Women and Children ... C'mon folks, really ... Show a little mercy!

I'm in the middle of reading disturbing comments in the middle of the night (it would be almost morning in the summer, but it's now only the middle of the night, what the heck is up with that? I can't believe how much longer it takes to stay up all night in the winter than it does in the summer.)

Now that I've got the seasonal comments out of my system, here's what's on my mind on this middle of the night in October of 2015:

Reading the comments from waaaay too many people who seem perfectly willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater for pete's sake. 

I'm talking about the horrifying stories that are coming out of Europe (and some in the US). Yes the stories are truly horrific. Yes the atrocities should be stopped, whatever it takes. You'll get no argument from me about that. 

But some of the comments are talking about genocide, folks. Open any forum on the net these days that has anything remotely to do with Islam and you'll find it.

I'm Christian, so I suppose I'm included in the Islam 'bad guy' list - but I can't find it in me to condemn women and children, who are already not exactly in the safest situation in the world, to the 'kill 'em all' mentality that seems to be taking a stronger root every day.

Battle is battle. Women and young children who are being victimized every which way from Tuesday are not the threat. Can we not find it in us to help those who are already hurt? Yes, take your stand against the ones who are the threat - that makes all the sense in the world. But for the love of God, to not spare the innocent? Where's the sense in that, the decency?

Some are making the distinction, don't get me wrong. They are the ones saying to reject the ones who are a threat - the many men of fighting age who are able to fight for their own country (the one they left) but are instead 'raising hell' wherever they are - reject them and send them to countries that are already Muslim where they might have a chance of fitting in and maybe eventually figure out how to regain their country from yet another faction of their same religion. There's a certain sense in that.

On the other hand, Mercy for mothers and children ... surely we can make room for them? We needn't be as mean to them as their own culture seems to be.

It does seem that battle has come upon us - can't the soldiers fight the soldiers and the rest of us care for the innocents? If a woman, a mother, chooses to be a soldier, let her fight too - but care for the children until she gets back to them.

Ach. When we had our own 'internal' troubles (Christians) our world still had places of (relative) safety for those who needed them and were able to get to them - America was one of those places. Today our world is different, more filled up ... where are the places of (relative) peace and safety today? It seems there aren't any.

So this little old gramma lady doesn't have any answers, but only a plea for mercy for the women and children who have already been hurt enough.