We
say NO!
By Liza Lamis
WE SAY no...
...to many more
women who would lose sons and husbands in the course of the mounting
presence of the United States troops that clearly signifies the
US "war of aggression" is already in our land, a "war
without borders" that US President George Bush vows the US
will carry out if our government would not. Women know where we
are heading to when the men are already there engaged in war and
we are left behind.
...to more prostituted
women who, overburdened by dire poverty, would succumb to trading
the flesh for their temporary upkeep. We have more than enough of
exploited and dehumanized women. We still feel the pain and anguish
of those who inhabited Olongapo and Angeles just to survive.
...to more women,
and children who would once again bear the weight of the social
costs of the presence of US military troops. Justice has yet to
be rendered to the sexual slaves of World War II. Some of the comfort
women who bravely came out from their long silence die away one
by one without the comforting hands of Lady Justice. And we have
with us, abandoned Amerasian children, warm-bodied reminders of
what was
once to be playing hostess to foreign troops.
...to more women
like Ichabod's mother, giving birth to their children shortly after
learning that their husbands had been killed in battle (1 Samuel
4:19-22). Countless more Ichabods would be born and raised without
fathers. More women would wait for their sons' homecoming, gladly
waving their hands, or snuggly tucked in body bags. Like Merab and
Rizpah whose sons were executed by David as payment for their father's
transgressions to another tribe, there will be more women to mourn
the deaths of their sons, and keep vigil for long until the rain
comes over the dead bodies of their husbands.
"Rizpah
spread out some sackcloth on a nearby rock. She wouldn't let the
birds land on the bodies during the day, and she kept the wild animals
away at night. She stayed there for the beginning of the harvest
until it started to rain." (2 Samuel 21:10)
"No!"
A very simple yet profound word of a woman who refused to be exploited
and abused. We appropriate the same word for our once-again adversary
and its attendants, the ever arrogant and self-righteous US of America.
Mary, Jesus' mother, also has words for them: "God drags strong
rulers from their throne and uses his powerful arm to scatter those
who are proud." (Luke 1:51-52, CEV).
Our
Tradition of Resistance and Courage
And what of
this women's courage to say "No!" to the wars of any form
that perpetuates violence, heavily burdening women and children?
We have learned to say NO. Let us call sister Vashti a success for
"infecting" the rest of the women her courage and resistance
to forces that negate Life in its fullness.
The women and
the children are the ones who suffer most in hunger, grief, disease,
and abuse in wars. We already bore the heavy brunt of war, and some
of us would still be made to "comfort" these warring men,
whose chant in boot camp runs like this: "This is my weapon,
this is my gun. The other one's for shooting, the other one's for
fun!"
No other than
the lady president herself assures all and sundry that the rest
and recreation (R&R) of the US soldiers will be taken care of
by the AFP, in which women will be made to "entertain"
the troops. Some of our sisters will be herded to camps to facilitate
the R&R activities of these warring men and their flagging egos
and phalluses. No need for the soldiers to plunder and to rape the
women of their land of conquest similar to what the Israelites did
in their lands of conquest. Our own leaders will take charge of
how the soldiers will relieve themselves - like Lot who offered
his two daughters to be ravaged by sex-hungry men so to spare his
guests (Genesis 19:8).
"The US
government announced that it was building the biggest-ever war machine.
Military spending will rise to $379 billion, of which $50 billion
will pay for its "war on terrorism. There will be special funding
for new, refined weapons of mass slaughter and for "military
operations" - invasions of other countries. Of all the extraordinary
news since September 11, this is the most alarming." (John
Pilger, The Colder War) Indeed, this is the most alarming news.
We know where we are heading at, and we heard it right from the
U.S. government officials themselves. The Philippines might be the
next Afghanistan, or Vietnam, which is not far from real.
The Abu Sayaff
may have terrorized Mindanao, but it is still a police problem that
only needs honest and credible way of handling it together with
the military. The threat of terrorism, some of it real and most
invented, is used to justify the growth of war industries that benefits
the rich nations. The showdown of the US might is right here in
Mindanao, the most strategic location there is to dominate the Asia
Pacific region. Reason enough to attractively market and handsomely
profit from the largest world business of all: arms dealing.
When Abigail
learned that David was coming down to wage war against the residents
of Carmel, she hastily prepared her provisions and set out to meet
David and negotiated with him to stop his plans. Abigail's prudent
action prevented David from using his power as a leader for personal
vengeance (1 Samuel 25). Like Abigail of the Old Testament, Ms Macapagal
could have done something else to abate the casualties of war,
instead of happily showing support to Bush's war against "terrorism".
Ms Macapagal may have wit or charm, but she lacks prudence in leading
the nation.
Rather than uttering words that save lives, Ms Macapagal put to
risk the lives of many by an ungoverned tongue. Who is unFilipino,
then? Ms Macapagal is no Abigail, but as the leader of the land,
she is expected to be wise and intelligent in leading the people,
casting her lot with them as an act of faith.
And what about
us, Christian Women of today? As bearers of life, we naturally oppose
the bringers of death. We inherited a tradition with a strong pronouncement
against the forces of death, which our foremothers bestowed upon
us. Though we may have little power, or feel powerless, we are still
being called, and we respond, to illustrate courage and loyalty
for what we stand for. We surely do not want our sons and daughters
ravaged, our country dishonored, because of a few bandits' crime
that our duly constituted government cannot efficiently quell.
Some of us could
be Judiths, or Esthers, but many would be wailing widows and grieving
mothers. We choose not to bring upon ourselves this fate of women
in mourning. We choose LIFE for our people, together with our Muslim
brothers and sisters, and today, out from the deep wells of our
own being, we say "NO!" to any war that perpetuates violence,
particularly the one going on in Mindanao.
It is time to
break our silence, and appropriate the words of Mary of the Magnificat.
She speaks through us today. Like Rizpah, we refuse to hide our
impending grief, by publicly living out our anguish for those whose
lives had been and would be snuffed out by the violence of war,
it may be just an exercise or for real. By doing so, we are making
the entire nation face the evil of violence wrought by wars.
Thanks be to
God that we are able to love our children and our people fiercely,
and for the women who stood, and will stand, by us. Let us not have
the tendency to back off but rather to confront important moral
issues with love and courage, but with more courage. For this act,
we remember and honor Rizpah and Merab in each of us. In our commitment
to peace, we salute Abigail the peace builder in each of us.
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