Thou Shalt Not Kill Unless George Says It's Okay

Here's a couple of pages from the British daily "The Independent" this week. I assume the one picture is from Lebanon, but it could be from Iraq. I was always fascinated by the Fundamentalist Christians in charge of America and their ability to ignore simple Commandments like "Thou Shalt Not Kill". They just seemed too eager to do it - even lying to accomplish what I thought they'd see as sins. Maybe it was the power rush - who knows? Actually, I wasn't that surprised. Religious people always have seemed to me to be able to grant themselves all kinds of exemptions from their own beliefs. Why? Because they were religious and therefore it was okay. The Bible also contains a lot of imagery of a flock, but I don't think it means to follow your authoritarian rulers like sheep, when you know they are killing and it's not in self defense. Israel at least could make that argument when this all started - and they did. But what about us? What about our many fine Christians - some fighting legal battles to display the same 10 Commandments that they decided not to follow in Iraq? This wasn't self defense and you know it. There were no rockets coming down on us from Iraq. We were responding to the possibility of needing to defend ourselves in the future, by killing today. We attacked based on lies and the supporters of the Bush administration were all too willing to turn their backs on their religious beliefs as long as the children who were dying weren't American. If God exists, I doubt he, she, or it makes that distinction. Or to put it in your terms: Repent before you spend the rest of eternity in Hell for what you've done. Gee, it feels fun to say the powerful stuff. Following the Prince of Peace instead of the Cowboy of War is a little tougher for you, isn't it? What about George's famous moral clarity when it comes to Thou Shalt Not Kill? What shepherd did President Bush's flock of sheep follow into Iraq? Go ahead. Quote me the Psalm about Preemptive Strikes.