We don't need to know everything

Okay, I'm going to post something about the war in Iraq. Finally, I'm breaking down and doing this. Although it's a hot topic, I've tried to stay away from it as far as blogging goes, and just talk about it quietly with close friends. It's also not something I would ever bring up publicly at church, for obvious reasons. This is a very polarizing issue. But here I go with my humble opinion on this, my personal blog.

Should we be there? Should we not be there? I don't know, but here's one thing I do know. The American people's "right to know" everything is taking our country into a downward spiral. Are there worse problems? Yes, I'm not here to debate which problem is worse. But the public's push to know every detail of everything is a huge problem. What has affected our recent wars more than anything, is THE MEDIA. Years ago, journalists were not granted the access they have now. Cameras were not there chronicling the war. And that was a good thing.

In previous wars, prior to the media frenzy we have today, the president did not have to worry that somebody was going to take photos of coffins lined up on an airplane to be sent home. Throughout the ages casualties have happened, and to a much greater degree in all of the previous wars. The difference is, we just didn't see it up close or personal. Therefore it was easier for the American people to cope with. War is messy. Previous presidents/commanders in chief did not have to worry about the results of the latest explosion or casualty being shown on CNN. They were able to take care of business without the interference of those back home.

Americans are all convinced that they know how the president should be running the country on everything from how many troops we should be sending in there to whether or not we should use tactics like torture to accomplish our purposes. I realize this is very controversial, but on the subject of torture...when we have had to use force to get information out of people that would save the American people's lives, that has always been done, policy or no policy. The difference is, there was not some idiot standing there filming it and and tattle taleing back to the American public. Back during World War I and II we didn't have Rosie O'Donnell on TV every blessed day spewing her ultra left wing rhetoric. I don't consider her left wing actually, I consider her off the radar, she's so far over, she doesn't even register on the left/right scale. Terrorists are just "mothers and fathers" and not people we should be afraid of? Last time I checked my mother or father were not blowing up the world trade center. And if they did, I would say...annihilate them...it has to be done for the sake of our people. Don't use the word "terrorist" she says. "These people are not terrorists. That's a really negative word." Okay, so then what are they? They aren't your run of the mill mother or father, I will tell you that. They are mass murderers, plain and simple and have to be stopped at all costs. If you've got to inflict a little pain on someone to get out of them information that could stop the killing of thousands, possibly millions of innocent lives DO IT. One thing is for sure, we are not going to get anything done by sitting with these people over a cup of coffee trying to reason with them. There is no reasoning with this because sin simply doesn't make sense. And this is primarily a religious war that we are in. 

As a side note - who is Rosie O'Donnell to be stating what the direction of the country should be? She's a comedian/talk show host turned left wing extremist commentator. These celebrities get on TV and talk about the way things should be in this country and I'm thinking, "and you are qualified to decide this because you are...in a movie? Because you host a talk show where they discuss such important things as Britney's latest date or the latest kid Angelina Jolie adopted?" Who are these people to be dictating the direction of the country? You might say, "aren't you doing that right now, Deanna?" No. No I'm not. I'm saying, I am not qualified to do that, as most Americans are not. This is why we elect leaders. Actors and comedians (or pastors!) have not been commissioned to give orders to the armed forces.

What we have is a crisis of leadership. Our president and commander in chief (no matter who they are - George Bush or anyone else in the position) have not been set free to lead. We elect people to make decisions on behalf of our country, to serve the people the best they know how with the information they have been given. The rebellious spirit in our country is out of control. We think we are so smart in the USA- everyone thinks THEY know how to do a better job. The truth is, none of us see all the info that comes across the desk of our president, the CIA, the FBI, the Secret Service, and our Military Forces. These people have - and should have - information that we do not know. And we have elected them to TAKE CHARGE and to ACT ON that information. People say, "the president was hiding things from the American people." The truth is, some things should be hidden. They should only be known to our top officials, for the security of the USA. Today they get on TV and announce where we are going to strike next. All because of the American people's "right to know." We can't remember life without the paparazzi. In times past, official body counts were not reported back to the people for a long time, even sometimes til' it was all over. Part of the reason for this is, the president would not want to affect the morale of the American people. Things like this were kept from us for the very reason that leaders know when the people see the casualties, there will be an outcry to stop. And sometimes, stopping is not best. It was enough to know, our leaders were taking care of business.

Taking care of business has led us to have the freedoms we have today. War is messy. Whether you think we should be there or not (and I am not writing this for or against being there - truthfully I haven't made up my mind on the issue) the fact is that war means casualties. There is nothing friendly about war. While I'm still not sure about this war, I do believe in war in general. The Bible says there is a time for war and a time for peace. Had the wars not been fought in the past, you and I would not be able to go to church freely, express ourselves freely, or even post anything on a blog freely let alone walk down the street.

To have those rights, people have to die. It's that plain and simple. When we elect our leaders, we need to set them free to do their job and not try to control things we don't know all the facts about.

I do know a few people who have been over in Iraq, serving during this war. They all say the same thing. When I have asked them about it they have said, "there's a lot more going on over there than the American people know about. There are many reasons for doing things that they know nothing of."

Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? Last year I turned on an episode of Oprah and she was showcasing all this footage from the war - showing all the casualties and trying to convince people how terrible of an idea this war is. Of course this is all a drop in the bucket compared to the losses of World War I or II and many other wars, but realize, this is a war that has full media coverage, so it's different. As she paraded these pictures on TV, she said, "It's important that the American people see the reality of war." The reality of war is that there are casualties, and we should expect them. I don't like that -- I hate it. But it's a fact. All that episode did was stir up the American people even more against the president and the war, and served to further disunite the country.

This is the same reason many churches do not grow. People have a "need to know" everything. They don't trust the leader and there is a crisis of leadership as a result. If people do not trust a pastor, they won't move forward. There are many things that happen within the church that if our staff disclosed them, they could cripple people's lives, ruin people's lives in fact. There are things we hold confidential because it's the right thing to do, also because it would greatly hurt people and the church should we make them public. We take that information and do our job, always keeping in mind what is best for the organization. This is the job of a leader. It is not always easy to have that responsibility. People often criticize the decisions you make, having no idea of all the reasons behind it. My husband often laments, "if they only knew...". There are times every pastor gets so weary of it and says, "would you just trust me to do my job?"

I am Deanna Shrodes. I am not called to be the president of the United States. There are many things I do not know about the terrorists, about plots to kill us, about this war, about methods used to ensure our freedoms, and a lot more. And quite truthfully, I'm fine with that. I trust our leaders to handle that. I am content in co-running 5036 Spectacular Bid Dr., and Northside Assembly of God. That is my calling in life. I am okay with letting those on Pennsylvania Avenue handle the terrorists.