Sr. Maris Stella Korb's Testimony in Support of SCR 4022
Chairman Senator Cook and Committee Members, for the record I am Sr. Maris Stella Korb, a Presentation Sister from Fargo and a member of the ND Peace Coalition. I presently direct our Congregation's Peace and Justice Office where we work to alleviate poverty and injustice by contributing direct aid, offering education, and engaging in social activism in order to effect systemic change.
I am testifying today on behalf of Senate Concurrent Resolution #4022 from the perspective of my Catholic faith tradition which centers reverence for life at the core of its values. My basic premise is that god is the Author of all that exists, and consequently all life is precious, regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, personal creed or political persuasion. Our faith transcends nationalism and our belief is that God has created all of us as sisters and brothers responsible for the well being of each other and of the planet which sustains us.
To date some 3,100 American soldiers and approximately 58,000 to 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died since the war in Iraq began four years ago. The count is too high; lives lost are too many! With 20,500 more troops planned for engagement in the area, the casualty figures in both cases will unquestionably rise. Currently we are “killing to stop the killing” and that is futile! Violence begets violence and “War is,” as Pope John Paul II aptly described it, “a defeat for humanity.”
On that same occasion in January of 2003, the Pope also stated, “War cannot be decided upon, strategized or executed without taking into account consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations.” The proposed “new surge strategy” is apparently designed to have our soldiers encamped within Baghdad neighborhoods, thus not only further endangering their lives, but also drawing fire into the very areas where innocent Iraqi families have made their homes. The vulnerability of women and children will be extreme!
Even if lives are spared, the psychological damage has been done. How much fear, distrust, and cruelty can a body absorb? How much loss can a young person experience before he or she decides to join the “terrorists” and fight back? What are we doing to other human beings who are basically no different than ourselves? Why are we resolved to perpetuate senseless killing which leaves only widows, orphans and refugees in its wake? Why prolong a war that very often sends back the best of our young people wounded in mind and/or body?
I thank you for your attention, and in closing I ask that you give a “Do Pass” recommendation to the Resolution that “...urges Congress and the President to pursue peace in Iraq and disengage American combat forces from Iraq duty.”