I post things under my Sojourners Category when it involves “mixing” politics with theology or Christian living, which is pretty much what Sojourners is all about. When I saw that Wendell Berry was interviewed for their latest issue, I called the magazine and asked if my subscription that I sent in a while back could be started with the two issues that have hit the stands since I sent in for my free trial issue. Most “Free Issue” trials sign you up, and then if you don’t wish to get the mag, then you write cancel. Sojourners waited too long to send my bill, and then I procrastinated a bit too long and I missed 2 issues by the time my sub got processed. They sent the two issues out after I called (the first was
“Progressive AND ‘Pro-life'” (the pro-life is in quotes in the title, indicating how Sojourners procalims the same pervasive “limitations” in the typical usage of the category “Pro-life”….another post on that later)

I thought I might treat myself to Moore’s ” 9/11 Farenheit” movie on the 4th, as an observance to how disgusted I have been over the past two years with the typical “patriotism”, which is widely assumed to mean that you SUPPORT Bush or you are Anti-American. No way. And there’s absolutely no way that I am not partiotic. I feel goosebumps during presentations of certain “celebrations” of American history…..those which do not deal with the celebration of military might. The values which we say we are fighting for are not always , and almost never, necessary to “Fight” for (in the military verison of “Fight”). As Gandhi once said “I am not advocating passive anything…….I am asking you to fight…..” but he goes on to say that the “Fight” is a non-violent fight. Certainly, there are values worth figthing for. But is “killing for” and “fighting for” always have to mean the same thing? I don’t think so.

I always concede that there are times, when true “defense” is warranted (such as helping to defend the world against Nazi Germany). BUt Iraq was wholy different. This was a “pre-emptive” strategy, and one based on unsubstantiated “evidence”, and continues to be justified “just because” Bush and his cronies say so (or whoever else is really in charge to whom Bush himself is a “public cronie” — and a pitifully BAD public face at that—— hearing Clinton interviewed the other day and notcing the stark contrasty of his articulate thought and delivery, and then looking at how ill-at-ease BUsh is in public, how hesitant, and how “canned” his speech is. It’s absolutely amazing to me how his intelligent supporters deny this. Take the same exact qualities and put them in a Democrat and the Bush supporters today wojuld be having a field day. They could never accuse Clinton of being lacking in articulate abilities, and delivery of speeches. This is one area where it seems that Farenheit will feed my already deep disgust and disdain for Bush speeches.

I also want to learn of what else Moore “uncovers” in his portrayal. I realize his slant is more slanted than others, but certainly not as bad as Rush, and you don’t hear Republicans complaining about him. Hopefully there are many among their ranks who are rightfully distancing themseleves from him becuase they are embarassed by his polemics. There are Democratic party supporters who feel the same about Moore. Still, knowing all this, and knowing he is slanted (albeit in ways whoich are in the same direction in which I am).

But I am “slanted” toward peace. The pro-war and pro0Iraq war folks say that the real “results” (their “projections”) justify their pro-war stance. I have had a Christian friend say to me that it is similar to the things Colonel Jessup said in “A Few Good Men” like “You want me on that wall, You NEED me on that wall”, and that “the truth” that I can’t handle is that there are realities such as this; that their tactics are not as important to us in the long run as the fact that deep down, “We want them on that wall”. Well, the movie’s obvious slant on that was that Jessup crossed a moral line, way over it. And that’s where I come down. There are also grave consequences I forsee in continuing to feed the cycle of violence.