Weird and distressing

Although I'm not qualified to comment on the legal aspects, I do agree with Paul at Power Line on the "weird and distressing" part.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that a California school district's use of role-playing in a world history class to teach middle school students about Islam did not violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. The plaintiffs claimed that 125 middle school students were asked to select a Muslim name, learn Islamic prayers, stage make-believe pilgrimages to Mecca, fast during lunch to simulate the fasting done during the holy month of Ramadan, dress in Muslim robes, and use Arabic phrases meaning "God is great."

I don't have the court's unpublished opinion, and so I draw no firm conclusions about its reasoning or resolution (consider me skeptical, though -- would the court have been as well disposed to a project that had students learning Latin phrases with which to praise Jesus?). What I find weird, and distressing, is that (the Constitution aside) a school would indulge in this sort of exercise.

Also interesting, and weird and distressing, is his post just below that one: Prime Minister Olmert Addresses Congress. Paul was actually there, at the invitation of the Israeli Embassy. (Ahem. Remind me to give Embassy staffers the cold shoulder at the next opportunity, for not inviting yours truly).

.... Olmert expressed his belief that the Palestinians want to live in peace with Israel. He also says he believes that it is possible to bridge the differences between the two peoples. The evidence he presented, which strikes me as less than compelling, is that Israel was able to negotiate peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan.

Even assuming that Olmert is correct, it remains unclear that the path to peace lies in imploring the Palestinians to negotiate and stating that, if they don't, Israel unilaterally will make huge territorial concessions....

Paul is right, but too kind. I would say instead that it's crazy to think that Palestinians want to live in peace with Israel. I have looked high and low and have seen not an inkling of any such thing, even from supposed "moderate" Arabs.

Don't you think that if there were Palestinians who wanted to live in peace with Israel, then the hordes of lefty journalists -who would just love get the scoop on that human interest story- would have found one by now? Don't you think the New York Times would be brimming with stories of Palestinians who want peace? As it is, the best they can do is whitewash the terrorists ... because there is no other story.

I would refer Paul (and the Prime Minister, if he's listening) to Smooth Stone as quoted earlier/below:

"... with 6,145,389 square miles, the Arabs want war and genocide, but with 6,145,389 plus 2300 more, then they will want peace."

And let us all say... yeah, right.