An Indian Muslim carries
a placard of Myanmar opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi during
a protest march near the
Myanmar embassy in New Delhi
on April 9, 2013

A new month, the end of the summer that never was and the US military enters another country, Somalia, with ground troops on a mission. US military actions around the world hardly make news any longer. We rule by might with the largest defense force in the world, bigger than the rest of the top ten countries in military spending. We are also by far the largest seller of arms in the world, making our economy dependent on war and violence. So it is no wonder that we have such a high rate of homicide and shootings. The empire of the United States rules world with violence and suffers the results, violence in USA.

Right now the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS, is trying to bait us to enter the war in Syria. They know the right buttons to press, like the execution on video of US Citizen, to push us into war. They want a war of US and other Western nations against Muslims in the Middle East to strengthen their power. Perhaps we have learned our lessons from entering into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the devastation and destruction of these countries, leaving them much worse than we found them.

The USA lives by the sword and dies by the sword. It is no wonder that a Catholic Jesuit University who professes to live by the Gospel teaches war and killing without using conscience on its campus. A friend told me that students at Marquette are no longer interested in the issue of military training to kill on campus because they have no personal stake into war like they did when we have a selective service system and the draft. I do not think that is true.

Many in the 60’s and 70’s committed acts of civil disobedience and nonviolence against the draft and war who had no worry about being drafted into the military. Students in general have no great passion about any issue of peace and justice, even civil rights. University students just like their parents and other adults have a sense of helplessness. They can vote, write a letter, sign a petition but it really does not matter much.

I believe they are right. Without working together with people power and nonviolent direct action they cannot really change anything. The “powers to be” want us think voting matter and give tons of money to determine the elections. We are spied on, blasted with propaganda, kept divided and kept struggling for more power, wealtlh and glory.

When will we learn that the road to peace and justice is doing peace and justice? Democracy does not come with inequality, with military might or the barrel of a gun. True democracy comes only with suffering, sacrifice and being the peace and justice we want to see.

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