Our national and international attention has been on war for the past four years. It has been said that everyone desires peace. I am not sure that the evidence would support such a claim. The war that we wage in Iraq has resulted in so many negative outcomes. We have given up freedoms in hope of greater security. This hope has evaporated as The Patriot Act has stripped us of civil liberties and violent attacks and threats have increased around the world. We have believed that our show of force in Iraq would stabilize the Middle East. Instead, we have enraged the Islamic world and created instability throughout the region. We were told that we would liberate the powerless. Rather, our show of force and violence has only unmasked US as the powerful against the powerless. We were told that a limited amount of national treasury would be used to overthrow our “enemy”. The monetary price tag has almost reached a trillion dollars. The price tag in human life is staggering. More than 600,000 civilians have been killed. As many as 200 Iraqis die every day. More than 3,000 American soldiers have given their lives. The number of our wounded men and women is far more than the official 24,000 reported to us. There are no numbers to estimate the number of wounded Iraqis. It is time to abandon the violence. We do not have the right to continue. We do not have the right to kill. Easter is approaching. It is time to listen to the words of the one who said "How blessed are the peacemakers". We are called to bring harmony and reconciliation between those who are estranged. We must seek to create understanding and produce loving relationships where there was hatred.
It is time to wage peace.
