would have to be "Love Shack" by the B-52's. I'd rather hear nails on a chalkboard, which, come to think of it, is pretty much what that ditzy redhead's voice sounds like when she's talking about "tin roof rusted" and other drivel in that so-called piece of art.