I am motivated again to write one last time on the touchy subject of religion after receiving many extensive e-mails and phone calls in regard to the article quote "Religion and the WTC," end of quote; which appeared in the Nov.7-13 online edition of The Haitian Times.
Many e-mails were favorable and its writers added nuances of their own feelings, but others accused me of heresy. Like my friend Ed Lozama at Radio Carnivale in Miami would say, "Si ou pa vle san vole su rou, ou pa entre nan palan" meaning, if you don't want blood on you, don't go into the slaughterhouse." I plead guilty once more. And here I go again, resigned to be splashed once more.
Let me make it clear: I am no theologian but a columnist, expressing my experiences, observations, and opinions on a variety of subjects. This is the opportunity that is accorded me by The Haitian Times, Radio Carnivale in Miami, and my Web site at www.fombrun.com. I take full advantage of these media outlets at this stage in my life - and to each his own. I am no educator; I just enjoy the free flow of ideas and opinions, sticking as much as I can to the facts.
Having had incredible luck in living a full and active life, the motto on my Web site, borrowed from U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is "Everyday is a gift I once thought I would never have." He and I are more or less from the same generation although I am approaching seven decades of life, and he is still on six.
To come back on the controversial subject of religion, Dian L.Hardison wrote a thought-provoking letter in the press on Nov. 10. Unfortunately, the language is aggressive, does not call for unity and distracts one's attention from the main message, which is worth our reflections. As stated: "There are good reasons for separation of church and state. Despite the incessant whining of fundamentalist fanatics, our country is not based on Christian religion. Most of our founding fathers were not Christians; they were deists, including the first six presidents. It is one of the main reasons this country was founded, and why they made separation of church and government an inviolable law.”
Religious freedom means to be free from a government-imposed religion. The phrase 'under God' is not an official part of the Pledge of Allegiance, but was stuck in during the disgraceful McCarthy era in 1954. We are guaranteed the right to speak more than just English in this country. People in most other countries speak more than one language.
"The regular use of 'In God We Trust' on U.S. coins did not begin until 1908. Even President Teddy Roosevelt preferred the Latin phrase "e pluribus unum," or "out of many, one."
'In God We Trust' was not made a motto of the United States until 1956, again thanks to crazed U.S. Sen. John McCarthy and did not appear on paper money until 1957.
"The U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789 without a single reference to God. Until March 3, 1865, our currency was totally secular; as clean from any mention of God as was the Constitution.
" 'Devout Christians" murdered thousands of innocent Americans during the witch-hunts. Six thousand innocent citizens were killed when a bad piece of engineering collapsed under two planes, and the Bush administration went to war so fast that you'd think they wrote the whole script themselves.
"Tens of thousands of U.S. citizens have died of smoking since Sept. 11, and the Bush administration is not only still giving our tax dollars to tobacco companies, but paying billionaire chief executive officers a few extra million in relief.
”What's the difference between 'God bless America' and 'Allah bless theTaliban?' Not one thing. And this frenzy of blind allegiance to Bush, God and flag-waving looks exactly like the streets of many Middle East countries except for the clothing.
"What's the difference between Attorney General John Ashcroft and Osama bin Laden? Ashcroft and the Bush administration have killed democracy, justice and freedom. American religious fanatics, from Ashcroft to (Jerry)-Falwell-holier-than-thous on talk radio, demand the silencing of all questioning of free thought.
"When a natural disaster destroys homes and takes lives, no one blames their god.
"When a society blithely ignores the suffering and oppression of an entire class of people because of their gender, age, skin color or accent, yet happily embraces pseudo-pious lies telling them they have a right to their greed; when hatred and bigotry is justified in the name of some belief in some mythology with its idiotic set of rituals for a salvation that can never be proven and defies all reason, even the definition of insanity is not adequate for such horrors. And for those who think the above is a description only of the Taliban, look in a mirror. In no such god will I, or anyone sane, ever trust."
This letter is extreme in its approach and I do not approve of the form but of the essence, yes, while still aiming for unity in those difficult times in the United States and the rest of the world. It is, however, a good feeling that freedom of speech is alive and well, and that's what America is all about.
Published in The Haitian Times online edition 21 November - 27 November, 2001
