Why We Worry

Yesterday El Presidente gave a speech in Cairo designed to restart America’s relationship with the Middle East and the larger Muslim world.

If you’ve got 55 spare minutes, you can watch the speech here:

Or read the transcript here.

But you probably don’t have 55 minutes to watch his speech or a half hour to burn reading it. (Seriously, his speeches seem to get longer and longer. I personally think 30 minutes should be the cut-off point.) So, with that in mind, I thought I’d share a couple of abridged versions with you.

First up, Ordinary Gentleman Chris Dierkes:

(Slightly) Shorter President Obama:

–Not all Muslims are bloodthirsty insane warmongers. In fact the majority aren’t so.

–If you believe that 9/11 was a US gov’t conspiracy or the Holocaust didn’t happen you are an insane SOB

–Muslims translated Greek texts in the Medieval Era.

–Palestinians shouldn’t live in a hellhole and you can’t have actual sovereignty if another army controls your territory,

–Hence we are getting out of Iraq

–Women ought to go to school (Newsflash: They have brains in addition to their other body parts).

–Education=Good.  Mutual Respect/Intelligence=Good.  Being All Around Generally Nice=Good.  Torturing People=Bad

–People ought to be able to worship however, wherever, and whenever they desire.  Religions don’t necessarily have to be killing each other all the time.

–The US has Muslims living in the country who aren’t constantly blowing stuff up (see point #1). They have jobs, families, and go about life in a regular fashion are yet are distinctly Muslim.

–You can’t (crazily) go in and force a government on people, nor more stupidly think that by having elections alone (ZOMG!) you have democracy.  That said, it’s (surprise!!) better to live in a liberal democratic country than a dictatorship.  Also it would be better if you did have elections and a group wins that they not then install a dictatorship (see previous sentence).

–The world is heavily interconnected and therefore we have common dangers and hence common opportunities to work together amidst disagreements.

Short short Obama:  Come and join modernity, we’d love to have ya.

And then there is IOZ who manages to hit on the real crux of Obama’s speech:

Speaking before a large crowd at Cairo University in Egypt’s sprawling capital city, President Barack Obama urged the Muslim world to “look over there,” causing several dozen in the audience to turn their heads to see what he was pointing at in the vague middle distance.

“But seriously,” Mr. Obama continued. “The time of the past is in the past, and the future is that which lies before us.” Pausing for effect, he added, “The present is now,” drawing applause.

Something tells me that the people of the Middle East aren’t interested in nice speeches. They want a swift end to the violence and oppression. They want action. Let’s see if Obama can deliver.