“Being ignorant is not so much a shame as being unwilling to learn.” - Benjamin Franklin
Sometimes all it takes is that one microsecond to change your entire outlook. Sometimes it’s a much longer, drawn out process. Sometimes your fortunes change from good to bad. Those are the changes that usually occur in an instant, and often seem to have devastating impact. A car accident happens in just a fraction of a second but can have multiple effects on the futures of multiple lives. The changes that go from bad to good are the ones that take a little longer 
The Quran burning incident that occurred in Afghanistan recently is unfortunate, but quite frankly does not deserve the attention it has received. Yes, I understand that the Quran is the Holy Book of the Muslims and that burning it is strictly forbidden in their part of the world. Shouldn’t have happened, but please bare in mind that these particular Qurans were part of the library at the Parwan Detention Facility at Bagram Air Base Afghanistan. That library, according to Brigadier General Carsten Jacobsen, had been ordered destroyed because enemy inmates had filled the books with handwritten extremist messages. A secret communication system that could have easily resulted in violent insurgence within the perimeters of the base. Do you inspect each piece of garbage before tossing the bag into the dumpster? No, you do not. This was an unfortunate mistake but it was certainly NOT one deserving of a Presidential apology. The apology from NATO was plenty. The main thing Obama did by apologizing was fuel their already burning desire to see us all dead. President Karzai of Afghanistan, whom I believe should feel a bit of gratitude to the United States and our soldiers , responds that the soldiers who burned the Qurans should be put on trial in Afghanistan. That, quite frankly, is just not an option…..is it? What do you say, Barack Hussein Obama? Is it an option in your mind to allow men who were following indirect orders from you, to stand trial in a country run by men who hate everything those soldiers represent? As cowardly as that would seem, that’s essentially the impression his apology gave.
Why do Muslims hate us though? Our intentions are noble, for the most part. Of course there’s a little bit of greed involved, but despite what the left may say, the majority of 
Well, here’s who they are. They’re a very insulated people. Their world revolves around religion but that religion is a very different one from the one America claims to be “under.” For the most part, a Muslim’s understanding of Christianity is as limited as your knowledge of Islam. I’ll admit, my view of Islam is through Christian-tinted glasses. I have seen their faith as contradictory to my own, but further study reveals that the divide in our beliefs is not always as wide as previously thought. In many instances, the divide between Christians and Muslims is the widest space in the known universe, but at times, there are striking similarities. The wars, and the disgust with one another’s faith comes not from the teachings of either religion, but rather from man’s interpretations of those teachings. It’s those interpretations that so often cause social upheaval, violence, and global outrage. As much as it absolutely disgusts me to say it, Muslims are simply following the orders of Allah when they infiltrate and attack the United States. Before you shoot your computer to get rid of my blasphemous words, hear me out…..Islam teaches that there should be no hatred for “those who worship God.” The Quran tells them that murder and stealing is wrong but the difference is that the Quran only believes it’s wrong if done to another Muslim. Their faith teaches them that we are “unbelievers” and therefore not protected. In their Islam-shaded eyes, the United States looks exactly as the Quran warns them the “Great Satan” would look. Both the Holy Bible and the Quran condemn abortion, yet the laws of the United Sates support the act. Both the Holy Bible and the Quran teach that God is the creator of the universe yet evolution is taught and seemingly accepted here. The Bible and the Quran teach chastity, yet we flood the planet with pornography, indecency, and a steady diet of wardrobe malfunctions. The Bible and the Quran mutually condemn gambling, drunkenness, and the occult yet here in the good ol’ USA we have casinos, the lottery, Las Vegas, a beer commercial every 7 minutes, horoscopes, and Halloween. Let’s face it, that’s how they see us. We’re all drunk pornstars, dining from a witch’s cauldron while warming our opulent homes with burning money. A law known as Jizya, in the Islamic Faith commands Muslims to forcefully take the property of “unbelievers” as a tribute to Allah. To them, we are a nation of “unbelievers.”
I think most of us would agree that a sharp turn back toward the moral center might do this country some good but I don’t believe such a course correction should be done simply to avoid cowardly acts of terrorists. Such an act should be done because we ARE “one nation, Under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Whether you worship in Church or just step aside and quietly support those who do, we have got to get our act together. Right now, our laws favor Muslims more than Americans in some 
That may seem like I am saying we should bow to the commands of the extremists who use beheadings, bombings, killing of soldiers, kidnappings, sabotage, and corruption as a form of religious expression but I assure you I am not. I pointed out the problems the Muslims have with the United States, but notice I did not say they were problems with Christianity. We need to make a course correction because it is the right thing to do, not because the word of Allah has any bearing whatsoever in my life or any of the lives of people I love. As much as the Muslims may believe we are a Godless country because we don’t gut adulterous women in the streets, or follow the letter of our Scriptures….there is and always will be one key factor that they truly misunderstand. Their faith requires constant acts to earn the love and approval of their God. Christians are already forgiven for any sin they have committed, and every sin they ever will commit. Yes, our morals could use a fine-tuning, but to say that we are a Godless country is not their call to make. It’s time to close off loopholes that are allowing an all out invasion. They don’t have to approve of our faith but they are sure as hell not going to be allowed to use it against me, in my own home. Our religion provides freedoms they will never understand and our Constitution provides even more but both must be defended. Religious ignorance is not the weapon that will defeat us unless we allow it to be.
So, is this election the launch of that transition from bad to good? Has the Obama administration been the journey through bad times that we all hope it will be? I sure hope so. America is starting to realize that our President is only as capable as we demand of him. When we elect a constantly campaigning, salesman….we shouldn’t be surprised when that’s exactly how he runs the country. It’s time to demand better. It’s time to be better. All of us. The Constitution of the United States does not require anyone to be a Christian. In fact, it does quite the opposite. It goes out of the way to make sure that all faiths have a home within the borders of this great country. That doesn’t mean you can have it both ways though. If you come to this country, for any reason, you obey the laws AND the customs of the United States. Not the other way around. We do not transform our laws to support your customs and you do not get to invoke your customs to save you from punishment in our country. You may have read that you are allowed to take the property of “unbelievers” but I doubt very seriously your Jizya will be able to withstand the blast of my 2nd Amendment Rights! We’re not all pornstars and we’re not all drunk. What we are is forgiven. That means that your permission or the permission of your faith is not required nor sought.
As always, thanks for playing!
J Robert Giles
