...And The Coach You Rode In On

The most bizarre news I've read lately concerns Prince Charles and his visit to America. Apparently, he wants to tell Bush, and everyone on down, the USA is too intolerant of Islam, and doesn't appreciate its merit.

I've never thought much of Charles's intelligence, but now I think he's insane. Sure, we've recently attacked a couple of Muslim countries (after giving them plenty of warning)--not because they were Muslim, but because we felt they were serious threats. Ultimately, we believe we're improving life in these countries. In fact, for the last 15 years, almost every military action we've taken has ended up making life better (or potentially better) for Muslims. The way Charles talks, you'd think we bombed Mecca.

Furthermore, Bush and his people have gone out of their way to explain we're not at war with Islam, and to distinguish extremists from average Muslims. While we're at it, Muslims in America enjoy full rights, religious and otherwise--moreso than in Britain, where they've been taking tough measures lately.

If Prince Charles really wants to do some good, I have a whole list of countries where there's severe religious intolerance--Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, France...