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November Newsletter |
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from Page 3 ... Hope We the people NEED to exercise our rights and responsibilities as Americans to dissent from an irresponsible, reckless, ignorant and arrogant government. We realized, a little late, but not too late, that when George said: "If you're not for us, you're against us," we all should have risen in angry, righteous and patriotic unison and said: "You are damn right, you lying, out of control madman. We are so against you and your insane rush to invade Iraq." We didn't rise up then, but Camp Casey taught us that it is okay to raise your voices against the government. Not only is it "okay" but it is mandatory if your government is responsible for killing innocents. It is mandatory if there are no other checks and balances in place that we the people be the checks and balances on the media and government. I thought all my hope was KIA on the same day Casey was KIA. Carly's poem gave me a reason to live. Camp Casey with its wonderful feelings of love, acceptance, peace, community, joy, and yes, optimism for our future, gave me back my desire to live. I can now smile and laugh and even mean it most of the time. These things we often take for granted but I never will again. Living with hope that our world will one day exist in a paradigm of peace, love, and non-violent conflict resolution is a very good way to exist. I love being alive now and will devote my life to peace with justice so our children will never, ever be misused by the war machine again. Thank you, America. Thank you, Casey. Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar.
In conjunction with the American Friends Service Committee campaign calling for an end to the war and withdrawl of American troops and MoveOn.org's candlelight vigil to call the nation's attention to the continuing loss of life in Iraq, twelve people met on the front lawn of our Unitarian Fellowship of Longview Wednesday, October 26th. From 5:30 to 6:30 they stood in a line along the road and held up signs as commuters zipped by on Alpine Road. Some looked, some were busy talking on cell phones, others honked, a few yelled and made faces, a
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waved, and one young woman stopped to talk. She was hurt and angry by what
she saw. She said she had recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq
and she wanted us to know what we were doing really hurt the soldiers who
were fighting and dying to protect us from the terrorists. She said she
came from a family with a long and proud military history and she was glad
she, too, had a chance to serve her country. She agreed that it is wrong
to kill people (the fifth commandment and all that) but sometimes you had
to because otherwise they would be over here killing us.
At 7:00 as the sun began to set and daylight faded, they gathered in a circle on the lawn, lit their candles, and stood together in prayerful, contemplative silence, feeling the breath of life within themselves, breathing in all the suffering of war, and breathing out peace. After about ten minutes, Jonna began to sign Go now in peace and the rest joined in. After several refrains, they smiled at one another, took pictures, vowed to keep the light of peace burning in their hearts, and extinguished the candles
The Peace of Wild Things Wendell Berry When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
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