"Tell old Pharoah, Let my people go."--American Negro Spiritual

While I'm sure somewhere right now there's a religo-fascist fundamentalist Christian preacher attempting to cast this latest group of nominees for the stupid white man hall of fame as some type of neo-Babylonian Captivity, let me just say this in reference to those missionaries cum child smugglers: You got no less than you deserved.

For those living under a rock for the past week or so, a story out of Port-au-Prince last week came to the fore in which it was disclosed that ten white American missionaries had been jailed in Haiti for attempting to cross the border into the Dominican Republic with a busload of 33 Haitian children, all victims of the recent earthquake. Initially, major news outlets north of the Caribbean described the children as 'orphans,' but as more tidbits filter up from the tragedy stricken nation, it is becoming clear that a number of them were anything but. Truth be told, at least 22 of the 33 had living parents, but the Christian confidence men dangled the carrot of 'better life elsewhere' in front of them.

Further, this was not the first time Laura Silsby, the head Pied Piper of Hamelin in charge, and zealous henchmen attempted such actions. And, despite claims by she and her cohorts that they believed all their paperwork was in order (they actually received permission to cross the border from the DR), Dominican authorities reportedly warned them that they needed additional permission from the Haitian government. I am of the mind that Silsby knew she didn't have the proper authorization and that her subordinates probably knew it as well.

In any event, this is all strangely reminiscent of another incident I recall from my high school days some 16 years ago. Back in 1994, some insolent little son of a diplomat twit was arrested for vandalism in Singapore. Subsequently convicted and sentenced to caning, termed barbaric by a good number of my classmates at the time, the talk was that then president Bill Clinton should entreat on his behalf. In discussions with my fellow pupils, most were shocked to discover that my response amounted to the following, 'Well, if I could give the guy charged with executing the sentence one piece of advice, it'd be the same advice my baseball coach gives me every time I step in the batter's box, "Swing hard in case you hit it."' Not that I agreed then, or do now for that matter, with corporal punishment, but the little turd broke the law. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime and all that. My attitude hasn't changed all that much.

All of that being said, the core of the matter is that this is not only one further demonstration of contempt for both law and social mores which the Religious Right is possessed of, but also demonstrative of a certain culture of arrogance and hypocrisy. To find instances exemplary of the first assertion is easy; one need look no further than fundamentalist's tendency towards homicidal mania or their appearance at the funerals of service men and women with tact laden protest signs exclaiming things like 'God hates fags' or the ever popular 'Thank God for dead soldiers.'

Personally, I like the argument that Donald Faison made on the Wanda Sykes Show last Saturday night to address the latter of the above assertions. Suppose some missionaries came to the US from El Salvador and tried to smuggle a bunch of white kids across the border to a better life in Mexico. The American people would be apoplectic, and rightfully so. In fact, wars have been started for less. I couldn't agree more, and would personally add my own observation concerning the height of arrogance and assuredness in their own cultural superiority to which the religious right have now climbed. So confident in their own sanctity are these people that they've now claimed kidnapping as a divine right. My only hope is that they're left to rot in a Haitian jail cell for the next 15 to 20. Maybe that will teach them a lesson, but I doubt it.

And don't even get me started on the Jehovah's Witnesses that banged on my door to interrupt me writing this very post...