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Saturday, January 28, 2006 History Is So Important Recently Karl Rove (aka Bush's Brain) made a speech claiming that the opposition is living in pre 9/11 days. He stated to his fellow Republicans that they are the only ones living in post 9/11 days. Well, in his arrogance he is wrong. We are all living in post 9/11 days. The big difference is that Rove and the neo-con cabal don't believe in history. They have ignored the lessons learned through centuries of events in the Middle East. They have used the 9/11 tragedy to invade and impose an imperialistic philosophy of control over a region whose history is a quagmire of ambitions, hopes, betrayal and despair. They have claimed that the Iraq regime of Saddam Hussein created a threat to the USA. All of the specific accusations against the Baathist regime have been proven false. One can correctly state that Americans have been lied to by an American administration that had a secret agenda for attacking Iraq. Instead of concentrating on the resurrection of Afghanistan we are engaged in the disastrous enterprise of occupying Iraq. No matter how one can explain over 30,000 insurgent attacks in the last year we must recognize that a state of Civil War exists in Iraq. Iranian influence holds sway in what is now a Shiite theocracy dominated government, replacing Sunni/Baathist dominance. Our current administration has followed a disappointing strategy in dealing with Iran. Not that any previous administration deserves credit for doing much better. Since Carter pulled the rug out from under the Shah we have seen the tragic results of our compounding a felony of interfering in the internal affairs of another country. Pre 9/11 history should be taught to those running our affairs. Starting with Alexander the Great the area of the Middle East has been a battleground. Usually it was to influence other areas such as India and the Far East; it was only comparatively recent that religion and later oil made the Middle East important in its own right. The Crusades were periodic pillaging done in the name of God. Recently the film "Kingdom of Heaven" gave a comparatively factual version of events, which certainly showed the Moslems, generally, as more respectful human beings than we have been told. Another epic film "Lawrence of Arabia" gave viewers a background of another dark chapter in the history of Western interference. During my period of work in the Middle East an important project for me was the rebuilding of the Hejaz Railroad, a critically vital utility in enabling the sacred Muslim duty of making a pilgrimage to Medina/Mecca. This was the railroad destroyed during WWI by Lawrence with the help of the Arabs, a fact the western world would not have known had not the late newsman Lowell Thomas filmed Lawrence's missions. The Arabs were promised their independence in return for their help. Later these promises were betrayed by the Western powers, France and Britain with the approval of the United States. During my advising Senator John F. Kennedy on the Middle East I counseled repeatedly that the Palestinian question was the harbinger of WWIII; that only the active movement of the major powers who would be able to solve that dilemma. It seemed to me that the ethnic, religious and tribal antagonisms engulfing the populations and territories would never be solved locally, but only by rational international pressures. What must be tragically frustrating to all of us today is the blind ignorance of our politicians to the pre 9/11 historical events that have allowed us to create such a frightening and abominable mess. The blindness of our leaders to the past only increases their myopic view of the present and future in the Middle East, whereas their knowledge of the region's history would at least allow greater insight to the problems and potential solutions to the situations their ignorance has created. Next chapter, Hamas leading the Palestine Authority, that will be a real test. Sunday, January 08, 2006 Conflict Over Faith Many of you who receive this Blog are not on my Civic List. It is unfortunate that you are missing a fascinating debate on matters of faith. This is not the first time such a subject has been in the forefront of discourse within the Civic List. This round was started by my reporting on George Milman's story of the Dover School decision about ID (Intelligent Design). Ian, George, Brigit, Lyle, and now Kevin have chimed in. Whatever you faiths are we seem to have someone who is in your camp, creationist, Opus Dei, secularist, agnostic or atheist. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there are even some pagans among us. Much of our discussions of faith touch on many side issues, ID, human and minority rights, defining scriptures, and definition of faith, Biblical veracity. Current books discussed have included Sam Harris's "The End of Faith", "The Sins of Scripture" by Bishop Spong and "The Bible Fraud" by Tony Bushby. There is real fear of public disclosure when one might be different from the majority. In other words, as one expressed belief, it is better not to state that you are atheist or agnostic in public. Are we not avoiding the overall issue in not recognizing that is an issue of control? This is an issue of freedom from state religion. Separation of religion and state was an issue before, during and after the creation of our republic. It continues to be a major issue today. Not only in America but also in many parts of the world. For certain it hangs heavy over all considerations in the Middle East. This is not only a question of theocracies, of religion controlling the State, but beware of the State controlling religion. Histories tell some very bad stories in either case. Those stories all bode poorly for Freedom. Sunday, January 01, 2006 Extremism Is No Excuse In my last blog I wrote about Intelligent Design. There was a detailed response which labeled me "Either you are being intellectually dishonest or hypocritical". Needless to say I was hurt and offended, particularly as it came from a friend whose opinions I respected. I did not always agree but I believed in reading his positions. To make a strong, rapid reply would have started a firefight, so I passed and said nothing. It made me think about how extreme so many positions have become. Many of us, myself included, have a visceral dislike for the Gang of Four (Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld). I have tried in the Civic List and other methods of communication to tone down the rhetoric. I have even posted items of the radical right. This is not only a question of manners but of sense. Extremism can be counter-productive. Note the fact that the Yippies gave us Richard Nixon as President. Their extreme actions at the 1968 Democratic Convention created fear in the minds of the public. This fear was enough to defeat Humphrey. The fear of terrorism catapulted the Cheney cabal into a position of power beyond what they were expecting. Marsha Erman, a friend of my Hawaiian days, called to say that we have Blue and Red States. However we are all one. How about the Purple States? She has a point. It is not only America but we have a world that should be considered as one. All humanity is linked in one form or the other. By any standard or viewpoint we are going through tremulous times compared to the halcyon period following WWII. We are faced with great natural tragedies from different causes that have affected all types of people in many different areas. We are faced with a Civil War in Iraq. America has a crisis of governmental control. Social services are under attack. Compassion gives way to greed. The space between poor and rich has become a canyon. These are just a few of our mounting problems. Extremism is not the answer. We live together on this planet. Americans need to return to a period of more civil discourse. We need to respect our neighbors all over the planet. We need to understand there are climate changes that are affecting the entire world. There is nothing created by nature or humans which cannot be dealt with if we work together. Moderation and working from the center will make fear not so powerful in the minds of all. Extremism will only create fear that is the mother's milk of political control. |
ARTICLES
OF NOTE
In Search For An Answer Conflict Over Faith Extremism Is No Excuse Intelligent Design and Brokeback Mountain The Season's Message Want To Express It Again Remarks for Friends of Conservation Probably Our Major Problem Today All In The Name You Give It ARCHIVES December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006
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Sunday, January 15, 2006
In Search For An Answer
I have been chastised for coming out against Extremism. I find it difficult to change that position. I reason that extremism genders fear. Fear seeks security as a remedy. Notwithstanding FDR's "You have nothing to fear except fear itself", fear is being used by the Bush administration as an excuse for a myriad number of questionable acts. It also is an easy cover for incompetence and corruption beyond anything in recent memory.
We don't need extreme acts as much as we need clear, comprehensible proposals as to what to do with the problems we face. Iraq, Afghanistan, Health Care, Oil-dependency, War, Terror, the new Apocalypse horsemen DeLay, Abramoff, Rove and Reed; NSA wiretaps, FEMA, Cronies, the Porter Goss CIA, mis-Packing the Supreme Court, Constitutional Crisis, Infrastructure, Education, Theocracy, Global Warming, an outraging Deficit, 'Signing Statements' (Bush betrayal of McCain).
Would you like to continue? There are I am sure many other items you would add to the list. But the point is, what is our side, the Opposition proposing? They are just complaining and many are indulging in extreme acts. No wonder so many people say politicians are all the same. K Street owns the lot. The Reds get the loot and the Blues want it.
While I really can't forgive the Gang of Four (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice) for putting us in such plight, I question the effectiveness of extreme attacks against their acts. Why not continued Rove-like broadcasting of our positions without extremism or crudity? Recently I have received satirical poster casting Bush and Cheney as the two "Brokeback Mountain" cowboys. I laughed and then I was sad. Here was a great love story being lampooned by two who have show so little compassion or love.
I am certainly not a bleeding liberal. I feel much at home in the Libertarian camp of the socially progressive and fiscally conservative. I also believe that the Hippy philosophy continues to offer something to our time. I was the only person named twice on the Nixon Enemies List when it was finally published in the Congressional Record . You can see why I am horrified by the Bush administration lack of compassion and fiscal irresponsibility.
I spent five years working on the Liberty Tour of HAIR with the slogan "Freedom, Peace and Love". If those three principles are the foundation of a political platform today, we would have something that would give people Hope.
Hope is what our world needs. Not fear. At a time when fascism threw the world into global war, FDR gave us Hope. When world-wide violence again threatened JFK, RFK and MLKJr., gave us Hope. That is why their assassinations are so for us to endure, still today.
It is not Fear which will turn our scene around.
It is Hope.
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