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National Downwinders Day

Posted on: January 24th, 2016 by BWNWAdmin No Comments

In 2011 Congress designated January 27 as National Downwinders Day, the date selected to mark the anniversary of the first nuclear test in Nevada in 1951. It is a day to remember those who were exposed to the damaging effects of fallout from atomic bomb testing from 1951 to 1992. Some downwind counties received doses equivalent to 30 times background radiation from leaks in underground testing.

Transported by winds, radioactive clouds reached as far as the Midwest breadbasket and New York, causing excess cancers in those exposed, contaminating the food supply, eventually getting into milk. All the while the government was silent about the risks of exposure to radiation. The public was not warned of potential hazards, and when one test killed thousands of sheep, the government denied all responsibility, insisting no one had been harmed.

Non-downwinders were also adversely affected by war paranoia. In World War II, 179,000 war industry workers were potentially exposed to radiation by a culture that neglected safety due to secrecy and urgency. Then and later in the Cold War, uranium miners, many of whom were Native Americans, developed high rates of lung cancer. Hundreds of thousands of military personnel were exposed to high radiation doses in the postwar occupation of Japan and weapons testing in the Marshall Islands and Nevada.

The weapons industry, as well as a proliferation of nuclear power plants, has created massive amounts of radioactive and hazardous wastes, leaking into the soil, into rivers and streams, contaminating the environment. We don’t yet know how or where to store waste that will be hazardous for hundreds of thousands of years. In many areas, “stored” waste is already leaking radioactivity into the environment.

Now there are plans to spend $1 trillion over the next thirty years to “modernize” the nuclear stockpile by dismantling aging warheads and rebuilding them into precision-guided bombs, violating a 2010 pledge not to develop weapons with new capabilities. To help pay for this, the government proposes to cut health and retirement benefits for workers in the nuclear weapons industry.

We have stalled in progressing beyond the nuclear age and the Cold War.

In Japan, those who survived the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are known as Hibakusha. We live on a small planet, breathe the same air, drink the same water, and share the same food. We are all Downwinders; we are all Hibakusha.

By A. Rose

U. S. Defense Policy

Posted on: November 15th, 2015 by BWNWAdmin No Comments


“When a country obtains great power,

it becomes like the sea:

all streams run downward into it.

The more powerful it grows,

the greater the need for humility.

Humility means trusting the Tao,

thus never needing to be defensive.”

The Tao Te Ching, #61 as translated by Stephen Mitchell

 

Clearly, arrogance and hubris have been complicating factors in U.S. Defense Policy.They have sometimes led to thinking that we can control other nations by using our powerful military forces which too often results in counter-productive, tragic and very expensive outcomes. The need for humility in making these momentous decisions becomes clear.

I sometimes ask myself why I continue to be involved in Peace causes. From one perspective, given the bellicose nature of International Relations today, it can occasionally appear futile trying to bump up against the hugely funded and seemingly unstoppable military budgets of the United States, but also of Russia, China and many others. These expenditures amount to approximately two trillion dollars each and every year and could be deployed in such a way as to create more “security” for people who need clean, pure water systems, better educational opportunities, accessible medical care and facilities and many other exciting possibilities. How do we begin to deal with this “defense” behemoth which some people feel is a necessary expenditure to preserve and protect their country’s national security.

This is a large challenge indeed. And…it will certainly not turn around overnight. In addition, it is very clear that every nation needs to have some feeling of security in regard to its own national defense, so reducing defense expenditures to zero is not remotely feasible or even desirable. Still, it seems beneficial for all countries to begin cutting back defense expenditures so that money can be freed up to meet crucial human needs. Even a small percentage of the huge national defense budgets could go a long ways to improving the lot of ordinary citizens. For example, it has been estimated that an annual expenditure of 15 billion dollars for ten years could supply all the nations of the world with pure drinking water, which would be one of the greatest public health breakthroughs of all time. Many other equally exciting projects come to mind. Rather than fearing each other and our nefarious designs against each other, collaboration and co-operation can come to be priorities and we can begin to move away from fearful scenarios and begin to embrace the creative potential of our lives.

This is the challenge of putting forth the vision of a world Beyond War. We who are excited by this view of the world can be seen as Pollyannas, or hopeless and naive idealists who don’t understand the fallen nature of men and women and the demands of “realpolitik”. This could well be worthwhile criticism if the way that national defenses are presently structured led to wonderful outcomes but this is clearly not the case. So…it is crucial and highly important that our vision of the possibilities that we as citizens of the world might gift ourselves with continues to be put forward as a viable alternative to our present dysfunctional and reactive system. War and fear of other nations are not inevitable. We can listen to the “better angels” of our nature and continue the slow, sometimes painful but always useful vision of a new world order of opportunity, harmony and peaceful conflict resolution. This is what keeps me going.

–Jim Anderson

 

Can US Foreign Policy Become a Force for Peace?

Posted on: November 12th, 2015 by BWNWAdmin No Comments

 

That’s the question Carol Van Houten of CALC helped answer at the Church Women United of Lane County November Celebration of “Our Journey Toward Peace.”

Carol started out with some hopeful notes by sharing examples of some of our relatively successful foreign policy decisions starting with our improving relations with Cuba after all these years of what many of us have seen as senseless sanctions. There’s still work to be done but we have seen some real progress already.

Costa Rica has been doing rather nicely (thank you) while maintaining no military presence. Can you imagine the savings in their federal budget? Hopefully NAFTA regulations won’t change that.

Tunisia : The four groups that have put together a successful democracy there received the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Though problems will continue to arise, this can be seen as a successful element of the Arab Spring. Costa Rica and Tunisia are examples of the locals doing it themselves with the USA neither helping nor hindering. We don’t have to do it all.

There was quite a struggle getting to the Iran Agreement but it is a great example of diplomacy succeeding over military intervention. I just read that 57% of American Jews supported the agreement which is higher than the population at large. (Lou Dubose in Washington Spectator). Some forceful actions, not lethal actions, are necessary. Sanctions are good examples of these.

Of course we church ladies liked this one: Women Matter. Women were prominent in the democratization of Tunisia. The State Department’s Wendy Sherman was working with little fanfare for the long term preparation of the Iran Agreement.   Both are examples of what social scientists have found: if women are involved things go better. (We knew that).

How to get more of what works? Carol suggests we stop doing stupid things. A good example is the Iraq War. The blowback from that made things worse than ever in that area. The US has been involved in developing terrorists in the Middle East since the 80’s in Afghanistan when we trained the Mujahedeen to fight the Russians. Drone strikes and Special Ops have killed more civilians than bad guys. These could be recruiting posters for ISIS.

We need more thoughtful leaders, not just knee jerk, get even types. We need to reconsider American Exceptionalism and thinking that we are indispensable. We are not. Other countries have legitimate ideas. Though we may have differences, we need to learn to co-habit with others around the globe.

Is it not obvious that we need to stop the arms race? Carol pointed out that the UN Security Council is made up of five nations that sell the most arms throughout the world. (The fox tending the chicken coop comes to mind.) Carol says we can stop selling arms and we can stop giving old military stuff to police departments as well. Now we are upgrading our nuclear arsenal and developing more accurate missiles while it has been obvious for years that we need to decrease the danger of having these arms. Carol reminded us of Ike’s warning about the military industrial complex.

Regarding the Middle East, Carol offered that ISIS is not a threat to the US; it is an ideology not an armed country. We need to spend our time, energy and money on rebuilding our homeland. We can become leaders in education and health care access and quality. We can work out our problems with racism and immigration. We can take the time to make a full bore commitment to dealing with climate change. It is real. Our own Senator Merkley has been in the lead with measures to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

Thanks, Carol for leaving us with some hope. Here’s what we can do:

  • Be informed.
  • Challenge the notion of American exceptionalism.
  • Increase the role of women everywhere, every time. Note that the marines found that when women are involved in groups, better decisions are made.
  • Challenge the image of masculinity being violent, controlling, using force with guns. (gun control)
  • Support political change. There are movements to increase local control of decision making. Know that businesses are there to protect business interests not necessarily in our best interest. An example is Monsanto and GMO seeds rather than supporting local growers.
  • Be aware of future wars caused by shortages of water.
  • For years after WWII we relied on MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). Rather, diplomacy can be how “we be in the world.”
  • It’s estimated we’ve spent 4.5 TRILLION dollars on wars in the Middle East. It’s been estimated that we’d need to spend 1 million dollars per day since Jesus was born just to get us to ONE TRILLION dollars.
  • It’s urgent that we become a force for peace.

(Submitted by Anne O’Brien)

Reflections on the Language of Our Culture and How it Affects Us as a Peace Organization

Posted on: October 6th, 2015 by BWNWAdmin No Comments

The creeping normality of using violent words and metaphors can mean a death by a thousand cuts; the gradual replacement of words of kindness by words of callousness prevents us as a species from achieving our full potential as human beings. Did you feel your chest tighten in reading “death by a thousand cuts?” There’s hope. We all have seen rhetoric inflame a situation or divert it towards violence. Many writers and journalists in recent years have moved away from using words that do violence to our language seeking more creative, conscientious and humane uses of the language.

The use of violent cliché and metaphor as prefabricated ideas may only loosely convey the intent of the writer and lead to misunderstandings that are difficult to resolve; they can intrude on our humanity. As a major shaper of the international language of commerce, America’s terminology influences how others behave in the industrialized world. Here we speak in a cold business jargon where goals become “targets,” where ideas become “bulleted items”, where employees are called “human capital,” where anyone and anything of value has a “dollar equivalent,” and where there is the greatest disparity between the rich and poor.

At our recent annual retreat, we reached a consensus to avoid the use of the common militant words that have pervaded the American language. These words give a “combat-ready” feel to language as exemplified by the closely-linked terms, “Mission” and “Strategy” used in key organizational documents of competitive businesses that are often adopted as models for peace organizations.   They sound like headings on a battle plan. Similar avoidable militant terms are in common use.

It was proposed that during our scheduled revision of our “Mission” and “Strategy” statements that we instead use the terms, “Purpose” and “Blueprint” as something much more appropriate for a 501(c)3 peace organization. These words give a greater sense of equal respect and of constructiveness.   While these suggested changes remove the militant quality of “Mission” and “Strategy”, they may not be optimum word choices.

Can you think of words that are more closely-linked choices than “Purpose” and “Blueprint” that have a “peace-ready” feel? Would they be headings from a Peace Plan?   Your suggestions are welcome. If we find a really great combination, maybe other peace organizations will also use them.

Mike

Authentic Hope

Posted on: December 14th, 2014 by BWNWAdmin No Comments

 

What gives you authentic hope for the future?

Eugene and Corvallis members gathered together for a holiday pot luck dinner. Here are paraphrases of their answers. There is no order to their comments, only going around the circle:

I have changed. I now see the connectedness that underlies everything around the world. We all have the same needs.

Change has been happening in the business community—classes in conflict resolution, more collaboration and less competition.

As I meet people and get to know them, there is more good than bad.

After standing on a street corner for 14 years waving a peace flag, comments are more positive.

We filled a theater to watch the film The Power of Forgiveness and shared the mutual respect and forgiveness advocated for in the film.

There are fewer hungry people in the world now.

When I see people take collective action, taking to the streets, feeling one another’s energy, I am energized.

I see people around me showing greater, deeper understanding of what is happening.

I am inspired by David Hartsough’s visit and book describing nonviolent action, Waging Peace, and seeing youth working, nonviolently, to make change.

I find hope over and over again hearing young children speak truth, making heartfelt observation.

I am part of Church Women United and am inspired by seeing all those women, from all different denominations, each working on individual activities for good.

The members of our Nonviolent Communication practice group are constantly growing in our ability to observe without evaluating or judging.

In our book group, I love reading the books about the people who walk the walk.

People are coming together working toward what we love with great positive attitudes.

I see peace, justice and sustainability groups working together instead of separately.

More and more people recognize that war is not inevitable.

The Chinese student living with us this year talks about what is good in the American culture and reflects on his own, increasing cultural understanding for all.

In the classroom, children already know about peace making.

My 23 and 25 year old daughters inspire me with their respect for the importance of individual autonomy and willingness to march in the streets.

Teaching the principles of respecting others to primary school students, and the efforts to make sure everyone in the community has food shown by our Food for Lane County group.

Recovering from a life of personal violence and seeing lots of others doing the same.

I’m working with our Sister Cities and seeing many selfless volunteers.

My son inspires me. Everywhere he looks he sees opportunities for making positive change.

 

WORLD PEACE–The Elusive Dream

Posted on: August 7th, 2014 by BWNWAdmin No Comments

“Glory be to God in the highest and on Earth, peace, goodwill toward men.” It is a marvelous concept stated and worshipped for at least 2000 years. Yet, world peace has been unknown and thus unavailable to leaders of world governments.

At a time when powerful animals were the enemy and nature unexplained by science, fear was ever present outside of the tribe. The only experience of safety existed within the tribe. There, providing for the necessities of life, it was possible to develop softer human emotions: love, trust, mutuality and respect.

Thus was born the duality in human life that exists to today; pervasive external fear, severely limited external love.

Peace is prevented by persistent corrosive beliefs. Those beliefs determine behavior. Some examples of such beliefs and behaviors in the United States are:

1. There are enemies out there, threatening. The only way to gain control is through force of arms. In economics, there are competitors everywhere. Power, control and beating others in any ways possible are the rule.

2. In a highly competitive world trust is risky, Generals want five stars. They cannot trust anyone seeking the same goal. CEO’s want more and more power and control. Middle management in industry and the military strive for advancement. Lower economic levels see resource shortage everywhere and compete for leftovers.

Internationally, there are alliances, spheres of influence and suspicion everywhere. Experts proliferate to advise leaders on how to win the brass ring. Willingness to explore mutual needs and possible cooperation with enemies is verboten. It is a sign of weakness and even considered traitorous.

3. A further belief that makes peace elusive is the growth of individualism, especially individual rights and privileges unaccompanied by responsibility. Individualism has become dominant over mutualism. My needs, my ideas, my goals are vital to me and I am willing to fight for them. Weapons of war are available everywhere and are there to protect the most elite individuals. Money from near or distant co-believers is available, often temporarily as sides shift with the wind.

4. Willingness to fight is still the gold standard of manliness. Cowardice in the face of the enemy will get a soldier shot immediately or condemned to prison.

Trust cannot survive in such a belief and behavioral context.

There are solutions: they are known and are in plain sight. The trends enumerated above can be be reversed. Softer human emotions as part of public enterprise would be part of social norms. Morality, having all but vanished, would become part of the human spirit.

The following strategies, taken together in a bottom-up plan can change the world:

Religion is still powerful around the world. Pope Francis is promoting peace and humility. Every Priest, Rabbi, Imam and all other leaders of religion can be of enormous influence if every “church” became a supporter of peaceful emotions expressed in public.

In the United States and elsewhere, transfers of power are accepted by vote. Every single elected member of government at any level can be replaced by the vote. A public steeped in the need for gentler emotions on a local, national and international level can spur the candidacy of carefully selected people. If the people are able to select the candidates for political office instead of political parties, the vote in the US can peacefully revolutionize the government.

Peace groups are legion in the U.S and around the world. Though they have been more cooperative recently, too often they still follow separate paths, each with its own agenda. If they focused on creating an emotional context for peace, progress would be more rapid.

Top down efforts are less effective than coalescing masses of informed people to support change. Person to person contacts work best to spread the word. We can expand our circle of trust and cooperation to others outside our immediate group.

Social media offer stunning possibilities for changing attitudes. Skills in the use of those media have become highly honed. They are a key part of a comprehensive plan.

Those are working strategies. They require organization, education and implementation by ordinary people trained in the basic principles.

The total effort would be to reduce fear, especially fear of each other and of strangers. We would rally against deliberate use of fear that allows the “elites” to solidify and maintain their power. Fear and its expression in aggression would be reduced to a minimum. Unmanageable fear prevented world peace historically. It makes peace elusive now.

Again, the knowledge of how to proceed is available. The will to risk change is still mired in the conviction that violence is an effective and necessary tool to protect self, country and world from dangers that exist. Since violence promotes more violence, new dangers increase exponentially as more violence is invoked. Peace suffers continuous setbacks where violence is thought to be viable.

In brief:

Emotion guides behavior. As long as the world outside one’s in-group is fear-inducing and that fear induces aggression, world peace will remain an elusive dream.

Replacing unfettered competition with mutuality, fear with hope. suspicion with trust, dominance with equality and egoism with respect can create a road to peace.

If people are cherished as equal in their humanity, world peace can prevail.

 

Hubert Kauffman, Ph.D.

 

A war to end all wars?

Posted on: July 14th, 2014 by BWNWAdmin No Comments

July 28, 2014 is the centennial of the start of World War I when Austria declared war on Serbia. As the direct result of a lone gunman’s assassination of the archduke of Austria, within the week, a combination of complicated secret treaties and colonial aspirations for expansion embroiled the great states of Europe in a general war where Austria-Hungary and Germany (the Central Powers) were arrayed against Serbia, Russia, France & Britain (the Allies). Thus began World War I, a war that would rage on for more than 4 years and 3 months setting the stage for the next Great War. It was a long, bloody tragedy of global scope with appalling losses. As in every major war, the number of victims are uncountable, but can only be estimated. Among the millions dead were the soldiers who were dug down in water-filled trenches, exposed to vermin, and filth. They endured exposures that lead to trench foot, amputations, and disease. They huddled behind barbed wire while howitzers bellowed, and the cavalry were ordered to futilely charge against tanks armed only with bayonets. In addition to millions of civilians killed in the fog of war, the populations were so weakened by starvation that millions more succumbed to the Great Influenza Epidemic after arms were put down.

At the outset of the war, no one could have imagined the scope of the consequences. Both sides expected to be home by Christmas. The Armenians were eliminated in the first genocide, the British artillery put down an Irish rising, and Lenin and his revolutionaries took over the war-weakened monarchy of Russia. Indeed, four great monarchies and empires did not survive the war.

At the outset, President Wilson announced that the U.S. would remain neutral and he successfully campaigned for his second term on the promise of staying out of the expanding European war. But in less than three years that changed. Wilson called for congress to declare war on Germany just a month after his inauguration. And Congress obeyed by declaring war on Germany April, 6, 1917. The U.S. combined forces with the Allies in the “The war to end war,” a phrase borrowed from H.G. Wells and often attributed to Wilson. Whether Wilson’s use of the phrase was the product of the times, or naïve or foolish or manipulative, today the idea of a “War to End All Wars” is largely recognized as being contradictory or delusional as journalist and media critic Walter Lippman described it.

On this centennial anniversary of the start of World War I, perhaps we should consider how anyone could think that a war would end wars. Can war bring peace or is it a pretext for imperial aggression consisting of economic and physical violence against people? Wilson said, “Why, my fellow Americans, is there any man here or any woman — let me say, is there any child here — who does not know that the seed of war in the modern world is commercial and industrial rivalry?” St. Louis, Sept. 9, 1919. (George Seldes, The Great Thoughts, Ballantine Books, (1985), pg. 455.)

Machiavelli infamously justified all manner of evil by stating that the ends justify the means. In contrast, a core principle of Beyond War Northwest declares that the means determine the outcome. The means to achieve peace are to work together to resolve conflict with an attitude of good will through peaceful collaboration and cooperation. This applies from the personal to the public and international levels. We have tried using destructive technologies to resolve interpersonal discord. Surely our shared humanity cautions us that it is time to take a different path.

Dorothy and Mike

 

New Group Discussion Course

Posted on: May 25th, 2014 by BWNWAdmin No Comments

“Seeing Systems: Peace, Justice & Sustainability”

The Northwest Earth Institute (http://www.nwei.org), assisted by Eugene BWNW members, has created a six-session discussion guide to help us recognize how peace, justice and sustainability are interrelated.

The guide quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1967 “A Christmas Sermon on Peace”: “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly…This is the way our universe is structured, this is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on Earth until we recognize this basic fact of interrelated structure of all reality.” (p. 12)

Making use of insightful articles, the series brings us to a recognition of these interrelationships. It enables us to have “authentic hope,” as discussed by author Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer.

We can work together, engaged and inspired, to envision and act upon these systems to create positive change. Lacy Cagle, Editor and Curriculum Director for the series wrote that “recognizing the interconnected systems of our world can be difficult, but it can also be a joyous and empowering realization–through these networks of relationships, people power can expand and together, we can make a real difference for good.”

In Eugene, we are organizing discussion groups. If you live in the area and would like to participate, please email us at annemill@beyondwarnw.org.

If you would like to start a discussion group wherever you live, all of the information needed is available at the Northwest Earth Institute website: http://www.nwei.org.

We invite you to share your experiences and perspective with the Beyond War Northwest learning community in order to help us achieve greater clarity and effectiveness in our outreach.

One Veteran for Peace

Posted on: March 28th, 2014 by BWNWAdmin No Comments

( Note: Admin asked for comments on local activities working for peace. This was the first response.)

Since I’ve never met you, I don’t know what “voice” to utilize as I write this.  I suppose it is a “Letters to the Editor” kind of voice.  Whatever. Jim Schmidt says you are interested in Veterans for Peace (VFP), it’s stated goals, and how they might be achieved.

I’ll introduce my association with Veterans For Peace in a roundabout fashion:  Having been an active member of Vietnam Veterans of America, I was aware of its existence, since we’ve all sent mailers via “snail mail” to maintain contact with our various organizations.  I became more directly involved as a member of Team I of the Veterans Vietnam Restoration Project. We had been involved in building a medical clinic in Vung Tau, on the coast near Saigon in Viet Nam.  It was the first joint Viet Nam – American physical construction project since the fall of the South in 1975.  Since VFP had no budget, save only a budget for T- Shirts, we each got a free T-shirt with the VFP logo on it, and called it a day.

Fast forward almost twenty- five years.   I had been out of contact with VFP, and Vietnam Veterans of America, for that matter,  when Gordon Sturrock and Jack Dresser was attempting to introduce a local Eugene chapter of VFP. Nothing came of it, at least at first, due in no small part to problems of ego.  (It is a gross simplification to say it, but what the hell—Veterans, certainly Vietnam veterans, have schizoid egos: they are at the same time delicate yet rampant:  “This ego fortress must and shall be defended at all costs!”).

Approximately a year later, I fell in with a group of “coffee-klatch commandos” headed by one James Schmidt.  He and a small group of others were attempting to resurrect the local chapter of VFP.

The stated mission of Veterans For Peace is:  Exposing the true costs of war and militarism since 1985; and its motto is: “Organized Locally, Recognized Nationally.” Paid membership includes a quarterly bulletin, and access to VFP products, ostensibly for fund-raising.  But it’s the networking that I consider important.  With the advent of the Afghan and especially Iraq wars, I have felt an isolation which is particularly frustrating to me. Networking reduces that isolation.  In unity there is indeed strength.

Incidentally, the Veterans Viet Nam Restoration Project (VVRP) will have its final mission in April with Team XXIX.  I intend to be on that team:  As a member of Team I, I felt it appropriate that a member of Team I should also be a member of Team XXIX; the first and the last.  And along with a commemorative T- shirt featuring all the teams of VVRP, I will also include a VFP T-shirt with a quote by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of the forces that liberated Western Europe: “I hate war, as only a soldier who has lived it can, as only one who has seen its BRUTALITY, its FUTILITY, its STUPIDITY.”

Michael E. Peterson

Book Discussion

Posted on: March 26th, 2014 by Dorothy Sampson No Comments

What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?  by David Harris-Gershon

A few months after the start of World War I, On Christmas Day 1914, the German and British troops spontaneously stopped shooting at each other.  They crossed through the barbed wire separating their positions and met on the ground between to play soccer, share photos and sing carols together.  It is a remarkable story.  The generals were not amused.  They knew that when a warrior begins to see the enemy as a human being, he begins to hesitate.  He is no longer fit for battle.  Indeed, after the troops were reprimanded, some of the men had to be pulled off the front line, because they could no longer kill as they were ordered to.

I thought of this story when I read David Harris-Gershon’s memoir, What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?  David and Jamie,  newlyweds, moved to Jerusalem full of hope.  Their adventure and dreams were shattered when a bomb exploded in the cafeteria at Hebrew University.  By a quirk of fate, Jaime, though severely injured, was spared but two close friends sitting beside her were killed.

The story continues as David tries to come to terms with what has happened. With the help of therapy, Jamie works through her trauma, but David’s healing stalls.  He cannot accept that a human being would do what the terrorist did to another human being. Between an inability to breathe regularly, compulsive behavior and insomnia, he begins studying every news article of the attack.  In one account, he reads that the Hamas bomber, Mohammad Odeh, expressed remorse, a small glimpse that the bomber is more than just a monster. This sets David on a search to understand the history of the two peoples, the cultural framework that cultivates such hatred.  In his study, he acknowledges that Palestinians as well as Jews have suffered and admits his own attitudes, suspicions, and distrust are complicit in the divide that leads to violence.  He resolves to meet the bomber, the man, face to face.  But, like the WWI generals who won’t permit fraternizing, the Israeli government has many strategies to prevent such an encounter of reconciliation.  David settles for a meeting with the Odeh family, whom he finds to be good and kind and he states “their talk was good.” It is a remarkable story.

– Reviewed by Dorothy Sampson