These two "Letters to the Editor" appeared in a local newspaper, Lillooet News April 2, 2003. I thought the stark contrast between them was most interesting and worth sharing here.



War is never the answer

To the editor,

“A good end cannot sancti­fy evil means; nor must we ever do evil that good may come of it.” - William Penn, 1693

We are appalled and deeply saddened by the decision of the United Kingdom, the United States of America and other countries, such as Australia, to launch a war against Iraq. We pray for all those affected com­batants and non-combatants alike. We pray for world leaders that God’s grace will lead them to bring a rapid cessation to the war.

War threatens to terrify, maim, kill, and bereave vast numbers of innocent people in Iraq who are already suffering the punitive effects of economic sanctions (half of Iraqi citizens are children). We fear that vio­lence in the region will intensi­fy, whilst efforts towards peace­ful democratic change will be undermined. Bridge-building between the West and the Arab and Muslim world will become more difficult. Support for polit­ical extremists across the world appears likely to increase.

The primary purpose of the United Nations to save succeed­ing generations from the scourge of war through patient dialogue and disarmament has been cast aside by governments that claim to be world leaders in democracy and human rights. We are shamed, grieved and angered by the fact that a small minority of governments has chosen the unconscionable act of war, going against the will of the international community and against the will of many of their own citizens.

Despite our grief and shame, our spirits are heartened by the tens of millions of world citizens who are taking up the responsibility of citizenship to learn about global issues, to affirm the role of the United Nations and the Security Council, and to challenge the actions of government when their actions contravene what is moral and just.

Quakers recognize that the crisis over Iraq has presented extraordinary challenges to the international community. The world’s goal for Iraq must be the same as that for any nation - a just and sustainable peace for its people and neighbours. To this end, the United Nations weapons inspections and disar­mament process appeared to be making progress. The lifting of indiscriminate economic sanc­tions against Iraq might have helped its people towards determining their T future according to their right.

War is not the answer, not now and not ever. War does not bring about peace. War does not bring about security. War hurts innocent people and generates new resentment and new impe­tus for revenge in generations to come. Faith in violence as a means of solving political prob­lems is both dangerous and con­trary to our understanding of God’s way. It is irresponsible for any nation to possess weapons of mass destruction and threaten their use against others. Peace between nations can only be won if the international commu­nity accepts a common responsi­bility for achieving disarmament and answering the vital needs of all. We implore world leaders to return to the tables of the United Nations with ever more resolve to solve international crises peacefully and to hold each other accountable for their actions in the global community.

Mary Ellen McNish
General Secretary
American Friends Service Committee
Philadelphia, PA, USA

Margaret Clare Ford
Clerk
Canadian Friends Service Committee,
Toronto



Liberals’ failure to support Yanks is the last straw

To the editor,

Don’t know about the rest of you but I for one am thor­oughly disgusted and embar­rassed by our Liberal govern­ment and the “little merry moron” from Shawinigan (our prime minister) in not backing our neighbour and allies in the fight against the terrorism and tyranny. Forty-eight other coun­tries found the will and courage to back the biggest democracy in the world, which happens to be our immediate neighbour. Why not us? We’ve been under their protective wing since the Second World War and though they are very disappointed with our non-participation in the war would still, I’m sure, protect us in case of a foreign aggressor. I’m sure France, Germany, China and Russia wouldn’t under such circumstances.

This is the last straw for me and for many other non-Liberals. We sit by and watch our military virtually destroyed by under-funding. Our Canada is one of the highest-taxed coun­tries in the free world. Our provinces are being taken over by the central government. Our wheat farmers are going to jail for bucking the Federal Wheat Board. The El Fund has been robbed of $34 billion put into general revenue. Billions of dol­lars are being wasted on the gun registry, Alberta’s $9 billion energy fund has been stolen. We open our borders to terrorists, HIV immigrants, tuberculosis immigrants and very few Caucasians. These are just a few of the Liberals’ snafus. The list goes on and on with no end in sight.

Let’s see if the SLRD will consider a full-page ad in the Washington papers saying we are American-friendly. I know for sure a lot of potential tourists are painting us with the same brush they are painting Parliament with. We don’t need it and we do need tourism from the USA, as well as their protec­tion.
Maybe we should all join the Western Separatist move­ment before it’s too late.

A.W. Chapman,
Gold Bridge




In His Grace,

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simul iustus et peccator

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