List of the week: Election Defeat Tunes
Essential Information for Global Domination
All About Me
The World According to Me
The Onion...you'll laugh your arse off
Deep Thought of the Week: Pope George and America's Crisis of Faith (11/3/04)
The results are in, and America has "chosen" (for those of you who trust those highly suspect voting machines...see:
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm).
Interestingly, Americans seem to be voting not on economics, the environment, or even foreign policy, but many voters chose Bush because of his deep religious conviction and Christian values. There are voters out there who truly believe that Bush receives orders from God, and acts as his Christian soldier. Which leads me to believe that the American people were not seeking to elect a president, bound by the laws set forth by the Constitution, but rather a pope--an infallible semi-deity who can interpret the word of the Lord and give people moral guidance in every facet of their lives. In his coronation address, Innocent III boldly declared himself: "the anointed of the Lord, the god of pharaoh set midway between God and man, below God but above man, less God but more than man, judging all other men, but himself judged by none." This divine role, set forth in the Middle Ages, is evolving into a job description for the modern-day president of the United States. And apparently the electorate wants a leader who, like the pope, adheres strictly to the doctrine of papal infallibility--i.e., never admitting he's wrong.
What's truly fascinating, however, is that while the people want moral leadership, the level of terror that has encompassed the American people--another big factor which influenced the course of the election--reveals a complete spiritual vacuum. If the American electorate had true faith in a higher power, they would trust that this supreme being had a plan for them, and not wage wars and approve of torture and the killing of civilians to stave off death at any cost. Of course no one welcomes death with open arms, but the sheer terror Americans feel in its wake--and the firm belief that preemptive human action, rather than God's will, can determine their fates--belies a lack of any true spirituality. In Buddhism, adherents strive to achieve death gracefully, so when it comes they can "choose" how to die--experiencing it as a natural process rather than a painful demise. In contrast, American Christians (and Jews) will spend every penny of their parents' social security funds to avoid confronting their mortality.
All of which illustrates that Americans believe they can have it all: a guarantee of a long, prosperious life in this world (yes, let's not forget the tax cuts), and a guarantee of salvation in the world to come.
Unfortunately, no one wants to admit that voting for Bush might mean arriving at the Pearly Gates with blood on their hands.
Announcemets:
Mazel Tov to my friend Michele, who just tied the knot!
Happy early birthday (and welcome home) to Cara.
