I can't let this day pass without some comments.

I am amazed and horrified by the evil that could convince those men to have hijacked those planes and use them as tools of mass murder 5 years ago. Evil will do whatever it can to have its way. Sometimes it's hard to comprehend that. What do you have to do to convince somebody to kill himself, just so that some random businessmen 8000 miles away can die too??? I see this as people that are lost, searching for meaning in their lives. We all search for some sort of meaning or sense of belonging. Could that be what happened here? Did these men feel that there was no hope or purpose in their lives, until Osama and his henchmen came along? Was this the hope and community that these men wanted? I doubt that it's what they wanted in their hearts. But, perhaps, it's all that they were given. When you're desperate, you'll take what you can get. So, then, what's the cause of their desperation? Apparently, the cause hasn't gone away, since we still have people trying to do the same thing. Is this a blatant call from God to the western Church? Is he telling us that we need to get off our lazy, comfy butts and go share his love and freedom with the oppressed peoples of Islam? But, doing that takes work and effort. As far as I can tell, our society is quickly losing all of its stamina when it comes to doing what's right, especially if it means extra effort and perhaps some suffering. I think back to my trip to the refugee camps of Austria in 1997. I remember many people from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. They weren't fleeing their homes and everything they knew because they wanted some fun Survivor-style adventure. They risked their lives, spent all their wealth and trusted (oftentimes) shady smugglers to take them to freedom. These families ventured into the unknown, because the known was, well, evil. They all told me that they left because their governments were oppressing them. So, as an American, I can repsond to the pains of the Middle East in four ways.
1. I can stick my head in the sand and pretend that everything's fine and if I ignore the Middle East, it will leave us alone. I doubt that. Last time I checked, evil was not content with a truce. It wants to dominate and crush. So, that won't work.
2. The second response is a military response that seeks out and destroys the agents of evil. That is a valid option. I think that we, as a country, are not commiting enough in this arena right now. If we're going to fight a war, let's throw everything at it. War is not something to be done gently. Sending as few troops as possible isn't the path to a decisive victory. I won't say that I'm glad that we have a war going on, especially since I have tthree friends in Iraq right now. But, if we're going to do this, let's do it right - hard, aggressive and thorough. Some might say that I'm in favor of this because my paycheck depends on military activity. Well, that works on the surface. But, once you dig a bit deeper, it doesn't hold water. I have always supported a powerful military, even at a young age, before I had any clue as to what I would do for work.
3. UN sanctions. Whatever. That's like option 1, but just more expensive.
4. As a child of God, abandon my wants and go serve the needs and pains of the lost peoples of Islam. This, ultimately, in my mind, is the only real solution. War will work, but I think that it's not a permanent solution. But, if we can change hearts from judgmental hatred to gracious love, that will endure. So, how do I, as an American Christian do this? Do I join a missionary organization and have it send me to the Middle East? Do I support other people going there to spread God's peace, hope, mercy and love? Do I do both?