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In The Bush of Good and Evil December 6, 2005
The Axis of Evil the War on Terror Islamic Extremists Jihadists Terrorists Terror Alert the Evil Doers Freedom Haters America Haters These are words that have enjoyed increased use in our vernacular since September 11th 2001. The Bush Administration convinced America it was in a mighty struggle of Good (America) versus Evil (Terrorists). The American Public for the most part bought Bush’s arguments. America after all doesn’t fly planes into buildings. America after all doesn’t torture. America after all doesn’t engage in unprovoked military actions. America is better than that. America is Good…at least we all told ourselves this. The “struggle” as it was billed soon encompassed religion as well pitting Christianity against Islam in what seemed an eerie flashback to the Crusades. Muslims were characterized as crazy. Islamic Mullahs issued Fatwas calling for the assassination of particular people. Many Islamic Countries impose Sharia law. Many Islamic Countries are highly theocratic. They do not allow freedom of religion. Their citizens are forced to obey the laws of the Qu’aran. How dare they! Why, those Muslims are just a bunch of blood thirsty terrorists…Or so we were led to believe. And off we marched to war against Iraq. And while Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11, was not an imminent threat to the United States, had no WMD, had no links to Al Qaeda, and had no connections to Osama Bin Laden, we still bought into the line that we were “fighting the terrorists” those “evil doers”. Onward Christian Soldiers we marched to fight the enemy over there so we would not have to fight them over here…Or so they said. Time marched on and we remained locked in this epic struggle of Good versus Evil; a clash of two titanic religions. Christianity vs. Islam Part 9 the Final Chapter was being waged…Or so some thought. Naturally we thought of ourselves as the Good Guys against the Evil Doers. We were standing up for Truth, Justice, Freedom, and the American Way. It is hard to pin point exactly when perceptions changed. It may be too early to say with any certainty if perceptions have truly been changed yet. One thing is certain though. In the Bush of Good and Evil all is not what it seems. The Veneer is peeling off the tower that was billed to us by this administration as Ivory. What lies underneath this veneer are tens of thousands of rotting corpses, victims of our “war on terror”. Victims of our struggle with Good and Evil. Victims of the struggle with ourselves. What is evil? Evil can be hard to define but you know it when you see it. Nick Berg’s head being cut off with a dull knife by Al Zarqawi was evil. Uday and Qusai raping, torturing, and feeding Iraqis to lions was evil. Saddam gassing the Kurds was evil. Surely defeating such people in Iraq is a good thing…Or so it would seem. And then we saw the pictures of Abu Ghraib and Gitmo. We heard about the torture of detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq. We saw video of American Private Security Guards gunning down innocent Iraqis. We saw the images of the bodies of Iraqis burned beyond recognition by white phosphorus. We saw the images of US Soldiers transformed into masses of spattered blood, tattered skin, and crispy flesh near where what used to be an arm or a leg. We heard about the bombing of women and children. Just “Collateral Damage” we told ourselves. All the while the Bush Administration keeps telling the American People we are fighting for a “noble cause” in Iraq. When asked what that noble cause is we are told “freedom”. Then we learn that the Pentagon has spent over $100 million to propagandize the Iraqi press. We hear that the elections in Iraq were rigged. We learn Bush wanted to bomb Al Jazeera. In the Bush of Good and Evil there is no clear demarcation between what is considered good and what is considered evil. Torture committed by terrorists is evil to the Bush Administration. Torture committed by the United States is considered a necessary tool on the war on terrorism. The flying of planes into the WTC was considered an evil act. After all, the attack was unprovoked. Yet, when we shocked and awed Iraq, which was also an unprovoked attack, it was considered a noble cause. We say we will honor the will of the Iraqi People. The Iraqi People do not want us in their country. We are still there. When it comes to religion Bush is the Champion of Christianity. He goes to China pushing for religious freedom. He preaches tolerance to the Iraqis. Bush disparages Islamic theocracies and yet Bush’s most ardent supporters are continually pushing America in a theocratic direction. We condemn Islamic Leaders who call for assassinations. We act as if their action is unthinkable. And yet Pat Robertson, a Christian Leader in the Untied States, called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez. Many were upset by this but strangely not as upset as they get when a Muslim Cleric calls for an assassination. Bush will preach tolerance and attempts to reach out to the Muslim Community. At the same time Bush continues to support the policy of extraordinary rendition. The Bush Administration detains hundreds of people without due process because they are deemed a national security threat. Many of these people are guilty of nothing more than being Muslim. While Bush attempts to reach out to Muslims, the right wing of his party continually alienates Islam, calling it the devil’s religion. They often portray Islam as a backward religion that subjugates its people to harsh laws. All the while these moral elitists want to impose their own religious beliefs on the rest of us in this Nation. In the Bush of Good and Evil you have to remember that it’s not at all clear exactly what is Good and what is Evil. The Bush Administration takes it on faith that you will assume instinctively that America is fighting on the side of what is Good and Righteous. You as a citizen are faced with a tremendous moral dilemma. You can choose to bury your head in the sand and just assume America is doing what is right. Or you can take a hard look at your country, take a hard look at yourself, and demand that we do what is right. It is a difficult pill to swallow. But reality is staring you straight in the face. America tortures. America rapes. America is rigging elections. America commits terrorism. America kills women and children. America rigs the press. America is intolerant. America is no better than its enemy. America is its own worst enemy.
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