This is the 5th in our 287 part series, “2 out of 5 Americans Are Idiots.†According to a new BBC poll only 58% of Americans are against torture. 36% find it perfectly acceptable and 7% are unsure. Admittedly this is very close to the worldwide average of 59% but it is far behind countries like Great Britain, Canada, Italy, France, Australia and Germany who all have percentages in the 70s or 80s. Even Turkey had more people against torture. Israel, Iraq, Indonesia, Russia, Phillipines, Niger, Kenya, and China were the only countries surveyed with more people in favor of torture. Not good company to be in.
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This is the 4th in our 287 part series, “2 out of 5 Americans Are Idiots.†According to a recent Time poll, 38 % of Americans still support the President’s decision to invade Iraq and that a stable democracy will form.
Only 38% of respondents in the TIME poll now support President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, down from 42% three months ago. A similar number believe that the new Iraqi government will succeed in forming a stable democracy, while 59% believe this is unlikely.
cough..Downing Street Memo..cough
This is the 3rd in our 287 part series, “2 out of 5 Americans Are Idiots.” Sam Harris at Idea City ‘05 claimed that 44% of Americans believe that Jesus is (or probably is) going to come down out of the clouds sometime in the next 50 years. This is the transcript from his excellent talk:
22% of Americans claim to be certain, literally certain that Jesus is going to come down out of the clouds sometime in the next 50 years. Another 22% think he probably will sometime in the next 50 years. That’s 44% of the electorate. Now of course, this belief does not exist in isolation. It’s not an accident that 44% of Americans also believe that the creator of the universe literally promised the land of Israel to the Jews. This is in his capacity as an omniscient real estate broker. And these beliefs are knit together with a myriad of other beliefs, infatuations with the end of history, with apocalyptic prophecy. And these beliefs have geopolitical consequences. This is not just what people believe on Sundays.
It’s actually not an exaggeration to say that something like half of us, something like 44% of the American population, if they turned on their television sets and saw that a mushroom cloud had replaced New York City, they would see a silver lining in this cloud because it would be a portent to them. It would presage that the best thing that is ever going to happen is about to happen, the return of Christ.
This is the 2nd in our 287 part series, “2 out of 5 Americans Are Idiots.” According to the USA Today: ” A hefty 42% of Americans polled over the weekend said they think fuel prices are being manipulated by the Bush administration to help Republicans in an election year.” Anyone want to guess if it is same 40% that believe Muslims should carry special ID?
According to a new Gallup poll, 39% of Americans believe that the government should force Muslims to carry a special form of I.D.
Almost four in ten, 39%, advocate that Muslims here should carry special I.D. That same number admit that they do hold some “prejudice” against Muslims. Forty-four percent say their religious views are too “extreme.”
In every case, Americans who actually know any Muslims are more sympathethic.
You know, sometimes, I don’t even know what country I am living in anymore. Special I.D.?! While we’re at it why don’t we make the Jews wear the Star of David too? You’ve got senators saying things like, “Every major Islamic leader, from heads of states to al-Qaida has openly identified the United States as their prime target and repeatedly promises the creation of a new global caliphate, where Islamic fascism will rule mankind.”
