...should the Pope stop apologizing.

It has been more than two weeks since Pope Benedict XVI spoke at the University in Regensburg. In that time several interesting things have occurred:

Muslims around the world, have expressed their displeasure at being portrayed as "evil and inhuman" by doing what Muslims always do, take to the streets in violent protest.

The Vatican has released three different forms of apology; none saying, "I'm sorry".

Every editorial writer short of St. Augustine has sprinted to their lap tops to opine on the Pope's speech. Most are favorable.

This is a train wreck from which we cannot look away.

Before we can evaluate this issue (like the Pope cares what I think), a few cogent facts need addressing.

If Benedict XVI had intended to take a swipe at Islam, he would hardly have chosen an obscure forum like his address in Regensburg. The Pope has a more sophisticated communications set-up than MTV. I doubt that he was trying to slip a papal zinger into an otherwise mundane speech. We will have to take him at his word; namely that he was attempting to begin an dialogue on the incompatibility of violence and the worship of God. His choice of an opening quote was perhaps unfortunate, not inaccurate.

The Pope does not need defending. He is not the first person to notice that the Muslim religion has been bent and twisted to justify violence. If the Pope read the same Qur'on that I have, he probably noticed that there is no mention of car bombings. All of the religious perversions of history are man-made. The worship of God can be molded into some very un-Godlike acts.

The Holy See need go no further than its own history to discover the harm that overzealousness can wrought. His own predecessor, Urban II unleashed the First Crusade in 1085 and, for three hundred years and beyond, the papacy preached war against the Muslims. More recently, God and Christianity have been used by the KKK to justify their antics since the Civil War. They even use the cross as a symbol.

The interesting aspect of this tempest is that it took the leader of the Catholic Church to shine a torch on a universal truth, namely that Christianity has evolved, Islam has not. Islam, as it is being preached in the Middle East, is the direct cause of thousands of deaths a year and they appear proud of it. They still cut the hands off thieves. Honor killing is still practiced. No one in the Muslim world, (at least no one with a voice) is using the Qur'an to make a case for peace and brotherhood.

Muslims demand respect but how can any civilized society respect a culture that issues death warrant against authors. How can citizens of free societies even understand countries where baton-wielding religious police roam the streets enforcing dress codes. Some may say that this represents only a small part of Islam but where are the voices of moderation? Where is the Imam that preaches tolerance?

The Western world is getting tired of tip-toeing around the easily offended followers of Muhammad. Arab leaders (and most of the trouble is with Arab countries) use any pretext to reinforce the paranoia of their populations. We may admonish the Pope for the appropriateness of his remarks in Germany but we should never question their underlying truth.

George W. Bush not withstanding, most Americans do not want to occupy the Middle East. We are all perfectly content to turn away as Muslims kill Muslims in sectarian conflicts that we barely understand.

Ours is a free and open society. We welcome anyone who wishes to weave their culture into ours. (Unless you're Pat Buchanan) However, if you continue to use your religion as an excuse for confrontation and violence you will find us a powerful enemy. Do not make the same mistake that the Japanese made.

As for Benedict XVI, I'm with the Pope on this one. I'll try not to let it happen too often.