Israel...

     Things are heating up for Israel. Of course, the heat has been on ever since Ishmael and Isaac were born to Abraham, and the Lord foretold of constant enmity between the two. Ishmael went on to be the father of the entire Arab race, the race that fills the Middle East, and Isaac went on to be the father of the entire Jewish race, the race that remains in Israel. The enmity between the two brothers has translated itself into the entire explosive Middle East conflict.
     Ever since Israel's creation in the 1940's, national security has been its primary concern. The nation's mentality has been "The best offense is a good defense", and thus, Israel has some of the best trained soldiers and strongest defense systems in the world. They have also filled their ranks with allies, including the United States, many European countries, Jordan, and most interestingly, Egypt. When peace was made with Egypt under dictator Mubarak in 1979, Israel was extremely wary and the truce between the two nations was uneasy. However, since then, Israel has come to count on Egypt's help if the other neighboring countries of Iran or Syria invade. Yet now, due to the deposing of Mubarak as dictator of Egypt, the alliance is looking shaky. The movement behind the revolt is known as the "Muslim Brotherhood", and like any good Muslim group, this brotherhood hates Israel with a vengeance. It now seems as if Israel may very well lose a key ally that had protected the southern border. The military strategists are now having a great time creating contingency plans for an Egyptian invasion, I'm sure.
      In addition to the loss of an important ally, Israel is also heating up things for itself. Just recently, the nation's president departed from the "Best offense is good defense" policy, and instead indirectly threatened Iran with destruction if Ahmadinejad insisted on going nuclear. Granted, in his speeches to the U.N., Ahmadinejad has already gone nuclear in speaking style, but Israel is more concerned with the weapons side of things. Iran responded by saying it would attack Israel and the U.S. if Israel went after the nuclear weapons (that Iran says it doesn't have), and generally would cause a ruckus in the Middle East.
     In the Bible, Israel is the nation that is most in focus throughout the scripture. And rightly so: Israel is God's chosen people. If you look towards Revelation, the bible mentions an attack upon Israel, which directly precedes Christ's return, from which God protects them. Is this attack coming? Maybe or maybe not; but know the signs and the times, for we certainly are closer to the return of Christ than anyone else in history.
     Watch and wait.

Go Sling Some Mud....

      Mudslinging. Muckraking. Private Investigations. Scandals. Nomination.

      These things all have one thing in common: the Presidential Election Race. Just take a look at the latest headline, "CAIN ACCUSED OF HARASSMENT", and it's easy to see that the candidates spend just as much time (maybe more) degrading their opponents, as they do informing the public of what they would do if president. Finding dirt on the other people in the race is now more important than revising tax plans or coming up with better ways to protect the border than "electrifying the fence and putting in a moat with alligators". Why are politics always hand-in-hand with mudslinging? The answer is, the candidates feel like they must separate themselves from the field of potential candidates. By calling people names? Mr. Perry and Mr. Romney have shown that mentality with Perry calling Romney a cultist (Mormons=cult), and Romney tries to make Perry look like just an idiot from Texas. What do these candidates expected to get elected on? "If I become president...I promise to label all Texans as idiots, and all Mormons as occultists." Surely the muckraking is unnecessary.
     Let's take a history lesson; let's look back to the 1920's. In that decade, America had two presidents: William Harding and Calvin Coolidge. William Harding was a horrible president; in his White House, scandals abounded. But look at Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge was Harding's vice president who succeeded to the presidency after Harding died mid-term. Coolidge served the last year of Harding's White House, then decided to run for reelection. Coolidge was a man of few words, and his campaign was one of the most subdued in history. He would stand on a stage, inform the people of his plans and beliefs, then get off. Not one of his speeches were directed at his opponents, not one of his words slandered his competition. Clearly, the American people liked his style, because he was elected president by a margin never seen before. He garnered over two million more votes than both his opponents combined. And he did it all without slinging mud or 'getting the dirt' on his opponents.
     Politicians, take a lesson from Coolidge--give the name-calling, back biting, scandal digging a rest. The American people aren't looking for a person who can label or investigate well; the American people are looking for someone with character and leadership.
     If you live in a glass house, don't throw rocks; if you live in a White House, don't throw mud.