Musings on an anniversary

Today is a September eleventh. I am very sorry for what happened. Real people died, and real people who didn't die had their lives shattered -- loved ones gone, in a few cases jobs gone, nightmares endured for the rest of their lives. But, as always, we didn't react as wisely as we should have. I didn't, either.

When thousands of US residents die one by one, in gang warfare in our streets, in highway accidents, without proper medical care, we don't pay a lot of attention. When hundreds or thousands die at once, we do. Is that wise?

Our elected and appointed officials felt that they had to "do something." One thing has been to beef up airport security. Are we better off because of this? Maybe. Maybe not. Critics of airport security say that we are now very good at keeping small sharp objects off planes, but that it no longer matters, because of changes to how the cockpit is protected. And maintenance personnel could do things to blow up planes, and we don't check them.

Another thing that our leaders felt that they had to do -- a lot of us we wanted them to -- was to punish someone badly. They picked Iraq. Perhaps the world is better off for this, perhaps not. Some people think that Iraq is likely to turn into a bloodbath between Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites. Some think that the Shiite part of it is going to become a satellite of Iran. Even if Iraq becomes a stable democracy, where freedom of religion (including for Christians) is allowed, it's not there yet. Osama bin Laden has yet to be caught. Iraq has been a breeding ground for new terrorists. We've lost lives, and taken them. There has been massive corruption and graft. We didn't plan for an occupation very well. Our troops lacked armor at first, and they often haven't been given the medical and psychological care that they need. We have sometimes been exposed as horribly immoral. We've spent vast amounts of our money, without (until recently) even putting the expense into the budget.

God says that vengeance belongs to Him. I should let Him take care of revenge on someone who harms me, if He chooses to. It's not my business. Does that apply to governments, especially governments which, like ours, are not theocracies? Perhaps not. But God is still the final authority.

I close with good news. Christ came to end all suffering and death. Whatever evil is now in the world, it will all be ended.

Thanks for reading.