In the bustling religious marketplace of modern America, conversions out of one faith and into another are not exactly news. They happen every day, across the full spectrum of belief. But some conversions resonate more than others, especially at a time when the U.S. finds itself at war with terrorists who draw their inspiration from one of the world's great religions.

Consider the case of Jean-Michelle Ajon, the subject of a 2002 article in the women's fashion magazine Marie Claire. Raised a Catholic in New York City, Ajon had been thinking about converting to Islam during the summer before 9/11. After the attacks, a remark that she overheard while working in Manhattan—"We should bomb everyone, the whole Arab world"—strengthened her resolve, and she soon made her shahadah (declaration of faith), thus entering the fold of Islam. Her new faith, Ajon explained to Marie Claire, had improved her life. "I used to be very aggressive," she said. "Now, I am more patient—and spiritually fulfilled."

Ajon's story—no doubt seen by her editors as an inspiring antidote to widespread anti-Muslim bigotry in the United States—has been multiplied by many other, similar stories over the past several years. But far less attention has been paid to voyages in the opposite direction, that is, outward from Islam. In fact, thousands of Muslims in the West embrace Christianity each year, and the courage they must muster to do so is of an entirely different order from the bravado of someone protesting against supposedly pervasive social prejudice. These converts stand accused, rather, of apostasy, a transgression against Islam whose consequences, even in the sheltering confines of the West, are always serious—and sometimes deadly.

Sgt. Smith was featured on my blog on April 22, 2003. He is one of the American Heroes whose stories I have collected.

His family has been notified that President George Bush will award him, posthumously, the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery, truly above and beyond the call of duty.

The story of Paul Smith should send chills down your spine. In the face of overwhelming odds, at the cost of his own life, he made a stand that saved his outgunned and outnumbered unit from certain annihilation. In a battle that should be recounted in every Basic Training class from now until the sun dies of old age, Sgt. Smith fought the enemy, exposed to their fire, and killed dozens. Surprised by an attack in an area thought to be clear, he took charge, reacted, and held the line. His stand was effective. The remaining enemy, their numbers cut nearly in half, fled the battle. Sgt. Smith was found, mortally wounded, with the enemy dead piled in front of him.

Birgit Smith, his wife:

SAN DIEGO — Executives at Gortman Consulting are hiring immigrant day laborers to delete their junk e-mail. "Our employees were wasting hours of valuable time sifting through spam," Gortman CEO Donald Barris said Monday. "Finally, I was like, 'Eureka! Hire some low-cost Hispanic laborers to empty our Outlook Express trashcans.' Our IT van just swings by the docks in the morning and picks up a dozen or so guys." While Barris said the laborers are "happy for the work," labor-rights groups have complained that repeatedly pressing the delete key has caused numerous cases of carpal-tunnel syndrome among migrant spam removers.

(2005-02-01) -- Due to the "somber mood of the nation," Democrats in Congress have called on their Republican colleagues to refrain from all celebratory applause during President George Bush's state of the union speech Wednesday night.

The annual presidential address before a joint session of Congress is traditionally interrupted dozens of times by applause from both parties and frequent cheers and standing ovations from the party in power.

"How can anyone applaud in a time like this?" said Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, before launching into a list of reasons why Americans are in mourning.

-- "Iraq is a quagmire of Sunni disenfranchisement, and our own citizens in Ohio still lack full voting rights.
-- All of America's beloved manufacturing jobs have been outsourced to China and all the garment-sewing and tech-support jobs to India.
-- The only union labor left on our shores is done in the public schools, where teachers suffer the assaults of wild-eyed heretics trying to undermine Darwinian orthodoxy.
-- Across our land illegal aliens still lack proper health insurance and suffer daily indignities in the name of so-called homeland security.
-- The elderly face a terrifying future when the federal government no longer controls all of their retirement money.
-- Our 14-year-old girls live in fear that they may need parental permission to abort their unwanted fetuses.
-- Our homosexuals still can't marry, forcing them into deadly liaisons with multiple partners.
-- The wealthiest Americans continue to waste money on investments and consumer goods while Congress struggles to make ends meet.
-- And the Supreme Court itself faces the threat of perhaps several new justices who will be too lazy to rewrite our out-dated Constitution."

The House Minority Leader recalled "the halcyon days of the Clinton administration, when clapping and whooping were entirely appropriate."

"Now," she added, "is the winter of our discontent. Please, hold your applause."

In related news, the Democrat National Committee announced that its televised response to the president's speech will be sponsored by Eli Lilly, the makers of Prozac.