hell no

There's a heck of a lot that's been going on in the world that I haven't been posting about (sometimes, all I do is work and sleep, mostly work ;) ) but I've been posting links to my del.icio.us and visitors to the site will find new links every day up top. I did want to take the time to point everybody to Hesham Hassaballa's Hell No...Not Here, Not Ever, Not In My Name:

I categorically condemn, with every cell in my body, the attack on the Jewish Federation Building in Seattle allegedly by a Muslim-American was is "angry at Israel." According to the Seattle Times, 30-year-old Naveed Afzal Haq barged into the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and opened fire with a handgun, killing one woman and wounding five others before he surrendered to police. According to the article, Haq has a history of mental illness, and he was recently charged with misdemeanor lewd conduct for allegedly exposing himself in public. Yet, this is neither here nor there. It is no excuse. It is simply beyond wrong for someone to attack innocent Jewish fellow Americans because he is "angry at Israel." It is hate at its ugliest, and I condemn it as forcefully as I can. It is as heinous as someone attacking a mosque in "revenge" for the acts of terror committed by so-called Muslims across the world. The conflict over there must never be transplanted over here. No matter what happens over there, you do not maim and murder representatives over here. It is as simple as that.

Preach on, brother. Added Photo caption from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Temple B'nai Torah congregational member Lynda Matthias, left, returns to the temple with Farida Hakim from a nearby mosque who came with a friend to leave flowers for shooting victim Pamela Waechter. Matthias, who did not know the Muslim women, said it's "important to pray for peace and love."