Liberals sure have a funny way with words. Perhaps it is because of the odd way their brains are wired—that things going in one way and come out another. Take islamophobe. Even if you have never heard the word before—the Czar is uncertain he heard it prior to 2010, actually—if you’re a reasonably fluent speaker of any Indo-European language (sigh, yes, even Esperanto), you can pretty well guess what it means: a person with an irrational fear of Islamic things.

As we know, the word is being hurled about by anyone with an axe to grind. Don’t like the Ground Zero mosque? You’re an Islamophobe! Support the French idea of banning religious garb that conceals one’s identity? You’re an Islamophobe! Think Israel is right to doubt the veracity of Palestinian negotations? You’re an Islamophobe!

And so on. You get the idea.

How about looking at this a little more rationally. Those claims are more circumstantial than anything. What would really exhibit an irrational fear of all things Islamic?

Say you’re a newspaper editor, and you refuse to print cartoons of Mohammed for fear of someone storming your offices with a firearm and killing everyone. You’re an Islamophobe!

Let us pretend you are a book publisher, and one of your upcoming publications contains a criticism of Islamic theocracy; fearing a backlash by “them,” you suspend publication. You’re an Islamophobe!

Or let us say you are in the mainstream media. You cover a crackpot in Flordia offering to burn copies of the Qur’ān, in agonizing detail, but ignore numerous and similar efforts to burn Christian and Jewish religious tracts because nothing cool comes of it. You’re an Islamophobe!

Perhaps you are a member of the AP, and you request your staff to avoid referring to the Ground Zero mosque as such because it is somehow inflammatory, and offer to censor it as a euphemistic and vague New York City mosque. You’re an Islamophobe!

If you avoid doing or saying anything that might be mildly critical of Islam because you fear what “they” will do in retaliation…You’re an Islamophobe!Or you refuse to demand the mosque project’s leader, Iman Rauf, clarify whether he really believes America is to blame for September 11, 2001, and whether or not he supports Hamas because you do not wish to offend him. You’re an Islamophobe!

Likewise, you might be in the management at CNN, and learn that the host of an afternoon news magazine just praised Hamas and condemned Israeli actions, but do nothing to apologize or prevent him from making similar political statements on air because, well, let’s not turn over that rock. You’re an Islamophobe!

Or you are in the military, and even when one of your officers demonstrates an open willingness to murder non-muslims, you not only refuse to punish him, but promote him to Major in hopes he doesn’t go on a horrific killing spree in the heart of one of your showpiece bases. You’re an Islamophobe!

What is really happening here? Well, when you censor yourself, look the other way, suppress news or free speech, maintain a painful double standard, cover your ears and eyes, and generally avoid doing or saying anything that might be mildly critical of Islam because you fear what “they” will do in retaliation…You’re an Islamophobe!

Think this over. To these people, they see Muslims as a dangerous, reckless bunch who will simply kill anyone who offends them. This isn’t the case, but it smacks of classic Liberal bigotry. Remember, to a liberal who sees the world in identity politics, all Muslims are the same. There are no variations or exceptions. And that is beyond prejudicial—it is irrational. And it is fearful. “Let’s not make eye contact,” the Liberal says, “And maybe they will go away and leave us alone.” Outrageous? Not at all—it explains a lot of the Carter and Clinton foreign policy missteps. And as for President Obama? Two thoughts: first, he takes a different approach: “Let’s apologize for whatever we did to annoy them, and then maybe they will like us.” Fearful. And irrational. Like apologizing to the biker gang that just broke your car windshield.

The second thought is crazier, and the Czar wonders if he has this right. But the President said the idiot’s book burning stunt would be “a recruitment bonanza for al-Qâ’ida.” Maybe, but that doesn’t capitalize on the hope of success, and hope is one of the best recruitment tools ever—right, Mr. President?

So you know what would be a better recruitment tool? Try building a mosque on the corpses of thousands of your enemies.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.