Do Not Put "Boots on the Ground"
Sacrificing young Americans to find a "mission" is reprehensible
The war with no purpose is seeking a “mission.” I think it is the dead bodies of young Americans who then should be “avenged.”
Dr. Dow Edgerton and I taught a course at Chicago Theological Seminary on “Forgiveness.” It became clearer and clearer throughout the semester that one of the chief barriers to ending violence and enabling forgiveness and reconciliation was the lust for revenge.
Revenge is a powerful driver of violence, often fueled by the psychological need to restore self-worth, balance perceived injustices, and feel a sense of "justified" satisfaction, which can be addictive. It causes up to 20% of homicides and 60% of school shootings, serving as a primary motive in interpersonal, gang, and political violence.
Americans have been fed a diet of “enemies” by this current administration who must be eliminated and many in this country have become addicted to a rage-revenge cycle that never ends.
Yet, eliminating an “enemy” does not bring closure for people who have been victimized.
I have been a long-time opponent of the death penalty and studies have shown that families of murder victims do not get a sense of closure when the perpetrator is dead.
The Death Penalty Information Center notes, “A 2009 study by Nancy Berns explored the notion of closure in the context of the death penalty and found that for many family members of the victims, closure is often elusive. For the study, Professor Berns reviewed studies on death penalty rhetoric and the sociology of emotion. Professor Berns notes ’many families of murder victims argue that there is no such thing as closure and therefore disdain the word.’ She explains how the emotional effect of executions on victim’s family members is not straightforward and leaves some with ’emotive dissonance – they do not feel the closure promised … it still hurts’ or they come away ’even angrier.’”
No one “wins” wars any more, have you noticed? The parties just seem to walk (or run) away.
The path forward for this Iran war is still to negotiate ceasefires, use back-channel communication along with neutral mediators, imposing economic pressure, enforcing international law, and changing public opinion to demand peaceful conflict resolution over armed force.
Putting the lives of young Americans at risk, having them get killed and then calling for revenge is the path we are currently on and it is in direct opposition to the steps needed to end the war.
The one thing we can do this weekend with the No Kings! No War! marches is show nonviolent opposition to both authoritarian rule and stupid, useless war.
Be sure to do what you can.
Based on March 2026 polling, approximately 53% to 62% of Americans oppose U.S. military action against Iran. Majorities disapprove of the ongoing conflict, with over 60% opposing the deployment of ground troops. Opposition is driven by concerns over potential conflict escalation, with roughly 59% believing actions have gone "too far".
Let’s make that 100%
This is incredibly personal for me. I have a very dear & much-loved relative that is currently serving in the military. So far, he has remained stateside, but for how much longer? Will he be sacrificed on the altar of Trump and Hegseth's egos in a completely unnecessary war? My anger and fear are with me every day. And yes, we will be at the NO KINGS/NO WAR demonstration this Saturday!