A Tale of Two Standards – Iraq style

One of these things is not like the other…or is it?

Two stories…three deaths…all in Iraq…


1) From Yahoo! News: U.S. Likely to Clear GIs in Iraq Shooting
2) From ABC News: Self Defense or Murder in Iraq? Wall Street Trader-Turned-Marine Faces Prosecution on Murder Charges

I understand that there are differences in these two cases, but it seems odd to me that one killing was an “accident” and one was not.


However, I think it is important to note a few things: There is a “war” going on. In this “war” people are being killed every day. The U.S. Government has trained its soldiers to kill “our enemies”. The U.S. Government and media have made the Iraqi insurgents out to be the worst people in the world, and our enemies. A U.S. Government trained soldier kills two accused insurgents. U.S. Government trained soldiers kill Italian (I thought Italy was more or less on the U.S. side of this war) intelligence officer. The soldiers who killed the Italian were doing their job. The soldier who killed the alleged insurgents committed pre-meditated murder.

It does not make any sense to me. But of course, murdering someone who murdered someone because murder is wrong does not make a whole lot of sense to me either.

For a very interesting and compelling Christ centered take on #2 check out from Nathan Ael

Road Trippin'

I don't know what it is about cities. I love them. I don't know if it is because I've not lived in a "city" for almost 7 years, or if my body craves smog...or if it is just because I am still not too thrilled with living in Arkansas. Jenn and I visited St. Louis this past week to see Maroon 5 in concert. The concert was really great, and we really liked St. Louis.


Back to my homework...The semsester is almost over...and I am almost finished with my Master's degree. WOOT!

Six Years Later

Jesus said "Love your neighbor as yourself". As Paul puts it in Romans 13:10 "Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law".

I cannot really say much today. While I was getting ready for work all I could think about was how 14 people younger than myself, and one who was older, are not getting up and getting ready for work or school today. I was thinking about how they could not look outside and see the beautiful sunrise. I was thinking about how fragile life is, and how in one moment it can change forever.

Of all of the days during my first year of college, this day, six years ago, I remember like it was yesterday. I still remember the feeling in my stomach. I still remember watching the horror on the faces of people around me. I remember my roommate not being able to get a hold of his girlfriend, a student at Columbine. I remember not being able to get in touch with either of my parents, both employees at other local area schools. I remember the tears streaming from my neighbor's eyes as she saw her high school, and her old classmates, whom she left only a year before, shattered.

We cannot forget what happened at Columbine, or what happened in Jonesboro, or Paducah or Red Lake.


These names will remain in our hearts forever:
Cassie Bernall, Steven Curnow, Corey DePooter, Kelly Fleming, Matthew Ketcher, Daniel Mauser, Daniel Rohrbough, Dave Sanders, Rachel Scott, Isiah Shoals, John Tomlin, Lauren Townsend, Kyle Velasquez.

Argh!

The semester is coming to a close too quickly. This will (should) be my last semester as a graduate student, but with working full-time I have been struggling to stay afloat with both class and work. I do not regret my decision to work full-time while being a full-time graduate student, but it has certainly been tougher than I imagined.

I will persist, and I will finish school. It won't be smooth sailing after that, but at least I will not have to worry about school.

That would be nice.

One Shining Moment

If you are a college basketball fan, you know that tonight is what it is all about. No, I am not talking about the game itself, which should prove to be one of the best in years, I am talking about the musical montage that caps the experience. That little piece of wonderfully exciting and heartfelt music is One Shining Moment. This is the best vignette in all of sports, and it is what this game, or any other should be all about.

Enjoy!

WORD!

From Judge Stanley F. Birch Jr. (who was appointed by the first President Bush) as quoted in the Yahoo! News Story:

"In resolving the Schiavo controversy, it is my judgment that, despite sincere and altruistic motivation, the legislative and executive branches of our government have acted in a manner demonstrably at odds with our Founding Fathers' blueprint for the governance of a free people — our Constitution."

5 Days

See L.A. Times article Bush Offers Praise, Aid for Red Lake

Bush waited 5 days to respond to the horrible shootings at Red Lake, MN. While he flew back to D.C. during his vacation to sign a piece of legislation to help "save the life" of Mrs. Schiavo.

Really, does it take 5 days to figure out what happend in Red Lake? Do they get news down in Crawford, TX? I know the Schiavo case has been domininating the media, but as President he should know what is going on in his country. Was he still trying to figure out the words in "My Pet Goat"??

/sarcasm

Sometimes the President makes me ill.