Get Your Kicks

I tried to kill someone. This isn't just the killing I do everyday by being against the US invasion of Iraq- I mean Liberation. Sorry, I got bad grades in Newspeak. So in addition to emboldening the Baathist insurgency and comforting them through their last throes by being a dissenting American, I really almost killed someone with an improvised projectile on the highway. Wait, is it Batthist dead-enders or Al Qaeda that I comfort and encourage? I forget. I failed that part of my re-education. Anyway I almost killed someone on the road today. Not just any road either- I almost killed someone on historic Route 66. How about that? How many people can you say you killed... or almost killed on or around historic US landmarks?

I had a 1 liter (is that un-American?) bottle of water unsecurely placed in my bag o' tricks and it flew out on the road on my way to school. It was an accident. I thought the water bottle would make it safely to school but I was wrong. Normally I am much more careful and wouldn't think of throwing something heavy off the back of my motorcycle into traffic.
I tell you this because it is out of the ordinary. I do not actually try to kill someone everyday and the fact that I might have done so, even accidentally, is troubling to me. So because of this I thought it necessary to explain myself. That and it's a polemic set up. It's a true story, but still a set up.

We find it necessary to explain what is unusual for us. I don't try to kill people everyday so since I did, I should explain myself. Maybe my explanation isn't any good- I thought I did a good job of packing my bag. I guess I didn't. That's a worthless excuse.

Now here's the jump.

At one point in the church's history, it was necessary to justify war. Contrary to what you may have heard, there is not a single "Just War" theory. There are a number of theories, though Aquinas' pretty much sets the standard. And, contrary to what you may have thought, a "Just War" theory does not make war right. It was a way for the church to say "War is wrong, 'political leader So and So,' so you should avoid it, and when you can't you should meet these basic limiting criteria." So justify here does not mean "make right," it means something more like, "You better have a good reason for throwing that bag of kittens in the lake, mister!" And they say, "Well of course I do." So you say, "Okay then."

Yeah- it seems like a pretty low bar to me too. But you know what? It doesn't matter anymore- at least not here. No one expects war to be justified now. It doesn't need to be. It is now the default position. I mean, really who are the moon-bats, the "Pray for the Troopsies" or "The Pray for Peaceniks?" Although that suggests a dichotomy I don't think is necessary. The point being, valuing peace is suspect.

Maybe that's just as well. Maybe that most clearly highlights the difference between remaining in the powers of the world versus living by the power of the Holy Spirit. But then again, maybe not.

And maybe someone else looks around and sees the hippies destroying America. I don't know. I do know that this rant is inspired by an experience that I had this weekend. I'll spare you the details but it involved someone drinking too much, starting conversations they don't really want to have, and sticking their hand in my face.

So war is our default polity and Jerry Springer is our default discourse setting. Hooray.