The One Force

Wednesday, March 5

Closing Time......

Let me just say that I have really enjoyed the time I have spent creating this blog and posting my almost daily comments. This project has probably been one of the most personally fulfilling things I have done in awhile. For those of you who have taken the time to stop by over the past few months, I really appreciate it.

A real good friend of mine in California asked me the other day how I found the time to keep The One Force updated. Frankly, to varying degrees each one of my three major responsibilities have suffered due to my attention here. These are my family, church and work responsibilities. Even at the beginning of this great experiment, I knew that I did not have the time to properly maintain this blog. In spite of this, I continued to push.

For a while now I felt the Lord asking me to lay this project aside. The fact that I really love doing this stuff made this revelation very difficult. Finally, this past Monday, March 4th I talked with three other guys from church about this and I really felt in a strong way that God was encouraging me to let go. With the strength that comes from praying with other men, I resolved to submit and obey. So, with a little sadness but with anticipation of what the future holds, I am officially shutting down The One Force. As a matter of fact, this will be my last post.

Before signing off I wanted to thank a few people and other blog sites. I really appreciate blogs4God and the service they offer. This one site alone has made my blogging experience very enjoyable. If you have never visited the web site, I strongly encourage you to.

I also want to thank Joshua Clayborn who has included several of my articles in blogs4God's Pundit Cache of the Day. He is really good at this stuff and has an excellent blog of his own.

Thank you Tony for helping me out with some of my technical difficulties. For the record, he also has a very impressive blog.

Thanks to Mark Byron (like myself he attends a Vineyard church) who just recently completed a 48 hour fast which he documented online. I thought several of his posting during that time were excellent, but I still remember a letter he included from his pastor, Dave Baker of the Lakeland Vineyard. You can find it here, but I also copied it for you to read.

At 3:55 this morning (Tuesday) I felt God stirring me to issue this call. I know that we have a time of prayer and fasting coming up March 20-22, but we can't wait until then. Let me give you four reasons why. First, we are a country on the verge of war and we and our leaders need to hear from God. Second, we need to pray against every possible attack of the enemy whether domestic or international. We don't do this from a position of fear, but rather in the wisdom of God. Third, God has raised us up for such a time as this and we need to be ready and sensitive to the moving of His Spirit. Fourth, we have several activities scheduled in March that call for your participation and need your prayer covering. God wants and desires to touch lives through the LV Cool event, the joint prayer and worship, the Men's Retreat, and the Word, Spirit and Power Conference. I believe God is issuing an urgent call for us to join Him in what He's doing. As we respond it will be wonderful, but challenging because we're so use to doing things our way, on our time table and from our comfort zone. That's all about to change and we need to be ready.

Final Words
I believe that God IS urgently calling for us to join Him in what he is doing. The note above along with many other promptings from the Lord have really quickened my spirit to get out of my comfort zone and follow His lead.

We live in critical times. Uncertainty, fear and tension are so evident in the physical world today and I am willing to bet that the spiritual world is equally in great turmoil. Many people in this time are in desperate need of salvation. Believers throughout this country and the world are in desperate need of God's power and protection.

If you are tired, bitter, sick, hurt, alone or in any need caused by our human condition; I strongly encourage you to release yourself to the will of God through his son Jesus. As many people can personally testify, Jesus does save. He can help you now.

I would also encourage my fellow Believers to find strength from deep within the Holy Spirit inside you. Face the inner struggles of your life with the resolve of a soldier marching into battle. Pray constantly for yourself, your family, your church and your neighbor. Realize the spiritual battle that is waged against mankind every morning you wake up. Remember that as God moves strongly within your family, church and community; the enemies of God will work quickly to promote disunity, divorce, death and destruction. Be strong and stand firm!

While I am no longer updating The One Force, I am keeping it online for a little while as a reminder of my journey. If I am ever released to do something like this again, it will probably have a different format and tone.

I will still get e-mail notification of any posted comments and I can also be reached by clicking the e-mail button at the top of this screen. If you have any questions or you are in need of prayer, send me an e-mail and let me know.

While this journey for me was short, it sure was a lot of fun!

Blessings,
Aaron Curtis

Aaron 2:06 PM Archive |

Dan Rather had an article in OpinionJournal.com today talking about his interview with Saddam Hussein. Ironically, I recognized the first part of his article from his broadcast this past Wednesday. I guess he was too busy to come up with something new. I submitted a few comments which OpinionJournal graciously included. Since I too am a busy man, I rewrote a small part of my article below. If you are interested in reading the article or my comments click here. My response was tilled, "Rather Revealed a Dangerous Man."

Aaron 1:33 PM Archive |

Interview With Saddam - Part 1


I realize I am one day late on this story, but I was on the couch sick for most of yesterday. I had no radio, no Internet, no TV and the national Republican leadership forgot to fax me my daily talking points (I'm joking, okay). This past Wednesday I turned on my TV to watch Dan Rather interview Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. Since I have not had any media influence since the interview, the thoughts below are completely unfiltered.

Today, let me talk about Saddam Hussein. He seemed to be sharp, clear minded and polished in presentation. Of course he could have been stuttering in Arabic and I would have been none the wiser. Honestly, it was his cool and calculated persona that probably worried me the most. If half of what we know about this guy is true and he is that sharp, we have a lot to be worried about. From history, I know that Hitler himself was a dynamic politician and a polished speaker. We know from this example and others that evil people do not necessarily seem evil. Sometimes only their despicable actions are evident. American's should not be fooled by Saddam Hussein's disarming personality.

Very little was shocking about the interview, but Mr. Hussein did challenge President Bush to a live debate in front of the world. In that moment I was again relieved that former President Clinton was no longer in office. While Clinton was in office he made the executive branch too accessible to the world. For example, he spent way too much time communicating with the Palestinian's terrorist leader, Yasser Arafat. He was even invited to the White House. The more we find out about Yasser Arafat, the more ridiculous it seemed that Clinton spent any time working with him to achieve peace. When President Bush came in office, Yasser Arafat lost his relevance within the Middle East. By including him, President Clinton gave him prestige in the worlds' eyes. By his indifference, President Bush was able to take that away.

In this current situation with Iraq, America can not afford to have the executive branch weakened in the world's eyes. Saddam Hussein is an intelligent man and he knows that by having a one-on-one debate with President Bush, he will strengthen his position by association. Not to mention, Mr. Hussein's proposition gives him more time to not destroy his weapons of mass destruction.

The other telling part of the interview was Saddam Hussein's talk about Allah and his obvious emphasis on religious practice. Again, he is no fool and Mr. Hussein realized that he needed the support of other Arab nations. By talking incessantly about Allah's will and taking a time out to pray mid interview, he was attempting to reach out to other Muslim people. The Koran is pretty specific about Muslims not fighting against fellow believers. Saddam Hussein was only trying to make America's war against Iraq seem to be a war against Islam.

Finally, another interesting part of the interview came when Mr. Hussein told Dan Rather that Iraq had not been defeated in 1991. He said that they left Kuwait on their own volition, not influenced by America. He admitted only to losing the battle, but not to being defeated. I found this opinion amusing. If he was not conquered, why did he feel inclined to accept U.N. weapons inspectors? Saddam Hussein was defeated, but we did not destroy him. I believe this speaks to America's moral superiority. The only reason Saddam Hussein was in power after the Gulf War was because we did not pursue him past Kuwait. We could have crushed him, but we did not extend ourselves further then we felt was necessary at the time.

That is enough for today. if I am still interested, Monday I will discuss how I felt Dan Rather performed. He did aw...... (that could be either be awesome or awful, you'll just have to find out).

Aaron 10:16 AM Archive |

I heard the other day that the U.S. armed forces are using chickens to help detect possible chemical agents in the air. Can you imagine chickens sitting on top of our tanks? This is an extremely noble and brave thing for them to do, and I thought the French weren't going to be involved in a war with Iraq.

Of course any time I hear the word "chicken" in the news, I like to see what United Poultry Concern is saying about it. I was expecting outrage after this latest news story and I was not disappointed. Check out what Karen Davis has to say.

Aaron 10:04 AM Archive |

What Time Is It?

Click here to find out!

Aaron 11:17 AM Archive |

The One Force vs. Moveon.com

Moveon.com is sponsoring a Virtual March On Washington called Win Without War. It is scheduled for this Wednesday the 26th. On the Move On web site. they provide a list of potential talking points for participants. For the record, I am not upset that people do not particularly like war or feel that it should not be used to punish Saddam Hussein. However, to me these talking points against a war with Iraq, seem weak.

In the posting below I take each of these talking points and give my best shot at presenting a counter argument.

1) We can disarm Saddam Hussein without invading Iraq. Tough inspections with cooperation from U.S. intelligence agencies would be the most prudent and effective way available to neutralize whatever threat Saddam Hussein poses.

The emphasis here is not on Saddam Hussein, but his weapons of mass destruction. Ironically, this reminds me of the usual insistence by the left that, "guns kill people." If you get rid of the guns, they insist that people won't have the ability to use them to harm others. The point they miss is that some people are going to kill others, period. There is no societal change we can implement that will stop that. Likewise, we can't neutralize the threat Saddam Hussein poses to the world without removing him from his position of power. He must be removed and if he won't do it willingly, the Untied States will have to do it for him.

We will never neutralize the threat of Saddam Hussein by playing this current inspection game of cat and mouse. U.N. Resolution 1441 required Saddam Hussein to disarm himself and show proof. He has continued his normal trend of lies and deception. The primary threat is not just weapons of mass destruction, but Hussein himself.

2) A U.S.-led invasion of Iraq plays into the hands of Osama bin Laden and other terrorists. It would be the greatest terrorist recruitment tool that Osama bin Laden could imagine.

This statement is also based on the faulty leftist logic that you shouldn't stand up to bad people, because they could hurt you or someone else in the process. The decision to go to war or not should never be made based on how tyrants, dictators and their supporters will respond. Good people should make the right decision regardless of the consequences. If people are suffering under a brutal dictatorship, the right decision could be to remove their oppressor from power. Fear of retaliation should not be a factor in such debates.

3) We can't control war. Experts warn that an attack on Iraq could seriously undermine and destabilize regimes in the region whose populations are overwhelmingly opposed to an invasion. One of these, Pakistan, has nuclear weapons.

Again, how is keeping a dictator who has attacked two of his neighbors (Kuwaitis and the Kurds) in power going keep the region stable. Is Moveon.com suggesting that the region is stable now? The same people were saying the same thing before we went into Afghanistan and they were wrong. Removing Saddam Hussein from the region will have a drastic stabilizing affect.

4) What happens after war? Are we prepared to occupy Iraq for years to come? Are we prepared to spend the hundreds of billions of dollars occupation will consume?

I thought it was pretty clear that the United States would use the sale of Iraqi oil to pay our expenses in the war as well as the expense of rebuilding Iraq. Not to mention Iraq should be easier to help rebuild then Afghanistan because they already have infrastructure and bureaucracy in place.

5) The administration hasn't convinced our allies or the American public.

Going to war is a tough decision. I expect reasonable people to fall on both sides of the issue. I will say that many people in America and the world will never allow themselves to be convinced. Many Democrats in this country will never back a war with a Republican in office. For them the war is just another issue they use to undermine the current administration. Our most recent statewide and national elections should have taught them a valuable lesson, but they still don't get it. There are many Americans in this country who do trust the current President to keep them safe.

6) Many innocent will be killed or injured. Estimates of causalities run into the hundreds of thousands from injuries and more from disease. Half of the Iraqi population is under 15 years old.

Many innocent have already died in the hundreds of thousands. Saddam Hussein killed a million and a half of Iraq's Kurdish population. He also used chemical weapons against them. Not only that, but we all know that he attacked Kuwait twelve years ago. The question we should be considering is how many innocent people will be killed or injured if we don't take on the responsibility for Saddam Hussein.

7) Young Americans will die in battle. Will there be hand-to-hand combat in Baghdad? Will chemical or biological weapons be used? How long will the conflict last? War should be the very last resort.

The United States operates with a volunteer army. The men and women who have decided to protect this country deserve all the support and respect we can give them. That being the case, I will not try to assume how they feel about this potential war with Iraq. I will say that the armed forces have shown a lot of respect and appreciation for President Bush. These fine American's who protect the rest of us know the risk and perform their tasks admirably.

I agree that war should be the last resort. Yet, America is hardly rushing into this situation. Saddam Hussein has had twelve years to back down and comply to the worlds demands. He has not. Weapons inspections sponsored by the U.N. have not worked since the Gulf War ended. Continuing to play hide and seek with Saddam Hussein could have a disastrous effect on innocent people all over the world and in America. If we don't stand up to him now, we may not be able to in the future.

Aaron 9:55 AM Archive |

I watched the Grammy's last night. Someone at church told me, some musicians were going to use the opportunity to promote their antiwar agenda. After watching the show, I have to say that the peace talk was laughable. No one made any real impact. The few times someone said something, it came off as childish and silly. Now, who knows what happened off camera, but this antiwar crowd has a lot of maturing to do. I still want to know where these people were during the times Clinton used our military. Here is a tally of antiwar comments last night:

• Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit said, "This war should go away as soon as possible."



• Bonnie Raitt said, "Let's build some peace," before announcing the winner of record of the year.



• While she performed, Sheryl Crow's guitar strap read "No War."

Someone needs to tell Fred Durst that the war will go away as soon as possible. As soon as Saddam Hussein is stripped of power, the Iraqi people are liberated and the world is safe again the war will just go away.

NPR this morning reported that many artists felt pressured by the music academy to not discuss their feelings on the war. The academy obviously understands what these artist don't. They know that the majority of viewers trust President Bush and his actions to protect America over Saddam Hussein and his willingness to comply to the world's demands.

Aaron 9:08 AM Archive |

The Truth Will Set You Free....

...unless you are former President Bill Clinton. The truth would probably land him in jail. I find it refreshing that at the same time he is feverishly building his own library, another important building project is underway. Yes, a few blocks away from the actual Clinton "LIE-brary," the Counter Clinton Library is being built.

Clinton may think he can rewrite the story of his presidency, but unfortunately for him there will a library of truth which will present the actual Clinton legacy.

Check out some of the proposed exhibits:

• 1. Entry Foyer


• 2. The Early Clinton Years


• 3. The Hillary Hall of Shame


• 4. Clinton and the Military


• 5. TravelGate Scandal


• 6. National Insecurity Hall


• 7. It Takes a Village


• 8. White House "Gifts"


• 9. The Clinton Casualties


• 10. Grifter's Gallery


• 11. Dept. of Domestic "Affairs"


• 12. The Impeachment Story


• 13. Pardons for Dollars


• 14. Hillary-for-President


• 15. Missing FBI Files


• 16. The EXIT Room

The founders have promised, "to let not one Clinton lie go unanswered, to let not one Clinton evasion go unquestioned and to let not one Clinton slander go unchallenged." They will obviously be very busy for a long time.

If you are interested and want more information, you can go to the Counter Clinton Library web site.

Aaron 3:21 PM Archive |

FREEDOM FRIES, NOT FRENCH FRIES

Neal Boortz, a syndicated talk show host based in Atlanta, came up with this great idea. I am just doing what any other red blooded American would do.... passing this critical information on to others.

We want restaurants and fast foot joints to rename their French fries. Same potatoes. Same ingredients. Same grease. Same carbs and calories. Just change the menu. From now on they are Freedom Fries, not French Fries. Every time we load up on this junk food we can honor that which makes America great .. not that which demeans and dishonors America. Which "F" word do you like the most? "Freedom" or "French"?

Clip --- paste -- e-mail --- forward --- print --- do it however you can, but spread the word! Let me know when restaurants in your neighborhood pick up the cause!

Aaron 9:22 AM Archive |

Soccer Could Save the World

I was thinking the other day, that countries like France and Germany are not quite as peace loving as they would like us to believe. Can these European countries really be so interested in nonviolence and peaceful resolutions to conflicts? They may think they hold some moral high ground on world opinion, however one of their most important past times exposes their true hearts.

I am referring to Europe's most popular sport, what we in this country refer to as soccer. It may be difficult to get the French and Germans serious about the threat of Iraq, but they are always passionate about their beloved sport and the World Cup. The combination of Europeans and soccer is like mixing the strategic, world domination board game of Risk with a highly competitive sport like paint ball. What about this combination is not a recipe for violence?

See if you can choose the correct outcome of this hypothetical situation. Thousands of passionate and wasted European soccer fans crowd into bars and restaurants to watch their team lose (20 to nil) to not only a rival team but a rival nation. These people will:
a. Shrug the loss off and just be glad they spent the day bonding with family and friends. The day will end with everyone singing a rousing anthem in honor of their team.
b. Peacefully sign a petition stating that officiating in the game was blatantly one sided and that only 15 out of the 20 goals were "earned" by the other side. The day will end with everyone singing a rousing anthem in honor of their team.
c. Violently pour out of homes, bars and restaurants into their streets, where they will destroy their own cities and pummel their own police force. The day will end with everyone singing a rousing anthem in honor of their team.

Just in case you missed watching the news, the most likely scenario is outcome "c." European soccer fans are known for violent riots, usually caused by either their team losing or sometimes even winning. Property is damaged and people are injured or sometimes killed.

On first thought it is annoying that some Europeans seem more interested in the drama of soccer, then real world problems like Saddam Hussein, yet maybe America can use this to our advantage.

I propose a new U.N. resolution against Iraq. I call it Resolution 10-0. In it the United States will challenge Iraq to a soccer match to be held in Baghdad. The entire world will be invited to attend and the match will be broadcasted worldwide via television and radio.

Given how much anti-American sentiment is in the world today, I would expect that some countries would favor the Iraqi team. At the same time, the French and the Germans will have to seriously chose which side they are on. This will not be an insignificant political confrontation between the U.S. and Iraq, this will be the tournament of all soccer tournaments. They will feel inclined to chose sides a bit more carefully.

Tension all over the world will escalate in anticipation of this final confrontation between the Untied States and Saddam Hussein. News and sports commentators will breathlessly debate the unknown outcome. Soccer fans throughout the world will work themselves into their pre-game frenzy.

Then in America's usual spirit and resolve we devastate the Iraqi soccer team 10-0. After the game, given the nature of soccer fans, we can count on them to destroy Baghdad and to create enough diversion for our special forces to sneak in, finish Saddam Hussein and get out.

This plan seems almost too perfect. Unfortunately, I would not want to trust the innocent lives of Iraqi civilians to the danger of rioting French an German soccer fans.

Aaron 11:05 AM Archive |

Desert One

For those of you interested in war history, the following story may be interesting. It is about the mission to rescue hostages in Iran during the Carter administration. Unfortunately, it ended in disaster. You can find the story here

Aaron 11:16 AM Archive |

May the L-rd Bless America

Lately, it sure seems that the anti-American crowd has been out in full force. It is frustrating to hear real American's downplay the significance of this great nation. In the car this morning I was dwelling on the United States and how blessed I feel to be a part of this great experiment in self government. Sure, the system is not perfect, but that awareness embodies its strength.

Individual freedom comes with an obligation to live in a compromised situation. Not that an individual beliefs are compromise, but that people with conflicting values must live together peacefully. As an American I live with many things I detest. The convenient and inconvenient abortion of unborn babies is a national travesty. Sexuality is flaunted on TV shows, in the movies and in music. Over 50% of all marriages end up in divorce, negatively affecting multiple generations of children. Education in the public school system is at an all time pathetic low. For eight years, I had to live with a President who lied under oath, and brought more corruption to his office and position then anyone else before him. People with ideals and thoughts I absolutely disagree with surround me. Yet, THIS is freedom and liberty in action. People have the choice to use these sacred concepts to live immoral, hopeless and meaningless lives (and to disagree with me, which is far less of a problem).

Yet, for all the negatives, so many good things are evident in our society. For the sake of my time I won't list them, but you should know this to be fundamentally true. Americans use their freedom and liberty to worship G-d, help those in need and provide for their families in peace. This ability is a gift from G-d.

As hard as it is to watch others do evil in our society, we must remember that the L-rd has watched men's evil actions since Adam and Eve. Since the beginning of time He has given mankind the freedom to obey or disobey. Once mankind chose disobedience, the L-rd had no expectation that we could reach perfection in our current state. We could not save ourselves, He was going to have provide salvation for us.

In the same way, the expectation of a perfect society in this life is futile. However, some people believe that our current state is perfectible. Socialists, for example basically believe that a controlling government can refine society. With enough rules, laws and the equitable distribution of wealth; mankind can perfect himself and his fallen situation. Yet, the outcome of such social experiments becomes economic poverty and government oppression.

I believe that the American spirit embodies the will of G-d for people in the world today. America is the nation of life, liberty and freedom. With this opportunity some people choose correctly and live morally, others use this opportunity to make excuses for their immoral actions.

A fulfilling and peaceful life comes from being in G-d's will. This is an individual decision that can not be forced or coerced. That is why every day we should thank the L-rd for this great country. A place where not only can we live in relative prosperity, peace and freedom, but we also have the ability to worship and serve G-d without the fear of human oppression. Unfortunately, we have to expect that others will waste this amazing opportunity.

These thoughts are hardly complete. Any input would be appreciated.

Aaron 1:45 PM Archive |