Day: April 5, 2003

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Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas.

Natalie Maines, lead singer the Dixie Chicks, delivered these harsh words directed at President Bush in a recent concert in London

A lot has been written about the furor around this comment. I respect her right to express her opinion about the war but I do not agree with her method or her inclusion of the people from Texas into her position. I lived in Texas for eighteen years so I am not surprised with the negative reaction by her fellow Texans. Aggravating European anti-American sentiment and the people of Texas was probably not in her plan when she opened her mouth. She made a mistake and most of us have already gotten over it. I am pretty sure the President has forgiven her. I doubt the good people of Texas will forgive her as quickly.

Peter Arnett made a mistake and was fired. He showed a real lack of judgement when he gave an interview to the Iraqis that could easily be seen as encouraging the Iraqis to fight harder. Some people have claimed his firing amounts to censorship but I view his actions as aiding and abetting the enemy propaganda effort. In hindsight his analysis of the war plan probably caused more Iraqis to die than otherwise. Now that's a tough lump to swallow. In other wars his actions would require a much stiffer penalty. He has recently been hired in England. I wish him good luck, more humility, and better judgement.

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Presidential Quote For The Week

We in this country, in this generation, are by destiny rather than choice the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of peace on earth, goodwill toward men.

—John F. Kennedy (from a speech that was never delivered, due to Kennedy's death)

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Getting kids to read the Bible

An interesting thing happened on Thursday morning. I had just returned from dropping my son off at the bus. I went into my son's room to turn off his light and found his Bible and a night light on the bed.  He had read his Bible! As a Christian father this is pretty exciting stuff. As a naturally curious person I started to wonder at what brought on this interest in the Bible. I quickly recalled a conversation I had with the night before. It was late and I had settled into bed with the 6th book in the “Left Behind” series, Assassins, when he came in. He started to pepper me with questions about what had happened since he had last asked. I stopped reading and brought him up to date on the multitude of plots. I had just reached the part in the book where Leon Fortunato is scheming to assassinate Peter Maximus, the religious head of Enigma Babylon One Faith. I had to explain that in the “Left Behind” story, all the religions of the world have been combined into Enigma Babylon One Faith. Our conversation wandered into a discussion of the shared beliefs of the major religions and he proudly told me that Islam believes in Jesus. He had learned all about religions in school. I said that Islam considers Jesus to be a prophet but not the Son of God. When you look at the life of Jesus you can have only two explanations. Jesus is either a raving lunatic or he is the Son of God. I don't think he knew that. What I am most amazed at is that I didn't see how a good story with a religion theme could encourage him into reading the Bible. Ooops!