Brief Thoughts on Haditha

At the height of the Vietnam War, an active-duty admiral spoke to an assembly at our high school. He put a twist on a common saying of the times to present his motto as a patriotic citizen:

My country: When wrong, to make it right; when right, to keep it right.

As the Marine Corps looks at the incident at Haditha, we could do worse than to adopt that as our motto.

If all that is alleged to have taken place at Haditha happened as reported and if there has been a cover-up, that must be made right. Of course, innocent lives cannot be restored. But, I pray, justice can be served.

I say this as more than just an American. As much as I love my country--and I blushingly admit to actually loving my country, I pray for justice in this matter even more as a Christian.

Every patriot will want to get to the bottom of Haditha. So will anyone who takes Jesus' command to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and to love others as He has loved us.