THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY...

There is a maxim of war being tossed around in conversations and strategy sessions these days: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” It seems that mercenary elements that absolutely hate America and have brutally resisted our presence in Iraq have now begun collaborating with us against al Qaeda. The United States is relying upon the Middle Eastern custom of baksheesh (bribery) to buy favors from these folks who would kill us in a heart beat if given half a chance.

Does anybody remember the events that made the late Saddam Hussein the powerful player he became on the world stage? Back in the days of the Islamic revolution in Iran that brought down the Shah, when American hostages were held for 444 days, and the late Ayatollah Khomeini was ushered to power, the United States armed and invested in Saddam Hussein led Iraq to resist the Iranians in the region. Hussein parlayed this military and monetary largesse into making Iraq a major force. He decided our support earned him a pass so he cruelly gassed the Kurds and the Iranians in defiance of global prohibitions against chemical warfare. He also built a nuclear reactor which would have led to the development of atomic weapons had the Israelis not destroyed it in a brazen air strike. He did it and got away with it because our mindset at the time was the enemy of our enemy is our friend. And had he not tried to expand his power in the region by invading Kuwait in 1991, he may never have been held accountable for his atrocities.

History now clearly shows that the United States was complicit in creating the monster we later felt we had to topple in Iraq. Now, here we go again. We are playing the same game with militias and tribal gangs who are showing a willingness to fight against al Qaeda in exchange for money, arms, and political power. Politicians are trying to tell us that this is a positive development and evidence of the success of our war effort. I say it is sheer madness that only expands the conflict, empowers new monsters we will have to deal with later, and further underscores the evil and futility of this war.

By brute military force, and at great cost of life and limb, we may be able to clamp down on the region hard enough to restrain violence for a time. But, if we foster rivalry and hatred between people because it serves our national interest, we are choosing a despicable course that will only hurt us in the long run. Instead of the selfish and shortsighted policy that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, we should be looking for ways to make friends of everyone in that part of the world and overcome evil with good.

Viva! Papa Nazi

The headline of the July 11 Des Moines Register was the 85% "NO" vote by the citizens to the proposal to increase the local sales tax. Tucked back on page 9A was an Asociated Press article with the caption "Pope: Catholic Church is the only true church." That should have been the headline because the implications have far more reaching consequences than whether we pay another penny tax on our purchases.

Pope Benedict XVI, according to Nicole Winfield of the AP, not only believes the Roman Catholic church is the only true church, he also asserts that Catholicism "provides the only true path to salvation." Hello! In other words, of the 2.5 billion people who claim to be Christian on the planet today, only the Catholics are really Christians. The rest of us are substandard, unredeemed, misguided, defrauded, unqualified imposters. According to this pope, sometimes called "Papa Nazi" by his detractors who point out his affiliation with Hitler's Nazi youth organization in earlier years, other Christian communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense." That means if we are Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, Assemby of God, etc. we are not Christians, our church isn't either. Only by converting to Catholicism, attending Mass, observing the Catholic sacraments administered by an official priest can one hope to be saved. Yikes!

I cannot overstate the sinister implications of this declaration at this time in world history. Nor can I think of anything that could be more contrary to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. My first impulse is to fight this evil with angry protest and hostility. But, then I remember what the scriptures say; "overcome evil with good." So... I pray God's blessing on Pope Benedict XVI, my brother in Christ, and all of his followers, who, like me, are trying to find their way in a spiritually diverse and complicated world. May the day come when we realize that it is only by having love one for another that we can make any claim to be true followers of Jesus Christ.

Thoughtful Voters, America Needs You

If the polls are to be believed, the upcoming presidential election season offers one of the greatest opportunities for change on the political landscape in my memory. President Bush’s approval rating is bouncing around historic lows for a sitting president and the approval rating for congress is even lower. The American public is really disgusted with the whole bunch.

Besides the very unpopular war we are engaged in, people are fed up with the fact that these politicians are incapable of breaking through partisan bickering and actually running the country. The tit-for-tat, he said-she said noise pollution cloud that hangs over Washington is choking out healthy dialogue and meaningful progress. It is a toxic atmosphere. It reminds me of the time that the coach benched the entire first team and sent the second and third string players into the game because the starters weren’t playing up to our potential. Voters are ready to bench the under achievers and send in new players with different attitudes and skill sets.

What I am hoping for is that enough of us will break away from blind party loyalties on both sides of the aisle to find out who among the candidates offers the clearest vision for the future and can break through the current impasse. That will mean refusing to let the media, the spin controllers, agenda peddlers, and radical fringes do our thinking for us. It will mean reading between the lines, studying policy and voting records and taking note of what the candidates really stand for. It will mean forgetting about Paris Hilton and Rosie O’Donnell and their ilk while we focus on more important things. It will mean thinking beyond local politics and reasoning through foreign policy implications. It will mean looking out for not only our own interests, but also the interests of others. It will mean offering with our vote the opportunity to govern this great nation only to those who are genuinely motivated by public service not greed and lust for power, and who refuse to pander to special interest groups. It will mean saying a resounding NO to the politics that settles for the lowest common denominator and avoids solving the big issues of our time. Remember, we voted in those who are failing us and we can find replacements to put in their place.