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Response to Congress and Condi Rice, “Stop Meddling!”
By Linda J. Hutchinson
Word count: 844


I'm just one person and my views will most likely seem naive to some, but: It seems to me that when Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, or Atheism is publicly rebuked or ridiculed anywhere in the world, the followers of that faith or belief generally pray for the offender—or not—and get back to what they need to be doing to make life the best it can be for themselves and their families and friends, including protecting themselves by whatever means necessary.

When Islam has been publicly rebuked or ridiculed, as in the recent publication of cartoons depicting Muhammad, there is rioting in the streets, death threats are issued, violence is assured. Extremists and zealots run amok wreaking as much havoc as possible, in very public showings.

My point is not to slander the personal walks of faith or beliefs of others, but to point out the differences in the actions of those believers and their practices, at least those differences that manifest publicly.

Why is it that mostly peace-loving Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindis, and Atheists will “turn the other cheek”, while so many Muslims seem willing to murder anyone who does not agree with them?

For the most part, non-Muslims are “free” to accept or not accept the teachings of their faith.

Muslims in Muslim-controlled countries are often murdered if they do not publicly bestow all to Muhammad. These Muslims are not allowed the freedom to choose, and do not accept the fact that non-Muslims are. If they do believe it, they also believe that it shouldn’t be so. From what I’ve read, listened to, and seen in the media, I’ve come to believe that many Muslims seem to believe that every person who does not believe exactly as they do, should die.

However, how many of us in the non-Muslim world hide our heads in the sand when it comes to what our own governments are doing? Our government here in America is working to erode the tenets of our belief systems by banning public displays of The Ten Commandments and banning “Under God” from our pledge of allegiance and on our legal tender.

Our President is currently overriding the rights and freedoms of our citizenry by using illegal wiretaps in the name of national security. And now our Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, is asking Congress for funds to provoke change in countries that don’t believe the same things that we believe in, to disrupt their governments and to pay for more extremism and violence—all in the name of promoting peace by fox-trotting in a new regime through insurgency and insurrection.

Our government has no more right to provide millions of dollars in aid and support to factions, political dissidents and human rights activists in Iran, than it would to give aid to the Nazi groups and home-grown terrorists within America’s borders. Let the people in Iran govern themselves, love or hate one another, and blow themselves up if that’s what they choose to do.

If Iran wants to provide an atmosphere where its citizenry kills one another off, why should we stop them? Stop them from doing it on our turf, of course, but why stop them from cleaning out their own waste system of extremists?

Why do we allow ourselves to be pulled into the bully ring? Attempting to choose a religion or government for Iran, or for Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Jordan, Albania, Afghanistan, and yes—even Iraq—or any other country, is not our business.

Why do we allow them to bully us? We know they will bring in the suicide bombers. We know they will create havoc. Why not let them do that to their own on their own sand lots, and with their own money?

Rather than attempting to change their religion or government, why not wait until they have—as North Korea, Russia, China, India, and Pakistan have most likely already done—enriched their uranium with the help of Russia and other so-called friends of the US, and then send in a highly trained multi-nation team of like-minded covert military personnel to ensure the product is decimated, again on the host countries’ own turf?

Seventy-five million dollars would go a long way in covering the costs of monitoring uranium enrichment, if the United Nations did the job it was designed to do. It is the United Nations that should be monitoring the nations of planet Earth, especially those who show ill-will towards its neighbors.

If the United States would cut off funding to rogue nations, would develop other sources and replacements for foreign oil, would use its military might to protect itself, and to educate every citizen within its borders, then other countries just might look at us as great examples of how it should be done.

Let the peoples of other countries want to be like us, rather than encumbering our grandchildren’s grandchildren with our huge military debt that we incurred while showing them our way is better.

We should never let our guard down, but we don’t have to meet the bully on his terms.

Bio:
Linda J. Hutchinson is a freelance writer and copywriter living in central Ohio. She has written for magazines, trade journals, newspapers, newsletters, websites and e-zines. As at-home on a construction site as in an art gallery, she’s been told she “cleans up real good”. Her first novel is in process.

Website: http://www.lindajhutchinson.com/

Email: Linda@lindajhutchinson.com