FROM THE REAL ART VAULT

In one sense, as far as the day to day functioning of Real Art is concerned, my blog is a record of the most interesting bits of my daily internet reading, embellished by my reaction or response to them. Obviously, I don't post everything I read, not even all the interesting stuff. Sometimes, I don't really have anything at the moment to say about a really cool article, or I have a lot to say, but not enough time to do it justice, or I've already decided to go with another couple of articles, leaving a couple left over, presumably for later. Sometimes I encounter something that looks cool, but don't feel like reading it. Those articles and essays go into my Internet Explorer "Favorites--To be read or linked" file. Every four or five months that file becomes annoyingly huge, so I look over what I've compiled, delete what is no longer timely or interesting to me, and take stock of what's left.

I did exactly that earlier this evening, and found a couple of worthy links from a while back that seem appropriate now given what I've been posting about lately, that is, Christian fundamentalism and the Iraq War. So without any further ado, let's get to those links.

From ZNet (back in March):

Why Iraq Withdrawal Makes Sense

Consider the perspective of David Enders, a brave American journalist who has been in Iraq most of the time since the invasion. While writing for such outlets as MotherJones.com, the Nation magazine and the British daily Independent, he actually covers Iraqi society firsthand rather than staying behind American lines. Days ago, responding to my questions via email from Iraq, Enders provided some of the reasons for his assessment that American troops should leave rather than stay. For instance:

* "It is the will of the Iraqi people." Enders cites a recent survey by Iraqi pollster Saadun Al-Dulaimie, who found that 85 percent of Iraqi people want U.S. troops out of their country as soon as possible.

* "The U.S. does not provide security for the average Iraqi, and it never has."

* "The U.S. has not prevented a civil war from taking place. If anything, it has exacerbated it."

* "It is not morally derelict to pull out; it's morally derelict to stay. Returning real control and sovereignty to Iraqis is the most effective way to prevent the country from breaking apart. U.S. troops complain Iraqis don't want to stand up and fight for themselves, and a big part of the reason is the occupiers' presence."

Click here for the rest.

It's completely obvious to anyone who's able to read between the lines of mainstream newspapers that "staying the course" just isn't working. The insurgency continues, seemingly stronger than ever: the US occupation is making things worse, not better. If our country really is interested in democracy and freedom in Iraq, the best thing to do is to pull out right now. Of course, our country isn't interested in a free Iraq. That's why we'll be there for years to come.

Next, from CounterPunch (back in January):

Everybody's Talkin' About Christian Fascism

Might we, noting the non-Christian input into this fascist trend refer to it merely as "religious fascism"? Or just "American fascism"?

Yes, you have at the summit Bush and Cheney, registered Methodists who may or not sincerely believe in the theology of John Wesley, which is not all that dissimilar to that of his contemporary Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, but derive support from the religious right, especially the less educated among them. But then you have the above-quoted Methodist minister Rev. William E. Alberts too. The problem is not any specific religion but the specific necessity of crisis-ridden capitalism to transform the world, exploiting religion whenever it's useful to do so. Hitler embarked on his world-transforming mission depicting himself as devout God-fearing man; in Mein Kampf he refers repeatedly to "the Lord," "the Almighty," and Jesus as "the great founder of a new doctrine." "I am fighting for the work of the Lord," he declared, and a whole lot of German Christians, Protestants and Catholics, believed him. Soldiers for the Wehrmacht wore belt buckles with the slogan Gott mit uns (God is with us).

Click here for the rest.

The rhetoric of Christian fascism fills the airwaves and newspapers every day: the liberals support evil abortion and homosexuality, discriminate against God's people by opposing the appointment of their judges to the federal bench, and hate America by not supporting its crusade for righteousness around the world. The excommunication of Democrats from that Southern Baptist church in North Carolina is simply a manifestation of the fascist rhetorical dehumanization of "the other" that was so prevalent in 1930s Germany. No, we're not there yet, but the seeds have been planted, and they are starting to bear their strange fruit. Remember, these people have great influence over the Republican Party, who, in turn, run the entire federal government, and many state governments. The fundamentalists are strong and they know it. They're already starting to demand what they believe is their due.

What's next?

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