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PDF versionTry This -- Pastor Terry Jones as Scapegoat
by Ken Briggs on Sep. 09, 2010
Figuratively speaking, Terry Jones was tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail.
He was an easy target. He was quickly portrayed as some sort of rube, a lunatic Christian who wanders in the briar patch between name-brand churches and mushroom worshipers. He's not, they'll have us believe, one of us. He deserves our derision and our jokes because he has been sufficiently dehumanized.
Maybe he is all that, but I'm skeptical. He doesn't seem any more of a religious nut than all those wild-eyed fanatics who have roamed America in the grips of fevered pietty from the beginning, many of them wrapped in respectability. He certainly doesn't appear any more riled up by Muslims than the legions who have sworn their own kinds of vengeance on Islam since 9/11, their passions continually inflamed by media prodding.
I don't share that hatred, so far as I can tell, and have no sympathy with burning Qurans or Upanishads or Torahs or the Book of Morman, though, like flag burning, I think we agreed to allow such distasteful things when we adopted the Constitution.
What galls me is the insinuation that if Jones had touched a match to Islam's sacred book he would have unleashed huge stores of anti-American reaction and sent scores of recruits into the ranks of suicide bombers with the result that our troops would suffer.
That seems to me a preposterous claim to lay at the feet of Terry Jones. However much an act of desecration of the Quoran might incense Muslims around the world, I don't see how it could add more wrath to that which has existed for the past decade as U.S. and allied forces have killed tens of thousands of their co-religionists in the course of invading their territory.
Do we really think that a single act of disrespect by an obscure Florida pastor could possible add significantly to a record of military assault and the loss of their family, friends and neighbors? Sometimes their whole villages?
I'm inclined to think the effect of that one symbolic attack on the Muslim holy book, whatever the immediate shock, would be minimal (the condemnation of the anticipated burning by so meny leading American religious leader would have reduced its impact I think -- Muslims are alert to such things). The roar of anti-American hostility has been building for many years, incited by dishonorable motives and hatreds on the part of the invaders. In this picture, the causes and solutions to 9/11 have long since been buried under other agenda.
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General Petraeus, in effect, said that if things were to take a bad turn in Afghanistan it would be Terry Jones's fault. I guess we're to imagine that Jones would have upset the calm and roused antagonisms where they were well under control.
To me that's scapegoating, placing the misdeeds of a national war effort on the back of a dazed pastor, a man who emerged like a portion of magma from our national discontent, no more off-based, perhaps, than our twisted crusade.
not the currently cool view,
not the currently cool view, but the true, and thus prophetic
stop the killing
stop the wars
stop this true desecration.
and restore piece by piece the peace
until we all ocme to Love.
In the aftermath of Terry
In the aftermath of Terry Jones' cancellation of his BURN THE QURAN DAY, I just wonder what would happen if a Muslim imam convoked a BURN THE TALMUD DAY, or a Jewish rabbi called for a BURN THE BIBLE DAY. Eventually, people may come to the conclusion that in light of all the GLOBAL VIOLENCE which has been caused for centuries in the name of all three religions of THE BOOK, it may be time to burn all three and start over again.
Memo to Mr. Briggs:
Stick to NUNS.
McKee may be intrigued,
McKee may be intrigued, inspired, even edified, with his adherence to nuns here urged, by reading the Reverend Sister Joan Chittister OSB (at al.)'s The Tent of Abraham, which reveals we are all one in our monotheistic worship.
We all believe in the One God.
And I always appreciate all which Ken (if I may) writes, on every topic.
Jones is a buffoon, but is
Jones is a buffoon, but is entitlted to his views. I never fail to be amazed at the Fundamentalist clowns who claim to speak for the Almighty, the creator of the universe. THe thing is though, if I were the Almighty, would I chose some cracker buffoon with a cheap haircut and an ill fitting suit to speak for me? Well, I suppose they are no worse than some Episcopal drag queen, prancing around in his miter and cappa magna.
I am curious how third rate "ministers" claim to speak for God. Perhaps people like this "Pastor" Jones prove that God has a sense of humor.
Hellelieujah Brothers and Sisters! Do you believe? Well then send your money to Brother Billy Bob....
our local, world-class
our local, world-class Mexican daily newspaper adds the detail that he packed a pistol at the press conference.
cognitive dissonance, anyone?
love
The Obama administration and
The Obama administration and their media co-conspirators have a lot of experience in scapegoating. First is was Bush to blame for their failed economic policies, then BP for their failed energy and environment policies, and now a small town pastor for their failed foreign policy, just to name a few. The finger of blame points to whatever they think will translate into the most campaign contributions and voter turnout for their candidates, with elections less than two months away. Interesting too that the Obama administration and media had no problem imposing their own version of Sharia law on the pastor through various harassments. The Obama administration seems to have forgotten that its job is defend the constitutional rights of American citizens. By pressuring the pastor to forfeit his rights they have revealed that their agenda has more to do with appeasing foreign interests and propping up weak Democrat candidates running for re-election, than in protecting basic American rights.
which basic American
which basic American rights?
what version of Sharia?
specifics, AGK, please, so I may follow your logic wheresoever it may lead . . .
What could be worse for
What could be worse for America than the Muslim's silent contempt towards the most powerful country in the world, due to the President engaged in that scandalous public affair and not impeached.
There is no respect or dignity to be found and yes, Muslims are alert, to many things, men amongst men.
what? Did Oprah (now
what?
Did Oprah (now available?) show up at his birthday party while Michelle and the girls were in Spain?
I guess your unimpeachable public affair did not make the Mexican daily I read.
man to man . . .
the core of Muslim worship is often described as respect . . .
perhaps we could learn from this.
I'm sorry Charles, I was
I'm sorry Charles, I was referring to past President Bill Clinton.
See what short memories people have..
I'm sure the Muslims haven't.
You think the war in
You think the war in Afghanistan is a "twisted crusade"? A la Pope Urban II's crusade against Islam itself?
You write, "What galls me is the insinuation that if Jones had touched a match to Islam's sacred book he would have unleashed huge stores of anti-American reaction and sent scores of recruits into the ranks of suicide bombers with the result that our troops would suffer." An "insinuation"? Or the best judgment of such as General Petraeus, Secretary Gates. Secretary Clinton and other experienced leaders? I suggest you spend less time being angry and "galled" and more time using your head to think before you write.
Terry-- Get your facts
Terry--
Get your facts straight. There is a significant elemaent in the Islamic world that:
1) Is looking for provocations to Jihad
2) Positions desecration of that which Islam considers sacred or
sacrilege as an act of war
Ask Salman Rushdie; ask Kurt Westergaard.
The fact is that a deliberate act of desceration of the Koran as a
publicity-stunt by an American is a deliberatetly
provacative act.
It is foolish; it is unnecessary; and as everyone from the President to
the Secretary of State to General Petraeus has pointed out, apt to cause
injury and harm to individuals for whom such an act would be untinkable.
Jones' proposed behavior is ethically and morally unacceptable.
So is the delution of that reality by any means whatsoever, including
positioning him as a "scapegoat." No, he's not a "scapegoat." He's a
lightning rod, one of his own making.
I think the "war" in
I think the "war" in Afghanistan is an alleged crusade twisted to cover up the restoration of the poppy harvest which the previous government had eliminated in the name of morality and religion but which our agencies require to fund their off-the-books operations.
I wonder why no one has
I wonder why no one has connected this outrage to the unsolicited bibles sent to Afghanistan from a church in America some time ago, confiscated and burned by the military to avoid any prostelizing in a country of devout Muslims which could put troops and civilians at risk.
As I have already stated somewhere, can no connection be found or is it just a coincidence.
He's an idiot full stop.
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