The Volokh Conspiracy - Jules Crittenden: "Psalm 9-11: Fear No Evil."--

Jules Crittenden, a journalist who was embedded with the troops in Iraq, has a deeply felt editorial in the Boston Herald: "Psalm 9-11: Fear No Evil":

Lullabies combat false monsters. Real monsters require something different.

Psalms, like lullabies, give comfort. But they don't mask or deny the threat. They embrace it, and show the way to strength and ultimately comfort from within. What might a psalm say to anyone whose 9/11 fears have been reawakened?

Strong, ruthless men and women go long hours without sleep for you. They do everything they can to keep you safe. They are your shield. They will kill for you, and die for you. You can take comfort from that knowledge and draw strength from their example.

But that is not enough. There is something you have to find within yourself. It may be that one day, our shield will fail, and the insidious foe that operates from beyond our borders and even within them will penetrate that shield and kill some of us again.

You must decide for yourself that you will not let them deter you from your path. If they rise against you, you must be prepared to meet them. Prepared to be ruthless in defense of what you love. It may mean that you will die. We all do someday. As a friend of mine who knew what he was talking about once said, it's not a matter of whether we will die, but how we will die. And when the time comes, the best we can hope for in this life, the one thing we might be able to control, is that we die well.

After discussing some brave souls on 9/11, Crittenden closes:

We honor them by endeavoring to live up to their example. It begins by repeating to ourselves the words from which others have drawn comfort in time of war and peril for more than 2,500 years.

I will fear no evil.

To see how these more intense passages fit into the larger essay (Crittenden begins by pointing out that the chances of being killed by a terrorist are extremely small compared to other risks), you would have to read the whole thing.

For background on Crittenden, see this post at Powerline.

	[Jim Lindgren, August 19, 2006 at 3:30pm] Trackbacks Jules Crittenden: "Psalm 9-11: Fear No Evil."-- Jules Crittenden, a journalist who was embedded with the troops in Iraq, has a deeply felt editorial in the Boston Herald: "Psalm 9-11: Fear No Evil": Lullabies combat false monsters. Real monsters require something different. Psalms, like lullabies, give comfort. But they don't mask or deny the threat. They embrace it, and show the way to strength and ultimately comfort from within. What might a psalm say to anyone whose 9/11 fears have been reawakened? Strong, ruthless men and women go long hours without sleep for you. They do everything they can to keep you safe. They are your shield. They will kill for you, and die for you. You can take comfort from that knowledge and draw strength from their example. But that is not enough. There is something you have to find within yourself. It may be that one day, our shield will fail, and the insidious foe that operates from beyond our borders and even within them will penetrate that shield and kill some of us again. You must decide for yourself that you will not let them deter you from your path. If they rise against you, you must be prepared to meet them. Prepared to be ruthless in defense of what you love. It may mean that you will die. We all do someday. As a friend of mine who knew what he was talking about once said, it's not a matter of whether we will die, but how we will die. And when the time comes, the best we can hope for in this life, the one thing we might be able to control, is that we die well. After discussing some brave souls on 9/11, Crittenden closes: We honor them by endeavoring to live up to their example. It begins by repeating to ourselves the words from which others have drawn comfort in time of war and peril for more than 2,500 years. I will fear no evil. To see how these more intense passages fit into the larger essay (Crittenden begins by pointing out that the chances of being killed by a terrorist are extremely small compared to other risks), you would have to read the whole thing. For background on Crittenden, see this post at Powerline.