At GA 2008, UUSC demands a responsible end to the Iraq war

This year at UUA General Assembly 2008 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., UUSC shined a light on the war in Iraq, with inspiring workshops and youth events exploring The Cost of Iraq: Who Pays the Price?

From June 25-29, UUSC put a human face on the Iraq war through programming that featured dynamic speakers who have all paid a personal price for this conflict. Together, we took account of some of the war's human and economic costs, which have largely been hidden from the American public. We motivated UUs to take meaningful action against the war.

At a day-long activist training event on June 25, Countdown Election 2008: Ending the War, One Vote at a Time, UUSC teamed up with the UUA to train UUs to carry a message for peace. Activists learned advocacy skills that they can take to candidate forums.

A highlight of the training was a role-play with Tom Andrews, former congressman from Maine and director of the Win Without War Coalition. Andrews pretended to be a candidate at a candidates' forum, while participants crafted questions for him.

UUSC put together a special GA line-up for youth examining the Iraq war. At a pizza party and a skill-share service project, UU youths engaged the war and its consequences for young people, both in the United States and Iraq. Sitting among a group of high school-aged students on Saturday, peace activist and Iraq war veteran Camilo Mejía talked about his own experience with military recruitment. Now, years later, Mejía can explain to youth what signing an enlistment agreement really means.

With Who Pays the Price for the Iraq War?, UUs participated in a powerful discussion of the war with an active-duty sailor; the co-founder of Military Families Speak Out; the first combat veteran to publicly refuse to return to Iraq; and a leading Iraqi-American human-rights activist. "The diversity of these speakers highlights UUSC's attempt to bring diverse groups together to work collectively to end the war. It also shows UUSC's commitment to freedom of speech and social justice by building coalitions," writes Fatema Haji-Taki in her UUSC blog.

Visitors to UUSC's booth came face to face with life-size cut-outs of individuals who have paid a high price for this war, including a family member of a U.S. marine, an Iraq war veteran, an Iraqi refugee, and an Abu Ghraib prison detainee. Quotes and personal stories helped to bring to life these individuals, who represent thousands upon thousands — and even millions — of Iraqis and Americans who are similarly struggling since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. A quote from a nine-year-old Iraqi refugee named Fawaz read:

I remember my house, my bike, my home. I loved to ride in the car with my father and I loved to go to school and read books. I used to go on top of the roof and watch the planes and watch the war. Everything changed. In Iraq, I used to play but there is no playing here [in Jordan]. Also we do not have money. I do not want to go back to Iraq because there is a war and kidnappers and terrorism and no studies.

His young face was marked by sadness and loss, like many of the faces in the life-size cut-outs.

At UUSC's second full workshop, Collateral Damage: Families Devastated by the Iraq War, UUs honored families hurt by the Iraq war by working to end it. Attendees heard from Nancy Lessin, a spokesperson for Military Families Speak Out; Andrew Shallal, an Iraqi-American human-rights advocate; and Dr. Dahlia Wasfi, a physician who returned to Iraq to witness her family's devastation. Lessin shared painful stories of how military families feel betrayed by the government and how many lives of military families had been shattered by this war, even when a soldier survives to return home. Many veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and struggle to get vital care.

At the final UUSC workshop, Join Patriots and Veterans Saying "No to the War," UUs listened to the first-hand accounts of war veterans. An active-duty sailor, a Vietnam War combat medic, and the first combat veteran to publicly refuse to return to Iraq gave powerful reasons why the war in Iraq is unjust. Iraqi veterans like Mejía and veterans groups like Iraq Veterans Against the War are at the forefront of the war resistance movement. Writes UUSC staff member Eric Grignol in his UUSC blog, "Each time I heard [Mejía] speak, I felt proud and privileged to be a part of an organization that partners with such courageous, outspoken people as [Mejía]. If you haven't heard him speak firsthand, I encourage you contact UUSC and arrange to invite him to your congregation or other community gathering to witness his courage — and to join hands with him."

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