Dirge: Imagine

Christianist logic is a gift that keeps on giving only because of its innate "rightness." "What would Jesus do?" the christianist asks himself and in typical boy-man fashion the answers are easy; death/destruction to anyone who doesn't believe in his world view. I have to admit I'm skepticle that this will catch on, but my inner five year old loves it. Imagine a world that you can make up as you go along without any thought or remorse because, well... Jesus ain't around anymore to refute it (he'd be for it because he was a man's man,) so let's go kick some ass because, dammit, those pansy liberals have just messed everything up for us men and it ain't right.

Now, let me see if I have this next one right. A "bi-partisan" group of former and present government officials have made a study on the "Iraq Fiasco" and have published their conclusions and suggestions in something called the ISG Report. OK... Everyone of these "experts" supported the invasion of Iraq. Either I am missing something and political logic is different from common sense logic or there is not one word that I'm interested in because these are not the people who could make a credible study to begin with. Are we that far gone as a society that simple common sense (you don't ask any of the doctors who misdiagnosed an ailment, which was wrongly treated based upon their faulty diagnosis, to study your worsening condition and then make conclusions and suggestions for a cure) is no longer even an alternative? What could these "experts" have to say that would interest me?

I'll give you a hint. "We were absolutely wrong in our original position that invading Iraq was the only solution we had to counter whatever it was we had to counter (I still don't understand any of the rationales for this war so I'll assume for argument's sake that they had one.) The war is a catostrophic failure and we believe that the only solution available is the immediate withdrawal of our armed forces and that an investigation of ALL activities derived from this war be initiated." That you or I will ever hear anything even remotely resembling these "conclusions" and "suggestions" is fantasy and we should put it out of our rational minds.

Conclusion: We are witnessing the decay of institutions that have shared power and authority since the dawn of civilization. "If the obstacles of bigotry and priestcraft can be surmounted, we may hope that common sense will suffice to do everything else." (T. Jefferson)

Happy Death Day, John.