On 12/24/47 President Truman pardoned 1,523 WW II Draft Resisters

            1947

December 24

Truman Pardons 1,523 WW II Draft Resisters

 

President Harry Truman on this day pardoned 1,523 young men who were still in prison as conscientious objectors who had refused to cooperate with the draft during World War II. There were 15,805 draft resisters during World War II. The 1940 Selective Service Act had included a relatively broad definition of conscientious objection to participation in war, but it obviously did not satisfy thousands of young men who felt that cooperating with the draft only validated the principle of the right of the government to conscript people into participating in war.

A month before Truman acted on this day, on November 23, 1947, a large group of clergy and other activists had petitioned President Truman to pardon all young COs sill in prison. He pardoned more young men in 1953.

Pardoning opponents of American involvement in wars has a long tradition in the U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt pardoned all of those convicted and still in prison under the Espionage Act on December 23, 1933. President Gerald Ford, on September 16, 1974, and President Jimmy Carter, on January 21, 1977, granted different forms of conditional or full amnesty or pardons to opponents of the Vietnam War.

Editor's note:

UU AWOL is starting a daily series on prophetic women and men and events that have inspired us and shaped our communal consciousness. We are all a part of an interdependent web and have influences on each other most of which most are unconscious. In order to facilitate our human growth and development, it is helpful to recognize, acknowledge, utilize, and extend some of the knowledge, skills, and values of people and groups who have gone before us and sometimes are among us still.

There is a history of nonviolence and conscientious objection to war and attack in the world. Often the practitioners of nonviolence and conscientious objection are vilified, criminalized, and condemned until after the violence is ended. Then their courage, bravery, and moral sensitivities are at least recognized if not applauded.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the right of conscience in their fifth principle.

What is the purpose of our relationships?

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. UUs also claim that they are not as interested in getting people into heaven as heaven into people. The desire to help people find heaven within them, and among them, requires a skeptical attitude about special relationships and the encouragement of Unconditional Love.

If you have the same dignity and worth as every other human being, how can some be special while others are deemed not worthy?

Love which is conditional is not love. We could call it appreciation, responsibility, obligation, compassion, protection, possessiveness, desire, identification, but not Unconditional Love.

Unconditional Love is a whole other thing and abides in the cosmic consciousness of which we each are a part and from which we have separated ourselves out of fear of the loss of our little egos.

To protect our little egos we strike special bargains with others to give to get. This illusion becomes the basis for our justification for our behaviors. However, ultimately, give to get leaves us broken hearted, disappointed, angry, bitter, and even more fearful. The give to get dynamic of special relationships is no basis for a peaceful and fulfilling life. Special relationships cannot be the basis of our security and well being. And yet we enter into them unwittingly often and it is not until we find ourselves in anguish because of them that we question "what is the purpose of this relationship?"

Indeed, what is the purpose of our relationships?

Weekly report from UUAWOL 12/24/17

During the past week from Sunday, 12/17/17 - Saturday, 12/23/17, UUAWOL, received 1246 views with the highest view day on Sunday, 12/17/17, with 247. The average daily number of views is 178. The article with the most views was "How many U.U.s are born again," posted on Wednesday 12/20/17.

During this week there were a series of articles on advent with the major theme of the re-membering of the divine within us. The divine light is again being focused on because of the solstice as the earth turns in its annual cycle. Jesus is the symbol of the divine incarnation in all of humanity.

There were quotes from Osho about the importance of meditation in becoming aware of our true nature.

A Course in Miracles teaches us that Love is our natural inheritance but the ego blocks this awareness with the drama in the world.

Our UU principles help us appreciate our spiritual natures and help us focus on what really matters if we are to create a satisfying and fulfilling life.

This coming week we will celebrate Christmas and continue to reflect on the divine sparks within each of us. UUAWOL, ending the advent series, will now focus on a year long series on prophetic women and men and events which facilitate the path to the At-one-ment when everybody loves everybody all the time.

Unitarian Universalism is bubbling with good news which can raise the awareness and consciousness of humankind onto a better track to achieve heaven on earth. You can help by extending any of the ideas found here you find helpful to others.

In case you were wondering.............

Christmas Evil

“Twas the night before Christmas,
at a town in the South,
A band of ex-Confederates gathered,
down in the mouth;
That the black man was now free,
they felt was unfair,
An abomination they’d address
with terror to spare;
Crosses they’d burn with white hoods
on their head,
Spreading their message of hate
with horror and dread.”

Yes, ringing in the season with Yuletide cheer, the Ku Klux Klan was officially organized in Pulaski, Tennessee, on December 24, 1865.

Farquhar, Michael. Bad Days in History: A Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year (pp. 459-460). National Geographic Society. Kindle Edition.

The modern day Klan is thought to have 3,000 and 6,000 members and has seen a resurgence with the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States.

Editor's note: The Unitarian Universalists draw their theology from six primary sources, the second of which is the "Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love."

With the rise of Trumpism fueled by white supremist rhetoric of Presidential adviser Steve Bannon, the values and ideas of the KKK are not only still strong and powerful in the U.S. but have actually, in 2016,  gotten one of their supporters, Donald Trump, with a long history of racist thought and practices, elected president of the United States.

In this political and social climate, the light of Unitarian Universalist theology, practice, and service is needed by our country and the world more than ever.

Fourth week of Advent - Sunday

On this day, December 24th, in 1818, the hymn, "Silent Night," which was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, was first sung in St Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria.

The second of the six sources of Unitarian Universalism is the "Words and deeds of prophetic women and men..." The gift which Franz Gruber gave to the world is just amazing in terms of its peace, comfort, enjoyment, and grace.





As the publisher of UU A Way Of Life, I wish you the most blessed and peaceful Christmas. Thank you for joining with us here on UUAWOL.

Question of the day

How will you celebrate the remembrance of the divine in the world this Christmas eve?

Third week of advent - Saturday

There are three phases in human development: you believe in Santa; you don't believe in Santa; you are Santa.

The three phases of awareness are of the divine are; you exist as part of the divine; you separate into an ego apart from the divine; you recognize the interdependent web of which you are a part.

Christmas is about the awareness of the divine again as the ground of our being.

May the awareness of Peace and joy be yours this season and from now on in your life.