[guest post by Dana]

Terrific news from the White House:

Trump addressed the country this morning from the White House to declare the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The President said a US special operations forces mission went after the ISIS leader and there were no US deaths during the operation.

Several ISIS fighters and companions of al-Baghdadi were killed, including two women wearing suicide vests and three children. Trump would not provide a specific number of casualties, only describing those targeted on scene as “more dead than alive.” Eleven children were moved out of the house and are uninjured, the President said.

The death of al-Baghdadi marks the culmination of a years-long hunt to find one of the most wanted terrorists in the world and the man who declared a so-called Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

Here is a portion of President Trump’s statement on the mission:

Last night, the United States brought the world’s number one terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror organization in the World. The United States has been searching for Baghdadi for many years. Capturing or killing Baghdadi has been the top national security priority of my Administration. U.S. Special Operations forces executed a dangerous and daring nighttime raid into Northwestern Syria to accomplish this mission.

No U.S. personnel were lost in the operation, while a large number of Baghdadi’s fighters and companions were killed with him. He died after running into a dead-end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming. The compound had been cleared by this time, with people either surrendering or being shot and killed. Eleven young children were moved out of the house un-injured. The only ones remaining were Baghdadi in the tunnel, who had dragged three children with him to certain death. He reached the end of the tunnel, as our dogs chased him down. He ignited his vest, killing himself and the three children. His body was mutilated by the blast, but test results gave certain and positive identification.

The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear, panic and dread – terrified of the American Forces bearing down.

We were in the compound for approximately 2 hours, and after the mission was accomplished we took highly sensitive material and information from the raid.

Baghdadi’s demise demonstrates America’s relentless pursuit of terrorist leaders, and our commitment to the enduring and total defeat of ISIS!

The President also expressed his thanks to first, Russia, then Turkey, Syria and Iraq, and finally, he thanked our allies, the Syrian Kurds for certain support they lent the US. There are any number of details about the mission that would be interesting to know.

Finally, as the title of this post notes, the Washington Post felt it their Democracy Dies in Darkness duty to solemnly honor monstrous terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on headline of today’s edition before they didn’t:

They had it right the first time.

The Washington Post changed the headline on its Al-Baghdadi obituary from “Islamic State’s terrorist-in-Chief” to “austere religious scholar at helm of Islamic State.” pic.twitter.com/cs243EVz7W

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 27, 2019

I’m not going to post anything from Al-Baghdadi’s obituary at The Post, because if you are one of the biggest media outfits around, and you aren’t even clear about what a vile, vicious monstrous POS Al-Baghdadi was, then why would I care what you have to say about him or his life or, well, anything? Disgraceful.

–Dana

It is the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. Today’s Bach cantata is “Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei” (See to it, that your fear of God be not hypocrisy):

The performance was recorded live at St. David’s Cathedral in Wales.

Today’s Gospel reading is Luke 18:9-14:

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

The text of today’s piece is available here. It contains these words:

Who is on the inside just like the outside,
can be called a true Christian.
Thus was the tax-collector in the temple,
who beat his breast in humility,
he did not credit himself with a holy existence;
and this sets for you,
o fellow man, a worthy model
for your repentance;
though you are no thief, adulterer,
no unrighteous oath-breaker,
ah, do not imagine therefore
that you are angelically pure on that account!
Acknowledge your sins to God in humility,
so that you can find mercy and aid!

. . . .

Wretched man that I am, wretched sinner,
I stand here before God’s face.
Ah God, ah God, be gentle
and do not enter into judgment with me!
Have mercy, have mercy,
God, my Forgiver, over me!

Happy listening! Soli Deo gloria.