By Cliff Kindy, Christian Peacemaker Teams
Read Cliff’s blog from Iraq
January 14, 2005.

Dear Friends, Family, and All Good People,

Desmond Tutu writes, “If the victim can forgive only when the culprit confesses, then the victim would be locked into the culprit’s whim, locked into victimhood, whatever her own attitude or intention. That would be palpably unjust.”

Iraq needs to move beyond the injustice of the US invasion and occupation, but it must be in Iraq’s own time. Yes, the US manipulated the causes for the war, all later shown to be false; yes, the occupation has been brutal and further destroyed a society already devastated from twelve years of US sanctions. But Iraq will recover only as the people can move beyond anger and begin the process of rebuilding their lives and society, in their own creativity and with their own resources.

“Live at 9″ on channel 3 in Memphis, hosted Ceylon Mooney, Jacob Flowers, and Joel Gulledge, from the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center to discuss their 3-week visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Ceylon Mooney is a co-coordinator of Voices in the Wilderness and the Wheels of Justice Tour. They did a great job discussing the barrier and the disruption of normal life that the occupation of Palestine brings. They give the viewer a chance to hear their first-hand experience of being in Palestine for a three week trip.

• Video in Windows Media format (mpg)

• Ceylon Mooney, Jacob Flowers, and Joel Gulledge, have also written a journal of their experience.