National Conference of Viet Nam Veteran Ministers



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The Situation in Iraq

A Peace and Justice Statement
October 17, 2002





The National Conference of Viet Nam Veteran Ministers, meeting in Malibu, CA, October 14 to October 18, 2002, and after prayerful reflection, issued the following statement regarding the situation concerning Iraq:

Whereas we directly experienced the agony and horror of warfare during the Vietnam War; and

Whereas we are moved by the anguish of combat experience, and especially by our faith in a forgiving and reconciling God, to live peaceably with all insofar as it depends on us; and

Whereas while we support efforts against terrorism yet we are sorely troubled by our government’s threat to strike Iraq first, without convincing evidence that Iraq has specific plans to attack our country, or to aid others in doing so; and

Whereas we believe that attacking Iraq without sufficient proof of a specific threat to our nation’s security will set at dangerous precedent, eroding respect for what counts now as just conduct among nations; and

Whereas we hold that Iraq’s refusal to allow continuing arms inspections should be dealt with by the United Nations since such a concerted effort will strengthen instead of undermining lawful conduct among nations;

Therefore, we urge our government to work with the United Nations to resume arms inspections supervised by that body; and, if these inspections do reveal illegal armaments as defined by the United Nation’s resolutions, then we urge our government to cooperate with the United nations in removing or destroying those weapons;

And finally, as citizens who have had their lives altered in the defense of a cherished democratic way of life, we caution our fellow citizens that democracy cannot be preserved by unquestioning obedience to even the most apparently benign governments. We believe that for democracy to survive, citizens must diligently and tirelessly pursue the truth and the principles of freedom and justice defined in our own Declaration of Independence.

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