Rules of Engagement

The military, the FBI, NATO, and even our schools have strict regulations concerning when, where and how to intervene in a crisis. Esther and Mordecai, in desperate times, are winging it in a dangerous attempt to save the lives of their people. Their experience still provides a lesson for us today.

The FBI has them, as well as the U.S. military and NATO.

Janet Reno and the INS had them when they grabbed Elian Gonzalez in a pre-dawn raid on April 22, 2000.

Rules of engagement (ROE).

Fathers have them for their teenage daughters.

Here's a few of the highlights of one father's "Application for Permission to Date My Daughter":

After asking for standard information like name, date of birth, IQ, GPA and Boy Scout rank, the application then asks,

• Do you own a van? YES/NO

• Do you own a truck with oversized tires? YES/NO

• Do you own a waterbed? YES/NO

• Do you have an earring, nose ring or belly-button ring? YES/NO

• Do you own a pickup with a mattress in the back? YES/NO

• Do you have a tattoo? YES/NO

The application then notes: If YES to any of the above, discontinue application and leave the premises immediately.

Other items on the application include:

• In 50 words or less, what does LATE mean to you?

• In 50 words of...