DAVID AND GOLIATH             I remember as a kid the strangely good feeling I had when another kid bloodied the neighborhood bully’s nose, sending him home in tears. That’s why I always liked the David and Goliath story. The arrogant bully, with all his missile defense system and superior weaponry, towering head and shoulders above the world, was toppled by a young lad with a single stone. It never crossed my mind to feel sorry for Goliath.             As I was sorting through my many feelings after September 11, I found myself thinking about how others in the world felt about what happened. Of course, we don’t get much of that in our press. Surely most truly human beings shared our horror. But, let’s get real here. Many people in the world had other thoughts. The neighborhood bully got his nose bloodied. Goliath was felled by puny religious zealots.             What did David have against Goliath? His power? His might? His arrogance? Power and might may be tolerable. Arrogance is another thing.             Then I had an unpatriotic thought, even as I was lowering my flag to half-mast. I guess it was unpatriotic. At least it’s not one that many dare speak. America is seen by many as the world’s bully, the world’s Goliath.             I’ve noticed it more when traveling abroad. You don’t get it when you are in the main tourist places. They love Americans. Well, they love American money. But you get it on side streets and in the newspapers. America is resented for its money and militarism and arrogance.             I began to collect news clippings this summer. They came out one by one, never on the front page. As Americans we probably didn’t notice. One by one we were undoing treaties that past administrations had made with nations of the world. These were agreements made for the sake of the world. The Kyoto treaty on global warming. The nuclear test ban treaty. The anti-ballistic missile treaty. The conference on racism. The biological weapons ban. I forget the rest. But one by one our country was breaking the treaties. We were America. We were Goliath. We didn’t need the rest of the world. And our government mostly said, “Who cares what others think? We must put American interest first.”              Some cynics among us wondered whether there were financial interests behind such actions. Further cynicism makes us think that the major policy decisions made in recent months have a financial payoff for someone.             David was a hero for his suicidal courage against Goliath. When Goliath is our name, we can’t imagine David as anyone’s hero. What is frightening is that there are more David’s around than we imagine. Many are in our own country or right next door in Canada. We suspect Iraq as nesting place for more, preparing even more sinister and dangerous schemes. They are likely feeling more empowered to strike blows at Goliath.              One of the things I’ve never really enjoyed about being trained in religion and familiar with biblical story, is that the Bible is not patriotic. When our leaders call our nation back to God and to prayer, I wonder if they ever think what God might actually think about us? I read the prophets—Jeremiah, Amos, Micah, etcetera, those who spoke for God to their nation—they make Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson sound like wimps.              No good American wants to hear the kind of things the prophets say about the consequences of being insensitive to those with less wealth and power. “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion!” No one wants to believe that God doesn’t bless America as we are. We are not ready to hear that if we want to destroy terrorism we must first do away with the terror people live with day by day.              Afghanistan must be among the world’s most impoverished nations. Its people usually don’t live beyond 40 years. Their average income is $100 a year. The United Nations and other relief organizations have been trying to feed the hungry and heal the sick. All are fleeing for fear of US missiles, leaving Afghani’s screaming their rage at Goliath. They cheer for David. Simplistic, of course, but that’s the way the prophet’s would see it. Do you think it possible that Goliath could ever become a good guy? Could he ever win David as a friend?  — Art Morgan, September 2001