What have you done for peace lately?

Christmas is only five days away. Yet, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace in our world as well as in our hearts, it is sobering that another year has come and gone and the world is still at war.

War is a total failure by the human race to resolve differences. We haven't grown much over the millennia, have we?  We have reached from throwing stones to nuclear weapons - same choice just different tools - when peace making could be a real option.  

Today, I urge you to sign the following petition letter the Interfaith Peace Network of Western New York is sending to President Obama.  Although you may live anywhere in the world, the war in Afghanistan affects you! Please sign it. While there may be many other ways to stand up for peace,  this is one that I know of, sponsored by the Interfaith Peace Network of Western New York.  

To sign the petition, please send your name and address to Bill Privett, director of Pax Christi, at wprivett.paxchristi@gmail.com and write on the subject line "Add my name."  

The following is the letter you are signing to the President today: 

Interfaith Peace Network of WNY    December 20, 2010
1272 Delaware Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14209

"It is the mission of the Interfaith Peace Network to help 

religious communities in building a Culture of Peace." 

To: President Barack Obama and the Western New York Congressional Delegation:

How our hearts yearn for peace! 

It has now been more than nine years since our nation has been embroiled in Afghanistan, the longest war on foreign soil in our nation’s history. 

The toll already has been unacceptable.  According to the Washington Post, nearly 1400 families will never see their loved one again, and many times that number have had relatives permanently and seriously harmed, physically or psychologically. 

Furthermore, the War in Afghanistan, from 2001 to the present, has caused the deaths of as many as 34,000 Afghan civilians, directly from insurgent and foreign military action, or indirectly as a consequence of displacement, starvation, disease, exposure, lack of medical treatment, crime and lawlessness resulting from the war. Afghan civilian war deaths have increased by more than 30% this year, with those who have been hospitalized increasing 100%. 

From our common judgments of justice and our common ethical
perspective, every human life has equal value.  In this context, the harm to Afghan civilians is unacceptable, far surpassing the 3,000 Americans who died on Sept. 11, 2001.  The use of drones predictably adds to these civilian casualties and further alienates the civilian population. This is morally wrong. 

With the US economy reeling since 2007, this war has already cost the U.S. $367 billion, as per the National Priorities Project.  The long-term costs will be staggering considering the care of returning U.S. Vets, interest on the related debt and replacement of munitions. 

We are supporting a regime that by all accounts is so corrupt that
recent reports stated that were we to stop supporting corrupt officials, there would be no one to work with. 

The people of both the United States and Afghanistan want the war to end. CNN recently reported that 58% in the U.S. opposed the war. Recently, Quinnipiac University’s Polling Institute confirmed that a majority of respondents believe the U.S. should not be involved in Afghanistan.
 
On Nov. 15, it was reported by PBS that Afghan President Hamid Karzai had just told the Washington Post the U.S. should scale back its mission, including night raids.

In the face of all this, pressure is building to extend U.S. involvement to 2014 and beyond. We can no longer accept the death, pain, suffering and mayhem caused by our continued presence in Afghanistan.

All our major faith traditions want peace.  We urge with all our greatest desires that you bring an end to this war.  We wish you peace.

Interfaith Peace Network of Western New York

(Estimates of the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan vary, but sources including the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch and the University of New Hampshire all attest to the large number of direct and indirect civilian deaths.)