The serious aspect of this silly story is this: Brad Benson is behaving toward Terry Jones the same way that the U.S. forces behave toward the locals in Afghanistan. The assumption is that they can buy cooperation and good behavior with various gifts and favors; this is the core assumption of the whole hearts-and-minds initiative in general. But while it may work when it involves Florida pastors and New Jersey car dealers, with Islamic jihadists its beneficial effects remain unproven. “Fla. pastor wins car for canceling Quran burning,” by Beth Defalco for the Associated Press, October 15 (thanks to all who sent this in):
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. – A New Jersey car dealer plans to keep his word after offering Florida pastor Terry Jones a new car if he promised to not burn a Quran.
Car dealer Brad Benson made the offer in one of his dealership’s quirky radio ads, which focus more on current events than cars. But he was surprised when a representative for Jones called to collect the 2011 Hyundai Accent, which retails for $14,200.
“They said unless I was doing false advertising, they would like to arrange to pick up the car,” Benson recalled. At first he thought it was a hoax, so Benson asked Jones to send in a copy of his driver’s license. He did.
Jones, of Gainesville, Fla., never burned a Quran but told The Associated Press on Thursday that the offer of a car was not the reason, saying he learned about the offer a few weeks after Sept. 11.
He said he plans to donate the car to an organization that helps abused Muslim women….