Center on Conscience and War

Many years ago, I was introduced to the work of the National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors (NISBCO). Today, this wonderful organization goes by the name The Center on Conscience & War. As we move closer to the day that the Bush administration has to renew the military draft in order to force moderate and low-income youth to fight the wars this administration continues to start, I think we need to take a closer look at the CCW.

The Executive Director, J.E. McNeil, recently sent out a note that began with one of my favorite Mahatma Gandhi quotes: "When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth has always won. There have been murderers and tyrants, and for a time they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall." That's a favorite quote from my of my best friends who posts on the Democratic Underground.

McNeil continued: "It is easy to look at the future and get gloomy. The prospect of a draft seems greater now than it has in the last 30 years. The military is forcing people to stay in Iraq against their will and well beyond the expected ends of their contracts. We appear poised on the invasion of Iran and increased conflict with North Korea."

It has become clear that the administration will have to have large numbers of new soldiers to continue with its occupation of Iraq. And it is also evident that this president believes that he is following a divine plan to declare war on Islamic culture, and that the vice president is intent upon securing as many oil wells in the Middle East as possible. The combination of religious delusion and devilish greed spells war.

The CCW is a national organization that works with the grassroots level. They travel from city to city, town to town, and work to help people understand what the current (and expected) military and draft laws are (and will be). The talk "about our rights and responsibilities in relation to a potential draft and the continuing militarization of our schools. We can, one by one, lobby our congressional representatives and make sure that they understand what being a conscientious objector means and what we can and cannot do. The center does this in your names -- and more."

The CCW is on an extremely limited budget. They really do not have big donors. I believe that most county agencies, and many city departments across the country have larger budgets. But they are resourceful. They turn that to their advantage in a creative way. No one can tell them to fall in line, unlike many wealthier organizations. No one can tell them how high to jump, with an implied threat that if they don't jump, their budge will get cut. And no one can tell them to shut up. Unlike our congressional representatives, no one has to explain to them what a conscience is.

In the upcoming weeks, the Water Man Spouts blog will be featuring more about this wonderful organization. In the mean time, I strongly urge you to send a donation of any size to them at: The Center on Conscience & War; 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW; Washington, DC, 20009; telephone: 202-483-2220; Fax: 202-483-1246.

e-mail: nisbco@nisbco.org

URL: http://www.nisbco.org

Thank you!