About the only thing good left in global politics of any description since the death of Mother Teresa have been the heads of the various non-Muslim religions. But as we well-know, religion does not preclude coming up against or even instigating dust ups with secular politicos and nation states. They deal with the same current issues.
Ongoing is the split within the Anglican Church worldwide over allowing female bishops and homosexuals to lead congregations. [Times Online] The Anglicans share an unspoken policy of don’t ask, don’t tell with the US military. Lest you dismiss this as minor, the Church of England has a secular head, the Queen of England. Messy business, that. With Muslims approaching a majority status there, it looks as if there is little hope of official acceptance of women in high places or of homosexuality anywhere. While the Arch Bishop of Canterbury is against the split, he is the one who pushed for the UK to accept Sharia law.
The Dalai Lama has fought the Chinese for decades over religious freedoms for the people of his native Tibet. Tibet is the center of the Dalai Lama’s type of Buddhism. In an interview with Larry King this week, he emphasized that they were not seeking separation from China. Materially, Tibet, a landlocked nation, needs China.
In recent weeks our lenders, the Chinese, made it an international point of honor short of a military confrontation that the US should not receive the Dalai Lama formally at the White House. Obama granted him an audience but not in the Oval Office; and not at the front door. His holiness was shuffled in and out at the back door, past a guard of plastic bags filled with first family garbage. A wonderful photo of this sensitive, smelly and distasteful moment in diplomatic history may be found at Diary of a Mad Conservative.
It is clear our leader is not headed down the road to enlightenment. The only thing we can say for Obama is that he appears to have very “catholic” tastes when it comes to worshiping the one God. He understands about One God and sympathizes with his/her difficulties in overseeing a large and diverse universe. He may show up anywhere one god is recognized. But his penchant for reaching out to the unreachable i.e. Muslims and of not settling into a local church pew has only fueled the growing unease in this country that we do not know nor can we cannot identify with this man.
This week in the global neighborhood, the truly ugly, Hugo Chavez of oil-rich Venezuela caused an incident to rival his lack of looks. He engaged in a shouting match with the President of formerly drug-rich Colombia at a Latin American Unity conference near Cancun. Chavez is angry with Colombia for allowing US bases on their soil; Columbia is more than angry at Colombia’s support of the guerrilla fighters in country. [CNN] Here is an ugly situation that bears Obama’s attention. Sadly, the Obama White House is only interested in international social and conference spots not in political hot spots. When attention is finally focused on this potential conflict, the President will be more apt to shake the hand of Chavez than give credence to Colombian concerns about guerrillas. The overall impression our government has left on the global psyche is one of its preference for the downright ugly. Well, after all, Rahm Emanuel is the power behind the Obama oversized throne and he looks, speaks and acts, well, ugly.
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Relentless
February 23, 2010
The death of Mother Teresa was a good thing.
Even if you disagreed with her message, that’s a pretty horrible thing to say.
samhenry
February 23, 2010
Kurt, welcome. I think that you have misunderstood my meaning. I meant that since Mother Teresa died not much religious good remains. I was not insulting her. I was singling her out for her goodness.
I was singling out the Muslims because they do not allow women their rights and in many countries they feel it is OK to murder Gays. I lay it out as it is. The Anglican Church (the Mother Anglican Church) will never accept gays as priests.
I am not insulting gays, blacks or any other group. I am taking Muslims to tasks for their lack of tolerance. I will not black list you unless you become abusive in language or to fellow bloggers. Again, welcome.
Relentless
February 23, 2010
Sorry for the misunderstanding.
In that case, I agree with you.
roxannadanna
February 23, 2010
Yep.
“The overall impression our government has left on the global psyche is one of its preference for the downright ugly.”
And that we are downright weak now. It’s not a good feeling to no longer be in the driver’s seat, that the Chinese have come out on top…. all because we have been like the Russians in the 70′s and spent more money than we had.
samhenry
February 23, 2010
Wow, what a great memory for detail. I did not know that the Soviets were spending money they did not have.
roxannadanna
February 23, 2010
As wonderful as it would be to believe that Reagan’s demand to “tear down this wall” and that the alliance with Thatcher and Pope John Paul II did it – and their impact can’t be played down by any means – the Soviets were driven to bankruptcy because they couldn’t compete with the American military complex and the amount of money we were willing and ABLE to spend.
Lots of things and people (Lech Walesa, for another) were instrumental in the fall of that evil empire. But one thing we did – we drove them into the dumper because they couldn’t compete, financially, with us.
GO CAPITALISM!!!! Socialists: You suck!!!
AFVET
February 25, 2010
Well said Roxy, you are right on post.
samhenry
February 23, 2010
Thanks for expanding your remarks, Roxi.