Dear Brethren:
For the last several weeks, the ongoing war with Iraq has been the primary focus of the daily news. I had just arrived in Germany, when the war began. I was visiting my parents in Germany and I am very happy to report that my father (94) is doing much better. While there, I was able to experience first-hand the reaction of the people in Germany and continental Europe to the outbreak of the war — the reaction was a mixture of shock, anger, frustration, rejection and protest. Magazines and newspapers, as well as daily television newscasts, made European disagreement with the Bush administration widely known, and daily mass anti-war demonstrations around the world have become the norm, rather than the exception.
In the United States, the vast majority has been supporting the war against Iraq, since it began, although about half of the people had been opposed to it prior to its outbreak. A similar occurrence has been observed in Great Britain, where originally almost 80% were against the war (Recent reports show that presently 48 % of the British support the war, according to Der Spiegel Online, April 3). This switch in position has been explained as a result of patriotism and the need to support the troops.
Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – April 7, 2003"