The Arc of Intolerance:

America is confronting what I call the Arc of Intolerance. The arc is defined as that swath of land beginning in Pakistan and arching west and north to end in Beirut. Here is found the principle set of groups that violently oppose not just America but rather all western thought. These include most of the current strongholds of Islamic Fundamentalism. Make no mistake; with Islamic Fundamentalism there can be no compromise.

Of course the same thing can be said of Jewish fundamentalism or Christian fundamentalism. Essentially all fanatics don’t just think they are right; they know they are right. It is that “knowing” that gives them there appeal and their strength. By knowing a thing as part of an “act of faith” you simply have to reject all reasoning counter thoughts. It is a very strong form of self hypnosis. Some might even say it’s a form of self deception.

Where America comes into the equation is that we are not just the best customers of some of these regional governments we are also the target for their hatred. I have to laugh when I hear America condemned as the Great Devil the same week that OPEC puts up the price of a barrel of crude oil. So my fellow Americans it is not just fundamentalists that border on insanity it is all of us.

The war between liberal thought and conservative thought has been going on continuously for the past 500+ years in the west. There could of course be no awareness of thoughts of the Native peoples living in the new world prior to 1492, simply because Europe had no awareness of these people. In 1517 some 25 years after Columbus sailed to what was to become America Martin Luther attempted to reform what he perceived as errors in the basic thinking on redemption. At issue was what redeems a man’s soul; good works or a personal relationship with Christ. The need for such redemption was of course not considered. Well not at least until Thomas Jefferson and his band of cohorts.

The next greatest document since the Martin Luther document was nailed on the church door in 1517 began as the Deceleration of Independence and grew to become the Bill of Rights to the American Constitution. Many of the intellectuals that conceived the method of governance which America was to use were strongly religious. The sole exception was of course Thomas Jefferson. I have always suspected that Aaron Burr was also what one might call a heretic. Burr had none of the redeeming traits of Jefferson and after the dual in which he shot Alexander Hamilton dead Burr fell out of favor. The deal reached with Jefferson was ignored and Burr never served as co-president. For those of you that think smoke filled back rooms are new to American politics let me assure you that such is not the case.

What America did add that was totally new to the human experience was that government of America could not sponsor or actively support any religion. This is actually the sticking point with not only Islamic fundamentalism but it is a bone of contention with both the Church at Rome and the fundamental Christian Right. In a way we can tell that American government is working when everyone is angry. Dissention is not new to democracy. Indeed the whole process of democracy is a careful balancing of opposing forces and thoughts. Democracy fails when one side or the other becomes too powerful. Elections for the House of Representatives every two years insure that a readjustment of power can be accomplished every two years.

Today comes the news that the cycle of carbon dependence may be broken. To say that another way OPEC may be toast. See:

Laser Energy