[Austin-ghetto-list] Terrorists and the mother of all techies

[Wayne Johnson]

The following is the text of a letter I just sent to the Washington Post.
Can't imagine it will be printed, but I feel better for having expressed my
feelings.

Wayne

-----

Dear Sir:

I am shocked and disgusted that Mr. Falwell and Mr. Robertson (as quoted in
CounterPunch) would choose to defile the innocent men and women who were
killed in the Trade Center and the Pentagon so that they might pursue their
narrow and bigoted political interests.  How dare either of these two
bombasts invoke the name of God in this manner?  Or take this solemn moment
to bleat that we have "made God mad".  While real Christians, along with
Muslims/Jews/Pagans/Hindi are calling for prayers and national unity, these
two Biblical buffoons have taken this unseemly time to rail yet again
against their special targets.  By this, we mean NOW, ACLU, gay and lesbian
people and anyone else whose existence is so vital to their personal wealth
and to their continuous pandering to the lunatic fringe of this nation.
They denigrate the very spiritual values they claim to profess.  They use
all the little racist buzzwords and coded signals.  While they can't say
Jews, they invoke the specter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which
many on the religious Right believe to be a Zionist front organization.

These men speak, as though they could possibly have "insider" information
about God.  I ask, what is their ultimate ambition?  Do they wish another
Holy War?  Another Crusade?  Does Mr. Falwell imagine himself to be Alexius
Comnenus?  Does Mr. Robertson think of himself as the reincarnation of Urban
II?  Do they want to see children marching across mine fields or just
hanging people they don’t like from the schoolhouse swing?  Or do they
merely wish to continue their life style by using this sad moment to fatten
their purses?  The latter is probably the case.  Timing is everything.

I do agree with one of Mr. Robertson's phrases, "there is venom being poured
out into people's ears" but the snakes in this particular Eden are he and
his dim crony, Jerry Falwell.  If we were actually in a war, such as
WWII…and I am quite old enough to recall it…this evident desire to whip up a
frenzy of hatred in this time of tragedy and horrifying personal loss, is
not only in excruciatingly bad taste, it borders on outright sedition.
Shame on these men and shame on any who would take their distorted view of
the Bible with any seriousness.   Their invoking of "God's will" against
anyone not holding their special and narrow view of religious beliefs sound
EXACTLY like the ranting of Osama bin Laden!  To repeat again the wisdom of
Walt Kelly…we have met the enemy and it is us!

Respectfully yours and still in mourning for our country's terrible loss.

Wayne  Johnson