1096 vs 2008

So way back when, in 1096, Pope Urban II issued an order for 'holy warriors' to march into Jerusalem and 'free' the Eastern Christians from Islamic Rule. By the gods, that sounds...morbidly familiar, does it not? Oh wait, isn't that pretty much the same thing that George W. Bush did? Well, kind of. The only difference is that this time he basically decided that he was going to free the Islamic people from themselves, and everyone else in the world as well.

Of course it only took Pope Urban II 3 years to take over Jerusalem. Unlike the US, where we're now into our 7th year. What you will not find in the history books is an accurate account as to how many people were fighting on both sides of the original crusade. The Wikipedia says that there were approximately 32,000 men, 5,000 of which were calvary. It gives absolutely no numerics for the Nation of Islam, except a brief mention of the commanders during that crusade. Oh, and it also mentions that the entirety of the crusades lasted 'only' about 200 years. *coughbullshitcough*

Also, considering the fact that the Pope is considered to be the most powerful man on the planet, in reference to the leader of 'religion', and the US President is apparently considered to be the most powerful man in the free world...I have a few questions that really need answering.

For instance,

1. How is it possible to compare a man who's biggest achievement is 'saving' 50 million people from something that only existed in the minds of those in Washington DC.....to a man who has literally walked in the valley of the shadow of death in one of the most infamous and lethal death camps in the world...who then survived this and went on to become a pope?

2. Since when is it 'OK' for the self-proclaimed born-again-Christian American President to utilize the word 'crusade' in a speech to the American People, when even the Pope himself cringed at the mere thought of using such 'an unforgivable choice of verbatim'?

3. Why is it that it wasn't acceptable for people to 'crusade' back in 1095, but when you call it by another name, it's 'ok'?

So now we have approximately 90% of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay who have been there for an average of 6 years, but have absolutely no idea what they've been charged with....

Our gas and oil prices are soaring, because we're apparently still in the middle of a war with a country that we buy the damned oil from to begin with, instead of drilling our own oil. Then again, there's only a known 86 million barrels of crude oil that we know about which can be easily drilled....which is enough to keep our nation running smoothly for at least another 10 - 20 years without even batting an eyelash.

Conspiracy theorists have come out of the wood work declaring that 9/11 was some kind of attack by the US Government in an attempt to cover something up. Mind you, no one has even mentioned what, exactly, our government was supposed to be covering up with that attack. We might never know.

Well, at least in 1096 no one had to worry about oil lines blowing up their encampments. Then again, in 2008, no one has to worry about 101 literal Arabian knights ripping their tents to shreds under the cover of darkness *eyeroll*