
NASA had arranged for the _Xplorer_I_ crew to transfer to the space
shuttle _Columbus_ at the end of a two week scientific mission notable
for including the first Palestinian astronaut, Maj. Hassan al-Nass.
The commander, Jeff Reginard, had know Andrea for years.

al-Nass: "Sal\=amu `Alaykum", al-Nass greeted Mercuriou fervently,
kissing both his cheeks after shaking his hand during introductions,
then helping the _Xplorer_I_ crew stow their personal belongings in the
attached Spacehab.

After both crews enjoyed dinner, al-Nass sailed over to the galley,
opened his personal compartment, and pulled out a bottle of arak.
Somehow, he turned so that the green, red and black striped flag on
his right shoulder seemed more noticable than before.

al-Nass: "Captain, you may live the rest of your life as a dog in an
American kennel, but tonight we behave like men."

Andrea raised an eyebrow as al-Nass passed the milky white liquor.

Andrea: "Just out of curiosity, major, what would be the Muslim
solution to the _Xplorer_I_ theft?  Cut off his hand?"

al-Nass: al-Nass shrugged.  "So what if it is?  Is the loss of a hand
too great a price to pay for freedom?  We have our checks and
balances, too."

Reginard: Reginard audibly exhaled.  "I think I like our checks and
balances better."

al-Nass: "Really?!  Let's ask the victim, then - Captain Mercuriou,
would you prefer to lose your hand or spend your life in prison?"

Mercuriou: "I think I'd give the hand very serious consideration."

al-Nass: "You see!  Plus we don't waste our tax money on so many prisons!"

Several of the Americans shook their heads and began to object, but
al-Nass ignored them, appropriated the remaining arak and produced a
bottle of vintage port.

al-Nass: "More to your taste, Captain?"

Mercuriou: "I take it you are a fan?"

al-Nass: Al-Nass first sneered, "I listened to your speech," and then
laughed.

al-Nass: "You're still talking about ammending your Constitution!"

al-Nass: "Look in your own Bible: A beast comes out of the sea, men
worship the beast, asking 'who can make war against the beast?'  The
sea is humanity, _the_beast_is_democracy_!  That's it!  That's your
democracy!  You're not fixing it!  The most crushing military
juggernaut ever, and everybody thinks it's liberty and freedom!  Ask
the people of Gaza what democracy has done for them!"

Reginard: "Well, Israel has a democracy."

al-Nass: "Israel is no democracy.  With their racist Aliyah, they're
as much a democracy as South Carolina was 1860!  Let every Jew come
back to his homeland, and let every Arab come back, too.  Then let's
have an election!  Then let's see who wins!  Mercuriou's right.  You
define your majority however you want."

Reginard: "We do not define the majority however we want.  It's defined
by law."

al-Nass: "So you didn't write the law yourself.  Fine.  Somebody did.
Obviously non-citizens can not vote.  Clearly the State of Israel can
establish its own citizenship policy.  You think it's all so cut and
dry."

"What's the alternative?  Communism?"

al-Nass: "Communism _is_ dead, but not all of us believe that
capitalism is best."

"And democracy?  What happens to the Jews?"

al-Nass: al-Nass shrugged.  "We're defined more by our limitations
than by our abilities.  All these people sing your hymns, talk about
religion, talk about forgiving their enemies, and then they go to work
for the capitalists on Monday morning.  Why?  Because they are
_defined_by_their_limitations_."

al-Nass paused to let his words sink in, then extracted a small vengence.

al-Nass: "Andrea believes that men can walk on water!"

Andrea: "We can't walk on water because our faith in God isn't strong
enough.  I think that's the answer really consistent with the
Gospel."

al-Nass: "A limitation of faith!  Or perhaps a limitation of reality,
or to accept reality?"

Mercuriou intervened.

Mercuriou: "People can overcome their limitations, Major.  Booker
Washington did."

A puzzled look crossed al-Nass's face.

al-Nass: "I'm sorry?..."

Mercuriou: "Booker Washington, a famous black American.  He said that
we should judge men not by what they've achieved, but by what they've
overcome to achieve it."

al-Nass: "Ah, and was Booker Washington defined by _his_ limitations?"

Mercuriou: "Absolutely," replied Mercuriou after a moment of thought.
"He could never accept how bitterly race has divided my country."

al-Nass: "Only Allah knows how bitterly it has divided mine.  But
they're finished!  _Finished_!  The Jews are _finished_!  Your own
prophasy!  The third temple must be destroyed!  Islam will rule again
in Jerusalem!"

Andrea: [whispering to Reginard] "Where did you find this guy?"

Reginard: "Beats me," Reginard shugged. "They told us he was a moderate."

al-Nass: "I am a moderate!  If I were a radical, I'd have C-4 instead of
caviar in my flight kit!"

