Watching James Baker on his book tour, I couldn't help but notice how many times he talked about Hizb'allah as the "Party of God". In the same interview, he glowed over the GOP. I started thinking about how the GOP is convinced it is the "Party of God". What's the difference between the two groups, and what might be some good clues to determine if someone is or isn't in the "Party of God"?
I was watching TV the other day when something bothered me. The former Secretary of State James Baker III was chatting away on the PBS Charlie Rose Show, speaking about Lebanon and Hezbollah. The more he talked, the more it bothered me. I've been aware for some time of the Iraq Study Group he heads up and their recommendations to help save President Bush's backside , so I was listening without the respect I used to have for the man. I listened for his unspoken agenda. When old politicians from previous administrations start showing up in Washington on a regular basis, you should sit up and take notice. In his case, he wasn't there to sell his recommendations for the Iraq Study Group ; he was peddling a new book he's written .
Either way, as I said, when old warhorse politicians start flooding Washington , it's best to pay attention. Baker isn't the only one to have surfaced in recent times to the eyes of the mainstream press – Henry Kissinger is back as well. I'm doubtful it's for tea and cookies at the White House; you don't get in there without a donation or an idea that will bail you out of trouble. In this case, both men are advising Bush #43 on war – as if he needs help in how to stay in the arena and get more innocent soldiers killed. That's what the Pentagon's budget shortcuts are for – how else can they afford substandard body armor and vulnerable Hummers? “Err…according to the budget, we can't afford any more phosphorus weapons, but we've decided to give you roman candles to light things up instead!” “From bad to worse!” is their standing motto.
The more I watch politicians – formally retired and those who do nothing and act retired – the stranger the thoughts become. I sat there and watched the interview, hearing a passing reference to the “Party of God”, and then it really hit me:
What's the difference between Hezbollah and the Neo-conservative Republicans, who both claim to be the “Party of God”?
I can't tell you how I sunk down into the chair and felt like a world-class idiot for not having spotted that connection sooner. How many other evangelical Christian republicans are in the same boat, floating down the river in Egypt : denial. Are evangelicals naturally blind to such connections? The Bible teaches us God has blinded Israel for a season, so it possible He has blinded evangelicals, too? Rule number one: all things are possible with God.
The question hung in the air like the scent of my mom's cooking . At least with a charcoal dinner, you can open the windows and doors and air out the house, but when that odor is the bad smell of politics, no amount of Lysol air freshener will cover the stench.
Finding myself sentenced to hell, my options are rather limited. I can scream, but no one listens to me anyway. I could throw myself out of a window to my death, but no one's ever died from being flung out a one-story house before. Or I could whip up an article like this.
Hezbollah, Hizb'allah, and Hizbollah – no matter how you spell it, the political platform the group was founded on remains the same: liberation from Israeli occupation in Lebanon . The translation “Hezbollah” is “Party of God”, which is well known amongst most people who have even the most basic knowledge of this terrorist group. Keep in mind the old saying: “One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter” before you pass judgment because it's so easy to blindly brand groups based upon what the State Department wants us to think. Remember, these guys have approximately 3,000 public relations firms carefully conditioning the American public with every single planned word.
I do realize Hezbollah does have an earned history of bloodshed, and I'm not going to go all liberal on you with some sort of tripe like “they are misunderstood and are a product of a bad upbringing in a rough area during war.” Actions are deliberate and chosen, but I will admit there are always going to be pawns used in any movement. I do remember the bombing of the US Marine base in Beirut . Hezbollah also hit the American embassy twice in Beirut – once in April of 1983 and in September of 1984. If you look at their recent activities, they're no darling child in the stunt they pulled by kidnapping Israeli soldiers.
Then again, the United States government has its own flaws in terms of senseless bloodshed. How many times in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, have there been “Oops!!” strikes, later to be revealed the intelligence used was wrong? Only a few days ago, Pakistani officials bombed a school, based on faulty US intelligence . When blood runs red, it doesn't matter if it's a terrorist strike or an “Oops!” strike – the blood still needs to washed from the scene.
