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Richard Littledale

Richard Littledale's
Views on the News: July 2004

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Iraq flag   Let Freedom Reign!   Iraq flag

For an administration with one of the most sophisticated publicity machines in the world, it was a lot of value from a scrap of paper hastily produced by Condolezza Rice.

Let Freedom Reign! George Bush's three words, scribbled in an uphill, upbeat fashion, followed by a congratulatory handshake with Tony Blair, seemed to say it all. These few drops of ink, scribbled by one of the world's most powerful men, were a distinctly understated gesture of power.

Is this proof that the pen really is mightier than the sword, or was it merely a weapon of mass distraction?

Sometimes power is best underlined by understatement. With the wind and the waves swirling around his tiny boat and threatening to engulf his companions, Jesus simply told it all to "be quiet", as an owner might hush a pet dog. With 5000 upturned faces looking hungrily at him, Jesus simply said thank you for the tiny amount of bread and fish in his hands, and proceeded to distribute it until all were fed. Before the grave of his good friend Lazarus, under the watchful eyes of the dead man's sisters, he simply prayed for God's help and told him to come out. Here is real power.

Truly powerful words are those which can effect a change rather than describing it - like God telling the light to shine or Jesus telling Lazarus to step from the grave. George Bush's words surely express a genuine sentiment, but ultimately they describe hope rather than actuality. George Bush, Tony Blair and the world's other leading statesmen can hope for freedom, and even try to help it on its way, but to create it is not within their gift.

The only time that Jesus wrote a message down it was written in the dust at the roadside with his finger, and was doubtless swiftly erased by the passing traffic of feet. Infuriatingly we do not know what it said, and it cannot be produced for the cameras like the note written in Istanbul. When it was written, Jesus had just set a woman free from her accusers and her past. I wonder what it said? (John 8:1-11)

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