Christianity is not at war with Islam

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

blogment - National News wire - The Infinite Echo

As the ninth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, one of the great myths of the World Trade Center attacks is the commonly held belief the attacks were somehow intended as an assault on Christianity.

For reasons seemingly fomented by fear and ignorance, many otherwise sensible Americans persist in pursuing this unfounded rationale. As you may recall, the attacks on 9/11 were aimed at the U.S. White House, The Pentagon, and the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan, all icons of American power and wealth. It would seem clear, the impetus for the attacks was rooted in politics, not religion.

Disturbing as it may be, far too many Americans accept the perceived religious connection, and thus the growing anti-Islam sentiment among many. This unfortunate intrusion of errata seems not to concern the religious conspiracy theorist as much as it agitates their sensibilities. These practitioners of falsehoods may believe they mean well, and perhaps deep in their hearts, some actually do, but let’s not kid ourselves. Apposing a mosque because of it’s approximate location or burning the Quran does not equate to a search for the truth, but rather, a blind quest, hell-bent on religious cleansing.

May I point out to my readers that no religious centers were targeted by terrorists on that sunny Monday morning on September 11th, 2001. No synagogues or churches were attacked, nor were any low flying, hi-jacked aircraft re-directed toward the Vatican. The motives for the 9/11 attacks were clearly not religious. Why then, are so many otherwise rational Americans willing to buy such a red herring?

It certainly doesn’t bode well for world perception of our good ’ol US of A intellect. We can’t really be tormented by so much self loathing as to allow ourselves to blame an entire religion for the actions of a handful of radicals.

And radical, indeed they were. Twenty grown men were willing to give their lives to thrust this atrocity upon America. As can be expected when traveling by air, one would be terrorist missed his flight. The rest, however, found the glory and infamy they sought in a fiery hot ball of flame and debris.

What didn’t happen on that tragic day, however, has somehow become the story. Fact: on September 11th, 2001, after being slammed by two commercial aircraft, the World Trade Center collapsed, killing nearly three thousand people. Yes, some were indeed, Christians. And many were not. Let’s not allow ourselves to fall victim to that which we fail to understand. The Christian faith is not at war with Islam. This should be self evident.

We are presented an opportunity, America. This should be a time of tolerance, a time when we can reflect on the folly of man, and pray our children learn from our mistakes as well as our triumphs. The tragedy of 9/11 will forever be a dark page in American history, but let's not allow ourselves to forever blemish the very values that made this country great.

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

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When Cotton Was King

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

blogment - National Newswire - The Infinite Echo

White blossomed, white bolled, short staple cotton. It is the stuff of which dreams are made, and wars are fought. If you think the US Civil War was about the abolition of slavery, perhaps you may wish to reconsider.

During the late 1850’s and right up through the US Civil War, Cotton was indeed an economic powerhouse, not just in the southern United States, but throughout the world. “Dare not make war on cotton,” presaged Senator James Henry Hammond in 1858. “No power on earth dares make war upon it. Cotton is King."

Economists agreed with the Senator from South Carolina. Cotton was the driving force behind a period of great prosperity in the south, creating an elitist upper class dependant on the success of the crop. Slavery in the US was on the wane until Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin in 1779. Unfortunately, the success of his invention brought new demand for slave labor. By 1804, the cotton crop was eight times greater than in the previous decade, and the demand for slaves was rising.

This new Southern aristocracy resulted from the ownership of land and slaves and the surest way to obtain both was to grow cotton. Its impact was long reaching. New roads were constructed and businesses sprang up along endless processions of wagons hauling the crop to various ports. Cotton’s new kingdom extended well into Texas and north another six hundred miles up the Mississippi River valley. Rest assured, where there was cotton, there was money to be made. Even smaller farms, who generally planted only for sustenance, often set aside a few acres of cotton for trading.

Caught in diplomacy.

By 1860, the South was annually exporting two-thirds of the worlds cotton, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. During the Antebellum Period, cotton was indeed king, dominating international relations with the Confederacy, a policy referred to by many as “cotton diplomacy.” This period would see the South in a new light. However, James Henry Hammond was far from accurate in his assessment. Cotton would rule under a pall of darkness, perhaps the darkest period in American history. Still, it was not cotton that was to blame for the folly of man, but man himself, who was to blame for the rise and fall of a mighty king, King Cotton.

References:

King Cotton, the Fiber of Slavery. Author or authors unknown.
Bleeding Kansas and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom, National Heritage Area Feasibility Study. Author or authors unknown.

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

blogment - National Newswire - The Infinite Echo