Tonight Pat, our friends Janice and Joe and I watched the documentary Soldiers of Conscience, about the dilemma of individual U.S. soldiers in the Iraq War. It profiles eight American soldiers, including four who decide not to kill, and become conscientious objectors. Joe and I both own the DVD and have seen it four or five times. The first time was at a national peace conference held a few years back at Marquette University. We have tried, without success to get the Center for Peacemaking at Marquette to show it for students and faculty. The more I watch it the more powerful it hits me about the sin of reflexive killing that is taught in the military departments at Marquette.

The documentary was made with the cooperation of the military so it shows how men and women are taught to kill without conscience. When I wrote my public letter to the Provost at Marquette University I quoted from the ethics teacher at West Point who believes that reflexive killing, killing without conscience should be taught as morally okay.

I sent a copy of the letter to the Provost to him, since I extensively quoted him in that part of the letter about reflexive killing. He wrote back saying how he was a Catholic and I should study my bible and Catholic catechism. He did not challenge any of the information or principles that I wrote about. I wrote him back just telling him I had been a long time religious educator, had studied the catechism and quoted from it and had a Masters degree in pastoral studies. That was the end of our dialog.

I have noticed that both liberals and conservatives have forgotten about the art of dialog and creative discussion on matters of conscience and value. If your opinion of the truth does not agree with their opinion of truth that feel personally attacked and rather than enter into a dialog attack you back personally. Often the people who talk about creative dialog on the issues are the last to seek it.

A case in point was President Obama’s recent backing n of former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. A liberal, long time friend of mine sent a petition around to peace groups supporting this possible nomination. I thought that was strange so I checked out Chuck Hagel voting record in the Senate on Issues. I was shocked that Senator Hagel’s voting record on nearly ever issue that my friend supported, education, war, civil rights, military money, was just the opposite of my liberal friend. I wrote back to the same peace groups just pointing out how Senator Hagel’s stand on nearly every issue was the opposite of what they said they stood for. My old friend as the other liberals on the peace site just ignored me. One had the courage to personally attack me, the messenger, but ignored my message. I decided not to respond to this friend.

I was glad to see an article in theCommon Dreams newsletter called Six Weeks After Reelection, Obama Sells Out Liberal Democrats in which the author makes the same point about Hagel’s nomination as I did.

I still remember Jim Wallis of Sojourner’s subtitle of one of his books: “The right has it wrong and the left just does not get it.” The one bumper sticker on my car, also from Sojourner’s says: “God is not a Republican or a Democrat. “ These days it needs to be said God is not a liberal or conservative.”

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