Thursday, April 19, 2007

VIRGINIA TECH AND THE WAR ON TERRORISM

While we all grieve at the violence committed by one very unbalanced individual terrorist at Virginia Tech, many seem immunized to the very real possibility that global terrorists will do the same thing anywhere in our country. It happened on 9/11 and it will likely happen again. After the uprising by the passengers in the fourth terrorist-controlled plane over Pennsylvania, many thought Americans weren't goiong to take it any longer. The answer seems to be to go to SCHOOLS. These are allegedly gun-free zones, so the odds of a terrorist being brought down are slim. Many have rightly commented that even one officer or teacher who was armed could have drastically reduced or even eliminated the carnage. The idealism fails when tested, and this bucolic campus failed the test. These are my thoughts:

1) Students are largely isolated from the real world of risk.
2) Students are not taught that there are good people and there are bad people, only people.
3) Students are taught not make value judgments.
4) Students watch and partipate in graphic video violence, weakening their perceptions of horror.
5) Students think by disengaging the enemy, the enemy will go away. Enemies NEVER do.
6) Studnets are not taught to give their life for another. They could learn much from police and firemen who put their lives on the line daily. The Biblical injunction applies. He who tries to save his life will lose it.

We need a wake-up call - Iraq is becoming very unpopular, but why? Iraq is FILLED TO THE BRIM with a multitude of people just like the Virginia terrorist. And who can deny he WAS a true terrorist - one who spreads terror - he doesn't have to represent anyone else. Yet many Americans want to deny that these irrational hate-filled people exist and that they want to kill, kill, and kill some more. They want them to get counseling such as was recommended for the Virgina killer. They want us to lay down our arms and stop confronting them. Over thirty dead is a tragedy. Over 3,000 dead in New York on 9/11 was a tragedy. How many more tragedies do we need to simply apply common sense and stand for what is right. We must stop evil WHEREVER it is found.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

IMUS, GLOBAL WARMING, and NANCY PELOSI

Imus is not a personality I relate to or listen to. Many people agree with me as they do not tune him in either. Imus made racist remarks which the media jumped on him about, which well they should. If I were in charge, I would have fired him - the suspension was too little.

That said, I wish the media would jump on all the deeply offensive behavior in our culture and aim to clean it up. I wish the media would condemn the lyrics of rap music which is even more offensive than Imus. I wish the media would condemn Hollywood for endemic, non-stop, and harsh profanity, sexual perversion, and violence. I wish the media would condemn those who write textbooks for our children mocking Christianity and other religions. I wish the media would expose those who want to make acceptance of man-made global warming a necessity for being a scientist. You would think Al Gore's crowd was the Pope and sensible scientists who believe whatever is happening is beyond our control are the Galileo's of our time.

Actually, many people react to tattooed young women with gutteral feelings. They have a hard time looking at the defacing of their bodies. Frankly, I wonder what is going through the heads of these ladies - do they really think the man of their dreams is going to want to deal with a heavily tattooed woman the rest of his life? This transcends race and has become prevalent. I see it in stores - nothing artistic - sometimes scribbling, combined with piercings all over the place. Frankly, it is hard to look at heavily tattooed men as well, and since the uniforms expose the arms, I watch much less basketball -male or female - today because of it. I used to enjoy Villanova basketball, but Mike Nardi's upper arms are visually jarring, so I hardly ever watch. You cannot slam the people who "decorate" themselves this way, but there is no law you have to like it. I have never been in favor of doing anything permanent to yourself. Some men get vascetomies. Seems risky to me - you just never know what life may bring.

In terms of entertainment, I also have almost no newer programming to watch on TV either - it is simply not worth the effort to sidestep the endemic stereotyping, language, and gutter immorality. I wish the media would go on a crusade against hate and indecency without partiality - attacking it whenever and wherever it occurs. However, they have no authority to do so because they are so partial themselves - they report or don't report based upon their own political prejudices. What intelligent person could doubt that Nancy Pelosi would be a persona non grata if the press attacked her foibles the way they do President Bush's? The first lady of Syria doesn't wear a habib. She is very western. Yet Nancy wore the symbol of submission to Allah on her head. I sure wish President Bush would have mentioned it and asked her to put a sign of submission to the president of the United States on her head instead. Did the feminists criticize Nancy? No, they just criticize President Bush. Those who are favored do all manner of things with impunity while whose who are not favored are ripped without mercy (and often without truth).

The "discovery" of Jesus' bones gave the media a magic moment, but did they question hard and unrelentingly about all the holes in their theory? Did the media grill Al Gore about the embarrassingly unscientific material in his movie? Of course not! Those outside of Christ are children of the devil, and they do their father's work! Those who are children of God must do their Father's work, because when people know the truth, the truth will set them free.

Too many people assume the truth will come out on its own. That has seldom happened in history. The gospel had to be preached, people had to die for the truth, and truth had to be demonstrated against Hitler and against Communism. Speak up! Tell the truth! Do not be content with the status quo or it will always be the status quo. Shake things up - be kind, but be firm, and be unrelenting. The Apostle Paul was willing to do that, and look at the heritage he has left us! So have many others. How much do you value the truth???

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