Category Archives: peace

The Eternal Now and Social Concern

“The Eternal Now and Social Concern” is a chapter in Thomas Kelly’s book A Testament of Devotion, discussing the tension between concern with eternity versus concern for the temporal. I imagine this is a point of discussion in all religions. … Continue reading

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Singapore Summit

There are a wide range of opinions about the Singapore Summit between the President of the United States and the leader of North Korea. A fundamental principle of nonviolence is communication between the parties that are in conflict. The goal … Continue reading

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Activism

   Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, or direct social, political, economic, or environmental reform or stasis with the desire to make improvements in society. Forms of activism range from writing letters to newspapers or to politicians, political campaigning, … Continue reading

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Marches for Peace and our Environment

Recently my friend Ed Fallon (Bold Iowa) wrote, “Often when there’s a crisis, people respond by traveling great distances on foot. Marches often transform the participants, and have changed my life, too. (Stay tuned for the upcoming release of my … Continue reading

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Robert F. Kennedy

Today is the 50th anniversary of the death of Robert Kennedy. I’ve been thinking about a number of things related to him. NBC commentator Chris Matthews titled his recent book Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit, an apt description of the … Continue reading

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Intersectionality

This is the fourth week of the Poor Peoples Campaign, which addresses how injustices are interconnected. The next event in Iowa, “Right to Health and a Healthy Planet” will be tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. at the Iowa State Capitol building. … Continue reading

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Past, present and future

For many years I have been learning about the past and thinking about the future, related to a number of topics. Mainly trying to understand the true history of our country and its cultures. One of the first lessons I … Continue reading

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Poor People’s Campaign–Gun violence and militarism

The rally of the third week of the Poor People’s Campaign was held across the street from North High School in Des Moines, Iowa. The themes were gun violence and militarism. People spoke about school gun violence, violence against people … Continue reading

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Memorial Day

People who gave their lives in service to our country deserve our deep respect. But as a Quaker and pacifist, these holidays make me very sad. Why did they have to die?  Why did civilians also have to die in … Continue reading

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Draft resistance and conscientious objection

The Selective Service System still requires males aged 18-25 to register for the Selective Service System. In addition, “The National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service was created by Congress to consider and develop recommendations concerning the need for a … Continue reading

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