Another Summer of War

This spring held much promise for all who call themselves lovers of peace. That promise has now been broken. The new Congress, largely elected to change the course of the Iraq war, failed to stand up to the Administration’s surge in troops, failed to build a majority large enough to override a presidential veto, and now they have chosen to relinquish their power of the purse and fully fund the war through the entirety of the summer. This funding comes without any timeline requiring a withdrawal of troops.

When this spring began, Rev. Bill Sinkford, President of the UUA, sent a Moral Balance Sheet to Congress asking them to weigh the moral implications of continuing to fund the Iraq war. He said:

Because citizens of all faiths and political persuasions are being asked to pay to prolong the violence, it is our moral obligation to reckon the true cost of the war before we agree to continue it. To give a true reckoning, we must honestly confront what we have done in Iraq, and we also must acknowledge the many vital needs we have left unfunded because we chose to put our money toward war.

With our schools still needing support, our environment crumbling before our eyes, and our brothers and sisters from the Gulf Coast still scattered across the nation pulling together the pieces of broken lives, it is evident that a true reckoning of our moral obligations has been sacrificed at the alter of war.

This summer, my prayers will be with the Americans and Iraqis who can not escape the violence anymore than the hot desert sun. And in the Fall, when the promise of change returns, I will pray for a true reckoning and for a fulfillment of that promise.