N.O. Pundit

Making Sense of the Terrorists

There is an ad playing on N.O. radio for a car dealership which goes something like this (N.O. is a very Catholic city): Hi, I'm Billy Bob Boudreaux. Come on down to my dealership (chatter about great car deals). In this holiday season, I put my faith and love first in Almighty God himself, then in my family, and then my fellow man, and I hope and pray you do the same.

Nothing remarkable, and to most Christians (I assume), the order makes sense. God first. Live by your Christian compass first, even above that of family.

I just finished reading "The Last Don" by Mario Puzo. Domenico Clericuzio is the namesake of the book, and is a devout Catholic. Somewhere in the first half of the book, he's ruminating for the benefit of the reader, and the divine order for him is family first, God second, then the rest. Family first, before God.

This is exactly the rationalizing force that allows his sons, on the Don's order, to avenge the death of their brother Silvio and kill the rival Santadio clan. It is necessary, and it is not inconsistent with his belief in the divine order he lives in. God will understand and forgive him.

The title of my work is not, "Talking Sense with the Terrorists". It has been proven, to my satisfaction anyway, that this has been tried and is not possible. But there is a craving on my part to "get" the terrorists motivations. No, not motivations. There divine order. These terrorists acts are in the name of a great and compassionate religion. How do they rationalize their actions, to themselves, when their religion clearly condemns such acts?

Family first. Before God. God will understand and forgive them.

Posted by nopundit at December 9, 2003 08:30 PM