Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Whereas in the moral life the Ten Commandments are non-negotiable, in politics many options are available within the boundaries of that moral law. To claim that we should treat the moral arena and the political arena as indistinct from one another is a ludicrous heresy, logically akin to claiming that both human beings and fish should eat human food or that both stroke and cancer patients require the same treatment. One size fits all in the realm of morality, but not in the realm of politics as neoconservatives aver. "Politics is the art of the possible." In politics, a variety of practical options--not just one--are available within the framework of the moral law. Politics is like a game in which possibilities for a winning strategy abound.  

Moreover, the above statement about evil lumps evil and evildoers together, in contradiction to the maxim, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Evil is totally worthless, while evil-doers, no matter what they have done, still possess an infinite dignity. Consequently, they must be treated and punished justly. Torturing an evildoer is gravely unjust and intrinsically evil. It is revenge, not just punishment. You cannot fight evil effectively by returning evil for evil. Hannity misses the point that we can negotiate and compromise with human beings, not with evil itself. People, including "evil-doers", are apt to be influenced in the right direction by just, good-willed leaders who sincerely wish the best for them. Our own policies in the Middle East have hardened the hearts of leaders and terrorists alike, blocking the effective dialogue which recent Popes have insistently called for. For example, by constantly threatening Iraq, with sinister designs in mind, President Bush precluded Hussein's willingness to negotiate.

Mr. Hannity should try to understand how America and its overwhelming military might are perceived abroad. Far from acting as a gentle giant, the US has often criminally misused its power in the name of stamping out evil.

On April 14, 1986, under President Reagan, US warplanes attacked Libya's naval academy and President Muammar Qaddafi's home and office--both civilian targets. During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, President Bush went beyond the legitimate defense of Kuwait by going on the offense into Iraqi territory, destroying Iraq's conventional army and rejecting all of Hussein's peace proposals. While the war was justified, it is unjust to demolish the aggressor's army because every nation has the right to sufficient means for its self-defense. By totally crushing an enemy's conventional forces, you send him hunting for alternatives such as weapons of mass destruction--which is just what Hussein did! The reason why he attacked Kuwait in the first place was because Kuwait violated its OPEC oil production quota (at the instigation of the US), allowing itself to dominate the world oil market, which triggered a major economic depression for Iraq and other oil-producing states in the region. Then on June 26, 1993, President Clinton dropped twenty-three cruise missiles on Iraqi civilian targets, including the Iraqi Intelligence Service headquarters, killing six hundred innocent civilians in violation of the principles of justice, international law and the laws of war.

It is the sole superpower nation which perpetrated all these evil crimes (and many others, to be discussed in Number 21) that Saddam Hussein was compelled to do business with. The current President Bush made demands and threats but failed to apologize for past wrongs. His administration was intent on launching an aggressive foreign policy under the cover of self-defense, instead of a just foreign policy taking Iraq's rights and needs into account. I heartily agree with the neocons' claim that we cannot negotiate with determined aggressors. But America itself has acted as a principal determined aggressor. That is why our enemies will not negotiate with us.

Finally, Mr. Hannity should remember that the real struggle between good and evil is not fought in Iraq or Israel or Afghanistan or Iran, but in the soul of each person on earth. Ephesians 6:12 says that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual enemies. More important than American success in any physical struggle against terrorists is that each of us conquers the evil in our own hearts and minds.

***Please Note: The next number in this series will not appear next Tuesday, December 25 due to the Christmas holiday or the following Tuesday, January 1, 2008 due to the New Year's Day holiday. Posting will resume Tuesday, January 8. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the members and visitors of Political Cortex.

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