Blame and judgment

By Jim Killebrew

[July 30, 2014]  For all the blaming of the former President, George W. Bush, I wonder if he still occupied the office today would we be discussing the terrorist acts of Benghazi with the murder of our Ambassador and three other American citizens. I wonder if we would be so focused on the IRS targeting perceived enemies of the President; or would we have to be worried about the ultra-high national debt being larger than all other Presidents combined. Or would we be scratching our heads due to the contempt of Congress by the Attorney General for lying to Congress and being protected from prosecution by the President through Executive Privilege.

Would we have to be debating a moratorium on drilling oil on public lands and the extraordinarily high cost of energy? Along with a myriad of other issues like the breech of privacy and Fourth Amendment through NSA activities, Drones attacking American citizens, Fort Hood terrorist defined as "work-place violence", Associated Press reporters and editors having emails and records spied upon, Fast and furious gun giveaways, GSA lavish meetings using taxpayer money, Secret Service alleged misbehavior on foreign soil possibly jeopardizing Presidential safety, or venture capitalism like Solyndra investments. Finally, would we be discussing endlessly the multiple Presidential golfing outings, multiple vacations annually and spending at or near one hundred million dollars on a trip abroad during a mandated sequester?
 

The answer to that question is “likely not” with the former President. However, in a few days the current President and his family will go away to Martha’s Vineyard for a 5-week vacation. With Russia and the Ukraine exchanging rocket fire, Israel and Hamas pounding each other in the Gaza region, Syria continuing with their war, ISIS solidifying their caliphate covering half of Syria and a large portion of Iraq, Libya continuing with their uprising and Iran furiously working to complete their plans to finish their nuclear capabilities and increase their ICBM stockpile to give themselves the ability to send a nuclear warhead all the way to the United States, so (tongue-in-cheek) it seems the work by the Administration has been done, so a well-deserved vacation is in order.

The only loose thread is that pesky invasion of illegal immigrants crossing the border in Southwest Texas on the Mexican border. Wait a minute, the President still has four days before he leaves for vacation, perhaps he could simply use his pen and phone to grant a “mass amnesty” for millions of illegal immigrants at a time. That should hold him for the next five weeks; we don’t want a good crisis to go to waste.

Some say it is unsavory for any citizen, especially a Christian, to be critical of the President or his Administration. Some believe to do so is to be “judgmental” toward others and is disrespectful for such critical words to be directed toward high-ranking leaders. I wonder how valid that really is?

It seems there is a consensus that Christians should not judge one another, as well as people in general should not cast judgment unless they are prepared to receive back the same standard of judgment from those they judged. It is even spoken by Jesus in His great sermon:

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive. Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)

I wonder, “Does this also hold true for politicians as well?”
[By JIM KILLEBREW]