If your church displays an American flag, you need to watch this video.

If you call yourself a human being, you need to watch this video.

It’s graphic.  It’s appalling.  And it’s been approved by the US military.  From the special Wikileaks website:

5th April 2010 10:44 EST WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad — including two Reuters news staff.

Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-site, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.

The military did not reveal how the Reuters staff were killed, and stated that they did not know how the children were injured.

After demands by Reuters, the incident was investigated and the U.S. military concluded that the actions of the soldiers were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own “Rules of Engagement”.

[Note: The video is best viewed full screen, and be sure your audio is turned on. The conversation of "our troops" is quite enlightening.]

Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save;
Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.
No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly.
They trust in confusion and speak lies;
They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.
They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies, And from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth.
Their webs will not become clothing, Nor will they cover themselves with their works;
Their works are works of iniquity, And an act of violence is in their hands.
Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood;
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity,
Devastation and destruction are in their highways.
They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks;
They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace.
Therefore justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us;
We hope for light, but behold, darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom.
(Isaiah 59:1-9)

Update: Huffington Post has more details on this story.  NY Times has information on another cover-up in Afghanistan, “including a new report that Special Operations forces dug bullets out of the bodies of the women to hide the true nature of their deaths.”

The story detailed Sully’s experience: Air Force fighter pilot, 30 years flying commercial airplanes, specialized in accident investigation, and instructed flight crews how to respond to crises in the air.

The thing that struck me was this statement by Sully:

I think in many ways, as it turned out, my entire life up to that moment had been a preparation to handle that moment.

Do you see a hand larger than Sully’s in that statement, an acknowledgement that God had orchestrated his life so he would be prepared for that particular flight? How can you not thank God for having Sully in the cockpit of Flight 1549?

The first time I did it was at the occasion of Jesse Helms’ death. No, I was not, and could not, honor Jesse Helms, who epitomized all that’s wrong with racism. A man named L.F. Eason III in Raleigh, NC, felt the same way I did, but unlike me, he paid a price to stand on his principles. As head of a state lab, he refused to lower the flag for Jesse Helms as directed by the governor. Given an ultimatum, he was subsequently forced to retire. May God bless his retirement.

The second time was on behalf of Ron Paul. Whatever you think of his politics, Ron Paul is an honest man, which we can all agree is a rarity in Washington. His positions don’t change to please people, even when he votes alone, and he speaks the truth. Would that more politicians followed his example.

Today is the third time I have chosen to honor an individual. His name is Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who ditched his crippled plane into the Hudson River without any loss of life. A lifetime of experience and knowledge, quick thinking and a cool head, and the prayers of his passengers, turned a potential nightmare into a heartwarming news story.

Not surprisingly, the Brits have assembled the best video I’ve seen of this incident. As you watch this BBC summary, say a little prayer. Thank God for giving all those on board a second chance to make something of their lives, and pray that they do. Thank God for putting Sully at the controls. Thank God that Sully is the type of man who “walked through his plane, waist-deep in water, to check that everyone was out.” Ask God to bless him.

Is that cool, or what?

She said it’s “A great blog, with insightful and meaningful posts.” (She must have missed the one about synchronized squeaky balls!) In any event, thank you, Mrs. M. I am truly honored.

More important, I now get to pass this award along, according to these rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated

1. and 2. are done, but now for 3. The pressure is great, but I am committed, so here goes:

1. New York Traveler – a cornucopia of topics, with many excellent photos

2. Upstream – my reliable source for local politics, and lots of other interesting topics

3. Meet the Founding Fathers – host of FFQF, and a gold mine of information

4. Northview Diary – entertaining tales of life in general, and farm life in specific, with great pix

5. Cato of Utica – one of the few who spend as much time thinking “deep thoughts” as I do

6. The Phoenix Dreamer – a creative, young friend who is taking (and posting) at least one photo a day

7. Brainbiter – I only go here when I don’t have fibrofog – it makes you think!

Ta, da! I’ve done it. Congratulations to all my winners!

Agree or disagree with all his positions, you have to grant that Ron Paul is a man of principle. He has a set of core beliefs, which include upholding the Constitution, and he adheres to them through thick and thin, popular or unpopular. Contrast that to other politicians who blatantly tell you what they think you want to hear, and then do whatever they want when they’re elected, and Dr. Paul is a refreshing change.

If you would like to be refreshed, go listen to the speech he gave in Minneapolis on September 2nd. You might find out that you hold some libertarian positions of your own.

”To rob the Negro of his reputation of thinking through a problem in his own fashion is about the same as trying to pretend that he doesn’t have a natural instinct for rhythm and for singing and dancing.” — on criticism that a fictional character in his newspaper column was offensive, 1956

”The Negro cannot count forever on the kind of restraint that has thus far left him free to clog the streets, disrupt traffic and commerce and interfere with other men’s rights.” — television interview, 1963

As a Christian, I believe that Helms eternal fate was sealed at his death, either to heaven if he trusted in Jesus for his salvation, or to hell if he didn’t, so I will not pray for his soul. At the same time, I will not rewrite history to honor the man simply because he died, but, in my case, that costs me nothing.

L.F. Eason III in Raleigh, NC, also refused to honor Helms - and lost the only job he ever had. Head of a state lab, he refused to lower the flag to half-staff, as ordered by a directive from the governor. After some email wrangling, he was issued an ultimatum: do it or retire. He retired, and gave America a glimpse of of what she was founded on: a man who is willing to stand up for his principles, no matter the cost.

Bravo, Mr. Eason. You are in my prayers.

P.S. If any readers would like to comment to Mr. Eason’s bosses, you may send an email from here.