Never Again -- A Prayer for Peace
By Don A. Smith. Click on image below to watch video. It's probably better viewed in full-screen mode.
From ashes and shadows, we fled towards the light, Bearing the pain of millions lost through hellish night. But pain can be passed like a torch in the hand— Now the wound spreads its poison through another land. The cycle turns — a bitter truth revealed, The once-oppressed now wield the sword and shield. The children of the book, who vowed “Never again,” Now fill the rubble with cruel death and famine. Never again — to the child or the mother, Never again — to the sister or brother, Let the cry of the earth, let the voice of the dove, Be our anthem of mercy, our paean to love. Close the bases that encircle the seas, Let islands be harbors of sweet melodies. No war in the desert, no war in the strait, Let peace be the choice before it’s too late. Never again — to the child or the mother, Never again — to the sister or brother, Let the cry of the earth, let the voice of the dove, Be our anthem of mercy, our paean to love. From the mountains and rivers, our voices still rise, Through coups and through sanctions, through decades of lies. No empire’s shadow should darken our skies— We sing for the day when all chains are untied. In ancient lands where olive branches sway And in the east where dragons sleep and play Let us believe in what we can become A single family beneath the sun No more expansion, no more pushing lines, Just open hearts and cooperative designs. Never again — to the child or the mother, Never again — to the sister or brother, Let the cry of the earth, let the voice of the dove, Be our anthem of mercy, our paean to love. From Gaza to Kyiv, from Tehran to Taipei, May the tears of the past wash the hatred away. Flowing rivers of justice, till all wars cease. Never again… this is our sacred prayer for peace.
Senior U.S. diplomats, journalists, academics and Secretaries of Defense say:
The U.S. provoked Russia in Ukraine
For example, Jack Matlock (former U.S. Ambassador to the USSR under Ronald Reagan) said in a 2024 interview: "Why don’t we understand that trying to remove Ukraine from Russian influence and put military bases there would be, in their case, absolutely unacceptable and worthy of defense?" Matlock said the U.S. backed the 2014 coup, and "Obviously, to any Russian leader, not just Vladimir Putin, that would have been an absolutely impossible, hostile act, which they had to react to. And in particular, they were not going to lose their naval base in Crimea." Finally, Matlock said the Ukrainians are "dominated in their thinking by neo-Nazis — we tend to ignore that, or when Putin points it out, we say he’s lying. He’s not lying."
U.S. hypocrisy is absolutely stunning, since it invaded and bombed countries all over the world (e.g., Iraq) for flimsy reasons, often allying with Muslim extremists (e.g., Afghanistan in 80s, Serbia, Libya, and Syria). The U.S. occupies 1/3 of Syria (the parts with oil), with help from its proxy army, the Syrian Defense Forces. Russia's invasion was along its borders, in response to CIA and NATO meddling in a country with deep historical, linguistic, and cultural ties to Russia. U.S. meddling included "engineering" the 2014 coup, according to Chas. W. Freeman, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Lifetime Director of the Atlantic Council. Crimea had voted multiple times for closer ties to Russia. The U.S. exploited divisions in Ukraine between pro-Western and pro-Russian provinces and groups to provoke the war. RAND Corporation recommended arming Ukraine as the best way to "weaken and overextend" Russia and predicted it would result in a war. Anti-Russian, far-right militias armed by the U.S. were attacking Russian speakers in the east. Before the 2022 invasion, the militias increased their bombings.
The U.S. government lies about every war. They're lying big time about this one, too.
Antiwar music and videos:
War Crimes and Punchlines (Stand-up Comedy for militarists)
Action News Segment on opposition to the Blue Angels
We Can't Compete with China, So Let's Provoke a War
Victoria (Nuland)'s Secret
Game On -- sung by Senator Lindsey Graham
America the Battleful (Oh Beautiful for Endless Wars!)
We are Spending Two Trillion Dollars on Weapons That Must Never Be Used
Thomas Merton's Prayer for Peace
Trump-Netanyahu Love Song
Netanyahu War Criminal
Invasion of the MAGA Mind Snatchers
Rock Opera about U.S. Militarism, Part One
The Unholy Land has Genocide
Requiem for Victims of U.S. Wars
Bending Over for Dearest Uncle Sam
The Endless War Blues
Endless War Blues (older version)
Windy City Protests -- from Vietnam in '68 to Gaza in '24
No More Blood For Their Endless War: an antiwar folk song made with AI
Machinery of Death (death metal song)
No More Stupid Wars!
Lesser of Two Evils Blues
Eisenhower warns about the Military-Industrial Complex
Eisenhower Warns about U.S. Militarism
and Love Song by the U.S. Military Gospel Choir.