X-Message-Number: 17570 Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 06:42:28 +0800 (CST) From: =?big5?q?kurt2100kimo?= <> Subject: Mike darwin and Islam I read Mike Darwin's post about the attack on NYC and I think that Ettinger is misunderstanding what Mike is saying here. Mike has evidently spent considerable time in the islamic middle-east and has come to the conclusion, based on these experiences, that the islamic world-view is inherently incompatible with the Western-liberal world-view and that a major conflict between the two is inevitable. What Mike is saying is the exact opposite of what Ettinger claims he is saying. Mike is a fervent believer in the the liberal values of freedom and capitalism, as I am. He believes that we will have to fight and defend these values from those who do not share them and that it will be a long, bloody, and difficult fight, but one that we must win if any of us are to have the chance of an indefinitely long life-span. Since I have not spent much time in the Muslim world, I cannot judge the validity of his argument about Islam being incompatible with the West. However, if his base argument is correct, which it may well be, then the rest of his argument is logical corollary. I have spent 10 years in the "orriental" part of Asia (Japan, China, and Korea) and can tell you that these people are becomming much more liberal, in general, with time; and that they should be courted as allies in the coming clash between value systems (if Mike is right). I will say one thing about Ettinger's response to Mike. I may not like Mike's personality and disagree with some of his methods. But to question his commitment to progress, freedom, and capitalism is way off base. -------------------------------------------------------------------- _ q l H c E q @ http://mail.kimo.com.tw < E b _ > http://www.kimo.com.tw Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17570