The American Standard Bearer

Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Nazareth, the small town of Jesus’ childhood, today waving Palestinian flags and sporting signs bearing slogans like “Israel Breeds Hate.” The march was quickly organized by the Higher Monitoring Committee, a group composed of Arab-Israeli Politicians and other Islamic Israeli citizens, evidently to put a better face on what had been rioting the night before.

The event that ignited the Palestinian flag waving and other assorted displays of consternation, which included torching of a police car, didn’t involve Muslims at all. Haim Eliyahu Habibi, an Israeli Jew, his Christian wife and a daughter entered the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth Friday armed with firecrackers and other explosive material and ignited the pyrotechnics amid a packed house there for a prayer service.

Other than scaring the living daylights out of the worshippers, no one was hurt. The Habibi family could be politely described as disfunctional and Mr. Habibi has a history of mental illness. The Habibis explained they lashed out at the Christian church because they were distraught after their children were removed from the household earlier in the week.

OK… a completely irrational explanation from an irrational guy and the good news is that everybody’s still in one piece. The bad news is that the Christian leadership has allowed themselves to be used by the Muslims of the Higher Monitoring Committee to wave their crooked fingers at the Jews. The local Christian leaders were willing participants in today’s march.

The better thing for them to do would have been to openly and very publicly forgive the Habibis and distance themselves from the parasitic Muslims and their Palestinian flags. Joining with Muslim leaders only helps to foster the notion that there is very little difference between Christianity and Islam, an utterly false claim. Islam demands torture and death for those who insult Allah. By contrast, Jesus asked forgivness for those who tortured Him and sentenced Him to death.

Venezuela ranks number five on the list of the world’s largest exporters of petroleum products. So with all that money and nowhere to go, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has found a way to put it to good use. He’s hard at work re-making all the symbols of the country to reflect his leftist political tastes.

To start with, he’s re-inventing (to borrow a well known Al Gore phrase) the Venezuelan flag. But you really can’t call it the Venezuelan flag because he has renamed the country, which will now be known as  the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in honor of Simon Bolivar who liberated most of South America from Spanish control. And to make sure that everyone is clear on the role of the Supreme Court, Chavez is renaming it, the Supreme Court of Justice.

The changes to the flag will include addition of an eighth star to represent the province of Guayana and a change in the direction of the horse that appears in the coat of arms. The horse is currently depicted moving to the right but will soon be moving to the left to reflect the political direction of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Of course, all this costs money. Besides changing every flag in the country, every single item that features the state seal including, but not limited to, government stationary and money, will have to be replaced. Considering that 80% of the people of Venez – oh, excuse me – the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela  live in poverty, it begs the question, is this neccessary?

Chavez was elected President in 1988 primarily because he promised to end the poverty, a promise he has not kept. In fact, so many people in Venezuela are upset because Chavez has failed to make a dent in poverty, that a special recall election was held last year and Chavez just barely retained his post.

A lot of pundits are fond of comparing Chavez with Castro, who is the darling of the left. But they fail to note one important distinction – the people of Cuba are unfamiliar with democracy but the people of Venezuela are not.

From time to time, we get requests from various British subjects looking for the "real" British flag, otherwise known as St. George’s Cross, the point being that they prefer not to recognize the official flag of Great Britain. The official flag of Great Britain is, of course, the Union Flag which is a conglomerate of St. Andrew’s Cross and St. Georges Cross. But a good many people in Britain prefer not to recognize the Union flag and instead align their loyalties to other flags.

Now British Prime Minister hopeful Gordon Brown is appealing to British voters to adopt the type of patriotism openly practised by Americans. And just as Americans love to display the American flag, Brown wants Britons to universally adopt the Union Flag, "Instead of the BNP making the Union Flag a symbol of division because of racial overtones, the Union Flag should be a British symbol of unity around our values. All of us should feel pride in a British patriotism founded on those values."

From an American perspective, it sounds like a good idea, but I think Mr. Brown has a long way to go to accomplish his goal.

The effort by the ACLU and other like-minded groups to have the Pledge of Allegiance permanently removed from public school to-do lists carries with it two distinct benefits. The first is to have the American flags that now adorn most classrooms relegated to the dust heap of history.

The American flag, besides representing President Bush and his "oppressive regime," stands for a concept that is diametrically opposed to  their worldview: nationalism. The idea here is that borders are oppressive because they foster a climate of political tyranny, encouraging authoritarian regimes. The notion of a world without borders  ignores the existence of evil, believing rather, that evil is the result of human contructs such as borders. Eliminate these constructs and you eliminate evil. Hence the American flag is perhaps the world’s most powerful symbol of the great evil of nationalism.

The second benefit is to prevent the word "God" from ever being uttered in another classroom – at least a public school classroom – again. And it’s not just any old God there after – Allah and Buddha are OK, even welcome. But the God of the Bible, and Jesus in particular, are definitely not welcome.

So you can be sure that the ACLU, the People for the American Way, etc., etc., are watching a law suit currently in progress in Italy with more than a little interest. Seventy-something Luigi Cascioli is an avowed Athiest and is suing Enrico Righi, a seventy-something Catholic Priest. Interestingly enough, the two gentlemen are both from the same town and attended seminary together.

In the suit, Cascioli claims that the Catholic Church, here represented by Righi, has run afoul of Italian law by teaching that Jesus actually existed. Without getting into the ins and outs of the particular laws that were alledgedly violated, Cascioli intends to "prove" that Jesus Christ was a first century fable based on another real, but obscure person.

Cascioli himself admits that he has little chance of success in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic environment of Italy, saying "It would take a miracle to win." But now the gauntlet has been thrown down – the way has been illuminated. It’s only a matter of time before the idea catches on among American Atheists and the ACLU gives up their silly attacks on the American flag and goes for the jugular.

Oh no, look who’s back in the news! We’ve watched Cindy Sheehan as she and her supporters desecrated American flags in various ways in Crawford, then waved the Palestinian flag in Washington. And now she’s taken the desperate step of flying to Europe to see if she can stir something up there.

Earlier today, Sheehan held a live demonstration of her now famous facial contortions while as many as 100 demonstrators protested the war in Iraq outside the US Embassy in Madrid, Spain. Last week, Fidel Castro’s Prensa Latina (Latin American News Agency) predicted that "Mother Courage" (Sheehan) would "Shake (the) US Embassy (in) Madrid." A hundred people, give or take fifty, watching spellbound as Sheehan performs her facial antics is not exactly what you might think of as "shaking" the Embassy.

If Sheehan had brought along some American flags and a box of kitchen matches, I’m sure she could have drawn a sizable crowd with a flag-burning party. But alas, hind-sight is 20-20. The real issue here, of course, is why has Sheehan taken her road show to Madrid? Because she has lost what audience she had here in America.

Her triumphant return to Crawford, Texas for the Thanksgiving weekend was a complete flop. The first Camp Casey, held last summer, was initially covered extensively by the press who were hoping that it would grow into something meaningful. But when radical groups like ANSWER, with their mile-long Palestinian flag and their pro-Palestine, death to Israel message, took over the show, the press left in a hurry lest they be embarrased.

The press, particularly the television people, avoided her Washigton, D.C. protest and they were not about to give her air-time in November. And now that the tide seems to have turned in Iraq, no one from the political left here in America wants to be seen with her.

Good news about Iraq is finally being reported and it seems that the Iraqi people are embracing democracy in a powerful way. In fact, just a month ago, it looked like Iraq would be the main campaign issue for the 2006 elections. But now, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is saying that the war in Iraq will not be part of the Democrat Party agenda for the 2006 campaign.      

My mother’s maiden name is French. Her father (my grandfather) was decended from French Huguenots who fled France for the New World. I tell you this by way of trying to persuade you that I have nothing against the French.

But once again, the French missed an opportunity to stand up, call the enemy the enemy, and fight back. During the Paris riots, French leaders repeatedly issued denials and made excuses for the terrorism going on in the streets. Perhaps it was the pervasive anti-Americanism (yes, the French burn more than their share of American flags) that prevented French leaders from admitting that they might have the same problem that we have – namely, that Islamic radicals want to destroy our society.

By their inaction, the French may be further endangering not only themselves, but their European neighbors as well. According to the Swedish Radio News, some Muslims in that country are making bold statements against both Israel and the United States. A Stockholm mosque has been openly selling audio cassettes urging followers to join in a jehad against the Jews.

Interestingly enough, the cover of the cassette depicts the Statue of Liberty (a gift from France) draped with a burning American flag. The creators of the tape kill two birds with one stone – they show their hatred for America visually by using the symbol of choice for America-haters everywhere, a burning American flag – and then verbally spew their hatred of Jews.

Selling this cassette is a fairly bold move by the mosque since it’s against the law in Sweden to sell anything that promotes genocide.

Meanwhile, back in France, now that the dust has somewhat settled and the eyes of the world are not focused so tightly on them, French lawmakers are, by implication, admitting that the problem is not poverty, as they claimed, but immigration. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin today announced his intention to push for tighter controls on immigration, particulary from Muslim countries, as a response to the Paris riots.

It may be too little too late. The French government has shown it’s weakness in the face of what many view to be terrorism against France. One thing is sure – it wasn’t lost on the radical Islamicists living around Europe.

The level of anti-Americanism around the globe seems to have reached an all-time high, if you use American flag burning as a guage, that is. In recent months, there have been flag burning occurences in the U.K., Germany, France, Pakistan, Iran, Palestine, Argentina, Brazil and of course, the United States, just to name a few. Burning American flags is, hands down, the favorite pastime of America Haters everywhere.

The war in Iraq has been in recent years, the justification for various opportunistic world leaders such as Germany’s Gerhard Schroeder and France’s Jacques Chirac, along with their legions of smug adherents, to wave their arrogant and spindly fingers at us in admonition for our imperialistic tendencies. But if you think that the U.S. incursion into Iraq is the sole cause of all this vitriol, think again, for there is no end to the crimes against humanity and other life forms that we are capable of.

Enter former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Paul Hellyer, who is now the spokesman for a number of groups calling on the Parliament of Canada to convene public hearings on Exopolitics, the diplomatic relations with extra terrestrials.

In a speech at the University of Toronto in September, Hellyer said,  "UFOs, are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head… I’m so concerned about what the consequences might be of starting an intergalactic war, that I just think I had to say something."

Then he added this startling revelation, "The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning. The Bush administration has finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the moon, which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they so decide." He received a standing ovation.

So there you have it, the Canadians are not concerned that President Bush may now go after Iran or North Korea. Oh no, Bush and his cronies can’t pull the woolen Canadian flag over their eyes – the Iran and North Korea rhetoric is just a smoke-screen to hide the President’s true agenda. Bush is gunning for E.T.!

Of course, the Canadian Government isn’t taking this seriously. In fact, Canada’s Senate side-stepped Hellyer’s call for hearings by saying that their schedule was full for 2005. Canada has for years strongly opposed any weapons-in-space program the United States might implement, so Hellyer’s efforts might actually be viewed by some Canadian officials as detrimental to the credibility of the official Canadian stance.

But Hellyer and his tinfoil-beanie-wearing cohorts are not deterred. Said a spokesperson, “We are going ahead with our request to Prime Minister Paul Martin and the official opposition leaders in the House of Commons now, and we will re-apply with the Senate of Canada in early 2006. Time is on the side of open disclosure that there are ethical Extraterrestrial civilizations visiting Earth. Our Canadian government needs to openly address these important issues of the possible deployment of weapons in outer war plans against ethical ET societies.”

Why can’t the Canadians just burn American flags like everyone else?

As President Bush received a warm welcome from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in the capitol city of Brasilia today, not everyone was happy about the visit.

Small demonstrations were held here and there with the obligatory burning of American flags. According to Reuters…

There were small demonstrations against Bush in Brasilia but he will also enjoy Brazilian hospitality at a barbecue thrown by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the presidential retreat Granja do Torto.

And…

As Bush’s motorcade drove to the ranch, it passed a group of about 100 demonstrators who burned the American flag and chanted "Invader! Tyrant! Exploiter of the poor!"

In Brasilia, demonstrators invaded a McDonalds and burned American flags in the street (as usual). According to some news reports, the McDonald’s protesters were also waving the Palestinian flag and the Syrian flag. As it turns out, the McDonalds protesters were from the "Arab" community in Brazil. And they apparently haven’t tried the Double Quarter Pounder with cheese because according to Reuters, "about 30 protesters occupied a McDonalds fast food restaurant and began serving up traditional Brazilian food as bewildered staff looked on."

There’s nothing, in and of itself, remarkable about anti-U.S. protests in South America. They’ve burnt more American flags in the last three decades than you can shake a stick at. The interesting thing is that, at least in the case of the McDonalds, the protest was not conducted by Brazilian natives but by pro-Palestinian and pro-Syrian members of the "Arab" community.

It is a consistent theme wherever you go in the world today – the anti-Iraq-war crowd and the Bush-haters (usually one in the same) are blatant supporters of terrorist and authoritarian regimes – mostly middle-eastern – that do not appreciate the U.S. interfering with their nefarious goals.

This is a great time of year. Crisp, sunny afternoons, outdoor festivals, the happy company of family and friends. I’m describing, of course, the festive atmosphere of a nice autumn anti-Israel rally in Tehran, Iran.

I kid you not. Thousands of Iranians, young and old alike, gather in the streets to burn Israeli, and  occasionally American flags, and otherwise have a good time. It’s hard for Westerners to grasp the day’s theme of hatred as descriptive of a good time, but then again, we’re just not as comfortable yet with overt demonstrations of hatred.

Ramita Navai, a correspondent for The Times (UK) described the scene almost as a Sunday in the park here in America. "It’s a bit like a family day out, but with cursory outbreaks of flag burning. There are people sitting on picnic blankets, street-vendors and people selling balloons… there’s a kind of carnival atmosphere."

And then there’s plenty of activities for the kids. Navai describes one,  "… I walked past one stand where people were writing messages on a flag to send to Palestine. There was a girl there, she can’t have been older than 5, and she had just signed her name below a message reading ‘Death to Israel, death to America."

But does that mean that most Iranians are calling for Israeli heads to roll? According to Navai, that’s not the case, "The majority of ordinary Iranians don’t really care about Israel – they have enough to worry about at home with a declining economy and high unemployment."

However, Tony Blankley, the editorial page editor at The Washington Times, takes a more analytical  view of the situation, "Radical currents within Islam drive some Muslims to terrorism and push others at least to a more adversarial view of their relationship to non-Muslim nations and cultures…"

And Navai, perhaps inadvertently, bolsters Blankley’s claim. In describing the average Iranian’s  reaction to their President’s verbal attacks on Israel, he says, "Nevertheless, Iranians are really quite puzzled by the reaction to the President’s comments. To them it’s nothing that they don’t hear at every Friday prayers."

The photo at right shows a Palestinian burning an Israeli flag in Gaza. The one below it shows the American flag burning in Gaza with the Palestinian flag in the background. The point is that here in America, we see so many of these images from the comfort of our homes that we have become jaded.

I think there is a disconnect in the minds of most Americans between these images of chaos and violence happening a half a world away, and our everyday lives here. Perpetual polling of the American public reveals that more and more of us are questioning our involvement in Iraq, or anywhere else for that matter.

Sure, it’s true that Saddam is a bad guy, but why should Americans fight and die to depose a tyrant who had no realistic shot at attacking the United States. Even Iran, a country full of hate for America and actively seeking a nuclear weapons program, doesn’t have the wherewithal to do more than stir up trouble in their own neighborhood. Or do they?

In Paris, for the fourth straight night, a Muslim enclave has been ground zero for violent riots. Islamic immigrants have been pouring into Europe for decades now and tensions between Muslims and native Eurpopeans has been growing at an alarming rate. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy describes it this way, "For 30 years the situation has been getting worse in a number of neighborhoods. It’s not a story that’s three days, three weeks or three months old."

So what does this have to do with the United States? It has everything to do with us, according to Tony Blankely, the editorial page editor for the Washington Times. He has just written a book entitled, The West’s Last Chance – Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations? in which he compares the looming Islamic takeover of Europe today to the Nazi takeover of Europe in the last century.

"It is beginning to dawn on Europeans that the combination of a shrinking ethnic-European population and an expanding, culturally assertive Muslim population might lead to the fall of Western civilization in Europe within a century," says Blankely, and warns, "If Europe doesn’t rise to the challenge, Eurabia will come to pass. Then Europe will cease to be an American ally and instead become a base of operations (as she already is to a small degree) against us."

If this book was written by an unknown author with slim credentials, it could be dismissed as alarmist. But Blankely is a well respected Washington insider who is very well connected in both liberal and conservative circles and he was born and raised in the United Kingdom, so he has more than just a passing knowledge of European society.