Views From Oregon

I have a friend, a retired college professor, who lamented when the US invaded iraq that the White House advisors do not understand Islam.  They don’t understand the attitude of Islam toward the Christian west.  He wasn’t sure what the US was trying to achieve in Iraq, but he predicted failure.  He said that our very presence in their Islamic land would create chaos, just as it did by the presence of every previous western power that intervened in their land.  The number one problem is religion.  Successful religions have built into them provisions for their self-preservation.  The Christian religion has the carrot and the stick.  The carrot: If you are a good Christian you are rewarded in heaven.  The stick: If you are a bad Christian, or not a Christian, you are punished in hell.  And, you are admonished to convert others to Christianity.  The Christians don’t punish before death.  Islam doesn’t wait until death.  It kills its members that denunciate the faith.  The crime is called apostasy.  It tends to hold membership.

The recent arrest in Afghanistan of Abdul Rahman for apostasy, converting from Islam to Christianity, is a clarifying example.  In Afghanistan, a democracy, the constitution provides that there can be no law that conflicts with Islamic law, hence Islamic law is the law of the land.  I quote Khoja Ahmad Sediqi, an Islamic Cleric who is also a member of the Afghan Supreme Court, on the penalty for apostacy.  “The Quran is very clear and the words of our prophet are very clear.  There can only be one outcome: death.” 

Death for converting to Christianity?  I suggest that most Americans did not think such a law could be possible, let alone actually exist and be applied in a democracy.  This is a glaring example of the attitude of Islam toward Christianity.  The presence of a Christian force in an Islamic nation is a threat to their religion, the base of their culture.  Plug in that Christians are pushed by their faith to convert others to Christianity.  Is it any wonder that Iraqis resent our very presence in their country?  Did our leaders fully understand this attitude when we imposed ourselves on them?  Maybe, but obviously underestimated its importance, to our peril.

Luckily for Abdul there was enough international pressure in his case that the prosecutor “found,” without expert advice, that Abdul was a mental case so he was released to journey to Italy where he received asylum.  How many Christians have not had such a happy ending to their story?  We’ll never know.   –TEB

On April 9, 1865 my grandfather shook hands with Abraham Lincloln, then President of the United States, and, Grandfather lived long enough to relate the incident to me.  Of course, upon the conclusion of the story, I promptly shook hands with Grandfather so I could say I shook hands with a man who shook hands with Abraham Lincoln.  I already knew the story, because it was family legend, but I wanted to hear it from Grandfather’s own lips.

The story.  On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Confederate Army, surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, Commander of the Union Army, at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.  Thus ended the Civil War, the bloodiest war in the history of our nation.  When word of the completion of the surrender ceremony reached Washington D.C. President Lincoln dashed out of the White House and shook hands with every Union  soldier in close attendance.  Grandfather was one of those lucky Union soldiers.  A private, 16 years old, a late joiner who had served but a short time and had seen little combat, Grandfather enjoyed a disproportionately large piece of the fruit of victory.  President Lincoln died six days later, April 15, 1865, from a gunshot wound inflicted by John Wilkes Booth.

On the day I first heard the story from Grandfather’s lips I was ten years old.  In the conversation Grandfather recited the roll call of his company, a memory he retained to his death in his middle nineties.  In later years I asked Grandfather many questions about conditions of that period.  His memory was keen.  He explained that most people he knew, including his family, lived off the land, growing crops and nurturing domestic animals.  It required work, work. work. from dawn to dark, except Sunday.  Church was big.  Almost everyone attended on Sunday, and after church were picnic lunches and athletic contests.  Sunday was the social day of the week.  It was at church that Grandfather met my Grandmother.  Grandfather also told of families during the war that were torn apart because some members favored the South and some the North.  Fortunately his family was united for one cause.  Grandfather did not participate in any of the major battles, but he was involved in some minor skirmishes.  On one occasion he was laying on the ground when a cannon ball rolled up and bumped him in the stomach.  It knocked his wind out, but otherwise did not appear to do any damage.  Another time a bullet hit the tree next to him. dislodging a piece of bark that hit his cheek, drawing blood.  That was the extent of his battle stories  Later in life I was privileged to visit the site of the surrender at Appomattox Court House, as well as many of the Civil War battlefields.

Grandfather was held in high regard by his family, almost regarded as a Saint by his three daughters, one of whom was my mother.  His six sons remembered him as a strict disciplinarian, who demanded a high level of work ethic on his large ranch, but all agreed that he was abnormally smart, with an unusual memory.  Grandfather was an avid reader who kept informed on domestic and foreign issues.  He was very successful financially and doled out gifts to many members of the family.  He bought and gave to my mother 160 acres that bordered my parent’s ranch.  He sent me an occasional check while I was working my way through college.

Grandfather died while I was serving in the US Army in World War II.  I didn’t get to shake hands with the President, but I did see much more combat, and suffered more wounds, than did Grandfather.  I have wondered what of interest I could tell my Grandchildren about that war that did not involve my combat experiences.  I decided it would be visiting Hiroshima, Japan, shortly after the atomic bomb devasted that city.  In the occupation that immediately followed the surrender of Japan my company was sent to Hiro, a small city between Hiroshima and Kure.  We visited the site of the atomic bomb blast periodically.  When we first arrived we were limited to fifteen minutes in the blast area, because of radiation.  This visiting time was extended as time passed.  Local people who had been exposed at the outskirts of the blast were suffering from burns, some dying each day.  The Japanese interpreter assigned to me had a little brother who had burns on his face.  He and a friend had peeked over the top of a wooden fence to watch the single B-29 in the morning sky.  They were far enough away from the bomb when it expoloded that the wooden fence protected the rest of their bodies, but their heads were exposed.  When I returned to the US in December of 1945 the boy was getting better.  I assume he recovered.  I hope so.

The lesson.  That I, a very much alive guy, received an account from an eye witness of an incident that took place in 1865, almost 141 years ago, is evidence that we are not as removed from the past as some people may think.  –TEB

Professor Thompson looked up with pleasant anticipation when, after a soft knock, his office door opened a bit and the face of Arthur Krause peered in.  Arthur is his prize student.  In his 25 years of teaching biology at Van Buren Technical Institute the Professor has found Arthur to be the brightest, most inquiring and analytical student the Professor has had.  The Professor knows that the conversation to ensue will be intellectually exciting.

“Yes, Arthur, what can I do for you?”

Arthur, slight and pale, slips in and seats himself opposite the professor before he speaks.  When he does, it is soft and hesitant.  The Professor has to lean forward to better hear Arthur say, “I have reached a conclusion.”

“A conclusion did you say?”

“Yes.”

“What is it Arthur?”

“As you know, I have been studying the interaction that takes place between brain cells.”

“Yes, yes I know.”

“There are chemicals involved.”

“Yes, we know that.”

“I have concluded that this interaction can be greatly facilitated by the oral intake of certain substances.”

“Really?  What substances?”

“I am not going to disclose them.  It is my discovery.”

“Arthur, this is not the right scientific approach.  We are supposed to share our discoveries for the benefit of science and mankind.”

“If this works I will patent it and become rich.”

“I am disappointed in you Arthur.  That is terribly selfish.”  The Professor sits silent for a minute, then yields to his curiosity.  “Have you manufactured any of the pills?”

“Yes, I have them in a safe.  I want to conduct a closely monitored experiment.  I want to give the pills to a test group, some the real pills and some a placebo.  I need your credibility.  I need you to monitor the test.”

The Professor ponders, then answers.  “All right, for the good of science and mankind I will offer my services, but the test must be run according to my rules.  Each member of the group will be given an IQ test before the test and after the test.  This will tell us if the pills are working.  Is that acceptable?”

“of course.”

Ten students were selected to be in the experimetal group.  IQ tests are a pain so it took some time to find ten people willing to join the group.  The selection process gave the test enough publicity that several TV stations and a few print reporters insisted on getting involved as onlookers.  The Professor made the final selections and satisfied himself that he had a wide range of mental ability represented, i.e., two A students, two B students, two C students, two D studens and two who were flunking out.  One from each group would get a real pill and one from each group would get a placebo.  IQ tests were given.  Only the Professor was privy to the results.  The pills were administered in front of TV floodlights, with camera operators deftly recording every gulp.  The Professor announced that the second round of IQ tests would be given at a later date after the pills had been given a chance to do their work. 

One of the C students was a freshman, Cedric Barnes.  Big, tanned and fit, Cedric was nice looking but nevertheless considered a country hick by many of his fellow students.  Cedric had arrived at Van Buren straight from a farm in Oregon.  After the pill ceremony Cedric ran back to his dorm room and turned on the TV so he wouldn’t miss the evening news.  Sure enough, in the second segment there he was, swallowing the pill, right on TV.  A little later he received a call on his cell phone.  It was his parents in Oregon.  They had seen a brief shot on CNN of Cedric consuming the pill.  Cedric was excited.  He believed he could feel stirring in his head.  Was the pill working?  Cedric had never written anything not required in school, but suddenly he felt compelled to write.  He opened his laptop, opened Word, started writing poetry.  He caught the cadence, got into the groove.  The subject matter was his world of the outdoors, the woods, the streams, the birds, the things of nature with which he had spent his pre-college life.  Cedric was swept away.  He wrote all night.  The next morning he took his poems to Professor Thompson, explaining what had happened the night before.  Professor Thompson took the poems to a faculty member in the English department.  They were declared to be exceptional. 

Word leaked out to the media by noon of that day.  The story hit the TV and the newspapers.  The pill was a success.  By the next day publishers were calling, offering to publish these poems, which, whether good or not, would surely sell because of the publicity.  Impulsively, Cedric accepted the first money offer for the rights, $100,000.00.

The media was enjoying a feeding frenzy.  They interviewed Cedric about the money offer he had accepted.  Cedric was excited over the money, but he was a conscientious kid.  He told the press, “It is not right that I keep all of this money.  I should give half of the money to Van Buren Technical Institute because, but for the pill, I would never have written those touching poems.”  However, seeking just a bit more fame, Cedric added a condition.  He said, “On condition that the pill be named “The Cedric Barnes Smart Pill.”

Arthur Krause heard about Cedric’s press conference and was furious.  He immediately contacted the media.  “This is my pill, not the Institute’s pill.  I am entitled to the $50,000.00, not the Institute,” he shouted in a not so soft voice.  This controversy made more news.

 At this point Professor Thompson, who hadn’t yet administered the second IQ test, entered the press conference race.  With the flood lights beaming and TV cameras engaged, Professor Thompson made his pronouncement.  “This circus has gone on long enough.  It would be disingenuous to name the pill ‘The Cedric Barnes Smart Pill’ because, ladies and gentlemen, Cedric Barnes was given a placebo.”    –TEB

President Bush has refused to allow federal funds for stem cell research that utilizes embryos because it results in their death. The embryos used for this research are ones that are left over from fertility clinics and die undeveloped whether used for research or not. The researchers hasten the death of the embryos they use. In taking this position the President stated, “I also believe human life is a sacred gift from our creator. I worry about a culture that devalues life, and believe as your president I have an important obligation to foster and encourage respect for life in America and throughout the world.”

The problem with the President’s statement is the fact that he started a war that was clearly elective, knowing that his action would result in the death of a number of Americans, over 2200 at this writing.

Well, just a minute, through the ages leaders have consistently dispatched warriors presumably to save the people at home. Yes, but the stem cells the President chooses to protect would be used to save the people at home as well as people throughout the world from disease, some fatal. The analogy is clear. In each case the lives of a few are sacrificed to save the many. If life is precious in the one case it is equally precious in the other. Well, maybe not equally. There will be little social consequence from the hastened death of a discarded embryo, but there is an abundance of social consequence from the death of a warrior who leaves family. -TEB

Osama bin Laden, through his organization Al-Qaeda, cannot win his war against the United States unless we help him. He can destroy the World Trade Center, kill thousands of Americans, and repeat such destruction of property and life many times but still not win. If we help him, however, by reacting in a way that destroys American values, he will win.

Is he winning? I am fearful that he is. The U. S. attack on Afghanistan was a proper defensive response. Afghanistan was, without question, the training ground of the enemy. The world knew it and supported our action. Iraq is a different story. There was no credible evidence connecting Iraq to bin Laden or Al-Qaeda. World opinion did not support an American invasion of Iraq. The invasion of a sovereign power that had not attacked nor conspired to attack the U. S. defamed America in the eyes of the world and violated America’s values. The American people would not have tolerated it but for the panic created by 9-ll. Chalk up a big one for bin Laden. The cost of the war in Iraq to America in lives, physical and mental suffering, treasury and world support is an added bonus for him.

There are other examples. We have violated American values with our treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere. The Executive branch of our government is monitoring private communications without a warrant issued by the Judicial branch and without following the legal procedures set out by the Legislative branch. This usurpation of Judicial and Legislative powers by the Executive branch goes to the heart of Americanism. After suffering under England’s King George, the framers of our constitutuion separated power between the three branches to check and limit the powers of the Executive branch. Have we introduced a new King George, i.e., King George W., by reacting in panic to bin Laden?

Why are we fighting bin Laden if it is not to protect and preserve the very values we are trashing in our efforts against him? We are giving bin Laden far too much help.

I am not questioning the good intentions of President Bush and his administration; I believe they have America’s best interests at heart. They have, however, unintentionally played directly into the hands of Osama bin Laden, to our peril. -TEB