High Holy Day!
Greetings and salutations from the sand, sun and surf of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and the cloudy, cold, calm island of Nantucket! So good to be with you on this Wednesday morning here at the Hyannis/Hyannis Port Waterfront(s), this 18th day of February, 2015. Looking out at the giant mountains of snow outside of the office, one may think one is on a ski vacation in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, as opposed to the summer destination this little hamlet by the sea really is.
Far away from this peace, is a world in turmoil. No one needs to tell you that, especially if you are in the news business. Russia’s aggression in the Ukraine, ISIL and the latest atrocities committed against 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt, and an Israeli Prime Minister who thinks he’s a rock star, yes, it is all quite maddening if one thinks about it for too long.
When an animal is mistreated, abused and left for dead, it usually responds well to love, kindness and forgiveness and to others that have been through similar situations. Kings, Czars, dictators, kleptocrats, plutocrats, oligarchs–those wielding enormous power–have, throughout millennia of many human civilizations, gone to great lengths to keep the masses in check, to keep them all ‘well informed’ (please see FOX “news”), with innuendos and half truths (again, please Google or buy stock in FOX “news”), if not flat out lies. Coupled with brutal physical and psychological weapons used against ‘them’ as well. Thus, by keeping the masses down, the ruling elite can do whatever they pretty much please, until, of course, that all falls apart due to those same masses rising up and demanding a fair shake, a piece of the pie they have been told they would get someday if they only ‘work hard and play by the rules’.
Whose rules?
The unrest in the Middle East is abhorrent to be sure. But the reality on the ground is simply this: one cannot bomb or kill their way out of this ideological fight to the death. Taking in a few moments of “Morning Joe” this a.m.–Mr. Scarborough looking fit with that pine cone shake for breakfast I might add, well done sir!, only on MSNBC (not a paid Ad!)–the panel went back and forth regarding this very question of what to do with this radical, insane, murderous group known as ISIL, a group that does not represent the God of Love I know; nor, I imagine, anyone else on that panel.
Plenty of criticism to go around, many claiming the White House and President Obama not doing enough to ‘kill the bad guy’ when he knows, as a student of history, that we failed in that attempt during the debacle known ’round the world as the U.S./Iraq War in 2003. For even though we had 100,000 troops in place during the infamous ’surge’ of 2007, we still could not completely wipe out “Al Qaeda in Iraq” (the mostly Sunni group of radical Islamic extremists who eventually ‘evolved’ into ISIL), whose members only numbered in the tens, not even breaking one hundred.
Occupation, occupation, occupation! This outdated/insane modus operandi seems to be the only way out? That is exactly what former wealthy Saudi Osama Bin Laden wanted. He wished the West to be drawn into an ‘End Times’ battle of Armageddon, as depicted in the Holy Bible (and the Koran?), the book of course cherished by a billion plus Christians all over the world. His vision was a United States of America broken by war(s), thus doomed economically by being involved forever in these said forever wars that go no where except round and round, a circular firing squad if you will. Our mighty military industrial complex and the vast cache of weapons therein, biting US back as our own weapons once again end up in hands of ‘the enemy’ which is pretty darn hard to define these days in such a complex 12 dimensional chess game, ‘arming those free spirited Syrian rebels’ who will, most definitely, be the answer to this monumental and dare I say biblical situation we have found ourselves embroiled in once again–thanks “W”!
This young, wonderful nation is being tested again, just as it was in the early 1940’s… Will we splinter and become paralyzed/polarized as a country (too late, already happening, just turn on your flat/plasma/wrap around/3D 150 inch screen TV machine to see all of the fun and interesting crap going on presently; all that senseless, mindless and short sighted bickering between Republicans and Democrats, p.s., good job with the whole Homeland Security thing fellas, really, great job!), just like our friends in the Middle East (Sunni v. Shiite)? Our goal as an individual or people is the ‘pursuit of happiness’ (credit: Thomas Jefferson), and if you look around you these days there is very little of that going on, ‘except around Palm Springs this ‘time’ of year by gosh, by golly!
So take heart America! Things are really not as bleak as they may appear. Sure, the giant, faceless, international corporate oil and gas-global in scale-conglomerates, combined with the bloody coal industry, are slowly killing our beautiful planet for their PROFIT, but at least we have the NFL! Do the poor innocents in Ukraine? We also have SNL and a bunch of other acronyms I am too lazy to name right now, but believe you me, we have it pretty darn good as a people for the most part. We, those at the pinnacle of civilization, should stop complaining. The approach that needs to evolve in this whole ISIL problem will come organically and cannot be rushed by some crazed right wing nut jobs whose only goal before they go off to their heavenly home is to start ‘just one more war’ against the ‘axis of evil’ that is threatening our beloved country, a country that could become Syria in a few years if we don’t begin addressing our own people and not just the Oligarchs who wish to rule over them… Throwing them a scrap of bread every now and again so that they may feel better about going to church, being ASH WEDNESDAY soon and all…
‘From the dust we came and to the dust we shall return’. An Ash Wednesday message?
While we are here, however, let’s try and make it a good experience, for WE, as a collective species, have the KNOWLEDGE to solve all of our problems. It’s up to that collective US to embrace those that are ‘different’, at an early age nurture and educate them, for they will make you proud someday I guarantee it. For in REALITY, your brother IS your savior and vice versa. Food for thought on this high holy day in the Catholic Church. I pray you all have a great day and remembering to think globally, but ACT locally. Being kind to ‘the little people’ for you never know when that ‘little person’ is going to be you.
Recalling what Jesus said so many moons ago, “…the first shall be last and the last shall be first”. If this is end times, don’t you want to be on the RIGHT side of history?
PRESERVE THE WILDERNESS! Peace~M
