“I selected the examples of “Deus lo volt!” and “Gott Mitt Uns” because they were brief and to the point.”

I see.

And “Babies, Lies, and Scandal” was all about US magazine wanting to expose the lies on Left-leaning blogs.

But anyway – why should I be repelled by God & guns? Embarking on a military tour makes young men think about their own mortality. Some go to go to Church to try and ease their minds. From time to time, dignitaries attend these services. Palin could genuinely believe that her remarks might comfort them (or it could just be a cynical photo op to her. Maybe a bit of both). The intersection of religion and military service doesn’t have to mean delusional red-staters invading Iraq b/c they have a direct line to Heaven.

How should anyone know whether & to what extent Palin reflects on human agency, morality, & religion? Unlike some Democrats & Republicans I try not to lose my head over any candidate. I’m fully aware that the politicians I support are still human and often deceptive. Could be that Palin’s an amoral deceiver, and if so it won’t come as a complete surprise to me. After all, there are enough fallen political charlatans throughout History who did the same.

Nevertheless, for now I believe that her remarks at the ceremony seemed appropriate. Making false equivalence between praying that God approves of soldiers’ and nations’ between adhering to a fanatical religious triumphalism is absurd (at least to me. To others, it’s perfectly OK as long as it helps denigrate the candidates they don’t like.)

And as for OIF – it is not a religious crusade for me and I do not claim to know what purpose the war could serve for God, Satan, Horus, Zeus, or whatever.