Media Coverage
Newsletter Column
The Rev. Sam Trumbore
Unitarian Church of Albany, NY
March 20, 2003
With a heavy heart, I listened to the declaration of war last night.
As I
sat in my car listening to the radio in the quiet of the evening, I
wondered what the result of this battle cry would be. Any declaration
of
war results from mutual failure to communicate, negotiate and find
compromise together. Saddam Hussein has failed to prove he has no weapons
of mass destruction. I fear we will now find out the truth of his
testimony through the use of undisclosed weapons. President Bush has
failed to work collaboratively with the world community to put the kind of
pressure that could have gained his compliance. President Bush has
refused
to think creatively about how to contain Hussein without war. The result
of this failure means soldiers will die and Iraqi men, women and children
will die. Today is a day of mourning for our nation.
Once a war begins, the politics must also change. Instead of asking
Bush
and Hussein to "choose peace," we must now urge them as quickly as
possible to "make peace," and bring the war to an end as quickly as
possible, sparing as many lives as possible. Our prayer must now focus
on
protecting all from harm and encouraging our soldiers to humanely deal with
all Iraqis they encounter. May our troops do their jobs with the minimum
of bloodshed. If battlefield conditions demand it, may they only take
life
of combatants and not civilians. May they remember that what they are
doing is dismantling an oppressive system of governance not conquering a
nation. For this war to have any moral authority, it must be a mission
of
liberation not colonization. We must demand that this war not become
about
who gets the oil but be about freeing the Iraqi people from tyranny.
This is a time of fear as we cower worrying about a terrorist
reprisals. Traveling to New York City, boarding a plane, being a way
from
home or family brings feelings of discomfort and concern. We feel helpless
waiting for who knows what to happen. All we can do is be alert, aware
and
prepared to respond to whatever arises. May we remember that we are
a
supportive and nurturing community ready to help each other in time of need.
Even in this time of violence and death, there remains great good in every
human heart. War cannot extinguish that goodness, that inherent worth
and
dignity. Even if at times, it seems that the light has gone out in
this
time of hate, may we remember that the capacity to love never dies.
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