Unfortunately, I believe Craig's opinion is winning the day. Yes, I want the State to "clean this mess up", but also hope they look at how they have created this mess. Why is there no beef with Switzerland? Because they mind their business.
When will the State step away and say, "I'll be damned. We helped create both Bin Laden and Hussein. Huh? They would never be where they are if we weren't stealing the American peoples' money and giving it to them."
Where does the US gov't have the greatest presence? Pretty much Iraq. It is more or less a police state. Where is the greatest amount of "terrorism" occuring? Iraq. The issue cannot be solved by the government. They can only exasperate the issue. Yes, they should punish evil doers, but what happens when the State is the evil doer? We need to radically decentralize their authority and not centralize it.
Does America want to help the world? Then bring home our soldiers home and quite inciting coups down in central america, quite trying to set up democracies in the middle east, and have more gov't shutdowns.
John Whitehead has some descent material against the ill-named Patriot Act.
I had breakfast this AM with a believer who has lived and ministered in an Islamic nation for nearly twenty years. he had very interesting and enlightening perspectives, but it did disturb me that he seemed to want to defend the terrorists to some degree by pointing to all the ways the US has perpetrated ill against other nations. Perhaps this is so, but it does not excuse the acts of terrorism against civilians nor does it excuse the US from fulfilling thier obligation to protect their citizens. Eventually the gentleman agreed that murder is wrong regardless of why it is committed or by whom. He's a good missionary and is incarnating (much like Patrick among the celts). But so am I, among my own people.
Also, with respect to the government being given the right to bear the sword, this is true and I fully agree. However, in the US, who is it that holds the power of government? THE PEOPLE! The President and the congress merely stand in the people's place! (Presbyterians ought to be quite familiar with this federal concept). My fear is that legislation like the Patriot act further widens the gap between the people and the power they are to excercise creating more of an Oligarchy than a representative democracy. It is now easier for the governing bodies to police the people than it is for the people to police the governing bodies that stand in our place. That is seldom a good idea.
I definitely don't want my words to sound like I am justifying the terrorists actions. They are fully to blame. Yet, it must be recognized that our foreign policies in the Middle East and elsewhere carry ramifications, even ones we don't intend on. Isn't there some cliche about an elephant wagging his tails? I know I'm messing it up, b/c they have tiny tails.
I'm just not convinced they hate us for our "freedom" or "wealth", despite the State's claim. Nor do I think Moslems are "peaceful" people, despite the State's claim.
When a pitbull attacks and kills a child I think it should be put down. But I also think we should look at how the beast was created. I don't want to create an either/or.
4 comments:
Unfortunately, I believe Craig's opinion is winning the day. Yes, I want the State to "clean this mess up", but also hope they look at how they have created this mess. Why is there no beef with Switzerland? Because they mind their business.
When will the State step away and say, "I'll be damned. We helped create both Bin Laden and Hussein. Huh? They would never be where they are if we weren't stealing the American peoples' money and giving it to them."
Where does the US gov't have the greatest presence? Pretty much Iraq. It is more or less a police state. Where is the greatest amount of "terrorism" occuring? Iraq. The issue cannot be solved by the government. They can only exasperate the issue. Yes, they should punish evil doers, but what happens when the State is the evil doer? We need to radically decentralize their authority and not centralize it.
Does America want to help the world? Then bring home our soldiers home and quite inciting coups down in central america, quite trying to set up democracies in the middle east, and have more gov't shutdowns.
John Whitehead has some descent material against the ill-named Patriot Act.
I had breakfast this AM with a believer who has lived and ministered in an Islamic nation for nearly twenty years. he had very interesting and enlightening perspectives, but it did disturb me that he seemed to want to defend the terrorists to some degree by pointing to all the ways the US has perpetrated ill against other nations. Perhaps this is so, but it does not excuse the acts of terrorism against civilians nor does it excuse the US from fulfilling thier obligation to protect their citizens. Eventually the gentleman agreed that murder is wrong regardless of why it is committed or by whom. He's a good missionary and is incarnating (much like Patrick among the celts). But so am I, among my own people.
Also, with respect to the government being given the right to bear the sword, this is true and I fully agree. However, in the US, who is it that holds the power of government? THE PEOPLE! The President and the congress merely stand in the people's place! (Presbyterians ought to be quite familiar with this federal concept). My fear is that legislation like the Patriot act further widens the gap between the people and the power they are to excercise creating more of an Oligarchy than a representative democracy. It is now easier for the governing bodies to police the people than it is for the people to police the governing bodies that stand in our place. That is seldom a good idea.
FP,
I definitely don't want my words to sound like I am justifying the terrorists actions. They are fully to blame. Yet, it must be recognized that our foreign policies in the Middle East and elsewhere carry ramifications, even ones we don't intend on. Isn't there some cliche about an elephant wagging his tails? I know I'm messing it up, b/c they have tiny tails.
I'm just not convinced they hate us for our "freedom" or "wealth", despite the State's claim. Nor do I think Moslems are "peaceful" people, despite the State's claim.
When a pitbull attacks and kills a child I think it should be put down. But I also think we should look at how the beast was created. I don't want to create an either/or.
kdny
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