EPF to Episcopalians in Congress: HOW MANY MORE?

The following letter from EPF Iraq/Afghanistan Action Group Co-Chairs The Very Rev. Hal Hayek (Cathedral of the Incarnation, MD)  and The Rev. Madeleine Beard (MD) was delivered this past Monday by Rev. Beard  and her 16 year old grandson.

July 26, 2010

Dear Friend in Christ,

We respectfully and sincerely write to you in the name of many of the people in Episcopal Churches everywhere with whom you share the Eucharist and the love of Christ.

Since January 2009 and President Obama’s inauguration, more than 504 American troops have died in Afghanistan bringing the total number of American military dead to over 1134. Over 3091 American troops have been wounded. In Iraq since Jan 2009 and President Obama’s inauguration more than 187 American troops have died out of more than 4408. We have spent over $944 billion fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Despite campaign promises and the signing of a presidential order to close the prison at Guantanamo, 181 people are still being held at this facility.  Additionally, nothing has been done about the prison at Bagram Air Force Base where over 15,000 prisoners are being held without due process.

Despite an election, Iraq remains without a government. Its citizens continue to suffer not only from the ongoing war but also from shortages of electricity and other basic services.  According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 2,412 Afghan civilians were killed by the war in 2009, an increase of 14% over the number that lost their lives in 2008. An additional 3,566 Afghan civilians were wounded as a result of the war in 2009.

Afghan President Karzai has publicly stated his belief that the United States cannot defeat the Taliban. He has dismissed members of his government who worked closely with us. The Afghan government is virtually non-functional in much of the country. Corruption is rampant. Afghanistan remains the world’s primary opium producer, producing over 90% of all opium and heroin.

The questions are: How many more young Americans will die in these wars?  How many more will come home – maimed and broken in body and mind? How many suicides among them will we ignore? How much money will we spend -money that could be used to repair roads, hire teachers, build schools, improve health care? How long will we continue to support these governments that are unwilling or unable to provide safety, security, and services for their people?

In October 2002, the Bishops of the Episcopal Church wrote to Congress expressing their opposition to the imminent war with Iraq, calling for prudence and caution. Then, while meeting in Columbus, Ohio, at the 2006 General Convention, the Episcopal Church affirmed its opposition to the war in Iraq. In May 2006, the Bishops called on Congress to debate openly and honestly the on-going war and to implement policies to “end the violence in Iraq and bring stability and a just peace to the region.”

At the 2009 Convention, the Church called for peace in Iraq and for the care of those who have fought so bravely.  We, your fellow Episcopalians and followers of Christ, call upon you to reflect on the words of Convention and the Bishops.

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship was reassured by President Obama’s decision to withdrawn American military forces from Iraq. We ask that the withdrawal of American military from Iraq and the dismantling of all U.S. bases continue as planned. We ask that support be given to the thousands of Iraqi refugees, both those displaced within Iraq and those beyond its borders. We ask that Congress give generous support for active-duty military, veterans, and their families.  We ask that Congress enact legislation that would ensure that never again does the United States operate outside the Geneva Conventions in the treatment of detainees, captives, and prisoners of war. And we also ask that the ever widening war in Afghanistan be a focus of debate and that any failure to reduce troop levels or extend combat beyond the Administration’s original July 2011 deadline be prayerfully considered in light of our Christian call to love our neighbors as ourselves.

It is time, as the Prayer Book says, for “no sword to be drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love” and that we be guided “into the way of justice and truth.”

Yours in Christ,

The Very R~. Hal T. Ley Hayek-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Dean, The Cathedral of the Incarnation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Baltimore MD 21218

The Rev. Madeleine C. Beard, Coordinator for Public Policy, The Episocpal Diocese of MD

Co-Convenors, The Iraq Action Group, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship