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	War and Peace
	...parishioners express their thoughts.

On Sunday, October 21st, before the 9:00am Mass at St. Joan’s, Terry Kolb, an SJA Web photographer took pictures while I interviewed twelve parishioners and asked them the following questions: Can you tell me how, if at all, your life has changed since Sept.11th? Do you agree with, or have some reservations about how our country is conducting the war on terrorism so far? Jo Youngren and her husband,Dave, have been members at SJA for a little over a year now. However, about 20 years ago Jo was a member and worked with Harvey Egan and Cy Speltz for 4 years. Her first husband, Jack Welch, was buried from there, and later Jo and Dave were married in what is now The Itaska, but at the time was a warehouse with a large gathering of SJA folks attending and Fred & Anna supplying the music - the church in a slightly different setting at the time giving us their blessing. Jo and Dave have been married for 19 years and back in Minnesota for the last 13. Of the 12 persons interviewed, 2 definitely approved of our government’s present actions in Afghanistan, 4 definitely disapproved, and 6 approved, but with reservations. 3 persons mentioned being worried about our bombing innocent civilians. Several offered alternative actions that they felt could be used in place of bombing. One person advocated the use of force within the form of a universal justice system. Several expressed doubts about what would be the outcome when the bombing is over: Will we still be friends with our present allies? Will the present administration revert to its former isolationitionist policies? More than one person believes that our past foreign policies have caused the hatred that we are now experiencing, and question what the future will bring. Only 6 answered the first question directly: How has your life changed since Sept.11th? Three admitted to having their lives changed dramatically, and 3 felt that they hadn’t changed. One person who handles mail as part of her job says she has an underlying fear of an anthrax outbreak in this area. Another told of being more vigilant, more wary in her daily life. Overall, there seems to be an inner struggle going on with the people in this poll: They know something has to be done to stop the terrorists, but they can’t offer unequivocal support for our present policy either.

The following are their replies.

PAT GREENE:

My life hasn’t really changed that much, but I just got back from Spain where we missed a bombing there by only hours, so I guess I am more aware of the danger world wide. Now we know what it feels like for people all over the world, and much of it caused by America’s past foreign policy. I think terrorists are people who don’t have big weapons, so they use whatever means they have to get justice, usually for poor people. Bin Laden hates us because of our support of a corrupt regime in Saudi Arabia and because of our support of Israel, no matter what they do to Palestinians. Even so, we must get him, but the bombing of civilians is terrible. Notice how fast our policies have changed since Sept. 11th. Where is it all going to go?

B: There is a big difference in my life since Sept. 11th. If I stopped to listen to myself think, I’d wonder where is this going to take us? I’m concerned about my kids who live in California. Are they afraid or safe? How must Afghan mothers feel? I am really sad when I take away national boundaries. I hope we’ll quickly come to diplomacy. I worry about the folks in charge now and how they could use this situation for political purposes. I’m glad we have 535 members of Congress to keep it in check. This gives me hope.

D: I don’t agree with the notion that we shouldn’t use force. It is appropriate in the form of some justice system. For instance, suspects are being arrested all over the world. This is good. We’re using the criminal justice system according to rules. The danger is it’s too easy to go to war. At the end, what’s going to happen? Our country has often promoted values abroad that aren’t in concurrence with our own values. We’ve help create oppressive governments abroad. We’ve got to quit doing that. Will we still be friends with China and Pakistan when this is all over? There is an idea in this country that punishment alters behavior. It does not. Bombing just makes more enemies. We should do everything we can to rule out war.

There is a saying by a very wise man named Krishnamurti that goes like this: Our goal in life is to overcome greed, hatred and ignorance. This should be America’s goal, too.

LYLE & PEGGY STEVERMER:

P: I now have a different awareness, especially about relationships. We are thinking seriously about early retirement. Along with that we are taking the Couples Communication class here at St. Joan’s. Yes, my life has changed a lot since that time.

L: I definitely approve of what our country is doing right now. If I had cancer, I wouldn’t sit around and wait for a cure. This enemy must be eradicated. I am a Korean vet, so that could be why I feel so strongly about this.

P: We need to do a lot more humanitarian aid for the civilian population.

L: I think we took a good initial approach, working with our allies.

P: I believe that the media is way overdoing all the news now, repeating too much. I think they should start telling more about the quality of life we do have, not all about so many possibilities of harm.

H: My life hasn’t changed that much. I am not fearful, and I would fly if I wanted to.

K: I have become more aware of all the people I love. We should all celebrate more. In my job, I handle mail, so deep down I suppose I do worry about anthrax.

H: I don’t approve of how our country is handling this situation now, even though I can understand what we’re doing. The eye for an eye mentality is too easy. I think there are other ways to get justice. For instance, there could be some kind of infiltration where we could try to understand and deal directly with these terrorists.

K: I don’t like bombing innocent people. We should try to work with the people themselves.

H: This is all part of a larger problem. I think their hatred of us all started with oil.

JASON PAQUETTE & BARB LITERFKI:

B: My life is changed forever. I find I’m always looking over my shoulder and being aware of my surroundings. I watch a lot of CNN, and I definitely approve of what we’re doing now over there.

J: I somewhat approve, but I’m worried about what’s happening to innocent people. I just don’t know any other realistic way to go about it.

B: Anthrax is really scary. The same thing could happen with any other kind of biological substance.

Americans have been very complacent about how we fit into the world. Now I, and a lot of others, are more alert and aware about what’s going on. I am worried about life and what the future will bring. I’m also worried about what our government is doing now. Just bombing isn’t the answer. Arvonne Fraiser had an article in Sunday’s paper where she pointed out that educating the women of Afghanistan would make more sense. Besides that, America has to take a look at how great is our consumption of the world’s natural resources.

My life has changed dramatically in the last month. I am extremely active now because I’m involved in several organizations that are advocating peaceful means to settle this conflict. I am retired, so I can devote most of my time to working with the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers, which is a coalition of 40 groups, including St. Joan’s, and WAMM, Women Against Military Madness. Our first goal right now is to educate people. Along with that we are sponsoring rallies, demonstrations, and speakers. We have taken out five ads in some small local newspapers. Today I’m going to two events. All this helps me to get through the pain I’m feeling right now and keeps me energized and prevents me from going into total despair. I am very grateful for this work.

I am definitely opposed to this war. I believe that we should work through the UN and international law instead of bombing. I’m very concerned about the people of Afghanistan.

I suppose literally my life hasn’t changed, but I am more aware of how people react to things. For instance, I had two trips coming up, and interestingly it was the auto trip that I canceled, not the plane. I’m more concerned with paying off my debts now, and how I spend money. I’ve definitely pulled back on my spending and am careful to be aware about what I really need and don’t.

My husband died at age 33 in Vietnam, so I don’t like war. When I look at another group of young people going to war again, I feel very bad. Still, we have to search out the people who are causing this danger. So, I’m very confused, and glad that I don’t have to make the decisions. My dream is that the old men who declare war should be the ones who go into battle. Maybe that way there’d be more negotiations. I don’t want my grandson to have to go, but I do believe that we have to pay for the privilege of being Americans. It’s a hard call.