The Tsunami

The tsunami that hit the coast of India, Pakistan, and numerous small islands is a devastating natural disaster. As are, I suppose, all natural disasters. But so many, many lives have been lost in this one, and the number is growing.

Reading about a mother choosing which son to let go of is almost too unbearable. Although he was found later alive and unharmed is secondary. For a parent to be put in that kind of position is frightening, reminding me that all of us who are parents and, therefore, protectors of innocence, are really no less vulnerable than the rest of the people on the planet.

I feel helpless. Prayer and donations to relief organizations, while the best choice, don't seem to be enough. A failure of my faith? Perhaps. I don't doubt that, given enough resources, people can be helped. But it doesn't not return the feeling of security that had been ripped away with 9/11 and has just tentatively started to rebuild.

I expect that the apocolyptic Christians will point to this as a sign of the end times. Maybe so. But one can argue that we have been in the "end times" since the ressurection and ascension of Jesus. Certainly the writers of the New Testament epistles felt that we shouldn't try to figure out when the end would be here, but instead be prepared daily. In the meantime, we cannot waste our time thinking about when the final battle might be fought, but instead look to take care of humanity now.

Which brings me back to what we can or cannot do for the survivors of the tsunami. I am too chicken to volunteer my time to go help, so the best I can do is pray for support for the brave souls who do go take care of anyone suffering.

If you're reading this, pray. Donate to whichever relief organization you feel comfortable with. I suggest starting with the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, or Lutheran World Relief. But there are so many giving relief, and none of them can do it alone.

And maybe some day I will get over my lazy protectiveness and go do something about it myself.

On being a liberal progressive, a Christian, and anti-war

So we have a president who is a Christian fundamentalist. Many of the people who work for him are Christians as well.

I am a liberal progressive. I am also a Christian.

Since when is going to war a Christian value?

The Christ I worship said in his final commandment to his apostles before he ascended, "Love one another." No qualifications, no limitations, no exceptions. In fact, he cautions his followers to treat everyone as if they would treat him, because they will never know when they are having an encounter with an angel.

Where does war fit into this picture?

Yes, of course, there is always war. People fight for power, and people get hurt.

But Christians are caretakers, not destroyers! And that includes every life.

How ridiculous it is that on one hand we have people who are zealously trying to protect the unborn, even unconceived, children, yet think nothing of taking people who are already here and sending them off to death.

Fight your war, if you want to. But don't you DARE call it a righteous war, or one that God condones.

Rumsfeld

In what has to be one of the most humorous statements by President Bush to date, today he announced that Donald Rumsfeld is doing a fine job.

This if a man whose answer to a reservist who questioned the lack of basic armor was to point out that you can't always go to war with the army you want. Which of course is true when we defend ourselves against attack -- but to start a war that way?

A man who apparently doesn't have time to sign letters of condolences to the families of brave soldiers who have died, and had them done by autopen -- until somebody snitched. Note to the Defense Secretary: Maybe you should find the time now to sign letters of apology to the people who received those letters signed by autopen. The president seems to find the time to sign his letters, and last I checked, he has a broader scope of responsibility.

A man who seems to show up in Iraq less than Al Franken on USO tour. Or maybe he shouldn't -- word is that there are plenty of fighting men and women who are pretty unhappy with Rumsfeld. Ironic, isn't it, that a liberal progressive comedian gets a warmer welcome than the guy in charge?

So, I'm wondering, just what part of the job is Rumsfeld doing so well? Perhaps the president will answer that one when he gives us the details on his plan to privatize Social Security.

Bush on Iraqi soldiers

It is ironic that the president has so readily publicly recognized that the Iraqi troops are not ready to take over from the U.S., when he didn't seem to have a problem starting this war without making certain there was an adequate force behind it.

After lengthened deployments, inadequate protection for reservists, and little or no financial supports for reservists forced to serve months longer than originally told, it is no wonder that there is skepticism.

Perhaps if Rumsfeld and Bush had waited a bit longer before plunging gung ho into battle, we would not now be in what is looking remarkably like a repeat of Vietnam.

Let us hope that the training of the Iraqis continues, and that they have a better handle on how to deal with the insurgents than Defense department.

There have been enough American and Iraqi lives lost already -- let us hope that the Iraqis can soon take over their own country again, and stop the loss of lives.