Keystone Kops Resurrected!

We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covers us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. -- Jeremiah 3:25

Today’s local newspaper -- front page center – large bold headlines reading, “Iraq pullout push” – big picture of Rep. John P. Murtha (rep of the district in which I live) and Nancy Pelosi (3rd in line for the presidency of the United States – if that isn’t a nightmare possibility, then tell me what is!)!

All kinds of frantic scampering about on Capitol Hill in D.C. – if they just had on those old fashioned blue uniforms of another era, we’d most definitely have the 21st Century version of the famed Keystone Kops!

Now this thing has more convolutions than a 20 foot anaconda in the Amazon with Nancy P. & Co. initiating a “plan” to have our troops out of Iraq by a deadline of September 1, 2008.

As always, there are those "renegades" who are saying we ought to have the troops home by Christmas of this year, 2007.

And Democrats in the Senate want to set a target date of March 31, 2008 for withdrawal of combat troops but with no deadline attached to that date.

Now here’s the twist – Nancy P. says the war-related provisions would be added to George’s request for nearly $100 billion more in funds (this on top of billions already spent) to pay for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan!

This thing is getting both messy and expensive, is it not? How long do you think it will be before someone says, “Due to ‘cost overruns’ in our war projects we need to raise taxes – but please understand, it’s all for a very worthy cause and to insure the security of our nation!” That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Washington DC-ese that comes spewing forth when tax issues come up!

Observe carefully the Kops running about like chickens with heads just chopped off and jockeying for prominent positions behind cameras and microphones in order to send a message to you and me that says, “Look at me and how important I am – I’m here to save you from yourself!” Is it not right on target to conclude that these people have long ago abandoned the principle of having the best interest and well being of our republic at heart?

As an aside – have you checked lately what the national debt numbers are? Be assured they haven’t been reduced the last few months – or the last number of decades for that matter! Further, what do you observe those elected to office in the Executive and Legislative branches of the federal government doing to eliminate that top heavy national debt? And as always, they decisively make sure their wallets and purses are full and over flowing -- check salaries and perks on that as they gorge at the public trough! Ah, I now rest my case!

The greatest tragedy of all, however, in the modern Keystone Kops caper is this – Almighty God has a much higher, nobler, and fulfilling purpose for thousands of our young people than being pawns of political hanky panky that drags out month after month after month…….. (add as many months as you wish!).

"....O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day; to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such never has been done as what has been done to Jerusalem...." -- Daniel 9:7-12

NOTE: the above is a portion of a prayer which Daniel the prophet prayed some years after the kingdom in which he had been a citizen was totally destroyed and he ended up a captive in Babylon. Do some of the issues he mentions in that prayer sound at all a bit familiar?