Check for web archive captures
It's never too late to work for peace
By saramccain on 2008-10-01 18:18:15
At a late age, I have come to believe that it is better to work for peace than for war. As a southerner, I did not grow up in an
environment that valued peace over war, except as a vague, hoped-for status between wars. I lived in a city with a sizable
arsenal that expanded greatly during World War II and then became the basis for a vast military R&D operation with a focus
on getting a man to the moon. My father, who was exempted from military service in WWII because of his age and family,
felt bad about being left behind when all of his friends went off to war, so he joined the Navy and died at Guadalcanal. My
mother re-married eventually, a professional military man who served in WWII and Korea. While at college I learned to
think differently from my family about the role of women in the world. As soon as I could, I left the South forever, finding a
career first in Ohio and then in New York. I left behind also their views about race. With all of those changes in viewpoints,
it's surprising to me now that I did not embrace peace activism, particularly during the Vietnam protest years. Over the
years since I have gone to a few peace-oriented meetings and joined in some vigils, especially at the beginning of the current
Iraq War. I was finally impelled to look for something to do to contribute my small part to advance peace work by the
growing news that our U. S. administration was seriously considering a war against Iran. At a time when our resources are
over-extended to support troops in Afghanistan and Iraq while failing to provide essential human services here, the idea that
we would even consider a third offensive struck me as absolute lunacy. As I looked around for information, the only sane
voices I heard were those in the peace community who spoke of negotiation and dialogue with Iran. That is how I came to
Women Against War and to their Iran Project. I still don't know exactly how I can contribute to this work, but I have taken a
beginning step. I would say to other late-comers to peace work that it's never too late to start.
