Volume 1 Issue 27

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me;
let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.
With God our creator, children all are we.
Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me; let this be the moment now.
With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow;
to take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
--Sy Miller and Jill Jackson
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I’ve never claimed to be the sharpest tack in the box, and so it has taken me a while to put my finger on exactly what I find so vile about the Bush Administration’s push for a preemptive attack upon Iraq. It goes back to my training to be a cop and the accompanying grave responsibility of that profession as it pertains to the use of deadly force. We were trained to shoot to kill, and so the justification for ever pulling the trigger in the first place had to be absolute even if there were only seconds within which to make the decision. To reasonably perceive myself or someone else as in imminent danger literally required seeing the perpetrator’s finger pulling the trigger and the hammer on his weapon about to fall. To have discharged my weapon before this sequence was undeniably established would have been regarded as premature. And to have ever discharged my weapon simply because I just saw a gun and deduced that it would eventually be used against me would have been grounds for my immediate dismissal and criminal prosecution. I don’t think that any of us have a problem with holding our police officers to this kind of rigid standard, but I do have a problem with a maverick president who regards himself immune to such restraint.
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Two more distinguished writers, Andrew Sullivan and Stanley Hauerwas, appear on the Bulletin Board with their opposing essays on the morality of the impending war with Iraq. Even though I continue to oppose it, Sullivan offers the most cogent argument for war that I have read. Hauerwas offers a compelling argument against from an admittedly Christian point of view. Upon reviewing Growing in Christ’s mission statement, it is affirming to read testimony from the secular media that attests to the significant role of theology in the real world.
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On the other hand, if you’re brave enough to learn about the alliance between the Christian right and the Bush Administration, and can handle reading a document which reads in part: “At present the United States faces no global rival. America’s grand strategy should aim to preserve and extend this advantageous position as far into the future as possible;” then brace yourself for the “Project for the New American Century.” Their Statement of Principles appears over the endorsement of folks like Gary Bauer, William Bennett, Jeb Bush, Dick Cheney, Dan Quayle, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. Now where have we heard those names before? (I thank Mom for providing this bit of information from “The Billings Outpost”)
www.newamericancentury.org
As Mark Tokarski of Bozeman, Montana points out in his letter to the editor: “I offer here access to a vision document [Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century] written in 2000. The document, which is a vision (as opposed to planning) document, clearly states that the Bush administration intended to take military control of Persian Gulf oil whether or not Saddam Hussein was in power, and that they intend to stay in military control of the region even if there is no threat.”
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For those of the Christian faith, the upcoming Ash Wednesday marks the commencement of Lent, a forty-day period (don’t make the mistake of counting Sundays) for repentant reflection leading up to Easter. This comes only two days after the March 3 New Moon which some are speculating will be the most desirable time for Bush to launch his attack against Saddam. If this isn’t ironic enough for you, the date for the observance of Easter itself has been determined (at least since the sixth century) as the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon which may occur from March 21 through April 18 (in 2003 this will be April 16). How fortunate for Jesus to have been resurrected so that he is spared spinning in his grave over current events. I am going to take the opportunity to focus my Lenten sermons on the forty-day wilderness experience of Jesus reported in the synoptic gospels as an examination of Jesus’ way of dealing with temptation and evil. President Bush is certainly welcome to read along.
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The Daily Guides for March are written by the Reverend Maria Shamaya Clemente, who has pastored two churches, hosted a cable TV show on healing, been a guest on numerous radio shows on healing, spirituality, meditation, and women’s issues, traveled as a public speaker and workshop facilitator, and has self-published two books and released two recordings of guided meditations. Currently, she is working as a traveling minister, sharing her message with the many peoples of the world. Her ministry, “Doorway Into The Infinite,” is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is dedicated to the art of spiritual transformation through embracing the universal principles of spirituality and nonviolence.
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Until next week…….Shalom!