In early October the whole abiding habitation stopped and took a reaching far down and saddened.

In early October the whole abiding habitation stopped and took a reaching far down and saddened, breath. Off the coast of Ireland, a young Canadian submariner, Chris Saunders, died in a tragic fire aboard the submarine, HCM Chicoutimi.

onward The National, the CBC flagship television broadcast, we followed the story for many days. We saw heart-tugging representations as the Prime Minister, with his voice chok put forwarded condolences to Saunders widow Gwen, and her sum of two units infant children. Paul Martin journeyed to Halifax to fit the casket of Lieutenant Saunders.

It was a revealing time, as Canadians saw to what degree really deep are our reservations about warfare; about putting any of our citizens in harm's way.

the same death, many shared tears across our land.

In Iraq, according to the latest figures (Iraqbodycount.net), one 13-15,000 Iraqi civilians have died in this war. Freeze-frame in your mind the extraordinary look up to shown to the Saunders' family in their point of time of grief. One family shattered through the unexpected, accidental death of their husband, father, son relative and friend.

Multiply this 15000 times in another part of the human family, the material part of Christ in Iraq. Make an imaginative leap to the hospital wards, the living sweeps of the grief-stricken families; hear the cries of pain as a precious family member, another irreplaceable icon of the eternal and infinite spirit is lovingly prepared for his or her funeral. chance of a favorable results dreams and plans for the banquet of life, gone Now hear with horror the advice of U Brigadier General Mark Kimmit to persons watching innocent deaths on television: "Change the channel." (New York Times, April 12 2004) Equally offensive was the statement of General Tommy Franks of the U Central Command that "We do not do material part counts of Iraqis."

In the United States, the brave and prophetic American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) have created a mobile memorial to this reality entitled "With judgments Wide Open." In every American city, the AFSC places an equivalent number of advantages symbolizing the lost lives of U soldiers in Iraq. nearest to this stands a wall of remembrance with the names of Iraqi citizens who have died. It not alone allows families and friends a chance to grieve for lov individuals but brings home in a stark manner the human costliness of war.

We Canadians ne to view both the death of Lt Saunders and our national grieving with the carnage and family-shattering in Iraq.

Consider Conservative leader Stephen Harper's chattering about the Martin government's dereliction of toll in putting our service persons in harm's way. This is the same man who wanted us to join the American misadventure in Iraq. And now we are considering joining American missile defence?

As for the Christian churches, we ne to become to a great degree more Quaker-like in our rejection of war and our embrace of a comprehensive "pro life" christian religion Imagine the difference the American Catholic temple could make if it marshalled its resources in rejection of war, stopped preaching about a "just war," embraced the nonviolent Jesus.

give permission to Canadians match their honourable and wholehearted grief at common sailor's death with a decipher to resist all forms of military adventuring.

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