On Veteran's Day, thoughts on building a lasting peace

Just eight days before the Nov. 11, 1918 Armistice ending World War I, my great uncle, Ira Pitzer, was killed during battle in France. His mother was overcome with grief for the rest of her life, a tragedy shared by so many families who have served in the military.

Veterans Day is to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women in the armed forces. But Veterans Day also should mean something more, an inspiration to win a lasting peace.

As President Dwight Eisenhower once proclaimed on Veterans Day: “Let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”

See my full commentary in the Des Moines Register:

Humanitarians encourage Syrian peace talks

Kerry urged an end to the five year conflict between the government and rebels. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have died, while millions more face severe food shortages.

Read the full article at Examiner.

Rwanda's dream of a music school

The author Kahlil Gibran once wrote, “Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.”

In the African nation of Rwanda, the spirit of peace is so needed just two decades removed from a civil war and genocide. Mary Fanaro, the director of the charity OmniPeace, recently visited there.
Her organization helps communities overcome poverty by enhancing education.

Read the full article at The Huffington Post.

The chance for food and peace in Syria

For Syria to survive as a nation, they must have food. The farmers must be able to grow and harvest their crops in peace.

But the four-year civil war has destroyed food production, the very heart of any nation. The fighting has left innocent civilians to starve.

That is why the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for a ceasefire throughout Syria. It’s time to put down the guns and defeat the enemy of hunger.

Read the full article at The Hill.

Two petitions call for ending nuclear weapons testing

Two petitions are open for signature urging ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The treaty bans all nuclear weapons test explosions.

The first petition is available at WhiteHouse.gov.

The second petition is at CARE2.

My commentary in the Philadelphia Inquirer

Two hundred years ago this Christmas Eve, America and Britain received a special gift. Only nobody in either country knew about it.

Read my commentary at the Philadelphia Inquirer.