Fighting An Idea With Bullets
ByTroy McKinney

It is disappointing to me to think we as a people have learned so little about resolving our differences that we still view war as a viable alternative. Not long ago, I was thinking about World War One and how it was touted at the time to be the 'war to end all wars.' Obviously it did not live up to expectations in this regard, neither has any other war since succeeded to bring this about.

It is strange, to me, that after all of our history of warfare, we, as a people, have failed to learn two simple and basic lessons. Number one, war does not bring about peace, all it can do is to bring about a very temporary truce, no better. Number two, it is impossible to fight an idea with bullets. This concept is important to us specifically at this point in history. Never before during any armed conflict has it been more obvious than it is with the war on terrorism, that we are attempting to do exactly that; we are trying to fight an idea with bullets.

We can always shoot the terrorist who has the idea, but the idea is alive and well and the dead will simply become a rallying cry for the idea itself. It is a self-perpetuating cycle of chaos, and for every terrorist we kill or execute, we will only be reinforcing the very idea we are trying to stop.

For any who would disagree with me, I would challenge you to take a look at history. Did World War Two end fascism or totalitarianism? Did the cold war, Korea or Viet Nam end communism? Is our war on terrorism going to end terrorism? Perhaps our leaders are not trying to put an end to this idea, but if they are not, then why not? Again, war is not a solution and at best is a deplorable stop-gap. Only when we attempt to understand the roots of the problem, in this case terrorism, will we be able to make any significant inroads in bringing about an end to the madness.

If war is not the answer, then how should we approach this global issue? I do not have the wisdom to answer that question, I can only look back at history and see where we have been and see where we are going. I do have to wonder how different things might be right now if, after the terrorist attacks on September the 11th, we had responded, as a nation, not out of violence, but rather out of compassion. I do not believe the terrorists view their lives as any less important than we view ours, and if they were willing to sacrifice their own lives for these acts, their motivations must have indeed been desperate. I think we would all be far better served by looking into the root cause of this fear and hatred and seeking ways to convince them they were wrong, as opposed to doing what we are doing and only convincing them they were right.

Again, it comes down to understanding, reason and compassion. This is obviously not the easy path to take, but then nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

Bread for the Journey's foundation is rooted in loving, respectful relationships and supports people acting with wisdom, courage, and kindness to enhance the quality of life within their local community. The Bloomington Chapter's Advisory committee is composed of locals in the fields of art, business, education, spirituality, and social services.

Their mission is to nurture the human spirit through the support of individuals and organizations working to provide aid to the poor, the distressed, and the underprivileged.

It is their belief that there exists what Thomas Merton called a "hidden wholeness". They do not seek to fix everything that is seen as broken, but gives support to what is already strong and whole.

Bread for the Journey donates one-time grants (as seed money) to inspired individuals who are voluntarily offering their skills toward satisfying a community need.

Individuals within our community can aid Bread for the Journey by spreading the word about their respectful, neighborhood philanthropy, letting the group know of community projects that could benefit from their support, and by making donations or pledging the donation of goods, services or time toward.

You can find out more about the groups history, projects and other chapters and about its founder, Wayne Muller by visiting their website at http://www.breadforthejourney.org. Contact the local organization by writing to them at P.O. Box 8033, Bloomington, IN 47407-8033 or calling (812) 331-7991.

Bread for the Journey will make a donation of $250 to Green Dove if we can raise that amount through donations. Please make your check out to Green Dove and send your donation to Green Dove, Inc., P.O. Box 8172, Bloomington, IN 47407.

Peace
By Mazin Qumsiyeh

I reflected on diversity and peace as I attended my son's high school graduation ceremonies. My son is half Palestinian and half Chinese and the names of the other graduating students show the variety of their backgrounds. All were treated equally and not based on the color of their skins or the religion they had. Yet, I also was disturbed by the fact that few Hispanic or African Americans attended this school in an economically "upper-class" part of Connecticut.

Then I thought of my other homeland, a presumably "Holy Land" where segregation is more pronounced. There are schools for Palestinians and schools for Israeli Jews. Israel builds Jewish-only highways and settlements on lands confiscated from Palestinians. Israelis get 6 times more water per person than Palestinians. The legal system clearly distinguishes Jews from "non-Jews." Israel imports Jews from all over the world and settles them on confiscated Palestinian (Christian and Muslim) lands.

Israel/Palestine now has about 5 million Jews and 4.6 million Christians and Muslims. But of the 9 million Palestinians in the world, over 5 million are refugees or "displaced persons." A quarter of Israel's 1.3 million Palestinian "citizens" are considered by the Israeli legal system as "present absentees." Lands and homes vacated by Christian and Muslim refugees and "absentees" are considered state property and turned over to the Jewish Agency (later Israel Lands Authority) that administers the land and leases it to Jewish colonial "development."

The US government is pushing hard for its "road map" for peace in the Middle East. Yet, in the 2221 words of this road map, a few key words are missing. Of these the most egregious omissions are words like "human rights" and "International law" and "equality." Incomplete success of the removal of the natives led Israeli governments to attempt to isolate the remaining Palestinians in enclaves similar to the Bantustan's of Apartheid South Africa and to ensure that refugees never return.

The apartheid solution to the Palestinian "problem" at Oslo was re-presented by Bush and the "road map." Modeled after apartheid in South Africa, the Israeli/Bush solution envisions no return of refugees and disjointed Bantustans of a demilitarized "Palestine," without control of natural resources or borders surrounded by Israeli army and colonies.

Research has shown return of Palestinian refugees to be not only legal and moral but also feasible (see http://Al-Awda.org, and http://Badil.org). Further, the current Palestinian citizens of Israel and many Israeli Jews want a constitution to protect all, not just Jews. Israeli laws give automatic citizenship to any Jew in the world, including converts, who desire it while denying return to natives born and raised there for generations simply for being of the wrong religion. Besides being illegal, this is irrational and immoral and can never lead to peace.

Meanwhile the U.S. Congress gave more money to Israel in the past two years than it did to a state in the US of equal size population. Israel's share of our foreign aid budget is 30% while its population is about 0.1% of world population. Except for persistent attempts by some in the US media to shield Americans from facts, the whole world opposes the Israel-inspired and Bush-led attack on human rights and international law. The violence of resistance is far dwarfed by the violence of the occupation and colonization. Thus it is not surprising that three times as many Palestinian civilians were killed as Israeli civilians in the last three years. But violence is a symptom of the disease and it is time to treat the disease of colonization by

advocating and working for freedom and equality instead of promoting separation and injustice.

We in the human rights camp and International Solidarity Movement (ISM) advocate a road map for justice and peace - justice and peace rather than a road map for hegemony and control. The hopeful signs of the ISM, led by Palestinians who advocate non-violence, are not dimmed by the Israeli onslaught that killed two Internationals already including American student Rachel Corrie.

And as I reflect on my son's graduation, I weep with the family of Rachel and the families of over 800 Palestinian students killed by Israeli forces. I also reflect on and I am saddened by the continuing injustices using our taxes. But then I think of the idealism and wonderful words of Rachel and all the students she left behind. They will lead us to a world with no walls and a world of justice and equality. That is the world I want to continue working towards, and I know my son will carry the torch.

Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh is co-founder of the Palestine Right to Return Coalition (http://Al-Awda.org).

Senator Evan Bayh
Indianapolis phone: (317) 554-0750
D.C. phone: (202) 224-5623
fax: (202) 228-1377
e-mail through website: http://bayh.senate.gov/

Senator Richard Lugar
Indianapolis phone:(317) 226-5555
D.C. phone: (202) 224-4814
fax: (202) 228-0360
e-mail: senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov

Congressman Baron Hill
Bloomington phone: (812) 334-7893
Jeffersonville phone: (800) 892-3232
Jeffersonville fax: (812) 288-3877
D.C. phone: (202) 225-5315
D.C. fax: (202) 226-6866
e-mail through website: http://www.house.gov/baronhill/

Looking for other elected officials? Check out: http://mygov.governmentguide.com/mygov/index.html