Pulitzer Prize winning "journalist" Maureen Dowd, in her April 20^th article entitled "A Tale of Two Fridays" and published in the New York Times, thought it was "pandering" and culturally "insensitive" to have Franklyn Graham and presumably other Christians espousing Christianity at a Good Friday service.

Apparently, Maureen is now the spokesperson for the well over one billion Muslims in the world. In her article she declared: "Muslims, suspicious that America is on a crusade against Islam, were inflamed to learn that Mr. Graham is taking his missionary act to Iraq."  She also decided that Christians who are bringing food and other aid to Iraq are simply doing so to hoodwink the Iraqi and other Middle Easterners in order to convert them to Christianity. "Workers from Mr. Graham's Christian relief organization, Sa- maritan's Purse, were in Jordan, waiting to inveigle Iraqi infidels with a blend of kitchen pantry and Elmer Gantry."

Basically, Maureen wanted to ensure that folks of different religions in countries other than the United States of America were not offended by American Christians during Easter.  She especially dislikes the idea that people who provide food, medicine, and other aid to people in the Middle East may proselytize, seeking to convert Muslims to Christianity. Maureen is most anxious that Christian missionaries not proseletize.  She noted that, in some Middle Eastern countries, as was true in Afghanistan under the Taliban, proselytizing is a crime punishable by death.

It may be that dear Maureen is simply looking out for the well-being of the aid workers and doesn't want to see them hanged from a lamppost for attempting to practice or teach Christianity, or maybe she ascribes to the notion that such acts are rightfully punished by the host countries, and, in either case, she is trying warn the aid workers.  Maybe she just figures that the "peasants" in the Middle East are so primitive that they will simply be unable to withstand the onslaught of the new "Crusaders" who bring ideas and food, and, being a good Liberal, she thinks that would be unfair as well as politically incorrect.

In any case, and contrary to Maureen's notions, the people of Iraq and other Middle Eastern nations are no doubt quite capable of fending for themselves and, just like the rest of us on weekend mornings, get to tell the people at our front door who want to read the Bible to us, "thank you" or "no thank you," depending upon our interest and orien- tation.  Ms. Dowd would prefer that we all listen to her and know in our heart of hearts that, unlike the evangelicals, she is looking out for all our best interests.  We simply need to listen to her teachings, since we are incapable of knowing what is right all by ourselves.

The political Left, with Maureen as one of their standard bearers, always seems to know what is right and what is wrong, yet they want us to believe that right and wrong are rel- ative concepts

It is "wrong" to tell others about religion if the religion you are talking about is Christi- anity or Judaism, as that is imposing yourself on others.  Yet, some people who blow themselves up and kill innocent women and children are not murderers or terrorists for their actions, since, after all, "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."

Maureen never seems shy about issues she holds near and dear to her heart, like damn- ing religion or religious figures.  Islam, for Maureen, is made up of weak minded folks who will sell their soul for an extra blanket or a pound of coffee.  Christians and Jews are made up of people who give aid with the intent of exploiting the masses without compas- sion.  Aid workers simply use the pretense of feeding the hungry or treating the sick to convert the "infidels."  For Maureen and her ilk, simply doing good is a concept beyond their comprehension.

What is more interesting is the willingness of the political Left to eliminate overall good in the event they see an improper motive.  In other words, Maureen Dowd and other members of the political Left would rather see people starve than be fed, if there was a chance that some of those kept from starvation would be intrigued by a different reli- gion.  For the Left, the ulterior motives of Christian aid workers are their driving force, their raison d'etre.

The political Left refuses to accept the fact that the people of Iraq are better off being liberated from Saddam Hussein.  Visions of Iraqis waving the American flag and thank- ing President Bush for giving them freedom are lost on the Left.  Instead, the Left wants to talk about occupation, rebuilding contracts, and some Imam's request that America leave Iraq as soon as possible.  The Left would rather 25 million Iraqis remain oppressed and brutalized, if freeing them elevated the Republican Party, George W. Bush, and the United States of America.

Maureen Dowd sees terrible things coming out of Iraq's liberation.  "Conservatives should worry about their own self-parody: pandering to the base by blessing evangelical Christians who want to proselytize Muslims; protecting their interests by backing a shady expat puppet; pleasing their contributors by pre-emptively awarding rebuilding contracts to Halliburton and Bechtel; and swaggering like Goths, as Iraq's cultural her- itage goes up in flames.  Maureen opines further, "Isn't this how Osama got started?"

Maureen and other adherents of the political Left see evil, want to prevent its spread, and continue to warn us about its coming.  As for the rest of us, we also see evil and wish to prevent its spread.  However, we see that evil coming from a different place.

Paul Walfield is a freelance writer and member of the State Bar of California, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and post-graduate study in behavioral and analytical psychology. He resided for a number of years in the small town of Houlton, Maine, and is now a California attorney. His articles appear in numerous periodicals and on numerous websites. He has been the featured guest on KTSA News Talk Radio.  CONTACT INFORMATION:  Email:   paul.walfield@cox.net

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