[geeks] California Proposition 14

[gsm at mendelson.com]

On Mon, Jun 07, 2010 at 04:06:09PM -0400, Bill Green wrote:

>"Multiculturalism" is the current guise of the xenophobic canard that 
>always is pointed at during the decline of an empire that's 
>overextended itself. See, e.g., the history of Europe back to about 
>400 AD or so.

In this case, it is very different. When immigrants arrived in the US before
WWII, or the UK before around 1990, they had to learn English, follow the
local laws, etc. 

Now there are many Mexicans in the US who have never learned English, and
Arabs in the UK in similar situations. The US has always allowed Sharia
(Islamic) law in addition to prevailing law, i.e. you could go to a Sharia
court as long as what ever was ruled was in accordance with all the
appropriate laws. 

What they UK has done is to allow Sharia law INSTEAD of English law. They
have not yet gotten to the point where arranged marriages are enforced, and
people have been let off for honor killings, but they are being pushed in that
way. 

Even in the suburbs of Washington DC (and in London, etc),  children are
being taught that they are not responsible for local laws, only Sharia
and are not to be loyal to the country they are living, but to Islam.

So it's not a xenophobic canard, it's a real and present danger.

If you want a xenophobic canard, try "I'm not antisemtic, I'm anti-zionist".
It's like saying "I'm not Christian, I'm just against anyone who claims
divinity for Jesus".

Geoff.
-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm at mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM
New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge or
understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the situation. 
i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the Wikipedia.