"Throughout history humans have waged war against each other, each side declaring.....
 'God is on our side!'
For the life of me, I cannot see who is on God's side." Oliver Cromwell

 Sandy,

   I agree completely with you and those responding to this prayer for our troops. The troops of America are in need of the protection only afforded them by prayer to a loving God.

   It is the same with the troops of the other countries embattled in this evil, unnecessary hysteria. They, also, deserve the prayers of the faithful. 

   All the innocent citizens, domestic and foreign to us, assailed by hate-filled words, assaulted by bullets and bombs, bereft by the violent losses of loved ones --on a daily basis-- are no less deserving of Divine attention.

   Those we consider our enemies are no less deserving of our prayers. Along with exposure to the dangers of military war, they are equally in danger from their belief in a false ideology. One of destruction disguised as a true path to Divine Glory. They are blinded to the fact that were they to succeed in their efforts today, tomorrow they would be compelled -- by circumstances -- to seek out and wage war on yet another enemy. Much like a serpent devouring itself, they are doomed by their own doctrines to eventually leave nothing as a testament to their distorted understanding of purity.

   There is only the illusion of a war in Iraq. When war exists, it exists in every corner of the world. When war exists, we are all at our most dark and vulnerable state of being.

We have no certainty of being in the right, simply because we are of one people or another.  We all would be wise to know that all of our steps are the steps of the blindfolded walking in a dangerous, unknown world.

 We would be the wiser, when praying to God, to pray as one in the wrong, petitioning for the gift of wisdom from the source of Wisdom. From humility, we would ask the source of Love for compassion for all -- regardless of how we may assess their worthiness as recipients of such Love.

 Peace, however, will only come when hatred dies in our hearts. No amount of prayers, no amount of negotiating, no matter how many die in some desert, or on some west bank, or over some ocean, only the death of hatred will bring peace. Peace will only come when hatred dies in each of our hearts.

 We, alone, are responsible --and accountable-- for our own hearts.