Dose of Reality

With the capture of Saddam Hussein there are now pundits who feel confident enough to suggest that it is time for the Middle East to get a dose of reality. Israel exists, Israel will exist, and Israel has a right to exist. Stop the fantasizing about pushing her into the sea. Tiptoeing around the issue will not solve problems. Appeasement only works when dealing with those who are willing to be appeased. The failure of the 2000 Camp David talks is proof that the Palestinians will not be appeased. They want that tiny spot of land that is Israel, and they will take no less.

But even as the pundits proclaim the Middle East needs a dose of reality, there exists in this nation a certain political party that could use a shot in the arm itself. The offical blog of the Democratic Party is titled ‘Kicking Ass’. I don’t know if they named this thing as Rush was being outed for prescription drug abuse, but I would assume that they didn’t pin all their hopes on a talk show hosts personal problems. Maybe they penned it at the same time they were gearing up for their ‘It’s the economy, stupid II’ campaign. Anyhow, whatever the reason they opted for such an optimistic moniker, reality tells a different story. Here are just a few of the Bush Administration’s successes from the last few months:

The ban on partial birth abortion was signed. A victory for all of those opposed to infanticide though the left would have you believe that this is the first step in having Hillary relegated to the kitchen.

The economy spirals…upward! There were those banking on the fact that those ‘tax cuts for the rich’ would fail to revitalize the economy. Fortunately, those of us who are not rich but also pay taxes, noticed they came our way too. Apparently, the left’s definition of rich includes those who can afford to put food on the table.

The Medicare Reform Bill was passed and signed by President Bush. Those opposed on the left are opposed because it’s not big enough. Those opposed on the right, because it’s too big. Just goes to show you can’t please everyone. And hey, Bush said he was going to do this pre-election 2000. Were you listening?

Bush flew by night into Baghdad and thanked our troops for their efforts in Iraq. The complaint from the left on this one is that Bush proudly displayed a plastic turkey, but a genuine leader displaying a fake turkey beats a real turkey playing the part of a leader, any day.

December being the banner month it was, Saddam Hussein was captured and Libya agreed to inspections and cooperation concerning their WMD’s. So much for a wasteful quagmire that serves no purpose but to alienate the ‘global community.’ While Democrats would have us believe that diplomacy led to this breakthrough with Libya, I would hazard a guess that the image of a broken Saddam gave brutal dictators the world over a few sleepless nights.

As CNN was repeatedly reminding us that Saddam’s capture did not mean the end of violence in Iraq, Gadhafi was deciding he would pass on the chance of violence in Libya. While the left repeats the ‘arrogant, inept, reckless quagmire’ mantra, Bush’s diplomacy with action has led to Libya’s cooperation. The liberal’s foreign policy tactic of building the self-esteem of terrorist loving nations has only produced more confident terrorists.

Sometimes it looks as though the left’s inept, unintellectual, stupid, useless, cowboy of a Bush might just be the sturdiest cactus in the desert. For someone with as little intelligence as they credit him with, he certainly seems to be accomplishing just what he says he will. There’s something to be said for someone who says what he means and does what he says. They used to call that character.

Perhaps by naming their blog “Kicking Ass” the Democrats are speaking of the job that US troops are doing in Iraq. Maybe they see beyond their own rhetoric and realize that terrorist nations must be brought into the 21st century and understand that is the direction the Bush administration is taking.

Or maybe a more realistic scenario would be for us to awaken tomorrow morning to news anchors reporting, “Osama Bin Laden was captured last evening. With him were discovered the infamous Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Also taken into custody were Democratic operatives who, apparently, were sworn to delay the discovery of bin Laden and the WMD’s until the day after the 2004 election.”

Angry

As my thirty-seventh birthday rushes towards me, I find myself reflecting on my life more than usual. Since the age of nineteen, I have spent most of my time being a wife and mother. While a very difficult and challenging occupation, it leaves one with few skills that are viable to employers. It might even leave one, at the age of thirty-seven, wondering what in the world to do with the rest of their life. Often, if one is of an optimistic bent, they can look at their children and family as a whole and be thankful for what their efforts have helped produce. I happen to not be so optimistic at this point in time.

As I reflect on my family at this moment in time, I see a lot of selfishness. I see a cry for forgiveness from those not willing to forgive. I see humans who wish to remove the splinter from others eyes while being blinded by the log in their own. Sometimes it seems as if a fog of discontent has settled over my home and attempts to remove it are futile. And more often, I find myself feeling guilty, as if the removal is on my shoulders and mine alone. As if the other humans in this home have no responsibility other than to function in a typical human fashion. It is I, Miss Deep Thinker, Miss Holier than Thou, who should fight the good fight. It is I who should drive the demons from this home with prayer; who should take the high road even when the low road is less difficult to traverse.

Somewhere down this extensive career I’ve pursued, I’ve failed. I backslid into a mud pit and there I remain. Possibly because I no longer wish to crawl out. The Bible tells us to stand firm in our faith. Oh, how simple it sounds. But I believe it to be one of the most difficult instructions to follow. How do you ‘put on the armor of God’ when you forget where you left it? How do you reverse life? How do you continue to put in effort where no results are forthcoming? How do you once again swallow yourself and give all to others, when you were once slapped down for doing so? How do you fight a world that has already won?

Sounds a little like ‘Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy’, I know. I’m a deep thinker with a shallow reservoir. I need to get back on my knees, let go and let God. But I’m so tired of the thanklessness that I work hard to show it. The hypocrisy of one fool pointing out to the other that he/she is indeed a fool. The shallowness of human nature is beyond belief. The refusal to look inside one’s self and realize one’s errors before pointing out everyone elses. Let’s face it, the only way we can forgive others, is to realize that we too need forgiveness. We’re all rotten on the inside and therefore the need for our Savior.

I imagine when all is said and done in this episode of ‘my family’, I will be the one needing forgiveness. I am angry now and have once again hardened my heart. I am tired of people chewing up others and spitting them out, and then acting if no violence has occurred. The sad thing is, I can be nastier than they ever thought of being. And only ‘Christ in me’ prevents it. Possibly it is this weakness that led me to God. We are told we all have weaknesses or else we wouldn’t need Him. Too bad they’ve not found theirs yet.