Dear Members and Friends,

In all of the memorials and celebrations last weekend, the question of why we were attacked was never raised nor answered. On the day of the attack, the minister of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago said in response to the attack, “It is payback time.” He was immediately attacked by the press, television reporters, and radio commentators as un-American, un-patriotic, and even guilty of treason.

Last week in our fellowship, the preacher told us in some detail of the “Why” of the attack.

Even since the Eisenhower administration, we have been the big bully of the world; followed closely by the little bully Israel. During the Eisenhower administration, the United Fruit Company of Boston was in trouble. The Secretary of State at the time was Alan Dulles and his brother was the head of the CIA. Between them, they were able to send the gun boats into Guatemala to show the banana growers how the banana market would be administered. Of course, Guatemala surrendered. This “mini war” probably was done in secret without General Eisenhower’s blessing. In the following years, the United States government got rid of Allende, the elected president of Chili and installed the dictator Pinochet who guaranteed that Chile would not go communist. We have continued to interfere with democratically elected leaders around the world. The fear of Communism dictated foreign policy. This was the reason for the attack on Vietnam based on false charges about an attack in the gulf of Tonkin. These charges have since been proven completely false.

Our meddling in the internal affairs of other countries did not stop with the close of the careers of the Dulles brothers. It continues today with a new enemy sometimes called Islam. There are saner voices speaking out against our continuous bullying of other countries to do our will. Now we have a growing peace movement calling for a different kind of foreign policy which respects the rights of other nations to govern themselves. It is not only in St. Joseph and South Haven that there is a weekly noontime silent vigil for peace. These faithful witnesses are now supported in town and cities across the United States. With the fresh air of truth blowing throughout our country we can look forward to radical changes in our foreign policy. There is hope. The wings of the Dove of Peace are held up by the aspirations and dedications of our fellow citizens as they struggle to build a just and peaceful world.

May the bright colors of October bless our lives as we move through this very troubled year of preparation for the next election.

Love,