The War

I've been having some big paradigm shifts in my thought recently. I remember, like most of you, where I was on 9/11. Eric Noll passed me in The Village at JMU and told me to go turn on the TV because a plane had flown into the Twin Towers. I didn't believe him until I saw it on the TV. A man named Osama was the mastermind. And America went after him hard for a little while, which I think was a good thing. But then there was a shift.

The Iraq War. I also remember when the US decided to attack Iraq. Shock and Awe, it certainly was and we got an up close view of it thanks to the media. I never really had any doubts about the war. I figured this was the War on Terror. Saddam was a bad guy like Osama and it would be a good thing if we got rid of him as well.

Recently, however, I have begun to question whether we should really be at war. Why is it America's job to get rid of Saddam? There are many of bad people in this world, but is it America's job to police them all. I will give Pres. Bush the benefit of the doubt that he truly believed there were weapons of mass destruction. But even so, should America have felt threatened by this. Russia had nuclear weapons, but we didn't go to war with them. What makes one dictator worthy of feeling the power of America's military strength and another not?

On top of this, I'm understanding more the reality of the horrors of war. Real people die, lots of them. When we bomb a city, of course we intend to minimize civilian casualties. But the result, nevertheless is someone's wife or child or grandparent is killed. As Christians, we need to affirm that war should be avoided unless every last single attempt to stop it has been exhausted. War is sometimes needed. The just war principle is a good guideline. But did the Iraq War qualify? Had America been attacked by Iraq or was it Osama bin Laden that attacked? What would have been the outcome if the church would have sent 300,000 missionaries instead of the US sending that number of troops? Any thoughts?

This video affirms the support of our US troops, but wishes that they were back at home with their families.

Leaving for India

Krisha and I take off for India tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec 12). We are excited about getting to hug and kiss family we haven't seen in awhile (or for me ever), eating spicy food that will leave my tongue permanently scorched, and riding on the top of trains b/c they are over-crowded. Unfortunately, someone told me that India has banned cows crossing roads. I was totally expecting to get to see this. Who knows, maybe there will be some rebel cow herders that will snub their noses at the Indian gov't and cross their cows regardless. So, the blog might be empty for a few weeks, but upon return, there will surely be pictures, stories, etc.

Ohhhh and Krisha is starting to feel the baby kick. So exciting.

Ron Paul !?!

Hey friends...I thought I would throw up a political post. I've been watching some of the debates and haven't been satisfied with most of the candidates, even in the Republican Party.

However, some friends at RTS told me about Ron Paul. He is not getting a lot of mainstream media coverage, but his popularity on the internet is huge. Krisha and I have also seen home-made signs and even people out on the streets of Orlando campaigning for him. We were like "Who is this guy?" I haven't seen any signs for other candidates yet.

Then I took a little time to hear what he had to say. I'm pretty impressed. Anyways, watch this video if you are interested in learning about his positions. It is not a waste of time, I guarantee. I'd be interested to hear what you think.