The 20th Anniversary of the Abu Ghraib Scandal

 The 20th anniversary of the Abu Ghraib scandal passed rather quietly in recent weeks, most likely due to the world's focus on Gaza, and all the campus protests in the United States and around the world.

Twenty years ago, I had been living in Baghdad, along with the rest of our Christian Peacemaker Team, and we had spent the year carefully documenting dozens of testimonies from the survivors of U.S. human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere throughout the country.

We prepared a report with our data showing the patterns of misconduct, and sent it to every member of Congress, every U.S. and international news outlet, and of course, the White House and military officials.

The response was...underwhelming, at least at first. Rep. Dennis Kucinich responded, and I think we heard a bit of interest from the CBC, BBC, and maybe NPR. For the most part, though, we were pretty sure our report had gone directly into most folks' wastebaskets.

And then a soldier leaked the photos, and the phones began ringing nonstop. Apparently, our report hadn't been thrown out; it was just shelved until something came along to make people take notice.

We were all giving nonstop interviews for a week--some of mine were with CNN, BBC, and ABC, but the rest are now a blur.

And then, because of the enormous anger of the people at everything that had been done to them, at how horribly and humiliatingly abused the prisoners had been at the hands of the U.S. troops-- it was time to evacuate.

I thought I might get to go back in a few weeks once things settled down, but for me, that was the last I ever saw of Baghdad, and all of my friends that I'd made there.

Over the years, of course, with the hope of social media, I've been fortunate to hear from a handful of Iraqi friends who have survived, or who have even gotten out and moved elsewhere.

Barely a day goes by that I do not think of Baghdad; just like barely a day goes by when I do not think of Israel and Palestine, and all the dear people I have known in each place as well.

On a Veterans' Day in the Midst of Yet Another War

So very often,

Those who make decisions about waging war

Do not pay the consequences of war

And what I want for you

Although I know you are strong,

and brave,

Is to come home with all your fingers and toes

your arms and legs, yes

your beautiful faces, yes, and

your Whole soul.

I know pieces of my soul

are scattered

across Iraq, Afghanistan,

Syria and Lebanon

Palestine and Israel

and Central America

I saw a lot of war, after all,

and death

even though I never held a gun

I met a lot of young soldiers

who were alive, yet

something in them had died

or was slowly dying

I think about all who left

chunks of their souls

and perhaps also

chunks of their bodies

In Viet Nam, Korea, Germany

All over the earth

In ways most of us can only begin to fathom

And so we might say,

'Thank you for your service' today

It's harder to say,

'How are you...really?'

and to listen

It's painful to say,

'Here we are again...'

Heal your children, O Lord

Inside and out

Set aside the egos of the powerful

so no more of our young must die

or be destroyed

Bring forth among us healers,

so that we may work together

to heal our broken world

Because You have made this world

Beautiful,

O God,

And You

have created it

for Peace.

(c)2023 LCdM

Unholy War in a Land We Call 'Holy'

Perhaps, like myself, you are following the news from the land we call 'Holy,' with a mixture of grief, horror, and dread.

So many dead, in just a few brief days.

Even though twenty years have now passed since the years I lived there (2000-2003), I still think of my friends--both Palestinian and Israeli--every time I hear the news, which is nearly every day.

I am ever more firmly rooted in my belief that there is no military solution to this crisis. Every death, every killing, merely prolongs the conflict.

Killing civilians is wrong.

Targeting civilians is wrong.

'Civilians' is not a religion, a nationality, nor an ethnic group; but rather the people who choose not to be armed combatants-- they are children, mothers, the elderly, and people with disabilities. And yet so often, they pay the heaviest price in times of armed conflict.

There is no human life that is more valuable or precious than any other human being's life on this planet, regardless of religion, race, age, disability or ability, language, nationality, ethnicity, wealth or poverty, or any other human factor.

And even the mothers and families of armed combatants--whether those in an officially recognized military, or an unofficially-recognized 'militant group'--mourn their dead. And so often the ones who are sent to fight are not the ones who made the decisions to go to war.

The only path forward is one that recognizes the full humanity of each human person; full human and civil rights; a path that provides for each human being's need for food, shelter, water, clean air, an education and vocation; and the ability to live next to each other as neighbors in a civil society.

I believe such a path is possible, and I lament that so much time has been wasted pursuing so many other dead ends.

On Authoritarianism, and Have We Reached Our 'Bonhoeffer Moment?'

Friends, I want to share a particularly poignant resource, and also add my thoughts on the question that has been circulating among clergy and people of faith: Where is Bonhoeffer in all of this, and/or, have we arrived at the Bonhoeffer moment?

This was an excellent discussion on authoritarianism this morning on NPR's "On Point." I highly recommend it. It's about an hour, and I believe a transcript will be available within the next day or so.

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/10/29/america-authoritarian-threat-government-democracy

I do feel, after hearing this, and looking at the other readily available signs (Trump's own words in his speeches; policies of his staff; reports from NPR, NY Times, and similarly reputable news sources on the activities of the militias, supporters, police, ICE, etc.), that we are plausibly headed into some form of a civil war following this election--even if there were a landslide for Biden. The question I raise for voters is: do you want Trump to have the full force command of the military, police, intelligence services, ICE, and militias behind him--where we will have to rely on people in these forces to conscientiously object or abandon their posts; or do we want Trump to no longer have access to that firepower, except for the militias and the loyalists he has in the military and police? 

I do not put it past Trump to try to harm Biden if he wins; based on the statements he has made about Biden 'being shot three weeks into his term and Kamala taking over.' While Trump has since walked back his statement to say that 'being shot' means Biden wouldn't have the stamina--a recurrent theme; it could also be seen as a dog whistle or invitation to the same kinds of folks who were plotting to kidnap Governor Whitmer in Michigan.

I do not put it past Trump to enact as many human rights violations as he can against as many marginalized groups as he can, including the deportation blitz recently referenced in the news from a White House leak, immediately following the election--perhaps regardless of whether he wins. I also expect Trump will pardon each of his associates who have been convicted of crimes in the process of aiding his rise to power or corruption since taking office. I do believe it is plausible that Trump is using the pandemic as a means of passively eliminating the groups he believes are 'undesirables:' the poor, immigrants, racial-ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and chronic health conditions, the elderly, those living in institutionalized settings. As it became clear that the virus was largely sparing those who could afford to self-isolate by not having to work and being able to have all needs delivered; and that those who had access to high-quality healthcare are more likely to survive; Trump's response to the pandemic shifted. Life-saving aid to benefit the most vulnerable has been stopped, such as unemployment supplements that raised many impoverished workers to a living wage, food assistance supplements, and direct stimulus aid to every household. Activities known to spread the pandemic are being promoted: unmasked large social gatherings such as rallies and church, in particular. While the people boldly participating in these activities. I do even believe that the impeachment at the beginning of this year was a type of 'trial run' for holding on to power this fall: in the end, even though there seemed to be little disagreement on the facts of the case itself, Congress declined to convict. I believe that there was at least some realization among Congress that there were enough white nationalist sympathizers among the police and military, along with growing white militia activity, that any attempt to force Trump from office involuntarily would lead to significant armed resistance. Far better, perhaps, to pass the buck until the election in the fall. And now here we are, with the threat of violence on the horizon once again, as evidenced in Trump's own speeches.

One of the statements that did give me bleak encouragement was that if Trump did hold on to power and do his worst, that perhaps Canada would re-open the border so people could escape; please, friends--update your passports and other essential papers. Not only may some of us need to be prepared to move from our homes to safer neighborhoods, communities, states, or countries; we may indeed need to help others get to safety with our vehicles, fundraising, and networks.

So many folks have asked already, "Are we at the Bonhoeffer moment?" or "Where is Bonhoeffer in all of this?" We remember that Bonhoeffer was not a famous, powerful church leader in life; but a simple pastor and professor whose work was relatively unknown until after his death. We also remember that Bonhoeffer was arrested and executed for his part in a plot to assassinate Hitler. So, while we have so many good everyday pastors and professors, faithful and true, who have resisted the lies of Nationalism and the Christian Nationalist movement; who are speaking up from their pulpits and writing to their audiences about the need to realize what is happening and who is suffering; no friends--that Bonhoeffer moment is not yet here.

The Bonhoeffer moment arrived when there were no more options available to German people of good conscience; when Hitler could no longer be stopped from within; and most importantly--when the seemingly random and rare occurrences of daily oppression moved into the Final Solution: systematic, mass deportation, concentration, and extermination of the groups of people deemed enemies of the State: Jews; foreigners, racial-ethnic minorities; Roma (Gypsies); LGBTQIA+ people; people with disabilities; people who were too sick to labor in the camps; dissidents, and anyone who resisted. This was after the removal of dissidents from the universities and government; after the silencing of the major media to the crimes of the State; after all borders and routes to escape incarceration and death were closed; and after all of the everyday German citizenry were too worn down themselves by the war, the decade of economic collapse that preceded it, and the all-consuming everyday struggles brought by both, to realize or process fully what was going on--or to separate the benefits they believed the State was bringing them from the horrors enacted against the Others. We are quite plausibly on the road to that end, if unabated; but no, we are not yet at the point where it would be morally reasonable for us as clergy to participate in an effort to assassinate our Head of State.

Rather, the moment that is here, now, is for all of us, and everyone around us, to vote. We are to vote; to encourage calm and reason to prevail in these next weeks around the election and ballot counting; to preach and teach the fundamental human worth and dignity of all people; and to attend to the needs of our communities--shepherding our people who despair, who are lonely, who are hungry, who are cold. We are also to be watchful for signs and declarations that our nation intends to engage in mass concentration, incarceration, deportation, and execution of marginalized groups of people, which could plausibly happen within the next six months.

These times may seem bleak. The most recent reports tell us that these present hardships and disruptions of the pandemic are likely with us for another two years, into 2022. Our society will be coming to terms with the psychological stress and trauma and the biological and economic impact as well) from this experience for a solid 3-5 years after the pandemic begins to wane. It may remain with us in a less lethal form for the foreseeable future thereafter. This will consume an enormous amount of our energies. Neither will our political troubles be over within the next few months, regardless of the outcome of the election; even if we are able to attain a peaceable outcome to the election, we still have the long, difficult work ahead of us of undoing systems of historic injustice. This, too, will consume a good deal of our energies, as it ought.

And yet, friends, despite these present challenges, I do not give up hope; I believe that while each person may not be held accountable in court or custody, that somehow yet justice may prevail; that somehow yet children in cages will be freed and reunited with their families; that somehow yet we could begin taking common sense measures to contain the pandemic; and that somehow yet, we will walk back from the brink of fascism in this country. At least while we have so many people who do deeply desire the common good, for all people, we have hope.

We Need to Talk About Neo-Fascism

Friends, we need to talk about Neo-Fascism.

We need to understand Neo-Fascism. We need to study how it emerged in other societies in the past, and understand how it has emerged in our own society.  We need to be writing about it and talking about it. Our love of neighbor compels us not to be silent:

Historically, Fascism is characterized by ultra-nationalism; the violent suppression of dissent or criticism (by journalists, academics/ scientists, and activists); and by a forcible segregation of society along racial, ethnic, religious, economic, gender/orientation, and ability/ disability lines. It is most commonly associated with WW2-era Italy (Mussolini) and Nazi Germany, but it has spread in other places and times as well.

Fascism seeks to remove (through concentration, detention, deportation/ expulsion, deprivation of basic needs, and death) any group seen to be weak, vulnerable, or a 'drain on society.' This is often justified through rhetoric appealing to 'law and order,' or by economic necessity.

A fascist leader may rise to power through a constitutional election process, but the leader often has authoritarian ambitions--a one party government; the leader may refuse to yield power to a democratically-elected opposition candidate, thereby becoming a dictator. They may be an autocrat--seeking to make and enforce policy without checks and balances on their authority. They slander, discredit, and sometimes forcibly remove or silence anyone who disagrees with them. They may be a charismatic leader who instills a deeply loyal following by emphasizing an 'us vs. them' rhetoric that gives a sense of belonging and a common enemy.

A fascist leader may be able to enforce their power through state-sponsored violence (co-opting the military and/or police); and/or through the use of non-state sponsored militia or paramilitary forces. These militias may terrorize targeted populations through their open display of weapons; shooting or beating up unarmed persons belonging to targeted groups; 'patrolling' and harassing neighborhoods where targeted populations live; burning down or otherwise attacking homes, businesses, houses of worship, or other civic structures of targeted populations; and/ or destroy property or attack people and blame the targeted groups for the destruction.

(We saw a lot of this over the summer in Minneapolis and other cities, where the majority of large-scale arson and other serious vandalism was committed by white persons, as court records and surveillance footage have later shown). By and large, Black people were blamed in the immediate aftermath for the actions of these white people).

A fascist leader may also co-opt large segments of the majority religion (historically Christianity), and the wealthy classes, by promising policies favorable to them. They may appeal to the working and middle classes by promising economic benefits, a return to 'traditional values,' or a return to 'law and order.'

Fascism invokes fear of anarchy, 'Marxism,' and liberal thought as the major threats to an orderly society. It is the complete opposite of egalitarianism. It can be incredibly misogynist--pushing for the return of women to stereotypical gender roles and out of the workforce. This has less of an impact on upper-income and/or right-wing Christian households, where women are less likely to have a full-time, needs-supporting income outside the home. Universities permitting dissent may be closed; public school curriculum may be altered to be more favorable to the fascist agenda; and pastors who speak out against human rights abuses may be forced out of their churches by supporters of the fascist leader. Mayors and governors who seek to preserve their citizens' civil rights may face retaliatory action as well until they comply with orders or are forced out of office.

We need to recognize, study, speak out against, and work to prevent neo-Fascism from overtaking our society this fall. I will be doing what I can to educate others, and I invite you to do the same.

If you would like to learn more about Fascism and don't know where to start, Wikipedia actually is a good starting point. It has dozens of scholarly resources to read cited there, for further study. Here's a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism

We Are Each Others' Keepers

Good grief. I was listening to the BBC today covering a report of the UN Human Rights Commissioner on the excessive use of force against protestors, the incarceration of women and children, the abuses in police custody and the arrests of people by officials in unmarked cars, and the concern for additional violence related to the elections--and I honestly couldn't tell whether they were talking about our own United States or somewhere else until they finally said, "reporting from Minsk."

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, folks. It's possible you could have surrounded yourself with a white enough social circle and be financially comfortable enough not to realize what's going on, but I do believe unless people are hiding under a rock and intentionally tuning out all standard reputable news sources, it's getting almost impossible to deny we have a major civil rights crisis in our country--affecting not only Black people, but also citizens of Latinx, Indigenous, Arab and Asian descent; immigrants (documented or undocumented) LGBTQ+ people, religious minorities, people who are poor, people who have disabilities. 

And increasingly, dissidents and protestors--even those who are peacefully expressing their concerns within their constitutional rights.

These times increasingly remind me of the famous quote from Pastor Martin Niemoeller, during the Holocaust:

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-niemoeller-first-they-came-for-the-socialists

We are each others' keepers, friends. When harm comes to our neighbors (even the neighbors we may choose not to see), harm comes to us as well.

Remembering: September 11, 2001

I was on home leave/ speaking tour from Palestine/ Israel for the month; and I'd had a layover at Newark a few days earlier, looking across the water at the Twin Towers. I considered going for a quick visit; then owing to jet lag and being unsure if I'd be back in time for my next flight, I decided to wait until my way back. I've never been through that way since. I would end up spending a full year in Iraq, before and after the war; appalled at the destruction and the suffering of the people; and eventually becoming one of the first to document what would later become known as the Abu Ghraib scandal. It often seems like yesterday. Such tremendous suffering; not only for us and the 3,000 people our country lost; but so much more so for the 1.5 million Iraqis who were killed for something they didn't do.

I Wish...

I wished we impeached presidents for crimes of war and crimes against humanity.

I fully realize if we did, we would need to impeach many if not most of our presidents.

Unfortunately, killing civilians, or enacting policies that lead to the suffering and deaths of entire groups of people, is often quite politically popular.

Until that day when we hold all our leaders accountable for the blood on their hands, I still hope at least we may have recourse in our most current atrocities from the Hague.