Manful Deeds

NK Nuclear Test

2006-10-04T22:17:00.000-05:00

Is anyone surprised by this? It was only a matter of time. From the accounts I have read so far, the only question is "WWCD?", that is: "What Will China Do?" North Korea Zone has an interesting post speculating that China will, in fact do nothing of substance, that the Chinese have too much invested in the North Korean economy (such as it is) to risk utterly destroying it, and that they prefer an impoverished, but politically stable, North Korea on their border to a united, democratic Korean peninsula or the chaos resulting from a popular uprising. This view has a great deal of appeal to me, especially given China's lethargic response to the NK missile tests earlier this summer. Time will tell...

NBC=Nearly Brain-dead Company??

2006-09-24T21:43:00.000-05:00

Honestly, if network television is going to broadcast VeggieTales, is anyone surprised that the overt references to God will be edited out? And is anyone surprised that this is controversial? I really don't know whether to be more shocked that NBC actually picked up the lovable Veggies, or that Veggie fans (or more appropriately, their parents) are surprised that the episodes were edited.

A Long Time Ago...

2006-09-24T21:23:00.000-05:00

...I made my last post. I knew that it had been a while, but I did not think it had been so long (not that I have any real readers, but if there were any, they would be rather annoyed by the delay).

Anyway, I wanted to post tonight because I wanted to talk a bit about an issue at our church. The pastor announced today that he will be visiting another church in the same state next week in view of them calling him to serve there. This was unexpected in the church and has created some undertandable turmoil. My wife and I are wrestling with the issue on several fronts. There is the immediate and personal question of whether this particular man should leave this particular church at this particular time, but it is largely academic since only he can make that decision for himself.

The more interesting and more important question is when any pastor should move to a different church. I guess I became a bit jaded on this issue a few years ago when talking to a friend who described for me the "ministry career path" in which a man moves from a small (usually rural) church, perhaps as a youth or music minister, to progressively larger (and wealthier) churches until finally reaching the pinnacle, the urban mega-church, complete with television and radio ministries, speaking engagements and book deals. This sounded very matereialistic to me, and I have never really recovered from the impact of this paradigm-shattering realization. Since that time, any movement of a minister has raised in my mind questions of motive. I suppose that ultimately it is not my place to question the motives of another man, but at the same time, the pastor is under the authority of God and is accountable not only to Him but to the people God has entrusted to his care. As one of those people, I feel a certain responsibility to the other members of the congeregation as well as to the pastor himself to help ensure that he is appropriately exercising the authority of his position.

More damaging, perhaps, than the move itself is the gossip that will certainly follow in the weeks to come. I believe that this is where the challenge lies, as our congregation struggles to understand the change without turning into more of a rumor mill than is typical for a church in America.

Growing Recognition?

2006-08-13T15:14:00.000-05:00

I am the first to admit that I am far from an expert in the international media. However, it can be safely stated that there is not a lot of support for the American version of the GWOT. It is possible that the recent arrests in Great Britain have changed some minds. This editorial in the London Daily Telegraph recognizes that the Muslim terrorists are not motivated by the desire to change government policy, but rather to overthrow the government (in this case, the British one). This line says it all:

"Do as we say, or the extremists will plant more bombs," is not a form of argument acceptable in a democracy. Until that point is understood by all elements of the Muslim community, we cannot hope to eliminate the terrorist fringe within it.

If only this opinion would become more prevolent, we might be able to end this war quickly, afterr all.

A New Perspective

2006-08-09T20:47:00.000-05:00

This will unfortunately be a short post, but I wanted to throw this out to the two or three of you who actually read this. Here isan article which brings together two of my great interests, religious faith and the pursuit of the Global War on Terror. Intellectually taking on Islam...on its own terms...might just be the key to unlocking the power of that "peaceful majority" of Muslims who do not get excited about killing innocent women and babies with suicide bombs. I will revisit this issue when I have more time.

Worth a Read

2006-08-08T21:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, you read something that just makes you feel good to be an American and especially to be in the US Armed Forces. This is one of those things. (h/t to Blackfive...my hero).

Murtha Sued

2006-08-02T20:17:00.000-05:00

Not that I expect much to come of this, but Rep John Murtha is being sued by one of the Marines accused of murder in Haditha, Iraq. No matter what the outcome of the investigation, and it appears that it is not going well for the accused, Murtha's comments were out of line and should not have been tolerated.

Psy-Op by Hezbollah?

2006-08-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

Amid recent reports that various enemies of ours are getting more competent at manipulating the mass media, here is an intriguing story about how Hezbollah is allegedly manipulating the (willing) world media. Personally, the only thing I find surprising about this allegation is that it is being reported on at all. I have long felt that we are pitifully unsophisticated in our dealings with the international press, preferring secrecy to telling our side of a story. In an age when many people's opinions are formed in seconds via soundbites and pictures flashed in between episodes of "The View", we need to get better at presenting the truth, or at least our version of it. We cannot count on even the American press to do it for us.

A Great Idea

2006-07-09T13:57:00.000-05:00

Here's a fantastic idea: Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX is planning to bill Mexico for services rendered to indigent Mexican nationals. Mexico is, of course, crying discrimination, but since the hospital is also charging other countries as well as other counties in Texas, I don't see what is discriminatory about it. Maybe we should do this for welfare, as well...

Wisdom from Wal-Mart

2006-07-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

Greetings-

It has been a while since my last post, for which I apologize. Honestly right now, this blog is not at the top of my priority list. I do promise to try to get better…we’ll see. I try to read several good biographies each year, in the hopes that exposure to the successes and failures of others’ lives will inspire and equip me to better serve my own purpose. Currently, I am in the middle of Vance Trimble’s Sam Walton. It is fascinating to read how a country boy born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma was able to build a multi-billion dollar business empire and become the world’s richest man. Running throughout the book is an attempt to quantify the key to Sam Walton’s success, to unlock the secret of his vast fortune. Interestingly enough, it is the same formula that has worked for generations, and will probably continue to work for generations to come: work hard, treat people fairly and maintain the highest ethical standards. But today, I would like to focus on a small sidebar in the quest for his formula.
Sam Walton was always on the lookout for new talent and new ideas, whether they came from competitors, his executive staff or the front-line employees in his Wal-Mart stores. “That’s a trademark of ours,” he said, “We are willing to change…try anything, try anyone’s idea…it might not work, but it won’t break the company when it doesn’t.” As an officer in the Air Force, I am continually reminded that the USAF is the most technologically advanced military force in the world, and is constantly on the lookout for new ideas and new ways of doing things. In reality, though, we are horribly risk-averse and reluctant to try new things unless and until we are certain of success. In some situations (ie. the acquisition of a $100 million weapon system), this makes a bit of sense. In most others it does not. I can’t help but think that this will cause us terrible problems in the current dynamic threat environment.
I don't know what Sam Walton would tell us to do if he were still alive, but it seems obvious to me that we need to find again the ability to take risks and dare great things...even at the risk of failing.

Haditha in Perspective

2006-06-11T17:39:00.000-05:00

There has been considerable media ink spilled in the attempt to analyze and explain the alleged killing of Iraqi civilians by American Marines at Haditha. I have not spent the time to properly research the actual events myself, so I will not comment on them here. I will also not comment directly on the possible motivations that the MSM might have for keeping this story in the regular news rotation. However, I think that it is significant to note that there have not been hundreds, or even dozens of similar allegations against American and coalition forces in the region, despite the thousands of operations that have occured there since the war began. In spite of those who would claim otherwise, it is apparent that there is not widespread abuse of Iraqi civilians by coalition forces (either that, or our guys are WAY better at working the media than they are given credit for). I think this statement by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari maintains the correct perspective. An exerept:

"Yes, civilians got killed in Haditha and other places but it is the terrorists who target civilians in Iraq...This is the solid truth which journalists cannot beat us on."

That last comment about journalists is interesting, isn't it?

The Coulter "Crisis"

2006-06-07T19:37:00.000-05:00

Isn’t it funny how sometimes things happen seemingly to validate your opinions? The other night, my wife and I (yes, I’m married to a woman, but that’s another post) were talking about a situation I had at work in which two people (self-professed liberals) with whom I disagreed abruptly exited the conversation when it became apparent that I was not going to agree with them. I commented that it seems that many liberals are not capable of arguing an issue on its merits, but rather resort to ad hominim attacks on those on the other side. Today, I click on the radio and feel truly vindicated. The buzz on the airwaves today is Ann Coulter's newest book, "Godless: The Church of Liberalism", and certain comments made in it (I have not read the book). Now I must say that while I find Ann entertaining at times, I believe that she routinely crosses the line between satire and cruelty. That being said, it was interesting that almost no one today was discussing the merits of what she said, but was instead trashing her for how she said it. This is a shame, because she has a good point, namely that in our culture of victimization, it is common for victims of some highly publicized crime or tragedy to reap fame and fortune and become spokesmen for some cause. I thnk her real point, which will unfortunately be completely lost, is that in the eyes of the liberal media, these spokesmen become unassailable by anyone who might happen to disagree with their views, as Bill O'Reilly experienced on the Letterman show. Personally, I have been and continue to be friends (or at least on speaking terms) with many liberals, but have found only a small few who were willing to engage me in healthy debate without name-calling. Maybe someday we will be able to have vigorous, civil debate in the public arena, but I'm not holding my breath.

Ruth as a Model for the Southern Border?

2006-06-04T20:17:00.000-05:00

Greetings and welcome back (as if anyone really reads this!)

I have long been an advocate of both securing the US borders, with force if necessary, and of vigorously enforcing our immigration laws and arresting/deporting those who violate them. I have not felt that my position was open to change. Much of the reason for this is that most of the "open border" or amnesty-type arguements presented in the media are so weak as to be laughable. Recently however, I have met some people who have forced me to re-think my position, or at least the basis behind it. When I finally come to a coherent position, I will comment on it here. In the meantime, here is an article I ran across with an interesting perspective. The author takes the biblical character Ruth and uses her as an example.

Enjoy.

Values Education Needed?

2006-06-01T18:53:00.000-05:00

There is no doubt, especially given the current political climate, that the alleged killing of civilians by U.S. Marines at the Iraqi town of Haditha and the subsequent investigations into that incident will harm both the military operations in Iraq and America's image throughout the world. Yesterday, Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top U.S. commander in Iraq, ordered that troops receive new training in "core values" which will highlight "the importance of adhering to legal, moral and ethical standards on the battlefield". The real question is whether this training will have any positive effect. My guess is that the impact of this initiative will be limited. From my own military experience, I can testify that it is exceedingly difficult to try to instill moral behaviors in young people who their entire lives have been taught that morality is relative. I wish Gen Casey the best of luck. I think his efforts are of a pure heart, but if the first slide of his new presentation doesn't start with "Right and Wrong do exist, and are not relative", his task will be a long uphill battle.

Intro

2006-05-30T21:39:00.000-05:00

Greetings

This is to be a blog where I post my thoughts on life, whether it be politics (occasionally), entertainment (when I have the stomach), morality (most of the time), religion and anything else I feel like. After all, it is my blog and you don't have to read it if you don't want to. As for me, I am married with three children and am an officer in the US Air Force. Anything else that is relevant will be revealed (or not) in due time.

In this first post, I thought I would just make a comment on the title. It is from Tolkien's classic Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The Captains of the West are marching to the gates of Mordor in a hopeless bid to draw the Eye of Sauron away from the quest of Frodo and Sam to destroy the One Ring. As they approach, some of the men crumble in fear and are unable to continue. Aragorn has pity on them and sends them on a less taxing quest to attack and hold the island of Cair Andros.

"Then some being shamed by his mercy overcame their fear and went on, and the others took new hope, hearing of a manful deed within their measure that they could turn to, and they departed ."

This passage has moved me every time I have read it, I think because I have long felt that God had a definite plan for my life, and I have felt inadequate to that call. I relate wholehartedly to those who trembled in fear and were unable to continue. I think that passages like this are what separate great literature from merely popular (or simply old) writings. They reach into our very souls and spur us onward and upward to greater things than we have yet dared to try. I know in my heart that I will have my own manful deeds to attempt, and I pray that I will have the strength to face them...and ultimately emerge victorious.