Israel has proclaimed Iran, Syria, and the Hamas led Palestinian government a new axis of terror. And they are. They are a very scary sign of the time. Russia and China are taking the opportunities to solidify their power in the region by making friends with these rogue states. Meanwhile, the instability is fueling rising gas prices.
I believe these are all unintended consequences of our invasion of Iraq. The world could have looked much differently if this administration had not launched this tangential affair in Iraq that has empowered the terrorist parties in these countries. It was completely unintended. The conservative think tanks in Washington meant it for the greater good. It's not logical at all--people should have wanted freedom, should have seen that we were trying to help them. Why in the world would the Palestinian people put in power individuals that were sure to cause them problems in the broader world community?
People aren't logical. Dare I affirm the worlds of a former teacher I knew, "People are stupid." Only an educated democracy works correctly--either here or anywhere. Every one counts, but not everyone's opinion counts as much. I'm sorry (not really), Wim VanderMerwe's opinion on quantum physics counts a whole lot more than mine because he knows physics.
After 9-11 we had the world's sympathy. A wise leader would have cultivated that and used it to help the good elements in places like Iran, Iraq, and Palestine to gain power over those elements in their midst like the 9-11 hijackers. Instead, this incompetent administration--something the vast majority of dull Americans are finally admitting to themselves--has sown incredibly scary seeds.
The verdict is still out on where this complicated and tenuous mess will go. World War III is not out of the question. War with Iran and a widespread terrorist thrust that would make 9-11 look like a minor tremor is very possible. The "tipping" of America as the world power, with the oil countries driving our economy into the ground, very possible. And what wild and whacky liberal American government will exact its revenge on conservative Americans now that it's almost sure to come to power in the next American elections (may some moderate win out on either side). Pride goes before a fall...
The path to destruction is paved with good intentions, and my rhetoric doesn't help anything. The bad seed is already sown, and it will be God's grace that saves the world from our own stupidity. Yes, that's the way to get rid of ants. Stamp on the ant pile.
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8 comments:
My dad often says that "people are stupid" too!
Of course the problem is that the person like me saying such things usually means also to say, "except for me." So let me be the first to celebrate my own stupidity as well. Don't put me in charge. "I am the patron saint of mediocrity. You are all absolved."
I am not going to touch this entry with a ten foot keyboard! ;-)
yup. I'm not stupid either, and neither is my dad. I guess that makes at least three of us!
I am not going to touch this entry with a ten foot "alternative fuels" pump! ;-)
So when are you and I and Drury getting together to develop a survival plan?
Oh, you know how Christian Drury is. He wonders if it might move the world toward a more Christian society if America becomes more humble. You know him--he's not out for protecting himself but moving the world as a whole closer to Christ. It's all that, "I'm a Christian first, American second" stuff.
Hauerwas likes to ask "What if the church acted like the church and no one else did?" My answer? You'd have a real incarnational and eucharistic community that bears witness to a vitiated world. We'd be the Moravians tied to the mast during Wesley's trip to Georgia who sing songs of praise in the midst of a ghastly storm. Is Bush incompetent? Yes. Are Iran, Syria, and Hamas dangerous? Yes. Does this affect how I live into the community of the faithful? Not in the least.
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