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| Bush is Hitler!! No, he’s somebody else evil!! |
| 2003-05-06 |
| A fellow from the US Catholic Conference has come up with a new historical bad guy to work into conversations about the United States. Post September 11 2001 jitters are leading the US to embrace a formula of instilling fear of the United States as a protection from catastrophic attacks that echoes the philosophy of the brutal Roman emperor Caligula, acording to the director of the Office of International Justice and Peace at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Gerry Powers was speaking at a forum to evaluate the legacy of the use of "preventive force" in the recent US invasion of Iraq. Caligula? Apart from the fact the the US Congress contains more than its share of horse's asses, I don't see it. He said: "While a doctrine of preventive war may derive in part from an ethic of responsibility - to protect ourselves and the world from catastrophic attacks - it also has elements of an ethic of fear." Powers acknowledged that that "ethic of fear" comes from the understandable preoccupation of Americans with their own fears and vulnerabilities in the face of global terrorism. Gerry, old buddy, I assume you're ordained so I hope I don't embarrass you by bringing this up. But according to St. Paul, isn't that precisely what governments are for? Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.(Romans 13:1-4). "Let them hate us if they will, provided only that they fear us," he said, chacterising the new phenomenon. Okay by me. I have no desire to ever be loved by an Islamo-Nazi and if some of those folks now have a little fear in them, so much the better for civilization. "That formula might work for the New York Yankees, but it did not work for the Romans and it will not work for us," Powers said. "It will not work because it creates a cycle of fear that fuels a cycle of violence." The Roman Empire lasted almost 1,500 years. We've barely been around 200. According to Gerry, the US really needs to start worrying somewhere around the year 3203. Mark your calendars. |
| Posted by:Christopher Johnson |