The American View

In late January four members of congress traveled to Afghanistan to survey the situation. They were welcomed warmly and spoke with many different officials in that country. The leader of religious affairs in Afghanistan asked for the United States’ continued support as he thanked us for all that has been done thus far. In his requests he quoted Mohammed as saying this, “You will never become a good Muslim until you first want for others what you want for yourself.” He was of course showing his gratitude to Americans for giving to the Middle Eastern Countries and helping to free them from their oppression, in the same manner that anyone would hope would be done unto them.

I’m not sure of his knowledge of American affairs, but my first thought was, that I hope he doesn’t know how many people don’t want to be helping in the Middle East. How embarrassing it is that these people who see the freedom granted them as an act of heroism may come to know how many people think that all that we’ve done over there was for nothing. I can just see the thirteen-year-old upon this realization, ‘My freedom and safety wasn’t worth it?’ I certainly am glad that we have been able to put our best foot forward with our noble troops doing all they can in the true spirit of American Pride.

So what is the problem? Are we so naïve that we actually think if we were under a tyrannical rule that we would not hope to be set free by our neighbors. The only problem I see with all that has happened in the Middle East over the last five years is that this didn’t happen sooner. Our government was only able to gain the support of Americans to help out in the Middle East after our own security was threatened.

Martin Luther King Jr. said he had a dream that all men would be free. We have just finished celebrating the life of his wife and honoring all the work they did to free minorities in America from oppression. Wouldn’t that be a shame to think that the American ideal has now become to think of our own people and our own rights alone. I believe another man’s bondage are fetters on my feet – only waiting to be thread with the chains from the next wave of oppression.

"First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."

-- Author unknown, generally attributed to Rev. Martin Niemoller

Comments

[Arthur M. Clark]

I have never seen that quotation in quite that form. Nor do I know the author. This strikes me as strange because as nearly as I can tell, "they" have never come for the communists, not even here in the USA.

We had a senator who tried. His name was Joseph McCarthy and he was literally drummed out of office by nay-saying Democrats and turncoats in his own party.

I first heard that quotation as "First they came for the Jews ...". World War II was going on at that time.

I don't want my government protecting anyone other than Americans and then, only when they are knocking on our doors or interfering with our trade, like the Mexicans.

I do not want our young men dieing to defend or fight against Afganistan, Iran or Israel. I do not want our young men, like your husband or your children, fighting for or against any other country. I want the horrors of war allowed to die an indecent death while we bring one-person-at-a-time to Jesus. There is no other way. We only win when God is in the lead.

War is always a loser. Death wins.

[Jack Bernatchez]

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[Bill Garnett]

What times we live in! This threat to our democracy – a threat that is not communists, or socialists, or fascists, but is fundamental religious zealots. Zealots, who in a power grab, overrun that bright line, that firewall, that separates church and state – and leads those who will follow the rest of the crowd. We have seen those crowds before - all through history - do I need to list them out for you? Good people who do bad things caught up behind the seemingly God inspired leaders.

No, I’m not speaking of Hezbollah, or Hamas, or the Islamic Jihad, or even Al-Qaida.

I’m talking about Southern Baptists. Baptists, who not too many years ago were relatively independent and loosely associated Protestant churches, that have now been overtaken and strictly organized by an aging but fanatical, and inerrantly believing their word-by-word interpretation of the King James Version of the Christian Bible, group of zealots -- who believe they alone have God’s personal blessing.

They hate the direction that American families have gone, adultery, rampant unwed mothers the rule, single family parenting, abortions, soaring divorce. And like the power grabs of religious fundamentalists everywhere – there has to be a devil. For the Islamic zealots – it’s Israel. For Southern Baptists – it’s the queers. Queers are responsible for the decline of the American family and their queer agenda has to be stopped.

How stupid really are Americans? Didn’t Lincoln say you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time – but you can’t fool the American people forever. Hopefully forever comes before November – because in November the Virginia electorate go to the polls – those relatively few who can drag themselves away from work and shopping to take the few minutes behind the curtain. And fewer still will have any idea what the first ballot issue is about – an amendment – to our Bill of Rights – to for the first time in our history to engrave in our most hallowed document of state, a state endorsed and prescribed discrimination against a minority of our citizens.

Why? Because it is a low and debased trick to energize the fundamentalist Republican base, who might otherwise notice that in the past six years, with their party in control of all branches of federal and most state governments – that just about any measurable quality of life has deteriorated. It plays on ignorance and it plays on fear and it plays on bigotry and it plays on the basest of human emotions.

They know – science and medicine knows – enlightened people know – homosexuality is NOT a moral choice – it IS a condition of being – probably closer to being left-handed. There is not an iota of evidence that giving our gay citizens equal civil rights to their straight families, neighbors, coworkers – there is not one iota of valid argument that giving homosexuals equality in civil law with heterosexuals will adversely affect anyone’s marriage or anyone’s family.

Virginians – where is your commonsense? Commonsense argues that allowing, finally, for gays to have stable and civil recognized relationships, and the attendant responsibilities and benefits, will be a step towards embracing family values. To offer equal protection to the gay children, natural or adopted, by gay parents is an embracing of family values.

But, I have to say, by making an issue out of gay marriage Republicans cleverly hope to divert attention. Gays have little if anything to do with the state of marriage today in America and legislating away their arguably inalienable rights is not going to either help marriage or help homosexuals. But that is not the intention. The intention is to divert attention – and to ensure their hold on the reins of power.

Sort of like the Muslim religious fundamentalists – who also have crossed long ago that bright line, that firewall between church and state - a protection our forebears so wisely crafted when they originally formed this union.

[Pamela Hildreth]

I am amazed by the fact that a young person, who may be called up for the draft does not see the hypocrasy that we don't do anything for the enslaved and suffering people of Africa and South America who suffer as much or more than the people in the middle east from injustice, genocide, starvation due to civil war etc, yet we need to get in the middle of all the middle east threats. Could there be other motivations, such as oil, for our oil king Texan president??? Hello??!! What about the rest of the world???

[maypomyday]

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