"It's the Muslims. We will be at war forever, I am afraid."

For several days I have been in shock over a comment by an intelligent, kind and caring Christian woman who announced to me as if it were fact that we would be at war in the middle east "until those muslims stop attacking us." She added that she didn't see any hope for an end it.

I am dumbfunded. I am also amazed that I didn't just deck her for her willful ignorance. I was actually really nice to her. I forcefully changed the subject. She was so nice, I just didn't want to come down on her the way I normally do when people exhibit their ignorance, when such ignorance causes death.

I was at the local Bi-Mart to get some seedling soil for the garden that I hope will offer me a few moments of peace this coming summer. I saw this older woman with about 20 gallons of bottled water and I stopped to chat to let her know that with containers she could get filtered water from a machine for .35 cents per gallon and save $1000's per year!

She laughed, as she was buying distilled water for a good friend who had kidney stones. "Ohhhhhh," I said, "never mind!" And we chatted about her friend who had this sudden downturn in her health (probably requiring surgery if she can't dissolve the Stones). Her friend's husband just deployed to Iraq a few weeks ago as part of a medical team. And they have several elementary school aged children, one of whom had a fall that required a trip to the ER for stiches.

I expressed how I thought that the health issues in the family are probably the natural result of, essentially, losing the patriarch.

I also expressed regret that the husband had to go to Iraq.

My new stranger-friend agreed, but assured me that the husband absolutely wanted to go to serve his country. (I can't imagine any thinking person believing that deploying to Iraq 4 years into it was 'serving their country'. Did they not get my Feb blog post on what will happen to them if this man is seriously injured?)

Sensing that I was probably talking to a bush/war supporter though, I stated that I was sorry it was even necessary for ANYONE to fight ANY war. And that's when my new stranger-friend hit me in the gut.

Oh, well, until the Muslims over there stop attacking us, we are going to have to continue to fight them there.

She expressed that as if it made sense and as if I would say, "Oh yeah... well, of course, that's exactly right. Those evil Muslims, dammit!"

Okay, earlier I said I was reallly, really nice. I lied. I had to say something. I knew immediately that going into the truth talking points (no WMDs... they didn't have anything to do with 9/11.....it's a civil war) was not going to go over well. And since she reduced it down to a RELIGIOUS issue... I figured fair was fair, and I said, with much animation:

Oh, I don't think it's a "Muslim Problem." I mean, I am not a Christian, and people right here in this town treat me like I am some Satan Worshipper or something! I have a problem with that! [I got scared cause I just know to my bone that she probably thought.. egad, it's a damn lesbian! Lesbians and Satan are one and the same!]

[I continued....] I mean, I am a really nice and decent person. Ask my dog! [who was thankfully sitting in the car next to me looking happy and healthy] So maybe we should deal with religious extremism here before we attack it over there. And I might add that if the western world had not caused complete havoc in the middle east for the past 90 years, things would be a lot different [knowing full well that this woman would have no clue that the chopping up of the Ottoman Empire is at the root of this mess....]

To my surprise, my new stranger-friend didn't even start edging away from me. I give her credit. She didn't respond in any noticeable way. Not even a facial expression. Maybe it was the strangest response she had ever heard and maybe she will think there might be more to the story?

I then just changed the subject back to her sick friend and gave her the very best advice ever for dealing with Kidney Stones. I sure hope she tells her friend try castor oil packs. She sounded like she would.

I wonder if she is as dumbstruck with what I expressed as I am with what she said?

I know one thing, there's a soul sickness in this nation. No amount of reason, truth or fact about our illegal invastion and ultimate occupation in the middle of a bloody civil war that we started is going to get through to a subtantial number of our citizens. These people seriously believe the WHOLE ISSUE comes down to "fighting them there, so we don't have to fight them here."

"So we don't have to fight them here.... " Where do you go with that nutwing talking point?

I am sorry some bad guys did something really evil in 2001. That was a bad day. I remember an interview by Bill Clinton from wayyy back. He was talking about how you handle foreign policy with different cultures and how you really need to take their history in account to understand what formed their belief system or national character. One example he gave was China. China has a loooonnnnngggg arse history of being invaded. As a result, they are a bit paranoid and making agreements with them takes some TLC to gain their trust. They require big safeguards and boundaries (like a Great Wall as an example. Hey, aren't we building a Great Wall too?).

The USA? What is our history? It's been a pretty fine ride these past 250 years! We have had TWO attacks in the past 200 years. One by a country (Japan in 1941) and one by a motley crew of 200 extremist haters (Bin Laden in 2001). TWO. We have never had an invasion where a bunch of foreigners dropped in and took over our whole lives. Why are we so paranoid as a result of 9/11? Is it because we believed we were untouchable and we are reacting with total indignancy at the gall that someone would blow something up on our soil? We didn't call out the cavalry when other nations had stuff blown up on their soils.

The war propagandists have a good portion of our population believing that that last attack was an absolute attack 'on our way of life." A building came down. 3000+ people died. Let's not exaggerate here, folks! That day I went to my job and knew I was safe traveling about the city. I had sex with my main man that night (well, I am lying.... but we coulda if we wanted to and there wouldn't have been any bombs going off in the neighborhood). I even went to the grocery store that evening to pick up some things for supper - with no fear. I prayed (without persecution) many times that day. Heck, my boss worked my arse off that day. It was imperative that we get that trademark application filed, dammit! Business as usual.

The only change in my life was that I was sad and upset about what had happened.  But my 'way of life' didn't change. That didn't happen until a few weeks later when those I elected to represent me in Congress passed the US Patriot Act. That's the day my life changed.

• Today I know that everything I write on this blog is being censored.
• Every e-mail I send should be considered 'read and filed by the government.'
• I consider every phone call I make as being listened to and 'evaluated.'
• The news stories I read this week about Khalid confessing to everything except the assassination of JFK are really about my government performing torture as a routine tool for fighting this 'war on terror.' (We used to set the standards for civilized behavior!)
• I know that when I voted in 2002 and 2004 that it is very possible that my ballot was thrown out on grounds that I am ineligible to vote for some erroneous reason -- and I will never be told about it OR that the tabulating machines didn't count my vote.
• I know that if I write a letter to George W. Bush, Jr telling him what I really think about him that I might come home and find that someone has been in my house going through my personal effects.
• I know that all the letters I have written to congress people expressing my anger and dissent has definitely put me on a list somewheres in the federal government.
• I know that marching against the then-potential invasion of Iraq in Jan and Feb 2003 put me on the same list.
• And the worst change in my life?  Knowing that my country has killed over 600,000 people. Boy, that should make bad guys re-evaluate future actions against the US of A, eh? 

Oh yeah, I am afraid. But it isn't a fear of Muslims. Lord, where IS a mosque when a fearful, doubtful gal needs one? I am in need of spiritual solace in a big way. On the contrary, I am afraid of the evil-doers that have been propped up by arrogantly self-defined Christians who have propped up some scary traitors to the US Constitution who have, indeed, attacked my 'way of life.'

Comments

[not my president]

Don't be afraid.
Some of us have probably been on lists for years.
Can't let that stop us.

In solidarity with those in search of peace, freedom and
justice all over the world.

There are far too many tyrants and we are the most powerful
nation, or we were.

[Ally McRepuke]

The Muslim terrorists won, because W fell into their plan, and took away many American freedoms. Fearmongering and loss of freedom were their plan, and W did exactly that.

And as you already know, Christianity can be just as evil as Islam (if not worse). The same is true of any other patriarchal religion - or any religion (even peace-loving matriarchal ones, if used improperly).

[Zapata]

I am not scared about exercising my constitutional rights but there is just something so utterly distasteful about having the sense that big brother is watching. I think it's a greater affront to my person knowing there is an invisible watch on me. More so than if the Chief of Police showed up and arrested me for expressing dissent.

The invisible oppression that you can't quite put your finger on is more odorous to my sense of humanity and dignity. Strange that.

Oh, I full well plan to say and do as I please. But if I sit her tonight knowing the truth of my government's despotic and totalitarian attacks on my freedom, and I don't act with fierceness to shut it down, they have ALREADY WON.

That sits on my conscience heavily.

[sherry]

Well - here it is Nov 2010 - and look who is big brother now? Who is prying into every crevasse of our being? Taking my hard earned money - taking my hard-earned healthcare - taking the financial future of my children. Not just mine, but from all the hardest working people I know especially we small business owners who have sacrificed SO MUCH for our independence. Who do we thank now?? Who are we working for now?? And are you still as paranoid as you were in 2007?? Well - you should be. I didn't get you then - and I certainly don't get you now. Thank God (and YES I mean God) that intelligence (vs pathologically idealistim) is making it's way back into government.