One of my best friends is Jewish. The most important part of his life is his study of Judaism. He was conceived in Israel, but born in the states. I love him like a brother and have deep respect for how he dives deeply into his soul for the deep answers. We can't speak very well about the Israeli-Palestinian problems, though. But he knows where I stand.

Another good friend of mine is Muslim. The most important part of his life is his study of Islam. He was born in Iran, but has lived in the states since he was 15 or 16. I love him like a brother and have deep respect for his love and devotion to the Quran and the Prophets. There is much about the Israeli-Palestinian problems that we don't bring up, but I think he knows where I stand.

Coincidentally, both of these two friends were born on the same day, 23 years apart. They have met, and they like each other a lot. They can talk and share and respect each other. It is quite beautiful, actually.

I call this problem, that we sometimes find unspeakable, "The Israeli-Palestinian Volleyball Game". You hit the suicide bomber to me; I'll hit back the missile to you. No one wins the game when you're playing with more than a volleyball. I am not impressed.

The U.S. makes the game even messier. And my friends and I have not found a way to have conversation about that.

Now our leaders are facing one more test of our humanity. Are we compassionate enough to help the victims of this volleyball game?

In yesterday's Boston Globe article, Gaza Power Plant Hit by Israeli Airstrike is Insured by US Agency, I read that:

"The Palestinian power plant bombed by Israeli forces Tuesday is insured by a US government agency, and US officials say they expect American funds to be used to pay for the damage.

The destruction of the 140-megawatt reactor, the only one in the Gaza Strip, threatens to create a humanitarian disaster because the plant supplies electricity to two-thirds of Gaza's 1.3 million residents and operates pumps that provide water supplies.

But paying a claim on the plant, which was insured for $48 million, could prove problematic for the United States, which cut off funding for all infrastructure projects in the Palestinian territories after the militant group Hamas won legislative elections in January."

I know that both of my friends grieve for the suffering of all innocents. I am waiting for our congress to do the same, and then do the right thing.

Yesterday, I went with my friend to her chemo. She had received bad news, delivered in a bad way, the day before. Her doctor was acting, shall we say, INSENSITIVE!!! Basically, he gave her the impression that he was giving up on her.

But he was messing with the wrong woman! She got angry and she used her anger to get her mojo back. It is amazing the amount of energy she had today, how alive and empowered she was. All because she got angry at the doctor, and she transformed that anger into taking control over her own life.

In our frustration with all that's going on, we don't have to watch tv, get drunk, or numb ourselves by whatever our method of choice. We are ALIVE when we see what's going on. The richness includes the pain and suffering AND the beauty of our world, including the courage of those around us. Part of us dies when we blind ourselves to any part of what is. And it takes a lot of energy to try to hide from reality.

When we get bad news, we can be angry victims and strike back (like a W I know), or we can use anger as a wake-up call and change our own way of thinking, letting it bring out what is ALIVE in us. Are you listening, W??? I forgot. He forgot how to listen.


And when I got home, in the mailbox, I found a present from my sweet sister-in-law, bro-in-law, niece and nephews. A book called The Meaning of Life. I have been looking for that my whole life! ;-) I am lucky to have such love and support from the people in Massachusetts. If you guys are reading this, THANK YOU!!! See you soon!

Sometimes, it all just gets to me, and I have to switch gears for awhile. Before I go weed the garden to find out what the hailstorm left us (besides the weeds that are thriving perfectly, thank you very much), I had to get down!

Watch this little boy drum!!!

If you live in Colorado, please join us! If you don't live nearby, create an event of your own!


For More Information:
www.TroopsHomeFast.org
www.myspace.com/codepinkdenverboulder

Organized by Lakewood Women in Black, CODEPINK Denver/Boulder, and Denver Iraq Vets Against the War

How Military Families Speak Out Began

Nancy Lessin's stepson finished college before joining the military in 1998. In 1999, our military trained him in Arabic (a very convenient thing to do, considering what was going to happen four years later). He was sent to Iraq in the spring of 2003.

Meanwhile, in November of 2002, Nancy, her husband, and another family started Military Families Speak Out with the mission of stopping the war that was looming. In February of 2003, after congress turned over authority to W to start the war, the co-founders of MFSO sued W and Rumsfeld! They tried to get a restraining order to stop R & W from starting this war. But on 3-18-03, the suit failed. On 3-19-03 the bombs were launched.

MFSO started with a group of a few people who wanted to try to stop the war. Now the war has gone on for over three years, and they have over 3000 families as members. There are 25 chapters across the U.S.

The Families

Monday night, every one of the seven women at the table, except me, had a son in our military. We came together at Ruby Tuesdays out by Denver International Airport, because Nancy Lessin of MFSO was in town and wanted to meet with people who had family members serving in this war. (I came along as a curious witness and as the faux aunt of my friend's son. Now I probably have to start buying my new "nephew" gifts for holidays!). Nancy's great laugh peppers the many motivating stories she shares about her work. Her enthusiasm and commitment are non-stop, and she is a very real person.

As the women at our table talked, their stories came out. One woman's son is in Iraq now, one's son is in boot camp, and some sons have had deployments to Iraq and/or Afghanistan. The toll that this war takes on mothers was very evident. When one woman whose son has not been deployed asked how people cope when their son is deployed, the answer was "You get involved." I have seen this to be true in my friend, Gaye, whose son just got back from Afghanistan.

I think that this is good medicine for all of us. When we get involved, we get some control over our lives. We get our power back. There is SOMETHING that we can do, instead of hopelessly sitting around watching. We will sit in depression if we sit as victims of what is going on in this world, but when we follow our hearts and passion in work to make a difference, we have a new joy and happiness.

But I digress...

More than one mother at the table said that they had taught their sons to be a peace activist. What is it that causes a son to love guns and military stuff???

A couple of mothers said that the turning point for them - when they KNEW that they could not support this W or his war - was when W said "Bring 'em on!" One woman said that she has never felt so hopeless and helpless in her life until that point. And that point is when the MFSO people created the "BRING THEM HOME NOW" campaign. Once again, not sitting down in despair, but standing up in power.

Every woman there said that, until they found MFSO, they didn't know another person in their community who had a son in the military. For some of them, they waited years to find another military family. What an isolated feeling that must be!

The Message

Anyone who has a family member or loved one in the military and is against this war can be a member of Military Families Speak Out. Nancy says "Anyone with a family member or loved one in the military feels this war differently than anyone else." Latest estimates are that there are seven or eight members of congress who have family members serving in the war at this time. If half or most of the members of congress had family members deployed, I wonder what the war would look like.

And that leads me to a suggestion for action that Nancy and other MFSO people are doing. BE A PAIN IN YOUR CONGRESSPERSON'S LIFE. Be consistent. Write them. Meet with them in their office. A LOT OF TIMES. Remind them that our soldiers and the people of Iraq are dying daily. Ask them to name the soldiers that they are willing to condemn to death today. We are averaging around two U.S. deaths a day over there. What names would your congressperson pick to be the next to die? By doing nothing and letting this war go on, they are choosing death for someone every day.

If you have a family member or loved one who is serving in this war and you think that we need to get out of Iraq, contact Military Families Speak Out at www.mfso.org. If you are in the Denver area and want to get in contact with the newly hatching Colorado chapter, contact me through this blog and I will get you in touch with these local women (it would be good to add some men to this group, too, don't you think?)

Last night, I had a three-hour dinner with seven women including Nancy Lessin, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out. There, I got to watch the birth of a Colorado MFSO chapter! I was inspired and moved throughout the evening. I just got goose bumps thinking about it.

This morning, I started to write about MFSO and my experience with these strong women, but the phone rang. It was another mother who couldn't be there last night. Her son is a medic who has served in Iraq. She told me about a poem written about him, so I looked it up and it screamed to be told again. I found it on the blog, Fight to Survive. I hope the author and fts bloggers don't mind if I re-print it here. I have to answer when something screams like that. I will write about MFSO tomorrow.

Eli Came Back From Iraq

Eli came back from Iraq
and tattooed a teddy bear onto the inside of his wrist
above that a medic with an IV bag
above that an angel
but Eli says the teddy bear won't live

and I know I don't know but I say "I know"
because Eli's only 24 and I've never seen eyes
further away from childhood than his
eyes old with a wisdom
he knows I'd rather not have

Eli's mother traces a teddy bear onto my arm
and says not all casualties come home in body bags

and I swear
I'd spend the rest of my life writing nothing
but the word light at the end of this tunnel
if I could find the fucking tunnel
I'd write nothing but white flags
somebody pray for the soldiers
somebody pray for what's lost
somebody pray for the mailbox
that holds the official letters
to the mothers, fathers, sisters and little brothers
of Micheal 19...Steven 21...John 33
how ironic that their deaths sound like bible verses
the hearse is parked in the halls of the high school
recruiting black brown and poor
while anti-war activists outside walter reed army hospital
scream 100, 000 slain…
as an amputee on the third floor
breathes forget-me-nots onto the window pain

but can we forget what we never knew

our sky is so perfectly blue it's repulsive
somebody tell me where god lives
cause if god is truth
god doesn't live here
our lies have seared the sun too hot live by
there are ghosts of people who are still alive
touting M16s with trembling hands
while we dream ourselves stars on Survivor
another missile sets fire to the face in the locket
of a mother who's son
needed money for college
and she swears she can feel his photograph burn

how many wars will it take us to learn
that only the dead return
the rest remain forever caught between worlds of
shrapnel shatters body of three year old girl!
and…
welcome to McDonalds can I take your order?
the mortar of sanity crumbling
stumbling back home to a home that will never be home again
Eli doesn't know if he can ever write a poem again
1 third of the homeless men in this country are veterans
and we have the nerve to "Support Our Troops"
with pretty yellow ribbons
while giving nothing but dirty looks to their outstretched hands
tell me what land of the free
sets free its 18 year old kids into greedy war zones
hones them like missiles
then returns their bones in the middle of the night
so know one can see
their deaths swept beneath the carpet and hidden like dirt
their lives promises we never kept

Jeff Lucey came back from Iraq
and hung himself in his parents basement with a garden hose
the night before he died he spent forty five minutes on his fathers lap
rocking like a baby
rocking like daddy save me!
and don't think for a minute he too isn't collateral damage
in the mansions of Washington
they are watching them burn and hoarding the water
no senators sons are being sent out to slaughter
no president's daughters are licking ashes from their lips
or dreaming up ropes to wrap around their necks
in case they ever make it home alive
our eyes are closed america
there are souls in the boots of the soldiers america
fuck your yellow ribbon
you want to support our troops
bring them home
and hold them tight when they get here

Written by Andrea Gibson January 2006

Labels: Eli, Military Families Speak Out

Last night a thunderstorm blew through. Hail, both large and small, pelted everything. I stood at the window, watching as my garden was pummeled. I watched two big lettuce plants literally torn to shreds in front of my eyes. For some reason, the tomato plants weren't destroyed, but everything else was. Oh, and I'm sure the weeds that I hadn't gotten to yet are not only doing fine, but thriving.

If I didn't have a Wild Oats within five miles of here, if I didn't have a car and gas and money, if, if, if... if I wasn't a middle class American with resources (at least today), I would've thrown my body across that garden to save it from that hail. But my life doesn't depend on food from my garden.

Today I heard Dr. Dahlia Wasfi speak. Her father is Iraqi and her mother is Jewish. She lived in Basra during her early childhood, moving back to the states in 1977, when she was six. She has visited her extended family in Basra and Baghdad twice since the war began - in early 2004, and then again late 2005 - early 2006. She gives a very different view of what reconstruction in Iraq looks like (there is very little). Kids go to school, when they can, in bombed out buildings. She did see a set of new stoplights, but they don't work, due to the inconsistent availability of electricity. In May of 2006, a (very) few members of congress held a forum on Iraq. Dahlia gave powerful testimony, which you can read at the Brussels Tribunal.

At the end of her testimony, she quotes Hassan Juma’a Awad, president of the Basrah Oil Workers' Union. His article, Leave Our Country Now was published in The Guardian/UK.

His words:
"We lived through dark days under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. When the regime fell, people wanted a new life: a life without shackles and terror; a life where we could rebuild our country and enjoy its natural wealth. Instead, our communities have been attacked with chemicals and cluster bombs, and our people tortured, raped and killed in our homes.

Saddam's secret police used to creep over the roofs into our homes at night; occupation troops now break down our doors in broad daylight. The media do not show even a fraction of the devastation that has engulfed Iraq. Journalists who dare to report the truth of what is happening have been kidnapped by terrorists. This serves the agenda of the occupation, which aims to eliminate witnesses to its crimes. "

Life is feeling very dark to me right now. It seems that the politicians of our country are baseball sized hail, shredding the life out of the planet and all who live on it. We need to throw our bodies, minds and spirits down to protect the sanctity of life and to realize REAL freedom for all to live with their needs met in dignity and respect. Our lives, and many others, DO depend on it.

One of my English professors in college was an admitted operaholic. Once, at his insistence, I tried to watch an opera, but couldn't make it through the whole thing. My teacher was so convincing, I gave him the benefit of the doubt until I tried it for myself. But, like he failed at forming me into a great writer, he also failed in teaching me to appreciate opera.

Name any year, and my teacher could give you the Academy Award winners - any year! He knew something about every television show and every type of music. He said that his memory was no better than anyone else's, but you just remember what you're interested in. Anyone who knows me knows that I am interested in many things, but my memory is a black hole.

Gore Vidal was the epitome of a writer, according to this professor whose name I can't remember right now (see? black hole). Once again, I failed to get what I was being taught, preferring Hermann Hesse and Kurt Vonnegut to Vidal. The article "An American icon: Gore Vidal on Italy, Iraq - and why he hates George Bush" from The Independent has motivated me to revisit Gore Vidal. Actually, I think he and Kurt would get along just fine.

Some excerpts:

How is it, then, to live full-time in the United States?

"If you care about America it's dreadful," he said. "If you are making money you don't care.

"Benjamin Franklin was shown the new American constitution, and he said, 'I don't like it, but I will vote for it because we need something right now. But this constitution in time will fail, as all such efforts do. And it will fail because of the corruption of the people, in a general sense.' And that is what it has come to now, exactly as Franklin predicted."

We have arrived in short order at Vidal's core message. As he points out, he has "lived for three-quarters of the 20th century and a third of the history of the United States", and listening to him talk one feels in the presence of history as with few Americans.

Why is it so dreadful to live in America, I asked.

"We have been deprived of our franchise," he says. "The election was stolen in both 2000 and 2004, because of electronic voting machinery which can be easily fixed. We've had two illegitimate elections in a row ...

"Little Bush says we are at war, but we are not at war because to be at war Congress has to vote for it. He says we are at war on terror, but that is a metaphor, though I doubt if he knows what that means. It's like having a war on dandruff, it's endless and pointless. We are in a dictatorship that has been totally militarised, everyone is spied on by the government itself. All three arms of the government are in the hands of this junta.

"Whatever you are," he goes on, "they say you are the reverse. The men behind the war in Iraq are cowards who did not fight in Vietnam - but they spent millions of dollars proving that John Kerry, who was a genuine war hero whatever you think of his politics, was a coward.

"This is what happens when you have control of the media, and I have never known the media more vicious, stupid and corrupt than they are now."

Regarding "It's like having a war on dandruff", my ex used to have dandruff, and he used a certain dandruff product religiously for years with no results. I used to say to him that if something isn't working, why do you keep doing it? Why don't you try something else? That is what I have to say to our policymakers. Let's try something new! It appears that violence begets violence. Let's stop the cycle. But then again, I guess it IS working for the people it's working for!

Sign I saw at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakewood, Colorado yesterday:

Excerpts From today's The Onion:


Report: U.S. May Have Been Abused During Formative Years

WASHINGTON, DC—A team of leading historians and psychiatrists issued a report Wednesday claiming that the United States was likely the victim of abuse by its founding fathers and motherland when it was a young colony.

"In its adulthood, the U.S. displays all the classic tendencies of a nation that was repeatedly mistreated in its infancy—difficulty forming lasting foreign relationships, viewing everyone as a potential enemy, and employing a pattern of assault and intimidation to assert its power," said Dr. Howard Drexel, the report's lead author. "Because of trust issues stemming from the abuse, America has become withdrawn, has not made an ally in years, and often resents the few nations that are willing to lend support—most countries outgrow this kind of behavior after 230 years."

According to Drexel, nations that act out in selfish, self-destructive ways in statehood were usually granted too much independence at an early age, especially if the motherland had other newly annexed lands to care for.

..."Granted, part of America's problems may stem from the fact that it was burdened with a false sense of responsibility at a young age because of the unrealistic expectations of the country's forefathers, and there is certainly something to be said about America having been part of a broken homeland for a four-year period in the mid-19th century," Drexel said. "Even though the U.S. is over 200 years old, emotionally it's younger than Lithuania."

Added Drexel: "But we must remember that the country also idealized the forefathers in a classic victim–abuser relationship."

The report recommended that the United Nations Security Council once again renew its efforts to organize an international intervention to help the U.S. get the counseling it needs. Prior attempts have failed to move beyond the planning stage, however, with many countries saying they are afraid that the U.S. may lash out.

Excerpts from

The Spiritual Crisis in our lives generated by the war in Iraq
by Blue Star wife Stacy Bannerman

"In the Sixties and Seventies, we thought that new laws would be enough. We thought it would be enough just to end the war in Vietnam. What we are seeing is that new laws are not enough, because ultimately and fundamentally what is needed is soulforce.

We need people to engage in the public sphere with the deepest essence of who they are. With their flaws, and failures; with their magnificence, and their hopes and dreams. We do this not only for ourselves, not only for our children, but for the future of the world.

I’ve spoken at so many different events and rallies and vigils, and things, and I’m standing there, literally in the middle of a graveyard sometimes. Standing there, watching a parent plant a white cross for his dead son while cars are driving by.

This nation seems to be driving by this war. We are not as a nation and as a people bearing witness to the war. And as spiritual progressives, as Christians and Buddhists, and Muslims and Jews, and Hindus, and God knows, as human beings we are asked to bear witness.

We are failing to do that."

Earlier this week, I went to an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute that chronicles the history of America’s wars, including the war in Iraq. It was called “The Price of Freedom.”

No. Death is not the price of freedom. Betrayal is not the price of freedom. Silence is not the price of freedom. The price of freedom is something that frankly, we don’t want to pay. The price of freedom is integrity. The price of freedom is democracy. The price of freedom is justice. The price of freedom is peace. The price of freedom is compassion.

And that is where the spiritual community really has got to step up and get involved. In the whole run-up to the war in Iraq, the Pope was clearly and consistently saying, “If you invade Iraq, God is not with you.” Yet, too many of our leaders, and our preachers, tell us that the occupation of Iraq is God’s work. How dare we allow faith to be used to justify this war?

But more pernicious and devastating is the belief that somehow we’ve got to be flawless before we get involved. We think we’ve got to be perfect before we can; we’ve got to be masters before we do. I know, because I struggle with it, too. But let me tell you, for those of us who are sitting in this room, and those of us in the spiritual progressive community, we have done enough, and we do know enough. It is upon us now to share it with the world."

Like the meadowlark
Singing to no one in particular
Singing
Because that is what a meadowlark does

Like the sunflower
Who stretches to the light
Growing
Because that is all it knows

Like the river
Flowing over rocks in the stream
Running, freezing, melting
Giving life

We, too, can be the I am of who we are
Waking up
To the joy, love and wonder
That has permeated our cells
Since before we were first created

Hate, judgment, and criticism
Are cancers to our very organism
Growing out of control
And eating up our life force
Torturing the tortured to no avail

But with kindness, we may remember
What it means to be

Human
Alive and loving
Curious, caring, and joyful
Because that is our true nature



Photo by the only cousin - out of all of my gazillion cousins - that I still know. I am eternally grateful that he is in my life. See more of his work at HawklinePhotography.com

I laughed when I found out about the "I Should Have Pulled Out" t-shirt that I posted this morning. My mind had a little fun thinking about what could've been, if only... But it didn't take long to remember that not much would be different if W hadn't been born. He is only doing his job, and if he didn't do it, someone else would.

Later, as I drove into the mountains to check out some eagle nests - looking for babies which eluded me - I felt very grouchy. This nagging voice in my head kept telling me that the saying on the t-shirt is not who I am. The idea of the shirt is pretty creative, but it is not kind. It is not the answer that I am looking for, nor the answer that I want to give.

Sometimes I forget who I am.

"I Should Have Pulled Out" t-shirt from WickedCoolStuff.com

"Our true nature is not one of selfishness, but one of love and compassion. We just need to realize this and awaken to that truth. The problem is that people are not really asleep, but only pretending to be asleep. If they were truly asleep, it would be easy to wake them up. But it is nearly impossible to wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep." - Amma

"The greatest enemy the world faces is poverty. Prostitution, terrorism and much of the other violence are, to a great extent, caused by poverty. There are two types of poverty: the lack of food, clothing and shelter, and the lack of love and compassion. If we can eliminate the later, the former will automatically be taken care of. For when people have love and compassion in their hearts, they will spontaneously and wholeheartedly reach out to help those without food, clothing and shelter."- Amma

See also Embraced by India's Hugging Saint on the BBC

Thanks to Jim!

Here in Colorado, our governor, Mr. Owens, is threatening to call the legislature back into session this summer to create a ballot measure to deny government services to "illegal immigrants". Below is Jim Spencer's article in the Denver Post, explaining just what services we are currently giving immigrants. I think that we have some very important issues facing us at this time - the war, our dependency on foreign oil, and the environment, for example. Immigration and gay marriage are distractions from the issues that are really threatening us.

6/19/2006
Benefit Fight Much Ado About Nada
By Jim Spencer
Denver Post Staff Columnist
DenverPost.com

"What on earth ever improved by adding millions of stupid, ugly Mexicans to it?"

As the governor and the General Assembly wrestle over who calls a special legislative session to talk about denying public benefits to illegal immigrants, I looked at my immigration fan mail.

Each time I write on the topic, certain immigration foes prove their xenophobia.

Theirs is rage in search of rationale. These days, the reasoning goes like this:

Colorado must amend its constitution to save hundreds of millions of dollars on public services to illegal immigrants.

Recently, I asked people what they won't have to pay for if voters pass an initiative banning benefits not required by federal law. The list included welfare, education and health care.

I called agencies that provide those services. I asked what they now give illegal immigrants that isn't required by federal code. The answer is nearly nothing.

After the Colorado Supreme Court knocked a benefits-ban initiative off the ballot, GOP Gov. Bill Owens threatened a special legislative session to preserve "one of the most important public-policy debates of our time." Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff warned not to assume that "no services will be affected."

Thing is, the only study done by state experts showed a whopping "service and benefit reduction" of $460,606 a year, mostly for human services. The number comes from an analysis of a failed 2005 House bill that attempted to do what the current initiative envisions.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided the K-12 education piece in 1982. The justices ruled that the Constitution entitles undocumented children to free public schools. What's left is denial of in-state university tuition to the undocumented, a right that doesn't currently exist in Colorado.

Liz McDonough of the Department of Human Services said no one gets food stamps or welfare without proving legal status through federal screening. A fake ID breaks a rule the initiative can't fix.

One of my correspondents claimed some Colorado counties give extra food stamps to children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents. Those kids are citizens. But if counties are slipping their moms and dads extra food stamps, that's fraud - with or without an initiative.

The same goes for Medicaid. "There is only one way illegal immigrants get services," said state Medicaid director Barbara Prehmus. "Those are emergency services." The initiative doesn't change that.

Much of the whining about health care by both sides in the initiative debate may come to nothing. The initiative's lawyer, University of Denver law professor Robert Hardaway, passed along a federal code section (8USC-1211) that allows illegal immigrants to receive "public health assistance for immunizations."

It appears kids probably won't go unvaccinated if the initiative passes, as critics charge. It also appears that my angry e-mailers will continue to pay to vaccinate illegal immigrants, despite their belief that the initiative will keep them from doing so.

For the stingy, the news isn't all bad. Colorado's Joint Budget Committee found that the average annual caseload of legal and illegal immigrants seeking emergency medical care peaked in 2001.

What's more, free "non-emergency" medical care that initiative backers claim is almost universally available to the undocumented is not.

Hardaway complained of undocumented people getting free prescriptions for non-emergency ills. The example he used was the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor.

Even if Hardaway is right, it's hard to see the economic wisdom of denying a guy a $40 bottle of Lipitor when you will be legally required to treat the $40,000 heart attack that might result.

Colorado's Bell Policy Center summed it up this way: "Overall, immigrants pay more in taxes than they ever use in publicly funded health care services."

All of this means one thing: The hot air that could soon fill the Capitol will have more to do with fanatical posturing than fiscal prudence.

Jim Spencer's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 303-820-1771 or jspencer@denverpost.com.

—The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5 (1948)

I just read a very disturbing article about the three recent suicides at Guantanamo. See: The Guardian or Common Dreams.

From Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International:

"New York, June 13 (RHC)-- Human rights groups are demanding immediate and independent investigations into the suicide deaths of three Guantanamo Bay prisoners over the weekend. According to OneWorld.net, many leading rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Human Rights Watch, have long demanded the closure of Guantanamo prison -- located in eastern Cuba and illegally occupied by the United States.

Jumana Musa of Amnesty International's U.S. bureau said that "the (Bush) administration should stop trying to minimize the desperate actions of detainees with language that does not reflect the seriousness of the matter at hand." Musa said that U.S. military officials said the three detainees died in their cells as a result of suicide, which they described as "a good PR (public relations) move." Musa said that 'colorful euphemisms such as 'manipulative self-injurious behavior' and 'hanging gestures' -- both used by the administration to refer to suicide attempts in the past -- only belittle the gravity of the situation that the detainees are facing.'"

Further research led me to find that June is Stop Torture Month. If you are so moved, please call your representatives in Congress this coming Friday, the 23rd and protest U.S. sponsored torture.

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee's STOP (Stop Torture Permanently) Campaign is a good resource for actions and information.

And I wonder... why are torture and killing
okay when we do it - or sanction someone else to do it,
ignored when done in countries that we don't care about,
and
an abomination when done in countries with oil?

Check out the Freeway Blogger. I admire him mostly for his brave work at getting his message out to the public, but also for his great blog. In less than a year, he's had over 100,000 visits to his site! I like this story about getting visited by the police while putting up signs.

I'm thinking about what my freeway sign would say...

"My religion teaches me that whenever there is distress which one cannot remove, one must fast and pray." - Mahatma Gandhi

On the 4th of July, instead of going to a barbeque or celebrating, some of us will be fasting at Civic Center Park in Denver. We'll be there from dawn to dusk, so if you live in the area, please join us. You can join us in the fast, or just stop by to say "hi". More details will be posted later.

We are doing this in alliance with Code Pink, who is sponsoring the Troops Home Fast in D.C. on the 4th. Cindy Sheehan, Diane Wilson, Daniel Ellsberg, Ann Wright, Dick Gregory, and Dolores Huerta are some of the people who will be fasting in front of the White House.

Yesterday, I met a wonderful woman (Janet), her daughter, and her son-in-law. It was really fun to spend time with such thoughtful people who are each, in their own way, making a positive difference in the world.

I fasted for 36 hours, and just started eating a small amount today. I don't know how to write about it right now, and I don't know how to write about my experience yesterday with Janet and her family. It seems that food must give me the ability to speak and write, because without eating, I have run out of words. Janet and her family probably seriously doubt that I could ever run out of words, but they saw me early in the fast before I ran out of steam. ;-)

This Sunday is Father's Day. So many young children don't have fathers due to violence.

I am speechless...

Today, the Iraq war U.S. casualty count is 2499.

A few days ago, I decided that I would fast for 24 hours when the count reached 2500. I know that at least 50 Iraqis have died for every U.S. soldier killed, so this fast will not be just for our soldiers. It is for all of the violence that we impose on each other.

I don't think that my fasting will do anything to stop the violence, but it is a way that I can personally connect with the suffering in the world. Watching what our politicians and corporations are doing to our country is more than painful, and I know that there are many U.S. citizens suffering for a host of reasons, but we don't know suffering like many countries know suffering. And we can always eat some chocolate and forget about it for awhile! ;-)

I will choose not to eat tomorrow, but I know that I will most likely eat on Friday. There is plenty of food in my kitchen - unlike the kitchens of more than 840 million people in the world. I have plenty of water that comes right into a faucet in my home. Over a billion people don't. The odds that men from another country will blow a hole through my door and take my husband away at gunpoint tomorrow are slim, but it happens regularly in Iraq and other countries.

And I wonder if pain of one reverberates through all of us, but we have learned not to feel.

Julia Butterfly Hill, Darryl Hannah, Joan Baez, and others have been trying to save an urban farm in L.A., but it looks like the rich guys won.

Today's Truthout story

South Central Farmer's site

"What kind of peace are you talking about?" That's what the woman asked us Women in Black while she sat in her car at the stop light in front of us. I would guess that she was around 30 years old. I think that someone in our group indicated to the woman that we were just standing for PEACE. So the woman proceded to ask us if we had been to any other countries (I would guess that most of us have, including one who lived in Africa for some time), but we kept our silence. Our lack of engagement didn't stop Ms. X from continuing on with her lecture on how, in order to have freedom, we have to have war. "People have to die for our freedom," she concluded.

Thank God red lights don't last forever! For more than one reason.

Regarding "What kind of peace are we talking about?", I didn't know that peace came in different flavors. Maybe one for when we're on vacation at the beach, one for Sunday at church, and if you're talking about one between countries, well, you don't get freedom that way! Sorry, I must be feeling a little cynical (moi?). There is only one kind of peace!!! I don't think that you can have peace at church, then go kill someone and say you have peace! It doesn't fit in containers for use at your convenience.

Okay, I looked up "peace" on dictionary.com and they say there really are different kinds of peace:

1. The absence of war or other hostilities.
2. An agreement or a treaty to end hostilities.
3. Freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations: roommates living in peace with each other.
4. Public security and order: was arrested for disturbing the peace.
5. Inner contentment; serenity: peace of mind.

But the dictionary is only a reflection of our culture and how we use language. I take very little from "authorities" as Truth anymore.

If we truly have #5 (plus a few skills that elder #5-ers can teach us), numbers 1-4 will result. I think that 1-4 are only results of peace, which starts within. How we do anything is how we do everything.

A couple of nights ago, we did a hike at our friend's property in the foothills. We saw a few groups of columbine in one area. Unlike most of the columbine that you see around here, these were not planted by humanoids, but they just grew naturally with their beautiful blue-ness standing out in the green woods. Because we don't see wild columbine everyday, and because of their beauty, I receive them as a very special gift.

The sadness that I experienced last week in response to my mom's lack of acknowledgement of my photo in the paper came in a wave and left the same way. Its life was short, and I have since looked at this from many angles. Some people think that I should talk about this with my mom. I am glad that I have been sitting with it, though, because I am finding beautiful complexities.

I have thought about how I would feel if I saw a newspaper photo of my daughter tattooed in swastikas or wearing the white robe of a Klansman. What would I say? I hope that I would acknowledge the photo AND my disagreement with her beliefs. I hope that I would address her with respect and love, while not supporting her actions. As Stephen Levine says, forgiving the actor, not the actions.

But do I do this with others who don't believe the way I do? Or do I just go away and associate with those of like mind?

It would be hard to stay connected with a daughter who hated others and acted upon that hate. Harder still to stay connected with others out there in the world that do that. My mom, myself, my daughter, the Klansmen who just rallied and voiced hatred in Maryland, someone of different nationality or religion.

Where does the war begin?

And where does it end?

Lt. Ehren Watada's commanding officer has made moves to prosecute him for refusing to deploy to Iraq. Watada claims his "moral and legal obligation is to the Constitution and not those who would issue unlawful orders." You can watch Watada's statement here. He is making the same points that the "No Blood for Oil 12" made in their statements at their trial. Per Watada: "The war in Iraq violates our democratic system of checks and balances. It usurps international treaties and conventions that by virtue of the Constitution become American law." Like W, who keeps harping on 9-11 for everything, we need to keep reminding people of not only the immorality of this action, but also the illegality of it.

See Section 6 of the Constitution, the Geneva Conventions, and the Nuremberg Principles

This beautiful sculpture of Mother and Child was created by Carol Peace - great name - huh? I think I should change my name to Carol Peace.

When I look at this piece of art, I can feel, in my heart and my skin, the love a mother has for her child - the innocence and purity, the deep visceral connection, and the lioness-like drive to protect.

And I wonder... if all of the mothers believed that all children are sacred, would we rise up and put our lives on the line to stop the violence?

We have a television and it is useful for three things.

Okay, four.

#4 It takes up space and gives me one more thing to dust. When I feel like dusting. Which isn't very often.

#3 It is useful for watching videos a couple of times a month.

#2 It is good for watching the McLaughlin Group on Friday evenings, when I feel like hearing a lot of raised voices.

#1 And my favorite television use: Watching NOW on Fridays, right after the McLaughlin Group. I am sad that Bill Moyers is no longer host of the show, and it's a bummer that the show is now only 1/2 hour. But David Brancaccio is an excellent host, and I learn about issues that I don't find in other places.

Last night's show, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" was fascinating. You can watch it on the PBS site. The movie, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" will be coming out in theaters this summer. I can't wait to find out who did it! ;-)

I remember knowing that a few years ago, people were starting to have electric cars in California. After awhile, I didn't think about it anymore. Then lately, when the hybrids came out, it didn't make sense, but I guess that I accepted that hybrids were the best technology we had out there. But if we had electric cars in the 90's (probably before), why did we go backwards? And if we have the technology to make electric cars, which decreases pollution AND OUR DEPENDENCY ON OIL, thus our need to control certain parts of the world, why are we driving gas-fueled cars, some of which get less than 10 miles to the gallon?

powerandmoneypowerandmoneypowerandmoneypowerandmoneypowerandmoneypowerandmoney

Tears...

I was trained, a very long time ago, not to share my deepest beliefs with my parents. They and I have never seen life the same way. To give you an example of how their thinking is different than mine, they have an autographed photo of W and his wife IN MY OLD BEDROOM and an RNC calendar in another room. When my parents don't approve of what I do or how I believe, which is much of the time, I only hear silence from them. So I tell them very little. Still, I thought that I should tell them that I was going to Camp Casey both last summer and this past spring, since I would be out of town for awhile. Silence.

I have always wondered if my parents saw any of the photographs of me in the paper, but I've never asked. Recently, I figured that, now that they receive the Rocky Mountain News, they would've had to have seen the big photo of me and my friends standing at the courthouse. None of us mentioned it, and I felt no need for silence from them. But today, my daughter told me that she asked my mom if she had seen me in the paper. My mom said that she had, and when my daughter asked her if she was going to tell me that she had seen me, my mom said "no" and changed the subject. Don't most peop