1 "Unlike, say, the Vatican, or the Temple Mount, no non-Muslim is allowed to step foot inside of Mecca. If this is the Religion Of Peace, why are 60,000 troops needed to keep order for the hajj?" Gemstones and manure are both valuable. Notice, however, that we only post guards at the former.

2 "You are more than welcome to compare this to the number of NYPD used to keep order in Times Square on New Year's Eve, or the number of police used to keep order at the Vatican for the Christmas Mass." The difference between posting cops in Times Square and troops in Mecca is that no one calls drunken idiots on New Years Eve members of the something of "peace".

3 In the article, the phrase "to ensure that everything runs smoothly" is quite a euphimism. I'm not sure of the years in which they've occured, but I am sure that in addition to the regular stampedes, the hajj has seen numerous gun fights as well as 400 pilgrims being taken hostage in Mecca at one point. That's quite the holy place.

4 Notice how they'll say "This is a time when emotions run high," instead of the correct, "This is a time when full-blown psychosis manifests itself."

5 Someone offer Ali G 10 million to Prank the HAJ next year.

6 Good question about the number of troops for the Haj vs the number of participants and a comparison to other celebratory events. Anybody any good at finding this info? The article talked about troops so I do not know if they excluded policemen or not. I found this comment to the SFO Board of Supervisors from a legislative analyst on police support for protest activities: " Similar logic is used for non-protest activities: when the Philharmonic played in Central Park, there were approximately 30,000 spectators and 60 officers (a ratio of 500:1); when Garth Brooks performed there were 100,000 fans and 1,000 police officers (a ratio of 100:1); during the New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square, there are approximately 100,000 people in the streets and 4,000 to 5,000 police (a ratio of 20:1)." (Note: I have seen estimates that New Years Eve brings out 2 million revelers in NYC but no clarity in number of police employed that one night.) The Hajj takes place over a month and that may impact the number of police/military employed, too. If anyone has a talent in researching this type of info, I would like to know what you find. Wikipedia has some info to start you off and talks about the crowd control problems that have occurred.

7 Does anyone understand the allusion shannon was trying to make about guarding manure piles? Does he?

8 Isn't the Hajj where they go somewhere to throw stones at statues?

9 All I wanna know is why, if this is the Religion of Peace, and only members of the Religion of Peace are allowed to go there, do they need any troops at all? Of course massive security is needed at those other places, because everyone knows America and Israel are the real terrorist nations, and the Vatican is where the evil Crusades started. Of course us bloodthirsty Westerners need policing. Heh.

10 "All I want to know is why, if this is the religion of peace, and only members of the religion of peace are allowed there, do they need any troops at all? An obvious answer, it is not a religion of peace. That simple.

11 All this for a large suspected meteorite? I don't get it.