Tread lightly on the things of earth

Here’s a SOTU observation I hadn’t thought of specifically, but which points out something I realize informs my own understanding of what’s going on in U.S. leadership:

I found it truly disgusting, offensive, and embarrassing to hear my President talking about “eliminating” terrorists, as opposed to bringing people to justice for their illegal (even heinous) acts … International organizations who are bastions of support for human rights do NOT think that murder, killing, assassination, or even capital punishment for that matter are solutions and/or justifiable … for any action!

I agree, wholeheartedly. To me, matter-of-fact talk about “eliminating terrorists” implies we’re falling into the same black hole that energizes and consumes the terrorists. We must not — and many of us will not — go there.

Last week I mentioned U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s MLK Day speech, Peace as a Civil Right. Today I find Rep. Kucinich’s swearing-in speech to the U.S. 108th Congress on January 5, 2003. Its spirit triggered my dreaming of a better world.

On the one hand, you can have a vision for the U.S. and its role in the world like that of the current U.S. administration (GWB, SOTU, Jan. 29, 2003):

And all nations should know: America will do what is necessary to ensure our nation’s security.

We’ll be deliberate, yet time is not on our side. I will not wait on events while dangers gather. I will not stand by as peril draws closer and closer. The United States of America will not permit the world’s most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world’s most destructive weapons.

Our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun. This campaign may not be finished on our watch, yet it must be and it will be waged on our watch.

On the other hand, you can have a vision for the U.S. like that of Rep. Kucinich:

The America I envision seeks world unity instead of unilateralism. It gains its power through being the first to help, not the first to strike. It extends itself to the peoples of the world to lift their burden. It is an America, which when asked for help, dispenses bread instead of bombs, medical assistance instead of missiles, and food instead of fissile materials.

My theological perspective: The former vision serves the Lord of Chaos (telltale signs: fear, greed, destruction, domination). The latter vision serves the Lord of Life (refer to, say, the Gospels).

Even to me, who sees nearly every choice in endless shades of gray, this is not very complicated. But it is very difficult:

You cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24)
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. (Joshua 24:15)

I was delighted to discover my neighbor Michael Hollihan’s blog Half-Bakered a few days ago, “Reading the Memphis papers so you don’t have to.” Good! I haven’t read Memphis papers in decades, but I’m glad to see bits, pieces, and commentary from someone who does. Thanks, Michael. [via Chris]

In Kurt Vonnegut vs. the !&#*!@, Kurt expounds on PPs in corporations and government, on C-student coup d’etat, and more:

PPs are presentable, they know full well the suffering their actions may cause others, but they do not care. They cannot care because they are nuts.

That explains a lot about our current horrific governmental situation. I wonder if I can find a little more compassion as a result?

[via Aardvark]

From yesterday’s Boston Globe article Religious Leaders Try to Raise Voice for Peace:

At the same time [as President Bush makes a case for war in his SOTU address], at Boston’s storied Trinity Church, leaders of many of the state’s religious traditions … to make their own case, for peace.

The simultaneous events highlight an increasing tension between an openly religious president and the leaders of many of the nation’s religions.

I believe this tension is well-founded. I look at the U.S. administration and see a whitewashed sepulchre, as Jesus called the openly religious scribes and Pharisees: “You are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

Be careful that you are not led astray.

“I don’t want to second-guess [the president’s] discernment, but I think he’s clearly misguided on this issue,” said Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, who is organizing tonight’s religious event, at which Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs plan to pray together against war …

God is father of all of us. I imagine this [multi-faith prayer] event makes him glad.

“I’m not sure that, at this stage of preparations for war, there have ever been so many voices so united and so concerned,” said the Rev. Nancy S. Taylor, the president of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. … “We’re letting our national leaders know we are not in agreement with a preemptive rush to war, and we are standing in solidarity with each other and with our neighbors in a faraway country called Iraq.”

Indeed. This is what we as peoples of faith are called to do.

I find Jesus’ words in Luke 21:8 speak directly to the present situation: “Be careful that you are not led astray; for many will come in My name… Do not go out after them.”

Update: Follow-up article on this Trinity Church meeting appeared today, Diversity in Faith, Unity in Peace:

“How can we not be against this war?” [Bishop] Shaw asked last night. “This unity, this interconnectedness that is the heart of our faith cuts across all of our national identities and is more powerful than all the leaders in the world or the armies or the weapons in the world.”

My vote for “most interesting discussion” on the U.S. president’s state-of-the-union (SOTU) address is at Daily Kos.

My favorite comment (naturally I think so because I, too, could hardly think of anything else during the speech) —

Anybody watch this guy and think again “WTF is this guy doing as the president of the United States? My God, he can’t even get through a major major speech with many mispronunciated words — Peninshulah, nookleer, better women instead of battered women … — tripp

Yes. What I heard again and again was, “Nucular, nucular, nucular.” I’m sorry. I cannot have confidence in someone who still can’t pronounce a simple word correctly. That nuclear war could be unleashed by someone who can’t even pronounce the term just adds insult to annihilation.

More significantly, one who will not or cannot repent of a small error like mispronunciation — that is, turn away from, correct, improve, adjust course in response to input — is unlikely to repent of larger errors as they come to light. (Like, for instance, plunging us headlong into war when even our most experienced military advisors counsel against it [1].)

Unrepentance is serious business.

[1] Schwarzkopf: “‘It’s scary, okay?’ … There are guys at the Pentagon who have been involved in operational planning for their entire lives, okay? … And for this wisdom, acquired during many operations, wars, schools, for that just to be ignored, and in its place have somebody who doesn’t have any of that training [in context, Rumsfeld], is of concern.”

2003-01-31 update:
Schwarzkopf has changed his mind, for reasons that aren’t clear.