Archival: Carl Thatcher's Letter of Resignation from the Program Committee (Feb 19, 2015)

[kirby urner]

Relates to PSC Committee, so saving a copy here.

Kirby

From: Carl Thatcher <ctha...@aol.com>
Date: Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 10:47 AM
Subject: Program Committee resignation
To: kirby...@gmail.com, carol....@gmail.com, a7cr...@gmail.com, gabl...@cs.com, leehaa...@gmail.com, jzer...@cu-portland.edu, qua...@kathyhyzy.com, kalm...@msn.com, wfse...@gmail.com, debbi...@edaverill.com, josephho...@gmail.com

Concerned Friends--Reluctantly, I am coming to grips with the reality that Program Committee of MMM has ceased to play a vital part in the life of the meeting.  Perhaps because of Program's weak roster, now down to just two of us, Lee Norris and me, other meeting committees have pursued their agendas and publicity needs on their own, bypassing any consultation or input from Program.  I believe that this pattern has led to a fractionated, deteriorated awareness in the meeting of what we're about, day-to-day and overall as Quakers in the larger society.  Is this OK?  Is it just a natural evolution of how Quaker consciousness and commitments are expressed outwardly now?  Perhaps this is so.  I don't know.  But I am writing and sending this somewhat lengthy explanation of what I'm thinking, and why I am resigning from Program Committee herewith. I'm not trying to change anything or make a noisy splash to push my own viewpoint.  I simply believe that my effort would be applied more fruitfully in other venues than a moribund Program Committee.  Perhaps some of us could work together to resuscitate, revitalize an active PSC Committee…?

This following statement arises from a recent conversation with Joyce Zerwekh about the state of MMM activity and consciousness.  Before now, I had naively imagined that my impressions and the uninvolved, uninterested feelings I've experienced stemmed from my own limitations and divergent idiosyncratic interests rather than any difficulty or problems in meeting itself.  But now I'm starting to see that there are some real breakdowns in the system and its organization in our meeting so far as digesting and processing of traditional Friends concerns around peace and social justice issues.  

This disconnectedness becomes really critical in this present era as we seem to be moving rapidly as a society and nation toward an increasingly belligerent and militarized posture in this admittedly frightening time.  Isn't this very similar to that period in August, 1964, right after the Senate vote on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution? It was then that the U.S. began (on the basis of, as it turned out, fabricated evidence) to call up forces to begin the massive US unilateral invasion of Vietnam, resulting in the calamitous Vietnam War over the following 11 years!  Remembering all those abuses and mega-deaths that resulted from our policy then ("We had to destroy the village to save it!"), what might we Quakers have done differently then? What if we had then been aware of what was to come in the following years?  What can we do now as we see our present national posture in the world mirroring the former mistakes of a policy dedicated to annihilation of outcast peoples far distant from us?  How does an individual, or a group in conscience say "No!  Not in my name!" to such an embodiment of violence and hate in the world?

I find myself as a longtime peace activist very disturbed, upset that we as a nation can't seem to find a more creative, less destructive response to terrorism than annihilation of whole groups of people.  Then I'm doubly upset that we alternative social thinkers and peace-minded folk don't seem to care enough to make this push toward knee-jerk violence and perpetual war an issue in the public consciousness.  Then yet again, that we Quakers, who have protested war, advocated peace and nonviolence in national affairs since the 17th century, do not seem aroused enough locally in coordination with other activist and religious groups to make some creative noise and ruckus about it, even in the insulated little enclave of our own Friends Meeting!  Do we really believe that it's useless or ineffective to speak out, to witness publicly to our faith in love and nonviolence?

Rise up people!  Let's become aware of what's really happening right now!  Those of us old enough to remember back 50 years ago must still recall that time in 1963-'66, as the Vietnam War got underway.  We too slowly became aware that this was not just an isolated collection of incidents and local issues, but rather the beginning of a disastrous military intervention that would change American and world reality for a long period to come!  Now is surely such a similarly momentous period!  This is not some trivial brouhaha some might seize on to publicize their other agendas.  This is about a fundamental diversion of policy from supposed commitment to good order and justice in the world to one of perpetual war and annihilation as implements of U.S. foreign policy!  

So, if you're not enraged and upset, then perhaps you're not paying attention!  Do talk or write to me about any thoughts, disagreements, suggestions you may have.  This is a big issue I'm pointing to, so it's time to stop tiptoeing around our fears of disagreeing with each other, time to start saying, proclaiming what we really think in the faith that with the leadings of the Light, the Holy Spirit within each and all of us, we can reach synthesis and actions which express Truth and Love, instead of fear and violence in our world.

Carl Thatcher
ctha...@aol.com