Texan Anxious Over Friends Held Hostage in Iraq Peace Group Founder is Also CPT Member

Texans for Peace founder, Charlie Jackson, recently returned from his third trip to Iraq as a delegate of the Christian Peacemaker Teams. He personnally knows two of the members taken hostage this weekend.

AUSTIN, TX (PRWEB) December 2, 2005 -- Members of Texans for Peace are anxious and saddened to learn that colleagues in the peace movement, four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), were taken hostage in Iraq over the weekend.

Charlie Jackson, founder of Texans for Peace, returned from his third CPT to Iraq in September and has personally worked with two of the hostages: Jim Loney and Tom Fox.

“These peacemakers are kind and thoughtful. At the same time they understand that being committed to peace requires the same sort of dedication and perseverance as those committed to war,” said Jackson.

Texans for Peace has actively worked to end the war in Iraq and participated in activities from Crawford, Texas to Iraq, he stated.

“We revile terrorists, thugs, and clandestine foreign governments in Iraq that attack, kidnap, and kill civilians. Equally, we condemn those who continue to support this war – from President Bush to the pundits on television – who lack understanding of what is actually going on outside of ‘Green Zone’ areas and hide behind a feigned concern for the Iraqi people while contributing to the deteriorating situation in Iraq,” said Jackson.

Before he left for Iraq Jim Loney wrote, “just as soldiers are asked to sacrifice their lives for the state, as a Christian who believes in nonviolence, I believe that I must be prepared to make the same sacrifice.”

About Texans for Peace

Texans for Peace (http://www.texansforpeace.org) is a statewide non-profit organization for Texans who believe in peace and social justice. Headquartered in Austin, Texans for Peace provides programs, education, and action on a wide range of issues while at the same time working to strengthen peace and nonviolence throughout the state. Although the organization primarily focuses on local issues, Texans for Peace also represents the face of “friendship” (the state motto of Texas) throughout the U.S. and the world.

About Charlie Jackson

Charlie Jackson is a sixth-generation Texan and international technology consultant. He recently returned from his third peace delegation to Iraq with the Christian Peacemaker Teams (http://www.cpt.org), a multi-religious peace organization headquartered in Chicago. He is the founder of Texans for Peace, and supports other national and regional peace organizations.

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