Farewell. The Flying Pig Has Left The Building.

Steve Hynd, August 16, 2012

After four years on the Typepad site, eight years total blogging, Newshoggers is closing it's doors today. We've been coasting the last year or so, with many of us moving on to bigger projects (Hey, Eric!) or simply running out of blogging enthusiasm, and it's time to give the old flying pig a rest.

We've done okay over those eight years, although never being quite PC enough to gain wider acceptance from the partisan "party right or wrong" crowds. We like to think we moved political conversations a little, on the ever-present wish to rush to war with Iran, on the need for a real Left that isn't licking corporatist Dem boots every cycle, on America's foreign misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. We like to think we made a small difference while writing under that flying pig banner. We did pretty good for a bunch with no ties to big-party apparatuses or think tanks.

Those eight years of blogging will still exist. Because we're ending this typepad account, we've been archiving the typepad blog here. And the original blogger archive is still here. There will still be new content from the old 'hoggers crew too. Ron writes for The Moderate Voice, I post at The Agonist and Eric Martin's lucid foreign policy thoughts can be read at Democracy Arsenal.

I'd like to thank all our regular commenters, readers and the other bloggers who regularly linked to our posts over the years to agree or disagree. You all made writing for 'hoggers an amazingly fun and stimulating experience.

Thank you very much.

Note: This is an archive copy of Newshoggers. Most of the pictures are gone but the words are all here. There may be some occasional new content, John may do some posts and Ron will cross post some of his contributions to The Moderate Voice so check back.


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Sunday, October 3, 2010

Religious Wars

Commentary By Ron Beasley




Christine Amanpour held a religious war town hall today.  As one would expect there was plenty of nonsense from all sides.  What would you expect when a collection of humans claims their religion is the "only true religion" but are unable to offer any proof only contradictory mythology.  Franklin Graham was well, Franklin Graham:


Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of Rev. Billy Graham, called Islam �wicked� and �evil� on Sunday during a televised town hall-style discussion about American�s feelings about the religion.



�They want to build as many mosques and cultural centers as they possibly can so they can convert as many Americans as they can to Islam,� Graham said on ABC�s �This Week.�





Sorry Mr Graham but I see your brand of hell fire and brimstone 7th century Christianity equally evil.  And how is the fact they want to convert as many Americans as they can make them any different than you.  And there are some aspects of Islam that I would see as evil but most of them are beliefs they have in common with your brand of Christianity.



It's this that has the Christian wingnuts going nuts:



However, perhaps the most alarming statement on Amanpour�s program came from Anjem Choudary, a former British solicitors and Muslim cleric that spokesman for the group Islam4UK. Choudary contends eventually you'll see global Islamic rule, including here in the United States.



�We do believe as Muslims the East and the West will be governed by the Sharia,� Choudray. �Indeed we believe that one day the flag of Islam will fly over the White House. Indeed, there's even an oration of the Prophet where he said, �The day of judgment will not come until a group of my...��





So - how is this any different from the nonsense spouted by Mr Graham and other Christian leaders or the Mormons?



Organized religion is nearly always more about tribalism and power than spirituality regardless of the flavor.

Also posted at The Moderate Voice

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