War
Last week, I had a quick 24 hour trip from Seattle to Chicago. As I was returning on Thursday night to Sea-Tac airport and eager to get back to my wife and kids from a good but exhausting trip, I was getting peeved that the de-planing process was taking such a long time. In fact, we didn't move for a bit.
While watching President Obama's press conference Tuesday evening, I was struck by a few things that are often forgotten in the criticism of his proposed budget.
In last week's SojoMail, the quote of the week was from an Israeli squad leader describing the incredulous reactions of his men when he took measures to protect civilian lives during the invasion of Gaza.
"Let's listen in now to the Marine Corps Band," the CNN commentator says. The camera pans across the Washington Mall. People, as far as the eye can see, waiting for the historic moment, the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America, the first African American to ever hold this high office.
On the first day of the Obama administration, our newly elected president signed the order to close down Guatanamo. Scores of human rights advocates were in ecstasy. For those of us committed to peace and social justice, the words Guatanamo and Abu Ghraib invoke images of shock and horror. How could we as a nation have stooped so low? Where was the outcry from the Body of Christ?
The memos to President Obama in the January issue are interesting for what they omit as well as for what they include.