Michael Calls It Right in Iowa...IT'S MIKE!

Since my first year of college, I have been a huge respector (okay, "fan"!) of radio talk show host, movie critic, political commentator, and outspoken conservative Jew, Michael Medved. And today just proved another reason why I'm a "Medhead."

Last night/early this morning, Medved posted an article predicting the GOP winner in the Iowa Caucus today. Guess what?...He nailed it: Mike Huckabee.

Now, Medved has yet to endorse any one candidate (and I am trying to follow his example, although, as of late, I have been impressed more with both Romney and Huckabee than the others), but I sure do appreciate his recent defense of the Huck. Huckabee has faced more undue criticism over the last month or more than any other candidate. Sadly, this criticism has poured out of the mouths of critics on BOTH sides of the media (e.g. Limbaugh from the Right and Russert from the Left). Medved accurately outlines one glaring example of this harsh criticism in another article here.

Check out the above article links, and if you do, I hope you will be enlightened about one Republican candidate vying for the Presidency "of this greatest nation on God's green earth!"

Exerpt from Tim Russert's interview with Governor Mike Huckabee:

Tim, I've been asked more about my faith than any person running for president. I'm OK with that. I hope I've answered these questions very candidly and very honestly. I think it's important for us to talk about it. But the most important thing is to find out, does our faith influence our public policy and how? I've never tried to rewrite science textbooks. I've never tried to come out with some way of imposing a doctrinaire Christian perspective in a way that is really against the Constitution. I've never done that.

Broken, Burning Bridge

In light of this week's catastrophe in Minneapolis, I want to point you to two important writings on the tragedy. One is from John Piper who lives and pastors near the disaster in Minnesota; the other from Charles Spurgeon. You can access both articles via Fide-o.blogspot.com.

As we think on this sad providence, may our prayers go up on behalf of the surviving victims and affected familes, and more importantly, may our hearts and minds be lifted to to know see and know "the God of all grace" who administers both mercy and wrath. May many people's hearts be moved by the Spirit to understand the dire state of their lives away from Christ and flee to Him for eternal salvation, comfort, and peace.

DING, DONG, SADDAM IS DEAD!

"Criminal Saddam was hanged to death," an al-Iraqiya announcer said. The station played patriotic music and showed images of national monuments and other landmarks. [Source: BBC News]

According to reports, Barzan al-Tikriti--Saddam's half-brother--and former Iraqi chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bandar were also hung alongside Saddam today, Saturday December 29, around 6:00AM (10:00PM EST) in Bahgdad.

My initial thoughts when hearing the news:

Justice is served!...(and I hope it hurt!!)

(...Now let the popular news media pundits begin their tongue-wagging!)

The looming question in my mind is this: How will the capture, conviction, and execution of Saddam Hussein impact the Presidency of George W. Bush in the scope of history? Or more presently: How will other nations view the United States in the shadow of Saddam's recent death?

My prediction is this: To answer my latter question, I think that many countries will praise the death of the murderer as a just punishment and the ultimate will of the People of Iraq. However, I doubt that much, if any credit will be given to the U.S., especially not to Bush.

To answer my prior question, however, contrary to all popular opinion, I still truly believe that George W. Bush will be remembered, hopefully even in my future grandchildren's history books, as one of the greatest and most courageous leaders of the 21st century, among the likes of other strong, modern Presidents such as FDR, JFK, and Reagan. Additionally, I think that the political and physical downfall of Saddam Hussein, the genocidal dictator, will only enhance the legacy of our nation's 43rd President.

In the eternal scheme of things, however, the end of the matter is as such: the One and only God of the Bible is a holy and just God! No matter how Saddam died, in order for us to understand his eternal fate, it is important for us to know how he lived. With this in mind, I rest assure knowing that Saddam Hussein is, at this very moment, facing God's righteous judgment and will pay for his sins against God in the fires of hell. As the author of Hebrews notes, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (10:31)

This understanding of God causes me to both reverentially fear Him and take comfort in Him.

Soli Deo Gloria!


Related News Articles:
USA Today (1)
USA Today (2)
FOX News
BBC News
Yahoo News (1)
Yahoo News (2)
Reuters
New York Daily News
Zee News Imam Husham Al-Husainy of Dearborn, Mich., second from left, celebrates with other Iraqi-Americans after hearing of Saddam Hussein's execution on Friday. By Gary Malerba, AP

Nota Bene: I plan to post more on this topic as further information comes to light. Additionally, I fully intend to post or link to the video and/or photographs of Saddam's hanging when either become available on the web.

Terrorism & the Media

I think it is interesting how the news media at times seems to have such a double standard. Sometimes it seems that the media is quick to vilify America's own citizens for voicing opinions about Islamic terrorists, while at the same time, these terrorists are kidnapping and beheading American citizens.

One example of the media's negative treatment of America would be the way it dragged the entire U.S. military through the mud following the terrible Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Given--that was a dark day for the United States military; however, it was a horrible, one-time event, and not a daily occurrence. And while the news stations were airing "questions and concerns" about the validity of the War on Terror and America's interrogation strategies, Americans around the world were (and still are) being captured, tortured, and brutally executed at the hands of the very same Muslim terrorists that the news media was sympathizing with.

And when the Pope voices his own opinions and concerns about Islamic violence and terrorism, we see Muslims around the world rioting and fighting and bombing places. That's exactly what I'm talking about here. Does it make logical sense that so many of these Muslims react with hate and violence to the Pope saying that Islam is a religion of hate and violence? Absolutely not! And yet the global news organizations immediately begin to question the Pope's comments and say little about the terrible world-wide reaction of a great part of the Islamic community.

Why is it that some people in the media say that these foreign, psychotic murderers deserve equal treatment as American citizens, or even war criminals, when it is obvious that this is not a formal war between countries in which the Geneva Convention should apply? Our terrorist-enemies do not play fair! There can be no leveling of the playing field here. America is a moral, civilized, humanitarian nation, and these terrorists hate her and her citizens for being such. They live in a civilization that is still acting upon medieval principles. And yet, too often I hear American and British news organizations depicting America in a negative light. Excuse me?...What about all of the those cold-blooded killers who attacked our vulnerable country back in September of 2001, killed nearly 3000 of our citizens, and continues killing Americans and our allies every day across the ocean?! Why are they not depicted in a more negative light? We need to understand that terrorism is not something that is going to go away if we try to ignore it. Hopefully it won't take another attack like the one in Madrid to teach the Spanish that lesson!

NOW I AM NOT CATEGORIZING ALL FOLLOWERS OF MOHAMMED AS "TERRORISTS." NOT AT ALL! I KNOW THAT A VAST MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS ARE PEACEFUL PEOPLE. However, American news media should not be afraid to call the rightful enemy by their proper name: radical, Islamo-facist terrorist-killers. And let Christians everywhere be bold enough to stand against the spread of Islam, which traditionally is a religion of violence, and attempt to win these zealous people to Christ via the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

In conclusion, I only wish that more Muslims around the world--especially in the Middle East--would take a stand against these terrorists! Why is the War on Terror a fight between America (and allies such as Great Britain, Japan, etc.) and Islamic terrorists, and not a war between EVERY country (including Middle Eastern nations) and terrorism? And why doesn't the news media be a little more supportive of the very democracy which gives it the right to speak freely?!


Please add your thoughts, comments, questions, and disagreements. These things help make America a great democracy. Thanks!


For a great post on the Pope VS. Islam, visit my friend Casey's blog at
http://rustypth.blogspot.com