Restrepo...

I'm waiting for this to be checked back in at Hastings and then I will rent it.

Hunting and Helping...

General Larry Nicholson described his work in Afghanistan as: 10% Hunting and 90% Helping. Can any of you soldiers affirm or add insight or commentary to that assessment?

How Baseball Helped Children and Saved Lives in Afghanistan

I've been looking for ways to highlight the positive work our Troops are doing to support the humanitarian goals related to rebuilding Afghanistan. Spirit Of America is an organization doing just that in cooperation with the US Military. Here is an article describing one project in a village related to starting a 'Baseball game". You can watch a video of the founder talking about the org: here

I have mixed feelings about seeing a solider with a gun and soccer ball...but I also know men who would be the kind of people deeply motivated to heal more than hurt that are in the military, so I see this as a chance to show that to the people of Afghanistan.

The Big (Military) Taboo...

"The U.S. military now has more people in its marching bands than the State Department has in its foreign service" -NY Times Article

Change...???

President Obama, a Democrat who symbolized new directions, requested about 6 percent more for the military this year than at the peak of the Bush administration.

An in-depth look at the war in Iraq and Afghanistan

Nir Rosen on "Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World". The book looks like a must read and this interview, though dense in subject matter, is extremely helpful in understanding the complex issues that underly Iraq and Afghanistan and their many and different cultural challenges. In the era of media soundbites about such massive issues, I found the mentally challenging subject matter a needed discipline in doing the work of understanding the wars. I know for many there is a war-fatigue and we would rather just change the channel. I too wrestle with that temptation. But as in the interview, when you have friends and family that might have their 'numbers erased from your phone' it's still important to keep the wars in the front and not the very back of the American cultures consciousness.

The counter-insurgency campaign...success or struggling...?

Democracy Now report on Afghan progress purported by Obama in Portugal. The Afghan report starts at 12:00 in the vid.

I can't help but feel like I am watching old footage from Vietnam when I see these types of reports. It frustrates me to have to keep posting counter points of view at the expense of my military friends. My intent isn't to discourage those serving...my intent is to add voice and info to the debate in hope that people will put pressure on their representatives to end these costly campaigns.

My A-Team review....

We watched this the other night, mostly for nostalgia reasons.

Interesting take on the whole military politics and mercenary 'Black Water...I mean 'Black Forest' stuff. So just what was really being said in the story line...you got 'guns for hire' 'corruption' 'military corruption' 'CIA corruption' and the whole 'use of violence B.A.' stuff. In the end a celebration of the emergence of "A-Team' private militia like para-military saviors, armed tea party inspired rescuers???

I got lost in the mash up of armed para military groups vying for power and wealth against other paramilitary group doing it for revenge. The whole BA/Hannibal Gandhi quotes moments made me nauseous...pitting wisdom against wisdom to justify anything you actually want to do.

That was a faint reflection of the most historic moments of complete ethical madness...when Pres. Obama, the winner of the Noble Peace Prize used Martin Luther King and Gandhi in his acceptance speech not for Peace...but to justify his continual and increasing military actions in the current and expanding theaters of USA paid and future funded campaigns.

I mean even Jessica Biel was a fumble...I mean she looked like she weighed about 85 pounds and was working on a role to replace Christian Bale in 'The Machinist 2"...not attractive, sorry, eat a burger girl. All in all it had some funny moments and some good action scenes in the Die Hard, over the top kinda way. OK to watch...just turn off your brain.

I actually like the Family Guy A-Team clip almost better.

"I was told to withhold a six-inch Harry Potter figure, but when I picked up a plastic M-16, I was told, ‘That’s for the 10-year-olds."

-A Salvation Army volunteer, who claims Salvation Army officials told him not to include Harry Potter and Twilight toys in his collection for needy children “because they’re incompatible with the charity’s Christian beliefs.”
The toys left behind were to be disposed of, and not passed on to other charities.

Gays, Guns and Green Backs...

There is a lot of various debates and discussions going on out there in media land about the DADT/Open Gay issue in the military. The angle I find interesting is captured in some of these images I have seen in the debate.

This video of Rep. Barney Frank, a gay member of congress is a perfect example of the polarization and straw-man nature of issue debate in our culture. I'm not a soldier, so I have a hard time with all of this stuff, I am not sure exactly what to think about it. From one angle as a straight male, I have various uncomfortable thoughts. From a Christian...there are many thoughts...and from an ethical position in regards to gender equality and the evolving future policies in regards to mixed company/showers/bunks etc...I think many of the arguments made for open and integrated views on sexuality could be applied to many other money saving changes. Single bathrooms, showers, barracks etc...could save a ton of money, eliminating marriage bonuses or housing perks, de-funding matters relating to sexuality or marriage...there's a lot of angles to take on all of this. Whatever the case, it will be interesting to see how the next administration handles this ball once it is passed, especially if it's a Republican or Independent Admin.

Richard Holbrooke's last words...

As Mr. Holbrooke was sedated for surgery, family members said, his final words were to his Pakistani surgeon: "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan."

-American Diplomat, Richard Holbrooke, (special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan, working under President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton), (Wash Post article)

Oreo Cookies & Military Spending...by the Ice Cream Man

This is a simple yet clear animation of the US budget, military spending and the struggling American economy.

"There's some interesting talk stirring about how it may be necessary to cut defense expenditures to decrease the deficit. Even though the $533 billion budget is the elephant in the room and the $200,000 spent every minute on the endless war on terror is the gushing, bleeding wound of America, this has been the taboo secret, the idolatrous sacred cow. But folks are beginning to whisper." -Shane Claiborne

The sword of man or the song of angels...?

""A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." -Matthew 2:18

War grinds over the guilty and innocent alike, it does not discriminate. The horrific suffering of children is a part of the Christmas story that often gets passed over in our holiday readings.

The actual slaughtering of innocents as a result of religious extremism and bloody prophetic paranoia is woven into the Christmas story but rarely finds its truths connected to anything in our modern moment. We Pastors can find lessons to be learned in the gifts being given and the songs being sung but "peace and goodwill' to us on earth seems to be idealized out of any real pursuit. I am always reminded by people that 'peace can't come on earth'...it's always eschatologiszed away...a future dream, not a present hope.

Men tell me "war and perpetual conflict on Earth'is our only lot...while Angels tell me 'Peace and good will on Earth'...is here. Women tell me that only enemy hate and murder can be the lot of human interaction...while Jesus speaks of enemy love and brotherly care. Humanity clings to the Old Creation...while the Spirit is bringing about the New Creation. Our religious teachers can only see a Mountain of Fire and the Abandoned City burning...while those shod with the gospel of peace, see a Bride City of rivers and trees whose leaves are for the healing of nations.

Why must Herod's vision of the future be the one that Jesus's church believes in, why not believe the Prophet's visions of lambs and lions, snakes and children being together? Why if Jesus chose to gather a community of disciples that reflect the amazing new possibilities for humanity...why do we always proclaim a truncated version of kingdom life and possibilities?

If the signs of the last days people are the ability to speak in any language to any culture...if we are the inhabited ones, the temple fire bearers, the proclaimers and providers of the Kingdom that is among us...why are the dreamers labeled as the fools?

I cannot see Herod's sword as the bearer of glad tidings...no, he who wields it, is still singing the song of Rachel...and the children are still weeping because of it. This Christmas, I choose to believe that the sword of man cannot eclipse the song of Angels.

Peace...on Earth, is my song to be sung...no matter how loud the weeping of gunfire still is.

Iraq through a Photojournalist's eyes...

Michael Kamber, Photojournalist: Iraq, Click on the 'Iraq' project at the bottom to see some really powerful photographs from Iraq. I am not sure why we don't get to see this level of reality in most of the coverage of the wars we are engaged in, but this guy captured it.

Exactly....

135 peace activists arrested at the WhiteHouse...

Washington Police arrested 135 of the protesters, in what is being called the largest mass detention in recent years. Among those arrested were Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst who used to provide the president’s daily briefings, Daniel Ellsberg, who released the government’s Pentagon Papers during the Nixon administration, and Chris Hedges, former war correspondent for the New York Times. (link)

Still remembering...and questioning

Defending Constantine

In the ongoing exploration of a Christ-centric political posture in regards to pacifism, nonviolence, Just war etc..one will bump into the Roman emperor Constantine at some point of the study or discussion. The perspective is often a 'crux of history' discussion...where the church 'fell' or where a victory was gained. The implications of a 'baptised emperor' has been the point of many heated arguments over a pint...or via some medium of public dialogue. This article is a great addition to the debate: "Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom"

Some of my favorite quotes worth ponder from the article:

"Constantinianism is the sociological condition that makes possible the presumption that the suffering Christ, the crucified Christ, is not the last word Christians have to say before a waiting world. Constantinianism names the pretense held by some Christians that there is a truth beyond the truth that is the unsurpassable Christ."

"To suggest that with Constantine things went to hell in a handbasket reveals the presumption that we are in control of history. Now that, as we say in the theological business, is interesting."

(Thanks Rick for the link)

Ron Paul on Wikileaks...

Watch the video: link
Yet again...Mr. Paul nails the true issues to the wall as the jello of Empire continues to squiggle and wiggle under the light of truth.

Youtubing on the edge of death.

Marines in Sangin, Afghanistan doing what Marines do...kill, blow things up and tell stories about it to one another. Wow...this brings up so many conflicting emotions and thoughts...One is pride in our soldiers kicking ass and the other is the odd sense of screwed up reality as I am watching men kill one another put to music. Seeing the gut wrenching tension and at the same time the glee in soldiers faces as if they are playing games. Youtubing on the edge of death. One is a feeling of being sidelined during a period of history when men are doing things that determine life or death...and I am knee deep in human drama and trauma. They are shooting bullets and I am shooting my mouth off. The dichotomies of it all frustrate me. The mundane nature of so much of life around here is the very thing that many soldiers are longing for and which is driving many here to self-inficted acts of stupidity and sin. I'm trying to convince people to live while others are just wishing they could live.

Puking while we are Partying....

It's hard to watch this video and remember that our fellow Americans and brothers in arms are facing these situations while we sip coffee, argue with parents, complain about our lives, pursue selfish lives and go off and waste a ton of money we don't have on a holiday that will be over in snort of indifference. The video is in German but you can understand the sounds of gun fire, the smoke and chaos, the shouting and the man vomiting our his over-amped nerves. These are the images that motivate me to pray for my friends at are in Afghanistan and other areas of conflict or potential conflict. I know its not a video of blood and gore...but it reflects the tension that burns its affects into tee psyche of soldiers.

American Prisoner in Afghanistan pleads for release...

Please watch the video to the end to hear the solider's request.

Better for Baghdad...?

Listening to someone share about how America's foreign policy and military campaigns have destroyed their city, driven them from their home and family and forced them through 'rock & a hard place' resettlement options, sure puts a face on what used to be news articles and sound bites on talk shows.

Listening to someone share what life is like having to call America home, the very country that forever took away your own national home...is deeply conflicting.

Looking into the eyes of people who have seen what you only hear about through talking heads and polarizing, pontificating politicians is far more articulate and convincing.

Seeing the ache of a life once lived, sounds forever stilled, voices too far away too touch, childhoods, places, ways of being...forever altered, not quite the same, just out of grasp...always 'not quite the same'...is an experience that is hard to articulate.

As someone who has spent a lot of time wrestling, debating, praying and studying on war, nonviolence and refugees, last nights dinner, conversations, biblical study and fellowship with Iraqi muslims put my growing convictions into a concrete reality. The implications of these burdens and visions of a way of life, a way of being, of relating with one another....took on fresh hope and a practical connectedness that made sense to me in ways like never before.

I now see how God's call to work with refugees has a connection to my political science passion and my interest in issues of war and peace and what the gospel brings to the troubles and evils of men, like never before.

I felt perfectly formed for the task last night...talking to people who valued the words of peace...like few others have.

It was a blessing.

The Way of the Warrior...

Marine Special Forces veteran, Rudy Reyes, fights to overcome the personal demons that led him to the military where he was trained to carry out special wartime missions that compound his torment. This is another one of the short films in the films series called: 'In their Boots'. The profound depth of experience that Rudy shares from is heart wrenching and unbelievably courageous. I've not seen a more raw, personal unveiling take place from a 'man's man'. I hope his story inspires others veterans to pursue the path of healing.

A new version of "The Draft"....

Tom Rick on the Rich and bring back the Draft:
Bringing back a draft does not mean bringing back the draft we saw in the 1960s. Rather, I think we design a new deal that offer a three-part set of options:

The military option.
You do 18 months of military service. The leaders of the armed forces will kick and moan, but these new conscripts could do a lot of work that currently is outsourced: cutting the grass, cooking the food, taking out the trash, painting the barracks. They would receive minimal pay during their terms of service, but good post-service benefits, such as free tuition at any university in America. If the draftees like the military life, and some will, they could at the end of their terms transfer to the professional force, which would continue to receive higher pay and good benefits. (But we'd also raise the retirement age for the professional force to 30 years of service, rather than 20 as it is now. There is no reason to kick healthy 40-year-olds out of the military and then pay them 40 years of retirement pay.)

The civilian service option.
Don't want to go military? Not a problem. We have lots of other jobs at hand. You do two years of them -- be a teacher's aide at a troubled inner-city school, clean up the cities, bring meals to elderly shut-ins. We might even think about how this force could help rebuild the American infrastructure, crumbling after 30 years of neglect. These national service people would receive post-service benefits essentially similar to what military types get now, with tuition aid.

The libertarian opt-out.
There is a great tradition of libertarianism in this country, and we honor it. Here, you opt out of the military and civilian service options. You do nothing for Uncle Sam. In return, you ask for nothing from him. For the rest of your life, no tuition aid, no federal guarantees on your mortgage, no Medicare. Anything we can take you out of, we will. But the door remains open -- if you decide at age 50 that you were wrong, fine, come in and drive a general around for a couple of years.

The War Prayer, as you probably have never seen it...

"I don't think the War Prayer will be published in my time. None but the dead are permitted to tell the truth." -Mark Twain (1905)

It's pieces of writing like this that have arrested me. The explosive and controversial writing of Twain is powerfully portrayed in this short video. It will tick you off or touch you...but you won't forget it.

PTSD...

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects many soldiers returning from war. This video tells a few soldiers stories about how they turned to drugs and alcohol to self medicate. It's a tough look at the psychological impact of killing. One of the angles of ministry I hope to see with "Pastors For Peace" is facilitating the pastoral care of the soul that is needed for healing. Ministering the "Peace" of God through active care for returning soldiers. Being involved in the spiritual work of healing that only the Holy Spirit and the Word of God can bring about. The ministry of healing is desperately needed in the lives of these men and women as well as finding accompaniment in the joinery, how ever long it may be.

SO YOU'RE A COWARD...A Memoir of Conscientious Objection

"We were killers, everyone knew that. A Ranger would take his bayonet, stick it in your throat, twist, pull, plunge again, and then piss in your face as you drowned in blood. If America needed someone dead, anyone dead, it’d call us. And we’d do it." -Nate Wildermuth's writings

The Militarization of the Middleast...

The info on Wikileaks that was released this week is bringing out all kinds of discussion about the contents. The Militarization of the Middleast is one big one on some sites.

President Obama is preparing his budget request for FY2012. It's expected to include a record-breaking $3.075 billion in military aid to Israel. And a 30 Billion in Military aid between 2009-2018.

"Israel understands U.S. policy intentions to arm moderate Arab states in the region to counter the Iranian threat, and prefers such sales originate from the United States instead of other countries like Russia or China

The Obama administration's record-breaking $60 billion sale of fighter planes and attack helicopters to Saudi Arabia, announced just last month. (link)

"We cannot be both the world's leading champion of peace and the world's leading supplier of the weapons of war." - Jimmy Carter