The Whirlpool - Of Principles and Polls, Purim and the Past

The Giant Vortex that is the War with Iran

I am strangely ambivalent as the war with Iran begins. It has the same fateful signature that these wars have had for thousands of years. And as in Iraq, it again begins on Purim. The details regarding this holiday and its history prove that American has now been thoroughly recruited into an ancient quarrel.

But we can hope that something good will come of it:

This war will finally reveal to the world the necessity of abandoning the foolish and erroneous religious and political doctrines that empower warriors on both sides.

     America is so young, we have a hard time understanding what it means that we are getting dragged back into the religious and political wars we left behind in Europe and the Middle East. 

We were right to leave, and we are right to oppose involvement — as Washington said — with entangling alliances.

But when it comes time to say something meaningful about it all today, a certain holistic vision where Pathos and Logos are at peace feels more useful than a polemic in opposition.

My principal argument against all these wars boils down to common sense and basic morality.

And of course it is possible to be patriotic, pro-America, and pro-Israel all without supporting the war.

As for the issues we face with Islam, there were none in the United States until we started destabilizing and colonizing the Middle East, resulting in this flood of refugees, too often tragically monitored and manipulated by private political interests and intelligence agencies.

I don’t make excuses for the failures of Islamic doctrine and the states that enforce its worst mistakes. However, mistaken religious doctrine is not a uniquely Islamic trait. The misinterpretation and misuse of religious doctrine is a feature of Judaism and Christianity as well. Regrettably, Scripture is full of problems most Americans acknowledge when shown, and we almost universally accept that it makes sense to evolve our understanding of God’s love and law based on the understanding of the heart today.

So what is the war with Iran really?

Perhaps it is mostly just a giant vortex dragging in anyone who remains too close to these ancient and mistaken doctrines. The normal response of a life-affirming soul is to avoid their own destruction.

I would not be surprised to find that the ultimate casualty of this war will be the doctrine and political leadership that justify it — on all sides — and those who refuse to budge from their side.

I am not saying innocent people don’t die in these wars. That is of course one of the primary reasons to oppose them. I am not saying there aren’t moral questions involved, and that the United States as a nation does not bear responsibility and will not face any consequences. We will.

However, I am saying that I am strangely at peace, somehow aware that the innocents who now die tragically will be welcomed into Heaven, and that their passing will add to the power of those who will craft the new peace.

The most important casualty of this war in the American context, is the blind faith in the militancy of the Israel alliance. Smoldering for years now, political and religious resentment and opposition to the status quo has now broken out into the open in both parties. The pro-peace middle will soon reign over American politics, and so the guard will change in Congress and the Executive Branch as well.

It is now, and will increasingly become customary for people to be pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, and pro-peace, as people fall away from the false ideology of militancy as the only acceptable form of support for America, Israel, or Palestine.

Another casualty of this war is the idea that politicians can only do things that are politically popular. Recent polling is clear that Americans do not support this war.

Nevertheless, the President and Congress have committed themselves to it.

Why is this a big deal? Because it means that the major institutions of American politics which take initiative are willing to do so despite the polls.

So when the President and his pollsters says we can’t modify vaccine mandates or glyphosate subsidies, or support the transition to regenerative agriculture, or empower integrative medicine because they don’t poll well enough, we can now call their bluff.

First of all, each one of those issues actually polls better than the Iran war does. Some of them much better. And those that don’t poll well, like vaccines, still poll better than the Iran war. The Republican Party has taken the vaccine issue off the political table because it polls around 45% in support, 55% again. But the Iran war is more like 30% in support, 70% against or don’t know. When it comes to reducing poison in American food, the polling goes even farther, to something like 70 or 80% in favor.

When politicians tell you they can’t do the right thing because of the polls, remind them of the War with Iran. If they can vote on principle and against the polls for a war, surely they can do the same for health, peace and freedom.