Brussels

[Chu Gai]

A terrible tragedy most if not all here would agree. I won't post pictures as there's plenty to be found on the web or TV but something struck me the other day about the naïveté of people, if not countries, when it comes to just being blind when it comes to danger right under their noses.

A couple of months ago, Belgium had an elevated terror alert. These kind of things affect tourism and global perception - no small thing. So back in January of this year, an ad campaign was launched where people from around the world could call Belgium and speak to people about the conditions there. The following is an example of the ad campaign which looked to poo poo any danger and demonstrate how actual citizens were quite comfortable with the safety and security in Brussels.

I don't know if that phone is still active.

 

[markw]

Political correctness will be the death of us. Literally. There's the difference between welcoming "refugees" who want to escape a way of life and want to assimilate into the local culture. When they refuse to assimilate, as they increase in number, force the country to their ways, that's an invasion.

Read about Mohammed in Media. http://www.meforum.org/blog/2015/12/muhammad-refugee

 

[Chu Gai]

Belgium, from what I read, to some extent, sowed the seeds for some of the problems. In the 50's and 60's they brought a lot of low cost labor from Africa and elsewhere to work in the factories. As is usually the case in countries, people tend to congregate with their own. But the factory jobs dried up moving to other countries and now you've got a bunch of people with no jobs, no education, they're on some sort of assistance, and they're having kids. There was some sort of moratorium on accepting economic migrants in the 70's but that loosened up when they came to be called political refugees or whatever. And so they go to places like in Molenbeek and the situation gets worse.

 

[TLS Guy]

Political correctness will be the death of us. Literally. There's the difference between welcoming "refugees" who want to escape a way of life and want to assimilate into the local culture. When they refuse to assimilate, as they increase in number, force the country to their ways, that's an invasion.

Read about Mohammed in Media. http://www.meforum.org/blog/2015/12/muhammad-refugee

You have that right.

If you really want to fume, get the latest from that daft corrupt EEC.

How I hope the vote is for Brexit June 23!

 

[markw]

Many nationalities, when they first arrive in new countries settle among their own. In the US, look at the Irish, Germans, Italians, Chinese and so on who arrived in the late 19th/early 20th century..

The difference here is that within one, two generations or so, they had assimilated into American society and yet managed to maintain relevant aspects of their original cultures.

What we're seeing today is the refusal to blend in and that's when a blended nation becomes a mosaic. As their numbers grow, this countries fabric is stretched and will eventually reach a breaking point.

 

[Chu Gai]

You have that right.

If you really want to fume, get the latest from that daft corrupt EEC.

How I hope the vote is for Brexit June 23!

Give them time and soon they'll be dreamers.

Here's a mashup of that Call Brussels ad.

 

[shadyJ]

View attachment 17821

What a bunch of paranoid right-wing crap that pic is. Right out of Donald Trump's headquarters. The majority of the USA's Muslim citizens are pretty well assimilated. I can't speak for Europe, but that is an idiotic generalization. The American Muslim men I have known were interested in cars, dumb movies, sports, and video games. The American Muslim woman I have known were interested in glamour, families, and gossip. Just like most of the other American men and women I have known. "The path of Islam", give me a break. Islam is a diverse religion with a complex history. Whoever created that picture did so in either malice, total ignorance, or both.

 

[markw]

J, I agree that not all muslims are bad, but here are enough to make our lives miserable. Look at Fot rt Hood, the Boston Marathon, the military recruiters in Little Rock, the San Bernardino shootings ...not to mention the foiled plots. I could go on and on but you're capable of doing a googl search yourself

But, maybe I'm a bit prejudiced. After all, after watching he twin towers crumble into the ground, live, close up and persona might have had an affect on my opinions. seeing pictures on TV of cheering muslims (yes, it's true) in Jersey City after 9/11 didn't help my attitude either.

the only difference between Europe an here is they got to them first and they didn 't react in time. Here, we could learn from history, but refuse to.

Been to Dearborn or Detroit, Michigan lately?

 

[shadyJ]

seeing pictures on TV of cheering muslims (yes, it's true) in Jersey City after 9/11 didn't help my attitude either.

Not true.

Been to Dearborn or Detroit, Michigan lately?

I don't get this, are you suggesting Dearborn or Detroit's problems have anything to do with Islam?

 

[markw]

Sorry, J. You can deny it all you want but I saw it with my own eyes. Remember, I live about seven miles from there and was able to view the collapse of the towers from a 7 story building with no obstructions and saw the TV feeds before they were yanked.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/12/02/trump-100-vindicated-cbs-reports-swarms-on-roofs-celebrating-911/

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/12/exclusive_jersey_city_cop_residents_say_some_musli.html

http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/trumps-claims-about-muslims-after-911-confirmed-video/

And, muslim ghettos are but one of Dearborn and detroits problems. Try taking a walk in them.

 

[shadyJ]

Sorry, J. You can deny it all you want but I saw it with my own eyes. Remember, I live about seven miles from there and the TV feeds were shown before they were yanked.

And, muslim ghettos are but one of Dearborn and detroits problems. Try taking a walk in them.

If such footage existed, it would be very valuable to some people. It would vindicate a large group of people with a serious grudge. The fact that that footage has not cropped up yet is telling. I can believe it if you saw footage of people cheering in other parts of the world, but it does not like that occurred in the US. I also have a feeling that if you walked through the Muslim parts of Dearborn or Detroit, you will be just fine, although you may run into a good deal on some hummus.

 

[markw]

Yes. Yes it would. Of course, the media wouldn't destroy incriminating evidence at the behest of the authorities, would they?

If I hadn't seen it at the time I might say it didn't happen too. ...but I did see it, perhaps the only time it was aired.

But, I'd go out on a limb and say that those that spoke up about it seem to be pretty credible.

And, I love hummus and falafels. I just don't like feeling like a foreign infidel in my own country

 

[Steve81]

What a bunch of paranoid right-wing crap that pic is.

Not entirely. I won't impugn upon the dignity of 1.6 billion Muslims, but it isn't too far off from what ISIS is preaching:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/islamic-state-video-calls-for-jihad-after-brussels-blasts/ar-BBqSfvI?li=BBnb7Kz

Every Muslim who is well aware of the history of Islam, knows that the holy war against infidels is an integral part of Islam, and those who read history would know.

 

[Steve81]

I just don't like feeling like a foreign infidel in my own country

You might consider that statement from the POV of an American Muslim in a post 9/11 world.

 

[markw]

You might consider that statement from the POV of an American Muslim in a post 9/11 world.

Again, whose fault would that be?

 

[Steve81]

Again, whose fault would that be?

It's the fault of a relatively low number of extremists, not Islam as a whole. Your argument is akin to saying all Japanese-Americans were to blame for Pearl Harbor. In retrospect, few regard the subsequent interment of 100,000+ Japanese-Americans as a bright mark in US history, or even particularly worthwhile from a military perspective.

 

[markw]

It's the fault of a relatively low number of extremists, not Islam as a whole.

Tis is true, but who else is responsible for terrorist acts like this? Jews? Christians? Buddhists? Hindus?

Their own people give then the black eye. That sux for the good ones, but that's the way it is. That the bad guys can fade in with and be protected by the good guys has a lot to do with the mistrust.

 

[Steve81]

Tis is true, but who else is responsible for terrorist acts like this?

No one else is responsible; that's the point. An accountant in my office who happens to be Muslim isn't responsible for 9/11, Paris, Brussels, et al. There's no sense in vilifying him for the acts of some psychopaths who happen to nominally share the same religion.

 

[markw]

No one else is responsible; that's the point. An accountant in my office who happens to be Muslim isn't responsible for 9/11, Paris, Brussels, et al. There's no sense in vilifying him for the acts of some psychopaths who happen to nominally share the same religion.

Nobody is "vilifying" him. They just look at him with a jaundiced eye because of what "his people" do with regularity. Again, that sux but it's "his people" that are responsible for this view.

 

[Steve81]

Again, that sux but it's "his people" that are responsible for this view.

I would doubt he (or 99+% of American Muslims) considers ISIS "his people", any more than I consider Hitler "my people" as a result of having some German blood. Therein lies the problem with that line of thinking: you gain nothing from it except alienating more people.