The Voice of Reason

A Heavy Heart

          While at work today, I peeked onto cnn.com to get the latest about the goings-on in New Orleans and the rest of that striken area.  The news just left me speechless.  The chaos that seems to have enveloped New Orleans is beyond description.  All I could think of as I read of the fights that broke out near the buses that were there to help move some of these people from the Superdome were the images we see in third world countries where people clambor around the back of a truck that is passing out small bags of rice although I cannot recall seeing these people shoot and kill one another or take shots at the truck that is carrying the goods.

          It is just as it has been said: disasters like Katrina bring out the best in people .... and the worst.  I have faced no hardship in my life.  I have been blessed since the start.  I am a child of hard-working parents who took care of my siblings and me.  We were not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but we did not know what it was like to do without.  With this kind of background, it is impossible for me to even imagine what it must be like down there right now for these folks who could not (or would not) leave in the face of what was at one time a category 5 storm. 

          Whether I can empathize or not does not stop my heart from sinking with each story.  I would love to believe that I would not behave that way even in desperation, but then I've not had to watch my own children suffer so.  The looters who are carrying armloads of electronics and clothing and smiling while they run have accepted their own reward; they just don't know it yet.  And I'm glad that the police seem to realize that it's just not worth shooting anyone over.  At this point, it seems that the best the police can do is to try and keep the people from killing one another.

          The Red Cross, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, and our local churches are calling out for our help.  We are being inundated with genuine refugees.  May they truly find the presence of Christ in the hearts and minds and homes of fellow citizens.

Gasoline & The "Shortage"

          The news reported today that OH has suffered a $.50 per gallon spike in fuel prices, GA $.40, etc etc etc.  Here in Arkansas wholesale diesel prices jumped $.30 overnight and today on the way home from work, I paid $3.11 for a gallon of regular unleaded.

          Across the southeastern US, heavy trucks were experiencing shortages and rationing from major truck stop chains due to nothing other than an interruption of supplies.  There is still fuel available, but this "panic" buying that I'm seeing on TV from "Joe Consumer" is nothing more than a feeble attempt to save a couple of pennies; the shortage seems only to be self-induced.  Once the line begins, others jump.  I realize that when the tank is empty, it's time to fill 'er up.  I bought fuel today because I needed it; otherwise, I would have waited until I got home where gasoline is generally 10-15 cents cheaper than 30 miles up the road in the capital city.

          Watching the news reports from the Gulf Coast and knowing that some cannot get out and rescue and relief cannot get in, don't you think we have more important things to worry about right now than what's happening right in front of us?  The situation is dire, and these people need us to put aside our petty garbage, look beyond the end of our noses, and help.  We all know that if we were in a similar situation, we would beg for help from someone - anyone - who would be generous enough. 

          New babies were born today.  Someone suddenly realized that Christ is the New covenant that the Lord God made with all of mankind.  New life is all around us.  The situation is only as dire as we choose to allow it to become.  With life comes hope.

          Peace be with you.  And Lord, have mercy on those who are suffering so.

Abortion and the US Supreme Court

          Somewhere down the line, abortion became a political issue rather than a moral one.  Our own Declaration of Independence espouses the idea - indeed, the reality - that we are "endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". 

          The founders of this nation, this ideal, determined that the choice between life and death rightly belongs in the realm of the One, the ONLY One, who makes life possible at all.  It is an acknowledgement of faith that there is a divine realm that is unquestionably untouchable and must never be violated by man.

          Judge John Roberts is soon to come before the US Senate for confirmation hearings about his fitness and qualification to serve as a justice on the US Supreme court, and it seems that all anyone is most concerned about is exactly how he would have ruled on an issue that was decided when he was still a student.  Of course Mr. Roberts, like the rest of us, has his own opinion about abortion, but his detractors want to know if his opinion may (*GASP*) be fed by his faith in "our Creator" and his belief in the ideals of the Declaration.

          The political nature of abortion seems to have its grounding in the 1973 Roe v Wade decision that declared abortion to be a "woman's right".  Based on what little I've read about Mr. Roberts and his opinions about Roe v Wade being "fundamentally flawed", it would seem that the only "rights" that should have been decided - in the context of our Declaration - is the right to "life" of all humans and not just a woman's "right" to decide who lives and who dies.  The "fundamentally flawed" argument seems to declare that since it is the woman's body carrying the unborn child, the woman would then have eminent domain and lordship over her body to include life that could conceivably be sustained independently.

          A recent editorial in an Arkansas newspaper stated that even in the early days of Roe v Wade, no one could have possibly imagined the "advances" that have produced "partial birth abortion" and new "right to die" legislation.  I beg to differ.  I distinctly remember priests in those early days proclaiming that a dangerous door to destruction had been opened.  Their only doubt was in exactly how far this ground-breaking "legislation" would lead us into a dark abyss.  I say "legislation" because even then many were howling about how the US Supreme Court had made up a new law.

          Even still, the narrowness with which so many of Mr. Roberts' opponents are demanding to view his rulings and legal experience and even his faith has the potential to deny the Court a justice who might possibly rule on the Constitution based on what is actually contained in the Constitution.

          I do not believe for one moment that the US Constitution - as important as it is - can be considered a "living document" unless we are indeed a nation of humanists.  This document was borne of man and his ideals to live free.  It is not a "holy" document by any stretch, and it certainly contains no provisions for our right to destroy anything - especially life.  John Paul II once said that a nation that seeks to destroy its own young is a nation without hope.

          NARAL is pulling out all the stops against Judge Roberts' nomination, trying its level best to convince Americans that the right to abortion is fundamental to any and all other rights.  How have we digressed to such a point that the well-being of this nation can be linked to a "right" to destroy life?

Say What?

          Although it should not come as a surprise, I was truly taken aback when reading today's paper and hearing the news that Pat Robertson, the TV evangelist (really?), has called for the MURDER of Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuala.  Pat Robertson has made some pretty outrageous statements in the past, but this one is over the top.

          If Robertson was nothing more than a political commentator or military history buff or redneck, tobacco-chewing, sister-marryin', gun-totin', bale-of-hay-in-the-bed-of-the-truck bubba, I could understand his sentiment.  However, this man claims to have a direct link to the Lord.  He has tried to convince (pretty successfully, I might add) folks that he has some extraordinary link to the will of the Lord (remember the fire-and-brimstone headed to Walt DisneyWorld in Orlando FL because of Disney's support of homosexual couples?  Well, a good friend just came from there - it's apparently still standing.

          Words fail me as to how I would even pretend to respond to such an absurd notion.  Surely this guy does not believe that the Lord told him to say this?  Or that we would believe him if he made such a claim?

"Absolute" Moral Authority

          Cindy Sheehan is one of hundreds of grieving moms whose children have been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.  What is unique about Mrs. Sheehan is that she once met President Bush shortly after her son was killed, and now she has been camped out in Crawford TX outside President Bush's ranch.  She is demanding that Mr. Bush speak with her as she stands outside with the press and other war protesters accusing the President of having "killed" her son.

          Columnist Maureen Dowd recently wrote that Mrs. Sheehan had "absolute" moral authority to speak out against this war since she has suffered so in the loss of her son.  However, another gentleman, Mr. Ronald Griffin, has also lost a son in this war.  He states, "I grieve with Mrs. Sheehan, for all too well I know the full measure of the agony she is forever going to endure.  I honor her son for his service and sacrifice.  However, I abhor all that she represents and those who would cast her as the symbol for parents of our fallen soldiers."

          Mr. Griffin also directed some of his comments toward Ms. Dowd and her statement of "absolute" moral authority being possessed only by those whose loved ones have died over there.  Do these grieving parents somehow have more to say than those whose loved one have survived?

          We learned many lessons from the war in Vietnam, not the least of which was one lesson in which it is extremely difficult to protest a war without protesting the participants.  I remember one giant banner at a protest in Washington DC during the Vietnam era which stated, "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.  BRING THEM HOME."  From this we have surely learned that as we express our concerns about the current war against terror, we must choose our words carefully - and control our emotions - so that while we ask questions, we do not ultimately do harm to those who have fought, those who will soon fight, and those who are currently fighting.  These brave men and women must never doubt that an entire nation prays for them constantly.

          Grief is a powerful emotion that can sometimes bring out the worst in us.  I wrote yesterday about comments that Arkansans had made about the BTK killer in Kansas and what "justice" should actually come to him.  Surely in this case, the good people who lost loved ones at the hands of this guy have more to say about what should have happened than we who are so far removed.  This does not mean that we should not express concern for the criminal justice system.  Kansas is not the only state to suffer from a serial killer or crime in general.

          Making a claim for "absolute" moral authority, however, can be dangerous.  Columnist Kathleen Parker wrote that "while no human being has absolute moral authority on this or any other issue, the 'theory' of moral authority means that those who bury their loved ones have a right to complain and to have their voices heard.  In 'practice', however, it means that people lost in their emotions get a pass from the usual standards of debate and fair play."

          I think that one does not need "absolute" moral authority to express concerns about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I expressed my reservations long before the US rolled into Iraq even as I knew that Saddam Hussein was a dangerous man with a lot of resources and questionable ties to forces outside his private little kingdom.  Did my service as a US Marine grant me "absolute" moral authority to question the decision to invade?  No.  My citizenship in this nation grants me the absolute RIGHT, if not the outright obligation, to question those who run this country IN MY BEHALF.  I am a citizen, not a serf.

          I cannot question Mrs. Sheehan's motives for camping out at the President's ranch for I am well aware that we all grieve in our own way.  She has at least temporarily abandoned her "post" for her sick mom, but the filing for divorce by her husband did not seem to phase her.  She did not rush home for that. 

          The only point I hope to make by such an observation is that grief, regardless of the cause, cannot grant to any of us an "absolute" right to anything other than our grief.  Too often our emotions can run away with us, and we become "absolutely" unreasonable and irrational.  This is what makes protesting under the influence of emotion so dangerous.  We are unreasonable and irrational and in the end, we do more harm than good.  We direct our anger and our grief only where our emotion will send it.  I think perhaps this is what happened to our troops in Vietnam when they returned.  The protesters did not have ready access to our government, so they directed their anger, their emotions, toward the next best thing: the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who returned home.

          May we learn from our past.  Amen.

The BTK Serial Killer

          The BTK killer got ten life terms.  It is surely being said that the only reason he was not sentenced to die is because Kansas does not have the death penalty.  I'll tell you what others are saying as well, and to think that some of these comments come from Christians gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that can only be matched by the feeling I got while reading some of this guy's comments about his acts.

          I am a talk radio fanatic.  Since a good oldies station is getting harder to come by, I pass my commute time by listening to news and talk radio.  This one particular station I listen to is rather conservative.  Actually, "rather" is putting it mildly.  As a matter of fact, this afternoon this radio station became the radio station I USED to listen to.

          On the drive home, the topic was about what this BTK killer should be facing instead of a life in prison.  Truly, listening to some of these comments made my skin crawl.  Some of the callers who remarked about this guy's lack of remorse and his callousness apparently could not hear the cold-blooded comments that were dripping from their own mouths (and ultimately from their hearts!).

          These comments might be understandable coming from those whose loved ones were victims of this guy.  However, these callers - like me - are somewhat removed from the situation.  I feel nothing but pity for those who suffered at the hands of this guy.  But what makes us any better than this "monster" (BTK actually denied that he was a monster.  Rather, a monster was in him - his words) when we say that we would LOVE a chance to beat this guy literally to death and look into his eyes while his life slowly and painfully slipped from him?  And this was one of the nicer comments!

          Are there some people who are really so callous that they could actually fantasize about beating another human being to death and somehow believe this to somehow be right?   Exactly what image do they hope to attain for themselves by making such dastardly comments?  Or are their hearts filled with such hatred that they need only a vent through which to express such rage?  Either way, I am not comforted by such knowledge.

          Of course I also realize that some just like the idea of an audience.  I could not help but wonder whether, if given the chance, these mouth pieces could or would actually do such a thing.  If yes, then we have to face the grim realization that these people have no more regard for the sanctity of life than this BTK guy.  If no, then why say it? 

          I'm just rambling now.  I'm a little tired, but it's been so long since I posted anything.  I'm listening to Sarah Brightman sing "Ave Maria".  Wow.  I wish I could understand Italian.  She sings beautifully, and the words - even if I don't understand them - give comfort to such a weary soul.  There is so much hatred, so much animosity.  Debate about anything of any substance is nearly impossible anymore because we don't want to just "win"; we also want to "destroy" something or someone along the way. 

          "Amen, come Lord Jesus."

What Will It Take?

          I have some serious work ahead of me for an upcoming post and separate paper for (hopeful) publication!

          As I was reading this morning's paper, I was reminded of some training I received while serving as a US Marine.  The subject was terrorism, and the presentation was by an intelligence officer.  There were several categories of terrorists, not the least of which were the religious fanatics and the "crazies".  These are the ones who have absolutely no regard for their own lives; they then have no regard for anyone else's life.  For them, life is cheap.

          Our current situation in Afghanistan and Iraq is dire, to say the least.  In my humble opinion, staying the current course will mean nothing more than that we will continue to read the same stories everyday for who knows how long.  Nothing will change because the "course" we are staying is a dead-end road.

          It is evident that the course for those we are doing battle with includes suicide bombings.  Make no mistake: just because one is willing to die for a cause at the expense of innocent life does not make them any less a MURDERER!  There is a reality here, though, that seems to be ignored.

          If it is true (and I think it must be) that these "crazies" or "religious fanatics" are indeed as willing to be killed as they are to kill, then our current course will change nothing.  So what to do?  We cannot overpower an enemy that has no fear of death.  There is no nation with which to negotiate peace.  They have already been convinced by their leaders of the West's "crusade" against Islam.  So what is left?

          This is what I hope to discover very soon.

Suffer the Little Children

          Some of you may remember West Side School near Jonesboro AR from the news eight years ago in which two boys, ages 10 and 13, pulled the fire alarm during school hours and opened fire on the kids filing out of the building during what they thought was a routine fire drill.  Four students and a teacher were killed.

           Each of the boys was sentenced to juvenile prison and ordered to serve until the age of twenty-one.  Tomorrow, the "thirteen-year-old" will be released on his twenty-first birthday.  There has not been too much made of it here in central Arkansas aside from a couple of articles in the state newspaper.  Needless to say, the husband of the slain teacher harbors more than a little animosity toward the boy who will be released to live the rest of his natural life.  I should mention that, according to the juvenile justice system, the young man's record will be completely expunged of the incident.  This is apparently how it works in the juvenile system.

          The young man's mother has told the newspaper that he will live at least "a day's drive" from Jonesboro, recognizing that there is no way he can return home.  The children who were killed were between the ages of 11 and 13.  The young man has apparently made the most of his incarceration, now having plans to attend school and maybe even seminary.

          It's hard to know how to feel about this.  Of course I lack perspective because no member of my family, or even anyone close to me that I can recall, has ever been the victim of a violent crime.  The Lord God willing, I hope never to be put to such a test.  Still, I can remember it like it was yesterday even though it feels like a THOUSAND years ago, almost surreal, like a bad dream.  Much of what I remember were local residents who were, naturally, being chased around by the press and being asked, "How do you feel about this?"  Man, what a probing question that must have been at the time.

          The state legislature actually entertained some proposals that would have allowed the death penalty for capital offenders as young as 13 or 14 years of age (I forget exactly which), but no measure came through even though at the time, it was to date the worst school shooting (Columbine had not yet occurred) in history.  What haunted me most was the number of persons who were quoting to the press, "An eye for an eye ..." believing that each of these boys should have been put to death.

          I remember the day the 13-year-old was sentenced and remanded to the custody of the state.  There was a very emotionally charged picture of the boy in the newspapers which graphically showed the horror as this boy suddenly realized that he could not go home with mom and dad and was then led away in shackles. 

          I was heart-broken and torn at the same time, remembering what I might have felt like at such a young age being taken away to prison.  At the same time, I remember how betrayed some of the bereaved felt with the boys essentially being sentenced to only 8 - 10 years for the murders of their loved ones.

          We mourn such tragedies, recognizing that a severe failure on many levels has occurred.  We lament that the criminal justice system failed in allowing these boys to at least with hope even though 8 years in prison to a 13-year-old would certainly have felt like two eternities.  We wonder if these boys will ever come to fully comprehend what they've done.  We cannot help but to wonder how it could ever occur to such young children to commit such an act.

          Is it the result of broken homes?  Is it video games or too much TV?  It is society's fault, as we've heard so many suggest?  Is the juvenile justice system fair in allowing that a child under the age of 17 is not subject to the death penalty?  Should someone somewhere have seen it coming?

          It is impossible to tell.  The only glimmer of hope to come from any of this is that the young man to be released tomorrow (8/12/05) has indicated an interest in seminary.  It is encouraging that the Lord has somehow taken hold of this young life so that from the ashes of such a tragedy, some good may possibly come as a result. 

          For now, however, it is impossible to see how.

What Is Illegal About Wanting a Better Life?

          No need to worry, America.  We are safe once again from a potential security threat.  It's no telling what might have happened if Immigration had not descended upon this poultry processing plant in time.

          Last week the INS raided a poultry processing plant in Arkadelphia AR and arrested 119 illegal immigrants.  The raid followed an earlier arrest in which a woman was charged with brokering ID's and selling them to these immigrants, enabling them to work as "citizens".  What happened?  They earned livings, paid rent, bought groceries, paid sales taxes, enrolled their children in public schools.  What happens now?  In the case of one particular family, an 11-year-old boy and his younger sister did not know for three days that mom had been deported.  She was finally able to contact her children from Mexico.  Heartbroken, to say the least, she still wants her children to remain in Arkadelphia so that they can finish school.  She will somehow begin the process of trying to come back to the US.

          Unfortunately, it can cost as much as $5,000.00 to get the proper documents and move to the US.  For the "downtrodden", this is the LEGAL route!  Incidentally, the average per capita income in Mexico is $5900.00 PER YEAR.  You can just guess how long it's gonna take for mom to gather up the money.  In the meantime, her children are US citizens because they were born here.  Did I mention that mom, and many others like her, had been at this same plant for almost 10 years?

          I'm not going to try and defend lawlessness or open borders.  I realize we live in a post-9/11 world, and border security is at the top of my agenda of "important things to worry about".  It seems to me, however, that the last few news articles pertaining to "bad guys" trying to sneak into the US mentioned that they came through Canada.  I wonder what we're doing about that?  By the way, are Shania Twain, Celine Dion, and Jim Carrey in this country legally??  They came from Canada; have we checked their green cards?

          Surely there is a better way.  I realize that there really isn't anyone in particular to blame.  The INS agents were following orders.  The raid followed the arrest of the woman who was brokering ID's (all kidding aside, I consider this a very serious incident), so what other choice was left when it was determined that these 119 persons had entered into the country illegally and purchased false ID's?  The law is, indeed, the law.

          I guess what bothers me most is that there are so many who lament about the loss of American jobs to Mexico, and Mexicans are still trying to come to the US to work.  Something not quite right here.  Then the illegal immigrants take the jobs that "Americans don't want".  Who says?  The pay at this processing plant was anywhere from $6.00 per hour to $9.50 per hour.  Not great wages, but some can do worse.  Are there really unemployed Americans who would thumb their noses at these jobs?  Has the Employment Security Division done anything to take those who live in the area and are drawing Unemployment Benefits and force them to work at this processing plant?  What has the STATE done to protect us from these who say they want to work but refuse honest work?

          The plant was virtually shut down because of the raid.  All those taxpayers are now unemployed and safely back in Mexico.  Instead of continuing to work and support their own children, these children are now wards of the state.  WE will have to dip into the public dole to see to these children's needs.  They are being cared for by friends and relatives, but is this really the same?  How many of us would be equally satisfied with staying at an aunt's instead of with our own moms? 

          Surely there is a better way.

The Life of a Prophet

          In Philip Yancey's book, "Soul Survivor", he explores the lives of some prominent persons who have directly or indirectly impacted his life.  What he found as he rummaged through the attics of some of these person's minds were lives that were profoundly influenced by faith - personal faith.  He quotes Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:  "Christianity has always insisted that the cross we bear precedes the crown we wear.  To be a Christian one must take up his cross, with all its difficulties and agonizing and tension-packed content, and carry it until that very cross leaves its mark upon us and redeems us to that more excellent way which comes only through suffering."

          Reading some posts on other Christian blogs and going back and forth about dogma and theology and liturgy and whether homosexuals or sinners of various varieties should be allowed membership in the Church, it occurred to me as I was reading this book that maybe we worry too much about what others are doing.  How many of us could honestly say that we will ever have the enormous impact that Dr. King had?  Could we even dare to hope?  Would we be able to find the courage to live in such a way as Dr. King and risk personal or family safety for the sake of something bigger than self?  How easy it is to point out the faults of others, especially when others are joining in.  I wonder how much time Dr. King spent "blaming" others for the state of the Church?

          Just how big does big have to be in order to positively impact our world for the Kingdom of Heaven?  What must we do in order to give others the sense of hope that I feel so many are missing?  Mr. Yancey writes, "'The glory of God is a person fully alive,' said the second-century theologian Irenaeus.  Sadly, that description does not reflect the image many people have of modern Christians.  Rightly or wrongly, they see Christians rather as restrained, uptight, repressed - people less likely to celebrate vitality than to wag our fingers in disapproval."

          The "wag our fingers" comment is what really stirred me.  It was like a lightbulb in my head finally found an electrical connection.  Has Christianity really digressed to such a point that our "calling" in Christ is restricted to nothing more than pointing out the faults and failings of others?  We share ideas about doctrine and theology - all good stuff - and I really enjoy the various perspectives especially of those with whom I may disagree.  However, it seems to me that we could turn our attention and effort and energy to something a bit more positive; at least positive in the sense that others can look to us and see "the hope that is within us". 

          I freely admit that my greatest failure to date has been not only in failing to pick up my own cross and follow the Lord, but I have been too quick to point out to others that they are not carrying their crosses correctly.