Hootsbuddy’s Place: Casting the first stone

Casting the first stone
There is an online video of stoning linked at Pebble Pie. I started to watch it but stopped as soon as bloodstains appeared, so I can’t report what is on the entire link. What I watched was all I needed. The person being stoned to death is bound in sheets, very much like a cocoon, then stood in a hole up to about the waist. The hole is filled in so there can be no escape and the arms remain bound. The stoning is performed by a crowd of people, presumably ordinary people who want to participate, using rocks, the size of which is also governed by Sharia law. Stones cannot be as small as “pebbles” which would have little effect (no play on words, I’m sure, for the blog host) nor large enough to kill the person with one or two blows, which would bring the punishment to an end too quickly.

This video is not just a documentary. It begins with warnings and other information that lean toward editorial comments, such as “Islam, the religion of peace.” These ironic reminders appeared several times in the narrative lest the viewer forget what he is watching

There’s more, and it’s worth a read. I link to Hootsbuddy because of what he had to say. He discusses the death penalty in general, and as I commented there, I am not against teh death penalty per se, but his words give me much to think about. You can click on the link on his site as it does not go directly to the video, but to the blog that has the video. There is a pic on that blog of the woman they are about to stone, and I imagine that will take you to the video, if you really need to watch it.

Now, when 9/11 happened, we had a black and white tv, about 5 inches diagonal. There is something very “old-movie like” watching black and white, yk? It seems unreal, in a world of color. Today, I watched America Attacked 9 1 1. It’s maybe five minutes long, but….I saw for the first time as it were. My stomach roiled, and I cried. It’s just still pictures. But, if you have forgotten, it will remind you what this war is about. Why it’s important. Why Jihadists must be stopped, whatever the cost. And, frankly, for them, cost is not considered. They are terrorists.

I heard that a Palestinian (I disremember which one) once explained why the Palestinians would eventually succeed. It was something like, “we are not afraid to sacrifice our children, and you are”. That’s the mindset of a terrorist. The price is not important, and the goal is not really winning. The goal is spreading terror. Look past the words to the actions, and you can plainly see the truth of that.

Oh, I guess there is some good news today. Scanning CNN to see what Katrina is up to, I saw that a high up Taliban leader had been killed in the fighting in Afghanistan. And, yes, it’s sad that he died. But I wonder how many *more* people he would have killed if he yet lived.

Sigh. It’s a sad Cass today, heavy in thought.