I feel like I'm watching High Stakes Poker - and meanwhile I just signed up for a turbo - what is wrong with me :)

On the High Stakes table, both president Bush and president Ahmadinejad think they have a strong hand - but I don't think either one of them are bluffing -

They both have weak hands - Might both have K5 - barely good enough for heads up and not really good for All-in

president Bush faces unpopular approval here at home for what has been deterimined may be the worst foreign policy decision of the 21st Century - and I say that only cause it may be the LAST stupid foreign policy ever made - this world's supposed to end in fire, ya know....

president Ahmadinejad also is losing support at home - He lost a lot of support in the last election and I've been reading where the youth of Iran, it's future, are causing trouble in the Universities and Scholarly parts of the world. They realize for all it's oil wealth, Iran should be much better off then it is - I imagine Tehran is a beautiful city to see, as all ancient cities are.

I imagine the majorities of Iran and the US want peace, but their leaders, the guys on the high stakes table, want otherwise.

both depend on a base for their power that is Religious, Fundamentalist, and wavering in it's devotion to the violent parts of their scriptures - both are part of a specific sect that is trying to rally the full cause to their support - One for the Iranian Govt and it's religions beliefs of Islam, and the US does the same thing for Christianity.

Both men want all their chips in because of the strength their positions will get once they've fully committed to war.

Normally I wouldn't worry so much but GWB just bought in for 21K more....

and being that I am Christian, I am worried that I don't see anything in there about going to war to kill those who persecute you - and I refuse to believe in the concept of a "Christian" nation - Jesus didn't come to make nations prosperous and victorious in battle. He came for Palestinian Christians being shelled and tortured in any generation. -

and he came for Grace, not Law - Know what the difference between Law and Grace is?

Law is saying - yes, surge more US troops into battle, for many, many thousands more Iraqi's have perished then Americans, and "an eye for an eye" has not yet been fulfilled in the eyes of God - I think we left too many kids alone and dead in this one for us to hope for favored Christian nation status. At this point, we have begun to look like another "Christian nation" of the 20th century - prone to manufacturing precepts for war and seeking escalation for consolidation of power. I do not think Christians of this country will like the Law so much when they see what it will cost them.

Grace is loving your enemies, forgiving them, and trying to open dialogues with them, not cutting off diplomatic contact and sending aircraft carriers to the region. - Grace is "bless those who persecute you and pray for them" - and as a result the Church has thrived in any environment, though I regret sometimes it has become the predator to avoid being the prey.

In fact, if you don't believe in grace, you really shouldn't call yourselves Christian - how about there, Religious Righties? - if ya aren't gonna act like Christ, do those of us who are trying a favor - please continue to do what you are doing - use your denominational and nationalist and theological labels - anything except being a Christian - be Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Orthodox, Liberal, Republican, Conservative, American and Proud

otherwise, the world's gonna end in fire, ya know? - cause once these religious wars start, they NEVER stop. It's getting to the point where folks don't wanna let the guy upstairs make the decision of who lives and who dies anymore, and that REALLY makes him mad, me thinks -

ah well - outta my hands - but at least I've been around long enough to recognize a bad thing when I see it -

that's part of the reason I wanted a house - I wanted this locked in for a spell - a place to ride out the storms that are coming. And there's a small part of me worried that at 35 and single, I might be elgible for a selective service call - ugh....

and THIS is why I don't think now is a good time to be having kids or getting married - but as you can see, the post may itself be a warning to those who haven't - beware of too much free time and Bible education between the ages of 18 and 21 - man, I missed out on ALL the good nookie :(

I laugh when I say that :)

pax
rb