God's Politics Blog » Logan Laituri

Hurt Locker Can’t Contain the Reality of War

Logan Laituri — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:00:32 +0000

I am not a movie buff by any standard, but somehow I suspect I am not the only one who was more than a little surprised at the reception of the latest war movie at Sunday’s Oscars. The voice of…

The Contentious Issue of ‘Selective Conscientious Objection’

Logan Laituri — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:30:05 +0000

As I have been talking about the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, there have been some recurring themes that have surfaced. For the most part, the folks I have been in conversation about it with by and large have been…

Encouraging Informed Freedom of Conscience on Questions of War

Logan Laituri — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:29:50 +0000

Not long ago, I blogged about my trip to Iraq with fellow God’s Politics blogger Shane Claiborne and later, of my excitement about the upcoming Truth Commission on Conscience in War. The trip taught me much about the human cost of…

Reinvigorating the Discourse on Just War and Pacifism

Logan Laituri — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:31:20 +0000

Before I went to Iraq with my friend and fellow God’s Politics contributor Shane Claiborne, I was trying to figure out how to take the lessons I would learn there back home. I felt certain (and now know) that the experience…

Learning from Iraqi Good Samaritans

Logan Laituri — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:00:43 +0000

Just a few days ago, I returned from a short trip into Iraq with a small group of Christian peacemakers. Most of us had been to the country before, but under varying circumstances: I was on a combat deployment in 2004;…

For God and Country (in that Order)

Logan Laituri — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:00:06 +0000

Nobody today will be able to celebrate our many veterans without the memory of Fort Hood fresh in our collective conscience. It is a horrible irony that such an inexcusable evil took place so near one of our nation’s most hallowed…

Will Violence Have the Last Word at Fort Hood?

Logan Laituri — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:15:47 +0000

Like so many across our country, I have been reeling about the news coming out of Ft. Hood, TX. A friend and fellow conscientious objector, who is also co-founder of Centurion’s Guild, informed me via text message shortly after the…

Prepared to Die, but Not to Kill

Logan Laituri — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:56:45 +0000

I recently received a reply or two on my last blog post, regarding Sgt. Travis Bishop and his refusal to deploy to Afghanistan based on his Christian conscience. One of the central questions such a story raises (among many) is how…

Court-martialed for Christian Conscience

Logan Laituri — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:00:01 +0000

There are good men (and certainly at least a few women) who have been slipping through the cracks within our military. Too often service members are not made fully aware of their rights under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. …

Risking Ourselves for Peace

Logan Laituri — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:00:11 +0000

I’m a big fan of iTunesU, and I usually try to listen to informative podcasts on long drives, since I can’t read and drive simultaneously. Driving through the cornfields of our central plains not too long ago, I listened as…

The Myth of Holy War

Logan Laituri — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:00:02 +0000

I, like Aaron Taylor before me, noticed the GQ expose of the Worldwide Intelligence Update that the former administration had circulated. I came across the story by way of Stephen Colbert, but when I looked more deeply into the article, I found…

When Calls to ‘Unity’ Sow Division in the Civil Union Debate

Logan Laituri — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:00:52 +0000

Last month, legislators in Hawaii introduced House Bill 444 (HB 444), which would provide rights and privileges to same-sex couples equal to those granted by the state for marriage. The religious and social fallout has partitioned our little island state into factions either…

The Sad State of Dialogue on Civil Unions

Logan Laituri — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:30:51 +0000

I am an evangelical Christian who attends church regularly, so I was surprised to see a worship service on the grounds of the Hawaii state capitol this past Sunday. What struck me even more was the purpose for the service…

The Myth of Redemptive Violence: The Day the Earth Stood Still

Logan Laituri — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:30:31 +0000

In the spirit of peace on earth and goodwill toward all, I went to see the remake of the 1951 movie The Day the Earth Stood Still, in which Keanu Reeves plays the role of “humanoid alien” Klaatu. In both…

An Iraq Veteran’s Ambivalent Vote

Logan Laituri — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:35:56 +0000

I have given a lot of thought in the last several months about the vote coming up. Shane and Bart both gave interesting perspectives, and I certainly appreciate their input (and hope you, the readers, have as well). Having spent a lot…

Body of War’s All-Star Soundtrack

Logan Laituri — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:30:18 +0000

My fingers have been tapping out of control for more than a month and a half now. Don't worry, though -- I am not falling to the symptoms of my own PTSD just yet. At the completion of the Winter Soldier event, all Iraq [...]

My Testimony as a ‘Winter Soldier’ Witness

Logan Laituri — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:20:02 +0000

During the last four days, more than 100 Iraq Veterans Against the War combat veterans, academics, and international guests shared their [...]

The Limits of Obedience

Logan Laituri — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:30:18 +0000

In my last post, I illustrated my intention to participate in a collective type of confession from members of our Armed Forces. I am of course speaking of the upcoming

War Crimes or Criminal War

Logan Laituri — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:28:54 +0000

In March, just prior to the fifth anniversary of the war of terror in Iraq, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) will be shaking the dust off a decades-old heritage of accountability and oversight in combat by its participants. The

Soldier Suicides: Counting the Forgotten Casualties of War

Logan Laituri — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:01:18 +0000

After more than six years of field exercises in some of the most grueling weather our country offers, I am rarely affected by even the most chilling winter rains. Months of accumulated time in the forests of North Carolina, the deserts of California, and the wetlands of Louisiana - training for war has built up in me a bit of immunity to succumbing to the shivers. However, there is one thing that [...]