a Son's letter -Pa,
It's an acquired taste, but read his lasted blog post. Jon is a fundamental libertarian with a really good knowledge of history. He understands the context of what he's writing in both a modern and a historical sense.
Sometimes social values merge. Sometimes they clash. Historically, when there is tolerance in both societies, cultures tend to merge. Would you mind if everyone became Muslim if it meant that everyone also adopted democracy?
Culture, commerce, etc. It's all an exchange. When it's not an even exchange, then it's called imperialism. Most of the topics that you seem to be writing on your blog are observations of American imperialism. I'm not saying that you agree or disagree with that imperialism; just that you seem to recognize that it exists, where most Americans don't.
So I guess the question that you have to ask yourself is, "Are you an imperialist?"
a Father's response-
Son,
I am an American. I am a Patriot. I am a veteran of the US army.
Patriotism can be blinding. That's why the Patriotism card is played, "My country right or wrong", "Love it or Leave it." etc. Allow a Pearl harbor, create a 9\11, and you have the power of the moment, and obviously, those whom play political emotions understand this. The will of a nation can be formed in a moment, in a Zeitgeist.
I never condemn the Country. I condemn political action for profit, and without conscience, at the expense of mankind, or the common man. Empire should advance with mutual benefit, not exploitation. Imperialism is exploitative. Americans don't believe in Emperors, Royalty, Dictators, or Imperialism, therefore we should not be guilty of these transgressions on the common man. Americans believe we're fair and wear the white hat. Undoubtedly an illusion of reality, but still whom we want to be.
America has marched in the streets to stop wars for profit or empire. As a people, we are not, or are no longer, Imperialists at heart. That is the shame of the Bush years; America was hijacked to the will of greed and profit without conscience, under manipulated circumstance. A very telling statement about the moral fiber of the Bush clan and their associations, but America was hijacked nonetheless and, truth be known, would have acted differently except for the Bush Zeitgeist of fear. American Imperialism during this era did not represent the will of the people, and has been achieved without their blessing, occurring under false pretense and Illusion to the common man, while profit was the underlying motive.
America is the greatest experiment in freedom in world history. Inherent in that Freedom is Fairness. Equality. Honesty. Shamefully, in recent history, the purity of that freedom has been polluted by greed, lies, corruption, and various forms of calculated manipulation to create a path derived of avarice and the imperialistic goals of a few, at the expense of the many. America is not a nation of Imperialists at heart, despite what the reality is.
On that note: there is no such thing as inherent good or evil. Good and evil are taught. Man is, what man is taught. He is empty at birth, excepting the knowledge already learned in the womb, and is programmed from that point on. Which brings us to the Islamic revolution, and merging cultures; Islam and the west. How can America merge with a culture that has taught three generations of students "America is the Great Satan"? How do you merge Freedom with a culture that doesn't allow women to move freely in society? That marries eight year olds to old men? That blinds young women so they can't educate themselves, and as a deterrent to other women to go to school ? How do you merge modern progressive thinking with stone age Theocracy rooted in the power of the sugar plum fairy?
How do you merge with a culture that, "....declare their hostility to any social order and ideologies which does not subscribe to the existence of a supernatural being having the attributes of Allah, the God"? Sounds like their way or No Way to me. And there is the underlying truth... there is no reconciliation between Islam and the non-Muslim world.
Where Empires grind, people die, and so it is with the Islamic Revolution. When Barack Obama goes to the middle east and declares America is not at war with Islam, I must ask the flip side of that question, " Is Islam at war with America?
a Son's response-
Pa,
At the root of Islamic belief is peace and charity. The Islamic faith has five pillars upon which it is based; adherence to the will of God and the acknowledgment of God's prophets, ritual prayer, alms giving, fasting during Ramadan, and the Hajj (the journey to Mecca). It is difficult to see how these tenets (in themselves) would promote the aggression that you allude to when you write to me about the pan 'Islamic Revolution' that threatens secular security (or its values).
Not since the Turks invaded Hungary in the 16th century has Islam actually been a direct military threat to the 'Christian' world. Most of the Muslims that I've met are largely as ignorant as Christians seem to be when it comes to the history of conflict between the two faiths. They certainly have not been 'educated' that it is their duty to convert or destroy as many Christians or secularists in their lifetime as possible. It is my understanding that the active practice of Islam among Muslims has diminished widely across the Islamic world, in the same way that most Christians do not read the Bible regularly or even attend church with any regularity. And, like 'Christendom', I believe that the extent to which most Muslims enjoy Islam's influence in their societies is predominantly for its rich socio-cultural contribution.
I think another point worth addressing is that Islam, like Christianity, has many denominations and (if and where Islam is actively practiced) its practice differs widely between each of these groups; Sunni, Shi'ite, Sufi, Wahadi, Khajites, etc are but a few. I also think that it's important to recognize that the laws and cultural values of each 'Muslim' country differ greatly depending on the strain of Islam practiced, that country's history, etc. You made some points about the extremity of what you considered 'Islamic' law across 'Islamic counties'. However, I can tell you (at the very least) that the overwhelming majority of 'Muslim' countries in the world practice religious tolerance and operate on principles of equality.
It is lazy to promote a view of Islam by citing the extreme practices of a few countries that adhere to a stricter version of Sharia (Islamic law). There is social injustice all over the globe. For example, the US has the highest number of people incarcerated per capita in the world. There are more people incarcerated in the United States than incarcerated in Central and South America and Europe combined. In view of this one might consider the United States one of the most repressive, violent and socially unjust countries in the world.
In my opinion, it is the religion of 'consumer empire', rather than Islamic expansion, that is the greatest threat to western stability. It is the western culture of disproportionate consumption that has put a large strain on the relations between the (largely) secular 'West' and its Islamic neighbours. Western governments have supported repressive, dictatorial monarchies and despots and undermined legitimate grass root democracies across the Islamic world for almost a century in the interest of maintaining control over North African and Middle Eastern oil and gas. Both to fuel our economies and to thwart the economic expansion of our adversaries.
The anger and the frustration that this has created in some 'Islamic' countries has given birth to increasingly less moderate responses with each successive generation. And, as it is my belief that the resources of a country belong to its people, I have little to say in the way of condemning what I see as a legitimate response to American imperialism. It is (sometimes) an unfortunate bi product of this 'stand against imperialism' that recruitment has come under the banner of pan-Islam. However, it is one of the few shared attributes among a vast diversity of people that have found themselves exploited by the interests of western consumerism. But in their ability to unify their interests, they empower themselves and add strength and awareness to their campaign. And it is fortunate to western society that the intention of the overwhelmingly majority of these people seems to be to raise global awareness by peaceful means.
Furthermore, ironically, it is in our apathy that we endanger ourselves, for it greatly increases the frustrations of those exploited. As practicing democracies it is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that our governments, and the corporations that operate in our markets, adhere to international law. We alone have this unique privilege. The extent of the corruption that our government and these conglomerates create abroad is a direct result of our negligence to hold them accountable. This in turn, as you acknowledged, leads to greater corruption and social manipulation within our own societies, by our governments and businesses.
So, in short, I do not spend my days worried by the threat of Islam and its (as you say) increasingly expansionist ambitions. I am, however, greatly concerned by the Patriot Act.
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