Before you castigate me for being negative, or un-patriotic, or anti-American, or just plain nuts, please take note. I did NOT say that all the wars we get into can’t be won. I said, THIS war can’t be won.
Why do I say that? Because after carefully reading what Sam Sloan, a freelance journalist, and Marta Salij, a columnist for the Detroit Free Press, had to say on the subject, I came to the conclusion that they might just be right.
Now, why should I (and also you) take as gospel what these two political writers have to say? Not for their credentials; neither one has an outstanding track record. Not for their connections; neither reporter has an insider take on information. And not for their credibility; few people have even heard of them.
Why then?
LOGIC. Logical conclusions based on their knowledge and understanding of this particular war: Sloan’s logic applied to Biblical history, and Salij’s logic applied to Arab power in the Middle East.
First, Marta Salij.
Salij’s article, “Losing the War on Terrorism—we don’t understand what we’re up against.” is an incisive and sobering explanation of a war we cannot win because we misunderstand why al-Qaida and other Muslims are fighting us. U.S. leaders erroneously believe—and keep trying to convince us—that Muslims hate us, and attack us for what we are and how we think, rather than for what we do.
It is not U.S. values, but U.S. policies that are under attack.
In a nutshell, there are six inflammatory U.S. policies that Muslims attack us for: (1) our troops on Arabian soil, (2) our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, (3) our support of Russia, China and India in suppressing Muslim militants, (4) our support of tyrannical and corrupt Muslim governments, (5) our pressure on oil producers to keep prices low, (6) our support of Israeli policies that keep Palestinians as slaves or serfs.
If Muslims do indeed hate America, these are the reasons why, and only a change in U.S. policy will remedy the situation. But don’t hold your breath, because a change in U.S. policy is not likely to happen. Therefore, this war is destined to go on and on.
Now, Sam Sloan.
In Sloan’s article, “Why does the USA support Israel?” he analyzes the “religious” dimension to this tragic situation that is keeping us at war in the Middle East.
All the reasons the administration gives us for supporting Israel, says Sloan, are false, and will always be false. In addition, since many Jews are opposed to Israel and to its policies, there must be some other, less obvious, reason why America supports Israel.
America supports Israel because Fundamentalist Christians support Israel.
Fundamentalist Christians constitute the largest voting block in the USA, and as such, no political candidate can get elected if they are opposed to him. Thus, it stands to reason that no candidate dares to speak against what the Fundamentalist Christians believe if he wants to survive.
And just what do the Fundamentalist Christians believe, and what does that have to do with Israel and the Jews?
Fundamentalist Christians believe in the exact wording of the Bible. They read the Book avidly and believe every word is true. Literally. No exceptions. Unlike the Jews who have diverse opinions about Israel, Fundamentalist Christians are united in support of Israel.
The big question is why?
The Bible itself gives us the answer. In the Book of Revelations (chapters 16 to 21) it says that in order for the Second Coming of Christ to occur, several things must happen. The Jews must return to Jerusalem (which has already begun); then comes the Battle of Armageddon, then destruction of Jerusalem, followed by the “arrival” of a New Jerusalem. At which time all the Jews who did not die in Armageddon will convert to Christianity.
This ending may rankle the Jews but you can imagine how elated it makes the Fundamentalist Christians—and THAT is the reason they give their support to Israel—not necessarily just for today, but for “eternity.”
Even with this immensely critical and highly involved scenario it should not be difficult to see why America cannot win. This war in Iraq—which will stir up the entire Middle East—appears to be an initial (and necessary) step in the biblical sequence that will result in the reappearance of Christ, for which the Fundamentalist Christians are waiting and praying for.
These articles by Sam Sloan and Marta Salij address this difficult “war” problem rationally, knowledgeably, and most important, logically.
Prophesy, pre-destination, divine mandate, call it what you will, I offer you their conclusions, not because they have all the answers, but because they may have the most important one: Why we cannot win, or even stop this war.
“Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact.”