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Today is the 90th birthday of Nelson Mandela, the long-time leader of the African National Congress and the first president of a democratic South Africa. He is to me -- as to so many millions of people -- one of the greatest heroes of the past century. I will proudly wear my Mandela t-shirt today!

Born in the late 1960s, I went to high school and college in the 1980s, and was swept up in the anti-apartheid movement that had taken over the peace and justice activist scene during that era. At home, my family's Episcopal Church had a sister relationship with an Anglican parish in the (then-)Diocese of Johannesburg helped lead me to deep involvement on campus (at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut).

I gave this talk last Saturday at the Leadership Forum at Silver Bay.

It is a bit presumptuous to arrive on Saturday morning to offer reflections on the life of a community that has been intimately engaged with this year’s work for three days already. I am grateful for this privilege and the access that a 25 year history with the Forum affords me. I would like to open with a poem by Mary Oliver.*

Some of you know that I am currently in the middle of a radiation regimen for prostate cancer, sharing the fate of an estimated one third of my fellow males in our lifetime. No great consequence; not something one would willingly choose, but hardly worthy of the frame of fate; but how much of our lives do we live, willingly chosen? Few of us are so brave and free. But few of us would label this life as fated either. For there are choices we made and those we did not make. Letting go of the choices we didn’t make is part of growing up (growing old?). Letting go.

In the tradition of the courageous Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Christians have authored one of most challenging declarations against economic wars. They dare say: "As baptized Christians we therefore solemnly declare: Whoever prays for soldiers but, at the same time, supports military doctrines for the advancement of economic objectives, commits blasphemy. Those who use national economic objectives to justify military actions no longer adhere to the Gospel and separate themselves from the community of the faithful."

The nexus of the coming summer Olympic Games and the weather catastrophes of recent months in China and Burma have opened a new window of curiosity and interest to the issues of Buddhism, Democracy, Globalization, Compassion and Spiritual leadership. Few are bettered positioned to provide insights than Iyer who met the Dalai Lama through visits with his father when a child and whose curiosity about the “East” has sustained him as a writer for decades, include frequent circlings through the presence of the Dalai Lama and Dharmasala.

Tomorrow morning (Friday, July 11, 2008) John Lindsay-Poland of the Fellowship of Reconciliation will appear on the  Pacifica Radio program "Wake Up Call." Lindsay-Poland is co-director of FOR's national Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean, which has been engaged in human rights accompaniment work in Colombia for the past six years. In conversation with the program's Friday morning host, Mario Murillo, Lindsay-Poland will discuss this past week's dramatic release of several high-profile hostages from the FARC guerillas, and what it might mean for those who to build a lasting and just peace in the country.

This column I wrote was published in the East Bay Express on July 9, 2008.

Hurricane Katrina did it for Escenthio. At his high school in Oakland, he was enrolled in a JROTC program and was on his way to joining the military. But one of his teachers invited him to a benefit for the victims of the hurricane. It made Escenthio question his involvement in the class and our country's priorities in general. "Why are we over there killing people in Iraq when there are people in need right here?" he asked.

Soon afterward, he decided to organize a debate at his school around these issues, and invited the JROTC army officers to the table alongside Pablo Paredes, a well-known conscientious objector. The debates created quite a stir — and Escenthio became one of the central youth activists of BayPeace, an Oakland organization doing counter-recruitment work in high schools.

"He's one of the most amazing young activists I've met," said Susan from BayPeace, who recommended that Escenthio join our Youth Arts and Action delegation traveling to Colombia at the end of March. At eighteen, Escenthio had an important voice to bring: a young, African-American man finishing his last year of high school, a spoken-word artist, and counter-recruitment activist. I was quite excited about him joining us: a group of organizers, activists, artists, and young leaders who would travel to Colombia to meet up with two youth-based organizations working on the issues of conscientious objection and how militarism affects young people's lives.

As of late I have a had a terrible bout with writer's block. I have listened to enough gospel and Jazz that I started getting Jesus and Thelonius Monk mixed up It is at times like this that I question my calling. Maybe I am in the wrong work. I mean preachers are getting into all kinds of political trouble these days. Two of my colleague that I count as friends: Rev. Wright and Father Phlager have received public lashing for being critical of American politics and politicians.

Yet an unrelenting war wages on the precious people of Iraq. While only a few religious groups, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership, Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, the Catholic Workers, have placed at the center of their faith witness ending the war. For the most part, churches have been weak at best and cowardly on the war question. So on one hand if you are pastor who has anything critical to say about politics you are demonized, and on the other if you remain silent in the face of deafening violence, you are a coward.

Below is one attempt to push congregations from cowardice to conscience. I am not sure what is brave or cowardly but when I am asked the question by my five children what did you do to end the war in Iraq? I will say: I organized, marched, preached, went to jail, and wrote... (I hope.)

Musician Ed Hale was a member of one of our Iran delegations earlier this year. He recently posted over 300 of his fabulous photos in our group photo pool for Iran delegates on Flickr. Below is Ed's stunning picture of the ancient Persian capital Persepolis.

Click here to see more photos by Ed and other participants in FOR's peace delegations to Iran.

I am particularly impressed with the passion, dedication, and capacity of so many FOR members to invest themselves in research and publication at their own expense. I look forward to reviewing a number of such pieces over the summer.

As someone personally entering treatment for cancer (prostate, early detection, virtually fully curable), I was perhaps more readily drawn to Mott’s metaphor than I would have been otherwise. But our culture and times, between the aging of boomers, the advertising empire of pharmaceutical companies, and the political issues of health care, mean we are all familiar with much medical terminology, so the language works to make Mott’s case.

FOR has worked with and accompanied the courageous anti-militarism youth group, Red Juvenil de Medellín (Medellin Youth Network) since 2003. Red leaders and supporters were recently subject to a death threat from the newly emerged "Black Eagles" paramilitary group. We urge readers to respond to the Red’s appeal in the face of this threat.

Click here learn more and sign our petition.

Below is a letter from our friends at Red Juvenil:

We wish to inform human rights organizations and other official entities that our organization has been the subject of a death threat from the paramilitaries known as the Black Eagles.

Facts:

1. Thursday and Friday May 29 and 30, the Red Juvenil (Youth Network) received an email from the address redesnegras@hotmail.com with the following message:

"Death to anarchists disguised as pacifists, no more drug concerts or communists, this is the last warning." Those threatened were eight people: members and close friends of the Red Juvenil. It was signed by the group Black Eagles.