Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER - Brethren Witness director David Radcliff challenged the Manchester College student body Monday during convocation to change America's contributions to the world's degradation and its strong military approach to foreign relations.
"Young people, the future is in your hands," Radcliff said.
The president's push for a congressional vote before the November mid-term elections has elevated the Iraqi regime change issue to a major campaign issue.
The Brethren Witness encourages conscientious objection to military action, according to the Web site. The office coordinates Church of the Brethren efforts in the areas of peace and justice, care for creation, legislative advocacy and hunger relief.
Radcliff said the Bush policy of unilateralism is "scary."
With Bush's policy, America "draws the line and dares someone to cross it," Radcliff said.
The United States needs to cooperate with the world, he said. He advocated change against the Bush Administration's course.
Radcliff showed pictures of the Iraqi people during his speech. He traveled with a Brethren Witness group for 10 days in 2000, he said.
One of his aims was to put "a human face on the enemy," he said.
The Third World is falling behind the United States economically, he said. America, which is one-20th of the world's population, uses a third of the world's resources, he said.
America spends four times as much on military spending than the other leading nations combined.
America, favoring major corporations, ignores a country's ecosystem, which is its life blood, he said.
America is "one nation under God and the rest of the world under us," he said.
Do we want a better future? Radcliff asked the students.
Radcliff showed the effects of the United Nations' sanctions on Iraq. "The children are the first to suffer," he said. He had a picture of young girl with dark eyes and a debilitating disease.
"We need medicine," was what she said to Radcliff.
"People are just like you around the world ... the same hopes and dreams," he said. "They try and they try and cannot fly."
How America treats these neighbors of ours, he said, will affect future blowback.
