A couple of weeks ago, I was watching 60 Minutes, one of my favorite television programs. One report focused on the growing problem of hunger in the United States. While listening, I pondered our nation's imultaneous preparations for war, and I was reminded once again of our government's mixed-up priorities.
In Marietta, Ohio, more than 800 people of all ages and backgrounds were standing in line to receive a free bag of food. Many in that line were unemployed and feeling powerless about their fate. Some confessed that they could afford only one full meal a day, even for their young children. This reminded me of my recent trip to war-torn Colombia where so many people face a similar situation day after day. I began to wonder: Is the United States becoming a so-called Third World country? Is this the American dream? At moments like these, I feel powerless.
As the television report was unfolding, I reflected on the reasons why this is happening here in this nation of extreme abundance. Yes, some may blame the situation on our nation's fragile economy. Others might assign blame on Wall Street investors or greedy corporate executives. Some might even criticize Governor Bob Taft who has been unable to deliver on his promise to bring more jobs to Ohio. All of these reasons may have some degree of validity, but still there remains another important factor.
I wonder how our democratic government can spend billions of dollars to support the cost of a war against Iraq while continuing to neglect the growing levels of poverty and hunger here in the U.S. and around the world. How does this happen in a nation that proclaims all the time that there is no place in the world like the USA?
Yes, our taxes are supporting what we do not want nor need, and meanwhile, domestic concerns are being ignored. Have you ever been asked if you want this war? I know that my opinion has not been solicited about whether or not we should continue to spend massive amounts of tax money on machinery for war instead of providing food for children.
No, I do not support this war because I want for all human beings to live in
peace rather than die from a bullet's wound. No, I do not support this war because
I want my taxes to be invested in good things and not for purposes of destruction.
No, I do not support this war because I do not want to see any more long lines
for food, even as people struggle to work and buy goods for their families.
I say no to this war, because I want all
children ? in both the United States and Iraq ? to have three full meals every
day. No, I do not support this war, because it is not fair; it is not just.
There is still time to stop this war. It need not be inevitable. Let us say no to this war against Iraq so that our nation and all nations may live in peace.
The Rev. Vilma M. Machín Vázquez is Minister for Multiracial and Multicultural Transformation with the United Church of Christ's Justice and Witness Ministries in Cleveland, Ohio.