22 June 25

As soon as I heard that the United States military had bombed Iranian nuclear development sites (on 21-22 June) I decided that I had to use my Sunday tie to proclaim a message of peace. This "peace cross" unites the images of the peace sign and the Christian cross, with a reference to Romans 5:1: "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." And Jesus commanded his followers to spread that peace throughout their world.

13 November 23

Today in my Beginning Ethics class we are beginning our study of war and peace and terrorism and nonviolence. My tie shows a repeating design of a "peace cross," combining the common peace sign with the Christian cross.

1 August 23

Today my younger son Jonathan has his annual birthday! He has a wonderful wife (Courtney) and five equally wonderful children, aged one to ten. They are a homeschooling family and Jonathan is the "lead teacher." Jonathan asked me to wear my peace-cross tie to honor this day, because it symbolizes peace and because this is the tenth anniversary of my wearing it for his birthday (in 2013)!

21 September 22

The United Nations sponsors the International Day of Peace every 21 September. "The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire." Of course that goal -- which should be very simple to achieve -- never gets full compliance; international conflicts and local street violence continue without interruption. It seems meaningless or even ironic to call for peace when the leaders of some nations (including members of the United Nations) openly declare their intentions to use people and weapons to overwhelm other nations . . . but as a thoroughly committed pacifist I must take this occasion to celebrate what the United Nations and other organizations have been able to accomplish toward peaceful conversations and negotiations  between adversaries. My "peace cross" tie blends the symbolism of the peace symbol with the Christian cross, to help us meditate on the example of Jesus as the ultimate Prince of Peace.

27 August 21

 Today counts as a special day for pacifists (who generally get very little to celebrate among national holidays, etc.). In 1928, the international community signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, an international treaty that declared war illegal. You may say that its effects are nonexistent, but its passage represents a moment when people actually agreed that violent altercations are nonsensical. Also worthy of note is Monday's historical reference to 1146, when European leaders outlawed the crossbow, intending to end war for all time. My tie's design combines crosses and peace symbols.

13 February 20

Happy Birthday to our son(-by-inclusion) David Anderson! David has just earned a new job title at DePaul University (in Chicago): Senior Investigator, Office of Gender Equity. He asked me to wear this "peace cross" tie, which carries a reference to Romans 5:1: "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

27 August 19

Ninety-one years ago on this date, Germany, France and the United States signed an agreement to renounce the use of war forever and to seek the peaceful resolution of disputes. The Kellogg-Briand Pact was named for its authors, U. S. Secretary of State Frank Kellogg and French foreign minister Aristide Briand. Over the next 12 months, 51 additional countries ratified the Pact, joined later by 9 more. It remains in effect today, although its provisions have not been effective in eliminating wars. I could be cynical about the Pact, but instead I hold it up as evidence that people can join together to express peaceful goals in a multinational framework. So I'll wear my "peace cross" tie for celebrations like this.

24 June 18

Peace be with you! Today's tie was chosen by C. Nolan Huizenga, my eldest nephew, to help celebrate his birthday today. As Nolan says, these days we all need to seek peace in all ways.

29 January 18

Happy Birthday, Faith Lang! We've been siblings ever since I married Beth more than 42 years ago. Today we're going to Olive Garden for lunch, continuing celebrations that started with a surprise party on Saturday. She asked me to wear my "Peace Cross" tie.

27 August 17

Today marks the 89th anniversary of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, an international agreement (in 1928) to end the use of war to resolve disputes. It was negotiated outside the then-current League of Nations but involved many of the same nations. Its principles became an important part of the United Nations Charter in 1945. Of course wars have continued since 1928, but the Pact serves as a background document for promoting peaceful settlements. Wars between established states have been rare since 1945, with a few exceptions in the Middle East. My tie's design "crosses" peace symbols with crosses, recalling how Christ's presence in our lives brings us personal peace and helps us seek to be peacemakers everywhere we are.

21 September 16

Every 21 September is the International Day of Peace, sponsored by the United Nations. It falls during the week of the opening of the UN General Assembly. Please make peace, not war.

6 July 16

My peace cross tie honors the 81st birthday of the Dalai Lama (14th in that succession). He has been known worldwide as a champion of peace and nonviolence. One quotation for today: "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." See http://www.dalailama.com/

27 August 15

Stand up for peace! Today marks the 87th anniversary of the international agreement called the Kellogg-Briand Pact, forbidding the 62 signatory nations (including the United States) from going to war. While its provisions were ignored within a short time, it created the foundation for the famous Nuremberg Trials after World War II.

4 February 15

My peace cross tie has been worn quite frequently -- now 21 times in almost-7 years -- but I think the message of bringing peace cannot be overused. Today marks the birthday of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German theologian and pacifist.

27 August 14

Let's not have any more wars. Today marks the 86th anniversary of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which was an international agreement to outlaw wars forever. (It has not been very effective, although it was the legal foundation for the Nuremberg Trials.)

19 March 14

Eleven years ago today I stood up for peace, protesting what would soon become America's Second War in Iraq. While we held our signs and sang peace songs in downtown Lexington, military forces were already on their way to deliver "shock and awe" to Baghdad in an immoral and unprovoked invasion, which was being promoted to the public as a response to threats about weapons of mass destruction. Those weapons never existed, and all of the justifications offered for the invasion proved to be outright lies and subterfuge. The real purpose for the Second War in Iraq was to initiate "regime change" that would preserve American access to oil and support the corporations profiting from that industry.

14 January 14

Some great moments for 14 January in pacifist/peace-making history: In 1784, the US ratified the peace treaty with England, ending the Revolutionary War. Albert Schweitzer was born in 1875, becoming famous as a missionary, theologian, organist and pacifist (winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952). In 1994, presidents Clinton and Yeltsin signed agreements "to stop aiming missiles at any nation and to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine." Also a note about today's arithmetic: 14/1=14.

1 August 13

Jonathan Albert Kleppinger is 25 years old today! He asked me to wear my "peace cross" tie for this occasion.

29 January 13

My sister Faith Lang selected this tie to help me celebrate her birthday today!

27 August 12

August 27 is the anniversary of the Kellogg-Briand international treaty, signed in 1928, declaring war to be illegal forever.