Obama Administration Chooses its Friends

So Obama has kept a light touch on his criticism of Iran because peace is better than conflict and we don’t have a right to mess with their internal affairs. I get the rationale. Obama is our President and we need to get in line with the fact that this is the way he has chosen to approach the world. I get that, too.
The Berman Post has some of the best coverage of what is happening in Iran. He just said something really interesting. Speaking of the fact that the demonstrations seem to be petering out, he says:

The lack of needed support from the outside world and the absolute slaughter appears to continuing to cut down on their numbers.

Hey well, when peace is at stake, you just have to sacrifice some things like justice and liberty right? I hope all those brave Iranians understand. This is a higher way for our country to exist in the community of nations.

So, wait a minute. With less press coverage, Honduras is undergoing similar conflict. There, President Manuel Zelaya was arrested by the troops and apparently we are getting active in this one. The message from Hillary is very stern that this action should be condemned by everyone.”

What is the conflict? Zelaya wants to put forth a referendum that would allow him to rule for more than two terms. Their Constitution does not allow for it and their Supreme Court ruled that he can not call for the referendum. He was defiantly proceeding with it when the army stepped in and stopped him. Zelaya was pulling a Hugo Chavez! Their constitution, their military and their court system said no thank you. AND THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION HAS ALREADY WEIGHED IN ON THE SIDE OF ZELAYA!!

So do you believe all of this gibberish about how this administration is so wise because it is above the fray? I don't. They are choosing which leaders they want to deal with. So far, the only thing consistent is their support for the despots.

Beware of These Leaders

There come times now and then when the world must endure a certain kind of leader. This leader has certain characteristics that make him unique in the world. They are the most dangerous because the importance of their cause becomes higher than the importance of their people. Some common characteristics are:

1. He believes that he has a destiny to fulfill. There are hints that this destiny comes from a higher calling.
2. He is successful in manipulating or controlling the media. Different leaders have had to resort to different tactics to make this happen, but the truth remains that this essential characteristic is up and running.
3. He controls the language. By that I mean he controls what is discussed and he commandeers the issues, bending them to his agenda. He even rewrites history to pave the way for his agenda.
4. He guarantees future success by stripping power from the opposition. Obviously, there are lots of ways of getting this done. There is brutal murder to vote manipulation all done by operatives loyal to the leader.
5. Then there is an uncanny respect that these kinds of leaders have for each other. They are not as hard on each other as they are on the leaders who champion freedom and democracy.

Obviously, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is one of these leaders. Perhaps Hugo Chavez is another. Maybe some other leader?

Melt Down in Iran

Last week I posted a few thoughts on Lebanon and the direction it appeared was possible; that the Christians there could gain ground in the election because it was becoming clear that Hezbollah was complicit in the death of President Rafik Hariri. I also posted thoughts on how this could carry over to Iran as well if Iran allows for a free election.

Things played out as I expected. Lebanon’s Christians got a thrilling victory and it set the stage for a change in direction for Iran. But as we now know, Ahmadinejad, also seeing what happened in Lebanon, put the fix in. He is claiming a stunning 65% victory. That is completely absurd. Never in the history of elections has any candidate with support in the rural areas gotten a 2 to 1 victory over a candidate who has support in the urban centers.

However, history is replete with many examples of incumbent candidates who controlled the military, controlled the press, and most importantly controlled the polls, winning in a landslide. Joseph Stalin’s remark about elections seems to have ruled here. He once quipped that it isn’t as important who votes as it is who counts the votes. I feel sorry for the people of Iran. As I write this, thy are rioting and shouting “Down with the Dictator” in the streets.

So, these things seem to be leading up to some even more important cataclysmic events. Here is what I see as possible.
• Demonstrations in Iran will be brutally crushed. It remains to be seen if the opposition can weather this and turn it into a movement.
• Hezbollah in Lebanon will flex its muscle, showing its people that they will not take a back seat in the government.
• Ahmadinejad will become more apocalyptically prophetic and Obama will perhaps finally realize that there are some leaders who aren’t interested in hearing his speeches about common interests.

If Israel has ever considered attacking Iran to take out its nuclear capabilities, it is looking at this immediate time as the best opportunity it is ever going to have to do it. While the world is asleep, cards are being played in rapid fashion that are pushing that direction.

Noble Paths

As I have thought about it, I have found that there are two main types of noble paths that we undertake. For simplicity sake, I categorize them simply as the “do” path and the “know’ path. Of course, both have their roots in our Christian faith. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “Know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” These two paths are certainly intertwined. To ignore one path while we pursue the other, I believe is a shortsighted endeavor that will doom us to mediocrity.

The reason I started thinking about it was a recent visit by a favorite niece. She attended a conference in our town that was dedicated to motivating the people in her profession to pursue goals beyond themselves, to engage the public sector, volunteering their time and skills for the betterment of government and society. Fresh from the conference she was bubbling with excitement and challenged to go forward and serve. I thought about my own experience and remembered when I was her age, how I thought nothing of serving on several boards and commissions in my community. But over the years I realized that I changed. I started changing my priority from physical effort to spiritual effort. Oh, I still look to do, but I have found the power of seeking to know.

Years ago, when hard economic times hit my town, and builders’ homes stopped selling I served on a panel that met with representatives of the Governor’s office and several Federal housing agencies to help mitigate the issues that were plaguing the housing market. I know we did some good. Homes started selling again. This year amid a similar housing slump I spent quite a bit of time visiting empty houses that my clients had built and praying that God would somehow bring the buyers for them. In the midst of a bunch of unsold homes, the houses I visited and prayed for ended up selling. And when the builders discovered what I was praying over their houses, they were surprised that a bank Senior VP was investing spiritual effort on their behalf. I know now that it wasn’t about the houses selling as much as it was about the builders knowing that God was willing to intervene on all our behalves.

I remain an ardent admirer of people with the energy and enthusiasm to pursue the “do” path. But I have become sold out to the “know” path. I have a greater realization that God loves it when we pursue Him. He wants us to realize that He is ready and willing and able to intervene on our behalf. Jesus said several times that it was good that he went away because He was sending His Helper, the Holy Spirit who would interact with us on a constant basis. He loves to bless us and help us with everything that we bring to him. And most of all He loves it when we acknowledge (know) it is Him and we seek to know Him even more. And what I am learning is that the more about Him we know, the easier it is to do.