Category: World Politics

by Dave Mindeman

There has been a lot of talk about the weather lately. Heaven knows we have been dealing with some pretty odd weather patterns. It is hard to get through the day without somebody commenting about snow in an unflattering way.

It's not snow in particular, it's snow that is not welcome at this time of year. It irritates us. It doesn't fit our expectations.

I have been thinking about that as I listen to the endless speculation about the Marathon bombing. Every piece of minutia is analyzed. Every word uttered by anyone involved gets extra scrutiny.

But just like snow in late April, we are uncomfortable with this event...it doesn't fit our expectations. We want things to be clear...have a cause and effect. An ability to understand it all.

But that is not happening and I think we need to accept that.

This isn't some vast international conspiracy. Maybe some religious zealotry is involved, but is it really something that could have been predicted? The two bombers don't look like people to be feared..if there is such a look. They have a big, somewhat dysfunctional family, but is that really that unusual? They had friends, neighbors and co-workers. Just about everyone around them saw nothing that unusual. They were angry and took out that anger in a public way...a horrific way.

We have all this scrutiny. We have Sen. Lindsay Graham calling for a classification of them being enemy combatants. We have Miranda Rights being pushed aside. We have increased surveillance being looked at as the norm. We have the Muslim faith attacked and questioned.

We need to take a moment and step back. Wait for more facts and information. Be thankful that it is over and take care of the victims and their needs. We need to remember that we are an open society by choice and that opens us up to certain inherent risks. But let's not overreact and put more restrictions on civil liberties. That won't fix anything.

I find it more than a bit ironic that there is all this call for action involving the Marathon bombing....all this talk of more restrictions and changes to how we protect ourselves. And yet, when it comes to our examination of Sandy Hook and the tragic loss of 26 lives, we choose to do nothing.

It is hard to understand.

Category: World Politics

by Dave Mindeman

I hope that someday, when 9/11 turns another page on the calendar, that we can find a way to push politics aside and use that day to reflect on things that really matter.

It is disturbing to see this tragedy become a vehicle for hatred in so many ways. We lost a lot on that day nine years ago. In a way, we lost more than the lives of innocent Americans; we seem to have lost a world perspective.

I was proud of the way President Obama, in his press conference, managed to get a clear message sent, that we are not at war with Islam. In a time when words like Islamofascism are bandied about like they really exist, we finally get a message from America's leader that we are struggling against a distorted, small faction of the Muslim and Arab world.....not the vast majority of peace seeking Muslims.

Politics has become too pervasive in this anniversary reflection. The Quran burning controversy and the NY Mosque location are, in themselves, minor distractions in the overall discourse. But when we reflect on these things through a prism of suspicion and distrust and yes, some bigotry, they take on a life of their own.

Time can heal all wounds. That is true. But raw political discourse can slow that healing process....even make those wounds fester and become diseased.

At some point, 9/11 will become a somber day of reflection. We will all take a moment and re-examine ourselves and look at how America fits into the world and what we need to lead it in a positive direction....not back into a cesspool of ethnic tension and religious animosity.

That September day was horrible. We entered a realm of fear and confusion unlike any other. But Americans have always rebounded from every tragic event in our history. We have always found a way to renew ourselves and become stronger.

We aren't fully there yet and the repercussions of the politics as usual has delayed our healing process. But we will get there.

Nine years later we struggle to understand it all. But one thing is certain....we must learn how to stand together again. To stand as one people against hatred and bigotry.

The last thing we need is to find ourselves becoming tools that promote the goals of our radical, fundamentalist enemies.

To that end, 9/11 is a time for reflection on who we really are.

Category: World Politics

Lyrics by Billy Joel....performed by Cass Dillon

It's evening in the desert
I'm tired and I'm cold
But I am just a soldier
I do what I am told

We came with the crusaders
To save the holy land
It's Christmas in Fallujah
And no one gives a damn

And I just got your letter
And this is what I read you said
I'm fading from your memory
So I'm just as good as dead

We are the armies of the empire
We are the legionnaires of Rome
It's Christmas in Fallujah
And we ain't never coming home

We came to bring these people freedom
We came to fight the infidel
There is no justice in the desert
Because there is no God in hell

They say Osama's in the mountains
Deep in a cave near Pakistan
But there's a sea of blood in Baghdad
A sea of oil in the sand

Between the Tigris and Euphrates
Another day comes to an end
It's Christmas in Fallujah
Peace on Earth goodwill to men

It's Christmas in Fallujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
It's Christmas in Fallujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
It's Christmas in Fallujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
It's Christmas in Fallujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah

Marry Christmas from Fallujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Marry Christmas from Fallujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah [5x]

Oo-ra!