George,

I knew it in my bones that my comments would bring out a few reactions. I would love to be wrong, but there are just a lot of historical facts that explain our current predicament. And no, I didn't just pick up a few historical aberrations. Each of my points are just part of an historical continuum. But since I didn't want to write a long article, I decided to pick what I picked just to illustrate the 1400 year war that started in the 7th century and that continues today, and that --sadly-- is based on religious fundamentals. Other people have written about it, that have a lot better credentials than I have. People like Samuel Huntington, John Esposito and Bernard Lewis.

If pointing out a little bit of history and a few other facts, is considered hate speech, than I think we are all in trouble. I hope that this is a classic case of wanting to shoot the messenger, since it would be very sad if this was just a way of squelching a different opinion with a personal attack.

I wish that the people that so vehemently reacted to my writing had just taken the time to click through to Wikipidia. They would have been a little less confused why our marines landed in Tripoli, plus learned a little bit more about religiously justified war. Just to make it a little easier, I'm transcribing a small portion of the article about the first Barbary War and what led to Jefferson sending the marines to Tripoli:

In March 1785, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams went to negotiate with Tripoli's envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman (or Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja). Upon inquiring "concerning the ground of the pretensions to make war upon nations who had done them no injury", the ambassador replied:

It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every muslim who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise. He said, also, that the man who was the first to board a vessel had one slave over and above his share, and that when they sprang to the deck of an enemy's ship, every sailor held a dagger in each hand and a third in his mouth; which usually struck such terror into the foe that they cried out for quarter at once. [2] [3]

Jefferson reported the conversation to Secretary of State John Jay, who submitted the Ambassador's comments and offer to Congress. Jefferson argued that paying tribute would encourage more attacks. The marines did not land in Tripoli until 20 years later.

Henry Weinschenk (Electronic mail, January 5, 2010)