[Baghdad Journal] Two Hours to Go (March 13)

[Wade Hudson]

Two Hours to Go (March 13)

by Wade Hudson

In 1962, at the age of eighteen, I escaped Dallas by the skin of my teeth.
Now, more than forty years later, Texas fundamentalism may run me down with
an onslaught of “Shock and Awe” – the military’s term for the bombing
campaign that they may inflict on Iraq any day now. Sounds like a Revival
Meeting to me.

Once, when I was fifteen years old, my whole family went to a revival. We
sat on the second row from the front. Toward the end of the meeting, the
preacher issued the call to come forward to the altar to be “saved.”
Suddenly, my six-year-old younger sister, stood up and walked to the altar
by herself. One at a time, the rest of my family joined her. I remained
sitting, feeling the eyes of the entire congregation behind me piercing into
my skull. But I refused to budge. Afterwards, standing around outside the
church, people came up to express their sympathy for me.

George Bush apparently uses code language to let radical right-wing
fundamentalists know that he is one of them. “Awe” strikes me as one of
those words. I’m reminded of the movie “Rapture” which presented a portrait
of true believers waiting for the Second Coming.

A compelling reason for fearing that Bush will pull the trigger is what
Mollie Ivins called his “religiosity.” The man may actually be a born-again
Christian yearning for the Apocalypse. It’s hard to know for sure, because
he’s so secretive about his beliefs. But he may have gotten just enough
religion to make him dangerous.

Recent reports about how serene he is as he faces this momentous decision
may puzzle some people. But those who grew up in the Bible Belt understand.
Christian fundamentalists have a closed system that is impervious to logic
and absorbs all contrary information into their worldview with absolute
certainty that God is on their side.

After my father died, I felt that I might never again set foot again in the
state of Texas. Now I feel that way even more. The best thing about Texas is
its music, and I don’t have to go to Texas to get that.

Now that Bush has rejected the proposed 45-day deadline, I’m even more
worried that he is truly “born again.” I used to think that Bush, a Yankee
blueblood, was only pretending to be a Texan. Now I’m afraid that he’s more
of a Texan than I ever imagined. No wonder that he has been embraced as an
honorary Texan.

A few weeks ago, a Christian fundamentalist was a passenger in my taxi. He
spewed forth his venom about the Middle East in the name of the Jesus, as I
tried to engage him in a rational conversation about his desire to
obliterate the Arab people. Finally, I asked, “Does that include the
children too?” “Yes,” he said. “They are all infidels.”

Most Americans may not know about the depth and breadth of this community
that is fueled by hate, just as they did not know about Timothy McVeigh’s
support network. Nevertheless, a radical fundamentalist may have sneaked
into the White House as a stealth candidate proclaiming a “humble” foreign
policy and “compassionate conservatism.”

Shortly after 9-11, Bush declared a “crusade” against terrorism. He backed
away from using that term in the face of massive outrage, especially from
Arab communities. But his choice of words could be another example of code
language. He certainly seems to want to lead another Holy Crusade, one that
is victorious.

The parallels are striking. As Islam rebelled against the oppression of the
Roman Empire and spread militarily toward Europe establishing a distinctly
Arab culture that affirmed its roots, European Christians felt threatened
and launched a series of Crusades trying to retake lands that Europeans had
colonized previously.

The Crusades never succeeded totally, but they did enable the Catholic
Church to consolidate its power in Europe by uniting its people against a
foreign enemy. So far George Bush has been equally successful in a similar
goal: he achieved a Republican majority in Congress and he has boosted his
approval ratings. And if he scores a quick knockout in Iraq, he may manage
to win the next election, even if the United States becomes more and more
like Israel, assaulted by suicidal terrorists from all sides and from
within, hunkered down in a garrison state.

As we pack our luggage for the 12-hour trip to Baghdad, where we may end up
in the eye of the hurricane, I wonder what price George Bush is willing to
pay for his dreams of glory, executed in the name of saving the infidels by
whatever means necessary.