> Stephen, you really need to lighten up and quit jumping down everybody's throat for every single remark that they make.

You sir are a moron. And I mean that very sincerely - I don't think you have ever once in your history on this forum said one single thing that wasn't asinine, from your arguing that consipiracies of scientists are trying to repress the truth to your telling zK to IGNORE what his doctors say and accept your own bunko-idiot diagnosis of his medical conditions. We've been very nice to you and very patient with you, but your breaking in to a serious discussion and telling people to "lighten up" instead of challenging other people's ideas is about the last straw.

In case you're not aware of how actual adults actually discuss things - you know, that very process that the evil science cabals use to formulate their lies - it pretty much revolves around challenging ideas, whether established or new, and seeing how they hold up. This whole idea of "lightening up" and not questioning people is responsible for a whole lot of bad science - I'm sorry, a whole lot of accidental leaks of the REAL truth.

> As it happens, Howard is largely correct. Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East, and it just happens to be non-Arab. Most Arabs were not exposed to Western ideas and practices until oil was discovered underneath them.

So ignoring for a moment that this is entirely ignorant and wrong and that Arabs in fact were basically the sole source that *preserved* what you know as "Western ideas and practices" for a thousand years (ca. 450 CE - 1450 CE), aren't you now doing exactly what you just told Stephen not to do? Or is this different because you, of course, are absoultely correct whereas Stephen is just a crank?

Your idea of "western culture" comes from Greece, which, by the way, is as close to being in Arabia as European nations get. The Greek thought and traditions, preserved by the Arabs after Justinian closed the Academy and thereby consigned all of Europe to a thousand years of exactly the "stagnation" you earlier accused the Arabs of, form the basis of all modern social and political theory, as well as all philosophy, mathematics, and hard science. And, in case you care, Aristotle had experience, knowledge, and wisdom you lack, which granted him the insight to be aware that democracy is not an exalted condition that most men are not worthy or capable of, but a natural end-point of a governmental devolution.

> And lastly, it is not racist to point out what should be perfectly obvious to everyone, that different countries, in different parts of the world, which happen to be populated by different-looking people, have different practices and cultures.

No kidding there, Doctor Obvious. And I believe you'd find, if you actually READ Stephen's post rather than just staring blankly at your screen and then frothing into your keyboard, that he never said otherwise. He called out Howard not for saying that Arabs have "different practices and cultures [from us]," but for calling them savages and saying that they are incapable of civilisation. I'd like to add to that his statement - explicit - that people in the Middle East aren't capable of learning from their mistakes. That isn't a far cry from "people in the Middle East have different practices and cultures?"

Also, I notice you gloss over the issue of Turkey - Arab, muslim, and definitely a proper, functioning democratic society. Oh, wait, let me guess: your latest blinding flash of stupidity will be pointing out that Turkey has a powerful Islamic fundamentalist faction lobbying for increased control over the government. Say not so! I'm glad we don't have any fundamentalist factions lobbying for control of the government in *this* country. Clearly, we are the more enlightened people.

So, in conclusion, next time you feel the need to post a long-winded, nonsensical, insulting rant on a topic you barely understand and can't express clearly, please take a long, deep breath and resolve yourself to spend your ranting energy on something more productive instead, like learning, or perhaps making (shock! Alarm!) a rational, well-worded response. Or, if all else fails, on shutting up. It would be an improvement, trust me.

Hugs and kisses,
Darien