Elijah Lewis: “this is a very sad day. I weep for my country tonight. I am sorry, very sorry, that we have arrived at this point.…”

“this is a very sad day. I weep for my country tonight. I am sorry, very sorry, that we have arrived at this point. Tonight I think the world is a much more dangerous place for all humankind. I want to make it clear that I support all of our young men and women who are in harm's way, and I pray and I pray for their safe return. But tonight, I want to speak for peace. War is bloody and messy. It destroys the hopes, the dreams, and aspirations of a people. In all good conscience, I cannot and will not vote for a resolution that supports and endorses a failed policy that led us to war. War is never the answer. War is obsolete. The struggle for peace is as old as the dawn of history and as fresh as the morning dew. The struggle for peace is a struggle that lasts for more than 1 day, 1 week, 1 year, or more than a lifetime. But we must struggle. Is it possible, is it too much to ask? Maybe it is possible for humankind to evolve to a much higher level and lay down the tools of hate, violence, and war. If we want to create a beloved community, a community that is at peace with itself, if that is our end, if that is our goal, then our way must be one of love, one of nonviolence, one of peace. Tonight, I ask God's blessing on our soldiers, and may God bless our little planet we call Earth.”