Candlelight Service for Children of War, Sun. 12/28 at 6:30pm

[annm4peace]

The Twin Cities Peace Campaign-Focus on Iraq is organizing the
* eleventh annual Candlelight Service for the Children of Iraq and Other Child Victim of War ******
(please join us)

Sunday, December 28, 6:30 pm,
St. Joan of Arc Church (just held there, non-religious)
4537 Third Avenue South in Minneapolis.
(just off of 35W)


Join with others at the candlelight service to remember the children who have died as a result of sanctions and war.

Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminded us that "The test of the morality of society is what it does for its children" . . . and, we might add, "for the children of the world."

Children are always the first victims of war, and the tragic statistics from Iraq alone should convince us all that war is an abomination that must challenge the conscience of every person:

More than 500,000 Iraqi children have died as a result of U.S. sanctions; another 50,000 children have been killed by U.S. "smart bombs."

Currently there are 4 million orphans in Iraq and 25% of Iraq's children between the ages of six months and five years suffer from either acute or chronic malnutrition. In addition, roughly 400,000 Iraqi children suffer from "wasting," a condition characterized by chronic diarrhea and dangerous deficiencies of protein.

As I write this letter, many in this country and people around the world are rejoicing at the election of the first African American as President-elect of the United States of America. Many dreamed of this moment, but few of us expected to see it in our lifetime. It has given rise to new energy and the hope that things can change, that things can be different.

Barack Obama initially gained popularity because of his opposition to the war in Iraq and throughout the campaign there was great hope that he would bring an end to this immoral and illegal war, which has resulted in the death and serious injury of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, destroyed their country, left the children with little hope for the future, and tarnished the reputation of the U.S. around the world. But, will Barack Obama's election and the energizing of the electorate in the past several months lead to an end to the war and occupation of Iraq?

Iraq will be a difficult problem for the President-elect and it is clear that continued popular mobilization against the war will be needed to counter the multiple pressures that he will experience to continue the war and occupation. He is going to face enormous pressure to "win" the war -- from hawkish Democrats, his own circle of advisors, conservatives, neo-conservatives, some in the media, conservative think tanks and the military. Obama himself is also talking of leaving a sizeable number of troops in Iraq and increasing the troop levels in Afghanistan.

We would do well to follow the lead of novelist, Alice Walker, who said "My part of the relay race won't change. I know what my duty is. And my duty is to try to prevent war by whatever means I can manage. And I love this person that we've elected. I love this gentle, seemingly considerate, thoughtful person. . . (but) that will, in no way, stop me from saying I don't agree with, you know, X, Y and Z. I will not support this war. I think war is so incredibly backward, and I don't think it's intelligent, and it's not sane."

The same can be said for the war in Afghanistan. Adding more troops, adding to the death toll of both American soldiers and Afghanis will not resolve the issues facing either of our countries. War is never the answer. And rather than protesting one war after another, the peace community must demand that our elected officials work toward the eradication of all wars and the weapons of war.

We live in difficult times. In addition to two wars, our country and the new administration face major challenges: a serious economic crisis, a broken healthcare system, poverty and growing inequality, and the strained reputation of the U.S. in the world.

But times of crisis can also provide opportunities for significant change and a turn in a new direction. I believe that we can best help our new president-elect by accelerating our activism and calling for radical changes in our society. We must call for a reordering of priorities, and an end to the "military madness" which spends our tax dollars on wars rather than for the well-being of the human family and our planet.

Together we can build a world that honors and cares for all children, one where war is no longer an acceptable way of dealing with the serious issues that abound in our world, and where justice is the criteria for determining our relationships with other nations.