First the Bush adminstration came out with big headlines how they will follow international accords on humane treatment of prisoners in line with the new congressional anti-terrorism bill then they turn right around and "privately" ask for a CIA exemption from the anti-torture bill. A CIA exemption? Who interrogates these people for the most part? The C.I.A. And now if that is not enough it turns out that Bush is secretly reserving to himself the right to torture whoever he wants in violation of the new congressional ban on torture. Beyond belief, this administration knows no bounds to it's evil, hypocrisy and deception and oh of course it's the southern christian right that agrees with Bush and endorses torture , "You bet, we gotta do it".
What is it these so-called christians believe in? Self over principle? Self-preservation at all cost? Blindly following a clearly unchristian self-proclaimed "Christian" president because they are too proud to admit error? Man, it is christianity turned on it's head. Sometimes it seems the christian right believe only in the eye for an eye old testament and end time judgement scenarios of Revelation but conveniently for there own fearful self interest cut out everything in between most notably the loving courageous teachings of Jesus. When the going gets tough you stick to the principle even though all your fearful natural logic tells you otherwise. I mean who is going to establish and nail down the promise of life as Jesus would have us live it? If we all lower the standard because we have difficulty living up to it then no one will. The christian "right" is cowered under the spirit of fear in compromise to carnal mentality because inundated by their materialistic dependent lifestyle they are not living for Jesus as they should and in knowing it, they also know they truly are not under the protection of God and so are compelled to do anything but follow the most manly courageous teachings of Jesus Christ, that is in the face of threat, to Love your enemies, resist not evil, turn the other cheek, bless those who persecute you. The christian "right" would do well to read in their ever-loved Revelations, that in the end, the first listed as NOT going into the New Jerusalem is - the cowardly. In their deluded fearful compromised spirit they must substitute for real courage a carnal false perception of courage that abandons the teachings of Christ in order to kill others to save their own lives instead of laying it on the line for what Jesus plainly said, for what He plainly did, for what the disciples plainly did, for what Paul plainly did, all laying it on the line, laying it down for you, for love. Did any of these avenge or kill others for persecuting or killing their own or kill to prevent killing? No, echoes the answer eternally, the same as it was, as it is, forever. A favorite often used scripture of the christian "right" is "God, the same yesterday, today and tommorrow". Will they live up to it?
That any of us will always be courageous is unlikey but to embrace and institutionalize the fearful cowardly act of torture is unbelievable and those that support it might as well be crack'in the whip on the back of Jesus. Hypocrisy knows no end with Bush and the "christian right".
We should understand that Christian fundamentalists and the christian "right" are two very different things. Fundamentalists believe in the fundamental principles, the teachings of Christ. If you claim to believe in anything it would be intelligent to believe in it's fundamentals. The christian "right" would claim fundamentalism but really believe in whatever trips their trigger when they feel a little heat under pressure or, in other words, situational ethics. Since they now have the national physical "power" they do not cling to the foundational love of God, but they will...indeed they will.
2 comments :
don't take this the wrong way now Doug, but have a look, it is one of the editorials in the Globe today http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060520.EHOWARD20/TPStory/Opinion/editorials
basically it is Australia's Howard giving Bush a pat on the back, and in a Canadian paper, which prime minister seems to be more and more aligned with America, etc etc
but here's my thought - that there is indeed some middle ground, the exercise i have started doing (when i am either tempted to think someone is a fool or take the thought and actually put it in writing :-)) is to ask who is a better leader? who is doing a better job? and who is worse? who is really not? if you do this honestly then Bush actually falls toward the top of the list, there are some REAL scumbags on the go out there, al-Bashir in Sudan, Mugabe in Zimbabwe, the list goes on, even the ones real close to the top, like our own Harper are a long long way from being perfect, what with his quashing Kyoto and trashing the press,
anyway, just a thought for you, always a pleasure to come here and find you still busy
be well, david.
The leader of Australia has been aligned with Bush from the beginning so I do expect some pats on the back from him and since Canada has elected a Prime Minister on the right there is this right thinking and probably short lived dance with the corporate America. Actually I would have preferred Canada's old conservative party which was not so easily aligned with a more uniform North American Corporatocracy. It is troubling. Of course,David,this is all about Bush compared to what we should have as a leader in this country and not really about Bush compared to other leaders around the world. I expect much more from this country than I do from places like the Sudan or Somalia or for that matter Europe but I certainly agree that compared to a number of leaders out there the Bush administration would be preferrable but Bush for himself has not wanted any middle ground. He abandoned middle east peace talks and any number of other middle ground endeavors. He has made his bed and now he sleeps in it. "Either you are with us or against us." It goes on and on. I do think there is middle ground between lacking wisdom and being the fool else few of us will have anywhere to stand.
When it comes to the most powerful nation on earth setting an example it becomes very tricky business with very profound implications for all nations. Instead of creative solutions to problems we seem to so easily fall for the strong armed, military approach and, in effect, teach the world this approach. I just pray the Russian media's new take on our relations with them is not a turning point back. For the most part it is just that I expect so much more from an American administration. Way more. Anyway, David, there is so much more to say, we could write a book.
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