Unitarian Universalist Congregations Plan Action, Observances to Mark Third Anniversary of Iraq War
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| A “graveyard”
memorial at the Unitarian Meeting House in Chatham, MA |
Many Unitarian Universalist congregations are planning congregational action to mark the third anniversary of the Iraq War; here's a selected snapshot of activities being scheduled around the United States to worship, and witness, the tragedy of this anniversary. If your congregation is taking action around the Iraq War, please contact the UUA's Office of Congregational Advocacy and Witness  to share your work with others!
- The Social Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North Congregation
 (UUMAN) in Roswell, GA, is soliciting member feedback regarding the Iraq War on the occasion of a "Southern Regional March for Peace in Iraq and Justice at Home" which will take place on Saturday, April 1 in Atlanta. The march is sponsored by over 90 religious, civic and community organizations. UUMAN is engaged in open dialogue and actions including publication of several articles on peace in the church's newsletter, an impromptu survey and promotion of a panel discussion with speakers of different view points (including a speaker from EPIC (The Education for Peace in Iraq Center) with an Iraqi perspective, the State Coordinator of the Georgia Alliance for a U.S. Department of Peace, an activist from the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition/Atlanta, and a member of the congregation's Humanist group, also a Vietnam veteran). Contact: Jennifer Tangney , Social Action Committee.
- The UU Fellowship at Salisbury (MD) is commemorating the anniversary by holding a special Sunday Service on March 19th lamenting the anniversary of the Iraq War. Political Scientist Dr. Michael O’Loughlin will be speaking. The service will be followed by a noon Potluck for Peace. From 2:00-3:00 p.m. there will be an anniversary vigil held, and at 3:30 PM UUFS is sponsoring a gathering that will feature sharing, music and words of remembrance. UUFS is a member of the Peace Alliance of the Lower Shore (PALS) and holds a silent peace vigil every week on Sundays from 2:00-3:00 P.M. Contact Jackie Fritch .
- The Social Justice Committee of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church of Kansas City MO is co-sponsoring – with the Kansas City Iraq Task Force – a commemoration of the third anniversary of the war on Sunday, March 19 at 3 p.m. at the JC Nichols Fountain. Participants will hold placards with the face and information about a US soldier who has died in the war. Flyers with names of Iraqi civilians who have died will also be held. Large banners with colorful ribbons will be attached, each ribbon carrying with the name of a dead US soldier or Iraqi civilian on it. Speakers and music will round out the event which will also include a solemn ceremony paying tribute to the war dead. Contact: Caron Wells , Social Justice Chair.
- The First Unitarian Church in Omaha, Nebraska is hosting an Iraqi Awareness Discussion Group during the month of March. The group will view documentaries such as "The Control Room"; have a native Kurdish Iraqi speak to the congregation; and review hard-to-find information about the war. Contact: Shawna Thompson .
- The Unitarian Church of All Souls, New York City , will host a presentation on March 19 called "Stop the Merchants of Death" delivered by G. Simon Harak, which will be followed by a question/answer forum. Harak is the Anti-Militarism Coordinator at the National Office of the War Resisters League who organized and launched the “Stop the Merchants of Death” speaking tour. Harak has been the Anti-Militarism Coordinator of the National Office of the War Resisters League since 2003, and helped found Voices in the Wilderness (an organization nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, 2002, and 2003). He has traveled to Iraq several times and was named Metro New York Peacemaker and National Peacemaker of the year by Pax Christi Metro New York, and Pax Christi Long Island, New York. Contact: Hanan Watson .
- Kathy Zullo of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Shelter Rock (NY) reports that a congregational statement against the war in Iraq was passed by the congregation in February, 2006. It states: "As people of faith, we raise our voice in protest against the unjust and immoral war in Iraq." An action group has been convened to plan activities to support the resolution.
- Esther Pank , social justice chair of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax VA congregation, which built a Memorial Cairn commemorating the Iraq War on Memorial Day, 2005, writes, "When we collectively built the Iraq War Memorial Cairn on May 15th last year, the death toll was 1,580 US military deaths and 24,106 Iraqi civilian deaths. During the past nine months we have seen a continuing upsurge in violence and death in that war torn country. Today the death toll stands at 2,247 US military deaths and 32,270 Iraqi civilian deaths. Studies on the causes of these civilian deaths show that while many are caused by car bombs and suicide strikes, most are from US military air strikes. What is all too clear is that the internal strife is reaching new intensity in Iraq as it sinks further and further into the depths of a civil war.
"When we built the Cairn we said it would remain as long as the war continued. Our hopes and prayers at the time were that the Cairn could be disassembled by this spring. That hope has evaporated in the smoke that hovers over Baghdad. So, instead of dismantling the Cairn on this third anniversary of the start of the war, we invite you to visit the Iraqi Cairn over the March 18th weekend, leaving flowers in remembrance of those deaths and to mourn the escalating violence and the continuing loss of life in that sad place."
On the Anniversary of War: A Call for Public Debate
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