Coming home

I have a million things to say about Washington, D.C.--maybe more. Let me resort to my stand-by bullet method to summarize (For in-depth analysis and pictures, check out my wife's blog. She's a better writer, she includes pictures and she has music on her blog.):

• There are absolutely no words in my arsenal to convey the movement of heart and depth of appreciation for God's grace that constantly swept over me while (and since) walking in the history that is our Nation's capital. None.



• The founding fathers, even when Christless, led from a profound sense of duty and a passion to serve our country to the death. I was struck with the contrast between those fathers and the circus of rhetoric in Washington today. The day I appreciated George Washington's resignation of his commanding post in the army, and then his resignation from the Presidency (both times to go home to/with his wife, family and farm) was the same day Hillary Clinton was posturing for attention from the media because, after changing her position on driver's licensing for illegal immigrants, she cried "foul" over her opponent's criticism. We used to be led by men (and women) employed over a sense of duty and honor. We are now led by those who can market themselves. Politics has moved from the heights to the depths, approaching even the depths of the celebrity royalty found in Hollywood. This lesson is written everywhere in D.C.



• The marathon was a wonderful experience, but my race time stunk. I am thrilled to have run the Marine Corps Marathon.
  


• Quick snapshots:


• Best single monument: For me, it was Washington. Like it's namesake the Washington Monument stands alone and tall as a symbol against our historical horizon of how we began to become great.



• Don't miss it: I hate to stay on the theme, but, Mount Vernon. The history, the vision, and a picture of a man (Washington) who ordered his private life.



• Bring you to tears (tie): WWII monument, Changing of the Guard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, my first sight of the White House from atop Washington Monument.



• Want to, but can't look away: Holocaust Museum.



• It was okay: International Spy Museum



• Better than advertised: Library of Congress (do not miss it!)



• Worse than advertised: Peterson House ("House Where Lincoln Died") Don't go out of your way for this. Biggest plus: it's free.
  



• Bummer: Museum of American History: closed.



• Nice: A bunch of exhibits from MAH on display at Air and Space Museum. I know it's ridiculous, but seeing C3PO--pretty cool.
  



• Unbelievable surprise: The House of Reps (we had a Capital tour) took not one, but two votes on separate issues while we were sitting in the balcony. Thanks, Liesl, for encouraging us to NOT schedule our tour on a Monday!

Okay. That's the man's overview. Now I close with this "we know" capstone: I love being home. I felt a kinship with George Washington (all right, that is a bit of a stretch) as we dipped beneath the clouds in Milwaukee. I looked down over the glum November shore of Lake Michigan with a swell of relief, pride, love and joy in my heart. George temporarily relocated to serve his country, but he couldn't wait to get home.

Me, too.

Never Forget

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001 I turned on my car radio as I travelled to a morning prayer meeting at a local school. I sat in my van doubtfully listening to the events of the story continue to unfold. A second plane? Another incident with a plane elsewhere?

The hatred and physical violence perpetrated against the United States on September 11, 2001 is unprecedented. There haven't been many wars on "our" soil in the last 100 years and never has there been that kind of attack against innocent civilians in the USA. How can this be?

But the war did not begin that day. The war, waged by religious extremists simply spilled over onto our soil that day. This war has been raging since the 8th Century and prior, as a religion expands through physical force and murder. This war is being fought in the Sudan and all throughout Africa. This war, when reduced to rhetoric, has been lost by well-meaning people throughout Europe.

We forget about the lessons we learned on September 11 when:

• We hate a religious extemist. The lesson we learned? Hate the hate.
  
• We confuse forgiveness and consequences. It's ironic that in practice most "liberal" leaders want to forgive the extremists while imposing no consequences; most "conservatives" want to impose consequences without forgiveness. Lesson learned? Forgiveness and consequences co-exist in our hearts if we are wise and just.
  
• We trust our government (leaders, military, diplomacy). Lesson learned? Since the overthrowing of deceit is up to God, we must pray as if the entire enterprise is up to God because it is.
• We vote in our next election based on untried and unproven strategies. Lesson learned? Listen for this theme in your candidate's speeches: JUSTICE. I think Tony Blair got it right:

• "So what do we do?

  Don't overreact some say. We aren't.

  We haven't lashed out. No missiles on the first night just for effect.

  Don't kill innocent people. We are not the ones who waged war on the innocent. We seek the guilty.

  Look for a diplomatic solution. There is no diplomacy with Bin Laden or the Taliban regime.

  State an ultimatum and get their response. We stated the ultimatum; they haven't responded.

  Understand the causes of terror. Yes, we should try, but let there be no moral ambiguity about this: nothing could ever justify the events of 11 September, and it is to turn justice on its head to pretend it could.

  The action we take will be proportionate; targeted; we will do all we humanly can to avoid civilian casualties. But understand what we are dealing with. Listen to the calls of those passengers on the planes. Think of the children on them, told they were going to die.

  Think of the cruelty beyond our comprehension as amongst the screams and the anguish of the innocent, those hijackers drove at full throttle planes laden with fuel into buildings where tens of thousands worked.

  They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter of the innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000 does anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?

  There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such terror.

  Just a choice: defeat it or be defeated by it. And defeat it we must

The above picture will never return. It's just a picture and it's just buildings. But together we must never forget how the changed landscape forces us to consider justice.

In closing, God can only forgive me because of justice. He had to hold Someone responsible, and punish that Someone to the full extent of the Law in order to justly forgive me. Don't gloss over the extent of my sin. Grace and justice exist side-by-side as lessons learned on 9-11. Never forget.