When I started a blog I went to Blogger.com and set something up – it’s free and the designs are pretty cool. Check it out. I’ll send you an email.

JL

Great words and insight. Seriously, it’s time to start you own blog man!

Let me first preface my statement by saying that the motivations for a nation to go to war are many; whether they be wars of expansion and colonialism, wars of grandeur and gallantry, wars of gain and greed, wars of miscalculation and stupidity, wars of revenge and indignation or wars of self defense and protection (of which preemption might fall under). But these motivations are never singular. As a bit of a history buff specializing on conflicts, I have found that the factors that lead a nation to arms has always been a combination of the above mentioned factors. What may begin as a ‘just and righteous war’ fought to defend a nation from outside powers and influences may morph into something quite different by the time hostilities end. (Case in point: The Napoleonic Wars.) Wars fought to avenge an evil act (not exactly the moral high ground) might change into a war that serves to benefit all of humanity by freeing it from an oppressive tyrant (Case in point: The US entry into WWII).

The simplistic nature of man and his insistence of labeling everything ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘just’ or unjust’ is, in my opinion, just his attempt to justify his behavior in the eyes of God. I am reminded of the words imprinted on the belt buckles of every German soldier of WWII – “Gott mitt Uns” – God is with us. This was far more than decoration, the Germans believed this to be true, and used this concept as a license or permission slip to commit many of the most heinous acts that one nation can inflict on another.

In this sense, I am in whole-hearted agreement with Rev. Archibald Alexander. Rarely if ever do nations who walk down the path to war truly understand the many factors that have lead them down this path nor do they appreciate that while (for a nation who considers itself engaged in a just war) most of the factors that have lead them to this place are good, moral or just, there will always be an element of evil malevolence (a.k.a. sin) in the act of war.

Finally, from a more personal perspective, it has always been said that war changes a person. This statement is not just a cliché that sounds good during a 30 second sound bite on CNN. It is a very true statement. I served in the military for most of my adult life, entering into service with the US Army at 17 years of age, full of conviction and patriotism, intent on defense of this nation. Fifteen years later, I was called on to war against our nation’s enemy. I do not doubt that the war that I participated in was just or necessary, but the rationale of the war does not absolve me of the guilt that I feel when I recall the lives that I have taken. Perhaps this is the way God intended it to be. Remember the words of Gen. Robert E. Lee – “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.”

JL