"It is sometimes discouraging to see how small the Christian peace movement is, and especially here in America where it is most necessary. But we have to remember that this is the usual pattern, and the Bible has led us to expect it. Spiritual work is done with disproportionately small and feeble instruments. And now above all when everything is so utterly complex, and when people collapse under the burden of confusions and cease to think at all, it is natural that few may want to take on the burden of trying to effect something in the moral and spiritual way, in political action. Yet this is precisely what has to be done.
[T]he great danger is that under the pressure of anxiety and fear, the alternation of crisis and relaxation and new crisis, the people of the world will come to accept gradually the idea of war, the idea of submission to total power, and the abdication of reason, spirit and individual conscience. The great peril of the cold war is the progressive deadening of conscience.
[I] rely very much on your help and friendship. Send me anything you think will be of service to the cause of peace, and pray that in all things I may act wisely."
Thomas Merton. "Letter to Jean and Hildegard Goss-Mayer." The Hidden Ground of Love. Letters, Volume 1. William H. Shannon. editor. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1985: 325-326
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Tell Fidelity to Divest and Help the People of Darfur
Fidelity is a major shareholder in PetroChina, whose parent, China National Petroleum Corporation, provides the Sudanese government with hundreds of millions of dollars in oil revenues that help fund genocide in Darfur.
Source: SaveDarfur.org
Toxic Trailers in New Orleans! -- Tell Congress NO!
From: Katrina Informatin Network
Greetings!
After nearly two years, little has changed for the communities hardest hit by the "perfect storm" of public neglect and private profiteering known as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Environmental damage. Children without schools or safe places to stay. Homes and neighborhoods in disrepair while contractors make millions. Yet, basic policies for survivors like victims compensation, restitution, rebuild support much less repair of the levees are still not in place. This is a tragedy and a travesty.
The Katrina Information Network (KIN) has re-launched in order to build a strong national base of people like you, people who care, to stand up for just recovery in the Gulf. Thousands are already involved in actions as simple as weekly emails to organizing selective contracting campaigns. We are asking you for just a few minutes of your time to take action for just recovery, right at your computer.
KIN ACTION OF THE WEEK: Tell FEMA and Congress, "Get Katrina Survivors Out of Toxic Trailers and into Safe, Sustainable Housing"
What's Going On:
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided trailers to displaced Katrina survivors contaminated with formaldehyde and other toxins. Given FEMA's poor track record when it comes to protecting the health and welfare of Katrina survivors, their plan to address the toxic trailer issue with testing and investigation is woefully inadequate.
Please act today to let FEMA and Congress know that this is absolutely unacceptable. FEMA must act immediately to provide safe, sustainable housing to every current trailer resident. In addition, there should be a complete investigation of governmental programs and policies to identify other human rights violations and FEMA should present a complete plan to the public with a clear timeline and benchmarks for how it will implement just recovery in the Gulf in accordance with US and human rights law.
Act now to hold FEMA and Congress accountable!
About KIN
The Katrina Information Network (KIN) is a collaboration of groups in the Gulf and across the country to build power for change. Founded in September 2005, KIN uses e-advocacy, grassroots pressure, local actions, resolutions and selective buying, to build pressure for what’s right.
We Believe It’s Time to Draw the Line. Join us.
Greetings!
After nearly two years, little has changed for the communities hardest hit by the "perfect storm" of public neglect and private profiteering known as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Environmental damage. Children without schools or safe places to stay. Homes and neighborhoods in disrepair while contractors make millions. Yet, basic policies for survivors like victims compensation, restitution, rebuild support much less repair of the levees are still not in place. This is a tragedy and a travesty.
The Katrina Information Network (KIN) has re-launched in order to build a strong national base of people like you, people who care, to stand up for just recovery in the Gulf. Thousands are already involved in actions as simple as weekly emails to organizing selective contracting campaigns. We are asking you for just a few minutes of your time to take action for just recovery, right at your computer.
KIN ACTION OF THE WEEK: Tell FEMA and Congress, "Get Katrina Survivors Out of Toxic Trailers and into Safe, Sustainable Housing"
What's Going On:
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided trailers to displaced Katrina survivors contaminated with formaldehyde and other toxins. Given FEMA's poor track record when it comes to protecting the health and welfare of Katrina survivors, their plan to address the toxic trailer issue with testing and investigation is woefully inadequate.
Please act today to let FEMA and Congress know that this is absolutely unacceptable. FEMA must act immediately to provide safe, sustainable housing to every current trailer resident. In addition, there should be a complete investigation of governmental programs and policies to identify other human rights violations and FEMA should present a complete plan to the public with a clear timeline and benchmarks for how it will implement just recovery in the Gulf in accordance with US and human rights law.
Act now to hold FEMA and Congress accountable!
About KIN
The Katrina Information Network (KIN) is a collaboration of groups in the Gulf and across the country to build power for change. Founded in September 2005, KIN uses e-advocacy, grassroots pressure, local actions, resolutions and selective buying, to build pressure for what’s right.
We Believe It’s Time to Draw the Line. Join us.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Iraq War Veterans Need Better Care
From: Paul Rieckhoff
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
You probably remember the fiasco at Walter Reed hospital earlier this year. A series of Washington Post articles revealed the poor conditions, neglect and bureaucratic hurdles that faced outpatients at the Army facility. The public outcry that followed was enormous, and in response President Bush created the Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors. The bipartisan group was headed by former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and Senator Bob Dole, a decorated World War II veteran.
IAVA testified before the Commission, and both Todd Bowers, IAVA Director of Government Affairs, and Patrick Campbell, IAVA Legislative Director, were on site yesterday when the Commission issued its draft final report.
The Commission's findings should serve as a wake-up call for all Americans. Last week the Secretary of the VA resigned. This week a group of disabled veterans is suing the VA for failing to provide them with adequate care. Our veterans' healthcare system is facing tremendous challenges at every level and the Department of Defense and the VA are not ready to respond.
Now we're calling on the President and Congress to ensure that these recommendations are enacted quickly. Click here to read the Associated Press article about the report on CNN.com, featuring IAVA. The Commission's recommendations focused on six key areas:
1. The creation of plans to provide the right care and support at the right time in the right place.
2. Completely restructure the disability and compensation systems.
3. Aggressively prevent and treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
4. Significantly strengthen support for military families.
5. Rapidly transfer patient information between DoD and VA.
6. Strongly support Walter Reed until its closing in 2011.
The Commission deserves to be commended for their hard work and dedication. But too often we see reports like this get brief attention in the media and then get pushed aside to collect dust on the shelf. Hopefully, the media will not bury the Commission's findings in the back pages of our nation's newspapers, beneath the latest news of Lindsay Lohan's DUI.
Now, more than ever, there needs to be a clear focus on veterans' care in America. The public outrage following the Walter Reed scandal shined light on the many problems facing wounded troops and veterans. Yesterday, the Dole-Shalala Commission offered their recommendations to resolve these issues. Whether President Bush, the DoD, and the VA can effectively implement these recommendations, however, remains to be seen.
With your support, IAVA is going to put pressure on the President and on Congress to ensure that these recommendations are implemented. And we'll need your help. Keep an eye on your inbox and www.iava.org for updates.
Thank you for standing with us.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
RFK, Jr. Telling it Like it Is at Live Earth
Wow! Here is Robert Kennedy, Jr. telling it like it is at live earth! I haven't heard such a direct and honest speech in such a long time...it's refreshing! Kennedy says that collective political action is even more important than our sole individual efforts to recycle and use more energy efficient light bulbs.
Why isn't this guy running for president?
Madonna Sings, "Hey, you, don't give up!" at Live Earth
Here is Madonna's official video for Live Earth. The Live Earth concert didn't really get as much press in New York as I thought it would. It was only on page ten in the NY Times the next day. I don't know anyone who went, but I spent all day watching it on TV and I definitely notice that I am a little more conscious now and I'm trying to be more green. I unplug my cellphone charger now (Thanks, Petra!), and I even ran back to the car the other day to get my reusable shopping bags. Geeky, I know. Not much. Maybe, but it's a start. I definitely do think more now about how my every day actions will effect the planet. I suppose that was the whole point.
New Documentary on the Genocide in Darfur
The Devil Came on Horseback - trailer
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Can one man make a difference? Former US Marine Captain Brian Steidle hopes so. When he first signs on as an unarmed military observer for the African Union, he is largely motivated by money. Yet, his intentions change dramatically when he makes a life-altering decision to transfer to the strife-ridden Western Sudanese region of Darfur. Armed with nothing more than a still camera, he becomes a singular outside witness to what many call a genocide—a conflict that has displaced 2.5 million people and claimed 400,000 lives. At first, Steidle can hardly register the horror that surrounds him, but he perseveres with his mission nonetheless, using his camera to document the atrocities. He recognizes the need for the world to see, and boldly smuggles his photographs out, inciting media frenzy when they appear in the Op-Ed section of The New York Times. But is this enough to make a difference? Unlike the Rwandan tragedy of 1994, the genocide in Darfur drags on, turning the beautiful mountainous Sudanese terrain into a landscape of murder and neglect. From Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern comes this astonishingly devastating film that journeys from Darfur to the United States, following the transformation of a soldier into an activist.
-Sky Sitney
from (http://silverdocs.com/festival/films/devil-came-horseback/)
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Can one man make a difference? Former US Marine Captain Brian Steidle hopes so. When he first signs on as an unarmed military observer for the African Union, he is largely motivated by money. Yet, his intentions change dramatically when he makes a life-altering decision to transfer to the strife-ridden Western Sudanese region of Darfur. Armed with nothing more than a still camera, he becomes a singular outside witness to what many call a genocide—a conflict that has displaced 2.5 million people and claimed 400,000 lives. At first, Steidle can hardly register the horror that surrounds him, but he perseveres with his mission nonetheless, using his camera to document the atrocities. He recognizes the need for the world to see, and boldly smuggles his photographs out, inciting media frenzy when they appear in the Op-Ed section of The New York Times. But is this enough to make a difference? Unlike the Rwandan tragedy of 1994, the genocide in Darfur drags on, turning the beautiful mountainous Sudanese terrain into a landscape of murder and neglect. From Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern comes this astonishingly devastating film that journeys from Darfur to the United States, following the transformation of a soldier into an activist.
-Sky Sitney
from (http://silverdocs.com/festival/films/devil-came-horseback/)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
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