...and the mass graves mean...what? At 12:25 PM 6/20/03 -0500, you wrote: > > Published on Thursday, May 29, 2003 by the National Catholic Reporter > > Is There Anything Left That Matters? > > by Joan Chittister, OSB > > > > This is what I don't understand: All of a sudden nothing seems to > > matter. First, they said they wanted Bin Laden "dead or alive." But they > > didn't get him. So now they tell us that it doesn't matter. Our mission > > is greater than one man. Then they said they wanted Saddam Hussein, > > "dead or alive." He's apparently alive but we haven't got him yet, > > either. However, President Bush told reporters recently, "It doesn't > > matter. Our mission is greater than one man." Finally, they told us that > > we were invading Iraq to destroy their weapons of mass destruction. Now > > they say those weapons probably don't exist. Maybe never existed. > > Apparently that doesn't matter either. > > > > Except that it does matter. I know we're not supposed to say that. I > > know it's called "unpatriotic." But it's also called honesty. And > > dishonesty matters. It matters that the infrastructure of a foreign > > nation that couldn't defend itself against us has been destroyed on the > > grounds that it was a military threat to the world. It matters that it > > was destroyed by us under a new doctrine of "pre-emptive war" when > > there was apparently nothing worth pre-empting. > > > > It surely matters to the families here whose sons went to war to make > > the world safe from weapons of mass destruction and will never come > > home. It matters to families in the United States whose life support > > programs were ended, whose medical insurance ran out, whose food stamps > > were cut off, whose day care programs were eliminated so we could spend > > the money on sending an army to do what did not need to be done. > > > > It matters to the Iraqi girl whose face was burned by a lamp that > > toppled over as a result of a U.S. bombing run. It matters to Ali, the > > Iraqi boy who lost his family - and both his arms - in a U.S. air > > attack. It matters to the people in Baghdad whose water supply is now > > fetid, whose electricity is gone, whose streets are unsafe, whose 158 > > government ministries' buildings and all their records have been > > destroyed, whose cultural heritage and social system has been looted > > and whose cities teem with anti-American protests. It matters that the > > people we say we "liberated" do not feel liberated in the midst of the > > lawlessness, destruction and wholesale social suffering that so-called > > liberation created. > > > > It matters to the United Nations whose integrity was impugned, whose > > authority was denied, whose inspection teams are even now still being > > overlooked in the process of technical evaluation and disarmament. It > > matters to the reputation of the United States in the eyes of the world, > > both now and for decades to come, perhaps. > > > > And surely it matters to the integrity of this nation whether or not > > its intelligence gathering agencies have any real intelligence or not > > before we launch a military armada on its say-so. And it should matter > > whether or not our government is either incompetent and didn't know what > > they were doing or were dishonest and refused to say. The unspoken truth > > is that either as a people we were misled, or we were lied to, about the > > real reason for this war. Either we made a huge - and unforgivable - > > mistake, an arrogant or ignorant mistake, or we are swaggering around > > the world like a blind giant, flailing in all directions while the rest > > of the world watches in horror or in ridicule. > > > > If Bill Clinton's definition of "is" matters, surely this matters. If > > a president's sex life matters, surely a president's use of global force > > against some of the weakest people in the world matters. If a > > president's word in a court of law about a private indiscretion matters, > > surely a president's word to the community of nations and the security > > of millions of people matters. And if not, why not? If not, surely > > there is something as wrong with us as citizens, as thinkers, as > > Christians as there must be with some facet of the government. If wars > > that the public says are wrong yesterday - as over 70% of U.S. citizens > > did before the attack on Iraq - suddenly become "right" the minute the > > first bombs drop, what kind of national morality is that? > > > > Of what are we really capable as a nation if the considered judgment > > of politicians and people around the world means nothing to us as a > > people. What is the depth of the American soul if we can allow > > destruction to be done in our name and the name of "liberation" and > > never even demand an accounting of its costs, both personal and public, > > when it is over? > > > > We like to take comfort in the notion that people make a distinction > > between our government and ourselves. We like to say that the people of > > the world love Americans, they simply mistrust our government. But > > excoriating a distant and anonymous "government" for wreaking rubble on > > a nation in pretense of good requires very little of either character or > > intelligence. What may count most, however, is that we may well be the > > ones Proverbs warns when it reminds us: "Kings take pleasure in honest > > lips; they value the one who speaks the truth." The point is clear: If > > the people > > speak and the king doesn't listen, there is something wrong with the > > king. If the king acts precipitously and the people say nothing, > > something is wrong with the people. It may be time for us to realize > > that in a country that prides itself on being democratic, we are our > > government. And the rest of the world is figuring that out very quickly. > > > > From where I stand, that matters. > > > > A Benedictine Sister of Erie, Sister Joan is a best-selling author and > > well-known international lecturer. She is founder and executive director > > of Benetvision: A Resource and Research Center for Contemporary > > Spirituality, and past president of the Conference of American > > Benedictine Prioresses and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. > > Sister Joan has been recognized by universities and national > > organizations for her work for justice, peace and equality for women > > in the Church and society. She is an active member of the International > > Peace Council. > > > > > > (Leave it to a Catholic voice to speak truth. Pete Martineau) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > [log in to unmask] mailing list > > http://lists.OpenSoftwareServices.com/mailman/listinfo/madpeace-discuss > > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, visit: > > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/aam.html > >AAM Website: http://www.danenet.wicip.org/aam >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, visit: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/aam.html AAM Website: http://www.danenet.wicip.org/aam ----------------------------------------------------------------------------