The Saints Are Coming music video

Well, the new music video for the U2/Green Day collarboration "The Saints Are Coming" has been released.



Interesting video, and yet I'm torn about it. The footage of the two bands playing is amazing. The sight of all those jets dropping relief supplies is also amazing...and saddening.

But aren't they rewriting history here a little? Yes, the "Bush Administration" was a little slow helping out. But then again, this was a big catastrophe. Even if relief had been sitting around waiting BEFORE Katrina hit, I doubt it would have made a difference in people's minds. Bush caused Katrina to come hit New Orleans, same as he caused 9/11 and AIDS and other things.

But let's ignore the Bush thing for a second. Featured pretty prominently in the video are mockups of the troops redeploying from Iraq to New Orleans. Obviously this is something that did not happen, as the video says at the end (in a nice way too). Of this I really am of two minds...perhaps even three or four.

As a US citizen, the idea of all those troops coming home to help and bring relief is a great idea. But is this the ideal thing? The way the video is set up, it implies that ALL the troops must come home to help. As a US citizen, I say "Great!" But as a US citizen who values freedom, I cannot help but think that it was a good thing that all the troops did not come home.

Despite the image the "drive-bye" media has been painting, we really have done some great and amazing things in Iraq. And some terrible things too. Mistakes have been made, and Bush has said as much. Maybe not in exactly the words everyone seems to want to hear ("I f*cked up, impeach me."), but he has said it; on national tv too, if I remember correctly. But overall, I'd say the "US occupation" of Iraq has been a great thing to many people. So in that sense, I disagree with the idea that ALL the troops should have come home.

But my third mind is also in conflict. The spiritual, Biblical mind that is. I know Christians should definitely be invested in politics, and we need more serving in politics, helping to create and mandate policy, etc. But are the majority of us too invested in politics? The "rightwing Christian conservative" group, or whatever we have been called. Politics seems to take our mind and eyes away from things that are more important; spiritual matters and the like. Plus if we aren't capable, politics can instill hatred in us, or bigotry or prejudice or any number of nasty personality tics.

How do I view the Katrina disaster and the War in Iraq through spiritual eyes? Well..."blessed are the peacemakers" is one way. Helping the poor and needy in general is another way; but that can go for either Katrina or Iraq. Then there is always the option to ignore the physical and just focus on the spiritual (witness only); 1 Peter (or was it James?) warns us against this, but it seems the angle that many Christians seem to take. And it's a view I obviously disagree with.

So I don't know. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. I wonder though how this video/collaboration will affect Bono's relationship with President Bush. I know they aren't exactly buddy-buddy, but Bush has been very instrumental in helping Bono with debt relief and AIDS supplies to Africa.

Still, there is one thing I am 100% in agreement about:

The song rocks!!

THE SAINTS...ARE COMING!