The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

It's a common mis perception that, because I'm not Christian and I'm against the "War on Terror", I must be sympathetic to terrorist activities and fundamentalist Islam. And I know many people are branded with this misconception.

However, these people who label dissent as being one with the terrorists are completely wrong. It's both of these religions that I see as dangerous and the cause of mass murder. The only difference between radical Islamic terrorists and the 'War on Terror', is that the war in Iraq (and all other U.S., British, and Israeli imperialistic ventures throughout history) is state backed terrorism.

In "The God Delusion" by Richard dawkins, he says it's the scientist and humanist in him that makes him hostile to religions—fundamentalist Christianity AND fundamentalist Islam are to blame—that close people's minds to scientific truth, oppress women and abuse children psychologically with the notion of eternal damnation.

Below, Jeremy Paxman interviews Professor Dawkins as part of the Newsnight book club...

The Militarization of Local Police, a dangerous game

Today I came across the article, "Your Local Police Force Has Been Militarized", which in turn pointed me to Radley Balko’s “Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America” (Cato Institute, 2006). A report detailing the unnecessary and excessive militarization of local police units in the United States. The report also provides an extensive catalogue of abuses and mistaken raids, and offers recommendations for reform.

Today 17,000 local police forces have military equipment like Blackhawk helicopters, machine guns, grenade launchers, battering rams, explosives, chemical sprays, body armor, night vision, rappelling gear and armored vehicle. In 1999, the New York Times reported that a retired police chief in New Haven, Connecticut, told the newspaper, “I was offered tanks, bazookas, anything I wanted.”

According to Pentagon data obtained by the Associated Press, some 16,000 law enforcement agencies obtained more than 380,000 pieces of equipment from military surplus worth $124 million in fiscal 2005. (Homeland Stupidity)

See an interactive map of 'Botched Paramilitary Police Raids'