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After election 2004:
The View from Scotland |
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Scots mother wins one round for her son who died in Iraq
[7-27-06]
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.
It is now reported that Ms. Gentle and three other
families have won an important round in their legal battle to get the
independent inquiry.
The
report is in The Independent (United Kingdom) >> |
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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 30th
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.
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| On Being a Conscientious
Objector
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.
Gordon Gentle's death was an unnecessary and tragic waste.
We want justice for Gordon Gentle and so we'll keep working for justice
until the name Gordon Gentle defines the very meaning of the word justice.
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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Plan now for our 2010 Ghost Ranch
Seminar!
GHOST RANCH SEMINAR
July 26-August 1, 2010
WE’RE ALL IN
THIS TOGETHER
CONFRONTING THE STRUCTURES OF INJUSTICE |
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