Rev. Joseph Lowery: The Mothers in Iraq Call Us the Terrorists

[Guest guest]

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/23/1321222

 

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2005

Rev. Joseph Lowery: " The Mothers in Iraq Call Us the Terrorists "

 

As the antiwar vigil at Camp Casey continues outside President Bush's

estate in Crawford, we speak with the Rev. Joseph Lowery, co-founder

of Southern Christian Leadership Conference. [includes rush

transcript] The antiwar vigil outside President Bush's estate in

Crawford continues to grow, despite the temporary departure o f Cindy

Sheehan to care for her ailing mother.

 

The demonstrators camped out in the blazing sun have been visited by

Folk singer Joan Baez, Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and

actress Margot Kidder. The Canadian citizen said she became a US

citizen last week so that she could protest the war in Iraq without

being deported.

 

Democracy Now! broadcast from Camp Casey on Friday and we stayed on

through the weekend to cover the story. Military families, longtime

activists and Iraq veterans were there. One of those we spoke with was

Reverend Joseph Lowery, co-founder of Southern Christian Leadership

Conference and chair of Coalition of Peoples Agenda.

 

* Rev. Joseph Lowery, preacher and co-founder of Southern

Christian Leadership Conference and chair of Coalition of Peoples Agenda.

 

RUSH TRANSCRIPT

 

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AMY GOODMAN: Democracy Now! producer, Yoruba Richen, interviewed

Reverend Lowery and asked him why he decided to come to Camp Casey.

 

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY: Well, I came primarily, I guess, two

reasons: one, I'm very supportive of the efforts of these mothers, led

by Cindy, to test the conscience of America and to demonstrate what

happens when an idea that's powerful realizes its time has come. And I

think the time has come to end this war. And I think that God has

worked through this mother and other mothers and fathers and aunts and

uncles and citizens from all walks of life to say to America, it's

time to bring the troops home. We have -- we are in a quagmire.

There's hardly anything positive that can be accomplished, and we have

to weigh whether or not the gamble – and it's a gamble, it's a

riverboat gamble -- that we can stay longer and risk lives and achieve

more of our goal. There are no weapons of mass destruction. That's

over. There's no evidence that al Qaeda or 9/11 were related at all to

Iraq. That's over. Saddam is in prison. That's over. So, for all real

purposes, the war is over. And what countries do when the war is over

is bring your troops home.

 

YORUBA RICHEN: Why -- you said it's an idea whose time has come.

Why now? Why this groundswell of support and people coming down to

Crawford now?

 

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY: Well, you know, in the 1950s the swell

against segregation and transportation was -- the seed was planted by

a little woman in Montgomery named Rosa Parks, who sat down in dignity

so we could stand up with courage and freedom, and here another woman,

you know, later, a half century later, has come to say enough is

enough. Too many lives have been lost. We're reminding us -- they're

reminding us of a sacredness of human life and that we have no right

to gamble with other people's children's lives while our children are

snug and safe in their elitist environment.

 

Now, the time has come, and I believe that God is speaking to us

through this movement by the mothers, and we call on the Congress, not

just the President. We think Congress has been irresponsible. We call

upon Congress to demand that the administration present a plan to

withdraw the troops, and if they don't, that we cut off funding. We

have got to be radical. Radicality of change and spirituality demand

that we say bring the troops home now. The time -- I remember the

Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812 was fought after the war

over. And to those who say that to withdraw now is to mean that those

who died died in vain, that's ridiculous. Anyone who dies answering

the call of his country has died with honor. You can judge the call,

but that's the country's – that onus is on the country. The soldier

has answered the call and has died with honor. It's time now not to

increase the number of grieving mothers, but hold it where it is and

bring the troops home.

 

YORUBA RICHEN: You mention Rosa Parks and the move to end

segregation in transportation, and you're a veteran of these

movements. How does this fit into that continuum of civil rights struggle?

 

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY: Well, I think it ties peace and justice. It

ties love and justice. It ties faith and love. And we talk about

faith-based ministries and movements. There can be no authentic faith

without grounding in love. The Bible makes it clear that though I have

faith to move mountains and have not love, I'm nothing, though I have

faith to solve all mysteries and don't have love. And love is

inclusive, love embraces justice, and so the movement in the 1950s

against segregation for justice is very much akin to the movement for

peace now and for justice, because without, as the young folks say, no

justice, no peace.

 

YORUBA RICHEN: How do you see -- you brought a contingent of

folks with you, who arrived yesterday. Why was it important for your

presence to be here for the people that you brought here?

 

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY: Well, more than my presence, the presence of

those two mothers, two African American mothers, and while we realize

the diversity that's in this war, all of the blood that's shed is the

same color. It's red and sad. And those two mothers wanted to come.

One of them, Pat Roberts' son, was the first Georgian that died. The

other one, Evelyn Allen, her son died in November 2004 from tank fire,

friendly fire. So, they wanted to come and identify with this

movement. We were glad to make it possible for them. I wanted to be

here because it continues the tradition of our movement. Peace has

always been a strong and solid root for our movement for justice.

They're all entangled: peace, love, justice, faith. They're all tied

together. Without any one of them, the circle is broken.

 

YORUBA RICHEN: How do you see the war affecting particularly

communities of color? Does it in a different way or in a unique way?

 

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY: Well, you know, when America has a bad cold,

communities of color have pneumonia. And it's affecting us in many,

many ways. It's a poor man's war. I said earlier that there's

something wrong about the children of the poor and the moderate

risking their lives and dying, while the children of the wealthy and

the elite are safe in their cozy, comfortable environment. Something

wrong with that, and either we ought to – well, we ought to end the

war. That's the other thing about it. It's time to bring the troops

home, and Congress ought to demand, if the President refuses to, a

plan of withdrawal. Peace, peace. Who are we? Are we really a military

aggressor? Are we – we're talking about fighting terrorism. Our

activities have created more terrorists than there were when 9/11

occurred. And we seem to have forgotten about that fellow Osama bin

Laden and the people who perpetrated. It was not the people of Iraq,

and we have lost too many lives, both American and otherwise. It's

time to bring the troops home.

 

YORUBA RICHEN: Tell me what your feeling was last night, looking

out over the crowds of mothers and vets and people who had gathered

here. What was the feeling here yesterday?

 

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY: Well, the minute I arrived on the scene, two

emotions reached up and grabbed me. One was indignation that the

President has been so insensitive, and here I was within a shadow of

his ranch. And I wished I could call out to him and ask him to come,

and not only meet with Cindy, but let's say a prayer together. Let's

ask God's guidance for what we ought to do about peace and justice in

the world. And then the other emotion was thankfulness.

 

I felt a spiritual presence that I haven't felt in a long time,

out in nature where the bugs and the snakes and the frogs were

competing for space and comfort. There was a spiritual presence there.

Even though Cindy had gone, her presence remained, and the presence of

all of those parents and supporters and sympathizers who came from

across this country -- black, white, brown -- to send a message to

this administration, it was a tremendous spiritual experience. I take

nothing for it. And when I go back home, I want to share it with a

woman who has given her life for peace and justice, Coretta Scott

King, who is struggling now with courage and dignity, the kind of

courage and dignity she has displayed throughout her life. I want to

share it with her the first chance I get, that there is a Balm in

Gilead, and that there is a movement brewing in the land. And it's

time, it's time to bring the troops home.

 

YORUBA RICHEN: And if you were to meet with -- if President Bush

came out of his ranch this morning, what would you say to him about

the whole situation?

 

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY: I would say, to whom much is given, much is

required. He has the power. He has the opportunity to do good, and

it's never too late to do good. And as I said that we can't afford

riverboat gambling. We don't need to risk the lives of innocent people

anymore, here nor there, for a risk. There's no way we can guarantee

we can bring about a thriving democracy in Iraq and the Middle East by

the means we are using. There has got to be a better way to bring the

community of nations together, and let us not be the killers. Let us

not be -- you know, I imagine the mothers in Iraq who have awakened in

the morning to find their children blown to smithereens by smart bombs

sent on dumb missions, that they call the us the terrorists.

 

YORUBA RICHEN: And after living through Vietnam and through

other wars, what does it feel like to be again in this situation here

in 2005?

 

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY: Well, he who doesn't observe and learn the

lessons of history will repeat the mistakes of history. And I think

we're going through it again, and I think that 9/11 traumatized us so

that we sort of let the administration slide and go to war without our

full awareness and our full participation in the decision. But now I

think repentance and change are the order of the day, and it's time,

as the mothers have called us, to bring the troops home.

 

AMY GOODMAN: Reverend Joseph Lowery, co-founder of the Southern

Christian Leadership Conference speaking with Democracy Now! producer,

Yoruba Richen. Lowery came to Crawford with Patricia Roberts. Her son

was the first soldier from Georgia killed in Iraq. This weekend, she

addressed those gathered at Camp Casey.

 

PATRICIA ROBERTS: My name is Patricia Roberts. My son was

specialist Jamaal Addison. He was in the 507 Maintenance Company. He

was the unit that took the wrong turn, and he died when the P.O.W.s

were taken. It's an honor to be here today. Unfortunately, not like

Miss Montgomery, not like Miss Johnson, I never got to speak to Mr.

George Bush. He never came and acknowledged in any way my son. I wish,

I pray to get the opportunity to speak to Mr. Bush, and I pray while

I'm here until Tuesday that I will be able to see him. I have prayed

that he will step up to the plate, and even if he does not come to

meet me, that he will note my presence here and that he will do the

right thing and bring our troops home.

 

AMY GOODMAN: Patricia Roberts, her son was the first soldier from

Georgia to be killed in Iraq. She was speaking at Camp Casey.

 

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