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Justice Tuesdays

Everyone has a role to play in the effort to create justice. Awareness is an important first step. Each week justice coordinator Liz Deligio provides a brief discussion on a justice topic. Check back weekly to learn more on a wide range of topics. If you have a suggested topic you would like to have considered, please contact us.

August 19, 2008

"As a part of all creation, we too have a nurturing role to play. We have been blessed with the ability to choose our role. Now in community, we dedicate ourselves to choosing wisely. Together with the Holy Spirit, we will choose life, that we and our children might live..." U.N, Environmental Sabbath

Dear All - I am sending a little late an article that reports on the anniversary of when we dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The article looks at how the events are remembered within Japan, noting the deep emotional and communal impact that is still being felt today.

The article also reports an important call to American leadership and the American public - that we as a nation support the U.N. Resolution that Japan crafted calling for an end to atomic weapons. The U.S. is one of only three nations that opposed the measure and we are also to date the only nation that has ever used atomic weapons.

"As a part of all creation, we too have a nurturing role to play..." living in a world of nuclear technology opens deep and wide the question - what is a nurturing role? How do we as people, as Christians, as a Franciscan community take the wisdom of our lives and traditions to ensure that never again do over 100,000 people die in one day?

Maybe it is creating that space for the Holy Spirit to speak to us and strengthen us to not push away the overwhelming reality and horrific memory of those days. To speak within us so that we remember to speak out in our public forums and communities toward a future in which no one person or nation could ever hold that level of power over all. Much Peace Liz

August 12, 2008

"The name of the Ho-Chunk Nation means "People of the Sacred Language" or "People of the Big Voice." And when no one was listening to them, they spoke to each other and chose to return, and strengthened each other for the return here where their action spoke louder than words and they eventually, after 11 removals and five weary returns, were ceded parts of their original land. " Kathy Kelly, Truthout

Dear All - First I would like to say thanks to Prairiewoods, Marci Madary and Sr. Marla for giving me the opportunity to help with a retreat this past weekend in Iowa. It was wonderful to meet and be with some of the affiliates and sisters as we talked about radical mutuality and what that looks like in times of war, fear and uncertainty. Thanks to all who helped to organize this event and all who were there!

I am including a link to an article today by Kathy Kelly, a committed peace creator, who has advocated for the people of Iraq since the first Gulf invasion. She highlights an action and effort for peace that is travelling right through the heart of Wisconsin - near so many of you I thought some might be interested. It is a walk for peace that left Chicago and hopes to make it all the way to the Republican National Convention in September - educating and advocating along the way. For more information on the walk go to www.vcnv.org

I think Kathy's reflection points to an important question for us as a nation at this time...how do we use our voice in these times of ecological decline, war, economic downfall and human rights violations? How can we speak as a people of peace, nonviolence and mutuality? Answers may be slow to come and even hard to find, but to be open to the question is place for us to begin and to find our own sacred language in these times.

Much Peace Liz

August 5, 2008

Dear All - I share a Web site with you today that looks at the struggles and dreams of women that are incarcerated. The page opens to an essay written by Ann Stanford, a volunteer that does poetry workshops with women and prison.

I share this site as I return from court myself today for a trespassing violation. On June 18th myself and 20 others engaged in a non-violent protest at the Federal Building calling for an end to the Iraq war. We were arrested and given a ticket with a trespassing violation and told to appear in court.

Every time I have appeared in court I have seen a microcosm of the all the justice issues we work on as a center and FSPA community. Issues of racism, sexism, poverty, militarism, eco-justice...and each time I have seen the failure of our state structures to to be just to the wholeness of a person or an issue.

Reading Ann's reflection she talks of a dream she has had since she began to work in prisons where the house she is in completely falls apart. I worry sometimes that the "house" of the United States is falling apart as we spiral more toward a vision and direction that is destructive and actively unjust to Earth and all of creation.

Court today, however, reminded me of the women I was incacerarted with - so many whose houses had fallen apart completely - and I recalled their courage, love and hope. A courage, love and hope that withstood the destructive nature of incarceration and thrived. I believe that it thrived because those women, in the worst of times, also felt the enduring presence of mystery revealed to them through their friendships, families and own inner light. This is a goodly reminder to me that a house that is falling apart is not just an end but also a beginning - and beginnings happen each day, even in the midst of the worst destruction.

So I offer this site, as place to visit that is one of both struggle and hope - of both ends and beginnings as each of us works toward a new house that will hold all of creation justly. Much Peace Liz

July 29, 2008

"Solidarity is a wrenching task: to stand up for justice in the midst of injustice and domination; to take up simplicity in the midst of affluence and comfort; to embrace integrity in the midst of collusion and co-optation; to contest the gravitational pull of domination." Kwok Pui-Lan

Dear All - It was wonderful to be with so many of you in Postville, Iowa, this last weekend. Many thanks to everyone who came along and in particular Sister Julia who did such a wonderful job informing, organizing and leading the journey.

It was powerful to be with such a diverse group across lines of class, race, gender, religion and age to stand as one body in prayer and solidarity calling for a just answer to immigration reform. The prayer service, march and speeches reflected values of mutuality, inclusion and equity the very values so desperately needed in the policy and practices coming from the federal government.

I was struck by a moment in the march as the crowd moved along saying different chants as a whole when four small voices rose above the crowd as these young girls came marching along holding signs and chanting "No more raids!" It was amazing on one hand to see young children involved in the organizing to resist the destruction of their own communities and families. On the other hand I was left with the unsettling question of what has our world become if children need to speak out at a rally to make sure their parents are not taken from them?

A paradox for sure, and I believe paradoxes point us to a deeper place in the heart where our understanding is not of a wholly rational nature but more in the language of hope and vision that opens the door to see a new reality for migrants emerge from all the voices gathered, in particular the voice of our future the children.

Much Peace Liz

July 15, 2008

"We pray for all who suffered violence today, may an unexpected serenity surprise them..." John O'Donahue

Dear All - This week's email came to my attention from Sister Joann Gehling, it is a call to accountability that is being made by the Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform to treat with dignity and fairness the day laborers who are helping with the flood clean-up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the workers arrested and detained in Postville.

I post below the body of their text that calls for accountability and a link to an article in a Iowa newspaper detailing the situation in Cedar Rapids. The group, Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, also has a number of excellent resources on the Web site of Sojourners magazine. Hope this finds everyone enjoying a beautiful summer - Much Peace Liz


Faith Leaders Call for Humane Treatment of Immigrant Workers and Families
Recent Exploitation of Flood Cleanup Workers and Agriprocessors Raid in Iowa Highlight Desperate Need for Reform

Des Moines, IA – Today, Iowa Faith leaders spoke during a telephone press conference on the recent abuse suffered by immigrant workers in the state at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville and in flood recovery efforts in Eastern Iowa. Convened by Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, speakers on the call included Rev. Catherine Quehl-Engel, Chaplain of Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Bishop Alan Scarfe, Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, Bishop Steven L. Ullestad, Northeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bishop Gregory Palmer, Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Rev. Julia Rendon of the Iowa Conference of the United Church of Christ and Patty Kupfer, manager of Partnerships with America's Voice.

Amidst a chorus of faith leaders calling on Congress to investigate the Postville raid, the bishops and clergy denounced the troubling pattern of worker exploitation and disregard for immigrant families around the state. In particular, the exploitation of clean-up crews brought in to aid in recent flood recovery has highlighted the abuses as a wake-up call, revealing the urgent need for fair and humane immigration reform.

"Working towards immigration reform has become even more urgent following the troubling stories that have emerged from Iowa," said Patty Kupfer, manager of Partnerships with Americas Voice. "Sadly, these two examples are not isolated incidents but part of the systematic mistreatment of immigrant workers across the country," she said.

Faith groups all over Iowa have stepped up their efforts to provide basic needs for workers who are being exploited. Many workers are hired by staffing agencies that often do not tell them where they are being assigned to work and provide little or no training, food and inadequate housing for the workers.

"I've yet to meet a Republican or Democrat who is not appalled when learning of the exploitation and lack of basic human decency extended to workers as they aid Iowa in its hour of need," said Rev. Catherine Quehl-Engel. "When 35 mostly African-Americans workers sat on a bus for 14 hours without food, or when a Hispanic gentleman from Miami works in toxic filth 12-14 hours daily then is told by management to sleep on or under the bus that brought them to Cedar Rapids, then Iowans must rise to bi-partisan moral, legislative leadership," she concluded.

"Our church is responding to God's call to feed the hungry, cloth the naked and visit the imprisoned," added Bishop Steven Ullestad. "Members of the faith communities are joining together to provide care for children with no food, babies in need of diapers and families in need of homes. The toll of the devastation on Postville has yet to be measured. The impact on the children will last a lifetime."

"With grace and love, I believe we are called to speak against acts that induce fear like the Postville raid, and proposed anti-immigrant legislation that causes suffering, oppression and denial of people's human decency and rights," commented Bishop Gregory Palmer. "We call upon all elected officials to prayerfully and humanely go through the difficult process of formulating an immigration policy that affirms the dignity and humanity of the migrants in our midst and ceases fear tactics like the raid in Postville until there is unified, comprehensive and just reform."

Rev. Julia Rendon concluded, "Both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament tell us to welcome the sojourner in our midst and to include those who are excluded. For us to tolerate the shabby treatment of flood relief workers, some of whom are immigrants, would violate our faith. We believe God cherishes every person, and as Christians we must stand up for those who lack the resources to defend themselves."

About Christians For Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CCIR):

CCIR represents a coalition of Christian organizations, churches and leaders, from across the theological and political spectrum, united in support of comprehensive immigration reform. Despite our differences on other issues, we are working together to revive comprehensive immigration reform as soon as possible, because we share a set of common moral and theological principles that compel us to love and care for the stranger among us.

For more information about CCIR please visit: www.sojo.net/immigration

June 24, 2008

"When the church hears the cry of the oppressed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises." Archbishop Oscar Romero

Dear All - I am including a link from one of 8th Day's partners, Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America. It looks at the new TRADE Act that has just been introduced into Congress. TRADE calls for a review of all passed Free Trade Agreements like NAFTA, outlines what we as a country want and do not want in future trade agreements, removes the "Fast Track" passing mechanism that limits public debate about potential trade agreements, and offers a new model of trade and globalization that will support workers and families around the world as well as respecting environmental concerns and questions of sustainability.

It is not, of course, a perfect bill but it does go a long way away from the current Free Trade model that has removed many standard labor protections, watered down or removed environmental standards, and widened the divide between rich and poor. The link has information on how to support TRADE, an article on TRADE, talking points and a fact sheet. It is a great resource to just explore or utilize for action.

Trade models are very important when we look at the concerns of Earth and the many impoverished - it is one of the clearest ways we as a country and people have to impact for better or worse Earth and people around the world.

Hope this finds everyone enjoying the start of summer - Much Peace Liz

June 10, 2008

Dear All - I am including a YouTube clip by a musician, Talaam Acey who is reflecting on our current political situation. It is an interesting clip and I think points to some important issues with accountability in our current system. He points to some difficult ideas, including how ethical issues like stem cell research are used to distract from other important ethical issues like the war. This piece may feel a little controversial, I offer it as a way to see first how different mediums, like music and poetry, can teach and engage, and to provide a alternative reflecting point on what we are told during these times.

I will be out of town this week until Thursday - helping with a retreat at Marywoods - Blessings Liz

June 3, 2008

"We must listen deeply..." Pope Benedict XVI

Dear All - This small quote from a speech from Pope Benedict XVI was sent to me through a newsletter. I thought this was a very good quote and sound reflection for all of us no matter our age. To look about with eyes of the Sacred and listen with our full being is the first step along the path to creating full justice with peace on our time. Hope all of you are very well - Peace Liz

Pope's Words to Youth in the U.S.

Look about you with Christ's eyes, listen with his ears, feel and think with his heart and mind. Are you ready to give all as he did for truth and justice? Many of the examples of the suffering which our saints responded to with compassion are still found here in this city and beyond. And new injustices have arisen: some are complex and stem from the exploitation of the heart and manipulation of the mind; even our common habitat, the Earth itself, groans under the weight of consumerist greed and irresponsible exploitation. We must listen deeply. We must respond with a renewed social action that stems from the universal love that knows no bounds. In this way, we ensure that our works of mercy and justice become hope in action for others. - Benedict XVI (remarks to youth at St. Joseph Seminary, Yonkers, NY April 19, 2008)

May 27, 2008

"And it arises from within us, like the forces that drive green shoots, to break the winter ground, it will arise and drive us..." China Gallard

Dear All - I am including a reflection on Memorial Day from Bill Quigley, a long time human rights lawyer and friend of the 8th Day Center. He draws forward an important point about Memorial Day and how we chose to honor those who have served - in the past and in our present context. It is a little long - so I will keep mine short! Blessings on this Spring for all of you as it continues to unfold - Much Peace Liz


War Immemorial Day – No Peace for Militarized U.S.
By Bill Quigley

Bill is a human rights lawyer and law professor at Loyola University New Orleans. His email is quigley77@gmail.com

Memorial Day is not actually a day to pray for U.S. troops who died in action but rather a day set aside by Congress to pray for peace. The 1950 Joint Resolution of Congress which created Memorial Day says: "Requesting the President to issue a proclamation designating May 30, Memorial Day, as a day for a Nation-wide prayer for peace." (64 Stat.158).

Peace today is a nearly impossible challenge for the United States. The U.S. is far and away the most militarized country in the world and the most aggressive. Unless the U.S. dramatically reduces its emphasis on global military action, there will be many, many more families grieving on future Memorial days.

The U.S. spends over $600 billion annually on our military, more than the rest of the world combined. China, our nearest competitor, spends about one-tenth of what we spend. The U.S. also sells more weapons to other countries than any other nation in the world. The U.S. has about 700 military bases in 130 countries worldwide and another 6000 bases in the U.S. and our territories, according to Chalmers Johnson in his excellent book NEMESIS: THE LAST DAYS OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC (2007).

The Department of Defense (DOD) reports nearly 1.4 million active duty military personnel today. Over a quarter of a million are in other countries from Iraq and Afghanistan to Europe, North Africa, South Asia and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. The DOD also employs more than 700,000 civilian employees.

The U.S. has used its armed forces abroad over 230 times according to researchers at the Department of the Navy Historical Center. Their publications list over 60 military efforts outside the U.S. since World War II.

While the focus of most of the Memorial Day activities will be on U.S. military dead, no effort is made to try to identify or remember the military or civilians of other countries who have died in the same actions. For example, the U.S. government reports 432 U.S. military dead in Afghanistan and surrounding areas, but has refused to disclose civilian casualties. "We don't do body counts," General Tommy Franks said.

Most people know of the deaths in World War I – 116,000 U.S. soldiers killed. But how many in the U.S. know that over 8 million soldiers from other countries and perhaps another 8 million civilians also died during World War I?

By World War II, about 408,000 U.S. soldiers were killed. Worldwide, at least another 20 million soldiers and civilians died.

The U.S. is not only the largest and most expensive military on the planet but it is also the most active. Since World War II, the U.S. has used U.S. military force in the following countries:

1947-1949 Greece. Over 500 U.S. armed forces military advisers were sent into Greece to administer hundreds of millions of dollars in their civil war.

1947-1949 Turkey. Over 400 U.S. armed forces military advisers sent into Turkey.

1950-1953 Korea. In the Korean War and other global conflicts 54,246 U.S. service members died.

1957–1975 Vietnam. Over 58,219 U.S. killed.

1958-1984 Lebanon. Sixth Fleet amphibious Marines and U.S. Army troops landed in Beirut during their civil war. Over 3,000 U.S. military participated. 268 U.S. military killed in bombing.

1959 Haiti. U.S. troops, Marines and Navy, land in Haiti and joined in support of military dictator Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier against rebels.

1962 Cuba. Naval and Marine forces blockade island.

1964 Panama. U.S. troops stationed there since 1903. U.S. troops used gunfire and tear gas to clear U.S. Canal Zone.

1965-1966 Dominican Republic. U.S. troops land in Dominican Republic during their civil war – eventually 23,000 were stationed in their country.

1969-1975 Cambodia. U.S. and South Vietnam jets dropped more than 539,000 tons of bombs on Cambodia – three times the number dropped on Japan during WWII.

1964-1973 Laos. U.S. flew 580,000 bombing runs over country – more than 2 million tons of bombs dropped – double the amount dropped on Nazi Germany. U.S. dropped more than 80 million cluster bombs on Laos – 10 to 30% did not explode leaving 8 to 24 million scattered across the country. Since the war stopped, two or three Laotians are killed every month by leftover bombs – over 5,700 killed since bombing stopped.

1980 Iran. Operation Desert One, 8 U.S. troops die in rescue effort.

1981 Libya. U.S. planes aboard the Nimitz shot down 2 Libyan jets over Gulf of Sidra.

1983 Grenada. U.S. Army and Marines invade, 19 U.S. killed.

1983 Lebanon. Over 1,200 Marines deployed into country during their civil war. 241 U.S. service members killed in bombing.

1983-1991 El Salvador. Over 150 U.S. soldiers participate in their civil war as military advisers.

1983 Honduras. Over 1,000 troops and National Guard members deployed into Honduras to help the contra fight against Nicaragua.

1986 Libya. U.S. Naval air strikes hit hundreds of targets – airfields, barracks and defense networks.

1986 Bolivia. U.S. Army troops assist in anti-drug raids on cocaine growers.

1987 Iran. Operation Nimble Archer. U.S. warships shelled two Iranian oil platforms during Iran-Iraq war.

1988 Iran. U.S. naval warship Vincennes in Persian Gulf shoots down Iranian passenger airliner, Airbus A300, killing all 290 people on board. U.S. said it thought it was Iranian military jet.

1989 Libya. U.S. Naval jets shoot down 2 Libyan jets over Mediterranean

1989-1990 Panama. U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy forces invade Panama to arrest President Manuel Noriega on drug charges. U.N. puts civilian death toll at 500.

1989 Philippines. U.S. jets provide air cover to Philippine troops during their civil war.

1991 Gulf War. Over 500,000 U.S. military involved. 700 plus U.S. died.

1992-93 Somalia. Operation Provide Relief, Operation Restore Hope, and Operation Continue Hope. Over 1300 U.S. Marines and Army Special Forces landed in 1992. A force of over 10,000 U.S. was ultimately involved. Over 40 U.S. soldiers killed.

1992-96 Yugoslavia. U.S. Navy joins in naval blockade of Yugoslavia in Adriatic waters.

1993 Bosnia. Operation Deny Flight. U.S. jets patrol no-fly zone, naval ships launch cruise missiles, attack Bosnian Serbs.

1994 Haiti. Operation Uphold Democracy. U.S. led force of 20,000 troops invade to restore president.

1995 Saudi Arabia. U.S. soldier killed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, outside U.S. training facility.

1996 Saudi Arabia. Nineteen U.S. service personnel die in blast at Saudi Air Base.

1998 Sudan. Operation Infinite Reach. U.S. cruise missiles fired at pharmaceutical plant thought to be terrorist center.

1998 Afghanistan. Operation Infinite Reach. U.S. fires 75 cruise missiles on four training camps.

1998 Iraq. Operation Desert Fox. U.S. Naval bombing Iraq from striker jets and cruise missiles after weapons inspectors report Iraqi obstructions.

1999 Yugoslavia. U.S. participates in months of air bombing and cruise missile strikes in Kosovo war.

2000 Yemen. 17 U.S. sailors killed aboard U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Cole docked in Aden, Yemen.

2001 Macedonia. U.S. military lands troops during their civil war.

2001 to present Afghanistan. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) includes Pakistan and Uzbekistan with Afghanistan. 432 U.S. killed in those countries. Another 64 killed in other locations of OEF – Guantanamo Bay, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Yemen. U.S. military does not count deaths of non-U.S. civilians, but estimates of over 8000 Afghan troops killed, over 3500 Afghan civilians killed.

2002 Yemen. U.S. predator drone missile attack on Al Qaeda.

2002 Philippines. U.S. sends over 1,800 troops and Special Forces in mission with local military.

2003-2004 Colombia. U.S. sends in 800 military to back up Columbian military troops in their civil war.

2003 to present Iraq. Operation Iraqi Freedom. 4,082 U.S. military killed. British medical journal Lancet estimates over 90,000 civilian deaths. Iraq Body Count estimates over 84,000 civilians killed.

2005 Haiti. U.S. troops land in Haiti after elected president forced to leave.

2005 Pakistan. U.S. air strikes inside Pakistan against suspected Al Qaeda, killing mostly civilians.

2007 Somalia. U.S. Air Force gunship attacked suspected Al Qaeda members, U.S. Navy joins in blockade against Islamic rebels.

The U.S. has the most powerful and expensive military force in the world. The U.S. is the biggest arms merchant. And the U.S. has been the most aggressive in worldwide interventions. If Memorial Day in the U.S. is supposed to be about praying for peace, the U.S. has a lot of praying (and changing) to do.

May 20, 2008

"The Arabs used to say when a stranger appears at your door, feed her for three days before asking who she is, where she has come from, and where she is headed. That way she will have enough strength to answer or by then you will be such good friends you will not care..." Naomi Shihab Nye

Dear All - I am sure many of you saw the coverage of what happened in Postville, Iowa, and the first-hand account that Sister Suzanne shared from a teacher who witnessed the raid.

I tried to find an exact action piece to match this story but found on many of the larger sites for Immigrant Justice that there is a kind of holding pattern happening because there is not a piece of proposed federal legislation currently. What we are seeing instead of legislation is many smaller state measures (like requiring driver's licences etc.) and large raids by ICE and the FBI. Many advocacy groups are still trying to formulate an action response to these tactics, so it is difficult to know what "to do" beyond more education and advocacy at this time.

However what struck me so forcefully from that first-hand account was the image of all those children with no home to go to because their parents had been detained. Detained to where, for how long, no official can say - even to their closest and most vulnerable kin - their own children.

Naomi Shihab Nye, in her prayer I quoted at the beginning, writes later that she "refuses to be claimed" by a culture that tells her to be too busy, too important, and too afraid to care for the stranger - It makes me think how important it is to be a humane witness to this event. The raids set up an automatic de-humanization process. An important form of resistance to that is for each of us, as we are able, to hold the story of Postville and all the residents of that community and refuse to see any one of them as less - It is a beginning as we struggle as a nation to welcome the many who have come amongst us as neighbors, workers, and friends.

I have included a link to some NPR stories on this particular town.

Much Peace Liz

May 13, 2008

Dear All - This Thursday May 15th members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War will be testifying before Congress about their experience in Iraq. This testimony is timed to inform members of Congress of the reality of the situation as they work toward a vote on over $100 billion dollar funding package for the Iraq war.

The veterans have compiled on their Web site the testimony of soldiers and civilians, I encourage you to click on the link below and listen to the testimony of an Iraqi widow. And if you have time this week to talk with your Congressional Representative and see how they will vote on the proposed funding package.

The woman in the video is now a single mother to five children, how many more like her are struggling in Iraq to not only care for the living but grieve the many dead? Much Peace Liz

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/testimony/civilian-testimony-cost-war-iraq-and-afghanistan/civilian-woman-2/video

May 6, 2008

"Dear Children of the future, my hopes for you are these..."

Dear All - I am including a link to an article from Truthout about a man in Iraq refusing compensation for the death of his ten-year-old son by Blackwater "soldiers." I think this story is important on several levels, primarily highlighting how the United States is approaching Iraqi civilians and the dire situation we have created by offering money for life lost - as if that is a solution or a moral response.

Secondly, the continued impunity that is being freely given to "contracted security" like Blackwater even though the list of human rights violations at their hands grows every day. Private contracted soldiers match our regular duty soldiers in a one to one ratio - this equals 180,000 privately contracted security personnel that are not required to follow the same laws that guide our military on the ground in the desperate chaos of Iraq.

Finally, I think this article leaves me with the question: What does it mean when children have become "enemy combatants" ? Where are we as an Earth community if a child can be seen as a threat or of so little value as to be killed with impunity?

I offer this reflection below as a grounding point for what we want for children, for each other and for Earth and with all of our continued efforts we can overcome impunity and move toward genuine peace with justice. Peace Liz


Dear Children of the future,

My hopes for you are these,

May you be powerfully loving and lovingly powerful. May love be your guide with family, friends and colleagues. Remember to listen carefully to your heart and to the heart of others.

May you have the strength to overcome fear and pride and instead follow what has heart and meaning for you. Take an action everyday to support your life dream, your love of nature, and your integrity.

May you care for mother nature and the wilderness and help all living things keep their dignity. May you be an active, committed positive force in your community. May you show respect to people of all ages and races and help make a better world for the poor, sick, elderly and young.

May you respect all the ways human beings access their own spirituality.

May your constantly bring your gifts and talents forward everyday without hesitation or reservation.

With deep gratitude and respect for all that you will do to make Earth a better place - we, your elders say...Blessing, Blessing, always Blessing . . .
- Angeles Arrien

April 29, 2008

"Let billions of human beings co-operate to create a good future for their children and grandchildren..."

Dear All - I hope this finds everyone very well. I am including two links this week that look at the recent food crisis that was reported in the U.S. media in the last few weeks. Below is a link to some Truthout articles to provide some good background and the ONE campaign which is calling on world leaders to address this issue promptly and as part of the G-8 Summit.

This food crisis is one of the many faces of global poverty that we have seen rising in the wake of the fierce globalization of capital, resources and labor that has been the earmark of the neo-conservative economic plan. This particular face of poverty, with its stark simplicity, the image of thousands not able to have the simplest of nutrition like rice, call us to a place of deep contemplation and action. We have seen hunger before, even in our own local communities, but the scales are tipping in a more severe and dangerous direction of a proportion that will be very hard to come back from as a world community. This crisis reminds me of the deep sense of neighbor and hospitality that comes to us from the Scripture stories, where we take in the widow, orphan and stranger so that all may be loved, known and cared for in dignity. I hope the links below can provide some good information and chance for action - Much Peace Liz

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041308A.shtml

http://www.one.org/hungercrisis/

April 22, 2008

"Happy Earth Day!"

Dear All - I offer this link below in honor of Earth Day - it is from Codepink and looks at the connections between war and the environment and includes an action piece to contact legislators and let them know we do not want anymore money to go to a war that is destroying both the lives of people and Earth.

Earth Day reminds me of St.Francis' ideal of poverty. I understand this very simply, but from what I understand, St. Francis draws a connection between ideas of possession and ownership and destruction. St.Francis reminds us that all that we are and live in communion with is pure gift - when we begin to apply a sense of ownership we destroy that radical sense of gift from Sacred Mystery and distort and even destroy the essence of that gift, and life itself.

St. Francis and St. Clare call us toward an ever deepening opening toward relationship instead of ownership - I think of that today as I reflect on how much Earth would thrive if we were able to see Earth and all its creatures as precious gift and not commodity. My hope is that I can live into that more so that possibly every day may feel like Earth Day. Many Blessings as this Bright Spring continues to unfold!

- Much Peace Liz

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/424/t/4589/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1173

April 15, 2008

"Display a heart of boundless love for all the world..." The Buddha

Dear All - The information below came to me through the network for LCWR Region 9, it is a request to contact certain Senators who will be able to introduce the Trafficking Victims bill with a suggested amendment that helps victims.

Currently many victims who are rescued face laws that do not take into consideration their fragility and trauma upon exiting a trafficking situation and make requests of them, before they can get a visa, that are very difficult for a survivor to fulfill. This often means the victims risk losing getting a T-Visa simply due to the fact that they are unable to fulfill the requirements of the current law due to being in a traumatized state. This amendment would provide help and time to victims so that do not face losing a T-Visa due to their trauma.

This is a great opportunity to help victims of trafficking, a large majority of which are women, and build awareness within our lawmakers of the importance of crafting legislation that empower and protects victims instead of punishing and criminalizing them. Hope this finds everyone very well - Much Peace Liz

Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthrorization Act

The United States Senate now is preparing its version of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2008. We are very hopeful that the Senate bill will improve upon the bill that passed the US House of Representatives by providing for a temporary trafficking victims protection period. We have prepared a proposed amendment that is a modified version of the "reflection period" that other destination countries provide to victims of trafficking who have been brought into their countries for forced labor and sexual exploitation.

Under current law (TVPRA of 2005), to remain in the USA, trafficked persons must be "willing to assist" law enforcement in order to receive federal benefits and services, including a temporary stay in the USA and eligibility for T-Visa. Trafficked – and traumatized – women (and men) must make these difficult decisions well before they have had the opportunity to begin their recovery in safe and nurturing surroundings. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Council of Europe (through its Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings) both agree that such a "reflection period" benefits both trafficked persons and law enforcement.

PLEASE support this amendment contacting Senators Biden, Brownback, and Lugar by fax, phone or email stating your support for the proposed amendment so that our Senate will focus on passing the bill with the amendment and better support trafficked victims.

April 8, 2008

"Deliver me from the silence that gives consent to abuse, war and evil..."

Dear All - I have included below an email from one of our partners, The Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America, that has two action points to it concerning Colombia.

You may have heard that President Bush is introducing the Colombia Free Trade Agreement into Congress and attempting to put it on a "fast track" which forces the Congress to vote on the bill in 90 days which of course limits both the Congress' and public's ability to fairly debate the bill.

What you may have not heard is that there has been an increase to threats of human rights defenders in Colombia as many groups within Colombia try to organize peaceably toward an end to the long-term civil conflict and in resistance to the Free Trade Agreement.

Congress has expressed concern over passing a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia in light of their human rights record. This action from the Chicago Religious Leadership Network is asking folks to contact their Representatives and ask them to support a Dear Colleague letter that is circulating Congress in support of human rights defenders and link that letter to concerns over passing the Free Trade Agreement - kind of two for one within the justice world.

Free Trade Agreements are one of the harshest forces being put into play by globalization. It is no coincidence that when one is getting ready to be passed that you see an increase in human rights abuses (we all remember the Zapatista uprising in 1994 concerning NAFTA) - Free Trade Agreements are so egregiously unfair they require repression to be passed. If you have time lend your voice to this struggle. Blessings on every one's Spring! Peace Liz

First, to ensure that our Colombian partners who speak out and work for human rights are neither threatened nor harmed, Illinois Representative Jan Schakowsky (D) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) are circulating a "dear colleague" letter to President Uribe of Colombia over the recent wave of threats against, and targeted killings of, human rights defenders, trade unionists, and others in Colombia. Click here to read the letter, take immediate action and find out how to urge your Representative to sign on!

Second, the McGovern - Schakowsky "dear colleague" letter is especially timely and important as President Bush has officially sent the U.S. – Colombia Free Trade Agreement to Congress TODAY, to be voted on within 90 days under Fast Track laws! It is important that our Members or Congress be aware of the human rights conditions in Colombia, and for us as constituents to educate ourselves as much as possible in the next 90 days so that we can effectively urge our members of Congress to oppose the FTA when it comes up for a vote. As part of this continuing education we invite you to read the American Friends Service Committee's new document: "The Violent Intersections of Commerce and Conflict," which CRLN has left with all Illinois members of Congress. Click here to read this important document.

April 1, 2008

"Women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq."

Dear All - I am including a link to a very good article from Truthout on the safety of women serving in the military. I think the article is good for highlighting a face of the war we do not often see, the experience of women soldiers, and it is written by a congress woman which is a refreshing piece of action to see from Congress!

I think this article raises a very important question, which we often hear from returning male soldiers, and that is: what happens to a person when they have to serve in a war? Why would soldiers be raping their fellow soldiers at such an alarming rate?

As we hear more and more talk of ending the war I think it is important that we keep the conversation focused not just on the removal of troops but dealing with the full spectrum of consequences of the war. From the damage to the environment in Iraq, to the incredible loss of civilian life, to the needs of returned soldiers...ending the war is a complex picture and needs more thought from our Congress than what we get right now. Much Peace Liz

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040208N.shtml

March 25, 2008

"In this century and in any century, our deepest hope, our most tender prayer, is that we learn to listen." Jay McDaniel

Dear All - It is very good to be back and I look forward to sharing some of my experiences in Colombia with you; however, for this week I was sent a link to a very important event that recently took place near Washington D.C. and I would like to share that with you. A group of returned Iraqi soldiers organized an event of testimony they entitled Winter Soldier, after the the original Winter Soldier that returned Vietnam Vets organized in the 1970s. The purpose of both events was to give an opportunity for soldiers to name from their lived experience of the war why they believe the war to be wrong and to call on the government for change. The link I am sending is the testimony of Michael Pyrsner, it has two clips to it, about ten minutes all together so you will notice a screen labelled Part One and Part Two be sure to watch them in sequence - it is about ten minutes testimony all together.

I have encountered Iraq Veterans against the War at many different gatherings for peace and each time have been deeply moved by their testimony, their struggle to understand what they did, how to heal, and how to bring the war to just end not just for soldiers but for the people of Iraq as well. The clip from Michael, I think, is a chance for us to listen as Jay McDaniel writes, and in that listening create perhaps an opening, however small for our insights and compassion to begin to build a new way forward.

Hope this finds everyone well and having had a Very Blessed Easter - Much Peace Liz

http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=8795#video

In this century and any century,
Our deepest hope, our most tender prayer,
Is that we learn to listen.
May we listen to one another in openness and mercy
May we listen to plants and animals in wonder and respect
May we listen to our own hearts in love and forgiveness
May we listen to God in quietness and awe.
And in this listening,
Which is boundless in its beauty,
May we find the wisdom to cooperate
With a healing spirit, a divine spirit,
Who beckons us into peace and community and creativity.
We do not ask for a perfect world.
But we do ask for a better world.
We ask for deep listening.

Jay McDaniel

February 26, 2008

Dear All - This will be the last one I send for two weeks - I leave this Saturday to go to Colombia from the 1st through the 17th. I will be with the ethics commission, which is a group of international human rights organizations that are working with Colombian communities that are impacted by the devastating civil conflict that are trying to vision a new, nonviolent way forward for themselves. we will be in Bogota for a conference and then travel to the north to visit with some of the humanitarian self-declared peace zone communities. I am sure I will have lots of stories when I return. Thanks and peace Liz


"And so may a slow wind work these words of love around you..."

Dear All - I would like to share a brief story that was shared with the 8th Day Center.

A group in Arizona that works on border issues called No More Deaths circulated a brief reflection by one of its volunteers this past week. In the story he relates being out in the desert refilling water and food at their designated rest stations and from a distance seeing a young woman. He began to call out to her but once he got closer he found that she was dead. Her name was Joseline, she was 14 and travelling alone from El Salvador, trying to get to California to be reunited with family.

This volunteer reflected on how terribly difficult it was to find her, the first time he had encountered a migrant who had died in his work - the devastation and anguish over finding anyone, let alone a person so young overwhelmed him. In hearing the story I felt myself overwhelmed as well, what is our immigration policy and border security if a child has to travel through the desert alone to be with her family? Where are we going as an earth community if "home" becomes a place guarded by virtual walls, guns and laws that punish the most poor and vulnerable?

I do not have an answer, but I know that where we are right now is not a place to rest, the struggle continues and we lend our hearts and spirits to the resistance. I offer the blessing below for Joseline and all those who are trying to find a way toward a secure life as well as all those who work in solidarity with the migrants....Much Peace Liz

P.S. Oh! I will be travelling to Colombia for two weeks to do some human rights accompaniment work. There will be no more JPICC's until Holy Week. I know I will be travelling with strong Franciscan energy and blessing and will give a full report when I return to 8th Day, March 18th - thank you for all you teach, share and give.

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets into you
may a flock of colours
indigo, red, green
and azure blue
come to awaken in you.

A meadow of delight
when the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you.
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of earth be yours
May the clarity of light be yours
May the fluency of the ocean be yours
May the protection of the ancestors be yours

And may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you
an invisible cloak
to mend your life.

John O'Donohue

February 19, 2008

Dear All - I have never offered a book review before, but I would like to offer one now as I think this book is very good resource in understanding American economic, foreign and domestic policy and how they are inter-related. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein tracks the history of what Ms. Klein comes to name as "disaster capitalism." It is a good examination of U.S. involvement throughout the world in situations as diverse as the coup in Chile to Tsunami relief in South Asia as well as situations at home like Hurricane Katrina. She provides a thorough historical and social analysis of where the policies came from, their impact on communities and people, and what this means for where we are headed as a nation. She links our economic policy to the systematic use of torture we first saw in Latin America in the 70s and have know seen used all over the world. She draws the connection that you can only enforce radical economic policies that immediately impoverish at least half the population if you have the brute, terrifying force to back it up.

I recommend this book as a break from our sound byte media that gives us 10% of the story and disconnects it from a larger context. This book is an excellent opportunity to be immersed in the recent history of the U.S. in a way that is both clarifying and a call to action. Now I am sure the thought of reading a book on torture and poverty might not seem like the best way to spend one's evening - but it is truly a good, thoughtful read that helped me to make some broader links than I had before. I promise. Hope this finds you all well and warm...Much Peace Liz

February 12, 2008

"The papers, the corporate media are not giving their readers a full understanding through this powerful visual medium of the real cost of the war." Andrew Roth

Dear All - I hope this finds everyone very well. For this week I would like to offer an interview video clip from Truthout with Andrew Roth. Andrew Roth conducted a study of the images of war we are shown through our mainstream media and discusses his findings and what he thinks those findings mean for our notion of freedom of the press as well as our ability to be well informed of the impact of this war or any war.

I think this clip is very interesting and good food for thought for a couple of reasons: first, I think since the war's inception we have been intentionally led astray by this administration which impacts our abilities to be informed and active participants of a democracy and secondly, I think it is important to stop and reflect how we tell "the story" of war. We will ever as a country, people, even earth community ever be able to stop war if we edit, black out, and erase the parts of the story that makes us uncomfortable, distressed, and outraged? How do we tell our history with integrity?... - Much Peace Liz

P.S. To be sensitive I would like to add the warning that this video clip does show some graphic images of dead civilians very briefly. While we need to be truthful I also think we need to be aware of each person's ability to view the images. Peace Again Liz

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011108A.shtml

February 5, 2008

Dear All - I wanted to pass along a link to a short video that has been crafted by the American Friends Society entitled "The Cost of War" - it is an excellent visual about just how much we are spending and what those funds could be used for instead. As we get ready to enter the Lenten season it seems fitting to take a moment to reflect on the bloated excess of our military budget and as we move into this time of reflection to also give our imaginations a boost with what could be possible if we as a nation decided to use our resources differently. A very happy Fat Tuesday and many Blessings on the beginning of this Sacred Season...Peace Liz

http://www.afsc.org/cost/

Lead us from death to life,
from falsehood to truth.
Lead us from despair to hope,
from fear to trust.
Let peace fill our hearts,
our world, our universe.
Let us dream together,
pray together,
work together,
to build one world
of peace and justice for all.
Anonymous

January 29, 2008

Dear All - I received quite a few thank you's for the candidate information. So I thought it might be good to send along another Truthout article that I received that delineates the candidates positions on health care. It is a good piece that gives a broad overview of what is meant when terms are used like "universal health care" and talks about how health care is ranked as the second most important voter concern after the Iraq War. I hope this piece is as helpful as the last as we all continue to follow the progression of the presidential race and make decisions that reflect our values and the vision we all hold for the future of our country and our country in the world....hope you are all well and warm. Much Peace Liz
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012308J.shtml

January 22, 2008

"Empower me to be a bold participant..."

Dear All - We are finding ourselves in the thick of presidential campaigning - with all of its rhetoric, useless information, and petty scandals. It seems easy in light of the media spotlights and overkill of information to lose track that we are doing something historical as a nation, that a fair, open and transparent democratic process is desperately important to our well-being as a country and as a global actor. To that end what we need then is not rhetoric or stories blown out of proportion - but good, solid information as we discern for each of us what we would like to see in the next leader of the United States. I offer the following Truthout article that compares the voting record of Obama and Clinton on the war - wiping away the layers of accusations they have fired at one another and getting down to the brass tacks of voting records and what they mean. I hope this can be one tool of many as we each move forward in this election year - to be "bold participants" ourselves in the continued making of our democratic republic. Much Peace Liz

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011608J.shtml

January 15, 2008

"Let our hearts be compassionate, our determination solid..." Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.

Dear All - I offer this reflection below in anticipation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day next week. It is a selection from a speech he gave on the role of institutional religious bodies in creating social change. At a time in our own history when many different religious bodies of power are choosing paths that seem to lead away from justice I find Dr. King's words very powerful. I hope they give all of you some goodly food for thought as we prepare to honor one of the great social and spiritual thinkers and "acters" of our time...Much Peace Liz

"Nowhere is the tragic tendency to conform more evident than in the church, an institution which has often served to crystallize, conserve and even bless the patterns of majority opinion. The erstwhile sanction by the church of slavery, racial segregation, war and economic exploitation is testimony to the fact that the church has hearkened more to the authority of the world than to the authority of God. Called to be a moral guardian of the community, the church at times has preserved that which is immoral and unethical. Called to combat social evils, it has remained silent behind stained-glass windows. Called to lead (people) on the highway of (community) and to summon them to rise above the narrow confines of race, class, gender - it has enunciated and practiced exclusiveness.

Any Christian who blindly accepts the opinions of the majority in fear and timidity follows a path of expediency and social approval - becoming a mental and spiritual slave..."

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

January 8, 2008

"Paid an average of 45 cents per bucket..."

Dear All - Many of you made have heard of a group called the Coalition of Immokalee Workers - this is a group of migrant farm laborers who work with a lot of the large agri-businesses in Florida picking the produce that they grow. In attempt to get better wages the workers have organized and begun to attempt to apply standard labor protections to their work. In recent months they had campaigned big Corporations like McDonalds and Burger King who buy the produce to increase their wages. In response these corporations have started their own campaign trying to prove that the farm workers do not live in poverty.

Below is a piece written by the workers explaining what is happening and at the bottom is a link to a slide show that depicts their working conditions. They are asking as many people as possible to look at the link and read about their lives to help "debunk" the myth the big corporations are putting out that these workers, paid 45 cents for each bucket of produce picked, are not living in poverty. Check this out and pass it along to help get out the ground truth story of what it means to work for large agri-business in the United States.

Hope everyone had a great holiday - Much Peace Liz

Debunk This...

For several months now, Burger King and the Florida tomato growers' lobby have joined forces to "debunk the myth" of farmworker poverty, in their effort to fight back against workers demanding a raise in the picking piece rate.

The piece rate - defined as the price paid to pickers for every 32-lb bucket of tomatoes they pick - has remained effectively stagnant for nearly thirty years. In 1980, the going piece rate was 40 cents per bucket. Today, twenty eight years later, workers are paid an average of only 45 cents per bucket.

We are happy to be able to share with you an incredible new gallery of photos from Immokalee's fields by a young photographer out of Gainesville, Scott Robertson.

The pictures were taken in December of 2007. They capture work and life as a tomato picker in Immokalee as it is today: Looking for work before dawn, picking for 10 to 12 hours a day under Florida's relentless sun, and returning after a long day to the one-room cinder block apartments and broken-down trailers that are home during Immokalee's 8-9 monthlong season.

Burger King and Florida's tomato growers say farmworker poverty is a "myth." The U.S. Department of Labor says farmworkers are "a labor force in significant economic distress," suffering "low wages (and) sub-poverty annual earnings."

What's myth and what's reality? We hope these pictures can help you decide for yourself.

Thanks - Coalition of Immokalee Workers

http://www.ciw-online.org/news.html

December 18, 2007

"The Magi, as you know, were wise men - wonderfully wise men - who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents and being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones. And here in this story I have related to you the chronicle of two lovers who sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. Her hair for his watch chain, his watch for combs for her hair. But in the last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as these are wisest - everywhere they are the Magi..." O. Henry The Gift of the Magi

Dear All - This is brief excerpt is from one of my favorite Christmas stories, The Gift of the Magi. I love this story because it highlights to me a piece of Christmas that is often lost in the bustle of work, shopping and parties. That piece that calls us back to the power of love to transcend all circumstances when it is fully and authentically expressed.

The couple in the story at the end are not held down by the stark circumstances of their poverty but are vibrant in their love for each other. Just as Jesus' birth was not defined by his poverty but rather by the love of the first community that gathered around him.

These stories remind me that of all the circumstances in the world that I may gaze upon with despair or sadness there is a place there for transformation. Of all the places of loss, misery, and need there is a place there for hope, peace, and compassion if I can but choose to see with Love. A love that removes all the false standards of "success" that we are taught and instead orients us to the heart of the matter - the heart of the Mystery that is Love. A Mystery that extends before and beyond us and is our gift, our Magi if we can but open our hearts to it.

A Very Merry Christmas To All of You - Liz

December 13, 2007

"First I thank the Source of all life for this life's meaning then I can begin..."

Dear All - I hope this finds all well as we head into our second week of Advent...I am including a link to an article written by Kathy Kelly, a peace activist, entitled "Travelling Light" in which she reflects on the impact of war and all that we hold dear. I think this article really spoke to me during this time of advertisements and the constant encouragement towards consumerism as a way to express to our loved ones that which is deepest in our hearts, our intimate love for them and the world. Kathy's article provides a different view that I hope is a little soul nourishment for all of you as we continue on this journey to Christmas...Much Peace Liz Oh! P.S. It is a teensy bit longish...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/06/5638/

December 4, 2007

"We ask forgiveness of one another, woman to woman, sister to sister..." Medical Mission Sisters

Dear All - Many blessings on this beginning of Advent - our journey through the waiting to when the light is born, a new life emerging in each of us again and again. We tell the story each year of a brave and loving young woman who stepped into the unknown, carrying life and lived faithful to a vision of love and radical change even though the power of the day saw that vision as a threat, and ended the life of her son, her child. Yet we know from this death came life, and from this vision came an ethic of sacred inter-relation that we each live into still today.

This ethic came to me through the story of another mother, Katy Zatsick, whose son served in Iraq. In the summer of 2005 - he sent her a link to an article that was written about him and his platoon. The article details her son, a platoon commander, giving the order to "fire" on a civilian car that got in the way of the convoy, killing the man who was the driver. Torn between loving her son and wishing to support him and knowing his command had killed a human being, Katy wrote the following poem.

I offer this as reflection on the complexity of how our lives interconnect as we begin this Holy season - from one mother centuries ago to a mother today - how love transcends all boundaries....Much Peace Liz

A Poem of Sorrow
A mother waits
A messenger comes to her door
The sun stops in its course across the sky
And plunges her world into night
Sorrow so deep
Her wail so strong
It broke my heart
Here in Chicago this day

Joined together forever we are
One son gave an order
One son died
We are one in our tears
"I am sorry our cultures say, "War is the answer."
"I am sorry my son says, "Fire"

I hold your son in my arms
And pray for your healing
And may the world be reconciled
To understand we are one.

- Katy Zatsick

November 27, 2007

"I would like you to know that we were not all like that, some of us spent our lives working for Peace..." Mary de La Valette

Dear All - We have been hearing about the build up to Middle East Peace Talks to begin in Annapolis next week. This, of course, comes at a time when the strains on relationship between different countries is at a peak and after years of almost no diplomatic interaction from the United States. I think these talks signal a small hope, it is a break from the Bush administration pattern of the sword being mightier then the pen. But I hesitate as well when I think of everything they have engendered as a administration. I hesitate when I think of all that has happened to the Palestinians, our involvement in the Lebanese elections, our soft support of Musharraff in Pakistan...the right hand will know what the left is doing...

So I am including a link to a Washington Post article that gives a brief outline of the talks and this picture taken last week in part of the Palestinian territory. It shows protesters who gathered with no weapons being hit with water from Israeli soldiers and being forced to leave their vigil by one of the many gates that blocks their land. I offer these two as contrasts - as we see what comes from the top against what is lived by the people.

This is to say that peace is more than diplomats or a political "light show" by a beleaguered administration. Peace is all of us and each us stopping to take notice, to know the stories, and to live our own lives differently. And for each us to ask, where are we called? Hope this is some food for thought and all are well after the holiday break...Much Peace Liz

November 20, 2007

"The inner - what is it? if not intensified sky, hurled through with birds and deep with the winds of homecoming." Rainer Maria Rilke

Dear All - Hope this finds you all well and getting ready for Thanksgiving! The annual vigil at the School of the Americas went very well, 12 people crossed the line helping to continue the tradition of advocacy and civil disobedience that have marked the movement for 18 years. I am including a link that was sent to us from Santiago Chile of a "sister" protest held there against the school.

This phenomenon of a "sister" protest (and there are many!) is something I find very exciting. It highlights the deep roots of solidarity that extend around the globe as we try, as an earth community, to transform systems that dominate and oppress. And it is very humbling, to join with the people of Chile who lived through so much terror at the hands of graduates of the school in joint vigils to end the impunity, the training and the machinations of war.

It calls me to reflect with much gratitude in this week of Thanksgiving, for all those partners in the struggle and mentors in the journey who have reached deep into the "inner" and come to understand "home" as place for all people, for all creatures - not to be owned or defended but opened ever wider in welcome, in gratitude, and in love.

Happy Thanksgiving...Much Peace Liz

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=nVpXldf4Wrw

November 13, 2007

"Inside the Great Mystery that is, we don't really own anything. What is this competition we feel then, before we go, one at a time, through the same gate?" Rumi

Dear All - This week marks the anniversary of the death of the housekeeper, her daughter and the six Jesuits priests who were killed in El Salvador on November 16th, 1989. This tragic anniversary stands as one lens through which we can view our relationship currently and historically with our brothers and sisters in Latin America. Through this lens we can try to hold the countless lives lost and the complex reality of our foreign policy that so often values money and resources over life.

We can also take a step to action that says, "inside the Great Mystery that is, we don't really own anything..." The U.S. Labor and Education in the Americas Project has a pre-written letter that you can sign onto through the link below that opposes the current Free Trade Agreements that are floating around congress in different forms. These agreements have proven to only be sources of poverty and exploitation, opposing them will help to shape a future that does not rely on economic theft and violence. Click on the link, scroll down to "tell Your Members of Congress..." and you will be on the page with the letter to be sent to your Representative. A very good week to you all! Much Peace Liz

November 6, 2007

"Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." Rumi

Dear All - For this week, a little early, I am sending out a video clip from the Canadian Student Christian Movement on the School of the Americas Watch's Vigil. It is a brief little clip that looks at the idea of pilgrimage and social justice in light of this annual event. It shows some good footage of the vigil for anyone who has never been down, but it also reminds me of how important small, simple actions can be.

"There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." The action every year of remembering all the suffering caused by the school, is one small step toward crafting justice for the victims of the school, one time of kneeling and kissing the ground. This can be difficult to remember when we are in the shadow of the power that stands over us. And yet if there was no vigil what a void it would leave, to lose even one of those ways of kneeling and kissing what is sacred, simple, and profound.

So I offer this clip as a little intro into the vigil and also as a way to stop and think where is my pilgrimage? Where is it I want kneel and know the presence of all that is. . . . Much Peace Liz http://www.soaw.org/

October 30, 2007

"A God whose name in history is Love..."

Dear All - I came across this excerpt from Carter Heyward recently and it struck me as a good way to reflect as we head into this week where we honor and remember all those who have gone before us, as we struggle with our place in things, and look to the season ahead - the slow and steady bending of earth to winter. To stop and be with our ideas of love and relationship and the connections and the knowing that brings...hope this is goodly read. Much Peace Liz

"We touch this strength, our power, who we are in the world, when we are most fully in touch with one another and with the world. There is no doubt in my mind that, in so doing, we are participants in ongoing incarnation, bringing God to life in the world. For God is nothing other than the eternally creative source of our relational power, our common strength, a God whose movement is to empower, bringing us into our own together, a God who name in history is Love." Carter Heyward

October 23, 2007

"The outward freedom that we shall attain will only be in exact proportion to the inward freedom to which we may grow at any given moment." Gandhi

Dear All - Last Tuesday seven staff members of 8th Day and one long time friend did an action at Senator Durbin's office - we refused to leave until the senator agreed to stop funding the war. Because we refused to leave, we were arrested. We did this as part of a larger project called the Occupation Project - that asks individuals and groups to "occupy" their government reps' offices until the war is over. Over 600 people have been arrested for this action since the project started in the spring and the people at the offices in Washington, D.C. say it has had an impact on the Hill.

I am not sure of the Hill but I know each time I participate in civil disobedience I am reminded that the authority I follow comes from a place deep within - not fully recognized or known by our civil law - indeed a source that may be in direct defiance of those laws. Whenever I have had contact with this source my own sense of the inter-relatedness of all things has grown as well as my hope - for coming in contact with that fundamental sense of love has only served to broaden my vision - a vision that includes those senators and reps struggling to make choices and votes count, the people of Iraq suffering and dying through this war, the Earth torn apart, and each of us here wondering what to do? From that place of connection is not so much an answer as a knowing that if we continue on in love, follow our thread as Denise Levertov writes - we will be moving forward surely. Peace Liz

the thread

denise levertov

Something is very gently,
invisibly, silently
pulling at me - a thread
or net of threads
finer than cobweb and as
elastic. I haven't tried
the strength of it. No barbed hook
pierced and tore me. Was it
not long ago this thread
began to draw me? Or
way back? Was I
born with its knot about my
neck, a bridle? Not fear
but a stirring
of wonder makes me
catch my breath when I feel
the tug of it when I thought
it had loosened itself and gone.

October 16, 2007

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?" - Gandhi

Dear All - I hope this finds everyone very well! The 8th Day Center has had the unique opportunity to participate in a nationwide effort organized by Voices for Creative Nonviolence called the Occupation Project. The idea of the project is to have local constituents "occupy" their Representatives or Senator's office until that person promises to stop funding for the war. Since the project was initiated last winter, over 300 people have been arrested across the country for nonviolent acts of civil disobedience calling for an end to the war. 8th Day participated this past spring and will be participating again, today October 16th, as we go to our Senator's office to demand an end to the funding for the war.

Currently an extra $150 billion dollars is being considered for war funding that would have no requirements of a timetable for troop withdrawal and is in addition to the already bloated military budget - this request for more money comes at a time when it is estimated that close to one million Iraqis have been killed, over 4 million are living as refugees, over 3,500 U.S. troops have been killed and we have spent $460 billion dollars to date.

In light of our values on nonviolence and mutuality we are seeking to use civil disobedience to draw attention to the madness that has gripped our Congress as we funnel more and more into this war and point us as a Nation instead toward a path of reparation, peace, and healing. We ask for your prayers as we move forward with this action! Much Peace Liz

Love all Creation
The whole of it and every grain of sand
Love every leaf
Every ray of God's light
Love the animals
Love the plants
Love everything
If you love everything
You will perceive
The divine mystery in things
And once you have perceived it
You will begin to comprehend ceaselessly
More and more everyday
And you will at last come to love the whole world
With and abiding universal love! Dostoyevsky

October 9, 2007

"I refuse to be claimed, your plate is waiting, we will snip fresh mint into your tea."

Dear All - I offer a link to an article by Joan Chittister that shares her reflections on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to the United States. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/03/4293/ I think she raises several good points, but one main point that I think is very important is how we end up "crafting" an enemy. All of the stories and accusations that swirl around Iran right now are geared towards turning the people and the land into a threat that opens the doors within us to sanction violence. Joan's piece offers some thoughtful consideration on what it really means when we begin to unravel another's humanity to justify our own fear. I hope this finds everyone well as the first leaves begin to fall. Much Peace Liz

The Arabs used to say,
When a stranger appears at your door,
feed her for three days
before asking who she is,
where she's come from,
where's she is headed.
That way, she'll have enough strength
to answer.
Or, by then you'll be such good friends
you don't care.

Let's go back to that.
Rice? Pine nuts?
Here, take the red brocade pillow.
My child will serve water
to your horse.

No, I was not busy when you came!
I was not preparing to be busy.
That's the armor everyone put on
at the end of the century
to pretend they had a purpose
in the world.

I refuse to be claimed.
Your plate is waiting.
We will snip fresh mint into you tea.. Naomi Shihab Nye

October 2, 2007

"Faith is not enough. We must act on our faith. Inner healing is not enough. We must heal our world. Spiritual practice is not enough. We must have the courage to stand up against injustice." Raine Eisler

Dear All - I send two important links this week. One is an article from Truthout on the use of depleted uranium in Iraq. The other is a link to a website that has an international petition calling for the ban of the use of depleted uranium.

Depleted uranium is essentially the "toxic waste" left over from nuclear power plants and the making of atomic weapons. The U.S. military has used depleted uranium to "tip" its weapons - when the substance is applied to the tip of a missile the missile is capable of breaking through very hard heavy materials like the armor of a tank - whereas without the "tip" it would not be able to be as destructive.

The difficulty of course is that this substance does not just destroy a tank, upon impact it becomes airborne and makes everything around it toxic as well. Because of the use of depleted uranium in Iraq, birth defects have risen 2-6 times and cancer and leukemia rates in children have risen 3-12 times. The earth, air and water have been polluted - and not just in Iraq - depleted uranium was found in rain clouds over England.

This information is important - as we listen to the talk of withdrawal time lines and different politicians posturing over the "solution" to Iraq - do we ever hear what it is that we have done to the people, to the land? This article provides a small glimpse into the destruction of this war - and while challenging I think it helps to grounds as we all work together to envision a way forward...Much Peace Liz

http://web.bandepleteduranium.org/campaign/?id_topic=1&id=1

http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/37/11023

We all drink from one water
We all breathe from one air
We rise from one ocean
And we live under one sky

Remember
We are one

The newborn baby cries the same
The laughter of children is universal
Every one's blood is red
And our hearts beat the same song

Remember
We are one

We are all sisters and brothers
Only one family, only one earth
Together we live
Together we die

Remember
We are one

Peace be on you
Brothers and Sisters
Peace be on you

Anwar Fazal

September 25, 2007

"To pay an immoral and unjust debt is an affront to God and the life of our peoples."

Dear All - The Jubilee Act, a bill recently introduced into congress, calls on our government to uphold the promises of the G8, consider the unjust burden of debt, and to craft/enforce transparent and fair lending practices. Jubilee USA http://www.jubileeusa.org/ is asking for individuals and organizations to participate in a fast to help build awareness and support of this bill and to express solidarity with impacted communities. The FSPA community has chosen the date of October 3rd as a common day that members of our community could participate in a fast together to support this important effort. If you link to the website - you will find a lot of information about the fast, contacting your congress people, and other actions concerning this issue. Below I have pasted a letter from Alfredo Perez Esquivel that I think sums up very well the reality of the absolute inequity this debt represents. Much Peace Liz

Buenos Aires, August 26, 2007

Dear Rev. Duncombe,

I will join you on September 6th in a day of fasting and prayer in support of our common call for immediate and unconditional debt cancellation and in preparation for the October Week of Global Action against Debt and the International Financial Institutions.

In so doing I wish to affirm that we, the peoples of the South, are not debtors but rather creditors. That it is not just to pay an immoral and unjust debt that is an affront to God and to the life of our peoples, and that instead of spending billions of dollars for destruction and death through wars and the promotion of conflicts in diverse parts of the world, the powerful countries should pay what they owe to the exploited and impoverished peoples of the world.

I wish you much strength and hope in your public witness of fasting, to carry forth the just call for a more just and fraternal world for all.

Peace and Wellbeing,
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Argentina
Premio Nobel de la Paz 1980

September 18, 2007

"I think it was from the animals that St. Francis learned it is possible."

Dear All - I have poem in honor of the Feast of the Stigmata this week, it is from Jane Hirshfield and is one of my favorite reflections on St. Francis. I think especially this week as we head toward International Peace Day to stop and reflect on the open loving heart of St. Francis and how that kind of love is always a risk, a beautiful risk is important. I also have a link for a website - http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/ - that gives a lot of information about the International Day for Peace this Friday - seems like a goodly day St. Francis would have enjoyed as well. Hope this finds all of you well in this last blush of summer. Much Peace Liz

I think it was from the animals
that St. Francis learned
it is possible to cast yourself
on the earth's good mercy and live.
From the wolf who cast off
the deep fierceness of her first heart
and crept into the circle of sunlight
in full wariness and wolf-hunger,
and was fed, and lived;
from the birds
who came fearless to him until he
had no choice but to return that courage.
Even the last amoeba touched on all sides
by the opulent Other, even the baleened
plankton fully immersed in their fate -
for what else might happiness be
than to be porous, opened, rinsed through
by beings and things?
Nor could he forget those other companions,
the shifting, ethereal, shapeless:
Hopelessness, Desperateness, Loneliness,
even the fire-tongued Anger -
for they too waited with the patient Lion,
the glossy Rooster, the drowsy Mule, to step
out of the tree's protection and come in.

September 11, 2007

"Out of the transparency of my poverty, I offer you this, my single gift..."

Dear All – In honor of the anniversary of September 11th – I would like to offer a moment of silence for all those who were killed six years ago and their families. The tragedy of that day will always be with us as a people and left us with a question as a nation – how is it we will relate to the world?

In many ways September 11th has become even more tragic since we answered that question of relationship with the answer of war. It is impossible to not think of the people of Iraq and Afghanistan as we reflect on the loss we faced six years ago – for what we saw in one day, they have lived now for years.

I wonder what it would look like if we had chosen another answer, an answer that would have been based in the knowledge that we are all interconnected to one another and to all of creation. I offer below a prayer from, Freya Matthews she talks about love and vulnerability – a hard place to go sometimes – but a place I think we need to rest in to begin the healing. Much Peace Liz

Is this love that rushes towards the rim to meet you
a main thread in the inwardness of things?
Without it would the great externality loosen and unravel?

I do not know.

I stand with hands dangling empty at my sides.
I have no wisdom bequeathed to me by ancestors.
The stars are equivocal, and around me
nature is in sorest travail, weeping.

I love you.

This is the only sacred word in my keeping.
This is the last trace,
the last print in our hearts,
of the migration of a thousand traditions.
A thousand embodiments of wisdom.
I stand with useless hands,
and out of the transparency of my poverty,
I offer you this, my love, my single gift.

– Freya Mathews

Here is another poem for the day.

9-11 Ashes

On this day
all was ashes.

In a gasp of blinding light,
dreams crumbled
and breath
turned to dust.

Like so many flashes of fire before…
desperation dissolved as death;
righteousness burned to ruin;
certainty collapsed into casualties.

Today
Remembering the world’s witness:
zeal disintegrating into
Ground Zero.

– mm

September 4, 2007

"Keep your passion alive - it will warm you when the world grows cold..."

Dear All - The Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee had its annual retreat this last weekend in La Crosse. We met to discuss what our focus will be for the next year and came to the group decision that we will look into the phenomenon of displacement. Displacement as it occurs through migration, civil conflict, natural disaster etc. - when an individual, family or community is forced to leave their home and not able to have the basic human right of choosing to leave all that they may have ever known.

To begin I offer the selection below from United for Peace and Justice - that came out on the anniversary of Katrina - it is a brief film that looks at the struggles of residents in New Orleans who were originally displaced by the hurricane and are now displaced by an economic elite that does wish to see them come home. We are excited to share what we learn this next year with you!

United for Peace and Justice

Today, August 29th, is the 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Today there are still tens of thousands of families without homes. 30,000 families are scattered across the country in FEMA apartments, 13,000 are in trailers, and hardly any of the 77,000 rental units destroyed in New Orleans have been rebuilt. And this is just one of the many issues the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are still dealing with.

We want to call your attention to a new short film produced Brave New Foundation, "When the Saints Go Marching In." http://whenthesaints.org/

Here's what the filmmakers have to say: "During the making of this video, we heard the heartbreaking stories of good people unable to return home. We have heard the story of the Aguilar family who lost their home to the storm and only received $4,000 in payments from their insurance company. We have met Mr. Washington, an 87-year-old man and former carpenter, who owned three homes prior to the storm. He is still living in a FEMA trailer today. And we've met Julie, who could have returned to her job and normal life, if the government had opened up the public housing units that she had lived in prior to the storm."

Click here to watch their stories: http://whenthesaints.org/

After watching the film and hearing these voices, there is something very specific you can do to help. Sign the petition urging the Senate to pass the Gulf Coast Recovery Bill of 2007 (S1668). The bill is expected to come to a vote after Labor Day. Its passage will be an important step toward rebuilding the infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region. Sign the petition today: http://whenthesaints.org/

Please pass the video on and encourage people to sign the petition. It's important we all support the Gulf Coast region's right to return home and put the needed resources toward rebuilding these families' lives.

- Much Peace Liz

August 21, 2007

"When you truly love, it's with all your heart and every fiber of your being. You dive into the depths of your soul, knowing that there are no certain assurances. You risk it all. You reach deep within yourself and begin to discover the core of your being. You take chances and you live a more meaningful life treasuring every single breath..." Ms. Maryam Salah

Dear All - I hope this finds everyone well and enjoying the last delightful push of summer. I wanted to write a little bit about what I did in Colombia.

I was a representative for the National School of the Americas Watch Movement to the Ethics Commission founded by Justicia y Paz and The Movement of Victims of the Crimes of the State. These two grassroots human rights movements created the Ethics Commission as a way to give victims of the crimes of the armed conflict a safe place to tell their story, name their terms of reparations, and build relationships with the international community to help stop impunity in Colombia.

I met with two communities: the Kankaumos, an indigenous group who has had their land illegally seized, and the people of Curvarado who have been killed, tortured and disappeared from throughout the Choco region as their land was seized and they were displaced.

In meeting with these communities and hearing their stories of loss and resistance I was reminded of Ms. Maryam Salah, an Iranian woman I have worked with in Chicago whose husband was tortured and imprisoned in Israel for five years. The quote above is from a reflection Ms. Salah gave on her experience, and I think it fits very well both what I saw in Colombia and what I experienced myself; namely the power of love for individual and collective transformation and healing.

Which includes the love of the FSPA community whose support and resources have made so much of my work possible!

Many thanks and Much Love Liz

Thursday, August 16, 2007

"I pray for deep listening - listening alone - listening together - listening to others - listening to earth."

Dear All - I hope this finds everyone very well! It is good to be back after traveling to Colombia and working with Sr. Corrina and Sr. Marla for the Inter-Religious Dialog retreat in Frankfort, IL. I hope to share with all of you more from each of those experiences...but for this first week I wanted to offer the reflection below from Pauline Oliveros.

In Colombia and at the retreat I reflected on the power of listening - when we are able to listen not just with our minds but with our beings - engaging our hearts, spirits and body - I think pathways for healing and creative change can open - opening us to experience listening as a privilege and not a burden.

As we head into the end of summer and get ready to transition into often busy falls - I hope everyone gets a chance to stop and listen to themselves, the world, and earth...till next week.

- Much Peace Liz

"I pray for deep listening - listening alone - listening together - listening to others - listening to oneself - listening to earth - listening to the universe - listening to the abundance that is - awakening to and feeling sound and silence as all there is - helping to create an atmosphere of opening for all to be heard, with the understanding that listening is healing. Deep listening in all its variations is infinite. Deep listening is love..."

July 24, 2007

"We pray to make it whole...."

Dear All - For the next two weeks I will be out of the 8th Day office. First I will be in Colombia on a human rights delegation and then I will be assisting Sr. Marla Lang and Sr. Corrina Thomas with a retreat at the Portiuncula Center for Prayer in Frankfort, Ill. During that time I will have to take a brief hiatus from the weekly emails. I ask for your prayers on the way and know that I will carry all of the wonderful support, love and passion of the FSPA community with me. The prayer below will be my last email until August 14th. - Much Peace Liz

We pray to make it whole,
tip the world on edge and
follow the world home, singing.
Our voices carry
into the future,
our brief language
a migration of words,
slow voice of mountain,
wandering voices of caribou, wind
blown seed, all the
lost languages wandering
through seasons, moon and sun,
wandering through centuries,
drifting, every year
the grasses return, the birds begin to sing,
the sky clears and
we can see forever. Gary Lawless

July 17, 2007

Build bridges across all that divides us..."

Dear All - I have another Catholic specific issue to raise as I am sure many of you have heard of the Vatican document released, "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church." To see full text: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html

Similar to the statement about the Latin Mass I hold concerns that this statement relies on a world view that is exclusionary and that is a very narrow interpretation of the vision of community established through the ministry of Jesus' life. In this time of war, conflict, and rigid paradigms should any spiritual authority emphasize a model that is based upon a notion of "first and only?" I offer the prayer below as a piece of reflection - Much Peace Liz

You, the one
From whom on different paths
All of us have come,

To whom on different paths
All of us are going,
Make strong in our hearts what unites us;

Build bridges across all that divides us;
United make us rejoice in our diversity,

At one in our witness to your peace,
A rainbow of your glory. - Br. David Stiendl-Rast, OSB

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

"Let us vow to manifest peace and joy with wisdom and compassion..."

Dear All – This week I would like to offer a reflection from a slightly different vantage point of justice, justice within the Catholic Church and how the Catholic Church creates or diminishes justice in the larger world. Many of you have probably heard of the pope's return to a Latin Rite in a limited form. In many ways this can be seen simply as a touch point of our tradition and further diversity in the liturgies that are offered to the people of faith today. But I think it also raises concerns of inclusivity both within the church and without and in a time of such deep social divides should we tread this line as a faith body? I offer the following reflection from Sr. Joan Chittster as way to reflect on this decision from the hierarchy. Much Peace Liz

http://ncrcafe.org/node/1221

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

"May your stars rise high in the sky of this land."

Dear All - I hope this finds everyone well and ready to have a day of rest for July 4th. I would like to offer a slightly different reflection for the Fourth of July holiday. While I think is important to acknowledge the vision that some early settlers had in "founding the country" - the country was not empty, history did not begin with our declaration and revolution. The history of the indigenous who lived here long before the first waves of immigrants came has been lost to us - we have declared a false blank slate and made empty what was full. The letter below written by Marianne Williamson I think touches on a different approach to the Fourth. Much Peace Liz

To the Nations of the Indigenous, as a citizen of the United States I say,
please forgive me and please forgive us.
On behalf of my ancestors and the group conscience
of all America, I deeply apologize for
the wrongs, so cruel, that have been inflicted
upon your people.

So many lives lost, yet still they haunt the
psyche of the land, the people - a call for justice.
We ask that the spirit of God give us the strength
to begin to listen to the cries in the wind, echoing from the earth,
gathered in the tears of the indigenous today.

We as a nation have wronged.
Now we as a nation must make amends.
For we embrace and honor the Spirits of all the different
Indigenous tribes that were once here and are here today.

We bless and commit to the good of your children.
May we begin anew.
May your stars rise high in the sky of this land and all others.
May the wrongs of the past finally be spoken, be named and
not buried in a false history so that healing may begin.
May your nations be blessed - So be it.
Please God, make these things right in love, in healing, in mercy, in grace.
An edited version of a prayer by Marianne Williamson

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

"I do not have to go to Sacred Places..."

Dear All - In light of summer solstice last week and the full moon this Saturday I wanted to send out a little poem/prayer on creation and our deep, inter-connected ties that can stir us to amazement, calm us in the storm, and build in us the ever deepening sense of relationship to Holy Mystery - a very happy beginning of summer to all - Much Peace Liz

I do not have to go
To Sacred Places
In far-off lands.
The ground I stand on
Is holy.

Here, in my little garden
I tend
My pilgrimage ends.
The wild honeybees
The hummingbird moths
The flickering fireflies at dusk
Are a microcosm
Of the Universe.
Each seed that grows
Each spade of soil
Is full of miracles.

And I toil and sweat
And I watch and wonder
And am full of love.
Living in place.
In this place.
For truth and beauty.
Dwell here.

-Mary de La Valette

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Dear All - Hope everyone is well and many thanks to all those who planned for the Chapter of Chats - I was only there for a bit but it was wonderful to see so much of the community together - chatting and dreaming! Many of you may be aware of the legislative campaign by the School of the Americas Watch to close the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. A bill that Rep. McGovern has sponsored for years is coming to a vote this week - if you have time feel free to read the information below and participate in the call-in campaign to urge Representatives to vote to close the School of the Americas. The National Office feels that we are very close on winning a vote so if you have time your support would be well appreciated. Much Peace Liz

Please take the time to call the DC office of your Representative through the Capitol Hill Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak with the foreign affairs legislative assistant. Here is a suggested message for you to convey:

"I am calling Representative ________ to urge her/him to vote YES on the McGovern amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. This amendment is a cut in funding for the School of the Americas/ WHINSEC. New information indicates that WHINSEC has allowed known human rights abusers to instruct and receive training at the school. The governments of Costa Rica, Argentina and Uruguay have made public announcements they will no longer send students to the school, citing the negative image and history of this institution. Voting YES on this amendment sends a positive human rights message to Latin America and will help to improve the U.S. image abroad. As an elected official in Washington D.C., I hope you will represent me and vote YES on any amendment in the House that would cut funding for the school."

We expect a close vote in the House this week, and we need as many people as possible flooding the offices of Members of Congress with calls in support of a YES vote on the amendment! We need you to call, email and fax Congress every day until the vote happens. Tell your family and friends to do the same!

It's been a year since our last vote in Congress, and the work of thousands of people like you across the Americas who care about justice has gotten us to where we are today. Let's seize this opportunity to make history in the defense for human rights!

Visit the Legislative Action Index for more information: http://www.soaw.org/legislative.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION - The School of the Americas is a military training facility for Latin American security personnel located at Fort Benning, Georgia that made headlines in 1996 when the Pentagon released training manuals used at the school that advocated torture, extortion and execution. Despite this shocking admission and hundreds of documented human rights abuses connected to soldiers trained at the school, no independent investigation into the training facility has ever taken place. Read more at http://www.SOAW.org.

Social Justice Extra - June 8, 2007

"When there are ruptures in creation, we are aroused to peace."

Dear All - I have another piece this week that deals with returning soldiers. It is actually a small and short video - so when you click on the link below you will see a small "YouTube" screen - if you press play and have a sound on your computer you will see a brief video that was made by returned Iraqi veterans. They did street theatre in New York City on Memorial Day to try to show the American people what it is like in Iraq. It is difficult to watch, they enact arresting civilians and the injuring of one of the members of their squad. But it gives a good insight into the complexity soldiers face at home and abroad. It is an important piece I think of how resistance, born of understanding and compassion, is not just a force for social change but also for healing. Hope everyone is beginning to enjoy the first days of early summer - Much Peace Liz

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070618/hannah_taylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Dear All - I would like to offer this piece as an alternative reflection for Memorial Day. This was written by a Marine who served in the Iraq war. I found this piece particularly compelling after George Bush warned the country that indeed it could get more "bloody" in the months to come, as if the last few years have not shown the unnecessary and brutal loss of the lives of Iraqis and soldiers. This piece reminds us that the cost of war is not bound by dollar signs or even more graphically by "body counts" but is a cost that will be felt for generations to come. Much Peace Liz

WHY I FIGHT FOR PEACE by Cloy Richards USMC

Because I can't forget no matter how hard I try.
They told us we were taking out advancing Iraqi forces,
But when we went to check out the bodies
they were nothing but women and children
desperately fleeing their homes because
they wanted to get out of the city
before we attacked in the morning.

Because my little brother, who it is my job to protect,
decided to join the California National Guard
to get some money for college and
they promised he wouldn't go to Iraq.
instead three months after enlisting
he was sent to Iraq for one year.

Since he has been home for the last six months,
he refuses to talk to anyone, he lives by himself.
the only person he associates with is a friend of his,
the one other man out of his squad of thirteen men
who made it home alive.

He called me a few weeks ago for the first time
And told me he's having nightmares.
I asked what they were about and
He said they're about picking up the pieces
Of his fellow soldiers after a car bomb hit them.

Because every single one of the Marines I served with,
the really brave warriors, even when some friends and people
they looked up to got killed or lost an arm or leg,
they wouldn't cry, they just kept fighting.
They completed their mission.

Every one of them I have spoken to since we got home
has broken down crying in front of me,
saying all they can do since they got back
is bounce from job to job, drink and do drugs,
And contemplate suicide to end the pain.

Because I'm tired of drinking, bouncing from job to job
and contemplating suicide to end the pain.
Because every time I see a child,
I think of the thousands I've slaughtered.
Because every time I see a young soldier,
I think of the thousands Bush has slaughtered.

Because every time I look in the mirror
I see a casualty of the war.
Because I have a lot of lives I have to make up for,
the lives I have taken and
Because it's right.
That's why I fight.

Because of all the wounds you cannot see.

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