Blue Notes from a Red Zone

Faith Trumps Reason

A great deal has been written, some of it by me, about the frightening implications of a society that rejects science in favor of adherence to a fundamentalist belief system; one that does not acknowledge that there is information available to us today that was not available thousands of years ago. "God said it, I believe it, End of Story" is the bumper sticker summation of this point of view. Such a summation begs the question of which Old Testament God is being invoked: that one that the J (Jehovah) scribes wrote about, or perhaps the P (priestly) scribes interpreted. But belief isn't fussy. As long as the chosen God concurs with the "believer" in every respect, then that God is fine. The enormous appeal of this system is that nothing need be justified.

Our president subscribes to this interpretation of God as defender of irrational thought, and not just about scientific concepts. He campaigned on his constant declaration that he spoke to God, and would consult with God on all decisions. It is a very short trip from speaking to God, to speaking for God, to believing that he is God, and Bush made it in record time. Anything he says is truth simply because he says it, and no one should question otherwise. Thus, he only repeats himself, and never explains himself. God doesn't need to justify anything.

Sadly, there are still millions of Americans (some in my extended family) who are more than willing to view the president as a messianic messenger of God, simply because his dismissal of the need for study and analysis is more comfortable than the suggestions of policy "wonks" that there are few simple answers to complex questions.

So, administration talking points are constantly trotted out with the same bumper sticker mentality: Bush Said It, I Believe It. This morning's newspaper was filled with Bush "truths": "We have to fight them over there, or we will fight them over here." "To question the war enables the terrorists and places our troops in danger." "Clinton fired 93 attorneys, why the big deal about Bush firing eight? It's his right!!" And although the lie that Obama is a secret Muslin terrorist does not come directly from the White House, I hear it so often that I can't help but wonder if it originally sprang from the devious minds of the Rove "think tanks."

We are still being led by an administration that doesn't twist intelligence so much as dismisses it as irrelevant. Directors for important administration posts such as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Food and Drug Administration, National Park System, the National Broadcasting System, the Federal Emergency Management System, and on and on are all appointed because they do not believe in the agency they head, and can be counted on to "expose" their agency as incompetent and useless.

John Bolton was on the Daily Show recently, with his assertion that Bush only governed on behalf of those who voted for him. Otherwise, what was the point of elections? It's government by the 30%, for the 30%, and no one but the 30%. Bush has often said that he governs according to his beliefs alone, and will continue to do so if the 30% erodes to the point that only Laura and Barney agree with him. God is infallible; thus, so is Bush.

Congress is squandering its time on the details. As long as Bush is president, and Cheney is vice-president, effective and rational government is impossible. Replace the self-appointed "god" with the God who gave us the minds to study, to think, to reason, to empathize. Impeach now.

posted by Lenore Wilson @ 7:15 AM