There's a War Going On ... Is Anybody Listening?

I have a beef with The Daily Free Press, the student newspaper at Boston University.

Christian Activists United for Social and Environmental Justice, our social justice group at the School of Theology, organized a panel discussion titled "The Impact of War: A Community Conversation," held in Marsh Chapel on March 28. We invited five individuals from within and outside our School of Theology community, civilians and military veterans, to share their stories, their hopes, and their prayers very openly.

What was the purpose of our discussion? From my opening remarks:

It may seem curious to some of you that we need a discussion like this. Isn’t it obvious how war affects the men and women who serve, their families, and their communities? Sixty years ago we would not need a gathering like this, but these are unusual times. The talk of war is on everybody’s lips, but for many its actual presence is elusive, even invisible. The talk of sacrifice is everywhere, but few have felt what sacrifice is. In fact, some of us may have grown up without knowing any friends or relatives in military service. Whether we support or oppose one conflict or another, a veil has come down upon many of us. We don’t understand the impact of war.

Of course, many of us are preparing for ministry in communities dealing with the awful shocks of war. Therefore, there needs to be a conversation. I think this forum will benefit many of us who are simply cut off from the experience of military service and do not know how to empathize with those who have encountered war and its after-effects. There needs to be, where possible, a lifting of the veil, and an opportunity for many of us who have no idea what military service and its possible trauma are like to learn how to show empathy through the sharing of impressions and experiences. There’s a lot about the impact of war that people just don’t know or don’t find worthy of talking about, and perhaps this forum can become a source of graced enlightenment.

Tonight, from a common but multifaceted Christian and humanistic perspective, we hope to uncover the impact of war and the complexities of our responses to war.

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The Daily Free Press sent a reporter to cover the event. I was delighted, until I picked up the newspaper the next morning. Here is the puny story the paper published on March 29:

http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2007/03/29/News/Citizen.Activism.Lacking.In.Comparison.To.Wars.Of.Past.Eras.Military.Panel.Says-2812364.shtml

And here is the even smaller story it ran the same day about student efforts to stop the Darfur genocide:

http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2007/03/29/News/Local.Arts.Show.Seeks.End.To.Darfur.Conflict-2812355.shtml

Meanwhile, the sports section that day was overflowing with copy about the women's lacrosse team. Here is the letter I wrote to The Daily Free Press in response:

To the Editor:

No offense to your newspaper, but it's a shame that you could devote two articles totaling 35 paragraphs, plus a "7 Questions" sidebar, to the exploits of the women's lacrosse team and only 12 and 13 sentences, respectively, to reports of student efforts to stop the genocide in Darfur and a theological discussion of the impact of war on our loved ones and our communities.

It's easier, I know, to sidestep these grave matters and narcotize ourselves with Anna Nicole Smith, "American Idol," and the Red Sox. Americans are living in a fool's paradise.

Here are my seven questions for your readers:

1. Whether we support or oppose the war in Iraq, do we as American citizens take mutual ownership of this war?

2. To paraphrase Lincoln, do we share the cost of caring for those "who shall have borne the battle" and for their widowed and their orphans?

3. Can we make necessary distinctions in the way we regard the soldiers who fight this war in Iraq and the civilians (most of whom never put on the uniform) who started it?

4. Do we enter Darfur and destroy the janjaweed? If we do, who goes? Who pays for such a military operation?

5. Do churches, synagogues, and mosques teach their social ethical traditions, particularly on the justification of war?

6. Do our churches, synagogues, and mosques actively promote diplomatic alternatives to war, teach how to wage peace, and defend the rights of conscientious objectors?

7. Men and women in the military who believe in God (or don't) grapple daily with issues of life and death, sin and guilt, and the meaning of their service. They need to be spiritually fed. Do communities of faith promote the calling of men and women to the ministry of military chaplain?

Students and faculty are struggling with these difficult questions in a way that doesn't boil down easily into headlines or 250-word articles.

As I explained to your reporter, the talk of war is on everybody's lips, but for many the war's real presence is elusive, even invisible. The talk of sacrifice is everywhere, but few have known what sacrifice is. In fact, some of us have grown up without knowing any friends or relatives in military service. Whether we support or oppose one conflict or another, a veil has come down upon many of us. We don't understand the impact of war.

For the record, the panel at Marsh Chapel included civilians as well as military personnel. Our panel featured a clinical social worker who spent five years counseling men and women traumatized by combat or sexual trauma while in their military service, and a theologian from the School of Theology who is well-versed in Christian social ethics. I wish your newspaper could have captured the flavor of all our panelists' stories and the reverential spirit in which their wisdom was shared.

Anthony Zuba
STH '08
Christian Activists United for Social and Environmental Justice

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The Daily Free Press published the letter on March 30 but deleted the first paragraph and the name of our group at the end. I guess the criticism hurt them a little too much.