John M. Jerpe is a practicing Catholic, a retired attorney, and a political activist. As a member of Code Pink and Veterans For Peace, he speaks out against excessive nationalism. By extension, he works against what has come to be known as "a state of permanent warfare." He sees and speaks out against that network of arms manufacturers who perpetuate the "permanent warfare" by literally bribing legislators at our national level, and who have come to be known as the "military industrial complex." John sees his Catholic faith as a call to speak out against nationalism so extreme that it approximates idolatry, or what he calls "the de facto worship of the nation state." He writes to warn us about the appeal of authoritarian leaders, or demagogues in a time when fascism may be looming in America. Most importantly, he challenges his "institutional church" to awaken and to speak out of the danger. This is paramount to saying that the phrase "God and Country," when recklessly uttered, is taken to mean "God IS Country" in our psychic life. Equally important is the "deafening silence" of the ordained clergy on this vital and timely concern.
