Pope Francis, the leader of three billion Catholics around the world, has pleaded with the United States not to attack Syria.
He is joined in this plea by the leaders of all the Chirstian churches in the Middle East: The Caldean Catholic Church, the Patriarch of Antioch, the Syrian Catholic Patriarch, the Maronite Patriarch, the Greek and Russian Orthodox Patriarchs, and countless lesser Christian leaders.
Bear in mind that Christians are persecuted in the Middle East. Christians comprise about 10 percent of Syria’s population. Most are Coptic Catholics.
Franciscan Father Francois Murad was beheaded by Jihadist rebels on June 23rd. Bystanders cheered and took pictures.
Now it is reported that the rebels attacked the Christian village of Maaloula. A nun there is said to have phoned the Associated Press to say that priests were killed there on Wednesday of this week.
Why would Catholics, who are brutally persecuted in Syria want the U.S. to stay away?
Hard for us, who have been imbued by both Presidents Bush and Obama with the idea that everyone in the world yearns to live in a Hollywood version of freedom and happiness, to understand.
The fact is that the first axiom of liberty is home rule. Nobody wants foreign boots on their soil.
When push comes to shove, they would rather be killed by their own people than by the strangers who do not speak their language.
The Irish said it well in song:
‘the stangers came and tried to teach us their way, And cursed us just for being what we are. But they might as well go chasin’ after moon beams. Or light a penny candle from a star.”
American public opinion is dead set against the administration’s “surgical strike.”
The President’s people assure us that it will be a quicky. Just a few hundred million dollars worth of tomahawk cruise missIles. No American lives at risk.
Just a few unavoidable, “collateral damage” civilian deaths.
Just to show the world how tough we are.
In my last blog, I mentioned the military-industrial complex and quoted President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
If you are looking for an explanation for the Obama War in Syria, you need look no further than the roster of the Board of Directors of the Raytheon Corporation, which makes (and profits from making) Tomahawk cruise missIles.
There you will find Warren Rudman, former United States Senator from New Hampshire, Admiral Vernon E. Clark, appointed by Defense Secretary Gates to lead the military investigation of the Fort Hood massacre, which returned the brilLiant diagnosis of ‘workplace fatigue,” John M. Deutch, former Deputy Secretary of Defense and Director of Central Intelligence under President Clinton, Linda Stuntz, Deputy Secretary of Energy in the Clinton admnistration.
And how about William Lynn III, the top lobbyist for Raytheon Co. in our nation’s Capital?
Here’s a guy who was picked by President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the position of deputy secretary of Defense.
This in the face of an executive order setting new ethics rules which banned lobbyists from serving in the government’s administration.
Lynn’s new job?
Running much of the day-to-day operation of the Defense Department and handling many key budget and procurement decisions.
Having a lot to say about the future of the missile defense system and the contracts with Raytheon Corporation which makes the Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Secretary Gates pushed hard for the appointment of Lynn, despite the ban on hiring lobbyists.
Maybe he thought Lynn could get us a discount.
Consider the following. Russia currently supplies gas and oil to Europe at very high prices. Qatr is a major gas producer and Saudi Arabia a major oil producer. Both would like to run a pipleline for gas and oil through Syria and from there to Europe. If they do, that will cut into the semi-monopoly Russia has in selling energy to Europe. Qatr and Saudi Arabia are spending billions trying to assist the rebels in over-throwing Assad. Their hope is that with a new government, they can get those pipelines built. The United States may be being hired to do the heavy lifting by those Arab nations.
ReplyDeleteMY LETTER TODAY TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
ReplyDeleteThere's scuttlebutt out on the social media that attributes a statement similar to this to you, Mr. President: "...you know what 'they' did to Martin Luther King, Jr. ...?" If that's true, and you did say it, it's sad beyond any words I can conjure up. However, you do need to begin standing up for 'We The People' much more now than ever before, and you need to do it as soon as you return from the G20.
So, this Mayflower Descendant simply asks you to back down from your public proclamation of bombing Syria -- drop your Chicago 'tough guy' persona and embrace a peaceful stance. Rodney King said it so well, so humbly when he uttered these words: "...Can we all get along ... can we get along ... can we stop makin' it really horrible for the older people and the kids...?"
You can make America stand taller in the world's eyes, and you must do that, sir. Stop vilifying the whistleblowers; pardon Manning and Snowden immediately; make the Federal Reserve a public entity by throwing the 'moneychangers' out permanently; put the banksters in a 100% secure internment camp as you break up the banks; begin job opportunities with a massive federal program to start repairing the infrastructure; reinvigorate and turbo-charge the solar and wind generation programs; offer honorable work to the Indians and welfare recipients; and please try harder to stop smoking.
Your honor and legacy depends on these and many other opportunities before your presidency ends.
A'ohe hana nui ka alu'ia.
This is a brilliant column from too many angles to try to mention. I am particularly taken, however, by your timely reminder of the parting warning issued by President Eisenhower about the military industrial complex -- and by the important documentation you provide in fingering the Raytheon board as exhibit one. Richard Cole, Haslett
ReplyDelete