Liberty Maven

If John McCain had his way a book released last month would be banned. “Who Speaks For Islam? What A Billion Muslims Really Think” analyzes the results of a 6 year survey (2001 - 2007) about what Muslims think about America and the West. The survey sample represents “more than 90% of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims, making this the largest, most comprehensive study of contemporary Muslims ever done.”

To put it simply, the findings show that Ron Paul is right and John McCain is wrong.

George Bush, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and all of the other neo-conservative war hammers are lying to the American people about what Muslims believe. It seems they are telling Americans what they themselves believe. Unfortunately, the capacity for belief by the American public usually outweighs the actual truth.

What is most interesting about this book is that it shows what Muslims actually believe, not what some so called “expert” author believes. As Ron Paul said so directly last year during that fateful debate moment with Rudy Giuliani, “They don’t hate us for our freedom, they hate us because we’ve been over there.” He then gave Rudy Giuliani a reading list. There is no doubt that if this book were published back then it would be on that list as well.

Michael Scheuer was the author of one of those Rudy’s Reading List books. He was the Chief of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit. He is one of the so-called experts that Giuliani and others tried to refute. It is more difficult to refute him now that he has a billion Muslims agreeing with him. Scheuer, in “A Book Americans Must Read Before Time Runs Out“, wrote the following:

On no other foreign policy issue since the Cold War’s end has the truth been so easy to establish on the basis of hard facts but so hard for Americans to see – primarily because their leaders eagerly distort or ignore the truth. The reality accurately presented by Esposito, Mogahed, Pape, and Sageman – as well as by Dr. Ron Paul – has never eluded Osama bin Laden, however. Five years before Gallup even started collecting its data, bin Laden knew that U.S. foreign policy effectively united the Muslim world’s moderates and radicals in anti-U.S. hatred, and that when he defied Washington and attacked U.S. interests because of those policies he both drew and grew support for his jihad against America.

John McCain will likely not have to resort to the measures of banning books. The American public and media seem blinded by the “maverick”, “war hero”, and “straight talk” McCain labels. It is almost if most Americans need to hate someone or some group in order to be motivated. For the liberals it is George W. Bush. For the neo-conservatives it is “Islamic extremists”. For me and many other liberty minded individuals we just hate the spin, lies and propaganda.

It is a good thing Ron Paul is still in the Presidential race even if he is largely ignored. Those like us who seek the truth still have a voice thanks to the good doctor. Meanwhile McCain travels the country raising money for his campaign touting the great success in Iraq on the very day the death toll for American troops breaks 4000. The phrase “completely out of touch with reality” seems too tame for McCain.

I hope that some day during the campaign McCain’s penchant for saying “my friends” to his audiences produces some blowback. It would not surprise me to hear the parent of a dead soldier shout back at him, “You are not my friend. The blood of my son is on your hands. You will never be my friend. You disgust me and should be ashamed of yourself.” If that were to happen, it may not hurt him politically, but it sure would make many of us feel a bit better.