The Final Call

A sad anniversary and feeding the worst American instincts

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(FinalCall.com) - This year America marked the ninth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the downing of a plane in Pennsylvania. At the time of these events a stunned world turned to the United States of America and words of sympathy and condolences flowed in from around the globe.

These tendencies, the worst tendencies, of the American people are being fed by leaders who are too blind to see that their lack of leadership is causing the downfall of the nation they profess to love.

Then came the military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the abuses in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq captured on digital camera, the killings of civilians by military contractors, detention centers, secret prisons and ghost detention centers, transports to third-party countries for torture of suspects, water boarding of other alleged terrorists and the deaths of civilians whether by U.S. bombs, bullets or Drone attacks—not to mention the deaths of U.S. servicemen and the few allies willing to join the coalition.

Next came the backlash against America for what many saw as a dubious “War on Terror” used to cover neo-con desires to remake the Middle East that were on the drawing board long before jetliners smashed into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York.

Also gone is a sense of oneness that Americans expressed based on their shared pain, the selfless and ultimate sacrifice of law enforcement and firefighting and rescue workers who lost their lives trying to save others and the kindness strangers showed to one another as a bloodied and battered New York City tried to right itself.

Today the talk is not of shared destiny or joint sacrifice but of enemies, outsiders and tyrants. An entire movement has arisen that has declared its desire to take the country back and takes it name from a protest that was part of a revolutionary act to overthrow a tyrant—the Tea Party.

Instead of standing tall on the principles of truth, service, freedom and national interest, pandering politicians shrink in the face of serious challenges evoking whatever bogeyman will move voters—whether it is stoking fears of brown hordes of Mexicans crashing the border, shrill claims the president isn't a citizen and is an undercover Muslim or blaming Islam for an act attributed to 19 individuals.

The pain felt by jobless Americans, homeless Americans, overstressed and overwhelmed Americans is apparently lost as one party, the Republicans, decides to go into a legislation stall, just saying no to every proposal offered by the Obama administration. The GOP seems content to simply wait until after November elections, and hopefully control of one or both houses of Congress, before putting forward any real solutions to problems. The party in power doesn't seem much better, with Democrats tepid and too scared to act on an agenda they believe is in the best interest of the country.

Is it any wonder that voter anger, voter apathy, voter disappointment and voter confusion are swirling about and special interest groups, and the right wing, are rubbing their hands with glee over the prospect of coming back to power.

While President Bush at least made public declarations that the war was against terrorists and not Islam, Republican leaders today and their supporters push a heavy dose of Islamaphobia and Obama bashing. While some respected GOPers declare Islam is the enemy others continue their assault on the president.

Newt Gingrich, that bastion of Republican respectability and former speaker of the House, described President Obama as a dishonest, unreasonable conman who snookered America and who may suffer from a “Kenyan, anti-colonial view of the world.” These shameful words appeal to the worst America instincts and tendencies, providing more fodder for those who declare the president is not an American, hints at racism and corrupt African leaders and certainly marks the president as one who is outside the bounds of American values.

Mr. Gingrich and other pols, on both sides of the aisle, helped stoke emotions and sentiment against an Islamic center planned near Ground Zero in New York, which included angry protests. Around the country some Islamic centers and mosques were struck by acts of destruction and vandalism.

How can any of this be good for a country that prides itself as the great melting pot and the place where out of many people one nation evolves?

How can any of this be good for the world's only superpower?

How can a nation that pursues this course avoid the divine judgment of God?

America wants to promote herself as the model for the world and the example for others to emulate but her deeds far outweigh her words and reveal her hypocrisy. “America represents herself as a Christian nation. This means that they are followers of Jesus, whom they call the Christ and say that they are crystallized into him and God and have become one. As they say, God the Father, Jesus the son and the Holy Ghost,” writes the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in his monumental book, “Message to the Black Man in America.”

“They profess to be a friend and defenders of all peace-loving and freedom-loving people. The only people we really see that they want to be friends of are themselves and their kind. They are really sincere when they say that they are freedom-loving people. Above all, the White man the world over wants to be free to rule and dominate the aboriginal people,” he added.

These tendencies, the worst tendencies, of the American people are being fed by leaders who are too blind to see that their lack of leadership is causing the downfall of the nation they profess to love.