Maurice Robert Flora applied for and was granted Conscientious Objector status when he was drafted during the Vietnam War. He then was assigned to the Brethren Volunteer Service and worked in Nigeria for the Nigerian Government at a Church of the Brethren-run teacher training college during the war.
"Society is not concerned about this [Iraq] war. We've gotten more concerned, but we don't have near the empathy for getting out of it that we did for Vietnam. There's activity going on, there's more and more going on to get us out. The President's ratings have gone down because of the war, in addition to some other things, but that's one of the factors. And I think society is not feeling very good about being there. Although the elected representatives yesterday or the day before decided to not set a timetable to get out.
"But it's really tough. Society is not anti-this-war. Society is willing to have this war. Please don't start fighting Iran. Please don't start fighting North Korea. Please don't start fighting whoever the heck else is on the list.
"But we're there. Let's continue to kill every day. It's almost like we're sort of insulated. We see it in the newspapers, we see it on the TV, but we're insulated. And that's the toughest thing for me. We're insulated against really getting out of this war, to quit killing. We really believe that the killing won't stop. That if we left, the killing would get worse. I think we've been sold that whether it's true or false, and I don't know that."
Copyright 2006-2008 by speak4peace.com. All rights reserved.
