Book about radical priest questions morality of US foreign policy
-1/02/05
An outspoken priest, whose tireless human rights campaign has been called both prophetic and patriotic at a time of escalating U.S. military interventions, is the subject of a new book that questions the morality of U.S. policies in Latin America and sheds light on the prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.
“Disturbing the Peace” is a narrative which details the inspiring journey of Cajun priest Roy Bourgeois, a former Navy officer injured in a bomb blast, who has seen at close range a half dozen war-torn countries – from Vietnam to Iraq.
The book also profiles the growing movement he founded to close a U.S. Army school whose graduates have committed atrocities across Latin America.
The story of this spiritual pilgrim has more twists and turns than the Mississippi River: From love affairs ending in heartbreak to patriotic impulses ending in doubts and disillusionment. From dreams of wealth to missionary work among the poor. From prison terms to a cloistered monastery. From disagreements with church hierarchy to political battles on Capitol Hill.
“Disturbing the Peace” is “an astonishing chronicle. On a deeper and even more profound level, this book describes the evolution and journey of a soul from conversion to re-conversion, from prayer and contemplation to heroic action, all in a continuous effort to unite the will of the spirit to the work of the flesh” Martin Sheen says in the foreword.
“From the first pages of “Disturbing the Peace” you will be hooked . . . an amazing spiritual journey.” Sister Helen Prejean, the author of “Dead Man Walking” said.
Bourgeois’ opposition to militarism began after a blind Vietnamese orphan opened his eyes to the realities of war. His human rights work has taken him to Bolivia, where security forces kidnapped him after he denounced torture. To El Salvador, where two friends were killed by U.S.-trained troops. To Nicaragua and Honduras, where contra commandos were trying to overthrow a government. To Colombia, where he witnessed the human toll of the drug war, escorted by an Army general linked to terrorist bombings. To Iraq, where he met desperately poor Iraqis just before the country became a bloodbath.
The book describes the courage of Bourgeois and thousands of Americans of all religious denominations who’ve risked arrest each year to close the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas.
In detailing the school’s history and its use of torture manuals, the book also has important contemporary relevance, questioning the morality of U.S. policies in Latin America that shed light on the prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.
You can find out more about the book “Disturbing the Peace” here
Book about radical priest questions morality of US foreign policy
-1/02/05
An outspoken priest, whose tireless human rights campaign has been called both prophetic and patriotic at a time of escalating U.S. military interventions, is the subject of a new book that questions the morality of U.S. policies in Latin America and sheds light on the prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.
“Disturbing the Peace” is a narrative which details the inspiring journey of Cajun priest Roy Bourgeois, a former Navy officer injured in a bomb blast, who has seen at close range a half dozen war-torn countries – from Vietnam to Iraq.
The book also profiles the growing movement he founded to close a U.S. Army school whose graduates have committed atrocities across Latin America.
The story of this spiritual pilgrim has more twists and turns than the Mississippi River: From love affairs ending in heartbreak to patriotic impulses ending in doubts and disillusionment. From dreams of wealth to missionary work among the poor. From prison terms to a cloistered monastery. From disagreements with church hierarchy to political battles on Capitol Hill.
“Disturbing the Peace” is “an astonishing chronicle. On a deeper and even more profound level, this book describes the evolution and journey of a soul from conversion to re-conversion, from prayer and contemplation to heroic action, all in a continuous effort to unite the will of the spirit to the work of the flesh” Martin Sheen says in the foreword.
“From the first pages of “Disturbing the Peace” you will be hooked . . . an amazing spiritual journey.” Sister Helen Prejean, the author of “Dead Man Walking” said.
Bourgeois’ opposition to militarism began after a blind Vietnamese orphan opened his eyes to the realities of war. His human rights work has taken him to Bolivia, where security forces kidnapped him after he denounced torture. To El Salvador, where two friends were killed by U.S.-trained troops. To Nicaragua and Honduras, where contra commandos were trying to overthrow a government. To Colombia, where he witnessed the human toll of the drug war, escorted by an Army general linked to terrorist bombings. To Iraq, where he met desperately poor Iraqis just before the country became a bloodbath.
The book describes the courage of Bourgeois and thousands of Americans of all religious denominations who’ve risked arrest each year to close the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas.
In detailing the school’s history and its use of torture manuals, the book also has important contemporary relevance, questioning the morality of U.S. policies in Latin America that shed light on the prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.
You can find out more about the book “Disturbing the Peace” here