More of the discussion of evil.
The purpose of this post is to address a number of comments made over the last few days.
Luther,
You commented on a couple of my posts. I though I would take the time to address your comments in as thoughtful a manner as I can.
First if I may ask what was your purpose in commenting?
Your first comment was about my post on another weblog where the writer posted a picture of Justice Ginsberg apparently asleep at the bench during arguments. You took me to task for my comment about Jesus and joking with the disciples. You said, “I'll bet he belittled and ridiculed old women behind their backs for a laugh every now and again.”
As I commented on the blog, if I offended, I apologize but I stand by the initial thought that it was funny. Justice Ginsberg is a public figure and a sitting Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Perhaps she was feeling sick; perhaps the attorney was extremely boring (Justice Alito beside her in the picture and frankly he looks a bit disinterested as well but that could just be the artist). For her to apparently fall asleep during arguments plays into the content that many of the Justices are old and would be retired were it not for the fact that they do not have to.
Your second comment was on my posting about Evil. You said, “like the death penalty (record setting under the current president's governorship)? Like pre-emtive war and "shock and awe attacks kiings babies and women?" Really, what are you talking about? Maybe the person from the left you're listening to is putting one over on you. Culture of death? really, just some facts. If that's what you call obscene, belligerent or offensive then you really aren't interested in understadning what the "left" stands for.”
My initial intention in my post was to draw a parallel between the mindless killing of the Khmer Rouge and the absolute evil of abortion in our culture. You used my post as a pulpit to rant about our current administration. Yes, I do admire President Bush so perhaps we will have to disagree about him. You comment about the Death Penalty. The last time I checked the Death Penalty was legal in Texas when President Bush was Governor. Whether it is legal or not is open to debate. Whether it is evil is also debatable. Personally I have a very hard time with it. I feel it is most likely over used. More importantly it rules out the possibility of change, of forgiveness and most importantly it places in the hands of imperfect men a finality of sentence that should be left in the hands of God. Too often the sentence is not one of justice but rather of revenge. That being said, it was the law in Texas and carrying out the law even when distasteful isn’t evil.
However your comments about the war are in my opinion just wrong. If you haven’t already, go to Michael Totten’s weblog: http://michaeltotten.com/ and read about the evil we ended when we overthrew Hussein. We went to war for a noble cause and while not a perfect campaign (none ever are) it was the best we could do. More importantly, a nation which had little hope under the hand of a dictator is now a nation that has held 3 free elections and is slowly but successfully estlabishing a free and modern society. If you wish to debate the war we can in another setting (feel free to email my hotmail address and I will discuss it with you ad naseum).
You touched upon the abuse scandal in my church. Yes, it was a great evil. One which never should have happened but is being dealt with. Is everything perfect there? No, sadly the church is made up of fallable humans. Too often we fall short of the goal that our Lord sets. Am I entirely satisfied by the way those who abused the priesthood by preying upon young men and women have been dealt with? No, I believe I did state that there are things about my church that I have a hard time with. This is one of them.
Finally you launched into a diatribe again against the current administration: “
Perhaps some of us on the left see: Bush's domestic spying, a pattern of political hitmanship against dissenters exemplified by Scooter Libby's case (ntm General Shinsecki, John McCain, etc.) appointing lobbyists for the lead and petroleum industries to protect the environment, failure to oversee the colossal mismanagement of our occupation in Iraq ($9 billion of out tax money missing), appointment of incompetant cronies to positions bearing on national security and safety (this is just a start) as exactly the kind of evil you're talking about.”
I will attempt to give you my $0.02.
Domestic Spying – We have been assured by this administration and the records indicate that the amount of “domestic spying” was and is limited to persons who have received cellular telephone calls from out of country, calls from a known list of Al Qaeda phone numbers. If this was the limit to the “domestic Spying” you refer to, I say it wasn’t far enough. We are a nation and a culture at war. We have been attacked numerous times over the past 16 years by an enemy whose stated purpose is to establish a caliphate over the entire world. Theirs is a culture which would relegate to the status of dhimmi all who do not follow their unique brand of Islam. Frankly, I would be willing to allow the FBI and allied agencies far more leeway in observation, tracking and prosecuting the war on Terror here at home.
Political hitmanship? – Why not call it what it really is; political hardball. President Clinton was KNOWN for using the services of the government to attack political and personal enemies. Apparently that’s the way the game is played. Again, I’m not exactly pleased by some of the things that I am sure are done by either party. I also cannot do much about it either.
Your comments about the environment are out of my area of expertise, I will allow them to stand. I’m sure others could comment but I’m not sure what it would add.
Finally your comment;” failure to oversee the colossal mismanagement of our occupation in Iraq ($9 billion of out tax money missing), appointment of incompetant cronies to positions bearing on national security and safety (this is just a start) as exactly the kind of evil you're talking about.”
Incompetence in management during wartime is not evil. From what I have been able to understand, it appears to go hand in hand with war itself. War itself is evil but it less evil that what it replaced.
Cronies?!? Go careful how you wield that axe, Eugene! It is the nature of political systems to appoint friends and supporters to posts after you win an election. Could Brown have been a better FEMA director? Certainly. One could make similar arguments about pervious administrations.
Still, none of these approaches the level of evil that I was referring to; an evil that the Democratic Party has thoroughly compromised its principles to. Since 1973 over 45 million children have been aborted in the United States. These were legal murders. Let that number sink in, 45 million. That’s more than the current populations of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey combined. Imagine waking up tomorrow and all three states completely empty. Frankly those kinds of numbers make me numb. Over the last 20 years it has become obvious that one cannot be elected a Democrat and be pro-life. Lately it is becoming harder and harder to find a person who is openly Democratic and pro-life. I know a number of people who call themselves Democrats but have voted for President Bush primarily because of the kow-towing of their party to this one special interest.
When I posted this, I was attempting to comment that I fear for our country and our culture because so many people in power and those who elected them have become blind to this great evil. Evil is a poison, once it enters the system is slowly but surely corrupts all it touches as it destroys all around it. Once one refuses to recognize evil it is as if you were standing on a railroad track denying that a train is bearing down upon you even when those around you are calling for you to move out of the way.
I hope this helps clear up some of my thoughts for you. If not, please continue to comment and I will attempt to answer as best as I know how.
Luther,
You commented on a couple of my posts. I though I would take the time to address your comments in as thoughtful a manner as I can.
First if I may ask what was your purpose in commenting?
Your first comment was about my post on another weblog where the writer posted a picture of Justice Ginsberg apparently asleep at the bench during arguments. You took me to task for my comment about Jesus and joking with the disciples. You said, “I'll bet he belittled and ridiculed old women behind their backs for a laugh every now and again.”
As I commented on the blog, if I offended, I apologize but I stand by the initial thought that it was funny. Justice Ginsberg is a public figure and a sitting Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Perhaps she was feeling sick; perhaps the attorney was extremely boring (Justice Alito beside her in the picture and frankly he looks a bit disinterested as well but that could just be the artist). For her to apparently fall asleep during arguments plays into the content that many of the Justices are old and would be retired were it not for the fact that they do not have to.
Your second comment was on my posting about Evil. You said, “like the death penalty (record setting under the current president's governorship)? Like pre-emtive war and "shock and awe attacks kiings babies and women?" Really, what are you talking about? Maybe the person from the left you're listening to is putting one over on you. Culture of death? really, just some facts. If that's what you call obscene, belligerent or offensive then you really aren't interested in understadning what the "left" stands for.”
My initial intention in my post was to draw a parallel between the mindless killing of the Khmer Rouge and the absolute evil of abortion in our culture. You used my post as a pulpit to rant about our current administration. Yes, I do admire President Bush so perhaps we will have to disagree about him. You comment about the Death Penalty. The last time I checked the Death Penalty was legal in Texas when President Bush was Governor. Whether it is legal or not is open to debate. Whether it is evil is also debatable. Personally I have a very hard time with it. I feel it is most likely over used. More importantly it rules out the possibility of change, of forgiveness and most importantly it places in the hands of imperfect men a finality of sentence that should be left in the hands of God. Too often the sentence is not one of justice but rather of revenge. That being said, it was the law in Texas and carrying out the law even when distasteful isn’t evil.
However your comments about the war are in my opinion just wrong. If you haven’t already, go to Michael Totten’s weblog: http://michaeltotten.com/ and read about the evil we ended when we overthrew Hussein. We went to war for a noble cause and while not a perfect campaign (none ever are) it was the best we could do. More importantly, a nation which had little hope under the hand of a dictator is now a nation that has held 3 free elections and is slowly but successfully estlabishing a free and modern society. If you wish to debate the war we can in another setting (feel free to email my hotmail address and I will discuss it with you ad naseum).
You touched upon the abuse scandal in my church. Yes, it was a great evil. One which never should have happened but is being dealt with. Is everything perfect there? No, sadly the church is made up of fallable humans. Too often we fall short of the goal that our Lord sets. Am I entirely satisfied by the way those who abused the priesthood by preying upon young men and women have been dealt with? No, I believe I did state that there are things about my church that I have a hard time with. This is one of them.
Finally you launched into a diatribe again against the current administration: “
Perhaps some of us on the left see: Bush's domestic spying, a pattern of political hitmanship against dissenters exemplified by Scooter Libby's case (ntm General Shinsecki, John McCain, etc.) appointing lobbyists for the lead and petroleum industries to protect the environment, failure to oversee the colossal mismanagement of our occupation in Iraq ($9 billion of out tax money missing), appointment of incompetant cronies to positions bearing on national security and safety (this is just a start) as exactly the kind of evil you're talking about.”
I will attempt to give you my $0.02.
Domestic Spying – We have been assured by this administration and the records indicate that the amount of “domestic spying” was and is limited to persons who have received cellular telephone calls from out of country, calls from a known list of Al Qaeda phone numbers. If this was the limit to the “domestic Spying” you refer to, I say it wasn’t far enough. We are a nation and a culture at war. We have been attacked numerous times over the past 16 years by an enemy whose stated purpose is to establish a caliphate over the entire world. Theirs is a culture which would relegate to the status of dhimmi all who do not follow their unique brand of Islam. Frankly, I would be willing to allow the FBI and allied agencies far more leeway in observation, tracking and prosecuting the war on Terror here at home.
Political hitmanship? – Why not call it what it really is; political hardball. President Clinton was KNOWN for using the services of the government to attack political and personal enemies. Apparently that’s the way the game is played. Again, I’m not exactly pleased by some of the things that I am sure are done by either party. I also cannot do much about it either.
Your comments about the environment are out of my area of expertise, I will allow them to stand. I’m sure others could comment but I’m not sure what it would add.
Finally your comment;” failure to oversee the colossal mismanagement of our occupation in Iraq ($9 billion of out tax money missing), appointment of incompetant cronies to positions bearing on national security and safety (this is just a start) as exactly the kind of evil you're talking about.”
Incompetence in management during wartime is not evil. From what I have been able to understand, it appears to go hand in hand with war itself. War itself is evil but it less evil that what it replaced.
Cronies?!? Go careful how you wield that axe, Eugene! It is the nature of political systems to appoint friends and supporters to posts after you win an election. Could Brown have been a better FEMA director? Certainly. One could make similar arguments about pervious administrations.
Still, none of these approaches the level of evil that I was referring to; an evil that the Democratic Party has thoroughly compromised its principles to. Since 1973 over 45 million children have been aborted in the United States. These were legal murders. Let that number sink in, 45 million. That’s more than the current populations of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey combined. Imagine waking up tomorrow and all three states completely empty. Frankly those kinds of numbers make me numb. Over the last 20 years it has become obvious that one cannot be elected a Democrat and be pro-life. Lately it is becoming harder and harder to find a person who is openly Democratic and pro-life. I know a number of people who call themselves Democrats but have voted for President Bush primarily because of the kow-towing of their party to this one special interest.
When I posted this, I was attempting to comment that I fear for our country and our culture because so many people in power and those who elected them have become blind to this great evil. Evil is a poison, once it enters the system is slowly but surely corrupts all it touches as it destroys all around it. Once one refuses to recognize evil it is as if you were standing on a railroad track denying that a train is bearing down upon you even when those around you are calling for you to move out of the way.
I hope this helps clear up some of my thoughts for you. If not, please continue to comment and I will attempt to answer as best as I know how.
posted by King Tiger at 4:42 PM
<< Home