Some of the world’s news organizations are reporting that the United States will attack Iran on Good Friday. The attack will occur between 4 am and 4 pm. No time zone is given in any of the reports I read, but one article was from the Jerusalem Post which might indicate a middle eastern time zone. If it’s closer to the 4 am time then it might occur as many American Christians are attending Holy Thursday services. I thought that the capture of the British soldiers and sailors was merely a provocation that had been arranged by the U.S. and Britain and it’s looking more and more like that. There is a rumor that tactical nuclear weapons will be used in the attacks. Ironic that we will use the kinds of weapons that we are eager to deprive others. We are a Christian nation, we were founded by Christians who slaughtered natives so it’s no real stretch that we’re still slaughtering folks. I’ve been praying that this chalice could pass us by and perhaps it will. But, where there is smoke there is bound to be some fire. I hope that the smoke clears and that our country will not be the aggressor again. We are crucifying our country and ourselves upon the cross of unbridled aggression.
As I am venerating the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in Holy Peace Chapel this Thursday night bombs may be dropping in another part of the world. It’s a chilling thought. The smoke of the incense that night might be emblematic of the smoke of destruction and death in another part of our world. Will the killing ever end?
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Praestet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.
As I contemplate the Blessed Sacrament I will be praying for peace. I hope that you will join me in praying. Let our prayers rise like incense. Shalom, Solh, Paix, Pace, Shanti, Pax.
I will assume your offering a belated April Fools post.
If not let me put your worries to rest. The President despite conspiracy blogs, By law must follow and always has very strict protocols prior to such actions. He may indeed keep the public and media in the dark, However certain members of the congress and supreme court must be briefed in advance of the attack its not optional on the Presidents part or just something he can decide to ignore cause he feels like it.
Since this “surprise attack” takes place on a specific time line, The advise and consent requirement would dictate those called the Gang of six IE the speaker, majority and minority leaders of both chambers and the chief justice have already had the secret briefing.
Mind you while by law they are prohibited from disclosing what they were told, Speaker Pelosi would have already called the congress back into session and done so on a really flimsy and transparent pretext to send a signal to the President if he intends to carry through he will be in deep, very deep do do.
Let us even speculate in the realm of the absurd and postulate the President decided to ignore the protocols and didn’t tell the gang of six, Short of declaring martial law and suspending the constitution the day after the strike, even the Republicans in congress would be joining the motion to impeach George W. Bush.
Finally if its so ultra top secret both Democratic and Republican leadership in congress must be kept in the dark for “national security” reasons one wonders how it is the intended target knows about it? Kinda defeats the pupose of a surprise attack.
I pray that you are right and that somehow or other the news services of a number of other countries including Canada, India, etc. are all wet. I agree that the element of surprise is not there. Thank you for your thoughtful commentary.
Deep breath. In. Out. I don’t know if you know this, but I was in downtown DC on September 11, 2001. In fact, I was managing newspaper collections for a law firm across the street from the White House. It was a new assignment and no one, not even my husband knew where I was. And rumors were spreading, terrible rumors: the State Department (or was it the Justice Department?) had been car bombed. Metro had been bombed. Gallows humor took over and someone asked why they hadn’t taken out the Woodrow Wilson bridge, saving the government the money to demolish it.
I was lucky and the head librarian was kind, allowing me to use the firm’s land lines to tell my husband and my mother that I was fine. And when my building was evacuated, I discovered for myself the value of rumor: Metro was up and running, though now guarded by soldiers. I was safely home a mere 45 minutes after the evacuation, and that was with a short detour to a local park to try to calm down.
And when I checked my email, I was further reassured. My Muslim familymembers in NY were writing to find out whether I was okay, and reassured me that they had a supportive community and there hadn’t been any violence towards them.
Hold peace in your heart and allow it to comfort you when rumor screams loudly. Rumor frequently lies.
I have not heard this news here in Montreal, but ran across this blurb on my tag post list. We shall join you in prayer, I listen to late night talk radio from the U.S. nightly (Coast to Coast) and they are usually up on all the latest gossip and rumor, and this specific piece of news has not been reported as of last night.
Unless this has anything to do with the 48 hour notice that Tony Blair is speaking about this morning – which would be Thursday, wouldn’t it?
Let us pray…
Given the fact the G.W.B. does what ever he wants in the name of terrorism, I wouldn’t trust him to do the right or the correct thing since he is at such odds with the House and Senate. This loose bull in a china shop is going to cause a major incident if he is allowed to do what you are reporting he might. Which is all the world needs, a nuclear incursion anywhere in the world. Iran is just NOT the kid on the block we want to being tossing nukes on top of other people just to make sure they are noticed as the bully on the bloc.
Jeremy
Montreal
Thank you for your replies and to PlainFoolish for the deep breath suggestion. Maybe I am too easily influenced by what I read and take things too literally at times. My sensitivity can be a blessing and a shortcoming in one. Thank you all for your encouragement. Peace.
I, too, can be very sensitive to the fear that seems to pervade our modern lives and I frequently find that when I am confronted with something deeply frightening, like when my brother in law told me about a helicopter crash in Iraq at a time when I knew my dad was flying (and I found out at the beginning of dinner – I still don’t know how I managed to eat anything at all, but I played enough with the food on my plate to be convincing), it helps to take a deep breath and create a small space around me that is peaceful.
I can’t make the whole world a peaceful place, but I can make me a peaceful person, and have faith that that peacefulness will serve a purpose.
Thank you for your reassurance and excellent insights. I can’t make the world a peaceful place either, but I can make me peaceful. I needed to hear that today. Thank you for caring enough to leave a comment. :-)Don
My brother, I love the looks of the new WordPress blog…very crisp and clean!