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In 1967 I began work as an agricultural volunteer with a non-governmental social service organization in Viet Nam. It was a time when the US government was waging a war imposed on the people of Viet Nam by US ideologues seeking their own political interests, a war that sucked in or forced young men and women from all sides into the war machine, a war that killed or maimed many thousands of innocent people in addition to combatants, and scarred the lives of the individuals and families who survived. Then too parents and family members wanted their children and loved ones to come home safely, and therefore "supported the troops". Has there ever been a parent, anywhere in the world, who didn't want his or her child to return safely, regardless of the situation the political leaders had put them in?

The US did not achieve a military victory in Viet Nam; the desire for an independent country prevailed. Yet today there are healthy diplomatic relations between the two countries, US business offices in Viet Nam, students studying in each other's home country, and significant growing trade between the two countries. US products are advertised and sold in Viet Nam, and Vietnamese products are now widely available in the US. Catchy advertisements promote products during commercial breaks on Vietnamese TV much the same as in the US and many other countries, commercial construction is expanding, and tourism is popular and growing. I?ve visited Viet Nam several times in recent years, and have been encouraged by both the economic improvements and the positive outlook among most people, - improvements and attitudes that are possible only when there is peace.

I continue to think of all the lives lost or damaged, on all sides, in a war that didn't have to happen. And I think about what could have been different if the politicians favoring war had not got their way. Certainly, not having had to overcome the emotional and physical scars on life and land, as well as the death and financial waste, would have enabled all involved to be better off both emotionally and economically today. And the positive things mentioned above could have developed much sooner.

Today our country is again waging war in others? home lands, again caused by one's political leaders who have chosen violence to achieve their wishes, while criticizing those who see other solutions; - chosen again to send others' children and loved ones to war using untruths and bait-and-switch rationalizations; - chosen again to release the beast in all.

These actions, and the devaluing of life, particularly of the innocent civilians whose deaths are not officially counted but simply brushed away behind the ugly term "collateral damage", show that these leaders, and perhaps we as a nation, have learned little from past mistakes.

As our federal government begins a sixth year of violence and occupation in Iraq, and longer in Afghanistan, may we find a better way. May we work to take away the occasion for war. May we see clearly that war and empire are not the answers. May we redirect the resources devoted to war to positive life-enhancing uses to benefit communities and families in Oregon and everywhere.

May we see that our cooperative efforts are more successful than the sum of individual efforts. May we realize that crimes against humanity are the concern of all, affect all, and can only be effectively resolved through the cooperation of all. And rather than criticize the weaknesses and failures of an organization like the United Nations that provides the opportunity for countries to come together to work on issues of common concern, may we realize its true potential and thus strive to both improve and strengthen its ability to benefit all. May we do this, not only for ourselves, but especially for children and grandchildren everywhere.

posted 5 years, 2 months ago
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