since when is peace a 4-letter word?

i just came back from a trip to new york to attend a conference on dialogue which i've been helping the Network for Peace through Dialogue plan for the past year. the conference was great - lots of people, good energy, a revitalized spark for pursuing the kind of work i do.

yet over and over again over the course of the 2-day meeting, i heard participants sharing stories about how their work has created problems with local government, security forces, and in the community as a whole. a woman from the chicago area shared a story about her grassroots interfaith prayer group being denied permits to hold a prayer vigil in the local park because it was perceived as anti-war. another woman told of donations to her non-profit organization diminishing in the last several years as those who used to give turned to more "patriotic" causes. even our conference - held in an academic institution and organized by a group of people led by two nuns - apparently warranted extra security due to fears that it might turn into uncontrolled protesting.

is it just me, or is there something here that doesn't make sense? why is it that any organization or event that tries to present an alternative to the current MO of this nation's government is seen as an existential danger? somehow, we seem to have been placed in a class along with enemy combatants and other threats to the state.

i know i'm probably preaching to the converted here, but if any of you readers happen to agree with those creating obstacles to the activities mentioned above, let me set something straight: peace-loving is not equivalent to terrorism. those of us involved in this work are not security threats. we are not against the united states. we are not even all against the current government [though most of us would say we're against many of the things it's done].
we are none of these things. here is what we are: looking for an alternative to the use of weapons - particularly when it doesn't seem to be working. we are open-minded individuals. we are passionate about creating opportunities for people to share their stories, their ideas, their hopes and desires for the world. we think it is important to look at the long-term implications of short-term strategies. we wish to understand other people and help them understand us. we're nuns and teachers and social workers and students and soldiers and lawyers. we are, in short, people who care - about this country and its people and its future.

let us be. maybe even listen to us, for a change. it could help.