Who we are

Terrorism is bad. Terrorists doubly so. Cowards who plan the mass killings of innocent people are the vilest scum on the planet. I don't think that you will find anyone, save a terrorist, who disagrees with these statements.

I have been following this case of the Lockerbie bomber with interest for the past few months. This convicted terrorist who spent only a few years in jail for the bombing of an airline over Lockerbie, Scotland, asked for a compassionate discharge to return to his home in Libya because his cancer is terminal. Last week, the Scottish government agreed to discharge this terrorist on compassionate grounds. The terrorist returned to Libya and was received with a hero's welcome, being greeted by Libya's ruler, Ghadaffi, as he stepped off the plane. International condemnation of the celebration was declared and many are now calling for a boycott of Scotland as a result of their act of compassion.

Was this release misguided? Should this terrorist have been left to rot in jail until he was dead? That he deserved no less is clear, but to my way of thinking, I think Scotland got it right.

We are in a battle for the very souls of humanity. It is a battle with many battlelines and many victims - some innocent, some not. Sometimes the forces of good win, sometimes the forces of evil. Oftentimes, its impossible to tell who won, who loss, and who was good or evil.

But compassion is never wrong. And showing compassion to your enemy is doubly never wrong. I know that it hurts the victims and I know that it hurts our sense of justice to see such an ugly display as the one that greeted this terrorist bomber in Libya, but the release of a dying man from prison was the right thing to do. Allowing a man to die surrounded by loved ones, even if he didn't offer the same comfort to his many victims, is the right thing to do.

In this battle, the only victory that can be declared is by the side that stands by what they claim to believe. Both sides say they are right. Both sides say that they love peace and justice. But one side released a sworn enemy from jail so that he could die with his family, and the other cheered a mass murderer like he was a war hero.

It might feel like ash in your mouth right now, but in the larger scheme of things, Scotland showed its quality and will taste something infinitely sweeter in the end. They showed the world who they were.

Friday Silliness

The election in Afghanistan is barely over and both Hamid Karzai and his rival for the presidency are declaring victory despite the fact that the votes have yet to be counted and probably won't be for nearly a month. It makes you wonder why it takes so long to count ballots. In the United States, news agencies declare the winner hours before polls even close. In Iran, recently, the victor was declared in less than 24 hours. In fact, this just in, the Ayatollah has just declared Ahmadenijab the victor in Afghanistan as well. The point is, how hard is it to count?

It seems that prior to Y2K, people holding elections the world over knew how to count. Before that magic date, the default election was a smooth, boring, affair where a victor was declared promptly and quietly and the winner got their ballons and the loser called and conceded. But, as with all things, elections weren't sexy enough. Instead, we had to have the Y2K election fiasco here and suddenly the world took notice that down to the wire, tight, close, only seperated by mere tens of votes, elections were MUCH MORE INTERESTING! (I.E. bigger ratings, more ad revenue, better odds in Vegas, etc...) And since then, if there's a vote, there's a voting controversy! Somehow we've elevated the act of watching people pick up a piece of paper, count it, and then put it down, into a blood sport that will someday soon have its own Cable Channel (You're watching the Voting Channel - next up, Paraguay Elections for Dog Catcher...)

I long for the days gone by when a voting controversy meant Chicago's dead voting for Mayor Daly. The voting seasons just seem to get longer and longer, the pre-vote coverage is stretching out more and more, and before long, I half expect to see the kind of "election" that is seen on one of those Pro-Wrestling shows. There was a brief time when I thought that More TV couldn't hurt. Now I'm thinking the birds should sue the US government to get the AIR back and we should pare down the FCC to cover only about three channels. If nobody is covering stuff, would there be news created?

Back in the Saddle Again...

Okay, I'm not 100% recovered from this lingering illness but I do feel better than I've felt in a week or so. I'm also back doing my regular job at work and no longer filling in for absent co-workers. I'll probably still be busy for the next couple of days, just getting caught up, but I'll try to get back here a little more regularly. Lots to talk about, including "DANE" SHOOTING - DAY ONE! So check back here later...

Busy, busy, busy...

Things are extremely hectic at work right now. With the economy being what it is, we were already really low staffed. But over the weekend, my co-worker's brother passed away. And on Wednesday, my other co-worker is taking a much needed Disneyland Vacation with her family. So, for the time being, I'm doing like four jobs.

Needless to say, this'll probably be the last time I talk at ya for a while. Thanks to everyone who made my Birthday special this last weekend (and Randall, I count your birthday wish as the first received ;) I'll try to get back to you all soon.

An Immediate Answer

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed yesterday morning. Who knows why, but I was in a foul mood straight away. As I climbed into my shower, I was in full rant mode ready to strike out at the first wrong look that came my way. I already started imagining the blistering blog post that I was going to write.

I was going to reminisce about the one time in my life when I really got overlooked. It was in 1990/1 when I was in the Navy. To make a really long story short, I REALLY REALLY deserved recognition for stuff I was doing during the first couple of months of the Gulf War. My section leader thought so as well. He wrote up a long commendation recommendation listing all the things I'd done since the start of the war and turned it in for approval. When the list of commendations came out, my name was not included for our division - in fact, there were No Names listed for our division. When my section leader asked why nobody had been recognized during that quarter, his boss said that they didn't feel anyone had done anything special. When I heard that my efforts had not been recognized as anything worthwhile, I completely soured on the Navy, on my job, and on my division. Any chance that I might have stayed in the Navy disappeared right then and there.

After dreaming up this blistering screed, I went to work, but was too busy to post my scathing blog post. I went home after work, still ticked off.

Waiting for me in the mail when I got home was this letter:

Dear Will;

Thank you.

Over the past several years, PDA has seen thousands of volunteers from across the nation making a difference for disaster survivors... You have volunteered with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, serving with survivors as they rebuild and recover... With your time and energy, your listening ears, and your presence, you have delivered renewed hope, joy, and the witness that Christ's love is unfailing. Please accept our deepest gratitude for your volunteer service...

Included was a Certificate of Appreciation suitable for hanging. I read it all and immediately burst into tears. I realized that not only had I been an idiot earlier that day, but that I had been craving the sort of recognition that is fleeting and unimportant. I did a good job in the Navy, sure, but the kind of recognition that I should have been craving is the kind that acknowledges love for fellow human beings. God answered my call for recognition with a powerful reply that made me feel proud and humble at the exact same moment.

The things that I did in Mississippi earlier this year, the things I hope to do in Kenya next year, are not the sorts of things that I want recognition for, and yet, they are the things I do that make me the most happy. A pat on the back at work is nice, but the smile of a person that I've helped is better than even the most generous of bonuses or raises.

I will put my certificate away now. I have received all the recognition I need - an immediate answer from God for my human craving for recognition.