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 Dear
friends,
This week the Hope
for Peace & Justice Board of Directors will meet for the
very first time. The Board is made up women and men who are
passionate to do the work of justice in the world. It is a
wonderful and diverse group and I can hardly wait to share
with you more information about them. Our intent is to profile
a different Board member each week until you get to meet them
all.
In the course of
our first meeting we will elect officers, adopt by-laws, create
a structure, develop funding strategies, and set priorities.
There are so many issues worthy of our attention and efforts.
The past few E-letters have highlighted a few issues on which
we hope to focus. A cornerstone issue of course will be peace-making.
As we observe the
second anniversary of the war in Iraq it may be valuable to
remember the more than 100,000 Iraqis who have died so far,
and the dozens that are killed every day. Over 1,500 American
troops have died, though the Pentagon and our “free”
press continue to hide them from us, aware I’m sure
that it was the sight of flag draped coffins that finally
awakened the American conscience against Vietnam. No I don’t
want to see the mangled bodies of women, children, and men
return to my living room every evening, but what I want less
is that we are able to keep them out of our sight and put
them out of our minds. There is no greater danger on earth
than for us to forget the hell that war visits on its victims.
Peace
is a noble concept that everyone favors, but few do anything
about. Despite the fact that the
U.S. spends more on the military than the next
26 countries combined, the House of Representatives this week
approved an additional $81 billion for the war in Iraq. What
kind of political effort would have been required to persuade
them to allocate $81 billion more for education, or health
care, or environmental clean up? Could we maybe get by just
spending as much as the next 20 countries combined???
To change
the militaristic and warmongering values of our nation will
require a significant shift in values. For this reason the
first major program Hope for Peace & Justice intends to
launch is training grass-roots, faith-based peace-makers.
If peace doesn’t begin in the churches, temples, and
synagogues of this country then there is no hope. Our goal
is to begin a movement whereby communities, neighborhoods,
organizations, and individuals in conflict will turn first
to their local house of worship. We will invite congregations
to send people to the Interfaith
Peace Chapel in Dallas, Texas to be trained by
H4PJ in conflict resolution and mediation. The chapel will
serve as the symbol and training facility for this program.
It is no longer
acceptable for peace to be a theory or merely a noble concept.
We must change the hearts of communities of faith and then
shift the values of our great nation away from being a machine
of war to being the advocate for peace. In recent days the
President has nominated two of the hardest line militarists
to significant posts. These nominations signal to the whole
world that America’s intent is to establish a military
empire whose will cannot be challenged. Are there no Americans
in the mold of Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandela, or Dorothy
Day that the President could appoint? Does no one care that
our country is becoming increasingly militaristic and right-wing?
How did this happen?
 Well,
it happened because the religious right organized at a grass-roots
level. They worked patiently and relentlessly to take over
the Republican party and establish their issues as priorities.
When the events of September 11th 2001 struck they were ready
to seize the moment and use fear to manipulate the political
system to their ends. Liberals and progressives have no one
to blame but themselves. When the Soviet Empire collapsed,
South Africa’s bloodless revolution took place and the
Iron Curtain fell, we did not seize the moment to build momentum
for a world of compassion and unity. We had an opportunity
to build Dr. King’s Beloved Community. Instead we spent
the Clinton years acquiring personal wealth and pursuing our
careers. The question now is: Do we have the patience and
persistence to take back our country and win the peace?
Only you can answer
that. What are you going to do to give the world hope for
peace and justice?
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Human
rights groups expressed dismay at the number
of criminal homicides and renewed their call for a Sept.
11-style inquiry into detention operations and abuse
in Iraq and Afghanistan. "This number to me is
quite astounding," said James D. Ross, senior legal
adviser for Human Rights Watch in New York. "This
just reflects an overall failure to take seriously the
abuses that have occurred." MORE... |
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Rev. D. James Kennedy, Coral Ridge pastor
wrote: "As the vice-regents of God, we are to bring
His truth and His will to bear on every sphere of our
world and our society. We are to exercise godly dominion
and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our
government ... our entertainment media, our news media,
our scientific endeavors - in short, over every aspect
and institution of human society." MORE... |
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Waking Up the Rainbow - It’s
not that the Fort Worth establishment is politically
homophobic. In 2000, the city passed one of the most
sweeping anti-discrimination laws in the country, making
bias against gays and lesbians in housing, employment,
and public accommodations illegal. MORE...
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A
California state court ruled today that same-sex couples
must be allowed to marry, a decision that NCLR called
a victory for fairness and equality. NCLR filed the
lawsuit last year on behalf of 12 same-sex couples,
Equality California and Our Family Coalition. MORE... |
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Calling
the Wolfowitz nomination "a slap
in the face" to Europe and a cold shower on the good
feelings left by Bush's recent trip to Europe, one European
diplomat said, "These two nominations portend a not
very good time ahead."
MORE... |
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Hudson
is the first woman Senior Pastor in Cathedral of Hope's
nearly 35-year history. Cathedral of Hope becomes the
largest church in the State of Texas and one of the largest
in the United States to have a woman Senior Pastor. VIDEO... |
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When
I was given the opportunity to be a part of Hope for
Peace & Justice I jumped. A job in development is
not always easy. A key element to success is belief
in the cause you are working for. Equipping progressive
people of faith to be champions for peace and justice
is an order I feel vital.