tunic and cloak.

in the most recent dealings with north korea, senator sam brownback (R.-kansas) proposed to set an embargo and withhold aid as a way of coercing the north korean government to stop their pursuit of nuclear weapons. if history is to teach us anything, it is that embargos and withholding of humanitarian aid does nothing to coerce a governemnt to comply with the desires of the international community. for ten years, iraq didn't see any aid come in, whether it is food or medicine, and the saddam regime faired just fine. so then, who suffers? women and children (while all the men join the army and are fed well enough to fight with fierce loyalty).


jesus said "if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles" (matthew 5:40-41). it seems that we're not only withholding our cloak, but we're also taking away their tunic. in the complex world of international relations, one thing is for sure: our world is not a fair place. in giving our cloak, we might just get a slap on the other cheek along with it.

king theoden

in the second installment of the lord of the rings series, called the two towers, king theoden, the human monarch of the land of rohan, grieves for the death of his son after regaining his mind from the evil grasps of saruman. in front of his son's tomb, he laments "no parent should ever have to bury their own child." as i watched this scene for the third time, i couldn't help but to wonder how much of a commentary j.r.r. tolkien was making about his own time? written during the second world war, tolkien was well aware of the evil empire nazi germany was becoming, and how many lives were being lost, not only the jews, but also the brave young men in the frontlines. it almost seems as if it is a statement about the fallenness of the world that we live in, that we live in a world so corrupt and brutal, that parents bury their children, innocents are treated as the guilty, and the truly guilty rule the day. just as king theoden lamented about the fallenness of the world, so too are we reminded that the world we live in is marred with corruption.

the good news is, the story doesn't end there. i think that's why tolkien is brilliant in creating the lord of the rings because it considers the reality of our fallen world, but also understands the real presence and possibility of hope.

ironies

france controls 40% of iraq's oil loans. they were the ones that helped build nuclear reactors in iraq. as you may already know, iraq is the second largest oil producer next to saudi arabia. why would one need a nuclear power plant when they have all the fuel they need, not only for themselves, but for the entire globe? one has to wonder.

furthermore, france is known to have serveral arms deals with iraq throughout the past decade. some say that it is for economic reasons that france is defiant against the u.s. with the whole war situation. others argue that france has always been anti-american, and is weary of any kind of hint of american imperialism. their anti-american sentiments lead them to oppose the u.s. at all costs, regardless of principles.

for instance, the u.s. gave the final ultimatum to iraq and is now carrying out that ultimatum because it is trying to uphold u.n. resolution 1441. and the u.n., most vocally led by france, is condemning the u.s.' actions as 'in violation of u.n. mandates' when in fact they are not upholding their own mandate.

there's more irony in the minority public opinion in america (over 70% support the president with the war situation). a small minority are very vocal in their 'anti-war' position. among them are celebrities, who traditionally align themselves with the liberal democratic party line. during the oscars this past sunday, many voiced their strong disdain for president bush and the war with iraq. ironically, during the clinton administration, many celebrities, and liberals in general, supported clinton's decision to go into kosovo, who incidentally did not seek u.n. approval for military action. the reason? to bring liberation to the people who were being oppressed by milosevic: never mind that there was no weapons of mass destruction involved.

in a time where relativism is the rule of the day, and political opinion is determined by what is 'hip and popular' instead of what is 'right and just' bush's stand for principles paints a sharp contrast to our most popular cultural views.

for further reading:

u.n. absurdity - george will, washington post.

real wars and movie stars: chuck colson, breakpoint commentary