Merry Christmas

And the three Kings stood besides their camels on the hill gazing down on the town over which the bright star shone. Every year Bernie hung the poster with the kings just inside the door on the wall opposite the bar, in the rear right hand corner he put up a six foot Christmas tree. He and his Mrs. always did a fine job of decorating their bar for Christmas. I looked forward to it; it told me the season was upon us now. Max Angst was in his usual spot and he smiled as I sat beside him.
“The place looks nice, doesn’t it, Art,” he said to me.
“Yes Max it does. I love this time of the year. It speaks of all the better things in life, peace on Earth, love for your fellow man.”
The door opened and John Braun walked in accompanied by a man in a Marine officer’s uniform. John was a carpenter, a man who could do wonders with wood and any other material you might think of. He was a nice enough guy, but not a person who could carry on a serious conversation. He and the marine sat down a few stools away from us and he said hi.
“Max, Art how are you guys today?”
“Fine John. And you?” Max asked.
“Real good. My cousin Glen here had some business in Chicago and stopped to see me. He just got back from Iraq.”
“Well Glen I’m glad to see you got back safely,” I said.
“Glen this is Art Hambach and Max Angst, “ John introduced us and we shook hands.
“ You’re the first person I’ve met who served in Iraq. What did you think of it?” Max asked.
“The ‘business’ I had in Chicago was to visit the widow of a friend who got killed there. I think Iraq sucks. But after 9/11 its clear we have to take those terrorists on. I’m a Marine and that’s my job.”
“Glen, I sure you believe that what you’re doing is protecting people like me. I appreciate that. But I’ve read a lot about Iraq and I don’t see how 9/11 and Iraq are connected,” Max said.
“Max, I don’t know you. I don’t know who you are or what you believe. But its Christmastime and I’d like to assume the people I meet share the happy spirit of that season. So, I’ll explain my feelings to you. It is my experience that there is a growing hatred of my country in the Moslem world. These people are not pussys. They attack people they hate. The attacks on 9/11 prove they hate us. They will come at us again if we don’t do something to stop them. That’s what Iraq is all about. We’re showing them we’re not to be messed with.”
“There are as many kinds of Moslems as there are kinds of any group of humans, Glen. Sure some are violent, but others are passive and others seek positive ways to get on in the world. There are also very intelligent Moslems and very stupid Moslems. If one group of Moslems attacks us and we respond by attacking a different group from those that attacked us, many Moslems will develop a negative view of us. They will think that we’re stupid, or they will think that we hate all Moslems,” Max said.
“Max, surely you agree Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are the violent type of Moslem. Bin Laden takes responsibility for 9/11, but Hussein tried to kill the first President Bush. They both hate us and as the old saying goes the enemy of my enemy is my friend. It has been said that Hussein backed Bin Laden’s 9/11 attack. I haven’t seen that disproved.”
“The vast majority of Moslem’s are unhappy with their governments, Glen. England and France set up most Mid-East countries after World War One and they are secular dictatorships more interested in the leading group dominating the country and taking all they can from it for themselves. Various groups have tried unsuccessfully to stand against them. In the last decade or so the opposition have been Fundamentalist religious groups. Hussein belongs to the secular group; Bin Laden is a Fundamentalist. They are archenemies; they want to destroy one another. They’d never come together even to attack the United States,” Max said.
“But our country hasn’t been attacked again. We went after Bin Laden in Afghanistan and Hussein in Iraq. We kept them so busy protecting their own butts that they haven’t come after us.”
“But not too busy to attack in Madrid and London. Isn’t that strange, Glen?”
“We’ve covered our self at home. It would be a good trick to get on a plane with a weapon today, Max.”
“Why take a plane, sneak across the Mexican border. A couple of million people do it every year. This reminds me of a discussion I heard the other day. A guy was saying the lack of another attack since 9/11 raises the question of whether or not the first attack was what the government said it was. He said the public only has the government’s word that the hijackers were a bunch or Arabs.”
“Bin Laden takes responsibility for the 9/11 attack and he says the accounts given of that day are true, so I’d say the governments account are verified,” Glen said.
“The other day on the television program Good Morning America a group of young Pakastanis were interviewed. Bin Laden was mentioned and the young Pakastanis insisted he was nothing more than an American tool, a CIA operative. If that’s true, it raises the question of whether or not 9/11 was a CIA operation, that the whole thing was a creation of the Neo Cons in the White House,” Max said.
“That’s crazy. Why would they do that?” Glen asked.
“Money and to protect Israel,” Max answered.
“I could understand an argument that some of the Neo-Cons would want to take Iraq out of the picture to protect Israel, but I don’t get this money thing. Do you want to expand on that Max.”
“The Carlyle group, both Bushes have been involved with it. I’ve read Papa Bush is deeply invested in it. It is the biggest defense organization in the American world and I’ve read it has made hundreds of billions of dollars on the war in Iraq. Are we in Iraq to make money for the gang in the White House?”
“Whoa! Now your bad mouthing the United States, the country that I’ve taken an oath to protect. Do you want to withdraw that last statement Max?”
“Glen I love everything the United States stand for, but I’m afraid it may have gotten into the hands of the wrong people. I’m sure you and the vast majority of the military are defending the ideals of freedom and liberty for which this country was founded. But, I’m beginning to believe there are people in positions of power in this country that are using their high rank to empower themselves and make themselves rich. The rest of us are suffering because of them. Glen, if you want to defend our country, stand up to them.”
Glen got up and headed for the door. “C’mon John lets get out of this joint,“ he said as he went out the door
Max sat staring at the door after it closed behind the marine. He took a sip on his beer and then turned to me. ”Maybe I should’ve .kept my big mouth shut, Art,” he said to me.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be in Iraq, Max,” I replied.