Catholic Theologian on Obama in Oslo

David Maguire is a Professor of Moral Theological Ethics at Marquette University, and author of The Horrors We Bless: Rethinking the Just-War Legacy.  This article first appeared in Consortiumnews.com on December 16, 2009.

Opportunity Lost: Obama in Oslo

Whether Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize is not the point. He didn’t. The fact is he got it, and was gifted with the chance of a lifetime to make a classic speech on the politics of peace-making, a speech that in the glare of Nobel could have attained instant biblical standing.

He failed miserably, producing a hodge-podge that resembled the work of a bright but undisciplined sophomore.

He hoisted his petard on the classical "just war theory," a theory that, properly understood, condemns his decision to send yet more kill-power into Afghanistan.

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MVPJ Attends White House Teleconference on Afghanistan

The White House held a teleconference today to discuss the President’s announced plans for Afghanistan and Pakistan. I attended representing Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice.

The teleconference didn’t help to overcome the disappointment our steering committee experienced last night listening to the President speakat the US Military Academy, or our deep concerns for the upcoming increase in military forces in Afghanistan, but it did provide me with some hope that there’s more going on than just the “surge.”

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MVPJ Statement on Fort Hood Tragedy

We are horrified by the mass shooting at Fort Hood and lift up our prayers of comfort for the grieving and healing for the wounded. As the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in response to the shootings, "No political or religious ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence." At this moment we once again affirm our unity across faiths. No one should have to walk in fear because someone who shares their religion, ethnicity, or appearance has committed a crime. Just as we mourn together the tragic loss of life at Fort Hood, we will stand together to keep every member of our community safe.

We continue to work and pray for an end to war so that everyone at Fort Hood and every military base can live out their full lives in peace.

The Steering Committee Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice.

Full Accountability for Torture Prosecution!

Join Amnesty International's campaign for FULL ACCOUNTABILITY of U.S. Sponsored Torture.

According to recent news reports, Attorney General Eric Holder is close to appointing a Special Prosecutor to investigate allegations of torture and abuse. This would be a welcome and crucial step towards demonstrating a commitment to human rights and the rule of law. However, it is possible that the investigation will be limited in scope. After years of evidence that torture and human rights violations were ordered and authorized from above, only lower level personnel have been held to account. We can’t let impunity for torture continue. Urge President Obama to ensure full accountability for torture and other human rights violations, as required by U.S. and international law: with a full investigation, prosecutions where warranted and remedy for victims.
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Give to Sam Provance Accompaniment Fund

Sam Provance, one of the whistle blowers of the Abu Ghraib scandal who was featured in the film "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" is currently living in South Carolina and facing what many whistle-blowers experience - a lot of prejudice against him, making it very difficult to get a good job as well as create community. The Project on Ethics and Art in Testimony (PEAT) which was founded by Jean Maria Arrigo (who spoke at the Torture is a Moral Issue Conference in Palo Alto in June), has set up a fund for people to "accompany" Provance with financial support.
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In War, There Are Innocents

MVPJ Steering Committee member Craig Wiesner responds to recent news stories quoting a group claiming that in war, there are no innocents.
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Christian Peace Witness: New National Focus

A shorter name - a wider mission!

At our 2009 summer retreat, leaders from diverse peace fellowships and traditions decided that the mission of Christian Peace Witness for Iraq must evolve to meet new challenges - so we shortened our name but broaden our mission by becoming Christian Peace Witness and calling for an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the removal of all U.S. troops and military bases.  Visit the updated website to learn more, and click on "Join the Network" (right side of screen) to receive monthly e-newsletters.

Resources for Torture Awareness

These films are available for your use through Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice:

• Primetime Torture (includes Tony Lagouranis, former U.S. Army Interrogator; Howard Gordan, Executive Director of "24" & Ken Robinson, Special Forces (ret.), 14 min., produced by Human Rights First; free)
• Ending U.S.-Sponsored Torture Forever (study for people of faith produced by National Religious Campaign Against Torture; $10 to purchase)
• Taxi to the Dark Side (2007 Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature investigating the torture and killing of an innocent Afghani taxi driver; 106 min.; $15 to purchase)
• Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (HBO documentary by Rory Kennedy with interviews of perpetrators, witnesses and victims examining and contextualizing the abuses; 78 min.; $15 to purchase)
• Sr. Dianna Ortiz, an Ursuline nun, human rights advocate and torture survivor, reads from her book, The Blindfold's Eye: My Journey from Torture to Truth, at the Christian Peace Witness worship in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 2009.  Click here to watch on youtube.

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Torture is a Moral Issue: Palo Alto Conference Report

The Friday night panel was moderated by David DeCosse, Director of Campus Ethics Programs for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.  He began the evening by posing the questions, "How do people of faith speak in the American public square about the issue of torture?  How is it possible to persuade fellow citizens ... that torture is wrong and that the soul of the United States is at stake...?"

"Our nation needs pastors and other religious leaders who are willing to stand up and to speak in a prophetic voice:  'Thus saith the LORD.  Torture is sin.  It's not just illegal under US and international law, it's not just a violation of human rights, it is fundamentally immoral.  Torture is immoral because it violates the image of God in another human being. ... To torture someone is to sin against God, against a fellow human being, and against one's self, so woe unto you who torture,'" declared Rev. Ben Daniel in his address on June 26, as part of the "Torture is a Moral Issue" conference sponsored by Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice and many others.

"Just reading the Constitution brings tears to my eyes.  I have this view of America as trying to get it right," sang John Crigler, using the words of a former Army Interrogator.

"Torture is always and everywhere wrong. ... Still, given the poll taken by the Pew Survey published in April of this year, we still have a long way to go. That survey showed that those who label themselves as religious are more likely to support torture as a national security measure; and that practicing, worshiping believers are most vehement. Friends, I hope we go away from this day with the tools we need to turn this around. We are not in a position to speak the truth to power, unless we first tell it to the not-so-powerful, to ourselves and those standing next us at coffee hour," urged Rev. Carol Wickersham, founder of No2Torture.

"I'm an interrogator.  This is what the face of an interrogation looks like.  I've been not torturing for 16 years. The interrogators I've worked with, the interrogators I've trained, know that torture doesn't work.  They know that torture is counterproductive.  They know that torture is immoral," explained Terrence Karney, a former Army Interrogator and Trainer.  Click here to hear Karney's Friday evening remarks on youtube.

To download copies of their presentations, or access videos, click "read more" below.

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September 11th Prayers for Peace

On September 11th, we gathered at the Friends Meeting House in Palo Alto to pray for peace. We'll post some of the reflections shared that evening here.
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