684 - Peace & Life: Poking the Hornet’s Nest Yet Again - October 13, 2023
Poking the Hornet’s Nest Yet Again
We suffer anguish at the latest escalation in Gaza. The low-grade undeclared war of many years has now flared up into a declared war. While peace advocates are often accused of being against defense, in this case it’s unambiguous: genuine defense of innocent civilians would mean not provoking others to attack them. Both sides in this conflict seem incapable of learning this basic lesson even when it’s right in front of their eyes.
The New York Times reports that peace activists who have been trying to persuade both sides of this reality are among this week’s victims.
Our blog post this week addresses this from different perspectives.
From Our Member Groups
∞ Feminists for Life reports success on their Girls Deserve Better Instagram page which has reached over 200,000 teens—with thousands liking the featured posts. They want to listen to the voices of teen girls and what matters most to them, so they’re inviting teenage girls between 13-18 to take their new survey.
∞ Feminists Choosing Life of New York is launching a billboard campaign October 19. One is pictured below.
Reminders
∞ The Rehumanize annual online conference is coming up November 11.
∞ Walgreens and CVS are on boycott due to applying to become dispensers of the abortion pills. If you can’t follow this completely because you have no other options on needed drugs or shots, then you can at least do a “withdrawal of enthusiasm” on all their other products. This will be more effective if you communicate to your local store the reason they’ve lost your business.
Our Latest Blog Post
Peace scholars and activists offer personal stories, history, and some political analysis in Gaza War: Outrageous and Foolish.
Quotation of the Week
Michele Dunne, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network
Quoted in Religious groups call for diplomacy, peacebuilding to generate a Just Peace in Ukraine – Pax Christi USA -
This week we celebrate the feast of St Francis, who suffered serious physical and mental health effects from war and became an avid peacemaker, seeking to end violence locally as well as in the Crusades. We must do no less in the present time. We must ask: what is the way to a just peace, one that will end the massive human suffering and allow Ukraine and Russia to live as peaceful neighbors? The way to peace is not through arming both sides for ever-escalating warfare, nor is it through abandoning Ukraine to be at the mercy of whatever Russia would impose. As people of faith, we call on political leaders to become as resourceful and determined in pursuing a just peace as they have been in pursuing military options.