Looks like the annual hajj pilgrimage got ill today.
Thousands of Muslim pilgrims rushing to complete a symbolic stoning ritual tripped over luggage Thursday, causing a literal pileup of people in which at least 345 people were killed, the Interior Ministry said. Wow - 345 people dead because of luggage? The stampede occurred as tens of thousands of pilgrims headed toward al-Jamarat, a series of three pillars representing the devil that the faithful pelt with stones to purge themselves of sin or maybe it happened because all those Muslim fellas were staring at Arabic starlet Pamela Hajj. To be honest, a pilgrimage to Pam makes a lot more sense as you readily can see and you wouldn't have to change any of your posters because Pam has the same last name.
Sad part is, this t'aint (not to be confused with the quagga) the first time this happened. Oh no. Same isht happened in 1990, which killed 1,426 people and another in February 2004 that killed 244. One would think the problem would have been addressed by now, but I think there are deeper implications. This year's hajj was already marred by the Jan. 5 collapse of a building being used as a pilgrims' hotel that killed 76 people in Mecca. So, that makes 421 dead folks at Muslim Fest '06. Are these people considered martyrs as well or only 400 virgins await if you blow yourself up? What would God/Allah say...
"Muslim people of earth...while it sucks you died trampling each other in honor of me, I am left in a mental state of debate on whether or not to admit you into the pearly gates. Sure, you were on a pilgrimage for me, but you died because of luggage and not in an honorable, blowing-yourself-to-bits manner like so many of your brethren. God, it's not easy being God."
It sure isn't. But it ain't easy picking music on a regular basis either. I think we should listen to all My Morning Jacket today. A. Because they are growing on me by the day, which means their good and B. Because the two song titles "Death Is The Easy Way" and "If It Smashes Down" from At Dawn, apply to our dearly departed friends from the hajj.
Death Is The Easy Way
If It Smashes Down
While Mr. Wigton's humor is compelling, let us not get all caught up and forget that all muslims are not terrorists. The mire is thick, my friends, but alas, there is hope for us yet.
HIP? Whoever you are - where is this hope you speak of? At least when talking about Western-Mid-East relations? Maybe. But no time soon. Pakistan is undergoing a Muslim fundamentalist revival and we sure as hell don't have more friends in Iran.
I believe (and this may be totally erroneous), or better stated, IT SEEMS TO ME that most Muslims are peace-loving folk. However, the majority of Muslim states SEEM to have leaders who deal with US in a very aggressive manner, which in turn makes the average U.S. citizen view them as a fundamentally bellicose people. Add into that the discord that has been a hallmark of Christian-Islamic relations and you have a recipe for disaster. People from both factions tend to make extremely ethnocentric judgements when speaking about the other, throwing around words such as "terrorist" and "freedom fighter" which are then misinterpreted by religious zealots.
I would like to say there is hope, but the situation at this moment is bleak. Bleak, bleak, bleak. Swampy, quagmire-esque, and polemic.
[2]It is hope and not fact. I am referrig to the hope that we may one day completely doff our Westward looking Euro/Judeo-Christian-centric worldview. Grand generalizations about the mid-east are a symptom of this disease. No matter how terrible the situation is in the mid-east, no matter how many volatile our (U.S.) relations with its leaders, it will never help to condemn the innocent. If you confuse the pious muslims with the terrorists, you only exacerbate the problem. Mr. Wigton's sarcasm is, nevertheless, well taken. He may however be in trouble should god turn out to really be a muslim. I'm not sure how he will take the quote.
Eloquent to be sure, KW. And yes, I don't mean to sound so harsh. Lord/Allah knows the good 'ol US is just as dirty as our fundamentalist friends. I guess like most I question when all this madness is going to end. Life is hard enough, can't that be our biggest worry?
HIP - Again, I would like to know who you be, but I digress. We all are screwed because God is Chuck Norris and he wants to kick some ass.
what's up with all this Chuck Norris bullshit going around?
Ha - I don't know, but you have to admit that Invasion USA is one of the greatest movies of all time.
Surely he'd take out Bin Laden right away with a roundhouse kick to the face, followed up with an immaculate conception for Pam Haaj.
[8] sidekicks was better.
Fuck religious debate. I'm drunk as I type and I try to avoid that topic while in said state. Although, perhaps what this world needs is for our leaders to get together for a solid session. Maybe if they get nice and housed, stay away from religion, and talk about music, sports, and Knight Rider they will realize that fundamentally we are all fairly similar. I don't want to hear from the bleeding-hearts who might say, "Thunder, in the depressed, war-torn economy of the middle-east, do you really think that they have been afforded the comfort of Knight Rider re-runs?" Logic dictates that the leader of any country, no matter how depressed, has access to a full DVD archive of the series. If not, what's the point of being a leader?
More on the topic of Chuck Norris. A good friend recently sent me an electronic mail containing several Chuck Norris facts. I have since deleted them, but I did have a few favorites that I will share. For those of you who have heard these and, consequently, find them passe, well, you can go eat a big bowl of fuck soup.
1. Chuck Norris has had sex with several men. Not because he's gay, but because there are no women left.
2. One day Chuck Norris' girlfriend asked him, "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Enraged he roundhouse-kicked her head off yelling, "Don't you ever rhyme at me. No one fucks with Chuck." Three months later he realized the irony and laughed such a hardy, manly laugh that everyone within a mile radius went deaf.
3. Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his other-worldly good looks and amazing kung-fu skills. After recieving his wishes he roundhouse-kicked the devil and stole his soul back. The devil, being a fan of irony, had a good laugh. Now they play poker together every Wednesday.
Jenny just called up. My dinner is ready. Fuck off bitches.
I worry about Thunder's sanity, but if he was any other way, we would not get such precious gems as ..."you can go eat a big bowl of fuck soup." Lovely.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, fuck soup.
did you receive the word? juicy saw a hip hop mix, took it and ran. hopefully i'll get a good listen sometime soon.
thunder, black keys are in cleveberg end of february...
Dale - Sure did see the hip-hop. I'm just as excited as Juice. Thunder, yes, Black Keys end of February. I'm a comin to Cleve.
Count me in boys. Count me in.