wage peace

Don’t know if this counts exactly or not but he is fighing W’s resolution to send 21 thousand more troops into Iraq…so I’m there!

We have become a culture of fighers, of dissenters. Turn up your ipod, hide from reality, “I win so you lose” thinkers.

Waging peace will begin with our beginning to care more deeply for others…our next door neighbors, those that we typically oppose, those in nations far away.

Ever since 9/11, those of us in the U.S. have foolishly been seeking someone to hate & vent our frustrations. However, this is no longer a black & white game as it has been in past conflicts. I don’t think that we can ever expect to defeat an “ism”.

Instead, we must dig deeper – and actually think – and ask WHY these people hate us and or fear us. And then find a path across that bridge.

Call me an optimist? Call me a fool? Call it hope & faith…

Next weekend I hope to attend a rally commemorating three years in the endless abyss which has become the Iraq war. Lives lost, families stretched, federal monies dumped into this senseless event.

I was/am not opposed to our war in Afghanistan. But why Iraq? I just do not understand. These people had nothing to do with 9-11. Saddam is bad but he did not attack the U.S.

...Not Included!!

I just listened to the NBC national news just a few minutes ago. They had a story about a Quaker peace group in Florida that is being monitored/watched for their ‘suspicious’ anti-war activities.

WHAT? A QUAKER PEACE GROUP?!!! THEY’RE PACIFISTS! Pretty dangerous bunch of folks…students, grannies, teachers, business owners, retired folks…maybe someone even brings their BABY to the meeting. Ooooohhhh! Maybe they even eat a few cookies. Eeek!

How screwed up is this country if the powers that be think that attending a peaceful protest and opposing war is some sort of ‘threat’?! Sad state of affairs.

Those who don’t learn from their mistakes seem to repeat them…isn’t this all seeming a little more like the crap that went on during VIETNAM??

My whole life I’ve heard sermons & Bible readings urging us to be peacemakers, to seek the higher road, to turn the other cheek. Sometimes it feels like we’ve not made much progress.

Greed, anger, chaos seem to persist despite these quiet, thoughtful and prophetic teachings.

I had the opportunity to speak at a public festival. Envigorating! I’m still charged.

A friend called me a ‘provocateur’...whee!

I heard that 128,000 Iraqis have died during the illegal US war in Iraq. Doesn’t include the 1700+ Americans & allied troops that have had to give up their good lives to W’s disastrous revenge game.

And I still don’t feel any safer…isn’t there a BETTER WAY?

He talked about peace…how we need to not only oppose the war (this is NOT enough!) but how we need to live/breathe peace in our homes, in our jobs and in our neighborhoods. This makes peace something we live out…beyond just philosophising about it abstractly.

Yes, really. In my Iowa town. Some sort of camo-painted thing with a big gun mounted on the front. I was so apalled I didn’t even stop to read the sign on it. This is disgusting. Will need to find out more about this.