Ground Zero E-News
Posted: 22nd December 2022
GZ Nonviolence E-News—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
December 21, 2022
Dear friends of Ground Zero Center,
Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Here in the Salish Sea the temperature is in the teens, the land is blanketed with snow, and strong winds are blowing; I am grateful for our warm, cozy home where I can sit contemplating darkness as the sun is setting.
We live in a time of great darkness. We are in the midst of a rapidly developing climate crisis, and the wealthy nations pay it lip service while nations with the least ability to deal with its effects suffer the most (for now). A war rages on in Ukraine, and some nations, led by the US, continue to provide weaponry to the Ukrainians, escalating the war and increasing the risk of a world-ending nuclear war… and there is no serious talk of diplomacy.
Here in the United States the House of Representatives just passed the largest military budget in U.S. history – $858 billion. Putting that into perspective, it’s larger than the military spending of the next 10 largest military powers in the world combined. And there will be even more. Congress is considering at least an extra $21.7 billion to resupply weapons to Ukraine. Of course, there was no sign of new funding to revive the short-lived expansion of the Child Tax Credit, which reduced poverty among children in the U.S. by more than 40 percent over the past two years. The only response to this for me are the prophetic words of the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
And speaking of doom, just minutes ago Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy finished has address to the US Congress. Taken in context, it was a carefully choreographed and scripted moment intended to bolster US support for sending yet more weaponry to Ukraine, which could include long-range missile strike systems able to reach into Russia, and which could bring the US and Russia closer to a nuclear confrontation (than we already are).
I feel for the fate of the Ukrainian people just I feel for the fate of people around the world who suffer all manner of oppression, suffering and death. And I know that the suffering of the Ukrainian people will not be lessened by more weaponry supplied by the US and other nations; that will only increase their suffering. US money (and the weapons it buys) for Ukraine is not what Zelensky referred to in his speech as “an investment in global democracy and security.” How many more times can our nation create the conditions that initiate violent conflict, and then pour fuel on the fire with the weapons of war (in the name of democracy) and pretend we believe in democracy (let alone the rule of international law)?
As for the multiple standing ovations throughout Zelensky’s speech today, I recall how Dr. King spoke of the difficulty of working for peace in an atmosphere of mass conformity. “Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men (sic) do not easily assume the task of opposing their government’s policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one’s own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexing as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict [Vietnam], we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty. But we must move on.” He went on to say that, “the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak.”
So let us come together to light our candles and bring our light to the darkness!
To start, please sign on to the International Appeal for a Christmas Truce (https://gzcenter.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d3cf0e43087227c9cd6f5d5e4&id=d3ddbd090e&e=6c2ce0b604) in Ukraine, initiated by the International Peace Bureau (IPB).
I also invite you to listen to the Rev. William Barber give a Christmas Eve sermon, NO WAR: A MORAL CALL FOR A CHRISTMAS TRUCE, AT 10PM EST on December 24th. The link to the live event is breachrepairers.org/livestream (https://gzcenter.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d3cf0e43087227c9cd6f5d5e4&id=c037dc38de&e=6c2ce0b604) .
Finally, you can write to your members of Congress, and perhaps write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, on the Ukraine war and what you think should be done to bring it to a nonviolent end. Click here to write to tell Congress (https://gzcenter.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d3cf0e43087227c9cd6f5d5e4&id=c8bbaf525a&e=6c2ce0b604) to vote NO on another $37 billion to escalate the war in Ukraine.
As we light our candles on this Winter Solstice I will let Dr. King have the last word: “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
On behalf of Ground Zero Center (https://gzcenter.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d3cf0e43087227c9cd6f5d5e4&id=b9ceb15d45&e=6c2ce0b604) , (https://gzcenter.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d3cf0e43087227c9cd6f5d5e4&id=edc573528c&e=6c2ce0b604)
Leonard Eiger
The Stupa at Ground Zero Center.