Real World 101 - No good deed goes unpunished

While we don't think it was particular wise for the Christian Peacekeepers Team to send a group to Iraq to protest what they believe is a "U.S. occupation," (nor do we agree with them), you can't help but be saddened by the news today that the body of one of the four, Tom Fox, was found dumped as garbage.

He deserved better than that.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - American hostage Tom Fox has been killed and his body, showing signs of torture, left at a garbage dump in Baghdad, police said on Saturday.

One of the policemen who found the body said the 54-year-old peace activist, wearing a gray tracksuit, appeared to have beaten with electric cables before his death. He had a single gunshot wound to the head and his hands were tied behind him.

Fox, who had been in Iraq to campaign against the U.S. occupation and to work for the release of Iraqis held by U.S. forces, was taken hostage with three colleagues in November by a group calling itself the "Swords of Truth."

"Swords of Truth" members do not care if you are liberal or conservative, hawk or dove, Democrat or Republican, as long as you are an American and are an available target.

If the "Swords of Truth" could arrange it, they'd be doing business within the borders of the United States. In very fact, they hope to be someday, as soon as they can arrange to oust the Americans from Iraq.

With or without the help of our dovish fellow citizens.

This idea that if Americans just play nice, give up our weaponry and renounce for all time violence, and the rest of the world will become our friends is a beautiful thought, a great dream, a wonderful fantasy. It will never happen because human nature has not changed, and will not change until God's kingdom comes.

Human behavior can change, and must change, if we are to have relative peace. If you cannot change human nature, then you have to work on human motivation. Protesting "occupations" in the middle of a terrorist-infested recovery zone does neither.