What do Jehovah's Witnesses, rabbis and communists have in common?

A honey-dipt donut showed up on the brickwalk of the side yard this afternoon. We were about to pluck it up and toss it into the trash when we realized that a colony of local ants had already discovered the honey pot. Realizing they were about to enjoy the happiest day of their lives, we headed back inside for the camera.

"Anecdotal evidence from the Nazi death camps suggests that the prisoners most able to preserve some sort of moral direction in the hellish conditions of those places were people of fervent belief -- Jehovah's Witnesses, rabbis, communists, etc. -- and that others educated in the virtues of rationality and sceptical enquiry found this much more difficult," writes Norm Geras of Normblog, referring to "an extraordinary suggestion by Melanie Phillips [that] the re-Christianization of Britain and Europe is the only defence against 'unstoppable Islamisation':

A more measured form of worry than the one expressed by Melanie Phillips is that there seem to be many citizens of liberal societies who can't imagine any serious threat to them, or that these societies may need to be fought for -- literally. And that is a mistake. By now, not to be able to imagine it is merely turning your head away. Liberalism and secularism need the strength also of a fighting self-belief.

It's a good day for Chelsea Grays and a good day for the Iraqi people.

A fighting self-belief. Hey, we've got one of those: The shining city upon a hill. Maybe that's the make-it-or-break-it difference between a spiritually effete Eurabia and the good old spiritually renewing US of A. Even as their best and brightest -- together with their so-called "elite" American fellow travelers of the left -- are protesting today over the Iraqi court's decision to string up Saddam and tearing their hair about the legitimacy of Iraq's court, our own President declares with sparkling moral clarity through our precious Tony Snow:

It’s a good day for the Iraqi people.

You know what? We've got a noble warrior class -- now confirmed to be not only our bravest but also our smartest ever, John Kerry notwithstanding. Despite the forces of darkness that want to destroy us, we've got a fighting chance. Let's roll.

Update: What's a meezer? (See photo above) Leigh of Crazy Meezer, host of this week's Carnival of the Cats #137, who's already got her shoes on when we're just slipping into our slippers -- she blogs down under -- explains:

What on earth is a Meezer? Meezer is just an affectionate nickname for a Siamese->Mese->Meezer So now you can all stop asking *g*

To learn "what is so enticing about a bit of fluff on a stick?" be sure to check out Crazy Meezer's "Feline Family" series.

Comments

[goomp]

You have laid bare the crux of the problem which Western Civilization faces to survive. Most secular people don't understand the power of complete religious belief. I was a true believer in my childhood and can remember. I don't know as we can make agnostics and atheists into fervent Christian believers, but they had better understand the power of religion and be prepared to fight to protect the moral principles of their Judeo-Christian heritage. As you say, preserve the moral character of the "Shining City upon a Hill"

[hnav]

LET's ROLL !

[Gayle Miller]

It's my opinion that people with a strong moral center are better able to survive pretty much anything - even their own stupid choices! Certainly that's been my experience!

[hnav]

Ms. Miller Rocks...

so does SISU...

anyone getting nervous?

hoping Ms. Willis will give Joe a healthy insight, about why he should no longer embrace the Democrat Party...

he needs a little help with that silly need to tax everyone and everything as well.

but, i wouldn't mind it, if he moved to NY to run for the Senate against Hillary...

can anyone help us in this problem area?

[Tara]

Amen, Goomp !

[LanceThruster]

As an atheist, the phrase "some sort of moral direction" certainly seems ambiguous. As Dr. Norman Finkelstein recounted of his mother's experience in the camps, she often said that, being "too delicate and refined, the best didn't survive." http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=18&ar=1

There is no benefit in clinging to an irrational view to explain an existence that by its very nature is nasty, brutish, and short.

"The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness." ~ Joseph Conrad

[Sissy Willis]

Hey, cutie pie . . . I agree with you about human nature . . . We all harbor evil in our hearts . . . I think that channeling it towards the good -- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- is where it's at.