The Rev. John Mann, an American Presbyterian pastor serving a church in Glasgow, Scotland, was asked in July 2004, to preach at the funeral of a teenage Scots soldier killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. At the request of the soldier's family, he spoke a prophetic word of denunciation of the war. His message to Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush, he said, would be just three words that he hoped someday would be "inscribed on the tablets of [their] hearts - and those three words are 'shame on you.' "

We have posted a number of Mann’s reports and comments here, including his continuing support of Rose Gentle, the mother of Gordon Gentle, the Scots soldier who died in Iraq, in her efforts to get the British government to hold an independent inquiry into the decision to go to war.

The US election seen from Scotland:
four more years of "the Bush Regime"

[11-5-04]

The Rev. John Mann, an American Presbyterian pastor serving a church in Glasgow, Scotland, was asked in July 2004, to preach at the funeral of a teenage Scots soldier killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. At the request of the soldier's family, he spoke a prophetic word of denunciation of the war. His message to Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush, he said, would be just three words that he hoped someday would be "inscribed on the tablets of [their] hearts - and those three words are 'shame on you.' "

That event was reported in The Scotsman.

He now sends this reflection on the U.S. election:

Dear Doug,

Many of us in the United Kingdom are fairly dismayed at the prospect of what four more years of a Bush presidency (they call it the "Bush Regime" here) will bring. On October 30^th we staged an anti war march through my parish of Pollok, Glasgow, that was led by Rose Gentle [the mother of the young man whose funeral John Mann conducted]. About 400 people attended.

On Election Day I was in London as part of the U.K. Stop the War Coalition "Naming the Dead" vigil in Trafalgar Square. People from around the U.K were invited to read a list of names of both civilian and military casualties of the Bush/Blair war in Iraq. I read a list of 20 names of men Iraqi civilians who were all killed in the same bomb blast. My parishioner, Rose Gentle, read the list that included her son Gordon. The event was led off by Stephen Hawking, Harold Pinter, and Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London.

There is great concern here for the people of Falujah as they await the coalition forces to attack their city and experience the onslaught of what one American general described as being "whacked." If anything, this election has renewed people's determination to oppose the war. Events are being planned around the U.K. including one next month in Glasgow.

What I find interesting about living and working here in Scotland is that the Scots are entirely honest if not blunt in the language they use to express their position and opposition. The language of their protest is a reflection of the pain this war has caused, especially in the poorest communities such as Pollok from which the military draws its "economic conscripts."

Next week Rose Gentle plans to visit 10 Downing Street in honour of Remembrance Day, where she will lay a wreath on the doorstep, with a picture of her son Gordon, bearing the words, "Tony Blair, you murdered my son."

The death of Gordon Gentle and the subsequent activities of his family and community have served to focus people's anguish over the war and the frustrations toward the political leaders and systems that perpetuate it. I have compared Rose Gentle to another woman who also happened to earn her living as a cleaner, Rosa Parks. One day enough was enough and she was tired of the injustice of having to give up her seat on the bus. Rose is tired of the injustice of having to give up her son in a war for oil and empire. She will not be moved, and the people of a nation are rallying behind her. There is hope.

Take care -- John Mann

John Mann, formerly a minister in the PC(USA), was called to a pastorate in Scotland about a year ago, and has now transferred his membership to the Church of Scotland.

By Rev. Dr. John W. Mann 19 December 2004

John was asked to speak at a showing of a new video/film being produced to tell the story of Gordon Gentle and his mother’s activities subsequent to his death in Iraq last summer.  He notes that given the tone of the conversation in Scotland, his comments "are fairly mild by comparison to some others."

My name is John Mann. I am a Church of Scotland pastor, serving St. James' Parish in Pollok. I also happen to be an American. I am deeply ashamed of my country. I'll tell you why.

America is a nation governed by fear at every level of society. America has devolved into a crass culture of materialism, violence and war, fueled by fear, all in the pursuit of empire.

Any hope that 9/11 might lead America to engage the world in meaningful ways soon collapsed under the weight of a thousand lies. Those lies paved the road from 9/11 to Iraq. Those lies are destroying lives in places that were once unheard of outside of their own realms. Places far apart in geography, yet united in the common tragedy of stolen lives. Names such as Fallujah and Pollok. We wonder what new names will become part of the landscape of this tragedy.

I read on the CNN website that Universal Studios has commissioned a screenplay on the battle of Fallujah. Harrison Ford is being courted to play the role of the American general in charge of the assault. It struck me how typical that is. Before the bodies are even buried, let's wrap it up in a neat Hollywood package, get some big names to act in it, score with a heroic soundtrack and make some money off it.

We've watched a different kind of film here tonight. One that tells the real story of the impact of war. There weren't any actors in this film. The pain we saw is real. Rose Gentle wasn't playing a part. The bomb that exploded under Gordon's vehicle was real. He didn't get up for another take to get it just right for the cameras.

I have decided to become a conscientious objector. Even though I have never been in military service, as an American living in Great Britain whose politics are caught in the updraft of American imperialism, I have decided to try and sort out what is the civilian equivalent of the military conscientious objector to the politics of violence, lies and greed.

These thoughts are initial and rough draft. If any of you here tonight have anything you would like to add, please let me know.

Reject Violence

As a conscientious objector, I must reject violence. The ideals of democracy, a just, fair and tolerant society are not found at the end of gun barrel. I reject violence both as a form of entertainment and as a means to an end.

Refuse Debt

As a conscientious objector I must refuse to be in debt. Refusing debt is a rejection of the greed and materialism which are the building blocks of a violent society. Debt is more than just owing money; when you are in debt, it's as if you owe a piece of yourself. The forces of materialism and greed want us to want. The degree to which we encumber debt is the same degree to which we are owned by the system that wages war.

Choose Hope

As conscientious objector, I must choose hope. When we live in a society that thrives on fear, hope is like trying to swim against the current. Hope requires the courage to act on your convictions. Yet that's what each one of you here tonight has done. Your effort to come here tonight is the same kind of effort it takes to change the world.

To make peace I believe we must reach across the barriers that divide us; religious barriers, sectarian barriers, economic, racial and cultural barriers. When politicians govern by lies and deception they depend upon the populace being separated by special interests and united only in fear.

We are united in courage and we know that the common ground of our concern for peace and justice is a greater source of unity than whatever the differences may be between us. It sounds like a cliché, but reach out. Justice and peace might seem like a distant reality, but when we reach out across the divide, they are within our grasp.