The Ghouls are Out

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), created in 1917 as an arm of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and has long been committed to the principles of nonviolence and justice. AFSC is planning its latest peace vigil Not One More Death. Not One More Dollar: Wage Peace Campaign, to call attention to the war in Iraq:

"Soon we'll be reaching another horrific milestone in the war in Iraq - the death of the 2,000th U.S. service member. AFSC, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, and Iraq Veterans Against the War are calling for people across the U.S. to stand up and say that the needless killing of U.S. troops and Iraqis must stop and that the resources funding this war are needed for other things."

"Events to mark the 2,000th reported U.S. military death will range from candlelight vigils to public actions that illustrate the size of the death toll."

The Daou Report reports that Philly native Michele Malkin also points out the upcoming observance on her blog, with a post entitled "The Ghouls of the Left," in which she says that it's "sick" that the AFSC "support[s] the troops . . .by partying over their deaths."

Malkin has been a columnist in the Philadelphia Daily News (she may have been dropped, see: Philadelphia Will Do), but I normally don't read her. She is of the genre of "all rant, no substance," so I don't waste my time.

My daughter attends a Friends school. We want to try to instill moral ethics and values and want her to be exposed to those values at home and as an intregal part of her education. The Quakers epitomize the type of values that most people would want to aspire to, including the concept that all people have intrinsic worth and principles of non-violence.

To imply, as Malkin does, that the intentions of the AFSC are other than a manifestation of their mission is inexcusable. To suggest that they are celebrating death or to denigrate a mission to promote peace is what is "sick." The basic belief of the Quakers is that there is an element of God's spirit in every human soul. With Malkin, it's well hidden.

Malkin not only should be ignored, she should be shunned.