I Remember 9-11

     I remember 9/11.  It was a beautiful day and I had to work the 11 to 8 shift.  Usually I watched the Today show in the mornings, but this morning was so peaceful and pretty I did not turn the television on.  I did some housework.  I left the house and drove to work with the windows down and the radio off.  I was in a great mood and it was going to be a great day.   I remember I was coming in the library branch where I worked with a couple of big bags in my hands.  When I got in, I  noticed that someone had set the staff television set on the counter and it was on.  This did not happen unless something monumental happened.  As the manager I asked what was up with the set.  I was told it was to keep up and help customers stay tuned to the events.  I asked what events.  As usual they thought I was joking but soon discovered I had been in a media blackout and did not know about the air disaster. 

     Once I heard and saw what had happened, I must admit I had a pretty different reaction to that of everyone else, and I suspect what I am going to say next may make you think I am either crazy, unpatriotic or both, but here it is.

      Most everyone there was upset, angry or distraught.  I shook my head up and down and said, nice.  I had to give whoever did this respect.  It was well done. They had definitely gotten our attention. I was not angry, afraid or distraught.  I was intrigued.  Who did it and now that they had our undivided attention, why?  What did they want?  To my dismay, it did not seem as if anyone else, anywhere wanted to know this.  Everyone wanted revenge, especially our government.  Reacting like a one-eyed Cyclops, our government, whipped up by then President George Bush the younger decided to fight back – to lash out at the enemy yet to be named, but definitely some middle east group, hence the war on terror. 

     I thought then and still think now that America missed a wonderful opportunity to set an example of the positive kind (just what would Jesus do?).  Instead of lobbing bombs, toppling governments, losing thousands of young lives and maybe trillions of dollars on a cause we could not win and maybe should not even have attempted, maybe we should have called a time out, a truce.  Someone is really angry at us.  Let’s find out who, and why.  Are their issues valid?  Have we done some bad things (known or unknown)? How can we correct the issue without more deaths? How has our culture damaged another?  What is the problem?  Instead of looking for a peaceful albeit probably long term process (as if the war in Afghanistan, Iraq and all the other places we are fighting bans of Al-Qaida has not taken up a generation already) that would have had the opportunity to change the way we solve problems, communicate and do business, not to mention enhance our reputation in the entire international community, we chose to act like a wronged bully.  We are no closer to solving the war on terrorism than we are on solving the war on drugs, or poverty.  We are helping to create more terrorists.  People who never in their wildest dreams would have thought they would be taking up arms against the USA are doing so and teaching their children to take up the cause.  How is this to ever end with all sides blindly throwing punches?  What are we fighting against? 

     If their issues were not valid, prove it, make it transparent and work to cure the ills.  If it was an act of a few “terrorists” we could have honed in on them – localized attack to arrest and try them in a proper court.  Now we are stuck and being sucked in deeper and deeper.

     A while back I wrote a piece about terrorism (see Maybe We Need A New Song) in which I said they do not have to do another thing because they have already won.  America is no longer the carefree nation it was.  America has given up so many freedoms under the banner of making us safer.  Even as I write this I wonder if my freedom of speech and thought is still intact enough for me to express these views.  But if by being safer we are now afraid of our neighbors, are scrutinized everywhere, searched as if we are in a third world country, constantly looking for threats;  our lifestyle had been permanently changed for the  worst.  I think we missed a golden opportunity to right so many wrongs committed by past governments and maybe even current ones and really be the generation that says enough is enough.  We have to lighten up on the coveting and the greed, for the good of all.  We need to apologize and then forgive all including ourselves.

   
   

Too Bad We Can't Talk About This

     I was raised to understand that there were three things you could not talk about in polite company (during parties, any social event, maybe not even at home): politics, religion and sex.  Times have changed a little, but these three topics are still considered taboo in many circles.  Sometimes I wish not to be in polite social environs just so these topics could be thrashed and thrashed well.
       Glenn Meade really thrashes religion, specifically Catholicism, the Vatican and its role in promoting Christianity and tearing down religious barriers (something it has yet to do).  He does this in his latest book, The Second Messiah.
     This book revolves around the Catholic church, archeology, murder and keeping secrets.  Archeology plays a prominent role in this story as does what may be seen as an unnatural alliance between the Mossad and the Vatican working together. There are also cliche scenes throughout reminiscent of Indiana Jones, but the dialogs and thoughts expressed via the thoughts of the main characters about archeology and religion are very thought provoking.
     I attended Howard University in the early '70's.  One day, my boyfriend who was an artist, took me on a tour of "America's Catholic Church" aka the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  We had a difference of opinion about the church.  He thought it was a beautiful work of art.  I thought it was an appalling display of opulence that was almost vulgar when I thought about all of the poor Catholics that put their last pennies in the offering so that someone could design a church like this with gold walls and ceilings and other expensive trappings.  We argued about it for over a week.  I agreed that it was beautiful, but was an example of why I thought the church in general was failing those it claimed to serve.  A few years later I noticed a movement in mainstream religion that God did not want people to be poor and especially wanted the church to be an example of wealth so that folks would have something to emulate and would have leaders to represent them well.  "You don't want pastor to be driving an old beat up car when he goes to visit the sick and shut in do you?" Was something I heard from the pulpit as deacons encouraged the congregation to donate a "love" offering for the pastor or to donate to the pastor's car fund, or clothing fund, etc.
     I say all of this because Meade addresses just these issues and more in this book.  Here you have an accidental pope who upon being sworn in tells the cardinals that he plans to open the Vatican to all, especially the secret archives and provide full financial disclosure.  He plans to have no secrets, past nor future.  He even forsakes the vestments and accommodations of the Vatican for a sparse room in an abbey.  He wears modest monk wear.  He wants to emulate Jesus as Jesus wanted the church to do.  He is going to try to reach out to the other christian denominations and join the churches.  As one cleric cries, "what next, reaching out to other religions?!?!".  Maybe you can imagine what happens next, the mayhem that this stirs up.
     Throughout this book there are some very interesting discussions about the role of the Catholic church, archeology, culture and life itself.  Too bad we can't talk about them, but you can read them in The Second Messiah and form your own thoughts.  Who knows, you may even break camp and talk about them.