one last thing
not all arabs are muslim, and not all israelis are jewish. (though one of the jewish extremist parties in israel is trying to legislate that last one away, which, if i might digress, ought to have all clear-thinking americans on high alert for it's echoes in our own past, and, yes, i mean you mr. mccarthy).
while we're at it, not all muslims are arabs, and not all jewish people are israelis.
which is to say, all people tend to generalize, and it's a very slippery slope.
while they're asking the vatican to clarify their frocking of a priest who somehow claims that all those ovens found with remains of dead people in them by american and russian soldiers near the end of world war two are, maybe like dinosaurs are supposed to be to strict readers of the old testament, figments of satan's imagination, maybe we should all take a moment to ask ourselves what our prejudices really are, and resolve as diligently as we can to confront them and to banish them.
we all have 'em. it comes with being human. it's what we do with them that defines us as honorable men and women or otherwise.
while we're at it, not all muslims are arabs, and not all jewish people are israelis.
which is to say, all people tend to generalize, and it's a very slippery slope.
while they're asking the vatican to clarify their frocking of a priest who somehow claims that all those ovens found with remains of dead people in them by american and russian soldiers near the end of world war two are, maybe like dinosaurs are supposed to be to strict readers of the old testament, figments of satan's imagination, maybe we should all take a moment to ask ourselves what our prejudices really are, and resolve as diligently as we can to confront them and to banish them.
we all have 'em. it comes with being human. it's what we do with them that defines us as honorable men and women or otherwise.
posted by kad barma at 12:53 PM
2 Comments:
I am assuming the reference was to "Tail Gunner" Joe McCarthy. The sad thing is that he had a thread of truth and destroyed it by then overstating it. Sad at a lot of levels.
But, there is always hope. A friend of mine sent me this URL
http://www.youtube.com/v/D85yrIgA4Nk
It leads to a video of a dog, cat and mouse, all getting along.
Regards -- Cliff
my objection to the dishonorable senator from wisconsin is not for "overstating". It is, among many, many things, for the profound arrogance of seeking to legislate/judiciate acceptible politics.
it's worth noting about joe mccarthy's character that he lied repeatedly about his service records:
1) about having enlisted as a private (his position as a judge gave him an officer's commission)
2) about having flown 32 combat missions (to fraudulently acquire a distinguished flying cross, for which his actual 12 missions would not have otherwise qualified him)
3) about earning a letter of commendation countersigned by chester nimitz (which he actually wrote himself, abusing his position as an intelligence officer)
4) about being wounded in action (he was actually injured as part of a shipboard hazing routine)
joe mccarthy's senatorial campaign tactics of questioning the patriotism and service record of his opponent (who coincidentally didn't enlist because he was already 46 when pearl harbor was bombed) is the blueprint for the basest slanders still committed by electoral cowards to this day.
anyone seeing clearly the threat from actual communist spies in the 40's and 50's has to also see how mccarthy's politicized torch-and-pitchfork political tactics against his political enemies were the best possible smoke screen for them.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home