Bhutto & Bethlehem

I have stopped saying "things can't get any worse". The insane world that we live in continually proves that they can.

As I was almost out the door for work this morning, the local news broke away to a national story that Benazir Bhutto had been killed by a homicide bomber in Pakistan. I make no professions as to being an expert on Pakistani politics, but obviously someone felt that she was too big of a threat to be allowed to live. Was she going to be good for Pakistan? Who knows for sure. She had been removed twice prior due to charges of corruption and various other scandals, but according to the rule of the region, she needed to die. Over a hundred others joined her in death. I do not understand how people think when they feel the need to do such things. There are politicians here in the US that I am vehemently opposed to ideologically, but I would NEVER think that blowing them, myself, and whoever happened to be in the area to smithereens is a viable political expression. I hope that the political process takes care of that in the voting booth.

*Despite the fact that I think that Presidents are anointed, not elected, I don't buy into the barking moonbat theory that voting booths are rigged. I think they are just ignored when the results are not convenient. More on that later as the political season progresses*.

My cynical side says that this is another nail in the coffin of civility, reason, and human progress. Who will be willing to take up the cause that Bhutto died for? Will anyone? The need for people like her is so great in so many places, yet the forces arrayed against those like her are legion. I recall the assassination of Anwar Sadat. His bodyguards pulled that one off. Same with Indira Ghandi. It took years for someone willing to stand up and say "I believe that what I am doing is right, and I will risk my life for it." Unfortunately, there are far too many nameless, faceless unknowns who are willing to strap on a bomb for their cause, far more than those who are willing to face the difficult task of overcoming obstacles and trying to invoke change. Once the election is over, the hard work begins for them. For the attacker, the hard work is over when the Sans-A-Belt bomb slacks are detonated. There are no repercussions for them. They don't have to see the carnage they have wrought. I don't know if Bhutto would have had a positive or negative impact on Pakistan had she lived. All I do know is that it's a pretty safe bet that we'll be seeing a lot more blood in the streets there now that she's gone.

As bad as the Bhutto assassination made me feel, I was also treated to something that amounted to a sucker punch to the pills when I saw a story out of Bethlehem. Apparently the Church of the Nativity is a major attraction at this time of year. Yes, I am aware that this is blindingly obvious. Today, as the priests who maintain the church were preparing to clean after the Christmas rush, a fight broke out. Among the priests. Time for a little background info. The Church of the Nativity is believed to be the place where Jesus was born, hence the name. The church is administered jointly by Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian Apostolic authorities, each of which controls a part of the holy site, and these areas are guarded rather "zealously". When the Greek Orthodox priests put up a ladder to clean their area, it apparently encroached into the Armenian Apostolic zone, and the Armenians didn't like this none too much. So, in the spirit of Christian brotherhood, they went at it. A donnybrook, dust-up, rumble in the nave, whatever you want to call it ensued. For approximately 15 minutes, these priests went at it with fists, brooms and iron rods. "As usual the cleaning of the church afer Christmas is a cause of problems," Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh said, adding that he has offered to help ease tensions. It looks like the efforts of the good mayor went for naught. As I read this, I couldn't help but wonder if, indeed, the whole world is going to hell in a handbasket. My friend tells me that he believes that the goodness in the world will triumph, and that there will be a renaissance of the human spirit. I hope he is right. Perhaps we can start by never having a Brawl in Bethlehem again.