No, I'm serious. I'm on the Lord's side. If more people were on the Lord's side we wouldn't have this mess.

Agreed, but are you gonna answer the question of why you enjoy/insist on playing Devil's Advocate so much? Especially in a situation where you've literally had war declared on you and your family?

Perhaps Mike has already answered your question, Rocky, but it's not the answer you want to hear?

As for war being declared on us, other than the two attacks on the Twin Towers, the battle is not on US soil. I'm no pacifist - at least not in the political sense - but until we really have to defend ourselves, I believe the counsel of the Lord to "turn the other cheek" is pretty good advice. Should they hit the US again, then it would be time to strike back with a show of force of what they're really up against. Blowing them all up on their soil only pisses off everyone else. Blowing them up on US soil gives the rest of the world no reason to be upset - though many probably will still be.

There are no simple answers to the mess in the Middle East.

Quite frankly....we all know the whole world will be at war before Christ returns, and that one-third of the population will be killed.

It's inevitable.

I say let's get it over with and rush in the millennium. I for one would rather live in the terrestrial millennium twenty years from now, rather than thirty.

Hezbollah and other terrorist groups are evil. No question about it. It is scary. But Rocky, you talk about the terrorist groups declaring war on the U.S...yes, it is easy to say but if you view it from these groups, they believe that the U.S. has declared war on them. It is all a matter of perception. The U.S. at war with Iraq is viewed very differently: From the US perspective, we are trying to stop an evil man. From many in the Arab world, they view it as the U.S. putting their noses and their guns on one of their countries.

I don't have any answers. I will not defend the terrorists. Nobody should. But I am also willing to accept that the U.S. is often a bully in situations that it does not need to be in. Terrorism needs to be stopped...but often the U.S. enflames it with its policies and its take it to them attitude. Bush summed it up by saying 'You are for us or against us' and there is no middle ground or no understanding of the gray areas.

We are quick to condemn those that are fighting Israel though we do so without realizing that Israel is not at all blameless. I am not defending terrorists or terrorism. The Israeli--radical element battles have raged for hundreds of years and both sides have made mistakes and errors.

No question, I am on Israel's side. But Israel has a lot of faults and has made a lot of historical mistakes. Israel is hated and Israel hates and sadly, this will continue on for decades and decades.

I'm pretty sure your post was TIC, but it worries when I think that people on both sides of the conflict hold an apocalyptic world view. The decision to begin WWIII is much easier to make when people believe they are merely fulfilling prophesy. I think I'd sleep easier at night if all our political leaders were atheists.

its also a lot easier when the conflagration is likely to take place "over there" injstead of here in our front yard. I don't want atheists, but adherence to christian principles would e good.

one thing I have to hand to 187_skillz.

He puts his money where his mouth is. He tacitly approves genocide, and he chooses to be in the military, to put himself in harms way.

A lot of people around here talk big, but I don't see them going out and trying to actually take it to the enemy.

I read about a woman in Arizona, 41 years old, just enlisted.

Do you have to go fight anybody who tries to pick a fight with you?

I honestly believe that this struggle will not end until one side shows that it means not to fight. The only way to effectively show this disposition is by your own blood-- the Ammonites come to mind.

You ask who's side he is on. Is it wrong to say that, even though he is an American loyal to his country, that he wants peace for the sake of his brothers on the other side of the line?

So basically you just pussed out on answering the question. Buck up Mike.