Air Force Memorial

These are pictures of the recently completed and dedicated, $30 million Air Force Memorial, located in Arlington, Virginia, overlooking the Pentagon. Its design is inspired by one of the Air Forces' legendary and exhilirating in-flight maneuvers. I thought it was an appropriate post considering the recent passing of Veterans' Day.

The Air Force is the last major branch of the military to be honored with such a memorial (although they probably have less majestic ones), even though the Air Force is playing an ever-increasing role in military operations.





























The first photo shows President George W. Bush speaking at the memorial's dedication, and it gives a great illustration of the structure's massive size.
The second photo, although blurry, shows--in night perspective--the memorial in context of its location.
And the third photo appropriately catches the fly-by of military planes during the dedication ceremony.


I can see where some Christians might have some qualms about supporting memorials and monuments. No good Christian wants to break the Second Commandment, by making a graven image for themselves. But, I think that such a fear is over-reaching, although it has troubled me for a while while I've been contemplating this post. But I think I've come to a relatively safe conclusion. Consider these things:
First of all, I think most people--and especially Christians--keep memorials in context. These memorials are to honor, acknowledge, and remember--not worship. These memorials don't--or shouldn't--take the place of God--at any level. Ancestor-worship was and is a popular thing, but Christians shouldn't have to forsake a memorial like this because of that ever-present fallibility of man. .
Secondly, we should remember that God had the Israelites build memorials. Critics might claim, "Yeah, but those were memorials to remember what God had done." Is this any different? For some, maybe, but for Christians I don't think so. God has done amazing things for and in this country, shedding his mercy, grace, and bountiful blessings, whether all will recognize that or not.
Plus, these men who serve in our military--whether they are Christians or not--stand for the Christian and moral principles of the United States of America. Although there are plenty of things to be ashamed of in America, like legalized genocide of the unborn, for example, America--as of now--still stands for many upright things.
Also, these memorials are meant for the honorable servicemen. It is meant for the men who fought and fight with honor; fought and fight with valor; fought and fight with mercy; fought and fight with an attitude of love and self-sacrifice; etc.. These are Christian principles. In contrast, for instance, there are no monuments for those at Abu-Graib. Those who run and ran from the battle; those who are and were traitors; those who care and cared more about themselves than their fellow soldiers; those who are bloodthirsty; those who are and were dishonorable in combat--they do not have to be grouped in--obviously--as "honored" by any memorials. I think that's the idea behind being "dishonorably discharged" or receiving the "Yellow Stripe," etc. In addition, we don't have to honor and revere the whole hero, so much as the heroism of the hero. We know that some soldiers have immoral lives and cheat on their spouses. We do not have to be ashamed that we respect and honor their service. We are honoring their service; not their sex-lives or alcohol-ingestion.

Context--as always--is essential. That is why we should honor those serving and who served and enjoy and support their memorials--while not putting them on "graven" pedestals.
Still though, this is a touchy and "high-wire" subject. How much is too much when honoring fallen, fallible men? Obviously, we realize that no one is anything without God's grace. We know that human nature is desperately wicked. But we also know that humans, as made in God's image and receivers of God's common grace, have the propensity to do good. But where do all those things leave us in this discussion practically? I'd appreciate your opinions.

And in conclusion, I want to thank our veterans once again.

~Kingdom Advancer


Prayer for the Air Force:
Dear God and Creator of the "wild blue yonder," keep watch over our men and women in harm's way. It says in Your Word that Your people will "mount up with wings like eagles." These soldiers are literally in the sky, Lord, and they need to have Your wind beneath their wings, and they need the protection of Your wings. Even if they themselves are not Christians, Lord, aid them so that they can defend the Christian principles America represents. Spare their lives so that they may do Your Will, knowingly or not, in protecting the innocent and the freedoms that You have so wonderfully worked through. But don't just protect their bodies, Lord: protect their souls. So that, "when [they] die, hallelujah, by and by, [they'll] fly away" to be with You.
As always, though, Lord, if Your Will be different than what I perceive, do it regardless of what I say.
In Your Son Jesus' name,
Amen.

Thank You, Veterans!

I, like many others, have a true and great appreciation for our country's military servicemen. I admire them for their bravery and self-sacrifice that I aspire to possess. I could not know, it seems, though, unless I served myself.

Thoughts to carry with you on this Veterans' Day Weekend and throughout life:

If you can read, thank a teacher. If you can read in English, thank a soldier.
If there were no soldiers, you might be reading in German right now.

Freedom isn't free.

All gave some. Some gave all.

Freedom has a price the protected will never know.

The heart of this country: its patriots.
The backbone of this country: its patriots.
The substance of this country: its patriots.*

It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gives us freedom to demonstrate.
It's the soldier, not the reporter, who gives us freedom of the press.
It's the soldier, not the poet, who's given us freedom of speech.
It's the soldier who serves under the flag who defends the protester's right to burn the flag.
Isn't it time now to demonstrate that we support our troops?
Were it not for the brave, there would be no land of the free.

It is the American soldier who gives you the right to be "anti-America" and "anti-soldiers"--unpatriotic and anti-military.*

Let us never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
Let all know that freedom comes at a great sacrifice.

We should want them on that wall because we NEED them on that wall. Let us demonstrate to them that we SUPPORT them and LOVE them on that wall.*

Sacrifice does not diminish with time past: it gets better like wine.
Sacrifice does not need time to mature, however: it's precious immediately.*

They fight so that we may live in peace; they suffer imprisonment and torture so that we may live in freedom; they risk their present and future mental health so that we may have peace of mind; they lay down their lives so that we may LIVE.*

So that the Eagle of Freedom may fly in "spacious skies," they fly in hostile environments. So that the country may stretch safely from Sea to Shining Sea, they sail, submarine, and battle on the seas. So that America might remain "The Beautiful," they protect it in all conditions on land.*

If "there is no greater love than this, that one lay down his life for his friends," is not laying down one's life for country also a great love?*

"I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I WON'T FORGET THE MEN WHO DIED, WHO GAVE THAT RIGHT TO ME. AND I GLADLY STAND UP, NEXT TO YOU, AND DEFEND HER STILL TODAY. CAUSE THERE AIN'T NO DOUBT I LOVE THIS LAND....GOD BLESS THE U.S.A." ("God Bless the U.S.A.," By: Lee Greenwood)


Thank you, veterans, for going from "the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli" for me, my and my country's freedom. (U.S. Marines)
Thank you, veterans, for going "over hill, over dale," being the "first to fight for the right." (U.S. Army)
Thank you, veterans, for going "off into the wild blue yonder, climbing high into the sun," willing to "go down in flame." (U.S. Air Force)
Thank you, veterans, for standing firm, never changing your course. (U.S. Navy) Thank you, veterans, for protecting our coasts, "from Aztec shore to Artic zone, to Europe and Far East." (Coast Guard)
Thank you, veterans, for fighting on land, sea, and air.
Thank you, veterans, for dying on land, sea, and air.
Thank you, veterans, for fighting and defending home and abroad.
Thank you, veterans, for dying home and abroad.
Thank you, veterans. *

note: Paragraphs denoted with a * is original--or mostly original--by Kingdom Advancer. Paragraphs without a * is either slightly adapted by Kingdom Advancer or not original. This is not plagiarism. The source of all these quotes and one-liners just aren't known to Kingdom Advancer at this time.

~Kingdom Advancer

p.s. The Marines and Air Force both have recently been honored in new ways. I'll try to add links to those stories soon.

p.s.s. I often welcome comments and additions. This post is no different. If you have a good line or paragraph to add to these, please do.

God bless America....Land that I love...Stand beside her, and guide her, through the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam! God bless America, my home sweet home. ("God Bless America," originally written by: Irving Berlin)

Plans

We must protect this flag, and the people and country it represents!!!

Two posts on politics in a row? Why not, especially since it's election time? Now, as I sort of implied in my last post, I don't want politics to be too spiritually polarizing. But, quite frankly, I think the divide between conservatives and liberals (and subsequently, Republicans and Democrats) is so stark that is has long ago become an issue of spirituality. Christian values versus non-Christian values, etc.. Therefore, I post this without qualms. By the way, I hope you voted. And if you haven't yet, I hope you have time to read this...and then vote.

First, as a precursor, I want to note that this post is actually a comment I made on another blog (sound familiar?). Go there by clicking here. Really, this is in reply to one anonymous, whose two quotes I will post first:

Ha. What's the President's plan? can he articulate it? I haven't heard him do anything other than bash Democrats....but its HIS war, what's HIS plan?

(several comments later)

How? how is he going to "finish the job" - when do we know its "finished" and again, i reiterate, "what is his plan?" Many members of Congress that authorized it are now calling for a change in policy and a change in leadership. So, what's the plan?

~ Anonymous

And now my turn:

Bush's plan, to put it simply: Protect America.

Democrats' plan: I can't really be sure.

Bush's plan: Use aggressive interrogation techniques on terrorist detainees in order to attain important information to protect Americans.

Democrats' plan: Go easy on detainees. As (I think) Bill O'Reilly says, "Democrats want to try to get information out of terrorists by giving them milk and cookies."

Bush's plan: Secure the border, by putting up a fence as well as other things.

Democrats' plan: [whistle of the wind]--perhaps amnesty and/or open borders?

Bush's plan: Surveil terrorist communications and monetary transactions.

Democrats' plan: Give terrorists and those in contact with them their "rights to privacy." Essentially, their rights to privately plot to slaughter Americans.

Bush's plan: Defeat worldwide terrorism on the terms, "If you're a terrorist--you're against us. If you harbor terrorists--you're against us."

Democrats' plan: Negotiate with terrorists. Try to appease them.

Bush's plan: Protect this country and defeat its enemies at all costs (no matter what others say).

Democrats' plan: Go through the U.N. at all costs (e.g., no matter how many resolutions are violated).

Bush's plan: Finish the job in Iraq. He realizes leaving the job unfinished would be disastrous. He also has said that the military constantly adapts. That's the plan. That's the good kind of "change" the American people should want.

Some Democrats' plan: Cut and run. (Big mistake)

Other Democrats' plan: Divide the country. (Also probably a big mistake.)

Almost all Democrats' vague plan: "CHANGE!" (Easy to say. Harder to do.)

I have to vent a little bit about that last line. Democrats criticize Bush for campaigning on "stay the course," but the Democrats could be criticized even more for their "the people want change" line. On a cold day, if cool water is the hottest you can get in the shower, do you turn the knob to ice cold for "the sake of change"? I don't think so. In the same way, although I don't see Republicans as "cool water," for those who do, I ask: why would that make you vote for Democrats [the "ice-cold" water]? If you don't like your leaky roof, why do you then decide to go out and sit in the mud and rain? That's how I see voting for Democrats for the sake of not liking how Republicans are handling Iraq.

Here's a jewel quote from an ordinary, Democrat voter (I'll leave out specific candidates names): "I really don't want to vote for [Republican candidate]. But I CAN'T vote for [Democratic candidate]--he's an idiot!"

Now, I'm not calling all Democrats idiots by association, but I do love that quote.

However, I want to remind everyone (although this may be too late, anyway) that not voting is NOT the answer. You should pick the lesser of two evils, so to speak, because if you abstain from voting, you essentially are choosing the GREATER of the two evils.

Also, I could go on about how Bush and conservatives protect Americans and the Democrats don't. For instance, Bush tries to protect the most innocent and vulnerable of humans--the unborn. Most democrats do not. Bush tries to protect the sanctity of a productive and culturally healthy institution--marriage. Many (perhaps most) Democrats don't. The list goes on into embryonic stem cell research, cloning, etc.,etc.

Clearly, someone who says Bush doesn't have a plan really means, "I don't like Bush and conservatives' and Republicans' plan."

~ Kingdom Advancer

Kerry's Comments: Wrong, No Matter How You Twist Them

Yes, I disappeared off the face of the blogosphere for a week, and I apologize for that. I hope I haven't lost my readers. Anyways...I'm back.

If you pay any attention to politics or the news in general, then you've probably heard Senator John Kerry's comments many times over and the ensuing political and media clamor. Therefore, I find it unnecessary to repeat his comments here. However, this is a short post on the aforementioned topic. I've avoided politics to this point on my blog, but as an American after being a Christian, I think these types of topics are very relevant.

Notice that liberals are rambling on...and on...and on...about how Kerry's comments were just a botched joke about the President. They are willing to use various and far-out excuses to try to explain away his comments. But the bottom line: no matter WHAT Kerry meant, his intentions were either moronic or insulting--or both. And even if he didn't mean to insult the troops, he did.
1.) If he was insulting the President's education, he was being dishonest and/or ignorant.

2.) If he was insulting the President's intelligence, he was insulting 50+ million Americans who voted for him as their leader (Commander and Chief)--TWICE. And a lot of people still approve of him, despite what polls say.

3.) If he was insulting the President's education and intelligence, then the joke is on him, because he couldn't beat him for the presidency.

4.) If he was criticizing Bush's dedication--that he didn't "study up" or "do his homework" or whatever before going into Iraq--then he's essentially questioning Bush's patriotism--saying that Bush was too lazy or something to take his job seriously enough to do proper preparing. Sorry, John, but I don't think Bush's patriotism or dedication is in question.

5.) If he was insulting the preparation and execution of the war, he was insulting not only the President, but every high-ranking military personnel, advisor, counselor, etc., etc., all the way down to the troops on the ground.

6.) If he was criticizing Bush's decision to begin the war, then he was insulting the majority of congress--including himself (Remember: "I was actually for the war before I was against it"), who saw the same military intelligence the President saw and voted for the war.

7.) And lastly, if Kerry actually meant to criticize the troops--implying that our intelligent volunteer army is "stuck" in Iraq like soldiers were "stuck" in Vietnam, then he was actually insulting the troops and showed himself to be living way in the past.

Here's a few things to note:
a.) I find it interesting that the troops stand on hallowed ground, but our highest "troop"--the President of the United States--as well as his advising and brainstorming military leaders and advisors--seem to be considered fair game from the left. Where did the establishment and respect for rank go? Now, I have been known to be pretty hard on Former President Bill Clinton, but I think any intelligent, fair-minded person would admit that that's a totally different situation.

b.) Secondly, I think it would be astute to note that Kerry and liberals in general are at a disadvantage when trying to defend his comments. They have such a history of making debased comments about the military. Kerry himself has a history--both about Vietnam and Iraq. He accused our troops of "terrorizing women and children in their homes in the middle of the night" and said similar things about Vietnam. Other liberals have made many statements just like that.

c.)Thirdly, I've heard at least one liberal say, "Let's not forget that John Kerry is a war hero." But the term "hero" truly establishes itself as misused when calling Kerry a "war hero." President Bush didn't even serve in combat, yet I would consider him a "war hero" more than Kerry.

d.)And fourthly, the very fact of how long it took for Kerry to actually apologize (if he even has truly done that) really shows his true colors.

e.)Lastly, democrats are saying that republicans are trying to use Kerry's comments as a distraction--especially since Kerry isn't even up for re-election-- from the "real issues"--which were classified by one liberal analyst as including the "Foley and Hastert" situation. (Sure, the "real" issues.) I say: HELLO. This was the democrats' nominee for president!!! What he says is relevant--VERY relevant--when convincing people to vote conservative/republican rather than liberal/democratic.

~Kingdom Advancer