Blog Thoughts
Today, March 4th, CBS
News ran a video of their reporter Seth Doan attending a press conference in
China. This is a not a new practice for
the Chinese government, to allow Western reporters to attend. But questions must be written out and
submitted in advance, and the government will decide which questions will be
asked. The last time CBS was allowed to
ask a question was 10 years ago, they said.
Seth Doan's submitted question, which the government selected to be
asked, had to do with tensions between China and Japan over certain islands. Doan's question asked if China's neighbors
had reason to be concerned over China's recent military build-up.
The Chinese
Congressional spokesperson replied, "We think it takes power to maintain
and preserve peace."
As I listened, I
thought, "Mr. President, I hope you are both listening and that you
understand." Because if the Chinese
are right, and common sense would indicate they are, then when the world is on
fire with threats of war and military confrontations, slashing America's troop
strength should be the last thing done to "maintain and preserve
peace."
Now, understand that
when you see the Chinese government taking action, this is something they have
thought about and considered for often five to ten years. That action is taken, publicly, only because
after long strategic consideration the events over that period of time have
convinced them this is the correct strategy, the right decision, and now is the
time.
Perhaps the United
States government could benefit by backing off quick-draw decisions and think
about things for a while. Sometimes
doing nothing at all proves to be the best action in the long run.
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Thank God It Still Happens
Recently I had a
conversation online with a fellow who seemed to be of the opinion that
America's only interest in helping others around the world was for the purpose
of empire-building. Of course, it's a
matter of history that unlike nations of old, whenever Americans participated
in armed hostilities they have never claimed a portion of that land for
America. But I didn't raise that point
because the discussion was really about America having ulterior motives in
reaching out to help others, internally or externally.
That got me to
thinking, and I suppose you could put ulterior motives to nearly everything
anyone does, as a farmer, a plumber, businessman or politician. But the Christian scriptures point out that
it's by their works that we should know others, not by looking over their
shoulder every minute to demand justification for each moment of work.
When one of the
posters in that discussion ended a very thoughtful post with this sentence: "We
witness in large and small ways and in the end the world will be transformed,"
that really sent my thoughts into hyper drive.
He was speaking my language!
My
own response immediately was "Amen, amen and amen. And to the end that
belief and faith, like politics, is local, often the only way it will
happen." Then I began to think, if
asked, what had I seen and heard that would speak to that opinion?
That
thought put me in mind of some people I want to bear witness to in this arena.
James has pointed out that if you "love" the naked and hungry and say
nice things to them without feeding or clothing them, that isn't Christ's kind
of love. For 17 years I worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, so that I
was often in the midst of disasters, the results of flooding, tornadoes, all
sorts. Other than the presence of Red Cross and FEMA, sometimes helpful
sometimes not, the one presence we could count on were the trucks and buses of
the Southern Baptist and the Church of Christ. While the Red Cross and FEMA
were holding press conferences promising help that sometimes never quite
measured up, these other good people rolled in unbound by regulations insofar
as they were allowed access, distributing hot meals, water, blankets and
shoulders to cry on. There was no proselytizing just human hands to help
however they could. It took money and chunks of time out of volunteers' lives
to do that, but thank God it still goes on.
Now,
the Corps of Engineer people with whom I worked are "just folks", but
because of their vocation, they are nearly all people of educational degrees,
intelligent, creative, compassionate. But we were hidebound by regulations and
FEMA interference. So we were always pleased in the days after, when the
cameras and press conference leaders had all gone home, to see individual
churches from across the nation arriving with work crews, the elderly,
teenagers, middle aged, with hammers and nails and lumber. While the victims
made do and waited on promises, the followers of Jesus Christ cleaned up unbelievable
messes, in homes and in lives, and just helped wherever they could. Thank God
it still happens. Nobody said are you a fundamentalist, a millennialist, old
school, new school. They just worked together and prayed together.
During
my life of growing up through the Free Methodist Church, the Baptist --
Southern and otherwise -- the United Methodists and the Disciples of Christ,
those are the Christian works, in faith, that I know. That is what led
Christians through our short history as a nation to build hospitals and schools
and colleges, and just take care of people, whatever tag they're wearing. Thank
God it still happens.
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Today comes the headline:
"BREAKING:
Russia Warns Ukraine: Surrender By 5:00 AM Tomorrow, Or Face Military ‘Storm’," published in the Independent Journalism
Review at http://www.ijreview.com/2014/03/118887-breaking-russia-tells-ukraine-surrender-500-tomorrow-face-military-storm/
Since the President skipped Monday's NSA
security briefing, you sort of hope someone interrupted he and the friends he
had over to the White House for drinks, letting him know his sword rattling may
have dangerous consequences. Pres.
Putin, growing up in the KGB and leaving it to be Russia's President, has
proved himself to be a man of action, while America's Community Organizer in
Chief has proved himself to be a man of talk.
Pres. Obama's naked threats and warnings to Putin proved as hollow as
Putin thought they were.
The whole Washington D.C. drill is all too
reminiscent of the 1956 events where Russian troops crushed a Hungarian
revolution, killing 250 Hungarians. The
United States had encouraged the Hungarians to stand up for freedom and break
free of Russian rule, but when they did, America stood on the sidelines with
their hands in their pockets. It is for
this kind of hypocrisy that the United States is becoming known. Also in the news today was this headline:
"Cynical Syrians Advise Ukrainians: Don’t Get Up Your Hopes That the U.S.
Will Help", found at http://www.ijreview.com/2014/03/118951-cynical-syrians-advise-ukrainians-dont-get-hopes-u-s-will-help/.
American went to war on behalf of the people
of South Vietnam, the pulled out and left them to a blood bath on the part of
the North Vietnamese Army.
America went to war on behalf of the Iraqi
people, then pulled out and left them to the mercy of al Qaeda.
America went to war on behalf of the
Afghanistan people, then pulled out and left them to the mercy of al Qaeda.
Now America encourages the people of Syria
and the Ukraine to stand up to their attackers, while America engages in the
same old mistakes, again. When
Washington, D.C., chose to use federal funding to influence events, they ended
up funding the Muslim forces who were killing and raping Syrian Christians and
destroying their homes and churches.
Under no circumstances am I suggesting
America needs to put boots on the ground in these two situations. But it would be good if America stopped
taking sides and put as many diplomats and diplomatic actions in place as we would
boots on the ground or money into armament.
Are there any adults in charge in Washington,
D.C.? The employment of a little
critical thinking would go a long way to getting returned to our nation some of
its character and integrity in the world.
