A whole slew of Jewish holidays have just passed us by: Rosha Shanah, Yom Kippur and Shavout. Chanukah is coming soon. But right now I am thinking about Passover- specifically one part of the seder service. The reason why I am thinking of it is because of the 'anti-war' or rather 'pro-surrender' meme 'Not in our names.' This pisses me off something fierce and has since I saw the damn thing for the first time after the atrocity on 9-11-01. First off, its the damned presumption and hubris It's not about these Warty Bliggens (2 point ref).
"Oh," they would whine, no doubt in an irritating nasal voice. "I meant in our names as Americans."
So now we're back to the Passover seder. During the seder, a tale about a man with four sons is recited. One is wise, one is wicked (or contrary), one is simple and one does not even know how to ask a question. Growing up the competition for the wise son among my two brothers and myself was (and is) fierce for the wise son. The wicked son was the next best. Our dog was the silent son.
Okay, enough nostalgia. The point I am heading towards is the scathing text on the wicked son, who asks, "What does this service mean to you." By saying 'you' and not 'us,' he excludes himself.
not be redeemed." He earns his wickedness by his smug isolationism. "Had he been there,' the Haggadah notes, 'he would not have been redeemed."
The idiotarians sin in a similar manner, but from the opposite end. By saying they are the world in their expansive solipsism, they are denying the martyred dead of September 11th.
So here is my reply to this crowd.
It's not about you. It's not about natural gas pipelines. It's not about oil. It's not about out our alleged racism. It's not about imperialism. It's about making sure the next smoking gun is not a mushroom cloud. It's about the 3,000 of my fellow citizens who were murdered. And yes, I meant 'my fellow citizens.' Had you been the ones murdered would not be worth avenging.
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Link thanks to Damian Penny.