A partial list of American military involvement since 1982 includes Lebanon, Grenada, Chad, Libya, Honduras, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Philippines, Panama, Iraq, Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Haiti, Serbia, Afghanistan (currently, America’s longest war), Sudan, Iraq (again, after years of crippling sanctions that killed half a million children), and Libya (again). This is not an exhaustive list, it doesn’t include covert attacks, special operations, or America’s special relationship with Israel, which has rained down horror on Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza. Israeli drones continue to kill people in Gaza on a nearly weekly basis. American drones are currently killing people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Syria and Iran loom on the horizon, with American threats of intervention and war ramping up.
“Death is a top American export.”
— peace activist Johnny Barber, who lives in Afghanistan where he is waging peace.
(Waging peace–interesting concept.)
Today is International Peace Day, and it couldn’t come at a better time.
I still believe that what the last popular Catholic Pope, John Paul II, said is true when he said:
“War is obsolete.”
This was said in the context of his reminding the world that weaponry has advanced to such destructive levels that no one can “win” a war anymore.
Bless his heart–he went so far as to send a priest who was an old friend of the Bush family to sit down with W. and try to persuade the then-President not to wage war in Iraq. The Pope, among others, had the foresight to know that it would be a catastrophe not only for Iraq but for the U.S. and the precious few allies who were willing to go along with us. (God, how we hated France, which also saw a catastrophe in the making and refused to join the invasion.)
I don’t bring this up to bash W or to reopen old political wounds, but because now the same warmongers are hot to bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran–if only because the warmongering Prime Minister of Israel, who seems to think he dictates American defense policy, is hot to bomb Iran.
War is just not the answer to every world problem, but it seems we kick right into the following default mode every time there’s an outbreak of Anti-American fervor or there’s another threat from a country, real or perceived:
“Let’s bomb em back to the Stone Age and let God sort em out.”
How many times since the Vietnam War have I heard somebody say that? How many times did in my chaplaincy in ultra-conservative Dallas did I, a chaplain, have people actually say that to me–that we ought to just bomb some enemy and be done with them–or something similar?
Sadly, I heard it more than once in a Sunday School class or Bible study, where some war-happy Christian had Old Testament tunnel vision when it came to matters of war. And never mind that the Old Testament, which is full of war and violence and rough justice for sure, is also full of calls for peace, grace, love, mercy, understanding, patience, tolerance and other attributes of God that warmongers don’t care to look up. The extent of their Old Testament study is “An eye for an eye.”
Jesus himself directly addressed that piece of scripture in the gospel.
Look it up.
Lord God help us navigate these violent times with attitudes of more prayer and seeking real peace and nonviolence, per your will. And let your will for peace on earth, good will for all prevail–as it will, if we don’t blow ourselves into another universe first.
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Here’s a blurb from Johnny Barber from the web site of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, of which I’m a card-carrying member and proud of it:
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By Johnny Barber
On this International Day of Peace I am sitting in Kabul, Afghanistan with a handful of youth that want nothing but peaceful coexistence in their lives. This, in some respects, is like a dream because their entire lives have been surrounded by war, death, corruption, and struggle. Peace has been in short supply. For three years the Afghan Peace Volunteers have worked to develop friendships across ethnic lines in Kabul and various provinces throughout Afghanistan. The work has been difficult, trust is hard to come by in this war-torn land, but they are adamant that nonviolence is the only way forward. I have sat with similar groups in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, America, and Israel. Rarely are their voices heard over the drums of war.
Established in 1981, by the United Nations General Assembly, the International Day of Peace was to coincide with its opening session. The first Peace Day was observed on September 21, 1982. In 1982, the Soviet Union was increasing its troop presence in Afghanistan and facing fierce fighting throughout the provinces.
Thirty years later, Afghanistan is still at war. The opponents have changed, and the weaponry has changed. The War on Terror, armored Humvees, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), suicide bombers, night raids, smart bombs, and drones have all entered the American lexicon.
The war has pushed the Taliban out of power, but the current government is full of the very same warlords that were carving up Afghanistan prior to the Taliban’s rise. These “representatives” have very little backing among the people, mainly because they have continued to line their pockets while their constituents suffer. The call for peace may fill their speeches, but to work for peace distracts from their income.
The International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) as well as the Afghan Army and Afghan Police force, often employing strong-arm tactics, struggle to bring a semblance of security to the countryside. Security in Kabul is tentative as well, with suicide bombings and armed attacks on the rise. On September 18th, a woman rammed a car full of explosives into a van containing nine foreign workers, killing herself, all nine foreigners, their Afghan translator, as well as passersby. While temporary security may be imposed with an iron fist, peace cannot be forced.
On September 19th, an Afghan holiday in the remembrance of the death of Burhanuddin Rabbani, a warlord turned “peace envoy” who was killed by a suicide bomber in his home, President Hamid Karzai called on Afghans to pursue peace. A generation that has known nothing but war has little faith in government calls for peace while the very same government loots the country. The government-led peace initiative seems to have died with Rabbani a year ago.
The past week has been disastrous for Afghans, and points towards more mayhem in the future. While profits are still being generated for arms suppliers, reconstruction experts, and contractors, peace has not been generated for anyone. In America, peace is never spoken of outside the context of war or security. In Obama’s acceptance speech in Charlotte, he mentioned America’s “pursuit of peace” exactly once, shortly after getting cheers for claiming, “Osama bin Laden is dead.”
A partial list of American military involvement since 1982 includes Lebanon, Grenada, Chad, Libya, Honduras, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Philippines, Panama, Iraq, Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Haiti, Serbia, Afghanistan (currently, America’s longest war), Sudan, Iraq (again, after years of crippling sanctions that killed half a million children), and Libya (again). This is not an exhaustive list, it doesn’t include covert attacks, special operations, or America’s special relationship with Israel, which has rained down horror on Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza. Israeli drones continue to kill people in Gaza on a nearly weekly basis. American drones are currently killing people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Syria and Iran loom on the horizon, with American threats of intervention and war ramping up. Death is a top American export.
On the anniversary of September 11th, a hate-filled anti-Islam movie trailer was a catalyst sparking widespread protests and attacks across the world, leading to 30 deaths. On September 19th, a French satirical newspaper, under the guise of “free speech” released vulgar cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace be Upon Him) adding fuel to an already volatile fire. Peace Day is likely to be fraught with violence, like most any other day.
Yet, on this International Day of Peace groups will come together around the world (and yes, even in Afghanistan) to promote peace, cooperation, friendship, and love. These efforts are necessary, if for no other reason then to remind people peace is an option, a possibility, and a personal responsibility. It is necessary to counter the flames of hatred. It is necessary to be inspired by those who walked this path before us. It is necessary for our sanity as human beings. As the darkness of our violence prone world threatens to overwhelm us, it is necessary to dance, to sing, to laugh, and to open our minds to creative opportunities to live in harmony with our world. It is necessary to stand together for even just one day and say, “No, just because you have superior firepower, or can rain down hell fire missiles, or fly planes into buildings, I will not be swayed, I will not live in fear. Your sickness will not persuade me, infect me, or deter me.”
In this electoral season, choosing between Obama and Romney is a huge distraction, there is real work to be done. Our perverse system of endless war needs to be dismantled, our culture realigned. We need to begin again. War is over. Peace is the path.
Johnny Barber is in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he is living with the Afghan Peace Volunteers and representing Voices for Creative Nonviolence. His writing and photos are posted at http://www.oneBrightpearl-jb.blogspot.com and http://www.oneBrightpearl.com.
PEACE BE WITH YOU!
And with you, Francine!