Because peace would abound were it not for American warmongers

I know, our excursions in the Middle East post-9/11 have been rather dismal.  Ill conceived and fought by a nation more interested in winning the latest ideological argument than uniting for a common cause, there wasn't reason to expect anything else.  Still, just because we ventured into an ill advised war last time does not mean the call to arms will be equally ill advised.  Many, particularly in the Catholic blogosphere, sound as if anything America does at this point is going to be wrong.  Period.  A nuclear strike could be launched and whatever America does will be wrong.  Part of this is the natural result of the Internet.  I've said many times that if the first casualty of war is innocence, the first casualty of the Internet is perspective.  So many, including a fair number of Catholics in the blogosphere, meet any talk of defense, warnings, threats, or concerns as just a bunch of warmongering right wing nut jobs wanting to herd us all into another unjust war. 

Problem is, sometimes wars have to be fought.  Hopefully there will be no wars in the future.  With four boys, one of which is getting close to graduation, I'm the last one to want a war.  But sometimes it happens, just like crime happens on individual levels around the world.  War is simply the societal equivalent to committing crimes.  And one sure way to invite war is to ignore the causes leading up to war.  That doesn't mean grab a gun and start firing at the first sign of trouble.  But it does mean being real about what's happening. For all the accusations that we are run by a crazed right wing war party just itching to invade Iran, I notice it hasn't happened yet.  There have merely been dicsussions about what we could do, should do, and need to be prepared to do.

Meanwhile, other countries in the Arab world, countries that are surprisingly not America, are gathering together to discuss their concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions.  Of course we pray and hope that war will never happen.  We hope this ends peacefully.  But it is not the result of blind American warmongers just itching for another war.  If it was, then they are certainly incompetent war mongers, since war hasn't happened.  Rather, it might be people with real concerns, shared by some who have no love for our country, about where another potentially non-American evil country might be heading.  To simply dismiss any and all talk that even sounds remotely like anything other than pure pacifism as warmongering might reveal a blind judgementalism that, ironically, could be as dangerous as any firm and resolute talk meant to protect the innocent and preserve peace.