The U.S. is in Iraq and in Afghanistan, Israel is in Gaza, people are dying, and one of the things I think about it all is I am so grateful that separation of church and state is one of the principals that founded this weird and wonderful nation of ours.

Because in America, if a religious radical -- say, a radical "Christian" --  does something ... uh ... untoward ...  such as bomb an abortion clinic or shoot at an abortion doctor with a sniper rifle, it is not something other Christians have to deal with as an act of religious duty. 

 The government deals with it, as a non-religious issue.  The religious radical blew up a building or shot a doctor, and that is against the civil law. Religion is not in the legal argument. Shoot a doctor, go to jail.

But in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Gaza, there are religious radicals who think it is perfectly OK, even blessed by God, to go blow themselves up and kill a lot of other people in the process, and ... within Islam ... who is to say if those people are wrong to do that? Are they lesser Muslims or greater Muslims, to do such things?

If a "Christian" in America blows up an abortion clinic, is that person a greater Christian or a lesser Christian?

Not an issue, here. Here, it's against the law, period, so that person goes to jail. If caught, tried, etc.

In the Muslim-dominated countries, it's not so simple an issue.

So, like I said, I am grateful for separation of church and state, even though I believe God is greater than any country or government ever devised by mortal man. 

It is sad that civilians are being killed in the Israeli invasion of Gaza, but I feel somewhat pragmatic about it -- although the death and injury of children, especially, pretty much breaks my heart. Hamas kept shooting rockets into Israel, and Israel has a right to do all it can go stop the rockets. Simple. 

It's too bad the Palestinians themselves could not stop Hamas from sending the rockets. 

I have a friend at work who indicated he is sort of on the side of the Palestinians. "I guess I always root for the little guy," he said. 

So, I asked him, "What if a little guy, a midget, came in here and started chucking pens at you? Don't you think you'd want to stop him?"

And I chucked some pens at him, over the top of my cubicle. (OK. I am not a midget. I am what you call "Large Economy Size.")

Man! Did he get a cranky look in his eye. 

I can only hope he doesn't get me fired. 

But, ya know ... I had no business chucking pens at him. And he would have every right to do what he could to stop me from chucking pens at him, if I had been stupid enough to keep doing it. 

Who's to say, though, if I would not have been the more faithful person if I had continued to chuck pens?

Of course, if I had done so, he probably would have climbed over the cubicle wall, kicked my teeth out, and then we both would have been dragged off by the Menlo Park first-responders.

It would have been a great lesson to us all: That in America it is not the Church of Pen Chuckers who dominate the courts, it is civil law. 

And in America, it is against the law to chuck pens at people. 

You can look it up.