Speech Given At Faces In Iraq Exihibit
 		         	     Syracuse, NY - May 23rd, 2003

I want to thank everyone for coming out this evening and giving me this opportunity to speak. 

I feel a connection to the Faces in Iraq exhibit for several reasons. In January, I was in DC, staying with one of the photographers. Gabi, was busy preparing the exhibit, matting the photographs and putting them into frames on the very floor I slept on for 5 nights. We attended the original opening exhibit on January 17th. 

The individuals featured on these walls are a part of our extended family. While we do not know them personally, we share a lot in common with them. We share common dreams and hopes for a better life for our families and ourselves. We share the same planet, breathe the same air, drink the same water and what we eat comes from the same ground. 

But I have a deeper, even more personal connection to this exhibit and to those featured on these walls and the millions of Iraqi's just like them, which is why I am here tonight. I am one of the co-founders of Military Families Speak Out, a national organization formed back in November of last year, to oppose the war on Iraq. Today, we represent over 500 families who have loved ones who are currently in uniform. MFSO members represent every branch of the armed services and a wide range of ethnic groups. Some of us are long time activists, others are speaking out for the first time. Veterans, other peace and justice groups and individuals around the globe have been very supportive. 

We have reached out by way of the Internet, the use of the media- including television, radio, and other mainstream and alternative news sources. We have attended local and national marches, vigils and participated in acts of non-violent civil disobedience. We have spoken at various events, colleges and churches. We write articles, sign petitions and lobby our representatives. Several of us, along with active duty service members and congressional members, were also part of a Federal lawsuit before the war started, in an effort to stop the President from using our troops, without Congress formally declaring war.

For our efforts we have been arrested, assaulted, harassed, threatened and called all sorts of things, not to mention all the places we have been told to go. Our outspokenness has often created friction, brought condemnation or damaged relationships, with our own loved ones in uniform. Friends, other family members and sometimes the communities in which we live have shunned us. But with the negative pushed aside, we have found support and love from a growing list of people around the world, both old friends and those we never knew before, they have embraced us as family. We realize these are dark times but we have seen a glimmer of light and hope, so we continue in what will be a life long struggle for peace and justice for all of humanity. I hope that all of you in this room tonight will join us on this journey.

As you look around the walls tonight, I want you to realize this exhibit has changed since the first time I saw it back in January. Since then the U.S. and the UK has attacked Iraq and subsequently all but claimed victory. 

Today, the fate of those pictured on these walls is uncertain. Were they killed or maimed in the attacks? Have they survived only to grieve over other family members that weren't so lucky? We have to wonder how they are faring in a country stripped of its government, law and order, basic services such as: electricity, water and phone service, things we take for granted. Were their homes destroyed, looted or were they evicted at gunpoint. While they have the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world, they wait for hours in lines to buy a drop of gas. Are they better off today? Are their hopes and dreams of a better life shattered and lost in the rubble? 

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When I was asked to speak tonight, I was asked to consider two questions. 1st) -- How has Military Families responded to the continuous tendency in our culture to look for enemies, to make people like those featured in the exhibit into "something other," and "not like US?" 

2nd) -- How has your organization had interactions with Muslims or Iraqis in America, or any other group labeled "other?" 

I sent these questions out on our listserv to gain some input from others at MFSO. So I want to share some of their thoughts. I want acknowledge a few of the items below where out of a speech given on Mother's Day by one of our members.

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Ray, the father of a young woman currently deployed wrote: "Every day I work with people not like me: different races, different nationalities, different religions. But we are all alike. In our American Friends Service Committee ... we have Christian/ Jewish/ Muslim/ Buddhist/ None of the Above. What matters is what we share, not how we are different. We are all traveling the same road, toward the same goal. So someone else would pray to Allah or Krishnah; so what? We use labels not to know who someone else might be, but to keep them from knowing who we are." 

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A mother, whose son is also in Iraq and faces danger each day said, "I believe the universality of a mother's pain is one powerful key to relating to other cultures---bridging cultural divides…nationality is well below motherhood on the list." 

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A mom in Oklahoma wrote, "I would just like to say that my primary identity is not that of a military mother, but as a citizen of the world. I am not proud of our troops. They are participating in the wholesale slaughter of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children and the destruction of much of the country. I am not a nationalist, I was not raised to be a nationalist, did not raise my children as nationalists, and do not hold American lives to be more valuable than all others. I am terrified every time I hear of American casualties, worried about my son's life, but let's not fool ourselves. The danger that our young people are in is nothing to compare to the danger that every person in Iraq faces. The Iraqi army is somehow dehumanized in all this, we worry about the deaths of women and children, while thousands of Iraqi men, sons, husbands, fathers and brothers of Iraqi families have been wiped out.

I support our soldiers, they will need our support, and I realize that most of them as people would not have decided to do the things they are participating in. But I will not turn a blind eye to what the US military is doing in Iraq, I am not proud of them for doing their jobs well. I worry about them having to walk through stacks of Iraqi bodies, I worry what this is doing to our young people."

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A USAF veteran wrote: "Even issues of polarity are not so black and white as "us" Americans and "them" the Iraqis. I am an out and out pacifist. I am against not only this war but all aggression on any level. 

I don't remember how, exactly, I got in contact with MFSO but I was curious about whether the members here were against this war because their family members were in harm's way or if their opposition was broader. I found both sentiments and much more. 

When the war began, I thought I was prepared to tell myself that I had done what I could by protesting and letter writing. I had been protesting the sanctions against the Iraqis for several years. 

I couldn't have been more mistaken. I have no family members involved in this war.. I was not prepared for how deeply concerned I had became for the family members at MFSO and, by extension, all military members and their families. It would have been so much easier to have never known their conflict; their pain; their fear. I could have thrown up my hands and told myself that the service members will get what they signed up for. That was not the case. The line between me, the pacifist, and them, the service members, was not only blurred, all distinction was lost. MFSO was the bridge. Their sons and sisters were my own, and I was devastated for them as well as for the Iraqis. But for members at MFSO, "they"- the military, could have been viewed as "my"-the pacifist's, enemy. 

Thank you, Jeff, and all the others at MFSO for a painful, yet rewarding experience of belonging. I was given the opportunity to grow from the deep, personal, emotional conflict I experienced with this group. 

When I am "them" and "they" are me, there is no one left to hate. 

Heartfelt thanks to all" 

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A mother and pastor says, " I am clear that nowhere in the Bible does it say that God should bless America more than any other nation, and from there I am a citizen of the world, seeking justice and peace for all peoples.

Later she wrote, My worst nightmare is this looming war which is such a war of aggression. I love my son and I am proud that he is trained to clean up landmines and build roads and bridges, but the thought of his using those skills to destroy the Iraqi people destroys me greatly."

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A supporter from TN writes, "at 60 it seems to me that all are my children, my family, my sisters and brothers.

I find that your questions speak directly to things I struggle with daily in my spiritual practice. It is true that war spreads the seeds of war and they have spread into my soul as well as the souls of others. They have spread into anger and hatred, continual grief and even the desire to kill or to be killed to try to stop this madness, feelings I have trouble understanding or coming to terms with. And I don't even have loved ones in Iraq.

Over the past months, I have had nightmares often. I am terribly afraid for the US soldiers in Iraq. I feel guilty for not being able to stop the war--the gnawing sense that if only I could have done the right thing or enough right things, I should have been able to stop it. Very grandiose I know.

At 60, I am not so very much concerned about myself but am desperately concerned for the world, the environment, and the people being harmed directly and indirectly by the US. There seems to be no end to the assaults and onslaughts and I have periodically hit the point of either being so enraged that I wanted to attack something or so depressed that I've wanted simply to ignore the whole thing just like so many others.

It has taken a good bit of work to come to a somewhat broader perspective and my concern continues unabated.

Unlike most US citizens (apparently) my "something other" is the Bush administration and sometimes those citizens who support what this Administration is doing.

I guess in sum, my answer to this question is that the way I attempt to deal with the "otherness" of people in the world is to attempt to see myself in others and to see others in me. This helps me strengthen the sense that "I am that" and the realization that nothing that has been done, whether good or bad, is beyond my capacity as a human to find in myself in some measure.

I realize that peace must be a part of my daily practice and that must include not making Bush or anyone else into an evil villain but rather seeing him as a fallible human being. It means trying to change hearts, minds and policies rather than attempting to destroy or vilify persons.

So peace must begin with me or it will never begin."

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A dad in Florida says, "the overwhelming support for Bush and this war is the result of ignorance on the part of the American people…how much support would have been forthcoming if Bush had made a national television appearance and said, `Iraq was not involved in the 9/11 attacks; while they may have some weapons of mass destruction, they are not an imminent threat to the security of the United States. Nonetheless, for reasons I do not care to share with you, the citizens of this country, I have ordered an invasion of Iraq to take place forthwith."

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A mother wrote this about her experience on Mother's Day, "Mine was very disappointing. I spent all Saturday to make a sign for a rally in city. I put four photos of Iraqi children who got injured or maimed then added a message "A number of Iraqi children are missing their mothers today." On the back I put four photos of Iraqi mothers with injured or dead children with a message "A number of Iraqi mothers are grieving today." It was gut-wrenching to look at maimed children whom Pentagon called "collateral damage", but I needed this sign for Mother's Day rally. I wanted to spend the day with other people thinking about Iraqi mothers and children who had been robbed of joy of Mother's Day.

When I arrived at the site, the event's leader approached me and told me they had discussed and decided they were not carrying political signs. ...She said they wanted the event to be ... (a celebration)... and did not want me to hold my sign while we were marching on streets. I said I had nothing to celebrate with war still going on and left the site." 

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A mom shared this, "I've been thinking a lot about the aftermath of this war myself. Especially after getting an email from my son in Iraq, who said "Mama, I've seen enough blood to last me a lifetime." And wondering about the nightmares that will haunt him for the rest of his life."

A friend of her's who fought in the Vietnam war suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and she worries that her son and those that have served in Iraq will suffer the same. 

She goes on to say, "They will carry the burden of bringing death to the innocent for the rest of their lives. So many turn to alcohol and drugs to try and deaden the pain. I meet them on Friday nights at the Arlington Street church for dinner: homeless, unable to hold a job, they are reviled by the very public that saw them off with waving flags, and glorious martial music. We did that to them, yet shrink away from their unwashed bodies, their outstretched cups. That is why I march for peace. That is why I support our troops, while despising this lying government. That is why I will continue to protest, to commit acts of civil disobedience....... Our sons and daughters in the military don't have that choice. And those sights will haunt them for the rest of their lives. I do not want another mother's child to have to live with that,. I don't want another mother's child to die for a greedy, imperialistic government whose members have few if any children laying THEIR lives on the line."

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An Army mom shares, "Tears stream down my cheeks as I think of the many—far too many—mothers who will spend their first Mother's Day in deeper agony than I can comprehend. Before the war began, my own sleepless nights began in horrid anticipation of the fact that very soon, mothers and fathers around the world would have their most precious children taken from them."

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The sister of an officer wrote, "I've been thinking a lot about some of our interactions with Arab-Americans here in New York. My partner, is Jewish,... (we)... live in a neighborhood of Brooklyn... 

...the neighborhood is very diverse, with new immigrants from Mexico, Puerto Rico, China, Africa, and basically - - everywhere. But the newest and most visibly establishing and growing group immigrants in our neighborhood are Arabs. All of our grocery stores nearby are owned by Syrians, so we have regular contact with them. They know what flavor ice cream we like. They are our friends, they work hard. The kids in the corner store work from 7am-11pm every day. I don't know how they go to school, or if they do. Children play in our street from many countries, together. There are a lot of American flags out. There are some dilapidated Islamic schools a few blocks away, where children are bussed from all over Brooklyn. I notice all of their buses have American flags on them. I've wondered if those flags are more for protection or for real patriotism for America. We can also see the Sunset Park Metropolitan Detention Center from our window. Many Arab immigrants have been disappeared to this facility. We heard that they had a view of the statue of liberty from one side of the Detention Center, and so many gave ironic statements about how they would look longingly from their cells at the symbol of America from the windows, the jailers had to paint over the windows to prevent such statements from being made.

One night (my partner) was coming home from work in a car service black car. 

It was about 1 am. The car's driver was an Arab-American, and he had a passenger with him in the front seat, also an Arab. The police pulled the car over for a very minor traffic violation, in an Arab neighborhood near downtown Brooklyn. The driver had rolled into a pedestrian lane at a stop sign, and the driver, after surrendering his license and registration as the officer had requested, contested the violation. He was arrested. Then the front seat passenger was questioned by the police, "What are you doing in this car? What is your relationship to the driver? " etc. When the passenger said, as was his right, he did not have to answer such questions, he was arrested too. I minor traffic stop had resulted in 2 arrests!! Jason walked to catch a cab, shaken, afraid himself, and abandoned by the police. We called the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee the next day and they said they would follow up on the case. This kind of thing happens all the time in New York City, and it is so invisible. We felt so powerless to do anything.

 

As I write this, I can hear kids playing out in the street, and sometimes I just wonder how people can be so hateful to Arab Americans, and to our global neighbors in Iraq and Afghanistan. How can people take life so cheaply?"

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A mother ponders over what to tell her son. "Should I tell him that I am so glad that it looks more and more that he will return safe, if not unscathed, but that the cost was thousands of Iraqi lives and suffering and the destruction of their homes? Should I tell him that other peoples' sons, I don't know who they are or why they continue to fight, are running through the streets with no protective gear, just machine guns, shooting at tanks, while the American soldiers are reveling in their deaths? Should I tell him about the hospitals, operating on young children with no water or power or adequate supplies? Should I tell him that the price of his coming home safe is death and injury to the Iraqi people? Should I tell them that all of those crowds cheering the American troops were only a few weeks ago cheering Saddam Hussein? Should I tell him that the United States has killed thousands of their sons, not to trust the crowds, that they will hate him because of the uniform he wears?"

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Another father, himself a Vietnam vet, said "support our troops," I recommend that we adopt "Protect the Troops" as our slogan; protect them from greed, protect them from a government who forgets them after they have left the military, protect them from the physical pain of combat, protect them from being used as a tool for global domination and oppression."

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One mother had this experience recently, "Friday night, I was again returning from Copley Square from a rained-out vigil, and just as we approached Quincy-Adams station (what a place to be attacked!!), a woman began to admonish me. I never argue with subway people and invited her to the workshop at Harvard I was teaching the next day. Before I could finish, her boyfriend, a thug with a 3 day beard about 6 ft. tall lunged at me. He wrested (the sign with a picture of) my son from me and hit me with it, driving it into my body. 

As some of you may know, my son is a U.S. Army major in Iraq. The claim is made by the media that our troops are there to 'fight for our freedom' and to bring 'democracy to Iraq' (meanwhile ignoring the non-oil-rich countries ruled by dictators). "What if Iraq had broccoli instead of oil?""... 

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A quote from a soldier, "...bottom line is described by two things. First, we haven't found any of the weapons we were looking for according to the news. Second, democracy has never been formed at gunpoint (especially in the Middle East) but rather in the few democracies of the world it has been a long "evolutionary" process." He goes on to say, "The United States has won the war in Afghanistan without securing the peace. This is also true in Bosnia and Kosovo.

The military is not by any means an organization that is skilled in implementing democracy." 

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As I conclude my speech and take your questions, I want to remind you this war is not over, either in Iraq or Afghanistan. So let us 'not ' forget the ongoing struggles of the Iraqi's, the Afghani's or our troops which are still deployed.

The U.S. has a military presence in over 140 countries around the globe. The U.S. also has WMD (which we have used and continue to threatened to use)- a massive nuclear arsenal, stockpiles of chemical weapons, the ability to produce biological weapons and a weapons program busily developing the next generation of death and destruction. The U.S. is spending over a billion a day on the military, not including the cost of wars it is waging. So please, continue to work for peace and justice for all human beings. 

	Jeff Mckenzie