Lord, why must there be war?
Do we just like to fight?
Like children in a schoolyard, do we feel the need to punch and kick each other into submission just because we’re frustrated and can do nothing else?
Or are we led to conflict by our leaders for political reasons, over territory, for power or to assure a steady flow of oil? Or are there more glorious reasons: the freedom of oppressed people suffering under the yoke of dictatorships? Are we fighting for them, Lord, or are we fighting for us, to show off our mettle and assert our strength, just because we can?
Since the beginnings of this nation, Lord, we have thrown ourselves into combat. In doing so, we have sacrificed so much. We have brought generations of young men and, now, women, home in body bags. We have condemned countless others to lives in wheelchairs or worse. We have broken the hearts of their loved ones. Spouses must learn to cope without their partners, children without one or the other of their parents, parents without their children.
And what of those who now face the daily grind of war, Lord? The combatants who must live daily, not only in fear of their own death but with the knowledge they may have to take the lives of others to survive. And there is terror at home, as deaths in battle are reported almost as an afterthought on the evening news.
Lord, as the Cross testifies, you are no stranger to suffering.
We ask you for peace.
We pray the conflicts will stop and that you will bring our troops home unscathed and whole of heart.
Until then, Lord, on this Memorial Day, please bless and hold close those who serve and those who have lost friends and loved ones in any of our armed conflicts. Please include those from law enforcement and the fire service, as well. We owe so very much to our heroes, both living and fallen. Please keep them in our hearts always.
In the name of Jesus, who sacrificed for us all, Amen.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I Agree With Sarah Palin...OMG!
During last night's appearance in Chicago, Sarah Palin took on Highland Park officials who have refused to allow the girls varsity basketball team to travel to Arizona for a tournament in December.
Hell may freeze over but I agree with her.
The school district's reasoning, explained in an email to me yesterday from Superintendent George Fornero, is thus: "We cannot commit at this time to playing at a venue where some of our students’ safety or liberty might be placed at risk because of state immigration law." Fornero denies the school district is playing politics by boycotting the Arizona tournament. "Rather," he says, "Under long standing constitutional law, all school districts are required to provide an education to all children within the District’s borders regardless of immigration status. Similarly, when our students travel, the school district is responsible, both legally and ethically, for their safety, security and liberty.
Fornero hasn't answered my question about who specifically made the decision. I find that odd. Did he wake up in the morning and kill the trip? Did the decision come from one of his assistants? The District 113 School Board? If, indeed, it was the school board, was it put to a public vote or agreed upon by a series of private phone calls so the nasty media (and voters) wouldn't have a chance to see how each member felt about the issue?
Or did the dictum come from Highland Park City Hall where, employees tell me, most significant issues are decided the old fashioned way: in back rooms by certain select individuals?
Bottom line, is it really the safety and liberty of students that school officials are worried about? Or are some Highland Park leaders taking a personal jab at the new law?
Frankly, I think Arizona is nuts. The immigration measure is a publicity stunt and will be overturned as soon as the U.S. Supreme Court reviews it.
I also think Highland Park is overreacting. The likelihood of a group of student basketball players being in any way touched by the law is minimal.
It's the fear of the backroomers running Highland Park that the city will be somehow embarrassed that has caused them to act.
Hell may freeze over but I agree with her.
The school district's reasoning, explained in an email to me yesterday from Superintendent George Fornero, is thus: "We cannot commit at this time to playing at a venue where some of our students’ safety or liberty might be placed at risk because of state immigration law." Fornero denies the school district is playing politics by boycotting the Arizona tournament. "Rather," he says, "Under long standing constitutional law, all school districts are required to provide an education to all children within the District’s borders regardless of immigration status. Similarly, when our students travel, the school district is responsible, both legally and ethically, for their safety, security and liberty.
Fornero hasn't answered my question about who specifically made the decision. I find that odd. Did he wake up in the morning and kill the trip? Did the decision come from one of his assistants? The District 113 School Board? If, indeed, it was the school board, was it put to a public vote or agreed upon by a series of private phone calls so the nasty media (and voters) wouldn't have a chance to see how each member felt about the issue?
Or did the dictum come from Highland Park City Hall where, employees tell me, most significant issues are decided the old fashioned way: in back rooms by certain select individuals?
Bottom line, is it really the safety and liberty of students that school officials are worried about? Or are some Highland Park leaders taking a personal jab at the new law?
Frankly, I think Arizona is nuts. The immigration measure is a publicity stunt and will be overturned as soon as the U.S. Supreme Court reviews it.
I also think Highland Park is overreacting. The likelihood of a group of student basketball players being in any way touched by the law is minimal.
It's the fear of the backroomers running Highland Park that the city will be somehow embarrassed that has caused them to act.
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