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In the summer of 1999, an African artists painted the Virgin Mary with elephant dung. For millions of Catholics, the Mary is a sacred symbol of purity. Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York, was outraged at this show of disrespect and demanded action be taken against the museum.
Response: Rudy Giuliani is clearly a man with no sense of what is truly important. When a black man was sodomized by four police officers in a New York police station, Giuliani immediately told New Yorkers that they needed to remain calm because they did not know the whole story. When a Black man was shot forty times by six white police officers, Giuliani once again told New Yorkers to remain calm until they knew the truth by the shootings. When an artist used elephant dung to paint the Virgin Mary, Giuliani immediately went ballistic and demanded the immediate removal of the painting from the public museum without knowing or trying to find out the artist motives for using elephant dung to paint the Virgin Mary. It's truly a sad day when a painting has more value than a human life.
Tom Brokaw of NBC news wrote a book praising the men and women who endure the Great Depression and World War II. He also bestowed the title of "greatest generation" to this particular group of men and women for their candor and valor. Moreover, in countless interviews, Brokaw has stated that the current generation lacks the courage and integrity of the "greatest generation."
Response: The Greatest Generation is simply an attempt by Brokaw to invent heroes where there are none. The men and women who endure the Great Depression and World War II were no more courageous and honorable than any other generation. Furthermore, the so-called greatest generation was probably filled with more flaws than the current generation. Polling done at that time revealed that the greatest generation was an extremely bigoted generation. 85% of white Americans said that they were unwilling to live in neighborhoods consisting of people of color. 25% of white Americans had some type of ties to the KKK or some other racist group. 50% of white Americans sympathized with racist organizations. During World War II, the war that was supposedly fought to preserve democracy and justice, 86% of white soldiers refused to fight along the sides of African-Americans or any other minority group. Blood supplies were keep separate as whites feared that they may be infected with Black blood. German prisoners of war were given access to areas denied to Black soldiers. African-Americans were denied equal access to public facilities, such as restrooms, hospitals, restaurants, and water fountains. Racial murders were at an epidemic level during the years of 1920 to 1960. More race riots also occurred between Blacks and whites during this same period. It was illegal in many states for Blacks and whites to date or marry. And the list goes on and on. If this greatest generation is America's best, then I would hate to see America's worse. Journalists like Brokaw need to accept reality instead of myths which allows them to accept and embrace a flawed pass. The reality is that the greatest generation was no different from any other generation in American history. The myth of the greatest generation is just that, a myth invented to make America's past look greater than the actual reality.
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After the horrific events of September 11, 2001, Ann Coulter, a conservative news commentator, made the following statements about the inhabitants of the Middle East in the National Review, September 13, 2001:
We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.
Response: The comment made by Ann Coulter displays a person who is willing to dismiss the importance of individuality and a person totally ignorant of past historical events. The comment is designed to make it appear that western governments, through the influence of Christianity, are far more humane and civilized than their Muslim counterparts. Sadly, she and millions of other Americans honestly believe that Christian societies are far more righteous than Muslim societies and that by converting Muslims into Christians, they will shed their barbaric ways. This lack of logical thinking on the part of Coulter and others is unfounded. As Muslims have committed barbarous acts in the past and present, so have Christians. Let us not forget that it was the Christian governments of Western Europe that were responsible for inquisitions, crusades, and witch trials. Christian authorities ordered the deaths of thousands upon thousands of Muslims, Jews, and heretic Christians for simply practicing a different religion. At this same time period when Christians in the West persecuted millions for being different, it was the Muslims and Asians, such as the Chinese, who were far more tolerate of groups of different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Moreover, let us not forget that it was the British government under Christian leaders in the 1800s and early 1900s that terrorized the people of India and China. It was Christians in America that enslaved and murdered human beings of African descent. It was Christians in America that broke nearly every treaty with the Native Americans and committed genocidal acts against the same natives under the policy of manifest destiny. It was Christian leaders in America that ordered the massive bombings in Vietnam and the dropping of napalm on innocent civilians. More importantly, let us not forget that it has been our Christian leaders who have sponsored many of the terrorists we now wage war against. Yet, millions of westerners are willing to over look their countries' terroristic actions. The facts bear out that every group, whether they be Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, Capitalists, or Communists, has blood on their hands. People like Coulter fail to realize that it is the personal makeup of an individual that determines a person's actions, not their affiliation with a group. There are bad Muslims, as well as good Muslims. There are bad Christians, as well as good Christians. And the same can be said for every other group. Like most bigots, the Coulters of the world only want to magnify the faults of others, while over looking the faults of members within their own group. Our Christian leaders are no better than their Muslim counterparts. Ann Coulter's shameless attempt to make it appear that our government led by Christians is more pure and righteous than Muslim governments is just that, shameless.
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On November 30, 2001, while interviewing the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Charlie Rose of PBS stated with much passion that Saddam Hussein killed and poisoned millions of Kurds. He went on to say that Hussein must be stop to prevent further terroristic acts on his part.
RESPONSE: Ever since Hussein was labeled a sworn enemy of the United States, the plight of the Kurds in Iraq has been exploited by the American press. The sad fact is that those in the mainstream media could care less about the Kurds. By reading American newspapers and viewing American news programs, one would think that the Kurds only reside in Iraq and Iran. But the Kurds also reside in Turkey. And in Turkey, the Kurds have suffered the same fate. They as well have been hunted down, tortured, and murdered because of their ethnicity. Rose's concern is not born out of sincerity toward the Kurds, but out of a need to find away for Americans to hate Hussein even more, which benefits U.S. government's goals against Iraq. If he and others in the media were sincere in their outrage about the plight of the Kurds, then, they would also cover extensively the atrocities being committed against the Turkish Kurds, instead of giving America's allies an unfair pass.
Moreover, Hussein did not start his reign of terror against the Kurds in the early 1990s. Hussein and other Iraqi leaders had been terrorizing the Kurds for decades. The United States government, as well as the American press, were well aware of the atrocities against the Kurds, but, during the eighties, Hussein was our ally, which made his actions against the Kurds acceptable and ignorable. Where was Rose cry for justice in behalf of the Kurds during the eighties? Like most lap dogs, Rose was waiting for his orders. Sadly, if Saddam was still allied with the United States, the press coverage of the Kurds would still be none existent. The American public should not be fooled by the intentions of the press when they report about the atrocities in Iraq. Charlie Rose reporting about the plight of the Kurds in Iraq does not stem from a genuine concern for their well being. Instead, he is reporting about the atrocities perpetrated against the Kurds in Iraq because it is now in the United States best interest.
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