This video has made the social media rounds over the past few weeks so there is a good chance you may have already seen it. If you haven’t, it is well worth the watch. Physical injuries and death are not the only consequences of war.

This was originally posted over on Practicing Resurrection by Bill Guerrant.

My neighbor’s mother was having a difficult time delivering his older sister.  His father had to got and get the doctor, although he would have preferred not to.  With the doctor’s help the baby was successfully delivered.  This was in the 1930s.  The doctor charged them $10.

When his father sold his crop that year, after paying off the crop lien he had a little over $10 left over.  That was his profit for the year.

He went to the doctor and told him that after selling the crop he had enough to pay his bill. “But,” he continued, “my mule died.  If I buy another mule I can make a crop next year.  If I don’t, I can’t.  I mean to pay you what I owe you and I have it with me. But if I pay you now I won’t be able to buy a mule.”

“Buy a mule,” the doctor responded, “and pay me when you can.”

He paid the doctor the following year.

Blessed are the Landmines
by Brave Saint Saturn

Blessed are the land-mines
Stretched across the desert floor
God, bless the hands that formed them
Filled their shrapnel hearts with war
May You bless the companies
The goose that laid the golden egg
May they make a million more
Blowing off a million legs
Blessed are the black-tongued ravens
Substituting fear for reason
To hate war is to hate us
If you love peace, then you must love treason
Beat your plowshares into swords
Beat your pulpits, turn your tables
Blessed are the hand-grenades
Bless the church who rattles sabers

This house, is burning
This poison still is worming
This temple, will cave in
There’s nothing here worth saving

Nail the gold up to the altar
Like Ahab taunts his crew to war
Blessed are the shareholders
Lack of faith is for the poor
Hold your wallets to the sky
A temple built to sooth yourself
Blessed is the church who tries
To help you build blessed wealth