Blessed are the theoreticians of “Shock and Awe” and the architects of the war who were ready to cleanse the Middle East of evil-doers-for they will call each other the sons of God.
Blessed are the cheerful, congenial, and judiciously flattering journalists at the height of their careers-for they shall be called upon repeatedly at the informative White House press conferences.
Blessed are the Halliburtons, Boeings and ESSI-for they shall inherit what is due them as the conscientious war-profiteers they enthusiastically are.
Blessed are the ingenious corporate leaders who oversee the global exporting of our values and culture-for theirs is the Kingdom of Profit, Power, and Prestige.
Blessed are the Administration officials who play hardball, break the law, but still somehow achieve their strategic objectives-for they shall obtain mercy, pardon, and invitations to offer commentary on CNN.
Blessed are those elite Americans who hunger and thirst for luxury and the ever-increasing freedom to do whatever the hell they want-for they shall be filled even more than they can possibly imagine.
Blessed are the members of the patriotic Congress and Senate-for, even though their children will never know the glory of dying for their country on the battlefields of the Sunni Triangle, those same sons and daughters will still know the grandeur of graduating from Harvard, Yale, or Stanford.
Blessed are the pure in ideology-for they shall see our enemies (Arab-looking, Muslim, conniving and plotting) on every street corner and do whatever they can to destroy them.
Blessed are the visionaries of the oil companies-for they shall be supremely comforted by the annual profit report.
Blessed are those media pundits, perspicuous intellectuals, and ecclesiastical moderates who sing the praises of the nation’s leaders-for they shall be invited to all the best Washington parties.
Blessed are the astute proponents of the emerging just-torture theory-for they are defending the uniquely divine rights of America.
Blessed are the rich, who experience rapture with each glance at their portfolios-for this new American century is all for their happiness.
And so blessed are you, Mr. President, and Mr. Vice-President, and Mr. Secretary, and Mr. And Ms. Everybody Else Who is Along for this Noble Ride of Plunder, blessed are you when your soldiers’ mothers say all manner of truth about you, and when more and more of the citizens gather to oppose you, Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward tonight on FOX News.
MARK CHMIEL is author, most recently, of The Book of Mev. He works with the Center for Theology and Social Analysis (www.ctsastl.org) in Saint Louis, Missouri. He can be reached at: MarkJChmiel@aol.com
