News and Commentary

I thought I'd take time to do some commentary on various news stories of the past week.

Radical Islam - what is up with that? There were two significant stories regarding radical Islam in the past week. First involved the abduction of two U.S. soldiers (after a third was killed outright), both of whom were later found tortured, killed, and mutilated to the point where DNA was needed to identify them (although it was pretty much a sure thing it was these two guys). The responsible party? Most likely Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who succeeded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq after his demise at the hands of American ordinance. No doubt al-Masri has to prove his lack of manhood by violating the Geneva Convention by torturing and executing prisoners of war.

Second involved the arrest of seven men in Miami on charges they allegedly planned to blow up the FBI office in Miami and the Sears Tower in Chicago. The common denominator? They are radical Muslims.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. With so many of the Muslim faith claiming it to be a peaceful religion (and thank God most Muslims truly are peaceful), where is the outrage? Why aren't these radicals being censured? Why aren't they being rooted out and removed from society? Why are they hiding in caves and behind the skirts of women?

It's ironic that in a world in which many reject the teachings of Christ, the Quran does indeed acknowledge the existance of Christ. Yet Islam has rejected the salvation of Christ. Please pray for all of Islam to see the light - the Way, the Truth, the Life.

So-called Christians are also rejecting the teachings of Christ. During the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, the House of Deputies overwhelming refused to even consider a resolution affirming Jesus Christ as the "only name by which any person can be saved." [source article]

Excuse me? Remember John 14:6? "Jesus said him, 'I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the father except through me.'" Brothers and sisters, this is not even subject to debate. Reject this message - and you reject the messenger. Period.

Might as well go up to Sedona and grab yourself some crystals.

Speaking of Sedona, the Brins Fire has been the headline grabber here in Arizona this past week. Started by a campfire left by a careless transient, the Brins Fire has now blackened 3,256 acres north of Sedona at the edges of the scenic Oak Creek Canyon. Fire crews have made a stand along US Highway 89A in hopes that the fire won't spread throughout the canyon where some 400 homes and 40 businesses stand.

We are also experiencing the onset of the summer monsoon this weekend (I finally had to switch from our evaporative cooler to our air conditioner in the face of higher temperatures and rising humidity). This could be a blessing or a curse on this wildfire. Dry thunderstorms could produce lighting and erratic winds which would breach the still-fragile containment of the fire. A good soaking rain could bring a quicker end to the fire. Let's hope so.

Is a beer run worth someone's life? This story is the kind that just irks me. Early this morning some jackass thought he'd get some beer from a convenience store without paying for it, and took off with his friend. A police officer who saw the incident began to pursue the suspect vehicle. It wasn't a high-speed chase, and it didn't last long; the suspect vehicle ran a red light, killing the law-abiding occupant of the other vehicle. Needless to say, both suspects in the vehicle were arrested, with possible charges of first-degree murder and felony endangerment pending for the driver. No more beer for him.

On a personal note, it has been a long week recovering from camp. I still get the urge to take a nap at 1:00, the designated quiet hour at camp (although I'm not really sure why since I probably got a total of 20 minutes sleep during a whole week's worth of quiet hour. What can I say? Some of my campers totally suck at being quiet. I may have to make the rules stricter next year). There's plenty of work to do at work to be sure. But I'm getting back into my routine and looking forward to our new pastor's debut July 2.