On this date, May 2, 2011, my thoughts are with those who lost a loved one in war. Brutal battles cause such harm. Yet, curiously the seem never-ending. It would appear that humans forget their history. When attacked, people frequently attack back. With a loved one lost in war, or other destructive engagement, rather than relate to the pain of another who has experienced as they do or did, a pained person often seeks revenge. Combat starts a cycle; however, once commenced, it does not cease. Perchance, we might ponder the past and the people the circumstances of those who are no longer with us. Instead, today, as the headlines herald Obama Calls World 'Safer' After Pakistan Raid and Osama bin Laden Killed by U.S. Forces countless celebrate in glee.
This much is clear: violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation,
and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul. ~ Robert F. Kennedy
This year, Christmas and New Years Days were days of intense reflection. Perchance, that is true every year and for every individual. I cannot know what is true for others. I am only certain that on each of these dates I was immersed in a rigorous course of study. My gifts or the curriculum came wrapped in a routine event.
The lessons covered were Empathy and Education, although perhaps these were presented in reverse order. Possibly, the truer program was entropy and encouragement. Each edifies. I wonder; on each of the two days these topics were intertwined. In my attempt to analyze and understand what I needed to learn or did, I invite your assessments. Please indulge me as I share the story.
Growing up in farm country in mid-America the relationship between seed and crop was more than easy to see in our back fields. The land was rented to local farmers who grew corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops year after year all my time at home. Those farmers saw the proof of the old adage, "You reap what you sow."
A few days ago I was reminded about another similar adage. Those who sow violence (read that any who institute a violent act of any sort) may solve one problem but very likely another issue will arise. The reaction to violence in most human cultures is more and escalating violence.
The damage done, affects us all economically. Years of war have done nothing to further education, enrich, or protect the environment. Indeed, endless battles have destroyed any sense of balance or betterment. Ethically, hostilities in the Middle East have helped to erode societal standards. Might we ask; what have we taught our children? How to waste money . . . that human lives are but waste . . . that their elders think funds and a focus on education are a waste, or that ethical standards are a waste of time and energy. Surely, attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan have contributed nothing to the Seventh Generation.
If you have yet to see, hear, read, or feel the commitment of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans against the Middle Eastern wars, here is your chance. If you have not experienced the pain the family and friends of troops feel, now you can. If you think you can only show your support for soldiers by endorsing the wars, then, please ponder the words of Winter Soldier Michael Prysner. He and the experienced troops who walk with him wish to ask for your help. Peruse the passage Prysner presents in this mail.
Please ponder how the wars affect you personally, politically, and even fiscally. Consider the many communities in this country and abroad deprived of funds, all in an effort to participate in and pay for warfare. Try to imagine the many lives and limbs lost, not to mention the emotional traumatic stress. Perhaps, you have already actively considered how our culture has changed, all because we engage in costly battles.
If you had wanted to speak out, and have not, or if you want to communicate in a manner that might touch the President and Congress, please join our servicemen, woman, kin, and acquaintances in a March Forward.
He was a Nigerian man, a foreign-born nationalist, a terrorist, or one who at least attempted to threatened the tranquility of a plane. Most people see this individual as someone unlike "me." The word is we must do all we can to protect ourselves. Surely, this incident reminds us that we must require stronger security measures. Today, with the news of another "menace" in our midst people, once again, presume society as we know it is not a safe place.
Americans, Afghanis, Anglos, African Americans, Armenians, Asians, [name the archetype of your choice] proclaim the other is an opponent. Millions muse; is us against them. Enemies are everywhere. Forever humans find reason to call our brethren brutal, a bully, and, or a bad person. In a world where we typically think of the alien, those different than us, as a potential antagonist, it is important to realize that aggression is not instinctual. Hatred and hostility are born out of fear.
Mankind kills in order not to be killed. He, or she, massacres the masses in hope that one person, a foe will be found. Rarely do humans reflect on the kitten and the deer. Nor do we dare take the time to learn of the authentic you and me. We race 'round. Few stop to smell the essence of friendship. Less let themselves feel what their fellowman feels. Empathy is barely evident in our culture. Compassion is not as common as cruelty.
Perchance, people might ponder; a bit of curiosity did not kill the kitty who sniffed the deer. A fawn becomes a friend, a cat a compassionate companion. Oh, what a wonderful world it would be if you, and me, were as those beings, that humans are quick to define as beasts.
Please ponder possibilities. If you wish to, you might see the world beyond conventional wisdoms or the apprehensions we share.
We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth: We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations -- acting individually or in concert -- will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified. ~ Barack Obama (President of the United States. Peace Prize Acceptance Speech. December 10, 2009)
For years, Americans saw live, and in person, or on television screens, Presidential aspirant Barack Obama. Several mused; the man is calm in a crisis. "No drama Obama" was the phrase most often associated with the candidate. Those closely and personally connected to the potential President corroborated what was for most only an observation. The election did not change Barack Obama. His calm demeanor remained intact. Yet, many perceived a difference, not in his response to a predicament, but in the President's rhetoric. Empathy evolved into escalation. This was perhaps most evident on two occasions, when Mister Obama delivered his Address on the War in Afghanistan, and then again when the Commander-In Chief offered his Remarks in acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize. After these events, the pensive pondered; what was there all along, Cerebral Discord, the Two Faces of Barack Obama.
War Is Not Peace. Nor is there reason to think a warrior can be cleansed of the blood on his hands because he receives the Nobel Peace Prize. Words can work to express justifications, or espouse the possibility that war is just, good, or even necessary. However, when man wields weapons and bodies are intentionally broken there can be no defense. To deliberately take the life of another, or to purposely cause people harm is to wage war. Such transgressions will not produce peace. Nor will aggressive attacks articulate a desire for diplomacy. Democracy will not thrive in a world where all men are not treated as though they are created equal. Only death and destruction will survive if a President who professes a need for bigger and bolder battles is proclaimed to be benevolent or the one who will bequeath global harmony.
One Thousand words or four will not convert combat to calm. Nor will the Nobel Prize change the message of a military Commander-In-Chief. A Head of State who chooses to engage with guns and tanks cannot be the bearer of peace, regardless of the eloquent rationalizations.
Please peruse what some think profound or scan what others trust to be a shallow excuse for the escalation of Armed Forces. . . The words of President Obama as he accepts the Nobel Peace Prize, after he declared the need to send more troops to Afghanistan
March 19, 2009, is a day that lives in infamy. There were others in the past. However, on this date six years ago, the United States launched what has come to be accepted as unwarranted attacks on Iraq. Although, from the first, there were protests even in high places such as the Senate floor, unilaterally, Americans bombed an innocent people. This time, for near two years prior, pretense was presented as truth.
It is March, again. Just as I have been for years, in this month I am haunted by the hate we, humans, propagate. March 19th is the sixth anniversary of "unnecessary wars". The phrase is not mine alone. Public servants, Ambassadors, and former Presidents have proclaimed as I have. Foreign Secretaries and domestic Diplomats deem the war was a mistake. Then there are the people.
It was 11:22 Ante Meridian, on January 21, 2009. I did as I rarely do. I stood silently and watched television. As one who listens to what is aired, and does so from another room, this was an unusual occurrence. However, the Cherokee wisdom of wolves, an illustration that represents the internal strife within every human being beckoned me.
Then, at the very same hour on the very next day, again I was compelled to do what is odd for me. I did not say a word as I glared at humanitarian actions took place on the screen. President Barack Obama proclaimed, by Executive Order, the United States would not torture. Nor would we, as a nation, detain presumed "combatants" without a just trial. On each occasion, I was in awe as I gazed upon what I had not imagined would come to pass. Upon reflection, the two events seem to be related.
On this, the anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior's birth, January 15, war is in the wind. In cyberspace communities, and on the streets of Israel, Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, even on the supposedly serene avenues in America, people are engaged in brutal battles. Be the clashes verbal or written, the combat is cruel. The punishment is not proportional. This truth is not unusual. Sadly, it is the convention, steeped in tradition. There is abundant conflict in every corner of the globe, contrary to the Civil Rights Leader, and nonviolent activist would want. Certainly, these crusades are not as G-d would grant just.
The command, "an eye for an eye" is used to justify vengeance. Retaliation is said to be the way of the Almighty, Allah, and the son, Jesus. Yet, theologians would admonish such interpretations of sacred text.
History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.
In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. ~ Martin Luther King Junior
Martin Luther King Junior offers his veracity, which may speak to those who have faith in any of the teachings of holy passages. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, are not silent on the subject of peace. Please peruse, ponder, and perhaps, walk in peace . . .
As the world watches the combat in Israel and Gaza, in every corner of the Earth, people await peace, or at least the prospect of a cessation. However, it seems harmony is not likely. Be it in the Mediterranean or here in the States, persons are quick to pounce. Caustic conversations fill the airwaves. In the ethereal sphere, the Internet, one might hear, 'Palestinians must be our priority.' Others say, "No. Israel is right. It is possible to respect the Arabs who reside in Gaza and still bomb Hamas into oblivion."
Each stance denies a truth Joe Goedereis expresses in what I believe is a brilliant essay. We are all people. For Mister Goedereis, peace is not possible if we, individuals on either side of the issue, exclaim "Enough is enough!" Joe Goedereis invites us to ponder the conflict from another perspective, a humanitarian truth.
Sorry, but I'll take the words of Naomi Klein and Graham Greenwald any day over the sentiments of one who endorses the actions that brought about an unnecessary war. I firmly believe that the Western media is not reporting this whole conflict fairly and is biased in favor of Israel. It has been biased in favor of Israel for years because of our close friendship and international relationship with this country and finally the world community is calling Israel out for its actions - something it should have done long ago for the treatment of the Palestinian PEOPLE. Notice I said PEOPLE, not Hamas. There seems to be this sentiment that Hamas are the only people in the Palestinian territories and that is not the case at all.
This much is clear: violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation,
and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul. ~ Robert F. Kennedy
It is the seventh day of the month, a date that now lives in infamy. On this occasion, she passed. She was killed by an attack that was all too sudden. Her physical presence on Earth did not end in the month of December. The year was not 1941. The events at Pearl Harbor did cause my Mom's heart to stop. Indeed, she only ceased to exist in a form that I can see with my eyes or touch with my hand, less than a decade ago. Truly, it feels as if Mommy just took her leave.
In every moment, she is still with me. All these years later, I mourn my loss. Oh, if only I could bring her back. She enters into my dreams almost daily. Since childhood, I knew, if she were gone, I might not be able to go on. Today, on the anniversary of her bodily discorporation, I mourn, as I trust she would, the casualties in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, Israel, and anywhere that war delays, defers, or denies family time, space, and a proper setting in which to grieve.
Just days ago, throughout the globe, people celebrated religious holidays. Peace on Earth and good will to all men was the palpable feeling that filled the air. Everywhere anyone turned expressions of fondness for our fellow beings could be heard. People were filled with glee. Then, suddenly, the sound that is the silent hum of joyous laughter was broken. Everything changed. Yet, indeed nothing did. The cycle of violence that has perpetually existed on this planet began again. The qualified quest for justice was once more the people's agenda. In Israel and Gaza, bombs blasted. Bullets whizzed by the heads of frantic, frightened people who sought shelter from another Mediterranean storm. Some died. Hamas was blamed for the initial attacks, this time. As had occurred on other occasions, Israel, in the name of self-defense, fought back. The roles might have been reversed and have been.
Today, just as every Saturday, at a local intersection, I stood vigil for war veterans, civilians and soldiers. As I held a sign which reads "Love. Not War. Love," I contemplated the combat overseas, the recent tragedy in Mumbai, India, the protracted wars in Iraq, Afghanistan. The situations in Israel and Iran, were not far from my consciousness. Threats and acts of terrorism, nations in turmoil; thoughts of a desired global tranquility filled my mind. I imagined, as I do daily, a transition, and a hopeful worldwide transformation towards peace.
As I pondered the profound, a man in a very large Sports Utility Vehicle stopped near me. He rolled down his car window. The gent was perhaps in his forties, well-groomed, and thankfully polite. Calmly, concerned, and a bit critical of what he seemed to think my naivety. this anonymous chap announced, "What would you do if they came on to our shores and attacked us."
Without a thought I said, "Violence begets violence." He repeated his query and expanded the thought. "Would you not fight back?" I reflected on what I observe to be true. People kill other people in the name of peace. Christians, Muslims, Jews proclaim a love of the Lord and all mankind, except when they define another as the enemy. I stated, "I would wonder of their reasons. Might they believe we had done them harm." Agitated, the stranger shrieked, "Do you mean to say that we, Americans are to blame?" Without hesitation I responded, "No." I than shared, "I believe as my grandfather taught me, 'Two wrongs do not make a right.'" Seemingly in a huff, the man quickly sped away.
As an afterthought, I realized I might have asked as Andrew Wahl had more than two years ago; "Does It Matter?" (Archive No. 0626a) Does it matter who assaulted whom first or last. For me, it does not. Jew, Muslim, Christian, no matter the race or creed; a life is a life.
I thank you Andrew for the illustration that speaks more than a thousand words might.
Conservatives clamored; if Americans elected Barack Obama as President, unthinkable change would transform the planet as we know it. Republicans warned, there would be war in the streets throughout the land, people would respond violently. An international incident would certainly occur. World leaders would test the "inexperienced" Commander. Certainly, the Illinois Senator would be stunned, awash in angst. If Obama were in the Oval Office, it would become more obvious. He was not prepared to command a country as great as the United States of America. The people, from every nation would take advantage of the inexperienced leader.
For the past several years I have been a member of the local peace group, Pacem in Terris. One outgrowth of membership and action with the group was my recent political campaign. The driving force for political action was then and remains today my staunch opposition to the ongoing occupation of Iraq. Our nation has many issues to be resolved today. We will not be able to address many of those issues so long as we continue to borrow and spend $10 billion a month in Iraq.
It was a cool Fall evening in South Florida. The breeze was gentle; the sunset glorious. As I approached the intersection where, each weekend I stand in support of peace and tranquility, I did as I do when at this crossroad. I placed my arm out the window. My digits were extended and formed the symbol associated with serenity. When I am in a vehicle, at the locale commonly considered the Peace Corner I work to preserve the intent of my Saturday mission. I strive to advance awareness for the notion, this nation remains at war. Soldiers are slaughtered far from the shores of home sweet home. Civilians, in their native country continue to lose their lives for a want of war. I crave global harmony and will work to restore some sense of civility worldwide. However, as I sat silently in contemplation cries of "Country First" startled me.
An Iraq veteran's perspective When I volunteered as a soldier to be a part of the initial invasion of Iraq, it was under the assumption that our intentions were just. U.S. troops-most of us from working-class backgrounds-were fed countless stories of the supposed brutality of Saddam Hussein, and the plight of the Iraqi people.
I truly began to understand the nature of the "liberation" that the U.S. military was bringing to Iraq after one particular mission-one that I struggle with everyday, and one that I share with a great deal of shame and regret.
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