Wednesday Hodgepodge

• Ed Brayton points to a post at the Cato Institute blog showing that six years ago, while Clinton was still President, the hysterics over at Free Republic were terrified that wiretap warrants granted by FISA would facilitate “absolute tyranny” and a “shadow government”:

Isn’t it fascinating how when the tables turn, they really turn? When Clinton was in office, this was an unprecedented grab for power, using a secret court to rubber stamp their destruction of our freedoms. Now, that secret court is an obstructionist body that stands in the way of Bush as he tries to protect our freedom, and anyone who questions that is obviously a communist and a lover of terrorists.

• Juan Cole reports that a prominent Islamic cleric in Cairo has declared that the Islamic religious concept of “jihad” is not to be construed as permitting aggression:

Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports that the Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar Seminary in Cairo, perhaps the foremost Sunni Arab authority, has issued a statement that jihad or “holy war” was legislated in Islam for the defense of the persons and honor of Muslims, and is not to be used as a threat or a form of aggression against the innocent.

...

Grand Sheikh Tantawi denied that there is any clash of civilizations or religions, affirmed that members of the religions cooperate with one another, and mere difference in religion does not prevent that.

He quoted the Quran verse, “There is no compulsion in religion,” saying that it demonstrates that freedom of belief is delegated (to human beings), and any practices that contradict that principle are considered departures from true Islam.

• "Faith In America, Inc. is a national organization dedicated to the emancipation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from bigotry disguised as religious truth. Such religion-based bigotry has been used throughout history to justify discrimination against other groups of people, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people of minority religious beliefs. Faith In America is committed to ending this misuse of religion."

• Robert L. Park explains The Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science.