Connecting the wars overseas and at home
The frontlines of Pax Christi's fight for peace are both in our backyard and on the other side of the world.
By Guest Blogger John Zokovitch
More than 300 Catholic activists recently gathered in Chicago for the National Catholic Conference on Peacemaking, focusing on the theme, "Know Justice, Know Peace: Ending War at Home and Abroad." Conference participants were challenged to make the connection between the wars being waged in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the war being waged against immigrants, communities of color, and the impoverished here at home.
The opening keynote was delivered by Father Bryan Massingale, author of Racial Justice and the Catholic Church. In his address, Massingale alluded to the conference's theme, suggesting that connecting Pax Christi USA's traditional concern for stopping war in places of conflict around the globe to the violence which happens on the streets, in the educational system, and as a result of racial injustice in our nation was provocative, even unsettling.
"[W]e must name and challenge the incongruity of pursuing peace in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq while remaining silent - even oblivious - to the violence and injustice in our own neighborhoods. And the South Side of Chicago is our neighborhood. East St. Louis is our neighborhood. The Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans is our neighborhood," stated Massingale. "Because [in the gospel reading] two Sundays ago, Jesus settled that issue when he answered the question: ‘And who is my neighbor?'"
Saturday morning's keynote speakers were Elena Segura, director of the Office for Immigrant Affairs and Immigrant Education of the Archdiocese of Chicago, and Jeremy Scahill, author of the international bestseller, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army. The juxtaposition of their talks, delivered together with Segura speaking first, emphasized the relationship between the increasing militarization of our immigration policies and the corporatization of military power.
Following their talks, during time set aside for small group discussions, one conference participant remarked, "There is a war being waged in this country and around the world against the poor, who are predominantly people of color. It is an economic war being waged to protect and increase the wealth and privilege of the powerful and it is a war of oppression being waged in order to keep poor in their place."
Guest blogger John Zokovitch is the program director at Pax Christi USA.
Highlights of the conference also included the announcment of a new partnership between JustFaith Ministries and Pax Christi USA, and the honoring of women religious with the Eileen Egan Peacemaker Award. See more about their annual conference online.
Guest blog posts express the views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of U.S. Catholic, its editors, or the Claretians.
Comments (41)
Marxist Rhetoric - Clarification
By Jerry D (not verified) on Friday, July 30, 2010In the comments below charges have been made that the Blog is Marxist rhetoric. The counter charge has been made that there is no Marxisit rhetoric and consevatives make wild charges of Pinko to shut down those who want to help the poor.
The Marxist rhetoric is to the description of America in terms of class warfare. Rerum Novarum warns against class warfare rhetoric.
If the post said, "Americans with greater wealth should have more awareness of how their decisions affect the poor and God calls them to become more active in helping the poor" it would be fully in line with Catholic teaching and not Marxist.
Perhaps someone can name a specific company that is at war to oppress poor Americans, especially people of color. The rich, in fact, have done much to advance Socialistic causes. Ask Pax Christi, they receive major funding from the Ford Foundation.
Hatred of America - Clarity
By Jerry D (not verified) on Friday, July 30, 2010Based upon the comments below we will not get agreement, but perhaps we can have clarity and not animosity.
Conservatives believe that a country that is waging a war at home to oppress the poor and people of color at the same time waging connected wars overseas is an evil country.
The above is not a criticism of a basically good country, but a sweeping condemnation.
Psalms 97:10 tells us that God loves those who hate evil. Therefore, conservatives hate countries as described above.
Pax Christi has described America as being the abjectly evil terms described above and lefties posting here believe it is accurate. Therefore, Conservatives conclude that Pax Christi and lefties posting here hate America.
Lefties make the wild charge that conservatives are against criticism and descent even after I post that Patriots can oppose the Iraq war and there are valid reasons for criticism.
I suppose the left say they love America because they hate the sin and love the sinner. However, language becomes meaningless if when people say I have no hate and love unconditionally Nazi Germany, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Pol Pot, Dorothy Day, Hitler and Mother Theresa.
War Talk
By Anonymous (not verified) on Friday, July 30, 2010The use of the word "war" for things that are not war has entered the lexicon, War on Poverty, War on Drugs, War on Littering etc. We should all stop using it. It's stupid. I just did a quick Google search for "War on Liberalism" and found pages of results from Conservative websites. So it's on all sides. No doubt you'll come back with official Church teaching that liberalism IS evil but so is oppressing the poor. Besides Conservatives call everything to the left of them liberal. They even booed Teddy Roosevelt as a liberal at the Tea Party convention. So let's not get sanctimonious about Pax Christi using the term "war" to describe oppression of the poor. It's a dumb use of a word that should be reserved for the perpetual evil that human societies inflict on each other. But we all do it. We should stop.
War Talk analogy
By Jerry D (not verified) on Friday, July 30, 2010I also agree that the mephorical use of war is overused, but that is not the issue.
The issue is the false charge that widespread intentional infliction of oppression of the lower classes is the core understanding of American life and the American economy.
I ascribe no evil to someone if I say they are engaged in a war on poverty, a war on drugs or even a war of ideas such as metaphorical war on liberalism or conservatism. However someone is oppressing the poor and people of color, it is evil whether or not I use the term "war" or "class warfare."
Socialism led to over 100 million deaths with all its talk about class struggle. I doubt Pope Leo knew in 1893 how horrific the potential of rhetoric similar to that which Pax Christi uses would cause when he warned against it in Rerum Novarum.
TR
By Anonymous (not verified) on Friday, July 30, 2010Was Teddy Roosevelt a liberal? The Tea Party says he was. Was he a Socialist? Depends on your perspective. From mine he was a great president and on my short list of great Republican ones. Lincoln, TR and, that's about it. Ford wasn't great but he was a good man and Eagle Scout who took a cr@p job and kept our democracy going. Grant had obvious problems as president but you gotta hand it to him whippin' the Confederacy's butt and preserving the Union. Same in another century with Eisenhower. But the one I like the best and would have voted for early and often is TR. But to Conservatives he's a liberal. Amazing. He started the National Park System and the first wildlife conservation programs. No doubt some conservatives and market hunters screamed Socialism when he brought in the first hunting licenses, something all sportsmen agree now was a good idea. And he was from NYC. Points for that. He also stuck up for the common man and stood up to the banks and monopolies. My kind of prez. So what do you think of TR? Good, bad, liberal, Socialist? Be careful what you say. He might just come back and hit you with his big stick.
Off topic?
By Jerry D (not verified) on Friday, July 30, 2010Your going on a wild tangent.
What does any of this have to do about trust busting, TR and the tea party? My guess is most people involved in tea parties think TR was a fine president.
If you have TR classwar quotes about the United States similar to what the Pax Christi folks make about the United States, then you have a reasonble discussion.
Words
By Anonymous (not verified) on Friday, July 30, 2010I'm saying that you guys have a tendency to use a wide brush when painting Democrats, liberals and peace activists as Socialists, Marxists, America Haters etc. The idea of booing TR as a liberal is so bizarre as to seem like something from The Simpsons. That it actually happened at the Tea Party convention is proof of how far right Conservatives in this country have gone. Goldwater would be considered a RINO to many. You keep asking for reasonable debate but you and others started this Marxist American Hater rap. I think that's shrill and over the top. You can't come out calling people commies then complain that the discussion isn't going according to your terms. Conservatives lose me when they start sounding like they're living in Ozzie and Harriet Joe McCarthy Land. It's not good to compare real war where people are killing people they don't know in the name of their country or cause with other offenses on people that do not involve killing. I'm also sick of the term Czar for the heads of government agencies and any use of the term Holocaust for anything other than the attempted extermination of Jews and others by the Nazis. Words lose their meaning when they are used loosely. I agree that the connection between actual wars and actions that hurt disadvantaged people is a stretch but it's no worse than other stretches pulled every day by Conservatives. I don't think it warrants the Loyalty Board.
Teddy R. - Open your mind
By Jerry D (not verified) on Monday, August 2, 2010It's clear you get all conservative thought filtered through liberal outlets. It's like getting your info on Catholicism through Jack Chick cartoons.
You obviously read. To review and critique conservative thought, why not allocate 5 minutes a week reading columns of Thomas Sowell, a graduate of Harvard and U of Chicago, and a former Marxist?
This dialogue started not with identifying the blog as having Marxist thought, but with the blog labeling America as a racist country waging war against the poor at home and abroad.
You make wild charges that the Tea Party is against Yosemite Park based upon filtered info. I heard Tea Party criticism of TR for moving into progessivism and writing a letter endorsing eugenics:
As for Yosemite, progessives W. Wilson & FDR backed by Democratic controlled Congresses dammed Hetch Hetchy. (FDR raised the dam.)
Filtered
By Anonymous (not verified) on Monday, August 2, 2010You're right that I read but wrong that I get all my ideas about conservatives filtered through liberals. Before I conquered the habit through prayer and cold showers I listened to Rush, Hannity, Savage, Coulter, Buchanan and the lot. I've weakened and started to listen to EWTN again but I need to stop. I've read Sowell and other Born Again Conservatives as I read Cradle ones like Cal Thomas. I know their rap and I still think they're full of it.
As far as Wilson, he was a Southern racist who went ga-ga over "Birth of a Nation". He'll get no defense from me.
The O'Shaughnessy Dam forming the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir was completed in 1923, nine years before FDR ran for president. Before that he was Governor of New York so I don't know what influence he would have had over a dam in California. The dam was raised during his administration but the valley was already flooded. His administration tried unsuccessfully to enforce the Raker Act prohibiting private profit from it since it was on public property. "San Francisco, in violation of this provision, sells the approximately 500 megawatts of power to the PG&E corporation, which in turn sells it to the general public at a profit." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Shaughnessy_Dam#Disputes_and_controvers... I'm guessing that's cool with you. I'm with FDR. Guess that makes me a Socialist.
