Posted on 11/26/2008 6:44:15 AM PST by IbJensen
This is a column on what I call the incredibles. I know the world is imperfect, but some things are simply too far over the edge, too outrageous, too unspeakable and too incredible to be as they are. I call them the incredibles. But that's the way they are. Nevertheless, I have trouble understanding how they can even be tolerated let alone survive and become powerful forces. Here are a few of them:
* There is widespread discrimination and persecution of Christians around the world in many foreign countries. Now I can understand, but certainly not accept or justify, how some comparatively small religions are persecuted, but I can't understand why so many tolerate persecution of Christians, by far the largest religion in the world, with more than 2 billion followers.
When the majority religion is subject to persecution in many lands, you would think the outcry would be overwhelming. But hardly a peep is heard. I don't understand the world's silence, and even the silence of the leaders of the Christian religion. What is going on? You would think the organized force of more than 2 billion Christians is powerless.
* Another of my incredibles is some of the anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic emanations of some of the Protestant Churches, most notably the Methodists, the Presbyterians and the Mennonites.
I have written on this and the other incredibles. Perhaps if the leaders of these denominations spent less time on what would seem to be anti-Israel, anti-Semitic campaigning, they would have time to get some organized and effective plans to stop the worldwide persecution of Christians, which most remarkably has been at the highest level in the last century compared to all the preceding centuries of the existence of Christianity.
* There is the poison spread through the land every day by the biased, dishonest and fraudulent mainstream media. The bias is so dishonest and so obvious it is as though the words "don't believe this" appeared at the end of every sentence. Yet, it is something that passes without major protest.
It's bad enough that people read and listen to the mainstream media but what is more incredible is that so many accept this journalistic fraud without question and aren't even aware they are being duped. I know Barnum said a sucker is born every minute, but he didn't say they were all quite as dumb as they have to be to put up with the mainstream media.
* Then there is the United Nations, which is supposed to bring peace and justice to the world. Instead, it seems to give a home and power to the worst tyrants of the world and fosters all kinds of bigotry and hatred. It actually promotes terrorism rather than fighting it. At the same time, its leading financial support comes from the United States. It doesn't make sense, and I don't understand why we let this continue. John Bolton, our former U.N. ambassador has issued some of the best critiques of the U.N.
These incredibles are all connected, brought together by among other things the mainstream media. It is not only unbelievably biased but fails to cover in any significant ways the other incredibles I've mentioned. This column will touch on two of the incredibles: The mainstream media and the U.N.
The good news is that a few mainstream media insiders are finally beginning to speak out against the bias, which I personally think was responsible for selling an unqualified, unvetted, untested, unproven candidate, now the president-elect. That bad news is that there was almost universal silence of the mainstream media during the election, when protest might have made a difference.
Newsmax.com, one of the excellent sources from the alternative media, recently reported, "The mainstream media's support for Barack Obama's presidential campaign was so biased that even major insiders are now admitting they were shocked by its depth and depravity."
The latest of the very few to finally speak out was Mark Halperin of Time magazine, who called the media's performance during the campaign simply "disgusting." Mr. Halperin told a panel of media analysis at the Politco/USC conference on the 2008 election, "It's the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war ... It was extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage."
I've been impressed by the work of Mr. Halperin, but having uttered those kind words, I must correct him on four points.
* First, it is not the media's performance that was simply "disgusting." It is that segment of the media referred to as the mainstream media by most and as the drive-by media by Rush Limbaugh. It includes The New York Times, the Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer and most major national papers on the print side. It includes most of the broadcasting networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, and NPR. And it includes such newsmagazines as Time and Newsweek. I would say they are beyond disgusting, and are in fact one of the leading dangers to our democracy. It's important to make this media distinction, as some media outlets did excellent jobs of covering the election, such as the Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, the Washington Times, Fox Cable News Network, the Weekly Standard and The National Review along with many Web sites including townhall.com, littlegreenfootballs.com, newsmax.com and hotair.com.
The conservative radio talk shows also did outstanding work in covering the news including such hosts as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Hugh Hewitt, Mike Gallagher, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Michael Medved, Bill Bennett and Dennis Prager. It's also important to make the distinction as we literally have to declare war against the mainstream media, educate the public on its bias and encourage users and advertisers to boycott it.
* There's a second correction I'd make to Mr. Halperin's comments. The media performance wasn't just the worst since the Iraq War. It was the worst in history. Even though many fault the depth of the coverage leading up to the Iraq War, in my view history will affirm that was a war we had to fight and have to win. So the media failure was not as damaging as it was in the 2008 election. There the failure of the mainstream media amounted to a media coup d'etat that elected the unqualified "One."
* The mainstream media types now speaking out don't have much to say about what they and their media outlets plan to do to stop the bias. I think it's time not only to speak of bias, but also to start doing something about it. One way is to introduce more diversity on the editorial page. They might try for some balance between liberal and conservative voices. They might also appoint ombudsmen with a top priority of going after media bias, and attempting to assure some degree of fair and balanced reporting.
* Finally, I'd add this correction. When discussing bias during the campaign these latecomers to media criticism, fail to note the irrational over-the-top bias of the campaign continues in the coverage of the new administration to date. That should be noted and steps to do something about it should be discussed and acted on. At the very least they should now demote Barack Obama from his present mainstream media status as a Messiah to an ordinary human being. The Washington Post's ombudsman has also admitted the coverage of her paper was biased in Mr. Obama's favor and against Sen. John McCain.
Now we come to one of my favorite incredibles, the United Nations, which should be fighting to end persecution and discrimination. Instead, it is a source for the promotion of bigotry, racism, intolerance, and persecution. Here's its latest fiasco, reinforcing its usual anti-Israel and anti-Semitic programming.
But first a little background on the U.N. Seven years after 9/11, the U.N., instead of fighting terrorism is actually promoting it. Here is how the U.N. approached the problem. On Sept. 9, the president of the U.N. General Assembly addressed the impasse of the U.N. on terrorism. He said the U.N. has to "rise above ongoing debates on the definition of terrorism and agree on practical, operational steps that needed to be taken." In other words we don't know what terrorism is and can't define it, but we must all get together and fight it. He doesn't explain how you fight something that you can't even identify and define.
Here's why the U.N. can't seem to figure out what terrorism is. It's because the pro-terrorism advocates want to keep murdering their targets and they want any definition of terrorism to exclude them. On Sept. 4 and 5, at a "Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy," here's how one of the participants explained their views on sanctioning terrorism by excluding their brand from terrorism from its definition. Syria said, "Syria was always a pioneer in calling since 1986 ... to distinguish between terrorism and the right to peoples for self-determination and the struggle to achieve their independence ... [A] definition of terrorism which ... distinguishes from the just and legitimate right of people to resist occupation and to liberate their lands ... one of the most important root causes is the matter of foreign occupation."
In other words, you can fly planes into skyscrapers, kill thousands of people and as long as you say it is a fight to achieve independence and resist occupation it's OK. The Syrian definitional problem is typical of all the countries that want a free pass for their own terrorism.
The best discussion of this whole issue can be found on a wonderful Web site, Eyeontheun.org, a project of the Hudson Institute and the Touro College Institute for Human Rights. Its criticism of the U..N is devastating. For example, they note that one of the five countries subject to the most human rights criticism is the United States. Some of the worst human rights violators didn't even make the top five, such as Syria, North Korea, Cuba, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Now here's the U.N.'s latest outrage in a long and never-ending series. This is from a news release of that Web site, Eyeontheun.org, dated Nov. 21:
"This Monday, November 24th, the U.N. will commemorate its annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People with a film depicting Jews as Nazi-equivalents and a public exhibit mourning the 60 years of Israel's existence. Previously such commemorative events have passed without comment by virtually the entire media. Americans can only fully appreciate the challenges Israel faces globally if they're informed about the continuing anti-Israel activity by the U.N.
"Moreover, U.N denunciations of Israel cited by the media should never be quoted without reference to the grossly lopsided condemnations of the organization that make a mockery of its mission to act as an honest broker among nations."
This attack on Israel has been carried out at the highest level of the U.N. for many years on a continuous basis. For example, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan referred to Nov. 29, as "a day of mourning and a day of grief." That's the date Israel was established.
Eyeontheun.org reports, "The General Assembly is scheduled to adopt another six resolutions condemning only Israel for violations of human rights. The total number of resolutions criticizing Israel expected to be adopted at this fall's General Assembly is 20, as compared to only four resolutions critical of human rights records in any of the remaining 191 U.N. member nations."
Consider what that means. Israel is a democracy, subject to the rule of law, guaranteeing human rights to all of its citizens, including Arabs. Yet it seems to be the main, almost the only focus of the U.N., when it comes to finding human rights violations. Each of the 191 nations of the world, including countries ruled by the most barbaric tyrants, rack up at most four resolutions compared to Israel alone getting 20.
Earlier, U.N. Palestinian Solidarity Day observances including this typical ceremony: "Opening the day with a moment of silence commemorating the death, among others, of suicide bombers or 'all those who have given their lives for the cause of the Palestinian people."
As the Web site Eyeontheun.org concludes, "The carefully selected word 'struggle' [used by the U.N. to describe Palestinian activity including terrorism] also speaks volumes. What the U.N. glorifies as a struggle is a series of wars launched by Arabs to annihilate the state of Israel beginning in 1948, and the ongoing 'struggle' of Palestinian and other Arab terrorists dedicated to the same end."
Eyeontheun.org catalogs a whole series of U.N. documents glorifying suicide bombers as "martyrs." In the eyes of the U.N., if you kill Israeli civilians you are automatically designated as a martyr, and no minimum number of murders is required to make that designation.
Isn't it long past the time when these U.N. outrages are called to account and ended once and forever? You can help by protesting such U.N. activities to your U.S. Senators and Representatives. You can also protest by writing letters to the media urging coverage of these issues and editorial campaigns against U.N. abuses. You might also call radio and television talk shows and voice your opinion on this matter.
For ammunition on the subject, go to Eyeontheun.org. I'd also recommend the writings of John Bolton, especially his book, "Surrender is Not an Option: Defending America at the U.N." Mr. Bolton's career tells you something about the state of our politics - one of our best public servants could not be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. One of the reforms he recommends is that the U.S. only contributes to the U.N. for programs that it wants to go forward. Should we be financing U.N. programs that pay homage to suicide bombers and glorify terrorism?
And it's time Americans realize they're being betrayed by the mainstream media. It's time Americans realize that if they rely on the mainstream media, they're getting a false picture of the world. It's time Americans realize that the mainstream media's failure means they don't understand major problems such as worldwide persecution of Christians and U.N. promotion of terror and bigotry and consequently are not taking the actions they should and are making decisions based on false premises. But above all, it's time they start doing something about it.
There are 17 lawsuits in 12 states (including one that is scheduled to be reviewed and discussed by the SUPREME COURT) requesting that the Presumptive President-Elect verify and prove his eligibility to serve as POTUS and I haven’t heard one word on any media outlet regarding this.
re: I can’t understand why so many tolerate persecution of Christians
Probably because we Christians for the most part tolerate such treatment. We are believers in, and followers, of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Jesus warned us 2,000 years ago that such would be the case. We don’t see it so much as persecution as the fulfillment of Christ’s advice to us as His followers.
Sure, I would love it if everyone treated me as I treat them, but alas, it’s simply not to be.
For my part the persecution and bad mouthing sort of rolls off my back like water off of a duck’s back. I know in whom I have believed, and as Paul said, “I am convinced that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.”
Jesus was pretty specific when He told us what to expect as the end draws near, and what we’ve seen so far is on the light end of the scale.
I wish I could take some comfort in my belief that those who persecute me on behalf of another god or religious belief will have a stark awakening when they face the hereafter. But it saddens me. One of us is wrong, but my money is on the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham and Moses.
I ask again, isn't it time to pick the worst, most vulnerable newspaper and push it to the brink of extinction, then over the edge?
Now it's up to all like-minded (VRWCs) to do likewise.
Let's push them all over the edge.
Preaching to the choir, here on FR.
Jesus certainly didn't mean for us to allow the complete takeover of state and federal governments by those who hate us and what WE stand for. Such a to do is made of families and fighting for families by these liberal pansies, but they don't mean a word of what they say. What America doesn't need is this humungous central (and state) government lording it over us, taxing, educating and dictating what we do in our everyday lives.
The wakeup call sounding years ago, but we're still sleeping.
You are correct on every point of your post, I have no disagreement with you whatsoever. I was speaking on a personal basis that I don’t find it surprising that we are persecuted.
I am pretty sure Jesus expects us to stand up for Him and for what’s right in government as well as in our own personal lives.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.