Bring the Troops Home

Get out now! Remove all of our troops from Iraq immediately!

So says a plethora of anti-War activists. It is interesting to see that people who oppose war and favor peace do not specify what sort of peace is acceptable. I would say that certain peaces are destructive to mankind. The paramount example would have to be the Versailles peace treaty post-WWI. Perhaps the "peace" after, granting that the choruses of Lefty voices are heard, the troops in Iraq leave will become far worse than Weimar Republic would ever create.

There is nothing worse than a civil war. Dating from Ancient Rome to current Third World power struggles, civil strife is always horrific! Yet, there is a brewing storm between the Muslim factions within Iraq that could spill over into the surrounding nations. I hope that I am wrong, but if things go according to Jane Fonda and the Hollywood Commie-Liberals crowd, bloodshed under the new form of anarchy that would increase.

You honestly think that George Bush is a brutal killer? Well, just wait until the troops leave and murder will ensue on a larger scale than Darfur ever was. Simply put, Darfur is a place that Muslims in Sudan are slaughtering Christians wholesale. Within Iraq, there will be Shiites and Sunnis battling for power, with other minorities coming under the crosshairs. With Iran growing as a regional hegemony, the Shiite nation would move to back their brethren in the area. Of course, we know from reports that Iran has been meddling within the Iraqi affairs. Do you think the Saudis, Egyptians and Jordanians, who are Sunnis, would stand for that? Let alone, Israel would be a little hesitant to say the least!

By withdrawing from Iraq, slaughter would dramatically increase. However, by staying there the Iraqi government, which is more or less an experiment in the annals of democracy, would continue to flounder along the path. Some cultures are more fertile ground for democracy, while others would take more time- like within an authoritarian nation (Japan, for example). There is bloodshed either way, and I can honestly thank God that I am not a policymaker right now! Turbulent times are ahead, and how incredibly insane is it that the clash of worldviews, Jihad vs McWorld as Benjamin Barber would say, is taking place. American and other Western troops are within the crosshairs of Islamic extremists. Yes, I concur that Bush made a mistake by not planning for the worst- but we are in Iraq now. How do we get out of here, without promoting greater bloodshed? Left and Right, I invite you to debate!

What Life Should Mean

What use is it if one would pursue the grandest of political dreams and in the end die- as everyone else? Ecclesiastes paints a bleak picture of human accomplishment, laying down foundations for this thought. What does it matter if I or anyone else toils with our hands and constructs something immaculate and beautiful in terms of politics or ruling?

"For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!"

William Wallace in the movie Braveheart did say it best, "All men die. But not all men truly live." A brilliantly true and profound statement, but sadly in the end all men die. So what then truly matters for the person? Does legacy even count, if one would be forgotten eventually. (Sadly in this illiterate historical age, where people do not know greats in any tradition)

The ultimate act of political life is to live one's life untainted from the world. To live in harmonious accord with Christ and to be transformed by Him is what truly matters. We ought to be informed by that understanding and look at the very core of the world through the eyes of a Believer and devout follower of Christ. That is what life is all about.

Where is the moral courage?

I have noticed something that is so incredibly prevalant that it is incredibly disheartening. We in the West are neutered. We have the sheer desire to live beaten out of our collective spirits. Westerners must feel sorry for the way they have treated other regions, they must feel bad for the pain they have caused in colonization and now we must lose our own moral ground and subjugate ourselves to political correctness.

I was in class a few weeks ago and the professor had the sheer courage to stand up and say that burqas are wrong and we Christians need to say that is wrong and change that culture. I, sitting in the back of the classroom, watched people's expressions, and I realized how incredibly (pardon my vernacular) "deballed" we have become. I debated a classmate who I respect dearly about this issue, and she believed that we must not confront this issue, but allow it to change over time. We cannot be culturally imperialistic and intolerant. The inside of me groaned, because I knew that my generation is being emasculated. Evil is no longer evil, and we cannot dare raise a concern- lest we be ostracized with the stigma of intolerance.

Why can't we say that is wrong and that needs to change? Sure the West has had its share of evil deeds, but the West is good. Why else are people fleeing to the shores of Europe and the colonies of the Enlightenment? I fear that our moral compass is broken and that those with a perverted compass' dial pointed towards Jihad will strike again. And again. And again.

Nevertheless, the Kingdom will one day come down. But until then I will fight for my beloved Western ideals and seek to correct the wrong. Moral spineage is needed. For all of our sakes.

Hatred will always exist

"How can men survive such reckless hate?"

This quote has been forever imprinted on to my mind. It is from King Theodon of the mythical realm of Rohan. How is it that people can combat an evil that wants nothing less than your final destruction? I am currently writing a paper on the Holocaust and the American government's response to the text book example of genocide, and in this research I am saddened to say that we did little.

I can only see that a spiritual element is implied, with the king of hatred at the root, ever-seeking to snuff out the Chosen People of God. It is so shocking that it came out of Europe! The heart of the Enlightenment and the progression of man was there in that region, yet the scientific process was given to extermination over social engineering. How can anyone view that man can make themselves better when there is genocide in the very cradle of Western thought? Killings are rampant in Sudan by Muslims, slayings in the Far East under Communism and throughout the world in cases known as "Collateral Damage." With threats by a new form of fascism, I am frightened for my Western life. I am glad that my Christian life is above my devotion to Western thought, because that is in jeopardy today. Trust in the Lord, for He alone is our Rock.

Man is wicked. Life is nasty, broodish and short.

Never Again

"I shall never forget them. They look less human than like monsters, dirty, ragged with eyes that will haunt me forever- eyes of little beasts in the last anguish of death. They trust no one and expect only the worst from human beings. They slide along the walls of houses looking about them in mortal fear. No one knows where they sleep. From time to time they knock at the door of a Pole and beg for something to eat."
- Witness of "survivors" of the concentration camps during WWII

Human beings have the capabilities of destroying each other brutally. I was always a realist, but after reading books on the Holocaust, the notion that man can progress is reinforced as full of crap. Pluralism/liberalism holds no water. Man is sick, perverse and destructive. Sadly, the worst can happen again. And it just might in the near future. God save us.

Never again.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy!

Represent or Designate

Politics ought not be about personal gain benefit. It is about serving the people, serving the consituents. To borrow from Hobbes' Leviathan, the individual in the representative government is the head of the body politik. He or she is the person designated to promote society, for better or worse. The collective will of the people are embodied inside of that individual.

I was contemplating whether or not a Congressman or Senator should vote conscience or the will of the people. I honestly do not know, but I am starting to think that it should be for the positive growth of the people. It ought to be about the collective people's issues, instead of their own pet projects. The people need to be represented whole heartedly, and that is the ultimate goal of democracies. The will of the people is pushed along, in an ethical manner.

I entitled this "Represent or Designate" for a reason. The two possible roads of adequate representation would be promoting the values of the people or the values of the individual. Should the congressman or president follow the people's will or the conscience? Perhaps a bit of both. How would you respond if your constituents wanted you to vote "Yes" on a bill, but your heart says "NO!"? Tough call, and maybe one day you'll have to decide.

We the People

I recall when I saw President Bush and Governor Schwarzenegger last year, I was almost giddy with joy. Two powerful people, people who command a great deal of responsibility were in the same room as I. Whenever I see the Congressman I cannot help but love the job that he does in Washington. However, thinking about it know...should we even treat politicians as rockstars?

We should treat them with respect, but not become giddy with joy! They are elected to represent us, elected to take care of issues that are important to us. Even if it was a liberal Democrat I would have been excited as well, because this person has so much responsibility. I have now made it a conscious effort in my life to respect the person in power but also realize that their power is given to them by we the people. They ought to treat us with respect, bowing low and serving our needs, instead of lining their pockets with junkets and "pork." This disrespect of the office transcends all political stripes, with Republicans and Democrats looking out for special interests a lot of the time, instead of we the people.

Let us hold them accountable. For the betterment of the nation, Right or Left.