Iraq

The BBC News today reported the largest teachers' union as having voted overwhelmingly to oppose allowing the Army to visit schools. Their reasoning seemed to be that the Army was using these visits to recruit soldiers (and airmen and sailors?) and that soldiers were being used in illegal wars and in illegal activities within war zones.

All of this seemed to me to refer to the Iraq situation, so I pray once again for all of Iraq - all factions within it and all armed forces stationed there. Heavenly Father, I pray for the daily life of Iraq to be normalised, and that you would empower all those working to this end. May her people be able to live in peace and work to rebuild their prosperity.

I pray especially for our own forces, that they may carry out their roles wth honoour and success and come safely home again.

While I deplore the decision to invade Iraq, I deplore equally the teachers' union for aiming at the wrong target. Their objection is to Government policy. We should all be glad we have armed forces, and that they are composed of men and women who are ready at need to defend the rest of us with their lives. If we are unhappy about what they do and how they do it, we should challenge the Government about this, not the army!

Where were all these people who so vehemently oppose the war when there was an election held AFTER the decision to invade. That was the time for effective action that would not have set one part of the nation against another.