http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Sun, 23 Nov 2003 18:58:50 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/11/23/185850.php Pete NelsonDuring the month of November, I have joined with others at Blogcritics in "Blogging for a Cure" for diabetes. Millions of Americans are afflicted with diabetes. Each and every one of us is impacted in some way, either directly because we have the disease or know someone who does, or indirectly, because healthcare costs for everyone are higher due to the high cost of treating diabetes.Each one of us is responsible for our own health. The most important thing I can do in the fight against diabetes is to take care of myself: eat properly, get enough exercise, keep my weight at an appropriate level for my build, and so on. If each of us did that, diabetes would still occur, but it wouldn't be nearly as prevalent as it is.Reality intrudes, unfortunately. The typical American lifestyle is not particularly healthy. Obesity is a national epidemic. Diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes, is likely to become much more prevalent, not less.Thankfully, researchers are exploring ways to treat and prevent diabetes, despite our unhealthy lifestyles, and they are meeting with success. New drugs and other therapies designed to prevent or treat diabetes or its effects are being discovered or tested right now. In the following paragraphs, I'll point you to information on some of the experimental and current treatments I've learned about.Islet TransplantationThe American Diabetes Association has a page on their web site describing this potential treatment for Type 1 diabetes. This form of diabetes (also known as childhood diabetes) is caused due to destruction of the islet cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. It has been recognized for many years that if the islet cells in the pancreas of a person with Type 1 diabetes could be replaced via transplantation, then perhaps the disease could be eliminated. Until recently, however, islet cell transplantation has not been very successful in humans. However, scientists at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada developed what is known as the "Edmonton protocol," which allows islet cells to be successfully transplanted into a diabetic patient's liver. Once the islet cells start functioning, the patient often can stop daily injections of insulin.This treatment is not perfect, as it requires the patient to take anti-rejection drugs, the supply of donor islet cells is limited, and it does require surgery. Research is continuing in this promising field. More on this later in this article.Drug TherapiesThere are a large number of drugs being tested for treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, attacking the problems of these diseases from different angles.- Some drugs slow the rate in which blood sugar levels rise after meals.- Some drugs mimic the effects of naturally-occurring hormones that stimulate insulin production, increase the bodies' sensitivity to insulin, reduce appetite, and slow digestion.- On the other hand, some of the drugs in development block the action of other hormones that are known to raise blood sugar levels.- Since Type 1 disease is caused by destruction of the islet cells in the pancreas by the diabetic's own immune system (it is an "autoimmune" disease), some research has focused on drugs and vaccines that prevent the destruction of the islet cells. Scientific American reported on such a drug that appeared to be successful in a small trial last year (subscription might be required for the link to work).- Some drugs are known to increase the body's sensitivity to insulin, and at least two broad classes of drugs with this effect are in use; however, others are being researched.- There are also non-hormone drugs that stimulate production of insulin by islet cells. Since patients must have functioning islet cells for these drugs to work, they are only useful for patients with Type 2 diabetes.Therapies for Complications of DiabetesDiabetes causes a number of severe and debilitating problems, including nerve damage (neuropathy), eye problems (glaucoma, cataracts, retinopathy), heart disease, severe skin problems, gum disease and kidney disease. There are therapies and drugs to treat many of the complications of diabetes, but not all. Research is ongoing for drugs and therapies to treat nerve damage and retinopathy, for example. Diabetics have an increased risk for heart and kidney disease, so many of the therapies used to treat those problems are of interest for diabetics.Future TreatmentsResearch continues on islet cell transplantation techniques, including research that uses stem cells derived from pancreatic ducts. Stem cells are immature cells that can be coerced to form mature pancreatic islet cells. Since stem cells can be grown in the laboratory indefinitely, they have the potential to be an unlimited source of islet cells for transplantation. There has been laboratory success with transplantation of islet cells derived from stem cells in mice, but not yet in humans.Looking further into the future, researchers are studying the use of gene therapies to correct the genetic defects that are the original cause of diabetes. There are a number of hurdles to overcome before gene therapy will be used as a treatment for diabetes, the first being that the genetic factors that cause diabetes have not been completely identified. Some recent problems in trials of gene therapy for other diseases, including the death of some patients, have lead to some doubt whether these techniques can succeed. At the least, those problems have slowed trials of gene therapy, as researchers study what went wrong and attempt to devise solutions to the problems.Because successful gene therapy will effect a true cure of the disease, it seems likely that researchers will continue to pursue its development, despite the many hurdles. At this point, however, gene therapy for treatment of diabetes appears to be many years in the future.You Can HelpIf you have diabetes, you can help develop these therapies by participating in clinical trials. The American Diabetes Association's web site has additional information on clinical trials in which you can participate. Visit the site to learn more about the trials and also about new and existing therapies for diabetes and its complications. Culture10380@blogcritics.org Sun, 23 Nov 2003 18:58:50 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/11/15/003549.php Pete NelsonToday is World Diabetes Day.In my first couple of posts for Blogging for a Cure, I wrote about the ways that diabetes has impacted me, personally. I've had friends with Type 1 (childhood) diabetes. I have immediate relatives with Type 2 (adult) diabetes. Right now, I am overweight, and I am concerned that I may get diabetes myself. I'm beginning to take some action to take better care of myself, lose weight and get into better shape, so that I can avoid getting diabetes and other health problems that go along with an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle. Like most lifestyle changes, making a permanent change for the better is going to take time and commitment, but I'm determined to get better.Like me, you have been impacted by diabetes. The statistics say it's almost certain. The latest estimate is that 18.2 million Americans have diabetes. Right now, there are roughly 290 million residents of the United States. That means over 6% of Americans have diabetes right now. Not only that, the Centers for Disease Control estimates [PDF document - Acrobat Reader required] that in 2003, 24% of Americans ages 20 years and older are obese! Given the well-documented connection between Type 2 diabetes and obesity, either you or someone close to you will almost certainly get diabetes.The costs of diabetes to the economy are enormous. In 2002, the costs directly and indirectly attributable to diabetes were $132 billion. Yes, 132 billion dollars. Per capita medical expenditures for people with diabetes were over $13,000 versus about $2,500 for people without diabetes. Because diabetes costs so much to treat, year after year, for those that have it, medical insurance rates for everyone are increased. So, even if you don't have diabetes, aren't overweight, and don't know anyone either with diabetes or at risk for it, you are impacted. Diabetes affects everyone, either directly or indirectly.Since you and I are impacted by diabetes, what can we do about it?Well, I perused the American Diabetes Association's web site for ideas and guidance, and here's what I came up with. I'm sure there's much more, but the following things can get you started:1. Most important - live a healthy lifestyle. Keep your weight under control. If you're overweight or obese, begin a program to lose weight with the help and guidance of your doctor. Eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise. Again, your doctor can guide you in the best ways for you to do these things.2. Register to become a Diabetes Advocate. If you do, the American Diabetes Association will keep you informed on additional ways you can help, bills regarding diabetes being considered in Congress and your state legislature, and so on. Registering costs nothing - just a simple form to fill out at the web site.3. Take part in a Walk for Diabetes. You can raise money to support diabetes research and get some exercise at the same time. Many of the walks have already taken place this year. Some are still to come, though, so check the web site and look at what's happening in your state. If there aren't any walks scheduled in your area, take part next year.4. If your employer has a workplace giving option to support charities, consider supporting the American Diabetes Association through your workplace giving, or donate directly to the ADA. The ADA has a corporate sponsor that will double your gift until December 31, 2003. Remember, you may get a tax deduction for giving, as well! There are a number of programs for donating, so check them out.5. Volunteer your time. The ADA web site allows you to sign up to volunteer and to locate volunteering opportunities in your area.6. Oppose discrimination against those with diabetes. The ADA web site says, "People with diabetes face discrimination at work , at school and day care centers, in correctional institutions, in places of public accommodation such as concert venues , and in many other places in their lives. While this certainly does not happen all the time, these problems are widespread, and they are serious." Such discrimination is wrong. You can help by informing and educating, or actively seeking policy changes when that doesn't work.7. Advocate that health care and life insurance be available at reasonable cost to those with diabetes. Caring for diabetes is expensive and mandatory. Insurance carriers are reluctant to cover diabetics because of the expense. Forty-six states require that diabetic medicine and supplies be covered by insurance, but for those without insurance, including senior citizens, the expense can be a terrible financial burden. For those diagnosed with diabetes, life insurance can be impossible to get or so expensive that it is unattainable.There are many other ways that you can have a positive impact. The American Diabetes Association's web site is a great resource for finding the ways that suit your circumstances best. I hope you will take some action to get involved by donating time and/or financial support to finding a cure for diabetes and improving the quality of life for those already afflicted. Culture10147@blogcritics.org Sat, 15 Nov 2003 00:35:49 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/11/09/211856.php Pete NelsonLast week, I wrote an article about a high-school friend of mine that had Type 1 (childhood) diabetes. I learned some important lessons about people with chronic diseases and disabilities from that friendship. I learned some things, also, about myself. I grew from the experience, and for that I'm grateful.I'm in the process of learning another lesson - one that is much more difficult for me, because it's personal. It's about me.When I was younger, in my teens and early twenties, I was in really excellent shape. I ran cross-country and track in high school and played lots of different sports (softball, basketball). I wasn't exactly the prototypical jock, because I had lots of other interests besides sports, but I was definitely athletic. (In fact, my senior year in high school, I won the "Most Outstanding Student in Physical Education" award). I could run a mile in well under 5:00 minutes and a half-mile under 2:00 minutes. I spent over three hours a day, six days a week, running. Saturdays were what we called "LSD" days. In this case, LSD stood for "long, slow distance." On those days, I'd run between seven and fifteen miles, at a pace of around 6:30 to 7:00 minutes per mile. Yeah, I thought a 7:00 minute mile was slow. For someone in really good shape, who is used to middle-to-long distance racing, a 7:00 minute mile is slow.So, because I was so active, (and had been thin all my life), when I graduated from high school I weighed about 150 pounds. When I graduated from college, I weighed about 170 pounds. When I got married, when I was 25 years old, I weighed actually a little less - about 165 pounds.After college and after I was married, I started working as a professional software developer. My job requires that I sit on my back side for eight-plus hours a day, five or more days a week. To get to my work place, I drive about an hour each way. I don't have much time to exercise. What does that mean? Well, I now weigh about 80 pounds more than what I weighed when I graduated from high school. I never thought it could happen to me, the skinny, athletic kid: I'm fat. In fact, I fit the medical definition of obese.I don't mean to offend anyone by using these terms. It's just a fact. I could say "overweight" or something else more politically correct. It wouldn't change the fact. I weigh a lot more than is healthy for someone of my build. As the old joke goes, I'm short for my weight.So, why the embarrassing self-disclosure?Well, Type 2 diabetes is, to some degree at least, a lifestyle disease. It is exacerbated, if not caused directly, by being overweight. The American Diabetes Association web site says, "researchers have discovered that being overweight can trigger the onset of diabetes because excess fat prevents insulin from working properly."This isn't a trivial issue. Diabetes leads to lots of serious health problems, including heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes; eye problems, including blindness; kidney disease, up to even kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplant; nerve and joint problems; and serious skin infections.I'm concerned about this. Being overweight increases my risk for diabetes. My maternal grandmother also has Type 2 diabetes, so I have a family history as well. The American Diabetes Association risk test says that I am at high risk for diabetes. I have other risk factors for heart disease. It just plain scares me, to be honest. I need to start doing something about this, right away.How about you?The American Diabetes Association site says that 16 million people have pre-diabetes, and another 17 million currently have Type 2 diabetes. Contrary to what you might have thought, 90 to 95% of the people that have diabetes have Type 2 (adult) diabetes.Obesity is becoming an epidemic in the U.S. Almost 90% of the people diagnosed with diabetes are overweight, and nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight. So, the statistics say that the vast majority of people in the U.S. are at significant risk for Type 2 diabetes. You might be at risk and not know it. Do you know what your Body Mass Index is? (Calculate it!) You should. A high BMI is a strong predictor of risk for diabetes and other health problems.The good news.Studies have shown that increasing physical activity and losing even modest amounts of weight can significantly improve the progression of Type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association's Weight Loss Matters pages say this: "The recently completed Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) proved that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by keeping weight in control and by increasing physical activity."Even small improvements help: "It's important to remember that losing even a relatively small amount of weight can make a real improvement in reducing your risk for diabetes and other serious conditions."My plan.I've decided that I must take action to improve my health. I'm seriously overweight and much too sedentary. It will take me quite some time to make significant improvements, but "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I will eat less and exercise more. I will lose weight. My health is too important to take for granted any longer.If you are concerned about your weight and the health risks caused by being overweight, like I am, there are steps that you can take. Talk to your doctor or health care professional about it. He or she should have solid advice about how to proceed. The American Diabetes Association web site is also a great place to gather information on living a healthy lifestyle and what you can do to reduce your risk of diabetes and its complications. However, I encourage you to do, not just hear.I'll be posting more on diabetes during the month of November, which is American Diabetes month. Posts won't be every day, since I don't have time to write that often, but at least once a week. Thanks to John Mudd for bringing this to my attention.Visit Mr. Pete's Pages for more of my rambling! Culture9976@blogcritics.org Sun, 9 Nov 2003 21:18:56 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/11/01/122534.php Pete NelsonWhen I was in high school (don't ask how long ago), I had a good friend that had Type I (childhood, insulin-dependent) diabetes. When I first found out that he was diabetic, I wasn't sure how to react. I was still a kid, and I hadn't ever known anyone that was diabetic before, or any had other chronic disease for that matter. To be honest, I think I felt nervous at first. I wasn't sure what being diabetic meant. Would my friend act weird around other people? It seems petty to even think about that now, but I was a young teenager then, at a time when what other people thought about me was so critical to my self-esteem.As I got to know my friend better, hanging out at school and going to church camps and youth group meetings, I found out that he really wasn't strange. I didn't have anything to be worried about in that regard. He was more-or-less like any other kid. To be sure, there were some differences. He had to be really careful about what he ate. He couldn't eat any kind of sugary candy or drink soda pop. I ate candy and drank sugary stuff pretty much whenever I felt like it. He had to make sure he ate at regular times and got enough calories. I skipped meals and ate as much or little as I wanted. When he played any sports or took physical education classes, he had to be sure he had a snack or drink of some sort so that his blood sugar level didn't get too low. I ran track and cross country and burned calories at a ferocious rate, running for literally hours at a time. It would have been nearly impossible for him to maintain that level of calorie consumption.But my friend seemed to take all of that in stride most of the time, and didn't make an issue of it. He behaved basically like any other kid, so I never thought that much of it - except for one thing: the shots.Now, I'll be the first to admit it - I'm totally a wimp when it comes to shots. I hate shots. More than once, I've fainted dead away after getting a shot - I'm not exaggerating. I have to ask to lay down when I get a shot at the doctor's office. Go ahead and laugh at me - I can take it. I'm not a wimp about that, and I've learned over the years that embarrassment and humiliation are just emotions, and they go away after a while. I've seen surveys that have said that people's number one greatest fear is public speaking. Well, I'd much rather get up and speak in front of 10,000 people than get a shot. I'm not at all kidding.When I found out about the shots, I couldn't believe it: "You have to have shots twice a day, every day, for your whole life!"Yes, from the time he was five years old, my friend needed insulin injections twice a day, every day at regular times, without fail, or he'd die.The shots would have killed me, I think.So, it's for my friend that I'm blogging for a cure for diabetes. After high school, we went our separate ways, off to college, then jobs and family. I haven't seen him in years. Last I'd heard, he'd moved away from the Northwest, where we grew up. We've lost contact. But when I see anything about diabetes, I think of him, and I think of all the thousands of shots. To me, that's a good enough reason (although there are many, many more) to find a cure.I'll be posting more on this during the month of November, which is American Diabetes month. Posts won't be every day, since I don't have time to write that often, but at least once a week. Thanks to John Mudd for bringing this to my attention. Visit the American Diabetes Association's web site to find out more about diabetes and what you can do to help find a cure.Visit Mr. Pete's Pages! Culture9752@blogcritics.org Sat, 1 Nov 2003 12:25:34 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/10/25/102007.php Pete NelsonOne of the major issues separating left and right these days is how we should deal with terrorism.Generalizing terribly, people on the left side of the aisle believe that we need to deal with the root causes of terrorism; that if the root causes of terrorism are addressed and solved, then terrorism will no longer be as important an issue for us, because terrorists will not hate us; therefore, they will have no reason to attack us. To attach a label to this viewpoint, let me call it "curing the disease."Continuing to generalize, those on the right believe that the fight against terrorism requires that we bring the battles to the terrorists and their supporters where they live. We cannot wait for the threat from terrorists and their supporters to become imminent, because then it will be too late; Americans or citizens of our allies will have died in another horrific attack. Therefore, we may need to bring down governments of countries that support terror (and by the way, free the citizens from the despotic leadership of those countries). If I may, let me label this viewpoint "treating the symptoms."In my opinion, it is clear that to be effective in the long term requires that both treating the symptoms and curing the disease.If you don't treat the symptoms, the patient may just die before you can cure the disease. If you don't ultimately cure the disease, the symptoms will reappear at some later time, and you've got the same problem all over again.Of course, the reality of terrorism is more complex than that, but for the sake of this essay, the analogy suffices, so let me continue.It's pretty clear that the U.S. government and our allies are treating the symptoms of terrorism, both in Afghanistan and in Iraq. We are using military force to actively seek out and destroy terrorists and their supporters. People disagree on whether or not it is the right thing to do, or on how effective the military is at this mission, or whether or not the cost is too high, both in lives and dollars. The fact remains, however, that we are at least trying to treat the symptoms.Likewise, I think the U.S. and our allies are attempting to cure the disease. However, I believe our attempts in Iraq have not met with as much success, so far. Curing the terrorism disease is a much more difficult problem than treating the symptoms. It's an imperfect analogy, but terrorism is like a cancer - individual tumors can be removed, but the disease has metastasized, and new tumors appear other places in the body. Curing the disease will take a long-term commitment, and it will take a broad and deep approach.Stretching the analogy even more, the most important part of finally curing the disease is just starting, and that is to activate the immune system of Iraq, and the rest of the Muslim world, to reject the cancer.How do we do that?We do it by winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqis, convincing them that we're on their side; that we want for them "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" just as for ourselves. We must convince them that we want them to be free to determine their own futures, that we want them individually and as a nation to prosper, and that they are safe from tyranny, both from without and from within their country. We convince them by doing what it takes to make those things a reality.Certainly, I want this for the Iraqis. From a somewhat selfish viewpoint, I believe that all Americans, and civilization in general, are safer with a free and prosperous Iraq that no longer supports terrorism. But more importantly, it's the right thing. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are values for all people, everywhere, not just Americans.The Coalition Provisional Authority and the military can do much to win hearts and minds: rebuilding infrastructure, establishing law enforcement that isn't corrupt, re-opening schools, and so on. Much has been accomplished, but much work remains, and the obstacles to success are significant.Certainly, one obstacle being faced in Iraq is that for much of their lives, adult Iraqis (and Muslims everywhere) have been indoctrinated by the former regime and by extremist Muslim clerics that the U.S. and the western world is evil, is oppressive to Muslims, and is seeking the destruction of Islam. Whether or not you agree that it is true (I personally don't think so), Muslims everywhere believe it. Changing that mindset will be extremely difficult, if not impossible.There is a group within Iraq, however, that hasn't (yet) been (fully) indoctrinated with suspicion, if not downright hatred, of the U.S. and western civilization: the children. No other group within Iraq, as well, is as deserving of our support, simply because it's the right thing to do.And you can help.You may have heard of Chief Wiggles and the toy drive he started to benefit poor children in Iraq. Well, the effort has taken off, and it has it's own web site, where you can donate cash or toys, OperationGive.org. It's a volunteer effort, started by a single U.S. soldier, on his own time, simply because he saw a need and felt he had to do something about it.I can hardly think of a more worthy cause, whether you are politically left, right or center. Donate because it's the right thing to support poor and needy children. Donate because you think it will help us "cure the disease" of terrorism. Donate just because it will make you feel a little better to make some kids happy.I did, for all of those reasons. I hope you will, too.(Please note: I'm not interested in a debate about whether Bush lied or not, or whether or not it's all about oil and Halliburton, or suppression of dissent, or patriotism, or anything else of that type. I am interested helping the children of Iraq. Can we all agree that doing so would be a good thing, and put aside the partisan issues just for a minute? Also, no one asked me to do this. I've never spoken to or corresponded with Chief Wiggles or anyone associated with Operation Give. None of them knew about this article ahead of time. I just think it's a great cause and want to support it. I hope you will agree.)Visit Mr. Pete's Pages Politics9493@blogcritics.org Sat, 25 Oct 2003 10:20:07 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/10/23/075512.php Pete NelsonThis afternoon I was surfing through some of the popular blogs and I came across a disturbing and disheartening post by Blackfive. In it, Blackfive describes how he lost a Pakistani Muslim friend, because the (ex)-friend, his Pakistani friends and his family all insisted that the Israelis and Jews were responsible for pretty much all of the world's ills. This even included insisting that Mossad (the Israeli intelligence service) actually carried out the airliner attack on the World Trade Center towers - even though Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. The most disturbing part of Blackfive's account is that his (ex)-friend is well-educated at prestigious American universities and is a lawyer at a large law firm. Yet the friend believes all sorts of weird conspiracy theories about Israel, Zionists and Jews, and how they are behind the problems of all Muslims, everywhere.Why would a well-educated, seemingly rational person believe such nonsense?Unfortunately, belief in these strange theories seems to be common in Muslim communities throughout the world. The prime minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohammed, in a display of incredible ignorance and blatant anti-Semitism, claimed that the "Jews rule the world by proxy" in a speech to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. If the leader of one of the world's nations openly proclaims this kind of bizarre ideation, it isn't surprising that other Muslims believe it as well.And there is a lot more of this kind of stuff going around.In one of the comments to Blackfive's article, reader F. Covington links to an editorial article on albawaba.com in which the author, Henry Makow, Ph.D., defends Mahathir Mohammed, but says he was mistaken, because it isn't the Jews that control the world, it is a Satan-worshipping, incredibly powerful, secret society called The Illuminati that does. (Yeah, you've probably heard of it before. The eye in the pyramid on the back of the U.S. dollar bill is supposedly one of their symbols and all that).The statements and quotes that Makow uses to describe The Illuminati are so outrageous as to be laughable - but he's completely serious. For example:"...there are some very powerful Jewish people in this group. For instance, the Rothschild family literally runs the financial empire in Europe (and indirectly the States) and are a well-known Jewish family. I have also known people whose parents were Jewish diamond merchants in the group and at every level. But to rise to power in the Illuminati, a Jewish person at night would be forced to renounce their faith and to give their first allegiance to Lucifer and the beliefs of the Illuminati.""...the Illuminati is very 'Aryan' and racist in its outlook. Hitler, Himmler and Goebbels were members. German is spoken at the top.""...these leaders are heads in the financial world, OLD banking money. The Rothschild family in England, and in France, have ruling seats. A descendant of the Hapsburg dynasty has a generational seat. Descendants of the ruling families of England and France have a generational seat. The Rockefeller family in the US holds a seat... The financiers, dating back to the bankers during the times of the Templar Knights who financed the early kings in Europe, created The Illuminati.""Most [Jews] would oppose this Illuminati scheme if they understood it. No wonder they think anti-Semitism is irrational and feel resentment. They don't appreciate that many Jewish leaders secretly play a dominant role in the Illuminati plan.""The purpose of the creation of Israel and the invasion of Iraq is to colonize the Muslim world and eradicate Islam. Islam is the biggest stumbling block to the Luciferian world religion, secular humanism.""The Illuminati operate on the secret society principle. They enlist people to fight for a cause but they don't reveal the ultimate purpose. People can't appreciate that a multi-generational conspiracy exists and dominates history."Where to even start on this? If anything, it's even worse than the craziness that Mahathir Mohammed spouted.Let's see - the Rothschild family, "very powerful Jewish people," have ruling seats in this supposed Illuminati secret society, yet "Hitler, Himmler and Goebbels were members." Yup, and pigs fly, too."The Rockefeller family in the US holds a seat." But in his interview with Tony Snow on Fox News (October 13, 2003), Senator Jay Rockefeller says "...the situation turns out not to have been quite like either the intelligence community or the president indicated, and that would be a vote that I would probably not make today, based upon the revelations that there don't appear, at least at this point, to be any weapons of mass destruction." The senator, a member of the Rockefeller family, is now opposed to the U.S. war in Iraq and says that he wouldn't vote to authorize it today. How can this be, if "Islam is the biggest stumbling block to the Luciferian religion"? Wouldn't he support U.S. takeover of a Muslim nation if he were a member?"The Illuminati operate on the secret society principle." For a secret society, they sure are lousy at keeping secrets. A quick Google search on "Illuminati society" returned over 46,000 hits!I did just a minor bit of research, via some simple Google searches, on the Illuminati and Henry Makow. What I encountered was a whole pile of sites touting all kinds of conspiracy theories and extremist propaganda. Visiting the sites actually made me rather nervous. I had thoughts like "These people are nuts. I hate to think of what they would do if they were angry at me." It turns out that the article carried by albawaba.com is actually from Henry Makow's site. I won't provide a link - it disgusts me too much. You can easily find it it you're interested by googling his name (but I wouldn't recommend it). I think I need a shower after reading all of this garbage.What to make of all of this?I think most people in the western democracies would recognize Makow's article (and most of his other writing) as extreme conspiracy-theorist nonsense. Before today, I had never encountered any of his writing, despite the fact that he apparently was the inventor of the board game "Scruples." His work doesn't recommend the game to me, I must say. Mainstream media in the U.S. and Canada seems to ignore him.However, a mid-east media company, Al Bawaba Group, published his article on its website (albawaba.com) and appears to take it seriously. Why? Are they so credulous that they'll believe anything? Is their fact-checking so poor that they can't even begin to separate fact from fiction? Do they think that the anti-Semitism in the article is somehow less offensive than that of Mahathir Mohammed?From what I can gather, it appears that some Muslim organizations look to Makow as support from western "academia" for their anti-Semitic and misogynistic views. That Makow apparently has a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto gives him more credence in their eyes, despite that major media outlets in the U.S. and Canada pay him little-to-no attention. Makow's ideas on world domination by a secret cabal of financiers and his denunciations of feminism and homosexuality fit virtually hand-in-glove with extreme Islam.In short, Muslim extremists have found a "legitimate" apologist and Makow has found his perfect audience. I would just say that they deserve each other, if it weren't such a dangerous combination. Muslims everywhere (and everyone else) should unequivocally condemn this kind of nonsense.Visit Mr. Pete's Pages! Politics9424@blogcritics.org Thu, 23 Oct 2003 07:55:12 EDT