Cal Thomas is an Asshole

Tom Fox, a Quaker peace activist who went to Iraq to help the people of the country, was murdered by a radical group of insurgents.

I'm going to have trouble even being snarky about this one, never mind joking about it. Let me say that the murder of Tom Fox was a horrific, unjustifiable crime. This man of peace, man of faith, and man of action went further than most of us would even consider for what he believed in, and his courage and dedication to what he believed was right should be held up as an example of what it means to be an activist. Dumping paint on fur coats and setting fire to homes under construction in the middle of the night look like pretty cowardly, pathetic acts when you put them next to Tom Fox. As much as I respect and admire our dedicated armed forces, every soldier in Iraq got a gun and a paycheck. Tom Fox got neither, but he went anyway. To downplay the courage this required is to do an injustice to humanity.

Of course, doing injustices to humanity is Cal Thomas's favorite hobby, so it shouldn't be surprising that he used his latest column as a forum in which to criticize and insult Tom Fox and his work. While it may not be surprising, it is beyond infuriating, and while I can usually take Cal with a grain of salt, his latest pile of editorial feces should be balled up, covered in habanero sauce, and shoved down his smarmy little throat.

"It is tragic whenever an innocent person is murdered. It is also tragic because the likelihood that the presence of Fox and his colleagues would change the attitude or behavior of their captors was zero to none. That the 'peace activists' believed their brand of Christianity would trump the fanatical Muslims who regarded them as infidels and worthy of death meant that Fox and the others would either be used for propaganda purposes by the enemies of freedom, or made to sacrifice their lives like animals on an ancient altar in the furtherance of the fanatics' dream of a theocratic state. In this instance they were used for both."

First of all, Cal is way off base assuming that the Christian Peacemaker Teams were trying to advance peace through the evangelizing of Christianity. Evangelizing is not the only way to do good deeds, and in fact can often be counterproductive... this is a lesson Focus on the Family should have considered before making their donation to tsunami victims include tens of thousands of copies of James Dobson's latest book instead of something useful, like food or money. The Christian Peacemaker Teams work to distribute food, provide medical care, and do other charitable works. Second, nobody working in Iraq, be they soldier, contractor, or activist, believe they are going to change the culture. They want to do their part to make things better, and belittling their efforts is not only irresponsible, it is a vile form of self-righteous cowardice.

"Strange thing about these peace movements: they rarely mobilize to oppose the killing, torture and imprisonment practiced by dictators. It is only when their own country attempts to end the oppression that the activists become active against America, not the initiators of evil. Peace, like happiness, is a byproduct, not a goal that can be unilaterally attained. Peace happens when evil is vanquished.

The theology of Christian Peacemaker Teams is as wrong as its politics. The statement about Fox's death claimed that Fox had a 'firm opposition to all oppression and the recognition of G-d in everyone.' Perhaps if Christian Peacemaker Teams had gone to Iraq during Saddam Hussein's murderous regime, or to China while Mao Zedong was slaughtering millions, or to Moscow while Josef Stalin practiced genocide on his people, or to any number of other capitals of carnage, they might be taken more seriously, though under those regimes they might have disappeared much quicker. Was G-d 'in' these mass murderers, or was it Lucifer? "

Again, absolute cowardice on the part of Cal Thomas. A man who does nothing complaining that men who do something can't do everything. Regardless, one can easily make the same criticism of the administration. If we invaded Iraq to free the people from the oppressive Hussein regime, why do we not do the same in the numerous other nations that are far more oppressive than that of pre-invasion Iraq, many of which we consider allies?

Cal also apparently believes that peace and happiness are completely unattainable, as they can only be attained when 'evil is vanquished.' Does Cal, or anyone for that matter, believe that evil can be completely stricken from the face of the earth and the souls of humanity? Is working towards peace useless until it happens? Certainly Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Tom Fox did not strike evil from the world, but they argued for peace regardless, and I am grateful for the efforts of those who fight weapons with wisdom and hate with love.

"Peace 'activism' may make its practitioners feel good, or validate their belief that they are doing the will of G-d, but evil cannot be accommodated. Evil must be defeated if peace on earth is to exist. That Fox and his colleagues could not, or would not see this, is most tragic of all."

No, Cal. The biggest tragedy is that the life and death of a man who displayed more courage and integrity in one day than you could muster in your entire life can be used to spread your particular brand of hatred and ethnocentrism. Tom Fox didn't dedicate his life to helping evil. He dedicated his life to helping the weak, poor, and silent, people the rest of us all too easily overlook. We Christians believe that Jesus Christ, a divine soul, came to Earth to do God's work, and he did not defeat or eradicate evil; we would be presumptuous in the extreme to believe we could do what he did not. He didn't instruct his followers to seek and destroy evil. He did, however, teach, "That which you did for the least of these, you did for me." Tom Fox has you beat by a mile, Cal Thomas, and you should hang your head in shame for assuming you were in any position to criticize the work he lived and died for.