Iran and Freedom

I've been "watching" the news of Iran on Twitter. All you can get are short snippets and links to video, pictures, or articles. The news in Iran is state run so the people are circumventing regular channels in order to let the world know what is happening. All the while, I've been praying for the people of Iran. Like all souls, they long for freedom. What began as an election protest is escalating into a revolution. When people are discounted, silenced, and oppressed something has got to give. The call of every heart is FREEDOM. I do not know what the outcome will be but I know the longing has been loosed and the sparks are spreading.

There are several great editorials about what is happening in Iran: One by Peggy Nonoon, one by Paul Wolfowitz, and another by Charles Krauthammer. The protesters are trying hard to get their message out to the world and their government is trying just as hard to silence them. This week the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution in support of the Iranian citizens. The resolution states:

Expressing support for all Iranian citizens who embrace
the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law, and for
other purposes.
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) expresses its support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the values of
freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law;
(2) condemns the ongoing violence against demonstrators by the Government of Iran and pro-government militias, as well as the ongoing government suppression of independent electronic communication through interference with the Internet and cellphones; and
(3) affirms the universality of individual rights and the
importance of democratic and fair elections.

Will President Obama support hope and change in Iran? Will he take a stand against tyranny? I hope so.

Perhaps their struggle for freedom will remind us that freedom is not something we should take for granted. Freedom lost is hard to regain. As we stand in spirit with Iranians, let us not give up our freedoms here. Let us be free to speak, free to disagree, free to give input, free to compete, free to pray, and free to worship. Let FREEDOM ring. In Iran. And in America.

Don't Allow Hate to Beget Hate

In the wake of these recent shootings, I hear people claiming this one is a right-wing extremist and this one is a left-wing extremist. When I hear these outrageous claims, I think that people are trying to paint with the same brush anyone who has any commonalities as these men who had allowed themselves to be filled with bitterness and who fed on their anger. These men are hateful extremists, period. I don't believe either side of the spectrum would claim them as their own.

We don't need to polarize each other. Everyone has different views and should be free to express them without the fear of being clumped in the same category as a murderer. I am pro-life but I do not condone the murder of an abortion provider. Another person is anti-war but doesn't condone the murder of a U.S. soldier. And racism is just plain stupid. To quote Prince of Thieves, "God likes variety."

Let's not demonize each other. I suggest the proper reaction is to convey our sympathy and grief to those families that have lost a loved one and allow no root of bitterness and hate to take hold of us. The more people hate each other, the more damage is done to our souls and we become that which we don't want to be. Angry. Hateful. Bitter.

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:13-14