Jihad From Without, Jihad From Within

What strange times we are in. America is at war from without and from within.

American, British, Australian and other troops face danger in Iraq and Afghanistan in an attempt to instill freedom and democracy, and to wrest power from those who would continue to repress tens of millions.

The anti-war contingent wake every day, ready to do battle with America and her allies- and care not a whit about those who blow up children or subway cars and kill as many as they can.

At home, Americans are at battle too, attacking each other with a ferociousness and using tactics never before seen. There is no semblance or pretense to civility or exchange; there is just a visceral hatred that permeates the debate. In another time, it could be said that this is the stuff that revolutions are made of.

It is a Jihad of sorts, American style. The real issues aren’t being discussed. The only things that count are winning and subjugating opponents. The merit or veracity of any argument is irrelevant- if the origin is ‘the other side,’ it is to be discarded and treated as if it were toxic. There is no mercy for the dissenters and no room for compromise. From an empirical standpoint, how and why this came to pass is quite evident.

It is about God, morality and moral relativism.

A standard mantra of American religious and not so religious conservatives is that we would all be better off if there were more religious values in the public square. The left of course, recoils in horror at that very thought. Religion, they argue, is the last thing that should be tolerated in the public square. Religious values are the bane of liberalism.

Why are they so opposed to religion and religious values? What is it about religion and values that so frightens them? The left would have you believe that God in the public square would be akin to the Mullahs in Iran given free reign here.

Values, by definition are definable. Values require commitment to standards that are measurable. Most dangerous to the left are that those values can be measured. These are things that liberalism can never reconcile with. Measurement means accountability.

It is important to acknowledge that there was a time that liberalism was a force for great good. Bound by overbearing social strictures and harsh ruling class restraints and dictum, the liberal achievements for the common man are inestimable. Unions served their purpose in providing for decent pay and the elimination of hazardous working conditions and child labor. The political mobilization of the poor and of minorities have in the end, served our society well. We would do well to remember that the American Revolution was about revolt over tyranny and provided a voice to the voiceless, clearly a liberal idea that upended the status quo, with the idea that the individual was indeed capable of taking care of himself, without interference from the powers that were.

That was liberalism then. Liberalism now is an entirely different creature.

Let’s start with God.

For most of us, whether we wear our religion on our sleeves or not, God is Master of the Universe, timeless in the message of faith and the teaching of morality. We beseech from him guidance and mercy and have established our society and laws predicated on religious principles. Some accept that there is a higher power, to whom we are answerable or at the very least, gave to us rules that keep us from anarchy. Our society has never been literalist, despite what the left would have you think. We do not stone adulterers, nor do we chop off the hands of thieves. We have, within the framework of belief, created a society that concedes that we are created “In His Image” and at the same time, reinforces the notion of free will.

In the world of liberalism, all gods are equal.

In fact, to a liberal, God is not a god. He is a partner– a junior partner to our desires and ideals. We are not accountable to God. He becomes accountable to us.

Whatever it is we believe in at the moment, whatever desires we have, must be accommodated by the ever faithful junior partner, God. We do not have to commit to Him, He has to commit to us, whatever the cause. Liberalism is not about obligation, it is about accommodation. No matter how absurd the idea, no matter how shocking the behavior, it is sanctioned by the liberals interpretation of God. Whatever the cause, whatever the belief, liberals will tell you that they are sanctioned by God, for whom they purport to speak. There is no evil, there are no standards. All is equal is the eyes of the liberal god. Anyone who denies that is ostracized, ridiculed and set upon, as if they were the epitome of evil.

To be fair, some conservatives are the very obverse of that. They will say that they are charged with fulfilling God’s mission on earth. Like the very liberals they so despise, they too, would take free will out of the equation.

In fact, God is not our partner, no matter how religious we are. On the other hand, not all gods equals. The god that does demand the stoning of adulteresses and the amputation of limbs is not a moral equivalent to our concept of God, anymore than the society that has no wheel is equal to the society that does.

To say that all belief systems are equal is contemptible.

One may accept for themselves any belief structure they wish, but we are not obligated to accept that choice as a moral equivalent to our own way of thinking. No, we are not so obligated.
That liberals will parrot the mantra that all belief structures are equal, is ridiculous.

Belief structures that encourage hatred and violence are not equal to our own. Belief structures that produce terror, supporters of terror and apologists for terror are not equal to our own. To say that such beliefs are cut from the same cloth as our own, is a is a gross insult to our own beliefs.

Neither Christianity or Judaism, upon whose beliefs our governments- and freedoms- were founded, are guilty today of the above mentioned behaviors. Our societies have long since abandoned those behaviors in favor of an environment that best allows for us to express our better selves, through hard work and rules formulated to benefit all of us.

To a liberal of course, all behavior is equal.

Many liberal ideologies are the barometers of an ideal that has no moral foundation. The only evils they see, are the ones that demands accountability. The target of their venom is a society that still has the notion that responsibility, accountability and effort are the measure of worth. To the liberal elite it is enough simply to have an idea and be rewarded and celebrated for that idea, no matter what the idea is. They believe their ideas alone merit superior standing and positions of leadership. That others might suggest they actually earn whatever it is they want is to arouse rabid hatred.

This ideology was not adopted easily. Many liberals were and are, God fearing and religious people. They see the manifestation of their liberal values as an extension of their religious values. That changed when leadership of the liberal ideology abandoned those voices in favor of voices that were louder- and voices that eschewed any connection to religious values, because those values could be measured. They could be held accountable- and that accountability was a hard sell, certainly harder than ‘anything goes.’

Societies and religions are measured by their contributions. It is clear who has contributed to society and who has contributed to it’s destruction. Those societies and religions that have contributed nothing but destruction to society, are not equal to those who contribute.

New liberal ideology can’t change that truth. That is why so many religious liberals feel betrayed. They, more than anyone, see with clarity that new liberal ideal that somehow the contributions of our own society and the destruction of society are morally equivalent.

It is an ideal that is based on the false god of moral relativism- and that kind of deceit and Jihad we can do without.

John Kerry And The Bishop

One fine Saturday afternoon in April, with the Washington DC cherry blossoms in full bloom, John Kerry’s campaign finance manager visited the Archdiocese that serves the religious needs of the capital city. He informed the Bishop that Senator Kerry would be in attendance the following day, and asked if the Bishop would kindly note that Mr Kerry was in attendance. The campaign manager had another request. Would the Bishop add a few words that might refer to Senator Kerry as a saint?

The Bishop’s response was immediate. “No, I don’t really like the man and there are views and beliefs held by Mr Kerry that are direct conflict with Catholic Church.”

Senator Kerry’s campaign manager was ready for the Bishop’s response. “Look, I’ll write a check here and now, if you say that you regard Mr Kerry as a saint.” 

The Bishop leaned back and considered the request. “Well, the Archdiocese can surely use the money. I shall work your request into tomorrow’s sermon.” 

The campaign manager was delighted. The check was written and the handshake was firm and deliberate.

As expected, Mr Kerry did appear the following day for Sunday Services. He was seated near the front, in a seat on the main aisle. He was observed by all praying with great fervor and solemnity, and singing the hymns with great devotion.

As the Bishop promised, he began his sermon by noting that Senator Kerry was in attendance for the Sabbath Service.

The Bishop went on to give a homily that was particularly well written and interesting. The entire congregation was mesmerized by the message of the greatness of human potential and possibilities.

Towards the end of his sermon, the Bishop noted that “While Senator Kerry’s presence in our midst today is probably an honor to some, he is not my favorite person. Some of his views are certainly contrary to church teaching and beliefs. In addition, Mr Kerry has a record of flip-flopping on other views. John Kerry is a petty, self absorbed hypocrite. He is also a liar, cheat and thief.

Mr Kerry is probably the worst example of a Catholic I’ve ever personally witnessed. He betrayed his buddies in Vietnam and turned on them. He wrote a book and portrayed himself in the best possible light when he was a traitor to his fellow servicemen. He went on to lie about his military record for years and had the gall to submit his own name, so that he might be awarded a medal.

He married for money and then used that money to to consistently lie to the American people. Despite his long tenure to elected office, Mr Kerry has a reputation for shirking his senatorial obligations both here in Washington and in Massachusetts. Simply stated, Mr Kerry cannot be trusted.”

As the Bishop remarks were about to end, the assembled worshipers were silent.

“But, when compared to the senior Senator from his state, Ted Kennedy, well, John Kerry is a saint.”

“Imagine An Entire Life, Lived As A Psychotic Episode” And Other Sanity Squad Observations

“Imagine an entire life, lived as a psychotic episode.”

That insightful, thoughtful and remarkably clear and profound observation was made a member of the Sanity Squad, in this week’s podcast taking note of circus and freak show hosted by the mullahs in Tehran.

In addition to the nonsense that has enveloped the Assembly of Idiots gathered in Iran, the Sanity Squad podcast also covers the underwhelming performance of the UN under Koffi Annan’s leadership. The former UN Secretary General, that spectacular monument to mediocrity, incompetence and corruption, has his record legacy and ideology examined.

Of course, there is no shortage of astute and observations and insights. The Sanity Squad is a deep well, available to nourish any and all starving minds willing to drink from the unlimited aquifers of clear and sparkling brilliance. Shrinkwrapped, Neo, Dr Sanity and three fans of electricity, that oft forgotten miracle, all strive to help you remove the blindfold as you try to find life’s pinata of meaning and understanding.

If your thirst for knowledge, wisdom and pinatas is insatiable, Sanity Squad archives can be found here.