O P I N I O N

THE SOAPBOX

Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.

Among the many feast days and solemnities of the Christmas season is the December 28 holy day to remember the Holy Innocents, slaughtered by decree of Herod the king, who feared a babe or toddler of 2 years or less might grow up to be the long-prophesied Son of David who would be King of the Jews, thus supplanting Herod and his line.

It reminds me of a story that came out of the early days of the Iraq War, relating that a certain young child not only suffered the death of his immediate family, courtesy of U.S. rockets and missiles, but also lost both of his arms in the devastating explosions. It was not an explicit statement by the U.S. government but a citizen who supported the carnage, carried out under the banner of “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” who offered the macabre and grotesque rationale that the child, then about 7 or 8 years old, might otherwise have grown up to be a terrorist who would use his now missing arms to make or throw bombs at the forces who were, let us assure ourselves, liberating his land. So I guess the child and any survivors who cared about him should have been grateful for the forces that saved the child from what might have been his own future evil deeds.

Such ruthless barbarism, carried about by decree of men and women, well fed and well clad, sitting at desks in Congress, the White House and the Pentagon, is the kind of thing the American public often supports under the guise of patriotism, too often as Samuel Johnson said, “the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

Similarly, our nation has embraced human sacrifice in the name of Women’s health or “reproductive rights,” This is the standard lie perpetuated by those who fancy themselves “progressives.” In fact, they are reactionary throwbacks to the 15th and 16th centuries when Aztecs in the Americas practiced human sacrifice. Indeed, today’s “progressives,” especially those in the vanguard of the cancel culture, have long denigrated Columbus and his Catholic crew for eliminating the Aztec culture and its practice of human sacrifice. Count it among the many sins of Western imperialism.

The Lord whose birth we celebrated but a few days ago spoke of separating the wheat from the chaff. Christian clergy everywhere should stop providing intellectual cover to so-called pro-choice advocates and call out the modern Aztec pseudo-Christians in clear and certain terms.

Beg to differ? Agree to disagree? The Soapbox is a place for your thoughtful prose on topics of interest. Respectful comments and lively debate encouraged. Send submissions to carolrobidoux@manchesterinklink.com, subject line: The Soapbox.

Jack Kenny is a freelance writer from Manchester. He can be reached at pitchforkjack@gmail.com