To Christian Counselors, Mike Pompeo Lauds the Trump Administration’s Foreign Policies While Kurds Die

Today, in Nashville at a conference hosted by Tim Clinton (aka the American Association of Christian Counselors), Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lauded the foreign policy of the Trump Administration. His glowing praise comes amid Congressional testimony from former Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and worsening atrocities involving the Kurds and Syrian Christians.

Calling America a force for good in the world, Pompeo told AACC attenders that the Trump administration “has spoken the truth in many ways that previous administrations haven’t done.” Pompeo lamented the persecution of Christians by ISIS at the same time Christians are now being killed by Turkish forces invading Northern Syria. This morning’s Christianity Today headline is: “Christians Killed on Syria’s Front Lines.” Due to President Trump’s decision to remove American military presence, Christians are suffering at the hands of Turkish aggressors.

The section discussing religious persecution that I referred to above begins at 12:31 and ends at just after the 15 minute mark in the clip below.

It is surreal to hear Pompeo talk about truth telling in foreign policy when there is abundant evidence that the President has not told the truth about his dealings with Ukraine. To me, the whole situation is surreal. The entire crowd acts as if nothing is happening in the wider world. The president just stabbed the Kurds in the back and is under an impeachment investigation. The president’s whim makes the resurgence of ISIS more likely and emboldens a dictator in Turkey who is no friend of religious freedom.

 

30 thoughts on “To Christian Counselors, Mike Pompeo Lauds the Trump Administration’s Foreign Policies While Kurds Die”

  1. Preaching to the choir.

    Still needs doing, but we’re a monoculture here, not reaching anyone who is a Trump fan.

    What can we do that is constructive?

    Warren, I’ve been on your site(s) through all the various migrations. At the beginning, we disagreed on a lot, the only things we had in common were intellectual honesty, the willingness to discard cherished beliefs if the evidence showed those beliefs were unjustified.

    We are now much closer to being in accord. On Trans issues, not so much, but I know all I have to do there is give you more evidence, including showing where some sources you still trust in this area are just as mendacious as you know they’ve been in others. If you’re still not convinced, then that means that I should take yet another look at my own views, and check them. Actually, I should always be doing that, of course. But you are a useful coarse filter.

  2. There is nothing I could say that wouldn’t get me banned from Dr. Throckmorton’s blog.

  3. I don’t think I can respond without being in danger of castigation for “no true Scotsman,” but the situation is SOP for today’s presidential administration, and evangelicals.

  4. The overall Christian response to Trump, i.e. their overwhelming support for him in spite of abhorrent actions, has destroyed whatever might have been left of my faith. I experienced the worst of the Church during the fierce anti-gay days, but this is the cap to a couple of really awful years for me. If the Church is supposed to be the presence of God in the world, then God has some explaining to do. The Church has sold her soul for some political gain. I didn’t think this would affect me to this extent, but I guess I still had some hope that voices would be raised in some moral outrage. They are too few and too far in between. She is a whore. I’m done.

    1. The overall Christian response to Trump, i.e. their overwhelming support for him in spite of abhorrent actions, has destroyed whatever might have been left of my faith.

      And the Christians chorus “AAAAAA-MENNNNN!”

      Because to them, He’s the Second Coming of Christ who Gets RESULTS. A Supreme Court that WILL overturn Roe v Wade, Put Prayer Back in Schools (and toss Evolution out), and generally hand them a Culture War Victory. What are a bunch of Kurdish lives compared to THAT?

      Everyone’s got his price, and American Christians have demonstrated the They Come CHEAP.

  5. While at West Point: “A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”

    But it’s a job requirement for anyone in Dotard J. tDump’s cabinet.

    1. While at West Point: “A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”

      But when you’re the Commander In Chief…

      “Power means you get to do Anything You Want. ANYTHING.:”
      — a sociopath in my family

    1. Not all of us are familiar with “Bible zip codes”, Ellie.

      I would have given the full quote and credited it to “Some Rabbi from Nazareth”.

    2. Not all of us are familiar with “Bible zip codes”, Ellie.

      I would have given the full quote and credited it to “Some Rabbi from Nazareth”.

  6. “has spoken the truth in many ways that previous administrations haven’t done.”

    Only because everyone else calls that “truth” a lie.

    Personally, I suspect the “stabbing the Kurds in the back” was just an attempt to deflect attention away from the impeachment investigation, since Trump’s usual way of deflecting the media (outrageous twitter storms) wasn’t working.

    1. Well, it’s said he announced his run in 2015-16 as a publicity stunt to get more money out of “The Apprentice”.

      If true, it’s the biggest publicity stunt backfire since the one about an American newspaper hoax (for ratings) triggering the Boxer Rebellion in China.

  7. For someone who was allegedly first in his class at West Point, Pompeo has not impressed with his intellect. So it is not surprising that he thinks he can tell these people obviously stupid lies and get away with it. Of course, he’s right.

    There is no country left that will ever believe we will be loyal to our friends. Kurds have been fighting and dying for us since at least the first Gulf War. They are our allies, just as our NATO partners are our allies. And Trump doesn’t care. This is a man who reportedly didn’t care how devastating his tax cuts will be on the economy because when the bill comes due, he’ll be out of office.

    Know who does trust Trump to do right by them? Putin, Kim, MBS, and Erdogan. We are being sold out in plain view.

    1. This is a man who reportedly didn’t care how devastating his tax cuts will be on the economy because when the bill comes due, he’ll be out of office.
      This is called “Making the Death Bet”.
      In French, “Apres moi, le deluge”.
      But it all boils down to the same thing:
      “By the time it goes sour, I’ll be Gone and THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM.”

    2. This is a man who reportedly didn’t care how devastating his tax cuts will be on the economy because when the bill comes due, he’ll be out of office.
      This is called “Making the Death Bet”.
      In French, “Apres moi, le deluge”.
      But it all boils down to the same thing:
      “By the time it goes sour, I’ll be Gone and THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM.”

    3. Got the tags right this time:

      This is a man who reportedly didn’t care how devastating his tax cuts will be on the economy because when the bill comes due, he’ll be out of office.

      This is called “Making the Death Bet”.
      In French, “Apres moi, le deluge”.
      But it all boils down to the same thing:
      “By the time it goes sour, I’ll be Gone and THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM.”

    4. Got the tags right this time:

      This is a man who reportedly didn’t care how devastating his tax cuts will be on the economy because when the bill comes due, he’ll be out of office.

      This is called “Making the Death Bet”.
      In French, “Apres moi, le deluge”.
      But it all boils down to the same thing:
      “By the time it goes sour, I’ll be Gone and THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM.”

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