Michael Demmons (Michael D.) wrote for Balloon juice from 2007-17.
Al-Farooq Masjid, Atlanta
Halef and I visited the Al-Farooq Masjid (Mosque) in Atlanta today and took an educational tour with Mohammed Zohbe, a member of the Masjid from Lebanon. Needless to say, it was an awesome experience. Mr. Zohbe explained a LOT of things to us. The Al-Farooq mosque is a place for all Muslims. Shi’a and Sunni are political constructs that don’t seem to mean anything here. A lot of misconceptions completely cleared up.
I didn’t quite believe that Islam was a violent religion (although I am ashamed to say I made fun of the religion during my, er, earlier days of blogging.) Now, after having talked to so many people today, I am certain it’s not. It was an awesome experience. A few pictures:
Outside the Masjid – worshippers and tourists.
Physics
A physics game. Use the objects on the screen to get the solid green box inside the green box outline. Fun. Aggravating, but fun. If I gave you this link duriug the week, you’d never get any work done. Think “paper plane.”
Desk Job For Wooten
Troopergate’s Mike Wooten has been taken off patrols because of the harrassment he is receiving from Sarah Palin supporters.
The Alaska state trooper who was the subject of harsh allegations by Gov. Sarah Palin was taken off patrols recently for his own safety, after her comments allegedly prompted a series of threatening phone calls, KIMO-TV in Anchorage reported Friday.
Classy. This was not by Wooten’s request – it was imposed on him by his superiors for his safety. Here’s hoping Trooper Wooten can take some comfort in the fact that, in some small way, his story helped stop a real disaster from happening in this country.
Dog Bites Man
The First Pooch bites a Reuters reporter:
The Circular Firing Squad
RedState is pleased to announce it is engaging in a special project: Operation Leper.
We’re tracking down all the people from the McCain campaign now whispering smears against Governor Palin to Carl Cameron and others. Michelle Malkin has the details.
We intend to constantly remind the base about these people, monitor who they are working for, and, when 2012 rolls around, see which candidates hire them. Naturally then, you’ll see us go to war against those candidates.
It is our expressed intention to make these few people political lepers.
They’ll just have to be stuck at CBS with Katie’s failed ratings.
Initial list:
Nicolle Wallace
Steve Schmidt
Mark McKinnon
Popcorn, anyone?
Kro-bama
I’ve been shopping at the same grocery store for about 5 years – the Kroger on Moreland Avenue in Atlanta. Most of the people who work there are African American. Because I’m a fairly social person, I have gotten to know 5 or 6 of the staff there fairly well.
Just got back from getting groceries there. The excitement on just about every one of these faces was awesome. I know these people and I have talked to them about politics because of the nature of this election. I think very few of them would have votred for Obama if he was incompetent. I would be willing to bet few of them voted for Sharpton or Jackson, for example.
I was wearing an Obama t-shirt, and I got a high five from a kid who was about 10 years old. I almost lost it right there. His parents can now tell him he can grow up to be president – and they can mean it.
Anyway, you could cut through the excitement and pride with a knife over there today!
We did it. Well, YOU did it. I couldn’t vote, but I shamed people into it, dragged them to the polls, and was a pain in the ass to a lot of people (including, by the way, a couple black people in my office who didn’t think their votes would make a difference in Georgia!) Hopefully, I did my part, too.