I begin most weekdays the same way: I wake up at 7:00, finally get out of bed at 7:20, shower, iron or shave (never both), grab a bowl of cereal, get in my car, and listen to Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne give me my morning news on my ten minute drive to work. Most days, even though the news isn't always good, the latter part of this process, my Morning Edition fix, keeps me calm while I navigate traffic and wait through three cycles of the light on Arkadelphia Road. I get to work feeling engaged with the world, somewhat connected, and ready to grab a cup of coffee and start my day. But yesterday, this didn't work out as it usually does. Yesterday, a correspondent was in Iowa, interviewing a man who had just seen John McCain give a speech at his Rotary club the day before. He said to the correspondent, "Now I didn't much like John McCain before, but now," a shocked tone settling in his voice, "Now I think I'm a John McCain man!" I immediately turned crabby.
I know it may seem odd that this ten second blip set me off when other far worse things don't. It's not that I'm not concerned when I hear about what's going on with the Pakistani leadership, how we're further fucking up the situation in Iraq, or how Bush vetoed yet another potentially positive (though generally neutered) bill. I am. I'm very concerned, but I usually am able to process it and move on. I feel connected to the situation, but I know that there's not much I can do about these things other than stay informed and engaged where I can be. The McCain man, however, just reminded me how many people are completely divorced from rational thought. One speech was apparently enough to convert someone who once hated John McCain to an avid supporter. He didn't get online to make sure that what McCain said corresponded with his voting record. He didn't question whether McCain was being completely genuine. He just bought it.
McCain may have given an impressive speech (I doubt it, but maybe), but it's still our responsibility to follow-up and not just blindly buy into whatever it is we're told. I think the reason I got so pissed off, is that I see this sort of thing happening around me a lot. It happens in politics, but even more, it happens in religion.
So apparently this guy:
has said that "nuclear arms proliferation, environmental pollution and economic inequality are threats to world peace -- but so are abortion, birth control and same-sex marriage" according to this article
from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
So apparently, my wanting to one day potentially settle down with a partner, visit him in the hospital if he's sick, and have a child (if I wanted a child that is) is as big a threat to world peace as nuclear weapons and global warming. I'm thoroughly offended by that idea. And birth control? Isn't that probably something that would help further world peace? Less overpopulation might contribute to less crowding, less starvation, less disease. I agree with his first three. They're big problems. But I think he's missed a biggie: The Catholic Church itself, and all of the other dogmatic, uncompromising religious groups that make persecution of other human beings their m.o.
Please tell me how
these guys are as big a threat to world peace as a nuclear bomb.
Of course, I'm already reading wackos who are praising the Pope for his statements. I don't understand how anyone takes him seriously.
