Musings in Search of a Muse

"Turkey sent a vanguard of commando troops into northern Iraq overnight in a move that courts U.S. anger and risks confrontation with local Kurdish authorities" (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=578&e=3&cid=578&u=/nm/20030322/ts_nm/iraq_turkey_dc).

Wait a minute ... 'splain this to me, Lucy. It's OK for the United States to enter Iraq with arms on the grounds of ensuring American national security. It's not OK for Turkey to do the same thing despite known territorial incursions by Iraqi Kurds?

Am I dense or is there an unfair dichotomy here. Maybe it's the voice in my head. No ... now I remember. The failure of the United States to follow through on it's promise to aid the Kurds in after the 1991 conflict (that wasn't a war, either) led the latter group to violate Turkey's soveriegnty. Cripes ... no wonder the Turks aren't happy. Hey! Foreign policy happens. And comes back to bite you on the esel.

Peace & Prayers.

Praise for the limited casualties to date in the Iraq conflict (it's not a war until the term is officially used by the U.S. Congress or the British Parliament in a declaration ... Remember the Korean Conflict?). Why the Lord allows strife such as this is not for us to know, but I believe that we can thank Him for making it as bloodless as it has been. Of course, I still pray for the innocent and the just.

Looks like this blog is turning into a prayer line, huh? I've noticed that trend, too. I'll make no apologies for being Christian. And I won't hide it, either. But I as freely admit to being human. This means that I give into the frailty known as procrastination. Prayer does not come easily. Perhaps because I don't feel that good at it. Well, maybe I am. Only God can judge that. I just wish I was more fluid and eloquent ... or just more lucid.

Keeping focus on one thought in my head is difficult. Then there are the voices. One voice, really, but people more readily understand the plural. Without my conscious permission (or volition, if you prefer), a voice in my head frequently takes me off track. For example, when I'm trying to be "good" a seemingly random "bad" thought will pop up. Like when I'm praying, a lustful or hateful thought appears.

At first I thought nothing of it. It was just my brain being more inwardly A-D-D than outwardly A-D-D. Then I began to believe it was an active oppression from a source a bit more diabolical ('nuff said ... attention only attracts them). While this idea is still on the stove, it's taken a back burner. To what, I don't know. I just wish it would stop.

I say "wish" because it is hard for me to pray for anything for myself. My corporeal life is selfish enough. My spirtual life doesn't need to be so tempted. My Bible study buddy tells me that it is okay to ask for "things" for one self in prayer. Lately I've limited it to asking for guidance, wisdom, and sometimes strength. Those are safe. When my daughter was dying I actually asked for signs and portents.

That was a bit silly, I think. What Our Father wants me to know He'll tell me (BTW ladies, I don't intend to be sexist by assigning a gender to the Lord. I simply follow convention ... a convention that is many millenia-old). And God does talk to me, but in my perception not outwardly. In the last year or so I've given up on believing in luck or coincidence aimed at me. Each instance I could label as such is carefully crafted by God for me ... or not. Just as likely His will is sometimes simply directionless coincidence or the by-product of someone elses directed "fortune."

Providence, as such, was once given to people by the minor gods in payment for recognition. To the old hosts, recognition equals strength and is this not needed by the Host of Hosts. His intercession either directly or by more subtle means is a gift of His love.

Pray that His love extends to all of us in this time of man-made folly, more especially the ones endangering the innocent and the just as they have the greater need. Peace & Prayers.

Here we go ... it's begun.

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil.

Amen.

The Lord's Prayer According to this source, "The Lord's Prayer sums up the teaching of Jesus. It is also a prayer that offers the grace of Jesus: his reverence for God, his childlike confidence in his Father, and his power to go bravely through life no matter what comes. When we pray his prayer, his spirit becomes our own."

Peace & Prayers.

Looks like we're going to war. Did anyone really doubt that we would? There are two things I pray for now. First, safety for the innocent and for our troops. Second, that evidence is found to justify the madness. If it can be justified. Proof that weapons existed or were being planned is not proof of intent. I own a really big knife designed to kill people (my dad's military knife), but I don't intend to use it for that purpose. I suppose I should add a prayer for the salvation of those responsible for this mess if it proves to be a senseless debacle.

Think of all the problems that the US could be throwing it's resources toward. A commentator I listened to recently suggested another way to spend the estimated $70 billion that the war may cost: Offer $20 billion to any country willing to lock up Saddam and his family. Then take the other $50 billion and work toward solving the AIDs and famine crises in Africa. Now what country would turn down that kind of money? Heck! I'd buy a country with $15 billion and twirl the jail keys while planning on how to spend the rest.

Well, life goes on. Check the new links I've added. Some really good Christian Pop/Rock. Peace & Prayers.

Yes! All-day detention! I have my laptop & a good movie to watch ... but no headphones. Rats! All my work is done and the students are pretty quiet. This is the perfect time to watch a movie. Well, next time, I guess. And I am expecting some other students to come in so I can test their reading levels. For now I guess I'll just blog around a bit.

Strange how all these weapons Saddam has denied having for the last decade or so have suddenly popped up. Not that I'm for a war, mind you, but I cannot deny that this guy shouldn't be trusted. But is he a threat to our national security? Let's compare him to other threats:

1) North Korea: Maybe they can't attack the USA directly, but wiping out South Korea or severely damaging Japan would have wide-ranging consequences for our economy. Sure, our Vietnamese Nike Cross-Trainers would be safe, but what about our microwave ovens, TVs, VCRs, cars & car parts, cameras, computers, .... well, you get the idea. Plus, we have how many troops on the 38th parallel? About 37,000 according to CNN (http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/01/08/skorea.troops/). That's a lot of body bags.

2) Iran: Why didn't we do anything substantial when these people were caught making perfect counterfeit American hundred-dollar bills? When the last Shah was in power our government gave printing presses just like the ones in our treasury to his treasury. All that's needed is the ink, paper, and talent. All we did in response is to redesign our money. The money for terrorism has to come from somwhere. Why not Iran?

3) Africa. Yes, Africa. The AIDs crisis there can eventually bankrupt the world. The costs for care and treatment will be staggering compared to the mind-numbing level they are at now. How about more of a preemptive strike on AIDs? Europe should take the lead, actually, since they started the whole bloody mess with their "Scramble for Africa." What a bunch of idiots going into a place and carving out countries based on geological and geographical thinking while ignoring the social boundaries within which it was organized by it's inhabitants. Because of that there has been continual conflict between classes and ethnicities to the point that hardly anything gets done.

4) Ourselves. No kidding. Our dependence on petroleum (yes, I know we import less now than we used to import) for everything from fuel to plastics hurts us greatly. By now we should have had an Apollo-style program to develop alternative sources of fuel and raw materials. "We choose to ... develop fuel cells in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, ..." Gee, you can almost hear Kennedy, can't you? (Complete original speech at http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/ricetalk.htm) No, he probably wouldn't be for this idea. Democrats were very different back then.

In the long run, this idea would topple Saddam and other non-democratic oil-rich nations because then we wouldn't need them. There's no revenge as sweet as living well. Peace & Prayers.

Whoa! "This year, Finns are estimated to send a total of nearly one billion text messages - quite an achievement for a nation of five million people who are said to be shy" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1076179.stm). And nobody I know does txt. Sad, kinda. I send e-mail reminders to myself from my phone all the time.

Seems today I'm thinking a lot about txt ... probably because I'm reading the BBC news whilst the kids have a study hall. Txt is definitely a non-American phenom. A quick poll in class just now showed 4 students in 15 txt. One girl admitted to sending over 300 msgs last month. I guess that evens things out. Last month a girl found out that roses were waiting for her in the school office because a friend who saw them txtd her. One in 15 blogs.

OK, the link function doesn't seem to work as this is the 2nd time I've had to paste the link "manually." Here it is for the rant below ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2814235.stm Sorry for the inconvenience.

I knew this was going to happen (see link above). A Scottish school girl turned in a paper written in text message speak. Almost everyday I see students in my school (did I mention I was a teacher) writing in chat speak. Hey, I'm all for the evolution of the language, but this is going a bit far. Peace & Prayers.

The end is near ... for my landline. A few people I know live with just a cell phone and it seems like a great way to save money. Two concerns: 1) My landline has never been out of service while my mobile has; 2) Batteries. For the next couple months my landline is on a "basic" plan that should cost no more than about $10/month. And I bumped up the plan on the mobile to inlcude free long distance and a greater home area. We'll see how it works.

What's not working is the impending war. I still don't see the reason for it. Sure, Saddam is a bad guy. There's lots of those, though, and we're not doing anything about them. Let's see more proof, Mr. President. Our government my be perpetuating a dangerous American tradition ... overthrowing governments we don't like. Let's see ... Nicaragua under Reagan ... Colombia under T. Roosevelt ... Cuba under Kennedy, T. Roosevelt, and McKinley ... the list can go on. Just read any competent high school history text. Yes, we seek to be that shining city upon a hill, but let me assert that we might be better off leading by example rather than forcing our ideals on others. The same history text is also rife with examples of the failures we've had imposing our culture on others. Remember the Native Americans?

Just about any in-depth news report in the last several months features a segment on how people in other countries love Americans, but not America, or more specifically, our government. Doesn't that say something to you? Since being saved I find myself being more of a pacifist. Defense is one thing, but vengence belongs to the Lord. That seems to be a lesson that other countries ... even non-Christian countries ... seem to have picked up on.

Support the troops, the war, or both as you see fit. But think about your choice. Peace & Prayers.