WalMart, China, Christianity, Jihad, and the Crusades

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Newsletter, Vol. 2, #2 March 23, 2006 My Rant for the Day

WalMart, China, Christianity, Jihad, and the Crusades

Bear with me while I attempt to interweave several strands of contemporary craziness. The apparent rescue of the three peace activists in Iraq is in interesting juxtaposition with the other news about the chap in Afghanistan on trial for his life for converting to "Christianity." I know, I know, the Crusades and all that. Foreign domination. Long memories. Invasions.

Those three in Iraq are pretty lucky. I would like to hear more about why they were simply abandoned. Coffee break? Shift change? Random luck? Divine intervention? And I would note that the many Muslims in several countries in the Middle East speaking out on behalf of those activist Christians are taking a pretty big risk.

And at the same time, our country goes looney toons, when our best ally in the Middle East, The United Arab Emirates, the most open, democratic (sort of), commercially vibrant, country in the entire region buys operating rights for some ports in the US, and we go ballistic and poke them in the eye with a xenophobic short-sighted stick. Are we nuts or what? Especially Democrats who not long ago bemoaned the failure of the US to bring allies along with us in this fighting terrorism era we live in. The Hypocrite Inn had no vacancies that night. Jesus had to be borne in the musty sandy donkey stall out back.

However, I've always thought that Muslims, men in particular, need more hobbies - golf, tennis, fishing, orchid growing, something, anything that will lighten up their outlook, give them something to look forward to. And the way they treat women......not very nice at all. There is some Freudian thing going on there, too.

I know, I know, there are grievances going back hundreds if not thousands of years; 75% unemployment, madrasses preaching hate for westerners, etc. They are pissed off because Westerners invaded, up to and including Hitler and Standard Oil, partitioned their lands, installed brutal totalitarian Emirates (with oil), etc., etc., but get over it. Move on. Suck it up. Go play nine holes. Have some wine with dinner.

Enough with the beheadings, jihadist looniness, and infidel hunting. Get off the fundamentalist one-way trip to Armageddon. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy. Iran wants nukes. I'm glad Pat Roberston doesn't have any.

Another thought -- it seems Islamic fundamentalist mullahs are interested in seeking power, while most American fundamentalist nutballs are seeking money and/or sex. Why can't the mullahs be more like Jimmy Swagart, or Pat Robertson, or Jim and Tammy Faye and be more interested in sex like Jimmy or make up like Tammy Faye, or whatever it is that Pat is interested in, and money than power? Come to think of it, Pat Robertson on his one way fundamentalist armageddon train is the most like the mullahs!!

Any substance to my thinking here?

And another thing: it strikes me as scary, interesting, and intriguing that WalMart is expanding in China at the same time China is financing our war in Iraq. The US is the world's largest debtor nation, with China loaning us tremendous amounts of $$$. WalMart, which has lowered the standard of living in the US, is raising the standard of living in China. WalMart, the John D. Rockefeller of our age, demolishes competition in the US on a grand scale, destroying thousands of small businesses, and is now using the Great Wall as a parking lot. Something is wrong with this picture.

Any thoughts from my far more enlightened brothers sisters nephews nieces and total strangers?


Bud