Sunday, June 07, 2009

Religious Right & Conservatives Upset About Obama Speech - U.S. Ugly Truths ? Update on Dr. Tiller Murder

UPDATE: 1:57 AM June 7, 2009.

Negligence on the part of law enforcement & the FBI & under The Bush Regime
The Bush Administration chose not to prosecute anti-Abortionist & Pro-Life activists under the existing Federal Law Face Act of Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1993.
Roeder had a long history of breaking these Federal Laws but was not arrested due to Bush Administration's decision not to enforce the law. So much for Bush's belief in the Rule of Law.
Tiller case goes to federal lawsuit case- Rachel Maddow -Longer Version



And it appears Roeder was involved not only with Operation Rescue but also with white Separatist groups & Christian Identity :

A Brief History of the Radical, Violent Right: How Racist Hate Groups Joined Up with Abortion Terrorists By James Ridgeway, MotherJones.com. Posted June 6, 2009.

Alleged murderer Scott Roeder was once a white separatist before he became an anti-choice zealot -- many others have followed the same deadly path.

The revelation that Scott Roeder, the alleged murderer of Dr. George Tiller, belonged to an anti-government, white separatist group called the Montana Freemen might seem like an unlikely twist. After all, such groups are generally thought of as either indifferent to the issue of abortion or actively enthusiastic about its potential for reducing the nonwhite population. As it turns out, however, the journey from radical racialist to anti-abortionist isn't as unusual as you might think.

...In 1996, Roeder was arrested in Topeka after sheriff deputies stopped his car because it had no license plate. Instead, the Star reported, "it bore a tag declaring him a 'sovereign' and immune from state law. In the trunk, deputies found materials that could be assembled into a bomb." Roeder was convicted, sentenced to two years probation, and told to stay away from far-right groups. A state appeals court subsequently overturned the conviction.

Roeder and the Freemen belonged to a little-recognized nativist political movement that began in the early 20th century, flared up periodically, and then ripped through the American heartland during the farm depression of the mid-1980s. This movement was often called "the posse," after a core group named the Posse Comitatus. Like any political movement, it consisted of a myriad of shifting entities that appeared and disappeared. But even though the names of the groups often changed, they all held tightly to the notion that the true white sovereigns, who had rightfully been given this land by God, were being threatened by race traitors "inferior races" creeping across the borders from Mexico and lands farther south. A favorite posse image was a drawing of a man hanging by the neck from a tree on a hill. Below in the distance stands a group of armed men. A sign is scrawled on the drawing. It says "The posse."



So Does President Obama actually believe that he can have some sort of dialogue with these hate-filled extremists.

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In Obama's speech at Cairo he said a number of things which some were pleased to hear but U.S. Conservatives & the Republican party & the Religious Right were not pleased with. No matter what he does there are those who are going to criticize him and accuse him of whatever things they can think of from being too liberal, too far to the left , a socialist , a danger to the country , as going too far or that he he is too partisan , too critical of the former Bush Regime, or as a disloyal American for daring to criticize America's past behavior or policies , of not being tough enough on terrorists or not being loyal enough to Israel & on & on.

And those of us who are not conservative or who don't believe in American Exceptionalism we have other concerns.

If Obama is serious about a two state solution for Israelis & Plestinians it is not just Islamic or Palestinian Extremist he must deal with but also the extremist Settlers Movement & the Israeli government which protects them who believe Israel should not give up one inch of land & in fact they believe that Israel should expand its borders to that of Greater Israel or Eratz Israel as promised to the Israelites by Jehovah.

While Obama talked about peace & reconciliation & demanded that Palestinians & Arabs not resort to violence he did not then offer that from now on America would stop its wanton killing of thousands in Iraq, Afghanistan & Pakistan. He made no claims to stop America's expansion of its Empire. He said the Killing of one innocent person was the equivalent of killing all of humankind. So what about the innocents abused & tortured by the US in its desire for revenge for 9/11 or to get false confessions to support its illegal & immoral war in Iraq. Does he not see that every time his government with its allies kills innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan this leads to more resistance & resentment on the part of those peoples who are seen as mere collateral damage. Does he not yet understand that it is his country which has always supported Israel unconditionally which has led the Israelis to commit one War Crime after another. The Israelis even now are still treating the Palestinians as expendable subhumans as they once were treated by the NAZI & throughout most of European & Western history .

Why if Obama is so devoted to peace not mention the slaughter of innocents in Gaza. Yes he is right the bombing of civilians on a bus is reprehensible but so is the attack on villages by unmanned drones or the dropping of White Phosphorus on schools & hospitals in Gaza by the Israelis or by the Americans on the city of Fallujah. Is he not yet ready to relinquish America's myth that it does all that it can not to harm innocent civilians in its imperial wars .


Let's just look at an example of this conservative & Religious Right critique of Obama's Cairo speech.

PRUDEN: 'Inner Muslim' at work in Cairo by Wesley pruden,at Washington TimesJune 5, 2009



"America, unlike the president, is guilty of hubris, arrogance and cant. All that must change. "Change" is what the smooth-talking Chicago messiah says he is all about. "Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail," he told the Muslim elites Thursday at Cairo U. "So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners of it." It's not "a world order" that elevates America, but events. No other country is as generous, as forgiving, as willing to sacrifice blood and bone when the world calls for help. If not America, who? Hasn't the president heard? "



What a load of horse manure. Is the writer serious or being facetious . Did Mr. Pruden never hear of the term "The Ugly American"- it is a reference to especially in the 1950s when America started to interfere with the domestic politics of other countries without any regard for what the people of the targeted nation needed or desired. The American belief seemed to be that Democracy & liberty was okay for America but not for other nations. This was especially true if a nation didn't put America's interests before its own.So they over threw the popular democratically elected governments of Iran & Guatemala to be replaced by American backed puppet regimes. Thousands were imprisoned & tortured & abused in both countries for daring to criticize the respective governments.

In Vietnam the Americans rather than backing the aspirations of the people they sided with a corrupt & brutal regime. America was bound to stop any policies which they felt smacked of socialism & in so doing they would prevent these policies even if it meant the death of every citizen of Vietnam. Two million or more Vietnamese died in America's disastrous war with a loss of some sixty thousand Americans. The war expanded to include the carpet bombing of Cambodia which led to the crushing of all moderate political parties til only the Khamer Rouge were left standing who then went on a killing spree.

In Chile the popular democratically government of Salvador Allende was overthrown by an American planned & backed military coup which led to over twenty years of tyranny & oppression. Why is it Americans like Mr. Pruden can not see the darker side of America's interventionism. Is it because of America's second rate educational system or a dumbed-down media which spoon feeds Americans on American propaganda of exceptionalism.

Why are the conservatives & the media in America going apoplectic over the fact that Obama would talk about his African & Islamic heritage or that he would speak a few words in Arabic or speak positively about the Quran or talk about the positive contributions of the Islamic cultures to Western Civilization. Of course many Americans of this ilk believe there was little or no important history before the founding of the United States as a country. In the same way they don't want to know about ancient civilizations which preceded the Roman Empire or the American Empire. They act as if America sprang out of the earth as if in an act of divine creation. Further they tend to overlook a few uncomfortable historical facts such as that in order to conquer America the Americans went on a genocidal rampage to kill the already existing Native American & even to destroy every last vestige of what was an advanced culture.

Without the help of the native populations most of the early settlers would not have survived. In return for their help the settlers massacred millions of native Americans who had already been decimated by the diseases the white settlers carried for which the natives had no immunity.

So Americans from the very beginning believed that some men were more equal than others . In fact they claimed that Native Americans were some lower form of soulless beasts who was not capable of being educated or of developing some form of sophisticated society.

Once they ran out of Natives to badger & enslave they brought millions of slaves from Africa to work like beast on their plantations. Again Americans justified this by convincing themselves that these slaves were subhuman and that even their speech was no better than an animals. Actually they spoke in their native tongues which were the equal to any other language. Many of them had at least some rudimentary education, some were Muslims or even Christians others had their own religious beliefs. But how can one believe that enslaving others is the Will of God. Well now of course these Christians are unable to look at another's religion without their own prejudices getting in the way. For who is to say that this religion or another is better or is the true path to God. The Religious fanatic not only knows their own religion is the true path but that all others are not only false but are basically demonic or evil. This the Fundamentalist Christian or Islamic Fundamentalist or Jewish Fundamentalist etc. believes & claims that they know the Will of God & must impose that will on the whole world on all nations & peoples by proselytizing or by the sword or the rifle & if the world resists it would be better to destroy the world by a Nuclear War if necessary if this is what the voice of God whispers in their ear.

and Wesley Pruden argues that :

"Big talkers don't know when to stop when they're on a rhetorical roll because they can't remember which facts are actually facts and which "facts" they're making up. Mr. Obama even attributed the Golden Rule, from the teachings of Christ, to "every religion."'


as for his suggestion that "The Golden Rule" is unique to Christianity or Jesus Mr. Pruden is wrong .

The Golden Rule or Golden Mean goes back to at least 2000 BCE according to the written record - it was the basis of many religions . But of course we have to forgive any American Christian because "They know not what they do" or say since they believe they have no need to study the history of the world beyond that of America's history. And even the American history they read about or study is enshrouded by national myths & propaganda which they are unable to see beyond. Other nations & history of the world is of no interest to many Americans. In the same way they are told that the study of other peoples religions is a waste of time since all other religions are false & are in fact demonic & anti-Christian & anti-American. He may even believe there no major world religions before Judaism & Christianity. But Buddhism Taoism , Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, the Egyptian Religion all for instance predate Christianity.

and so at the website Religious Tolerance .org there is a section dedicated to the Golden Rule as it is found in the writings in various religions & philosophies going back to at least 2000 BCE. The idea of the Golden Rule may go back even further than suggested by the written record but was only passed on orally from teacher to student for centuries before this date.

From Religious Tolerance .org:Shared belief in the "Golden Rule" (a/k.a. Ethics of Reciprocity)


The Golden Rule

Some "Ethic of Reciprocity" passages from the religious texts of various religions and secular beliefs:

* Bahá'í Faith:
o "Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not." "Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself." Baha'u'llah
o "And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself." Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

* Brahmanism: "This is the sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you". Mahabharata, 5:1517 "

* Buddhism:
o "...a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?" Samyutta NIkaya v. 353
o Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." Udana-Varga 5:18

* Christianity:
o "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12, King James Version.
o "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31, King James Version.
o "...and don't do what you hate...", Gospel of Thomas 6. The Gospel of Thomas is one of about 40 gospels that were widely accepted among early Christians, but which never made it into the Christian Scriptures (New Testament).

* Confucianism:
o "Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you" Analects 15:23
o "Tse-kung asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'" Doctrine of the Mean 13.3
o "Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence." Mencius VII.A.4

* Ancient Egyptian:
o "Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do." The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 109 - 110 Translated by R.B. Parkinson. The original dates to 1970 to 1640 BCE and may be the earliest version ever written. 3

* Hinduism:
o This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you. Mahabharata 5:1517

* Humanism:
o "(5) Humanists acknowledge human interdependence, the need for mutual respect and the kinship of all humanity."
o "(11) Humanists affirm that individual and social problems can only be resolved by means of human reason, intelligent effort, critical thinking joined with compassion and a spirit of empathy for all living beings. " 4
o "Don't do things you wouldn't want to have done to you, British Humanist Society. 3

* Islam: "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." Number 13 of Imam "Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths." 5

* Jainism:
o "Therefore, neither does he [a sage] cause violence to others nor does he make others do so." Acarangasutra 5.101-2.
o "In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self." Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara
o "A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated. "Sutrakritanga 1.11.33

* Judaism:
o "...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.", Leviticus 19:18
o "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary." Talmud, Shabbat 31a.
o "And what you hate, do not do to any one." Tobit 4:15 6

* Native American Spirituality:
o "Respect for all life is the foundation." The Great Law of Peace.
o "All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One." Black Elk
o "Do not wrong or hate your neighbor. For it is not he who you wrong, but yourself." Pima proverb.

* Roman Pagan Religion: "The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves."

* Shinto:

o "The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form"
o "Be charitable to all beings, love is the representative of God." Ko-ji-ki Hachiman Kasuga

* Sikhism:
o Compassion-mercy and religion are the support of the entire world". Japji Sahib
o "Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone." Guru Arjan Devji 259
o "No one is my enemy, none a stranger and everyone is my friend." Guru Arjan Dev : AG 1299

* Sufism: "The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven't the will to gladden someone's heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone's heart, for on our path, no sin exists but this." Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order.

* Taoism:
o "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien.
o "The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind: for Virtue is kind. He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful." Tao Teh Ching, Chapter 49

* Unitarian:

"The inherent worth and dignity of every person;"
"Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.... "
"The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;"
"We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." Unitarian principles. 7,8


* Wicca: "An it harm no one, do what thou wilt" (i.e. do what ever you will, as long as it harms nobody, including yourself). One's will is to be carefully thought out in advance of action. This is called the Wiccan Rede

* Yoruba: (Nigeria): "One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts."


* Zoroastrianism:
o "That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself". Dadistan-i-dinik 94:5
o "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others." Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29



and so it goes,
GORD.

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