The events of the last few years comes as no surprise to those of us who are familiar with the history of eternal conflict, usually in the name of a deity, in that region of the world non-Catholics recognize as the cradle of homo sapiens' evolution - yes I said the E word.
In fact, history shows that for some reason only they understand, the Middle East cultures seem to not want to get along, determined that they are that they are the righteous and the rest of us are the infidels. Okay, I give you that the rest of us are stupid - really, you're not going to argue with me that we are stupid, arrogant and ignorant, are you? But as an infidel, let me be the first to point out that as much as my culture enjoys its version of unrelenting warfare, often in the name of peace keeping, we at least hold to the premise of freedom and opportunity, as simplistically naive as it may be, as opposed to the simple minded, one fact, righteousness we see bleeding all through the region.
Take Iran? Need I say more? Granted, we planted the Shah back when... but now we have someone with a loose grip on his own marbles, and flaunting nuclear weaponry as well. Iraq? Well years of success. What can I say about that which has not been said to death before me? And now Libya, finally figuring out that Muammar al-Gaddafi does not have "the Jordache look" for those of you remembering the eighties ad parody of him on Saturday Night Live.
The explosion of Libya is a realization of the people that enough is enough, and frankly, it is about time. The man is a joke of a leader. But the joke is on us for we have created these clowns by empowering them with funding in our quest for oil at small pricing, something that we now realize has an even shorter shelf life. Last I looked, gas in San Francisco was four and a half which for the golden state is like getting an HIV diagnosis - simply unbelievable. Of course, the rest of the world, used to paying very high gas prices (even though they drive fewer miles) and consider us spoiled whiners given our love of the auto. But these little despots that like to kill their citizens on their way to being deposed, forget Mussolini's end and instead expect that Allah will for them forge a special heaven, not unlike that idea of thousands of dancing virgins sold to the suicide bombers of 9/11.
And so freedom erupts where dictators linger and now, as in the seventies, the big USA and the UN are ready to impose......sanctions. Huh? It did not work then and it doesn't work now, but...at least we are not launching a major Gaddafi offensive, although I say that quietly because as every good politician knows and GWB announced, there is nothing like a war to unite our country. Or is there? Can anyone say $20 Trillion Debt?
I was listening to an old church hymn, "Onward Christian Soldiers" which is heard at most Christian church services at some point. And I realized that it could well have been not a hymn of peace but a battle cry for the Crusaders to plunder the Middle East in the name of the ever peaceful and loving God. Although I can already hear the Christian/Catholic protests that I am being cynical and cruel. Okay, I read the historical references to the Christian being a soldier for Christ- II Timothy 2:3 (KJV): "Thou shalt endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." But let's face it; there have been many a war in the name of Christ, not too different from the Jihad we hear of often in the media.
"Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
Forward into battle see His banners go!"
I remember as a younger man the big deal of the Middle East peace talks, and then Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State delighted with what appeared to be some stability as a result. But then look at the history of the region, from before the Egyptians, through the modern time, and still Egypt is in the news although brushed aside today by the Libyan conflict. Who is next? It was Bahrain a few weeks back, Iran, Iraq... Pick a Middle Eastern nation, any nation, don't tell me which nation you picked.... Sooner or later they will be in the news.
What I do not understand is that it is all in the name of God, someone who wants justice and righteousness, and contradictory to the tenets of faith of all nations; that of a benevolent creator looking out for His own.
What I fail to get is why and how it makes any difference if they want to keep blowing themselves up for the next 4000 years, for whatever reason or purpose they figure is justified. Oh yeah, forgot, they all want the destruction of Israel - how could I forget that fact. But then Israel is quite empowered, not just by the support of the USA but in their own non-wish-washy retaliations. The Jews do not waste their time with all the PC white bread stuff we do here. Strike and you get a strike back. An eye for an eye. Or is it a nation for a nation. And besides...as God's chosen people it is all God's will anyway! Or Allah's will! Or Buddha's will! Or Krishna's will and so on....
I watched a science show last night that covered the evolution of the galaxy and its ultimate fate, and I found myself thinking that knowing that there is a finite time frame, what an incredible waste of time, life and energy to sustain a ridiculous multi-thousand year conflict over the right to some sand, oil and the illusion of power, especially given that in the end it is all burned up by our sun turned red giant. So much for the glory and so much for righteousness and truth. Besides which there are faster ways to get to Heaven.
When I get asked why aliens have not come down from the heavens I answer that it is proof of their intelligence. Anyone traveling across the cosmos would see us as the refuse of the universe, a species bent on self-destruction despite great potential, and one that pees in its water and one that pollutes its land and food and air and kills that which it cannot sell, have sex with or steal from. We are such a lovely species. We have the capacity for intelligence but we are not smart.
And when I get asked how we will have peace on Earth and goodwill to and from all men I answer that it will be the day the bad-ass aliens come down and conquer us because only then do we rethink our definition of the brotherhood of man, and will, only then, surpass our religious, cultural and ethnic differences in favor of a battle against a common enemy. I just can't imagine why an alien race would even want to conquer us. It would be like eating food grown in a bath of toxins.
So settle back, adjust your television sets and your history books, and stay tuned for the next few thousand years of conflict..."like sands through the hour glass....."
- Posted by MisterWriter
