By Eloise Cranke, Reprinted with permission, first printed for MEPEC (Middle East Peace Education Coalition)
A recent webinar, sponsored by UMKR (United Methodists for Kairos Response) and MFSA (Methodist Federation for Social Action) compared apartheid in South Africa with what’s happening in Palestine today. The similarities were striking.
By Brian Terrell
On Tuesday, April 13, a dozen people representing Iowa Peace
Network, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Catholic Peace
Ministry and Strangers and Guests Catholic Worker Farm attempted to visit the offices
of public relations and marketing firm LS2group in Des Moines, with a banner
that read, “LS2group- DON’T LOBBY for War Crimes and Murder, drop SAUDI
ARABIA.”
By Iowa United Methodist Church Bishop Laurie Haller
In response to the recent shootings that killed eight people, including six Asian-Americans, in Atlanta and ten people in Boulder, Bishop Laurie released the following pastoral letter to Dakotas and Iowa United Methodists.
Over 900 nuclear bomb
tests were conducted on Shoshone territory in the US. Residents still live with the consequences.
By Ian Zabarte; reprinted with permission; printed in “Nukewatch Quarterly” Fall 2020
You never know what is killing you when it is done in
secret.
By Weldon D. Nisly
(12 March 2021)
Robert
Draper, To Start A
War: How the Bush Administration Took America into War (Penguin Press, New York: 2020)
Daniel A Sjursen, Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War
(Heydey, Berkeley, CA: 2020)
The lie of war is the tragic truth of America’s post-9/11 endless war. Two recent books confront the endless lies of endless war waged by the United States. Robert Draper and Danny Sjursen independently critique arguably the worst foreign policy blunder in U.S. history.
By: Emily and David Goodner and the Iowa City Catholic Worker House team
Separated from his family under “Remain in Mexico,” Alejandro now has new hope. But when will he see his son again? Check out this brand new Human Rights Watch video about our Iowa faith community's work and prayers for a new US approach at the border. .....
By Dodie Stevens, 2021
I wrote and recorded this song, “Respect Me” with my daughter, Stephanie, last year, which was prompted by the protests and riots regarding racial injustice and equality, that began after the police brutality and death of George Floyd. And it was all captured on video! I watched, through my tears, and couldn’t believe what I was seeing!
By: Isidro Ortiz, Ph.D.; reprinted with permission, first published in Draft Notices -Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft newsletter Vol. 41, No. 4; Oct.- Dec. 2020
The murder of Army soldier Vanessa Guillen and the pleas by her family for action and accountability in the military continue to evoke actions in policy-making circles. During the week of September 12, members of Congress took a series of steps intended to prevent future tragedies.
“Op-ed” guest essay.
By Robert Brammer and Tom Leffler. Submitted Jan. 15, 2021; Published in the Des
Moines Register Jan. 22, 2021
Many peace-advocates in the Des
Moines area welcome the inauguration of President Joe Biden, who repeatedly has
pledged to take swift and strong action to reduce the danger of nuclear conflict
-- a threat that increased dramatically over the last four years.
By Christine Sheller
Ivester Church of the Brethren, rural Grundy Center, finished
a book study on the book Trouble I've Seen- Changing the Way Church Views Racism by Drew H.I. Hart in late November. I was able to read this book and thoughtfully went
through study questions made available by Katelin Hansen, as well.
Hart is part of the Anabaptist tradition (includes the Mennonite Church, Church of the Brethren, and Brethren in Christ, as well as others.) He is a pastor and speaker, theologian and blogger.
