From the Editor

It’s déjà vu all over again
by Linda Gaither

…the rain, the cold, the Capitol, Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, with yet another front page photo in Episcopal Peace Witness. Five years of war. Over 4000 U.S. troops are dead, 29,000 others have been wounded, while far too many American families deal with the invisible psychic scars of combat. Millions of Iraqis have been killed, wounded or driven from their homes. Inter-sectarian violence continues to rage in Iraqi cities, even as al-Qaida gains a firm foothold in a country where it never operated before the war. The price tag? Over $500 billion, and that figure is rising by $10-12 billion each month.
The theme of this issue seeks to broaden and deepen our fall 2007 focus on Iraq, without losing sight of the moral imperatives with which the war presents us. We wish to probe the question of the environmental costs of war, the weapons industry and our unsustainable lifestyles that war presumes to protect. Our Journal piece, “Know Nukes,” by Dr. Thomas F. Lee, exposes the deadly impact of nuclear wastes associated with weapons and power production. Our Features develop this theme from a variety of perspectives. The “Genesis Covenant” provides a way for all of us to work for change. Don’t miss the plans for this summer’s Lambeth Peace Pilgrimage, as well as reports on current and up-coming EPF actions. And don’t forget to write to us…you are the voice of EPF.