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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (93397)	4/14/2003 10:25:18 AM
From: Dennis O'Bell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

This pretty much says it all with respect to these thumpers. We can obliterate another nation's army in a few weeks, but when it comes to reining in a disruptive charity, well, our hands our tied ? The positive suggestion of having them collect funds for truly non aligned aid organizations would be the best way to go, I hope it is eventually handled like that. It's just too much of a hot button and we have enough problems as it is, anyone can see that.

To: LindyBill who wrote (93397)	4/14/2003 11:19:32 AM
From: JohnM	Respond to of 281500

John, the Evangelicals moving into Iraq is an issue we both share a concern on. As my favorite fictional Historical Charactor Flashman, would say, " All we needed in India was road work and the hut tax. Keep the Missionaries home!" But even without Bush's religious bent, we really can't stop these people. I think the Muslims will just have to get used to competition. Seriously, "nuance" a little on this one. Two separate issues, Bill, whether the US taxpayer should support such efforts or whether Graham's kind of groups should feel free to go there. On the first, I'm adamantly opposed both because my tax dollars and your tax dollars and Karen's tax dollars should not support the religious enterprise portion of religous outfits. They should not even have tax dollars to distribute relief, tax dollars to staff hospitals, etc. The second reason I'm opposed to tax dollars use is it represents the US government sponsoring missionary work in a Muslim country. There are so many things wrong with that we couldn't start counting them. As for whether they should feel free to go there in the form missionary groups have always gone to "foreign lands" to convert the "uncivilized", they are obviously free to do so but I have two concerns. The first is that if they go in on the heels of this invasion they will be read as agents of the US government whether they are or not. Bad. Second, given the present level of anger and tensions in Iraq there will be attacks on such missionaries, the US military will have to defend them, and will begin to look like a government sponsored crusade. Just not good. Do you have different thoughts?