Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

QUICK TAKES

 - - Ben Carson - "Hitler" Could Happen Here    

 - - Spyridon Mitsotakis - Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker Movement has descended into hard-core political Leftism

 - - Wesley J. Smith - Psychologist blinds woman who didn't want to see.

There is a very anguishing mental illness known as Body Integrity Identity Disorder in which the ill person believes their “true self” to be disabled–usually paraplegic or an amputee. Recently, I have noticed BIID moving toward normalization in the media, now being called “transabled.” This uncritical story of Jewell Shuping, a woman with BIID who self-identified as blind–and a psychologist helped take away her sight–reveals how far we have fallen as a society.  

BEN CARSON EXPOSES ISLAMIC TAQIYYA

Egyptian born-Raymond Ibrahim writes:

Of all the points presidential candidate Ben Carson made in defense of his position that he “would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” most poignant is his reference to taqiyya, one of Islam’s doctrines of deception. 

According to Carson, whoever becomes president should be “sworn in on a stack of Bibles, not a Koran”:

“I do not believe Sharia is consistent with the Constitution of this country,” Carson said, referencing the Islamic law derived from the Koran and traditions of Islam. “Muslims feel that their religion is very much a part of your public life and what you do as a public official, and that’s inconsistent with our principles and our Constitution.”

Carson said that the only exception he’d make would be if the Muslim running for office “publicly rejected all the tenants of Sharia and lived a life consistent with that.”

“Then I wouldn’t have any problem,” he said.

However, on several occasions Carson mentioned “Taqiyya,” a practice in the Shia Islam denomination in which a Muslim can mislead nonbelievers about the nature of their faith to avoid religious persecution.

“Taqiyya is a component of Shia that allows, and even encourages you to lie to achieve your goals,” Carson said.

There’s much to be said here.  First, considering that the current U.S. president has expunged all reference to Islam in security documents and would have Americans believe that Islamic doctrine is more or less like Christianity, it is certainly refreshing to see a presidential candidate referencing a little known but critically important Muslim doctrine.  

As for the widely cited notion that taqiyya is a Shia doctrine, this needs to be corrected, as it lets the world’s vast majority of Muslims, the Sunnis, off the hook.  According to Sami Mukaram, one of the world’s foremost authorities on taqiyya, 

BEN CARSON ON 2016: I LIKE RAND, BUT I MAY RUN TOO

Update 3/20/13 - The New York Times ran a substantial (and fair) piece on Dr. Carson titled, "Neurosurgeon's Speeches Have Conservatives Dreaming of 2016."  It's an excellent introduction to Dr. Carson and his views.

Andrew Johnson reports:

Although he’s not closing the door on his own 2016 run, Dr. Ben Carson said he’s a big fan of another potential candidate who also happens to have medical experience. In an interview last night with Sean Hannity, Carson praised Senator Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist, for his courage, conviction, and logical thinking.

“Part of the problem that we’re having right now is that there are a lot of people who lack courage, who always want everybody to adore them, and that just are not willing to take stands based on real convictions, and when I see that, I’m really impressed with it,” Carson said of Paul.

As for his personal aspirations, Carson said he will revisit the possibility of running in a year or so to see if there’s “significant sentiment” in favor of his candidacy.

Me: I predict Dr. Carson will run.  Last year he wrote, America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great.  (So far it has garnered 375 five star Amazon reviews!)  Did Carson publish his book as part of a grand strategy?  Quite possibly.   The book, like his speeches, speaks with power to a great swath of the American people.  For years people have seen Carson as a potential political star and have suggested he think about running for office.  After his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, no less an influential organ than the Wall Street Journal headlined an editorial, "Ben Carson for President."  I suspect Carson has been mulling the Presidency for years, particularly given the policies of the man currently occupying the White House.  

Carson spoke at the recent CPAC gathering in Washington.  A writer covering Carson's speech headlined his report:   "How to destroy America in Four Steps."  

He [Carson] explained that if he were an enemy of the United States, he would set about destroying the nation in four simple steps: create division among the people, encourage a culture of ridicule for basic morality, undermine the nation’s financial stability through excessive government debt, and weaken the military.  ”It appears, coincidentally, that those are the very things that are happening right now,” he observed.  ”And the question is, how do we stop it?  Can we stop it, or must we inexorably follow the same kind of path that other pinnacle nations have followed before their destruction?” 

Here is Carson's CPAC speech:

 

Carson is the most intriguing figure on the national stage right now.  Whether he eventually throws his hat into the presidential race or not, I agree with the Amazon commenter who said of his book, America the Beautiful, "Every library in the U.S. should have a copy of this book."   Amen to that.  Carson's views are the tonic that the United States needs at this historical moment.