Evil Empire

Okay, let's just call things as they are today. I'm in no mood to beat around the bush or paint a smiley face on things that bring no joy at all. Let's see what's going on in the world:

1. Our GOP friends are working on passing a new budget, which will work extremely well in their continued effort to make the American dream possible for the wealthy citizens of the United States. Who cares about seniors anyway? Or the poor? Or education? Actually, the whole thing works quite well for Republicans: the US will now have even more poor people with even less options because they have no education, so they can all go to war for American oil and keep the rich, well, rich. Since we aren't cutting any money from the military, what better place would they have to go than where the money is?

2. Does anybody else think something strange is going on when Exxon Mobile makes a 36 billion dollar profit in one year? Where are these profits coming from? Besides the obvious way the American driver is continually challenged to either pay more or get on a bycicle, there is the exploitation of the poor in countries like Equatorial Guinea or Angola, for instance. Keep corrupt regimes in control in both the US and in its allied, oil producing countries, and you've got a recipe for success. Do they teach this in business schools, or is it just something you learn in the field?

3. Last night, as a painful reminder that good people who work against the corrupt powers of the world are few and far between, we sadly lost Coretta Scott King.

4. Oh, and don't forget that Samuel Alito will probably be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice today or soon after, which likely will mean more executive power for the chump running the White House. Look forward to the loss of more freedom in order to protect freedom. Oh, and more violence in order to stop those who wish to act violently. Not to mention the occasional evil action in order to stop evildoers. Welcome to the fray Mr. Alito.

Very soon I will hear the words of George W. Bush in his state of the union address. I will likely fight back the urge to vomit in my own mouth as I think about the poor, the widows, and the orphans who will continue to be exploited, forgotten, or blatantly robbed in a nation that claims to lie upon the foundations of the gospel. How far will we let greed, arrogance, and ignorance propel us? How long will we look at corruption within the political ranks and shrug it off as something that just happens on capital hill? Will we ignore forever Jesus' commands to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, turn the other cheek and counter hate with love? Our nation stands at a dangerous crossroads where it must decide if it cares for life in the fullest sense of the word, or if it only values the life of the individual who was born in the right place, with the right color skin, with the right beliefs, and the right parenting.

We have indeed become an evil empire.

Peace,
Matt

Currently Reading: The Eucharist by Karl Rahner.