Separating Church and State, For Peace

A FEW DAYS AGO a car bomb killed four NATO personel, including one American, in Iraq, and the Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for it. I'll take their word for it. Why would they lie aobut his? They have plenty of other things to lie about, and they aint shy about lying. Even if I were driven to do something like that, I aint sure I'd take responsibility for it. I think I would be too ashamed of myself. Wouldn't most people? Wouldn't any civilized person, ever after a moment's reflrecion, feel shame for murdering? The suicide bombers in Russia perhaps thought they would avoid shame, and bask in glory, but we'll see. For all we know, all suicide bombers are roasting in hell. The Taliban was previously in power in Afghanistan, having been put in power by, you guessed it, the United States. Do they consider car bombings good credentials for governing their country, or being good citizens whithin it? They want the foreigners out. That's understandable. But they want more. All the suicide bombings appear to have the object of bringing about an Islamic state in the former Soviet Union and in Afghanistan. The ends justifies the means, which is intimidation by murder. The United States of America is, admittedly, a violent nation. But it has a stable government, which the people have the power to replace at regular intervals, through elections. Nobody is in power for very long in America, and religion doesn't matter; public policy is what matters in America. There are advantages to a secular democracy; one advantage is that members of all religions feel free to pariticpate in government, but no religion feels free to dominate and control government. Other than a few prayers and crosses here and there, the Christians in America are very tame about inserting their religion into America's secular government, bless their hearts. That trait among Americans, if any, might be one worth emulating by moslems everywhere.