Country Music Again...

I had to make a phone call to Texas today. Funny thing about Texas is that whenever I hear the name I am forced to remember the song "All my exes live in Texas."

If one were to have a conjunto do that song, would it have to be "All my ejas live in Tejas?" or "Todos mi..." never mind.

Inquiring (but not too sharp) minds want to know.

For those who are wondering and possibly worrying, yes, I have been listening to a lot of country music these days. I have been in the Central Valley four times in the last two weeks, drinking ice cold Budweiser (OK, some Sierra Nevada, too. I am not a complete redneck), and sometimes it just clicks. You gotta hear Hank or Bob Wills or Flatt and Scruggs. When I drive through Vacaville too many times I have to hear Spade Cooley, which is definitely a sign that one should move away. Far away.

But where? Country Music is everywhere. Even in San Francisco, where I have seen some of the best country acts in the world.

So, I don't move away and try to escape the twang, I embrace the twang. I listen to Bob Wills and Waylong Jennings and Buck Owens and even Spade Cooley (although it is hard to listen to him and not think about what he did and not want to throw the record in disgust, but he was such a good musician. I listen to Gesualdo, Wagner, and Berlioz, too).

Of course I realize that country music doesn't kill people, country musicians do (or at least they break into restaurants to rob them for dope money not realizing that the restaurant is open), but there is a part of me that thinks that somehow if I listen to country music too much it will somehow make me more of a redneck. So I have to keep tabs on these things. You can never be too careful.

On the Repugnance of Moderation

I am sick and tired of Westerners calling for us to support "Moderate Muslims." It reeks of arrogance that we are telling them the form that their religion should take, based on post-Endarkenment secularism. What exactly is a "moderate Muslim?" A cafeteria Mohammedan? A Mohammedan who believes that the Koran is the infallible word of God, yet is willing to bend on crucial issues when faced with the prospect of Western goods?

I am willing to grant the Mohammedans that they believe in the truth of their religion. So why would I trust anyone who compromised on what they saw as Truth, particularly when said Truth comes with strict orders of obedience?

In order to make any headway against the errors of Mohammedanism, we need to first recognize that Mohammedanism is not a religion of peace and that those who really profess it are inherently opposed to the West. While supporting so-called moderates might have the worthy goal of putting off violence, it is short-sighted and ultimately supports the worst aspect of secularization, which is the divorce between religion and society.

If we are to have meaningful dialogue with the Mohammedans, we have to stop trying to refashion their faith into one of our own making. Then we will have an unvarnished portrait of what we are up against. Until then, we are propping up nothing by stooges, compromisers, and cowards in our support of so-called moderate Mohammedanism.