31. Bud:

What made me ill were gay pride pictures from a link posted by Dinesh in one of his articles from a few weeks ago.

kulari94 at 1:32PM on Nov 29th 2007

32. Posters:

I just want you to take this away with you:

Girl Scouts is not a conservative organization.

D.D. is wrong, or mistaken, or lying.

AND I learned about my vagina IN the girl scouts.

Just remember that.

Thank you.

Linda at 1:35PM on Nov 29th 2007

33. Bud....thank you...I just spewed diet Mount Dew all over my screen with that image of Dinesh in a Euro thong.

Sorry to laugh at you, Mr. D'Souza....but he was funny!

larry d. at 1:39PM on Nov 29th 2007

34. Hey D'Souza, Lord Powell did not create the girl scouts, it was founded by Juliette Gordon Low, an American. Get your facts straight before you post your nonsense. The Girl Scouts have not been taken to court by the way and from what I have seen (my sister was a scout and my mom a troop leader) it is not as conservative as the boy scouts. They are a separate organization from them so your argument is baseless since you only refer to the boy scouts.

Now why would muslim girls want to join girl scouts? It's because that is what is seen as normal for most little girls! They see their friends joining and they want to join as well! They see their friends having fun and they want to join in as well. Also, the scouts starts recruiting at age 5, I don't think most of those kids would know what the Vagina Monologues are at that point so your argument is useless.

Good job on an idiotic article that only proves that you don't do research before you post it.

James at 1:52PM on Nov 29th 2007

35. 20. Good morning Guys, Somber, Great Post,
Mornin' Linda and all my disagreeing friends. What in the world is going on with this blog? I think Mr. D is trying to show how the young ladies are trying to become more western than the locked up nation that they have come from.

>> Rita, there's a catch. If you read the NYTimes article the girl wears her uniform to avoid harrassment she recieves from other Americans. There's an ugly streak of intolerance today where millions of muslims are branded for the acts of sixteen madmen. Would you like your children glared and glowered at for wearing cruifixes? I doubt it. So the ironic twist to this is while it is good that these immigrants are assimilating, it's sad that it is ever due to intimidation or intolerance.

Right about those cookies though they are good.

>>suspictiously good. Especially those thin mints...

However, it is a far stretch from yesterday. He's probably exhausted over reading our blogs the last few days.

>> He doesn't read them. He once said that he was far more interested in "bringing contraversy to light" than "being bogged down in endless annoymous argument."

Anyone watch the republican debates?

>> Yes. About what I expected.

Is it just me or we just don't have a lot of good candidates to pick from. Republican or liberal!!!!!!

>> The party is called the democrats, Rita. And (que the fight soundtrack) I disagree. I don't think that the democrats have a bad candidate out there. Hillery is a canny fighter looking to restore and expand her husband's legacy with her own twists, like healthcare reform. Edwards is focused on social reform and poverty reduction, which is slowly strangling our economy from within. Obama is the most idealistic, but he actually wants to go out and work with the world rather than trying to impose our will upon it.

>> On the republican side things are a little sadder. I wish you folks would just pick the best candidate and go with McCain rather than quibbling and squalking over which candidate God would prefer. Rommey would be acceptable too. I don't care that he's mormon, even if he is far worse a waffler than Kerry. Ron Paul is a pipe dream candidate. He says things that are easy to like, but in reality would be difficult to implement and would degrade America's ability to influence the world for the better. But please, for the love of your God, do not pick Gulliani or Fred Thompson. The former is setting up to be Bush without the religious entourage who has nothing to his name besides the fact that he was mayor during 9/11 and who gave NYC a superficial cleaning while dusting the problems of poverty and ethnic differences under the rug. The latter is running because Rommey is a mormon and evangelicals think he's not christiany enough.

Don't see anyone special person in the bunch.

>> Go with McCain. He's moderate and doesn't inject his religion into politics, but he's also felt first hand the worst that war can offer and will do his best to ensure that our military is used responsibly. He's also a fiscal conservative who opposes wonton deficit spending and works to further campaign reform, and had the integrity to tell a 3rd party interfernce group (aka "swiftboat vets") to stop smearing opponents in his favor.

Ah, such is liberty but, I guess that is what is so great about our country.

>> No. It's what's so annoying about our country. We have a schizophrenic break down every four to eight years. But it's far, far better than other forms of government that don't even attempt to represent their populace.

You know after yesterday's decision about Christmas, I have decided to decorate my tree in Yellow ribbons. I want it to stand for something this year, not religious not idolistic but, in support of the men and women who are fighting for our freedom in foreign lands.

>> If that's what you want to do then do it. However, again, it might be more constructive to call your congressperson and tell them that you want them brought home as safely and as soon as possible.

Nope, don't go there, not referring to who is right or wrong or who believes in what just as a reminder to myself, that we have an all volunteer service protecting our country, who I hope will be able to come home in grand style on day real soon. Okay do your best. Rita

>> Not much to work with. Personally I hope they enact a draft. Nothing is going to stop these conflicts until middle income and upper income families get to see their sons and daughters taken off to war. There is nothing sadder than some one who thinks a ribbon bumber sticker supports anything but a sticker manufacturer.

Somber at 1:54PM on Nov 29th 2007

36. First off, I need to stop laughing to type properly, Mincpa, do a little cultural reading, the Vagina Monologues isn't a show with a couple women nude sitting spread eagle in a chair making their privies talk. It's a clever title for a show revolving around seperate stories, i.e. monologues, spoken about feminine experiences. My Vagina My Village, for such an example, isn't about a woman harboring several large families in her vagina literally. It's about women surviving in Bosnian "rape camps." See how crafty the English language is? Nothing crude about this piece of literature and staged performance. It's not like the infamous Penis Puppetry, after-all. Check that one out if you're up for a cringing chuckle.

Now lets come full 'round to the scouts. First off, the BSA is vastly, as pointed out several times by other readers, different than the Girl Scouts. I'll say such as I was a cub scout, a boy scout, and quite frankly got ejected before becoming an eagle scout. Something about improper hair cut, hair color, attitude, religious affliation, and on top of it all a general lack of respect for authorities. Fair enough. The boy scouts learn to set camps, build fires, tie knots, everything that anyone who isn't stranded fifty miles from any form of civilization would have absolutely no need for. Survival training. Girl scouts do the camping thing here and there as I understand, but their badge requirements are so seperated it's futile to even compare the majority. Past swimming badges and maybe archery. Also, I have to say from my stance in the BSA, girl scouts get better food by far. Always made me a bit jealous, cookies, decent meals, something past well water in a moldy canteen and a potato wrapped in tin foil under a camp fire. Ahhh, days gone by.

Now Dinesh, perhaps in an unconsidered fashion, brings up a very good arguement. The disclusion of the gay population, particularly scout masters, from having anything to do with the BSA. This has, and probably always will, make me chuckle. News flash boys and girls, a straight male is far more likely to commit profane acts with -boys- than a homosexual man is. Oh my gawd, can this be true? You betcha. Studies in deviant sexual activities pin-point that while the gay population has a tendency of chicken-hawking, i.e. a fourty year old man picking up on a nineteen year old, they don't seem to get their jiggers jigglin' for the young teen through pre-teen market. That's been a classically hetro venture. From present day Thailand straight back to classical good ol' Roman Empirial social truths. Straight men, defined by their general attraction towards the opposite sex, have found younger generations of same sex population to be enjoyable in less than socially acceptable manners. Why? Aww hell, the answer is probably as simple as these people just have a couple screws loose ( no pun intended ) and are by no means representive of the stereo-typed sexual philosophy of their peers. So Dinesh, truth be told, I'd probably prefer my son to be led off into the wilderness by a homosexual scout master. At least the odds stand he'll eat well, won't come back derranged by some scarring experience, and will still know how to tie knots better than myself. Hey, never know, might get lucky and he'll even have a suggestion for future window treatments and floor plans at the homestead.

Tsol at 1:59PM on Nov 29th 2007

37. Somber,
After seeing my brother go to Viet Nam for his senior trip my dear please do not preach to the choir so to speak. You have no idea, and will problably not ever know what it is like to have a marine seargeant come to your home and tell you that your son (brother in my case is MIA) so yes young lady I hope everyone of them arrive here real soon but, in reality in war there is death, that is what war is all about. So just remove that little ole chip and get on with getting on so to speak. Yes, I know that they are democrats or they used to be. Now, the democracts have moved so far to the left that the money grabbbing Republicans are now the middle of the road. You have no idea what you are wishing for to reinact the draft. Then there would be no atheist in foxholes, I'm sure you have heard than one before. The draft I hope will never be instated because the most selfish and me generation would be the ones going into protecting you. How does that sound? Rita

Rita at 2:24PM on Nov 29th 2007

38.
One last thing for Dinesh to ponder...

"Liberal culture", as defined by Islam, is the reason that a group of men flew fuel laden aircraft into buildings a few years back.

Things like women being allowed to show their faces, travel freely without male relatives, or to be educated.

Conservative groups like the Taliban and Al-Queda can't stand liberal culture. Liberal culture allows people to be what they are, without fear of reprisal. Liberal culture allows people to say things that go against everything they hold dear. Liberal culture rails against hate and intolerance.

I'll take my liberal, athiestic views over conservative theism anyday. I don't have to please any immoral gods, or any fellow followers of such. The only thing I am compelled to do, is treat my fellow man with the respect that every one of us deserves.

Ken at 2:26PM on Nov 29th 2007

39. Hey folks, the misinformed, pseudo-intellectual, poor-researcher, dd, DOES READ THIS JUNK!

He occasionally interjects a comment in a post.....and he emailed me twice.

(One time was to correct a typo I had made....he is pathetic)

stuart joshua at 2:49PM on Nov 29th 2007

40. BAWAA, my first question I'm seriously scratching my head at is how is the BSA a paramilitary organization? Secondly how is the BSA a Mormon organization? I think there are a lot of LDS kids that participate in the program, but it is not an organization that promotes one religion or another. In fact you don't really have to be Christian or Muslim or anything other than atheist... OK, never mind it makes sense why you hate the BSA now.

Marc at 2:51PM on Nov 29th 2007

41. Stuart,
Great at least he does take time to read what we write whether or not we agree or disagree. Mr. D'Souza is a great columnist due to his understanding that while not being born in America and the natural graces that we all take for granted, he unfortunately has left his mother country to come here to live. To me that says a lot about a person. Would you or any other American really want to not have the freedoms that we have? To be able to argue without the fright of some kind of retribution from the government. I think is a pretty good guide in itself. We can sit here and have these sessions everyday all day long and at the end of the day we just have to agree to disagree. Maybe, that is what Mr. D'Souza is trying to get across. You think? Rita

Rita at 3:34PM on Nov 29th 2007

42. While I do see Mr. D'Souza's point, that Muslim American girls are embracing the conservative rather than liberal ideology, I have to agree with the critics this time. Comparing girl scouts to the "Vagina Monologues" is a poor choice of words. I'm certain this could have been phrased better.

Having said that, most of the comments posted about this blog are the meanest that I've ever seen on the web. Few, if any, of these people have read or considered what Mr. D'Souza has to say and their comments are usually just bitter and vindictive.

Visiting Atheist sites, I see the same cruelty and lack of respect towards Christians and other religions. Those who write such comments should consider the feelings of others.

No, you don't have to be a Christian if you don't want to.

But is civility toward those you disagree with really so hard?

Steve at 3:36PM on Nov 29th 2007

43. http://onegoodmovemedia.org/movies/0711/patcondellwhydebatedogma.mov

...nuff said.

Bob at 3:42PM on Nov 29th 2007

44. "The Vagina Monologues" is not simply about menopausal women. It is an exploitive, secular progressive agenda piece, which, among other things, uses relativism to justify a menopausal women's statutory rape of a young girl by suggesting that the girl might some day look back on the event as somehow a "good" experience. If not for its hot buttons, it would have been tossed into the trash heap of poor writing craft years ago. In so, it exploits not only women, young girls, and true reason, but also the art of stage writing.

Dinesh's point is well suited for our times. The younger generation is showing signs of rejecting the 'relative' ethics of the generation which embraced the sorts of ideas presented in "The Vagina Monologues." They are, instead continuing mankind's millennia-long search for 'truth'. They are finding it, appropriately, in organizations which promote values derived from a heritage of true philosophy, which points to an ultimate good, and true theology, which points to a good God.

Alex at 3:46PM on Nov 29th 2007

45. Marc,

Watch the Penn & Teller expose on the Boy Scouts. And what a wonderful poisoning the well fallacy you committed, too.

But then: you're an idiot.

Knight_of_BAAWA at 3:51PM on Nov 29th 2007