Tips for those new to blogs

Allah has some excellent advice on basic fact checking for those new to blogs: bq. Here's a tip from the creator of worlds to the many new bloggers Rathergate hath wrought. Lean in close because this is important: bq. Whenever you see the mainstream media referring to someone as "Sheikh", you're duty bound to do a search for that person on MEMRI and LGF. bq. I'll show you why. Tonight in Loseweek, Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball warn that the U.S. occupation of Iraq is radicalizing moderate Muslims. Moderate Muslims like "Sheik" Yusuf al-Qaradawi. To be sure, say M&M, Qaradawi isn't a moderate on every issue. For instance, he doesn't have a big problem with blowing up Jews. He's also suspected of having ties to terrorist financing networks. And yes, sure, he happens to be the "spiritual leader" of Egypt's most prominent fundamentalist group, the Muslim Brotherhood. But that doesn't mean he's not a moderate at heart: Allah quotes a few paragraphs from the Newsweek article. He then starts digging: bq. July 27, 2004: Muslim journalist Abdel Rahman al-Rashed: "When it comes to political matters, Al-Qaradhawi represents the utmost degree of extremism." bq. March 9, 2004: "We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America!" bq. June 27, 2003: Condemned the Al Qaeda bombings in Riyadh and Casablanca because "[n]ot everyone who was killed in Riyadh was American and not everyone who was killed in Casablanca was American or foreign." bq. November 3, 2002: From a sermon at the Umar Bin-al-Khattab Mosque in Doha, Qatar. "O God, give us victory over your enemies, the enemies of Islam. O God, protect us from their evils, weaken them, wipe them out, destroy their power, and prevent them from committing aggression against your servants. O God, destroy the aggressor, treacherous Jews. O God, destroy the aggressor Americans. O God, destroy the fanatic pagans. O God, destroy the tyrannical Crusaders." bq. October 1, 2002: Again, from the Umar Bin-al-Khattab Mosque. "O God, support our brothers in Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya, Afghanistan, and everywhere. O God, direct their shots, strengthen their power, unite them on what is right, guide them on the right course, give them final victory, watch over them, and protect them. O God, give them victory over your enemies, the enemies of religion. O God, give them victory over the aggressor, treacherous Jews. O God, give them victory over the rancorous, plotting Crusaders." bq. November 6, 2001: A description of his appearance on Al Jazeera two weeks earlier. "[H]e issued a call to Arab and Islamic countries not to assist the U.S. in its war in Afghanistan, and stated that should the Taliban declare a Jihad against the U.S., 'Muslims must help as best they can.' Al-Qaradhawi also said that although he condemns the attacks against civilians in the U.S., 'we must fight the American army if we can.'" Allah then closes with this warning: bq. And so, young Jedis, you see now why you have to do your searches. In a few days, hundreds of thousands of people will have read that Loseweek column and concluded that this terrorist piece of shit, whose influence in the Muslim world is enormous, was a solid citizen until the Bushitler's folly in Iraq drove him batty. Which, of course, is precisely what Loseweek wants them to conclude. Our wonderful media...