Many ways to read it: The U.S. Needs to Repent

I make one comment in church: "We are sinners, too." I have never said it in those exact words, but that is the general idea.

We find it hard to admit that we are sinners. When we read about Lamanites, or Judas, or King David, we think: Those are the bad guys. I usually don't hear people in Sunday school say, "This story teaches us that we should repent." The closest the conversation usually come is "we should avoid people like that."

People like that are us. I may not be the king of Jerusalem, but I might commit adultery in my heart. I may not betray Christ for 30 pieces of silver, but I might figuratively trample him under my feet by not obeying his commandments.

So when, in Sunday School, I feel the spirit of self-righteousness beginning to stifle out the spirit of God, I raise my hand and say: "We are sinners too."

picture's source

This isn't Sunday school, but I want to raise my hand, here in America, and remind us that we are sinners too.

The list of sins is debatable, but I would include slavery, starting unjustified wars, assassinations of foreign leaders, torture, oppression of workers, and, if you deny all of the preceding—hypocrisy.

Recently I have read about our terrorist acts against Cuba. I'd like to relate some of that relatively unknown history.

From 1898 on, U.S. businesses controlled Cuba and exploited its resources and people. In 1959 Fidel Castro successfully overthrew the U.S. puppet government known as the Batista dictatorship. The U.S. immediately went to war (undeclared) with Cuba.

Between 1959 and 1997, the United States carried out 5,780 terrorist actions against Cuba – 804 of them considered as terrorist attacks of significant magnitude, including 78 bombings against the civil population that caused thousands of victims. Terrorist attacks against Cuba have cost 3,478 lives and have left 2,099 people permanently disabled.
Our list of crimes includes:

extensive fire-bombing (Cuba did not retaliate with violence, but rather petitioned the U.N. to diplomatically resolve the conflict)

attempting to assassinate Castro on several occasions (once with an exploding cigar)

speedboat drive-by shootings on seaside resorts

attacks on cargo ships and contaminating sugar shipments

blowing up a factory that killed 400 workers (we've burned down 150 more)

and blowing up a Cuban commercial airplane, killing all seventy-three passengers. (We've hijacked at least 60 other planes and boats)

spreading the swine flu against civilian populations

The U.S. even hired its own terrorists to carry out these attacks, including "the worst terrorist of the hemisphere". When one of these terrorists was imprisoned for terrorist activities, Bush Sr. pardoned him(living up to the neo-con maxim: love your criminal friends).

Bush Sr.'s terrorist friend

Of course, terrorist attacks are only evil if they are committed by the evil-doers. If we commit terrorist attacks, they are not evil, but the unfortunate steps to democracy.

U.S. uncharitable apathy toward other nations was notably illustrated when former president Clinton committed adultery. Republicans loved this, because it justified their hatred of the man. The "liberal" media ran non-stop coverage. But no one mentioned Clinton's continued terrorist attacks against Cuba. No one cared, it seemed.

So this one case, and the general sins listed before, are a few reasons why America needs to repent. Take that Hannity. And kudos to Obama.

More on Cuba from Chomsky