I have become very depressed recently by the events in the world. It seems to me that religious extremists (note, I said extremists, I’m not discussing everyone who is religious) are trying to push their beliefs on the rest of us; many commiting violent acts in the process. I am not just talking about Islamic extremists, I am talking about the Christian right in the US also. Both have committed murder which they believe is justified. If you Christian righters don’t believe me, what are the murders of doctors who perform abortions by pro-life activists? What is it about religion that brings out so much hatred in people? This is completely not what religion is about. Is it the religious beliefs that make people like this, or are they like this and religion is used as an excuse? I think as the general population moves away from religion, these people feel a desperate need to bring people back towards their beliefs. The problem is, the more extreme their actions become, the more they argue, the more they try to bring religion into government, the more I am (and I suspect most others too) turned off by them. I hope these events are last desperate flailings, and not the beginnings of a new Holy war, although I fear that if Bush stays President and keeps inflaming the situation with all his Christian “God is on our side, they are evil-doers” rhetoric, that’s exactly what this will become.
I also am getting really disgusted with the Republican Party. I am (or at least I was) a Republican and have always voted Republican. But how can we actually believe that Bush’s actions have made the country safer? He has made it A LOT easier for terrorist organizations to find unemployed, angry, young, impressionable muslim men.
There was a quote the other day, I think it was from Bush’s interview with Larry King, but I’m not certain, where someone said, “We need to fight them in other lands so that we don’t have to fight them in our own country.” Well, that’s about as selfish and self-centered as possible isn’t it? Who cares about the innocent Iraqis or Afghanis who have no running water or electricity now and are living in a war zone, Americans are living comfortably, consuming and driving around in their SUVs (and voting Republican). Why should we suffer for our dependency on oil and former financial and military support of Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein? Might makes right.
Wouldn’t it be much better for our security if people outside our country liked and respected us for our compassion and generosity, not feared our Patriot missiles and puppet dictators?
Then Arnold says that the GOP loves immigrants. Yeah, if you don’t look too different or act too different from the white majority. Whatever…
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i enjoy reading your blog! i have really random thoughts, but yours are more put together and constructive… it is nice to hear them!