A rotten Thursday!

[Thomas]

Bucko--cynicism is right. I hold the opinion that we are all being manipulated, both by terrorists and so-called leaders who exploit the situation.

quijote, you are correct, and let's not forget Spain's history with Arabs (the Moors).

When I visited Southwesten France last October I got a better sense of the French reasons for their attitude. Muslims abound in the countryside--the French have to learn to assimilate them, not antagonize.

One problem with the world is that far too many citizens of far too many countries (including ours) do not travel enough to learn about other cultures and do not have much interest in real (as opposed to television's version of) history.