Right now no one knows precisely how it came about that a U.S. Marine was filmed shooting a captured enemy in Iraq. It is under investigation and we ought to let more information come forward before leaping to a decision. It should also be observed that very few of us know one thing about combat in the 21st century. So it stands to reason that we ought not to flap our holes about it, based on a few seconds of film whose context is at the moment mere heresy. Even when information comes out, most of us will lack any first hand context in which to evaluate it. That does not mean that we can't ever judge. It just means we ought to take our time about it, and do so with caution and charity (towards all sides).
There doesn't seem to be a day that goes by when I don't read comments on the web by people who think U.S soldiers ought to brought to Brussels and charged with 'war crimes' because they happened to say something exuberant and nasty about people who are trying to kill them. It is clear that you would seize on any pretext to hinder U.S. efforts in Iraq. Heck, some of you want to seize W. when he visits Canada next (gee, that'll smooth relations!). And this is precisely why you have no credibility. You'll need to stop crying wolf for a while before anyone with a current in their skull listens to you.
Ecce Homo I haven't done a quote from Pope Ratzinger's Introduction to Chistianty in a while and even though I have finished the book there are still one or two passages I want to share, including - perhaps even especially - this one. When I first began to look over what Christianity teaches, to look at the gospel story and to try penetrate why it has been so compelling to so many for so long, this was one of the things that leapt out at me. I was happy to see our Pope confirm it. Expanding on the Apostles Creed where it says "... suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried," Ratzinger writes: The fact that when the perfectly just man appeared he was crucified, delivered up by justice to death, tells us pitilessly who man is: Thou art such, man, that thou canst not bear the just man - that he who simply loves becomes a fool, a scourged criminal, an outcast. Thou art such because, unjust thyself, thou dost always need the injustice of the n...
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