Category: world

  • getting political

    I didn’t vote for her, but this thrilled me anyways…

    “I want to thank all my friends and family, particularly my mother, who was born before women could vote, and is watching her daughter on this stage tonight.”

    — Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Super Tuesday night
    H/T to Salon’s Broadsheet

    You know what else thrilled me yesterday? Knowing that my friend Caroline was standing out in the cold (the requisite 100 ft from the polls) gathering signatures for a petition that means a lot to her. I love it when women get political! :)

  • votin’

    I’ll be teaching this morning then running an errand and heading for the polls. Having been a pollworker for several years I know that the slowest time tends to be around 10-11 in the morning. Lunch is awful and the crowds keep rolling in all afternoon and swell again in the evening.

    Yes, I know I could use an absentee ballot. But do you know that I would truly miss the THRILL of standing there in the cardboard booth myself? My foremothers, like Quaker Alice Paul, fought so hard to give me this right. And I appreciate it so very much.

    UPDATE: a pic of me, post-vote…
    exercising my rights...


  • H/T John White and the American Friends Service Committee (“the Quakers”)

  • amazing

    Yesterday CatGirl played a beautiful rendition of “Amazing Grace” on her flute for our Friends’ Meeting annual Christmas party. It was, perhaps, an unorthodox choice of song for the holiday, but it’s so hauntingly beautiful on the flute that I encouraged her to play it anyways. And there was a great spirit in the room as she played, the melody filling the space and touching each person.

    Later in the day I noticed that she and I were both humming the tune–it was spinning in our heads and wouldn’t leave! Even though Christianity no longer resonates as strongly with me as in past years, the sentiment of the song continues to stir my heart. As I was thinking about it this morning I found this trailer on youtube for the “Amazing Grace” movie based on Adam Hochschild’s book Bury the Chains. The trailer is a worthwhile watch for all of you who enjoy this tune and who are inspired by those who fight for human rights and equality.

  • get your goat

    My Friend Angela has been in Africa for the past few weeks working in an IHF orphanage. She’s blogging her experiences and they are so heartwarming. I encourage each of you to spend a few moments at her website.

    Angela recently sent out a plea for sponsors for orphans and goats. If you haven’t yet completed your gift-giving, or you want to do a little more for those that have less, please consider an IHF donation:

    I hope that this holiday season greets you with love, warmth and happiness. At the International Humanity Foundation (IHF) our volunteers are working hard to help make this a special time for the marginalized poor nomadic families in Pokot, Kenya. As part of our Survival program, we are seeking generous individuals willing to buy goats for these families. These goats are a main source of nutrition (and survival) for so many. Every week we dispatch our volunteers to the auction market to buy the goats and distribute them to the families in their homes (where we ensure that they are in fact the poorest of the poor). If you purchase one of our goats* (for US$ 20) we will take a photo of the family receiving the goat, and send you a certificate. You can also choose to sponsor one of our many children in the IHF Nakuru Orphanage (for US$ 37/month) and we will facilitate communication between you and your child through emails and photos. Sponsoring with IHF really does make a special gift; one that keeps on giving to those that are most in need. If you have any questions about our Survival Program, sponsoring one of our orphans, or the International Humanity Foundation please contact IHF@ihfonline.org or visit our website ihfonline.org.

    Wishing you the best this holiday season!

    Warm Regards,
    Carol Sasaki and the IHF family

    Note: if you scroll about halfway down the main IHF page you will see the information for goat donation. I like that the goat is far less than for some charities and the photo sounds like a neat thank-you!

  • for peace…

    These are the thoughts and questions that we are focused on this month in our Quaker Meeting. Perhaps you might find them fruitful for reflection, too.

    November Advice and Queries (from Faith and Reason):
    PEACE

    Friends oppose all war as inconsistent with God’s will. As every person is a child of God, we recognize God’s Light also in our adversaries. Violence and injustice deny this reality and violate the teachings of Jesus and other prophets.
    Friends challenge their governments and take personal risks in the cause of peace. We urge one another to refuse to participate in war as soldiers, or as arms manufacturers. We seek ways to support those who refrain from paying taxes that support war. We work to end violence within our own borders, our homes, our streets, and our communities. We support international order, justice and understanding.
    Become an instrument of peace. At every opportunity, be peacemakers in your homes, workplaces and communities. Steep yourself in the power of the universal Spirit. Examine your actions for the seeds of violence, degradation and destructiveness. Overcome the emotions that lie at the root of violence and nurture instead a spirit of reconciliation and love. Come to know the oneness of all creation and oppose the destruction of the natural world.

    Advice and Queries for all individuals:
    Do I live in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars?
    How do I nourish peace within myself as I work for peace in the world?
    Do I confront violence wherever it occurs, even when my personal relationships are involved?
    Where there is distrust, injustice or hatred, how am I an instrument of reconciliation and love?

    Advice and Queries for the meeting:
    What are we doing to remove the causes of war and destruction of the planet, and to bring about lasting peace?
    Do we reach out to all parties in a conflict with courage and love?

  • the road of human tenderness

    These lines were penned by the first Quaker Nobel Peace Prize winner, Emily Greene Balch, who won the award in 1946:

    Let us be patient with one another,
    And even patient with ourselves.
    We have a long, long way to go.
    So let us hasten along the road,
    The road of human tenderness and generosity.
    Groping, we may find one another’s hands in the dark

    As a historical note, Quakers have been awarded the Peace Prize multiple times:

    1977 Amnesty International (founded by Quakers)
    1947 Friends Service Council, American Friends Service Committee (both are Quaker organizations)
    Though she was raised Quaker, she later became Presbyterian:
    1931 Jane Addams

    There may be other Quaker Peace Prize winners that I’m not aware of….do let me know if I’ve missed any.

    Oh, and how do you feel about Al Gore’s award? You can weigh in over at John’s blog.

  • come take a walk with me…

  • Food for thought….

  • this damnable war, part II

    Who says that counterfactuals don’t make good history? Imagine if Iran Were America (and we were Iran).

    And then watch this music video (warning to my more sensitive readers: it includes a few graphic images of war-related injuries and deaths)

  • this damnable war…

    From George McGovern via the Progressive Historians (McGovern is speaking on the Senate floor):

    Every senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This chamber reeks of blood. Every Senator here is partly responsible for that human wreckage at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval and all across our land — young men without legs, or arms, or genitals, or faces or hopes.

    There are not very many of these blasted and broken boys who think this war is a glorious adventure. Do not talk to them about bugging out, or national honor or courage. It does not take any courage at all for a congressman, or a senator, or a president to wrap himself in the flag and say we are staying in Vietnam, because it is not our blood that is being shed. But we are responsible for those young men and their lives and their hopes.

    And if we do not end this damnable war those young men will some day curse us for our pitiful willingness to let the Executive carry the burden that the Constitution places on us.

    So before we vote, let us ponder the admonition of Edmund Burke, the great parliamentarian of an earlier day: “A contentious man would be cautious how he dealt in blood.”

    While I don’t agree that someone who is mutilated (by war or otherwise) is necessarily without hope, I often feel hopeless when I realize how little consideration our nation’s leaders have for the human cost paid by their wargames.

  • for the 4th…


    The day has only barely dawned and I’ve already read several fabulous Independence Day posts. You bloggers really know how to celebrate this great (and corrupt) nation of ours! My favorite, so far, is found at 37 Days. Patricia, discusses “Interdependence Day“:

    “History books focus on the people who were in power as if all change comes from those in positions of authority. The truth is that ordinary citizens created much of what we love about America…At this celebration, let’s give thanks for the ordinary and extraordinary Americans whose struggles brought about those changes. Let’s give a toast:

    * To the waves of immigrants from all parts of the world who struggled to accept each other and find a place in this country.
    * To the escaped slaves and their allies, particularly Quakers, evangelical Christians, and freedom-loving secularists, who built the Underground Railroad and helped countless people to freedom.
    * To the African Americans and allies who went to prison, lost their livelihoods, and were savagely beaten in the struggle for civil rights.
    * To the women who risked family, job security, and their own constructed identities to shift our collective consciousness about men and women and raise awareness of the effects of patriarchy.
    * To all those who risk scorn and violence and often lost connection to their families to lead the struggle for the acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer people.
    * To those who continue to work for equal access for people with disabilities.
    * To all of the innovators and artists who have brought so much beauty and usefulness into our lives.

    “All that we celebrate today in America involved struggles to overcome entrenched ways of thinking…. Today we celebrate the moments when the United States and the American people have acted not only from self-interest but also from genuine caring… We are proud of our country. We love its physical beauty. Many of us come from immigrant families who found refuge here when there were few other societies on the planet that would welcome our ancestors. Let us once again commit to overcoming the fear of the other and cultivating a spirit of generosity and love toward the stranger.”

    I am not a patriot. I have not been able to salute the flag or recite the Pledge of Allegiance for nearly a decade. Rather, I pledge daily to serve all of humanity and I don’t wrap my fervor in the banner of any particular color or pattern. I celebrate those who have been willing to fight for greater opportunities for everyone, with liberty and justice for all.