Recently in Iraq War 2 Category
The war will pay for itself, or so we were told... Iraq would pay for its own rebuilding with its own revenues.
We now know that isn't true, but what could we buy with what we're spending?
According to the American Friends Service Committee:
Those numbers are per day.
The numbers are based on what we're spending plus what we will spend to replace equipment and provide care for wounded veterans. For more information, see the Washington Post article.
We know how much suffering this war is causing. Now we know how much suffering we could have alleviated with the same money.
We now know that isn't true, but what could we buy with what we're spending?
According to the American Friends Service Committee:
- homes for almost 6,500 families
- health care for 423,529 children, or
- renewable electricity equipment for 1.27 million homes
Those numbers are per day.
The numbers are based on what we're spending plus what we will spend to replace equipment and provide care for wounded veterans. For more information, see the Washington Post article.
We know how much suffering this war is causing. Now we know how much suffering we could have alleviated with the same money.
...or the Decalogue, the ten utterances. There are several versions of what I often call "God's Top Ten List". Here's one, that actually runs longer than ten because I haven't grouped them in any of the traditional manners:
What troubles me even more about this particular war (if it is possible for me to be more troubled), is the possibility that leaders knowingly gave false testimony about Saddam Hussein's capabilities (number 10 on this list). In fact, it has been reported that George H. W. Bush (who ran the CIA, spent 8 years as vice president, and 4 years as president) told his son George W. Bush that it was a bad idea to invade Iraq, but the son ignored the advice - a possible violation of number 6 on the above list.
The idea that a person ignored his father's wisdom and deliberately used the name of God ("God told me to strike Saddam") in conjunction with false witness ("Weapons of Mass Destruction") to kill people in war to take control of coveted oil is one that deeply concerns me. My prayer is that our leaders have merely made a series of serious blunders, rather than intentionally breaking so many commandments.
If it was intentional, may they experience God's mercy.
How often is the commandment (7 on this list) against killing violated because a world leader used the name of God to justify it (4 on this list)? And how often does the motivation for such wars come from covetousness of the "neighbor's house" - land or other resources (11 on this list)? And isn't the taking of land by military force a form of stealing (9 on the list)?
- I am the Lord your God
- Thou shalt have no other gods before me
- Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol
- Thou shalt not make wrongful use of the name of thy God
- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
- Honor thy Father and Mother
- Thou shalt not kill
- Thou shalt not commit adultery
- Thou shalt not steal
- Thou shalt not bear false witness
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife
What troubles me even more about this particular war (if it is possible for me to be more troubled), is the possibility that leaders knowingly gave false testimony about Saddam Hussein's capabilities (number 10 on this list). In fact, it has been reported that George H. W. Bush (who ran the CIA, spent 8 years as vice president, and 4 years as president) told his son George W. Bush that it was a bad idea to invade Iraq, but the son ignored the advice - a possible violation of number 6 on the above list.
The idea that a person ignored his father's wisdom and deliberately used the name of God ("God told me to strike Saddam") in conjunction with false witness ("Weapons of Mass Destruction") to kill people in war to take control of coveted oil is one that deeply concerns me. My prayer is that our leaders have merely made a series of serious blunders, rather than intentionally breaking so many commandments.
If it was intentional, may they experience God's mercy.
