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Posted on 9/25/2001, 4:34:20 PM by Stand Watch Listen

But for a short drive Saturday morning, September 22, I passed the town green of Sudbury, Mass. The grassy space was filled with boy scouts in uniform and their adult officers, holding and waving flags of our nation and their troops. They looked proud, rightly so; it was great to see them. Signs said, "honk if you love America." I gave them a series of triplets, "USA, USA, USA!"

Even after a century of Modernism, the grass roots are remarkably healthy, a tribute to the innate godliness of the human heart and its divine soul. But like grass it is readily swayed, in social-political life, by the winds of mendacious theories and rhetoric that cripple one´s ability to discern truth. The aroused patriotism and compassion of ‘ordinary´ people is being squandered and misdirected by a government whose masters are cynically playing a familiar game with our hopes and lives.

The more I reflect on President Bush´s September 20 address to Congress, on what has been done since the attack on NYC and, even more, on what hasn´t been done, the more the inconsistencies of government rhetoric resonate danger. The "War on Terrorism" like the Wars on Drugs, Pollution, Domestic Violence, cigarettes and hate crimes has a vacuous pseudo-
morality that exploits and betrays true charity. Moreover, its numbing bi-partisan aura promises vast increases in the size, expense and power of government, its conflation with big business and its intrusion into private lives and property. It confounds friends and foe.

A person and a nation cannot love properly unless it can hate clearly. It is not surprising that in the ‘non-judgmental´ and highly punitive Nanny State, both are discouraged. This bodes ill for the "war on terrorism."

Among the things missing are Constitutional declarations of war on actual States, the "ones that harbor terrorists and terrorism." Our government knows which States and organizations these are. Our intelligence agencies have funded and in some cases virtually created the terror groups, including the developing but still very vulnerable nuclear force of Communist China. Presidents from Nixon to Clinton fostered this monster which, with Russia, arms Pakistan and Iran. Iran funds and Syria shelters and logistically supports Hezbollah, responsible for the murder of hundreds of Americans since 1983.

Instead of declarations of war on Islamic terror states, Americans get injunctions to sympathize with the pain of Arabs and Muslims, a new victim group. CNN dwells on "the suffering of the Afghani people" with UN relief workers pledging to raise more money to assist them. Through the UN, Americans again will be subsidizing the neighbors of those who hate and attack them. If UN cadres were sincere about the suffering of Afghanis (rather than using them to feather their nest), they would assist those raising a hammer against Bin Laden, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. Don´t hold your breath.

CNN also highlights the alleged fears of Muslims in America about ‘prejudice´ and ‘hate crimes.´ Although Muslims (Egyptians and Palestinians, to be precise) just perpetrated an enormous series of crimes against American civilians, to the cheers of Muslims from Nigeria to Indonesia, it is the ‘fears´ of Muslims living in America´s bountiful and tolerant paradise who are said to be ‘at risk.´ Social Service caseworkers lurk eagerly in the wings.

Every network joins the mendacious act. Sunday morning September 23, an ESPN anchor interviewed a panel of Arab youths from downtown New York. Responding to leading questions from the media propagandist, they claimed to fear attending ball games and to be bothered by ‘looks´ on the street. Aren´t they sensitive? An American soldier guarding one of their repressive nations from other Arabs is forbidden to open a Bible. Jews and Christians resident in Muslim nations risk their lives. But these hypersensitive souls pretend to fear trouble at American baseball parks and grocery stores.

If they feel so oppressed in America, why did they leave Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to ‘suffer´ in our blessed land? Could it be that they enjoy preferential employment situations and welfare, not to mention stroking from a media more allied to the ‘world community´ and its potential spending than to the nation that supports them?

One event, with American lives not two weeks gone, epitomized how the moral and intellectual mush of "inclusion" already has pervaded and deformed the "war on terrorism." Sunday afternoon 09-23, an interfaith "prayer for America" occurred at Yankee Stadium. Though the crowd was sparse, and largely culled from the ‘third world,´ a network televised it nationally. The demographics were as skewed as the ecumenism was thin: of the 90 minutes or so viewed, most was an infomercial for the beneficence of Islam, with Sikhs and other southeast Asian religions thrown in. The hostess was that distinguished spiritualist and patriot, Oprah Winfrey. Sharing the dais was the junior Senator from New York and her husband, who blatantly ogled some turbaned beauties. Prayer after prayer was raised to the compassion and justice of Allah. They ullulated about his power and the sin of impeding those who turn to him.

Americans can expect many humiliations during this propaganda war. Their good faith, hopes and energy will be abused just as are those of loving fathers by the divorce industry. Those who have turned away while the hearts of fathers and children are torn will be stricken by plagues, just as the prophet Malachi promised (3:22-4).

Deceit threatens defeat. Indians are seething that after absorbing 43,000 deaths during three decades of Muslims attacks, they are barred from the coalition (Reuters 09-23). The same is happening to the Israelis while the Bush administration courts the Arabs. A Palestinian art exhibit at al Najah University tellingly counter-pointed the stroking of Arab sensibilities. The students have built a replica of the Sbarro pizza parlor, bombed August 09, murdering 18 Jewish civilians, most of them children and mothers. The exhibit is a kind of performance piece. It begins with an explosion and then visitors are led through a curtain to view (presumably artificial) body parts and bits of food. Behind a large rock is a manikin dressed like an orthodox Jew. A tape loop quotes the Koran on the deed that brings on redemption, as promised by Allah, "O Muslim," croaks the rock, "there is a Jew hiding behind me. Come and kill him!" ("Palestinians mark intifada with gruesome exhibition," AP).

Power explains the treachery of our media and the "see no evil" machinations of our government. Some of this power comes through money. Corporations have vast interests in the Islamic world, driven by oil. And the converse is true: a single Saudi Crown Prince owns $960 million worth of AOL, and over $300 million each of Compaq and Dell. Multiply that by several thousand and it explains many of the weird omissions and biases of our culture´s power centers. Besides the money angle is the fact that breaking down our integral values speeds us toward that global village where people will be profitably managed.

To avoid losing the war, Americans must channel the emotion of the moment with intelligent attention to the acts and rhetoric of our representatives. Those officials, currently led by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and VP Cheney who favor a more vigorous pursuit of a genuine war against terror states need support. The dangers of flaccid ‘we are the world´ rhetoric and an American-Arab alliance [sic] against terror most be exposed. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, especially about the unguent, hypnotic blandishments of politicians and network experts.

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