Does God Endorse Bush’s War?

Quoflections TM by Rev. Harry Rix, M.Div, M.A.T.

“Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Do you remember when Lucy coaxes Charlie Brown to kick a football? At the last moment, she yanks it away. He flies through the air, wails as he flips head over heels, and lands painfully on his back.

Despite Lucy’s repeated deceptions, good ole Charlie Brown trusts Lucy, runs forward—and crashes again and again. We laugh, but one in four U.S. citizens are still running to kick whatever football President Bush presents.

Print a copy of Bush’s January 10 speech from www.whitehouse.gov. Read it carefully. You will be astonished how many times the football is yanked away.

I studied the speech and found 61 instances when Bush strayed from the truth. I discovered false impressions, false assumptions, false inferences, false promises, appeals to fear, contradictions, pipedreams, projections, flip-flops, deceptions, distortions, disinformation and delusions. Oh, don’t forget euphemisms—many, many euphemisms.

Our president cites the “thoughtful recommendations” of the Iraq Study Group, giving the false impression he agrees with them. To the contrary, he rejects their most critical advice: diplomacy with Iran and Syria. Bush seeks military confrontation with both, yet praises Condoleezza Rice’s “urgent diplomacy.” Yes, truth is tyranny.

Bush repeatedly claims he listens to the “generals on the ground.” Really? He dumps Abizaid and Casey, replaces them with puppets, and now—Bush says with a straight face—military commanders “report that this plan can work.” Manipulation and obfuscation reign. Yes, fire the truthful.

Bush hails democracy—but ignores election results. Bush persistently praises freedom—but annihilates our liberties. Bush repudiates our enemies’ violence—but seeks increased U.S. funding of violence. Yes, believe the banal.

Bush’s greatest fantasy, grandest delusion and most outlandish lie is this surge will “help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence.” Do you see the contradiction? Violence does not break violence; violence is cyclical because it perpetuates violence. Yes, deception is divine.

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Half a trillion dollars kills half a million Iraqis, traumatizes half a million U.S. soldiers’ children, and terrorizes half a million Iraqi children. Bush wants $6 billion more to continue this destructive darkness devoid of decency. Yes, violence is holy.

The president is right: Extremists with hateful ideology seek “mass killings on an unbelievable scale.” Bush must recognize, however, it is his extremism, his ideology, his fundamentalist fanaticism, his hate, and his war that initiates and perpetuates these unbelievable mass killings. Yes, projection is potent.

Let’s be honest. Bush’s football is stained with ugly, blatant and damnable lies. Bush’s “faith” is a fraud perpetrated upon himself and everyone who equates claiming to be Christian with following Christ. Does Jesus lie? Does Jesus justify evil? Who would Jesus bomb?

Bush’s benediction is his gravest sacrilege: “We go forward with trust that the Author of Liberty will guide us through these trying hours.” Divorced from his preceding statements, this is a wonderful blessing.

Look closer. Bush’s speech is “The New Way Forward in Iraq” and Bush repeatedly praises liberty. Then he tells us we “go forward” with the “Author of Liberty.” By clear implication as well as thematic links, God endorses the president’s war plans for Iraq.

If God endorses this heinous, obscene, immoral and satanic war, I would rather spend eternity in Dante’s inferno than worship such a capricious, petulant, ignorant and sadistic deity. God supports this war? Make no mistake: This is blasphemy.

Bush makes a feeble inference he is responsible because, using a passive voice without an apology, “mistakes have been made.” This president betrays his oath, spits on the Constitution, and defiles the nation’s soul. No, Bush’s urgent need is repentance commensurate with the magnitude of his misdeeds.

There are times when silence is both treason against the nation and an abomination against God. This is such a time. The President looks at you as he places the football on the ground yet again. What will you do?

©2007 Harry Rix. All rights reserved.