Slouching Toward Bethlehem

This most recent Israeli/Palestinian conflict is entirely a function of the most cynical of political rabble-rousing, compliments of our homegrown agent provocateur – our own national punk - Donald J. Trump. This is not about a theological dispute concerning which party to the conflict has the authentic and unedited word of the God of Abraham. And it’s not even about which combatant holds the best title to this tiny bit of land. This is nothing but craven political manipulation, and who better than our own specialist on real estate - our nihilist in chief, Donald Trump - to strap on a pair of Doc Martens, and tromp through the mud to stir up a little anarchy in the Holy Land - beating his chest while distracting the world from his own moral transgressions. I often wonder if this thug has the role of Antichrist in mind after he drops us from his jaws and consigns our Democracy to a dusty death.

Religious wars have never been anything but a function of politics. And, much like the nihilistic, Messianic cults of martyrdom, and the orthodox irredentists of all three of the religions engaged in this conflict, they prove daily the old proverb: “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful”.

So before slipping into an endless regurgitation of the legal brief concerning which party to the dispute deserves ownership of the land, or which party has endured the most suffering for the longest time, let’s call this what it is – ugly, manipulative, self-serving political demagoguery intended to deepen the misery of people who have been relentlessly exploited by their politicians for millennia.

And for those who feel the need to continue digging this hole deeper, please accept a heartfelt Hitchslap from a life-long Humanist who finds religious demagoguery utterly revolting and a curse on mankind.