Freedom Matters

2003-7-27 06:03:00

Unless political matters are on topic we usually discourage making posts on them. The reason is that they are so emotionally charged that they could lead us off topic for weeks at a time. Another problem is that many political articles pulled off the internet are full of lies and deceptions with no sources to back up their data or accusations.

One such article slipped through to the Keys list and was so full of distortion that I decided to comment.

If one wants to post an article attacking either the left or the right, he or she should make sure the author maintains a fair degree of accuracy or it will be rejected.

This is not the case with the following article, as I will illustrate.



Article by Sister Joan in the National Catholic Reporter May 29, 2003:

"Is There Anything Left That Matters?" by Joan Chittister, OSB

---------------------------

This is what I don't understand: All of a sudden nothing seems to matter.
First, they said they wanted Bin Laden "dead or alive." But they didn't get him. So now they tell us that it doesn't matter. Our mission is greater than one man.


JJ Comment:
This is a total distortion. No one in the Bush administration has said that it does not matter (in the scheme of things) if we do not get Osama Bin Laden. They have all said that it would be desirable and of import to get him. They have said that the war on terror could be successfully prosecuted without knowing whether or not he is dead or alive, similar to the situation in the defeat of Germany. We did not know if Hitler was dead or alive for a long time, but we still successfully defeated and occupied Germany. From that aspect they said, "It does not matter" but they have never said it just does not matter at all. There is a reward of $25,000,000 on his head. Obviously it does matter.

It is quite possible that Osama Bin Laden is dead. There has been no definite proof that he is alive since the war in Afghanistan. It is quite possible that those complaining that we have not gotten Osama Bin Laden are in the same position as those who complained we did not get Hitler, even after World War II was over.

Sister Chittister Article Continued:
Then they said they wanted Saddam Hussein, "dead or alive." He's apparently alive but we haven't got him yet, either. However, President Bush told reporters recently, "It doesn't matter. Our mission is greater than one man."

JJ:
I've searched the Internet for this quote and the only place it is to be found is in this article. It is interesting how many quotes there are attributed to Bush with no reference. Many of them are either fabricated, taken out of context or altered from their original meaning.

I've listened to almost all of Bush's speeches and press conferences since he announced his bid for the Presidency and my memory is pretty accurate about what he has actually said and the meaning he has tried to convey.

I have heard Bush say that as far as the successful consummation of the war and occupation of Iraq, we will be successful whether or not it is proven we get Saddam Hussein. From this aspect one could technically say it doesn't matter. George Bush has never conveyed the meaning that it does not matter at all - in the whole scheme of things, whether we get him. As Commander in Chief, he is demonstrating by the orders the military is receiving that it does matter. We have now gotten his two sons and have placed a 25 million dollar reward on the head of Hussein. Obviously Saddam Hussein matters to the tune of 25 million to Bush. The fact that he is being aggressively pursued is proof in action that this accusation is a distortion of Bush's goals.

Sister Chittister Article:
Finally, they told us that we were invading Iraq to destroy their weapons of mass destruction. Now they say those weapons probably don't exist. Maybe never existed. Apparently that doesn't matter either. Except that it does matter.

JJ:
Who are "they?" The only "they" I have heard saying such things are the enemies of George Bush. The Bush Administration (as well as Tony Blair's in England) still maintains that proof of the WMD will be presented to the public soon. They expect to present powerful evidence within 90 days from now.

During the war many Iraq soldiers were issued gas masks and after the war traces of deadly chemicals were found in the Tigress River giving evidence that when defeat was seen as imminent, the obvious weapons were dumped. It is quite possible that many others were sent to Syria. Even so, it is still probable that the illusive proof will still be discovered.

Sister Chittister Article:
I know we're not supposed to say that. I know it's called "unpatriotic." But it's also called honesty. And dishonesty matters.

JJ:
I have seen many peace activists accuse mainstream America of calling them unpatriotic, as this person just did, but I have not seen the mainstream calling anyone unpatriotic for honestly expressing his views.

I personally do think it is unpatriotic to fabricate, lie and distort the truth to place our nation and President in a bad light. This is not only seditious and unpatriotic, but a bad reflection of character. Any true expressions of feelings and the giving out of accurate data is not unpatriotic, even if one disagrees with the President. I do not see any patriots arguing this point, as they are accused of so doing.

Sister Chittister Article:
It matters that the infrastructure of a foreign nation that couldn't defend itself against us has been destroyed on the grounds that it was a military threat to the world.

JJ:
This foreign nation could defend itself and did. They could have put up a much greater resistance except for the fact that over half of the Iraqi people wanted their own government to lose.

Yes, it does matter that this military threat has been destroyed. This eliminates a grave danger to the world.

Sister Chittister Article:
It matters that it was destroyed by us under a new doctrine of "pre-emptive war"...

JJ:
The doctrine of "pre-emptive war" in relation to Iraq seems to be a fabrication by the enemies of George Bush. I have never heard him or anyone in his administration talk about such doctrine.

The fact is that the first war with Iraq began because it attacked Kuwait with the intention of further expansion. The world community justly responded to stop this Nazi-type aggression and made war against him and drove him out of Kuwait. After this, the war was not declared over but a cease fire was arranged through U.N. resolution 687. The deal that Saddam signed on to in order to enact a cease fire and save his skin was that he would destroy all his weapons of mass destruction and not build any more. He also agreed to honor the civil rights of his people.

The deal was that if Saddam did not live up to his agreement (WMD and civil rights) then the cease fire could end and the war would resume. No time limit was placed on this.

Bush and Blair enforced resolution 687 as well as the new one (resolution 1441) that was unanimously passed last November. Bush is accused of initiating a new war. It is not a new war, but an old one that was legally resumed. Bush and Blair merely enforced UN resolutions that others dragged their feet on because of their own oil contracts with the tyrant, Saddam Hussein.

Sister Chittister Article:
....when there was apparently nothing worth pre-empting.

JJ:
Nothing worth pre-empting??? If slavery of the mind, body and soul is not worth pre-empting, then what is??? If torture and the humiliation of women with paid rapists is not worth pre-empting, then what is? If grinding up innocent souls alive in meat grinders for entertainment is not worth pre-empting, then what is? If the gassing of thousands of men women and children is not worth pre-empting, then what is? If the cutting off of limbs, tongues and various pieces of flesh is not worth pre-empting, then what is? If the lives of over 25 million people living in fear is not worth saving then what in the name of heaven is?

Should we have let Hitler continue with his destruction of all the Jews and countless Christians? After all we declared war on him before he attacked us.

Thank God he was pre-empted.

Sister Chittister Article:
It surely matters to the families here whose sons went to war to make the world safe from weapons of mass destruction and will never come home.

JJ:
A high percentage of the military supported the war in the beginning and still support it. I have seen many of them interviewed and what they want most is the support of the people back home and support for the cause for which they are fighting.

I would be willing to bet that most of the families of those killed in battle would like to honor the cause for which their sons and daughters fought and believe that cause was just, even in the midst of their sorrow.

Sister Joan Chittister seems to think she knows the minds of these families. I do not think she does.

Sister Chittister Article:
It matters to families in the United States whose life support programs were ended, whose medical insurance ran out, whose food stamps were cut off, whose day care programs were eliminated so we could spend the money on sending an army to do what did not need to be done.

JJ:
WOW!!! What a distortion of reality we have here. Whether we went to war or not has had no effect on medical insurance, food stamps or day care. Where does Sister Chittister get such an idea? The extra funds set aside for the war do not come out of the social budget.

The truth is that Bush has proposed bigger increases in social spending than any President since Lyndon Johnson. This is an area where I am in disagreement with him. In this time of crisis there are much better uses for our money.

Sister Chittister Article:
It matters to the Iraqi girl whose face was burned by a lamp that toppled over as a result of a U.S. bombing run.

It matters to Ali, the Iraqi boy who lost his family - and both his arms-in a U.S. air attack.


JJ:
Again we have twisted logic. Using this logic we could say that Roosevelt was wrong in attacking Hitler because many Germans civilians suffered injuries.

Let me say this: for every innocent person in Iraq injured by U. S. troops there will be hundreds, perhaps thousands who are saved from persecution and injury.

Sister Chittister Article:
It matters to the people in Baghdad whose water supply is now fetid, whose electricity is gone, whose streets are unsafe, whose 158 government ministries' buildings and all their records have been destroyed, whose cultural heritage and social system has been looted and whose cities teem with anti-American protests.

JJ:
It is a complete untruth that the electricity is gone. It has now been restored to prewar levels and other restoration is proceeding nicely.

Some records were destroyed, but far from all records.

The cultural heritage has not been destroyed. Sister Chittister is probably referring to the supposed looting of the Museum. This has now been shown to be a result of distorted reporting by the media. The last I heard all was accounted for except for a couple dozen items.

Sister Chittister Article:
It matters that the people we say we "liberated" do not feel liberated in the midst of the lawlessness, destruction and wholesale social suffering that so-called liberation created.

JJ:
This is obviously an emotional lashing out with no facts to back it up. The latest survey of the Iraqi people shows that a whopping 80% support the presence of our troops. 30,000 Iraqi police are now getting the situation under control in cooperation with the U.S. and British military. 240 hospitals are now fully functioning.

The "wholesale social suffering" has now come to an end and the people finally have hope for a better future.

Sister Chittister Article:
It matters to the United Nations whose integrity was impugned, whose authority was denied, whose inspection teams are even now still being overlooked in the process of technical evaluation and disarmament.

JJ:
The United States upheld the integrity of the U.N. by enforcing its own resolutions, which the other nations did not have the backbone to do. These resolutions were mentioned earlier (#687 and 1441).

Sister Chittister Article:
It matters to the reputation of the United States in the eyes of the world, both now and for decades to come, perhaps.

JJ:
In decades to come the unseating of Saddam Hussein will be seen as a pivotal event leading to a domino effect of benefits to the Mid-east and the world. One hundred years from now, few will question the wisdom of this move. Those who do will be lumped together with the small group who think the South should still have the right to own slaves.

Sister Chittister Article:
And surely it matters to the integrity of this nation whether or not its intelligence gathering agencies have any real intelligence or not before we launch a military armada on its say-so.

JJ:
Intelligence is never 100% accurate. If it were we would not have had the first and the second attack on the World Trade Center. Clinton would not have bombed innocent people working in an aspirin factory. Those who demand 100% accuracy are living in the Land of Oz Even so, all evidence suggests that our intelligence is highly accurate when the whole picture is seen. Any leader has to look at the whole picture and make a judgment.

Sister Chittister Article:
And it should matter whether or not our government is either incompetent and didn't know what they were doing or were dishonest and refused to say.

JJ:
You do not win two major conflicts by not knowing what you are doing.

Afghanistan stopped the Soviet Union in its tracks at a time when it was a major power, but we defeated them in a couple of weeks. This and the conquest of Iraq could not happen without brilliant planning.

Sister Chittister Article:
The unspoken truth is that either as a people we were misled, or we were lied to, about the real reason for this war. Either we made a huge -and unforgivable - mistake, an arrogant or ignorant mistake, or we are swaggering around the world like a blind giant, flailing in all directions while the rest of the world watches in horror or in ridicule.

JJ:
Sorry I cannot find any lies and the author does not name any.

If she are talking about the controversial sixteen words, in the State of the Union speech, then she is barking up the wrong tree for Bush told the exact truth when he stated that British Intelligence did report that Saddam was attempting to purchase Uranium from Africa. In fact, British intelligence still stands by this statement.

Sister Chittister Article:
If Bill Clinton's definition of "is" matters, surely this matters. If a president's sex life matters, surely a president's use of global force against some of the weakest people in the world matters. If a president's word in a court of law about a private indiscretion matters, surely a president's word to the community of nations and the security of millions of people matters.

JJ:
The Clinton matter was not about sex, but about obstruction of justice and has nothing to do with the topic at hand. You have to find a lie told by Bush to make a comparison.

Sister Chittister Article:
And if not, why not? If not, surely there is something as wrong with us as citizens, as thinkers, as believers in ethical principles, as there must be with some facet of the government. If wars that the public says are wrong yesterday - as over 70% of U.S. citizens did before the attack on Iraq - suddenly become "right" the minute the first bombs drop, what kind of national morality is that?

JJ:
I do not know where this sister got this 70% figure, for it does not square with any legitimate poll that I have seen. If there is such a poll (notice no source is named again) then one would have to look at how the question is asked.

For instance, I could run a poll asking: Did Jesus show love when he chased the money-changers out of the temple?

Then I could distort the meaning by reporting: "Poll shows majority believe Jesus does not show love to others."

You can get any result you want by adding key limitations in the question.

Consequently, I will give you the results of a real poll asking an honest question with no caveats added.

The Question: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq?"

Notice what this question does not say.

It does not add some condition such as: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq as it effects relations with France and Germany?"

Instead, it asks a simple question, which is what a poll should do if it is an honest one, not driven by an agenda.

The Answer provided by a CNN/United States Gallup Today poll is:
October 2002 Approve 52% Disapprove 40%
December 2002 Approve 55% Disapprove 39%
Jan 5, 2003 Approve 55% Disapprove 40%
Feb 2, 2003 Approve 54% Disapprove 42%
March 5, 2003 Approve 55% Disapprove 40%
March 25, 2003 Approve 71% Disapprove 26%
March 30, 2003 Approve 71% Disapprove 27%
April 16, 2003 Approve 76% Disapprove 21%
June 15, 2003 Approve 63% Disapprove 34%
July 9, 2003 Approve 58% Disapprove 39%
July 20, 2003 Approve 57% Disapprove 26%

This gives a clear view of public opinion in regard to George Bush and the war before and after the occurrence, and they also supply the question as it was asked. Note that Gallup is a Democrat.

This clearly illustrates the obvious deception perpetrated by Sister Chittister.

Sister Chittister Article:
Of what are we really capable as a nation if the considered judgment of politicians and people around the world means nothing to us as a people?

JJ:
I might ask the opposite. Of what is a nation really capable if, instead of deciding by what is right, we make our decisions according to the whims of other nations?

We made this mistake before World War II. If we had then stopped Hitler in his tracks instead of listening to the "reasonable advice" of dozens of nations, an untold amount of terror and destruction may have been avoided.

Sister Chittister Article:
What is the depth of the American soul if we can allow destruction to be done in our name and the name of "liberation" and never even demand an accounting of its costs, both personal and public, when it is over?

JJ:
Destruction of physical form is a small price to pay for the liberation of the human soul. I cannot understand why religious people such as Sister Chittister puts much greater value on maintaining the temporary form at the expense of liberating the freedom of the human soul, which has an eternal effect.

When we are speaking of a true possibility of liberation there is no price too high - not even death on the cross as Sister Chittister so admires.

Sister Chittister Article:
We like to take comfort in the notion that people make a distinction between our government and ourselves. We like to say that the people of the world love Americans, they simply mistrust our government. But excoriating a distant and anonymous "government" for wreaking rubble on a nation in pretense of good requires very little of either character or intelligence.

What may count most, however, is that we may well be the ones Proverbs warns when it reminds us: "Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value the one who speaks the truth."


JJ:
Yes. True leaders as well as honest people value the truth and I see little of it expressed in this article. Sister Chittister needs to start housecleaning with her own self before she should be preaching to the likes of us.

Sister Chittister Article:
The point is clear: If the people speak and the king doesn't listen, there is something wrong with the king.

JJ:
As the poll I related tells us, the "king" is listening, for he has maintained the support of the great majority.

Sister Chittister Article:
If the king acts precipitously and the people say nothing, something is wrong with the people.

JJ:
Where does she get the idea the people are saying nothing? You can't turn on the TV news without hearing both sides of the argument being expressed. Of the two, the anti-Bush people seem to be the most vocal in their demands to be heard.

Sister Chittister Article:
It may be time for us to realize that in a country that prides itself on being democratic, we are our government. And the rest of the world is figuring that out very quickly.

From where I stand, that matters.


JJ:
Again Sister Chittister reiterates her prime concern which is "the rest of the world."

This lady, whom I am sure adores the early saints, from a distance, could have never been one of them. All the early Christians were hated by "the rest of the world" to the extent they were hunted down like dogs and killed by them. If she had lived in the early days of Christianity she would have been the first to cry "Caesar" to Nero and ask, "What can we do to please you? We will take peace at any cost."

True peace comes from the Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of freedom or the soul.

Unfortunately, the Catholic Church does not have a good track record in the cause of freedom. It supported the maintaining of the institution of slavery before the Civil War and was against the use of force against Hitler before World War II.

Freedom cannot be imposed as the enemies of freedom assert.

We did not "impose" freedom on Nazi Germany. All we did was remove the barriers preventing free expression.

This is what is being attempted in Iraq. The barriers of freedom are being dismantled. The people will then, of their own free will, use the principle of freedom, which cannot be imposed. Freedom can only be offered. When it is offered, it can then be accepted or rejected.

Tyranny, on the other hand, offers no choice. Accept or be killed.

Few people realize the great good that will be accomplished if the Bush Administration is successful in overriding all the enemies of freedom at home and abroad and establishing a free society in Iraq.

Already there are many positive results. Saddam Hussein is no longer sending $25,000 to each suicide bomber's family and their number has dwindled considerably.

Israel feels more secure and is making stronger moves to secure a peace with occupied lands.

Saudi Arabia smells the blowing winds and is offering more cooperation in combating terrorism.

Syria is nervous and is even offering cooperation.

If Iraq can become a successful democracy then other Mid-east nations will follow. One of the best candidates to be first could be Iran. It could turn from being an "Axis of Evil" to a partner in cooperation. There are many citizens and students there watching Iraq, and if it becomes a successful democracy, the demands of the common people for similar freedoms will become overwhelming.


Unless the right honorable gentleman changes his policy and methods and moves without the slightest delay, he will be as great a curse to this country in peace as he was a squalid nuisance in time of war. Winston Churchill commenting on On Aneurin Bevan