Commandments and Presidential Speeches

I'll interupt my hermeneutics sequence with some thoughts on current events.

First, I suspect that the Supreme Court ruling on the Ten Commandments was correct in terms of the Constitution. I was quite happy that they did not prohibit the Ten Commandments per se, only the 10 commandments when they further a specifically Christian agenda. They thus did not take a "separation of church and state" position of the sort the ACLU advocates, but a "Congress shall not establish a religion..." position that I believe is the application of the spirit of the Constitution to today.

Now did they make the right decision in terms of truth? That's a different question I think. Is it the Christian's duty to go beyond the Constitution and further a specifically Christian agenda in America? I'm not sure. God allows the world to disobey Him. He currently only insists on obedience from the church. We might debate this question, but in terms of the current Constitution, I think the SC made an appropriate decision.

As far as the President's speech tonight, I believe he is correct that it is our duty at this point to stick with Iraq until the government is able to take over in a stable way or until things are so bad that we may as well leave. I agree with him that bringing them to that point may still be a long way off, contrary to Cheney the snake. By the way, Rumsfeld is hilarious. What a stupid thing to say politically--12 years! Even if it's true, how stupid can you be! By the way, that's why my wife loves Rumsfeld: he just can't help but say what he's thinking.

I would also agree that we are currently fighting terrorism in Iraq, that it is the focal point of terrorists in the world at the moment. I would continue to disagree vehemently, however, as you know, that it was that way when we went in. While I continue to agree that the overthrow of Hussein was a good goal, I am not at all sure that the semi-theocratic leaning government is ultimately better for the world than Hussein's secular one. I also question whether many of the current "terrorists" in Iraq would even be into terrorism if we had not invaded.

Was it worth invading? Not yet. Maybe it will be one day. But as I look at a middle east more polarized and more fundamentalized than before, as I look at 2000 troops dead, as I look at the billions we are and will spend on it while secretaries and teachers are fired here in Marion because of lack of money for education, as I look at the families of countless National Gaurd troops who haven't seen them for months... No, it's not worth it yet. Maybe it will be one day.