Searching for the right words

Infinite Justice. That's what we might be calling the war. \nIt's a pretty tall order, but it goes right along with President George W. Bush's promise to "rid the world of evil-doers." I'm just waiting for him to stand in front of the White House, and, to the strains of thunder and lightning, proclaim that "By the Power of Greyskull, I am President He-Man."\nBut that would be silly. It's much more likely, and more in keeping with Mr. Bush's tone, that he will saddle up one of the four horses mentioned in the Book of Revelations, and rough ride the varlets out of this life and into the next. \nThe fact is, the administration's rhetoric has been largely unacceptable. Ever since the president's first statement to the nation, when he assured the American people that we will "get these folks," it's been a downhill slide of mangled civic discourse. \nI'm not supposed to say this. For the last two weeks, the Bush approval rating has been hovering between 80 and 90 percent, and the press accordingly refuses to find fault with the White House. Even politicians are avoiding criticism of George W., for fear of looking like partisan snipes in the wake of national tragedy. Anything but positive commentary on the president has been treated like the worst kind of anti-patriotism.\nBut when a duck quacks, you can't call it an eagle. And the phrase "infinite justice" was the mallard call heard 'round the world.\nIt's odd that such a pious man, who revealed during a debate that his favorite philosopher was Jesus Christ, would presume to deliver the final judgement. I don't know where the president goes to church, but my pastors, preachers and Sunday school teachers have always been adamant that "infinite justice" is the domain of a powerful and merciful God and not the former governor of Texas, thank Heavens. \nLikewise unacceptable is the president's use of the word "crusade." Let's not forget that the first Crusades involved hordes of Christians slaughtering as many Muslims as they could in a madcap attempt to liberate the holy land that happened to be someone else's home. So while the American association with the word crusade has more to do with Indiana Jones than with a religious war, the Islamic community happens to see things differently. \nPresident Bush seems to be grasping for words that will contain and describe the anger he and the entire country feel, but in reaching beyond the human world and into the vocabulary-realm of holy wars and end-time judgement, he has dragged us dangerously close to the brink of fanaticism. If this war becomes a matter of religious vengeance rather than a means of creating a safer world, we will have already lost. \nWe are all stumbling for words to describe what has happened to us. This weekend, I was in Mitchell, Indiana, for the Candlelight Tour of Spring Mill State Park that kicks off the Persimmon Festival. You can't get any more American than that. In this restored pioneer village, with candlelight demonstrations and gospel quartets, we were celebrating the creativity, perseverance and spirit of 19th-century pioneers. In other words, a very positive celebration of America (for now, I won't get into the Native American issues). In the midst of the festival, a friend overheard a conversation between two good ol' boys, one of whom said that it was a good thing that the town had the Persimmon Festival, as a means of getting back to normal.\n"Yep," said the other man, "But it's a new kind of normal." \nFar more than the warlike nonsense of "Infinite Justice," this simple eloquence suggests that we have to tread carefully, minding our words and our actions. The president would do well to listen to this man from Mitchell, Indiana.