QUAKERS FOR PEACE

This was forwarded to me by my mom, who is a Quaker. When are other religions going to start speaking out against the US government's constant desire for war? Or are ministers and pastors too eager for donations from hawkish conservatives or the rest of us who have been blinded by pro-war propaganda to actually preach peace? Does "THOU SHALT NOT KILL" ring a bell to any of you religious types? Or is church somewhere you just go on Sundays in a fancy hat and you don't actually understand that Jesus was the called the Prince Of Peace?

"Thirteen years of war has taken its toll. FCNL program assistants Maggie O'Donnell and Sean Langberg wrote last week: "We are a generation of war...accustomed to the misguided paradigm that sees military-first responses as appropriate and, perhaps, essential. We have forgotten that war is supposed to be the very last resort and should only come after robust national and congressional debates..."

As FCNL watches the violence in Iraq and Syria and the U.S. bombing, we long for an answer of how to stop the killing and protect the people at risk. In the past week, some of you have shared with us your belief and frustration that military action seems like the only way to stop the Islamic State militants. We do not have all the answers at FCNL, but we remain concerned that this military action—like so many before it—will not help build a world free of war and the threat of war; indeed, it is likely to lead to greater violence and endless war. This week we hear some members of Congress calling for ground troops and demands for more funds on top of the $550 billion the Pentagon will spend this year, despite the president’s promise that U.S. soldiers will not be on the ground.

Right now, your members of Congress are on the campaign trail. They are listening to what constituents have to say about endless war and they are honing their positions on a new Authorizations for the Use of Military Force and funding for this war. Please ask your congressional candidates to oppose military intervention in Iraq and Syria.

These are not easy issues, as Jim Cason points out in a new blog post. Two of our new program assistants, Maggie and Sean, have watched the U.S. at war for more than half their lives. They write: "Obama’s new war is about more than bombing and arming Iraq and Syria. It’s about where our country is and what we want our priorities to be in the future."

It’s also about the language that we use, as Matt Southworth notes. You can help shape the way Congress looks at this new intervention by asking your candidates how they would respond to the violence in Iraq and Syria.

Thank you, as always, for your work for peace.  --Dianne Randall

Sign here to tell your reps and the president to stop war:    CAPWIZ