Just peace

We need to stop.
Just stop.
Stop for a moment...
Before anybody
Says or does anything
That may hurt anyone else.
We need to be silent.
Just silent.
Silent for a moment...
Before we forever lose
The blessing of songs
That grow in our hearts.
We need to notice.
Just notice.
Notice for a moment...
Before the future slips away
Into ashes and dust of humility.
Stop, be silent, and notice...
In so many ways, we are the same.
Our differences are unique treasures.
We have, we are, a mosaic of gifts
To nurture, to offer, to accept.
We need to be.
Just be.
Be for a moment...
Kind and gentle, innocent and trusting,
Like children and lambs,
Never judging or vengeful
Like the judging and vengeful.
And now, let us pray,
Differently, yet together,
Before there is no earth, no life,
No chance for peace.

Sometimes the most important messages come from the most unlikely places. Mattie J.T. Stepanek, a 13-year-old boy, made a difference before he died with his Heartsongs poetry. He continues to impact the world through Just Peace. This poet, best-selling author, peace activist, and prominent voice for the Muscular Dystrophy Association fervently believed in and promoted world peace not just as a concept, but as a reality.

Mattie was working on Just Peace with Jimmy Carter when he died in June 2004. His mother, Jeni, who edited the material and wrote a preface for the book is publishing it at her son's request. Just Peace explores Mattie's concept of the world and all people as a unique mosaic of gifts. War and injustice shatter the mosaic, which can only be made whole again by planning and actively pursuing peace. The young visionary's essays, poetry, and photographs appear throughout the book. Jimmy Carter has written a special foreword and forthword for the book.

Just as important to the book and enlightening to the reader are Mattie's many correspondences. Central to these are his personal e-mails to and from former president Jimmy Carter, Mattie's peace "hero" and role model. The Nobel Peace Prize winner met Mattie, considered him an angel, messenger, and hero in his own right, and was genuinely affected by Mattie's passion and drive. Just Peace is an intimate portrait of a president, a young man of hope, and peace itself.

A portion of the proceeds from Just Peace will be donated to the MDA Mattie Fund designated for medical research to help find treatments and cures for childhood neuromuscular diseases.

In his eulogy, Former President Jimmy Carter told the congregation that throughout his long and varied public life, which has included shaking millions of hands, traveling to more than 120 countries and knowing "kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers," Mattie was "the most extraordinary person" he has ever known.

BREITBART.COM - Emotional Bush says US must finish military campaign in Iraq

Emotional Bush says US must finish military campaign in Iraq May 29 1:44 PM US/Eastern Email this story

President George W. Bush again vowed to complete US military missions around the world as the United States honoured its war dead with the American toll in Iraq closing on 2,500.

Tears welled in the US president's eyes as he gave his latest annual speech at Arlington National Cemetery, just a few days after admitting that he had some regrets about the Iraq conflict and that it had caused "consternation" in America.

"I'm in awe of the men and women who sacrifice for the freedom of the United States of America," Bush said to loud applause from an audience that included Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and US military chiefs.

"Our nation mourns the loss of our men and women in uniform. We will honour them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives, by defeating the terrorists, by advancing the cause of liberty and by laying the foundation of peace for a generation of young Americans," Bush added.

The US death toll in Iraq is now about 2,470 and has increased by more than 800 since the president's last Memorial Day wreath-laying at Arlington Cemetery, in the Washington suburbs. Almost 300 US soldiers have died in Afghanistan.

There are the remains of about 296,000 US soldiers, mainly from the two World Wars and the Vietnam and Korean conflicts, at Arlington.

"In this place where valor sleeps, we are reminded why America has always gone to war reluctantly, because we know the costs of war," said Bush.

"We have seen those costs in the war on terror we fight today. These grounds are the final resting place for more than 270 men and women who have given their lives in freedom's cause since the attacks of September 11, 2001."

The Iraq war is becoming increasingly unpopular and has become a major drag on the president's approval ratings which now hover around 30 percent. Polls indicate an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the war.

On Saturday, Bush compared the "war against terror" to the Cold War struggle against communism.

But last week, after a summit with war ally Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, Bush spoke of "setbacks and missteps" in the Iraq campaign, said that the Abu Ghraib prison scandal had been the biggest mistake in Iraq and that he regretted some of his rhetoric in the war on terror, such as his "Bring 'em on" taunt to Iraqi insurgents.

He called it the "kind of tough talk that sent the wrong signal to people."

.

Tears welled in the US president's eyes as he gave his latest annual speech at Arlington National Cemetery, just a few days after admitting that he had some regrets about the Iraq conflict and that it had caused 'consternation' in America.

'I'm in awe of the men and women who sacrifice for the freedom of the United States of America,' Bush said to loud applause from an audience that included Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and US military chiefs.

'Our nation mourns the loss of our men and women in uniform. We will honour them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives, by defeating the terrorists, by advancing the cause of liberty and by laying the foundation of peace for a generation of young Americans,' Bush added.

The US death toll in Iraq is now about 2,470 and has increased by more than 800 since the president's last Memorial Day wreath-laying at Arlington Cemetery, in the Washington suburbs. Almost 300 US soldiers have died in Afghanistan.

There"

Coalition War Dead

At least 2703 Coalition forces have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. 2480 from US , 112 from UK , 30 from Italy , 18 from Ukraine , 17 from Poland , 13 from Bulgaria , 11 from Spain , 3 from Denmark , 3 from Slovakia , 2 from Thailand , 2 from Estonia , 2 from El Salvador , 2 from Netherlands , 2 from Australia , 2 from Romania , 1 from Latvia , 1 from Hungary , 1 from Kazakhistan , 1 from Fiji .

Nobel literature laureate Guenter Grass slammed the United States

Nobel laureate Grass slams U.S. for 'systematic' and 'merciless' crimes

(AP) - BERLIN-German Nobel literature laureate Guenter Grass slammed the United States Tuesday for what he described as "crimes" and other actions that only encourage terrorism and strengthen dictatorial regimes.

Speaking at the opening of the 72nd International PEN congress in Berlin, Grass sharply criticized the United States over the war in Iraq.

"The war that they wanted and that ignored the laws of the civilized world encourages terror and has no end," said Grass, 78. He added that "the crimes of the U.S.A. ... are systematic, constant, infamous and merciless."

He also criticized the U.S. administration for its approach to countries such as Syria, North Korea and Iran, describing it as "a policy that could not be dumber or more dangerous."

"Dictatorships - and there is no shortage of choice - are labeled rogue states, which as a rule strengthens the countries that are boastfully threatened with military strikes," Grass said.

Grass, a prominent left-wing figure in Germany, is respected as the voice of the post-World War II generation who has untiringly warned his compatriots to remain vigilant against racism and war. He also has long been a critic of U.S. policy.

The German playwright and novelist was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1999.

His comments were greeted with a standing ovation.

"Caught the scene on video which was obtained by Time magazine"

Did Marines killed Iraqis 'in cold blood' ?

Citing ongoing investigation, Marines mum

From Jamie McIntyre
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A decorated Marine colonel turned anti-war congressman said Wednesday that Marines killed at least 30 innocent Iraqi civilians "in cold blood" in Haditha in November, suggesting the attack is twice as bad as originally reported.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, told reporters Wednesday that he got his information from U.S. commanders, who said the investigation will show that the Marines deliberately killed the civilians.

The U.S. Marine Corps has declined to comment on the report, which initially stated that 15 were killed.

"There was no firefight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood," Murtha said. (Watch Murtha level accusations against the Marines -- 1:58)

Murtha, who was decorated for his service in Vietnam, said the death toll may be more than twice as high as originally reported.

"They actually went into the houses and killed women and children," the congressman said.

Citing an ongoing investigation, the Marine Corps said, "Any comment at this time would be inappropriate and could undermine the investigatory and possible legal process."

The Iraqi civilians were killed while troops from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines were looking for insurgents who planted a roadside bomb that killed a member of their unit.

At first, the Marines said the civilians were killed by a roadside bomb. Later, they suggested the victims may have been caught in a firefight.

An Iraqi human rights group, Hammurabi Human Rights Association, caught the scene on video, which was obtained by Time magazine. A criminal investigation ensued.

Time Warner is the parent company of Time magazine and CNN.

Last month, the battalion commander and two company commanders were relieved of their commands and reassigned to staff jobs at Camp Pendleton in California.

Sources close to the investigation said it is too soon to say whether anyone will face criminal charges, but key aspects of the original Marine account have not checked out.

Murtha supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003, but last November, he distanced himself from the Bush administration and called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops because of what he called "a flawed policy wrapped in illusion."

Find this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/18/murtha.marines/index.html?section=cnn_topstories

George Roehl Jr. was 21

Boston.com -- MANCHESTER, N.H. --A 21-year-old soldier described as a father figure to his four younger siblings was killed Monday in Iraq by a roadside bomb.

Army Pvt. George Roehl Jr. lived in Manchester with is mother and four siblings, and attended Franklin High School in his late teens, relatives said. He had been in Iraq for about five months and was a cavalry scout who rode at the front of convoys, according to his mother, Betty Vezina.

"It's every mother's worst nightmare, to come home and find the Army standing in your driveway," she said Tuesday. "As soon as you see it you know what it is. They're not here to tell you anything good."

She said her son, whom she last talked with about three weeks ago, was concerned about whether he would make it home.

"He said, 'Mom, they shoot at me every day.' ... He knew what he was getting into and he paid the ultimate sacrifice to fight for somebody else's freedom," she said.

He joined the military about a year ago, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and a cousin, family members said. His sister Sarah had tried to talk him out of it.

"I was like, `Don't go,'" she said. "Is it really worth it?"

The family said Roehl was one of two soldiers killed during a patrol outside Baghdad.

Detained

Video: Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (part 1 of 8)

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (part 1 of 8)

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (part 6 of 8)

"Their are a lot of soldiers who are going to come home, not with bullets in their chest but with pathogens in their blood."

Video: Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (part 3 of 8)

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (part 8 of 8)

Credits and a little trailer at the end

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (part 4 of 8)

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (part 5 of 8)

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (part 7 of 8)

Media Matters - Mission Accomplished: A look back at the media's fawning coverage of Bush's premature declaration of victory in Iraq

On May 1, 2003, President Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln aboard an S-3B Viking jet, emerged from the aircraft in full flight gear, and proceeded to 'press[] flesh,' as The Washington Post put it, as he shook hands and hugged crew members in front of the cameras. Later that day, Bush delivered a nationally televised speech from the deck of the Abraham Lincoln in which he declared that '[m]ajor combat operations in Iraq have ended,' all the while standing under a banner reading: 'Mission Accomplished.' Despite lingering questions over the continued violence in Iraq, the failure to locate weapons of mass destruction, and the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein, as well as evidence that Bush may have shirked his responsibilities in the Texas Air National Guard (TANG) during the Vietnam War, the print and televised media fawned over Bush's 'grand entrance' and the image of Bush as the 'jet pilot' and the 'Fighter Dog.'"