Week 4 Analysis

In doing my research for this week I began to see a few resources for the church on how to educate lower income areas about the totality of enlisting in the military. More often than not, Military recruiters will set up shop in impoverished communities in a hope to give the young men and women a way out of their situation. For people who are concerned that the poor fight the wars while the rich wage it, this is an area that we really need to look at.

I myself grew up on the border of LA county and Orange County and the differences in socio-economic status’ when driving literally 3 miles is astounding. You go from a predominately working class Hispanic area to an affluent white neighborhood in a matter of minutes. Azusa/Glendora is no different. The young men and women in the lower income neighborhoods are solicited more by the military recruiters, plain and simple. What the Friends committee is trying to do is educate these kids so that they can make an informed decision, not one out of “it’s my only way out” mentality. This again shows that we need to be fighting for Justice on the Macro levels but also on the Micro levels of our society.

There are communities that Christians can become involved in that are dealing with these issues. The United for Peace and Justice Website connects grassroots organizations together within various towns and cities. This website gives listings for gatherings going on in a city near you, and also unites these various communities together for larger events and protests. Most of these organizations do not necessarily belong to a specific religious belief, but as we were discussing in class last week, it can be vital to connect with these types of people, showing the inclusiveness of Christ and not the separation.

Finally I wanted to comment on the PBS website. What a great resource for people who are concerned with social issues. They have a habit of magnifying things that often get overlooked in mainstream media. The documentary The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It shows the Conscientious Objectors in WWII. These people were ridiculed and marginalized for their beliefs. However, they continued to be of service in the U.S. In a war which most argue is a case against pacifism, we can look at the testimonies of these peoples of the good people can do as an alternative to killing. Also in the documentaryA Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict: tells one of humanity's most important and least understood stories — how, during a century of extreme violence, millions chose to battle brutality and oppression with nonviolent weapons — and won. Both of these resources give tribute to the ones who chose the road of Non-Violence as a way to combat injustice.