Hope4Unity

Economist Dr. Kamran Mofid: U.S. Lectures ("Yes We Can!")

Hope4Unity — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:38:25 EDT

"Dr. Kamran Mofid is a visionary activist committed to the evolutionary transformation of social, ecological and spiritual values. His is a vision of a healing world, in which justice and peace are increased – rather than diminished – by the process of globalisation." -- Common Ground

http://www.cg.org/news_list.aspx

Kamran Mofid: Promoting Globalization for the Common Good

Alma and Clifford Pearson Distinguished Speakers Series

Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 4:00pm

Location: Samuelson Chapel - California Lutheran University

Event Description

"Kamran Mofid is founder of the Globalization for the Common Good Initiative and co-founder/editor of the Journal of Globalization for the Common Good. Born in Tehran, Iran, he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Windsor, Ontario, and his doctorate in economics from the University of Birmingham, U.K. In 2001 he received a Certificate in Education in Pastoral Studies at Plater College, Oxford..." http://www.callutheran.edu/calendar/event/1787

To listen to the lecture please click here: http://www.callutheran.edu/CLV/

"Outside ideas of right doing
And wrong doing,
There is a field
I’ll meet you there." -- Rumi

Continued:

Common Prosperity: President Obama's Address to Joint Session of Congress

Hope4Unity — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:38:52 EST

"The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach."

Remarks of President Barack Obama -- Address to Joint Session of Congress

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

"We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/

THE CENTER FOR VISIONARY LEADERSHIP

Visionary leaders are the builders of a new dawn, working with imagination, insight, and boldness. They present a challenge that calls forth the best in people and brings them together around a shared sense of purpose. They work with the power of intentionality and alignment with a higher purpose. Their eyes are on the horizon, not just on the near at hand. They are social innovators and change agents, seeing the big picture and thinking strategically.

There is a profound interconnectedness between the leader and the whole, and true visionary leaders serve the good of the whole. They recognize that there is some truth on both sides of most polarized issues in our society today. They search for solutions that transcend the usual adversarial approaches and address the causal level of problems. They find a higher synthesis of the best of both sides of an issue and address the systemic root causes of problems to create real breakthroughs.

The Spiritual Dimensions of Obama's Leadership
© 2008 by Gordon Davidson and Corinne McLaughlin

Setting a New Spiritual Tone

"Through their presence, the words they speak and what they do, every leader sets a tone for all within an organization or a nation. The reason people have supported Obama with such fervor is that they sense a new vibration, a new tone that he is resonating. America and the world knows this is needed. He sounds the note of unity within diversity, respect for all, honesty, plain speaking and fulfilling the highest we know we are capable of. After his election, a palpable shift took place throughout the U.S., as everyone recognizes that a new vibration, a new tone is being sounded for our nation and our people."

Source: http://www.visionarylead.org/articles/Obama.htm

Earth, Wind and Fire: "Keep Your Head to the Sky" Did they perform this song at the White House?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoUPdIdJBcI

Afghan President Hamid Karzai

Hope4Unity — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:32:08 EST

Afghanistan joins war on terror review

"I am very, very thankful that President Obama has accepted my proposal of Afghanistan joining the strategic review of the war against terrorism in the United States," Mr Karzai said.

Kabul would send a delegation to Washington headed by Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta to take part in the reassessment, he said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25059965-12335,00.html

"In his seven years in office, Mr. Karzai has successfully presided over the transition of the Afghan state from the devastated, pre-modern institution it was under the Taliban to the deeply troubled but largely democratic one it is today. Perhaps most important for his future, Mr. Karzai has assembled a team of senior administrators whose competence and experience would be difficult for any challenger to match." New York Times, 2/7/09

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/world/asia/08karzai.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's Interview of 2/15/09 with Fareed Zakaria

Part I:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/02/15/gps.karzai.intv.pt.1.cnn?iref=videosearch

Part II:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/02/15/gps.karzai.intv.pt.2.cnn?iref=videosearch

Interveiw: Hamid Karzai, Aljazeera.net 2/14/09

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/02/2009213193946154689.html

19 Must Know Facts about Afghanistan’s President Hamid KarzaiWritten by TBOK on Feb-8-09 11:24pm

"Hamid Karzai is fluent in English having gone to university in Simla, India where he received an M.A. in the International Relations and Political Science Program"

"Hamid Karzai is said to be fluent in five other languages (Pushtu, Dari, Urdu, French and Hindi) and is comfortable with the electronic media. While at university, the Soviets invaded his homeland."

"Hamid Karzai has an honor doctorate in literature, an honorary doctorate of Laws from Boston University and Georgetown."

http://www.zimbio.com/President+Hamid+Karzai/articles/388/19+Must+Know+Facts+Afghanistan+President+Hamid

"Economists Are The Forgotten Guilty Men"

Hope4Unity — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:45:53 EST

Reading Recommendations -- Dr. Kamran Mofid, Economist:

Dear friends of the Globalisation for the Common Good,

Economists are the forgotten guilty men

In the last few months or so, since the crash of neo-liberalism with its false teachings of the so-called modern economics, I have read 100s and 100s of articles on "Why" and "What" went wrong. Today (5.02.2009), in The Times, I think, I have read the best so far. I want to share this with you, a reading must for all those searching the truth. The article is written by Anatole Kaletsky. One of the UK's leading commentators on economics, he was formerly Economics Editor and is now an Associate Editor of The Times. He has won many awards for his financial and political journalism. Before joining The Times, he worked for 12 years on the Financial Times. Thus, we can agree that, he is writing with some authority. You can read his article below: Read the article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/anatole_kaletsky/article5663091.eceHowever, there is one point which I wish to draw your attention to: **There were economists who saw what was coming, there were economists who began a process of self examination and self criticism, those who paid a heavy price for challenging what was going on and what was being taught at the departments of economics and the MBA programmes. Some economists, but sadly, not enough, stood up, to right the wrongs of their profession. This must be acknowledged, so that we maybe able to rescue the profession and the subject from total disgrace. Please see the link below, an Open Letter I sent to Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth on this very subject- "An Answer to Her Majesty's question at the London School of Economics:"Why did nobody notice?"Read the Open Letter: http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info/2008/11/14/an-answer-to-her-majesty%e2%80%99s-question-at-the-london-school-of-economics-%e2%80%9cwhy-did-nobody-notice%e2%80%9d/You may also be interested to see the Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative's Open Letter to President Obama:http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/No%20More%20Fear/gGxtQl#extendedAs ever yours,Kamran.........................................
Kamran Mofid PhD (ECON)
Founder, Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative
www.globalisationforthecommongood.info
Co-editor, Journal of Globalisation for the Common Good
www.commongoodjournal.com
Globalisation for the Common Good, Chicago 2009
http://www.gcgchicago2009.info/
"The world cannot get out of its current state of crisis with the same thinking that got it there in the first place". Albert Einstein

"This is my hope. This is my prayer."

Hope4Unity — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:10:24 EST

Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 12:08 pm"This is my hope. This is my prayer."

National Prayer Breakfast

"We will also reach out to leaders and scholars around the world to foster a more productive and peaceful dialogue on faith. I don’t expect divisions to disappear overnight, nor do I believe that long-held views and conflicts will suddenly vanish. But I do believe that if we can talk to one another openly and honestly, then perhaps old rifts will start to mend and new partnerships will begin to emerge. In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding." -- President Obama, 2/5/09 (White House photo 2/5/09 by Pete Souza)

Source: THE WHITE HOUSE BLOG

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/this_is_my_prayer/

The Golden Rule:

"Religious groups, as well as non-theistic ethical systems, differ greatly in their beliefs and practices. There is, however, a common thread that runs through them all. Each of these systems of belief has some example of the Ethic of Reciprocity in their teachings." The most common version of this is known as:

The Golden Rule
"Do onto others as you would have them do onto you."

Copyright Humanity Healing 15 August 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ci613QcC5E

Organizing For America: Economic Recovery House Meetings 2/6/09 and The U.S. Lectures of Dr. Kamran Mofid, Economist

Hope4Unity — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 01:32:14 EST

Organizing For America

Sign up to host an Economic Recovery House Meeting the weekend of Friday, February 6th.

As many Americans plan to host or attend an Economic Recovery House Meeting and while we continue to struggle with the economic crisis please consider additional opportunities to expand the dialogue, examples are provided below.

Kamran Mofid: Promoting Globalization for the Common Good

Alma and Clifford Pearson Distinguished Speakers Series

Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 4:00pm, Samuelson Chapel

California Lutheran University

Admission is free. Visit the CLU web site for more information:

http://www.callutheran.edu/calendar/event/1787

Dr. Mofid will be visiting Common Ground on Tuesday, March 3, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Dr. Mofid will give the third in the 2008-2009 Common Ground Chair Lecture Series.

Dr. Mofid will also be giving a public lecture at Lake Forest College on Monday, March 2. (Details will be available on the CG site.) The LFC presentation is sponsored by the Department of Religions and the Islamic World Studies Program.

Common Ground is a center for inquiry, study, and dialogue. The primary concern of which is the human quest for understanding and the human pursuit of significance.

-- Common Ground

Common Ground, 815 Rosemary Terrace, Deerfield, IL 60015.

http://www.cg.org/News_View.aspx?Articleid=48

Globalisation For the Common Good Initiative

Announcing the 8th Annual Conference

"Globalization:

The Challenge to America"

May 31 – June 4, 2009

Loyola University • Chicago, Illinois, USA

http://www.gcgchicago2009.info/

.........................................
Kamran Mofid PhD (ECON)
Founder, Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative
www.globalisationforthecommongood.info
Co-editor, Journal of Globalisation for the Common Good
www.commongoodjournal.com
Globalisation for the Common Good, Chicago 2009
http://www.gcgchicago2009.info/

President Obama's Interview on Al Arabiya

Hope4Unity — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 02:24:37 EST

President Obama's interview with Mr. Hisham Melhem of Al-Arabiya was a refreshing change from the past 8 years. There is HOPE!

“My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy,” Obama told Al Arabiya’s Hisham Melhem in an interview broadcast Tuesday morning.

"... start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating -- in the past on some of these issues --and we don't always know all the factors that are involved. So let's listen."

" But I do think that it is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress "

Transcript:

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/01/27/65087.html#004

A New Day: The 44th President of the United States of America BARACK OBAMA

Hope4Unity — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:59:16 EST

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

President Barack Obama

CHANGE AT LAST!

Native American Prayer

Oh, Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me, I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold
the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have
made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand the things
you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have
hidden in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my Spirit may come to you without shame.

PRESIDENT Barack Obama/Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Hope4Unity — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:49:30 EST

"We must work unceasingly to uplift this nation that we love to a higher destiny, to a higher plateau of compassion, to a more noble expression of humanness"
-Dr Martin Luther King

Happy Birthday To You, by Stevie Wonder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrqu5U05QVs

The Obamas Have Arrived

Hope4Unity — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:53:24 EST

President-Elect Obama & Mrs. Obama

"We are the hope of the future; the answer to the cynics who tell us our house must stand divided; that we cannot come together; that we cannot remake this world as it should be. Because we know what we have seen and what we believe - that what began as a whisper has now swelled to a chorus that cannot be ignored; that will not be deterred; that will ring out across this land as a hymn that will heal this nation, repair this world, and make this time different than all the rest - Yes. We. Can." -- Barack Obama, 2/5/08

UNICEF: Report On Children's Deaths in Gaza

Hope4Unity — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:42:06 EST

AL JAZEERA.NET, January 15, 2009/excerpt:

Children 'paying price of Gaza war'

Children are bearing the brunt of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has said.

More than 300 children have been killed and hundreds more wounded in Israel's aerial and ground assault, Ann Veneman, Unicef's executive director, said in a statement released on Wedneday.

She said: "Each day more children are being hurt, their small bodies wounded, their young lives shattered. This is tragic. This is unacceptable.

"They are bearing the brunt of a conflict which is not theirs.

"As fighting reaches the heart of heavily populated urban areas, the impact of lethal weapons will carry an even heavier toll on children."

Anyone with an internet connection can Google "Gaza humanitarian catastrophe" and find the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Territories and read the thousands of pages of evidence documenting the reality of the current fighting, and the long term siege on Gaza that preceded it.

Viewer Alert: Video is Graphic & Heartbreaking

Video: Children suffer
Video: Born into war
Naming the deceased

Read the full story from the source

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/20091157268591938.html

OPINION: WAR ON GAZA Who will save Israel from itself?

By Mark LeVine, January 13, 2009/excerpt:

"One by one the justifications given by Israel for its latest war in Gaza are unravelling."

"The claim that Hamas will never accept the existence of Israel has proved equally misinformed, as Hamas leaders explicitly announce their intention to do just that in the pages of the Los Angeles Times or to any international leader or journalist who will meet with them."

"Anyone with an internet connection can Google "Gaza humanitarian catastrophe" and find the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Territories and read the thousands of pages of evidence documenting the reality of the current fighting, and the long term siege on Gaza that preceded it."

Read the full story from the source:

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/war_on_gaza/2009/01/2009110112723260741.html

Grassroots Support for Music Education: THANK YOU!

Hope4Unity — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:24:55 EST

Thank You! This is a thank you note to all those who made contributions to help make this performance possible for students of the Lincoln College Prep Academy's Wind Ensemble! Your support of music education in public schools is very important and deeply appreciated!

Here's information from the Carnegie Hall Schedule:

PRESENTED BY MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS

New England Symphonic Ensemble

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Monday, April 13, 2009 at 8 PM

Program Details

New England Symphonic Ensemble
Patrick Freer, Conductor
With participating choruses

Ensemble Spotlight Series:
Lincoln Preparatory Academy Band, Ron Martz, Conductor

VIVALDI Gloria And works by Shaw Additional Information:www.lcpabands.orgThe original information is reprinted below in the extended post:Music Education in the Public Schools: An Opportunity for Grassroots SupportBy Hope4Unity - Nov 19th, 2008 at 3:54 am EST

Belief In The Effectiveness Of Military Action Is A "Lethal Fantasy"

Hope4Unity — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:22:00 EST

Beyond the Hall of Mirrors

Reflections on War, Terror and Human Interaction

by Dennis Rivers, MA

July 2005 Issue of the Journal of Cooperative Communication Skills

One of the great paradoxes of political life and human behavior, is that we imagine that we can bend other people to our will by force of arms. At the same time, we hold that no one will ever bend us to their will by force of arms. This implies some sort of belief that we are strong-willed while "they" are weak-willed. And of course, "they" think the same of us, thinking that they will be able to coerce us, but will never allow themselves to be coerced. This is a lethal fantasy, on all sides, in which grownup folks engage in childlike wishful thinking. It doesn't occur to people that the folks on the other side may be just like themselves. We are all strong-willed, we all resist coercion in whatever way we can. Unless someone becomes more conscious, every proud swagger from one side will elicit an even prouder swagger from the other side. Unless someone becomes more conscious, every taunt and humiliation from one side, will elicit an even bloodier taunt and humiliation from the other. "Bring 'em on, we're plenty tough," sneered President Bush to the insurgents. The Iraqi insurgents taunted back with videos of executions. We responded by torturing captured insurgents, setting off global shock waves. And so it goes, up to the most recent bombings. While this contest of coercion goes on, people are dying with no end in sight. Truly, if ever there were a situation that called for "thinking outside the box," we are in it now.

One possible answer, perhaps the greatest possible answer, to this downward spiral, would be a new turning toward the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The fact that the Golden Rule has been around for several thousand years, and appears in all the great religions, does not mean that we have fully understood it or mastered the art of living by it. One fruitful way, in my view, of starting over with the Golden Rule would be to explore it more deeply as an effort to steer spirals of human interaction toward life-sustaining outcomes and away from mutual destruction. If we don't want people to try to coerce us, we can begin by lowering our reliance on coercion in all our relationships, both personal and international. If we want people to listen to our concerns, we can begin by listening to their concerns. If we don't want people to point guns or missiles at us, we can stop pointing our guns and missiles at them. Imagining that we can point our guns and missiles at countries around the world, and that they will not be motivated to point guns and missiles back at us, is, whatever else you may think of it, extremely unrealistic. If all behavior is instruction, we can take the initiative and model more of the positive behavior we want to evoke. This won't be easy, but our current slide toward perpetual war and national bankruptcy through military spending is not going to be easy, either. As a Borscht-circuit comedian in the 1950's might have put it: "A trillion dollars here, a trillion dollars there, pretty soon you're talking big money!"

Gandhi must have been thinking about the Golden Rule when he said "be the change you want to see."

http://www.newconversations.net/library/mirrors.htm

New U.S. Policy Needed Toward Israelis and Palestinians

Hope4Unity — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:00:34 EST

Published on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 by The San Francisco Chronicle

New US Policy Needed Toward Israelis and Palestinians

by Jess Ghannam

Excerpt:

"President-elect Barack Obama has an opportunity to introduce desperately needed change in America's Middle East policy. Nothing would accomplish more than for Obama to speak out clearly against Israel's terrorism in Gaza. He should clarify that while all governments have the right to self defense, this cannot include the wanton bombardment of heavily populated civilian areas."
"For too long, American support of Israel has come without condition. Billions of our tax dollars have supported a state that betrays American values and engages in policies that harm America's image and interests abroad. Millions of Arabs and Muslims are glued to television sets right now. They are watching scenes of Palestinian men, women and children bathed in blood, aware that American-supplied F-16 fighter jets delivered the bombs. Imagine the difference if, instead, they saw an American leader declare that Palestinians - like Israelis - have the right to live in freedom and security. Imagine if those American planes were delivering much-needed food and medicine to people in Gaza."
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/30

First Americans Public Liaison

Hope4Unity — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:45:05 EST

Wizipan Garriott named Obama’s First Americans Public Liaison

by Rob Capriccioso

Story Published: Dec 15, 2008

WASHINGTON – Wizipan Garriott, 28, has been appointed First Americans Public Liaison, a newly created position in President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team. The position is aimed at honoring a nation-to-nation relationship with tribes.

Read the story, Indian Country Today:

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/politics/36045919.html

Searching For Peace In The Middle East

Hope4Unity — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:23:15 EST

A Film by Landrum Bolling

"This 30 minute film, sponsored by the Foundation for Middle East Peace, is a vivid, compassionate portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through the voices of Israeli and Palestinian citizens of diverse backgrounds, it reveals their hopes and fears and explores the issues that divide them. It also describes in a compelling way a broad common ground of yearning for peace, pointing the way toward a resolution of this tragic conflict that would meet the deepest needs of both societies."

Source & Link to the Film:

http://www.fmep.org/searching_for_peace_in_the_middle_east.html

MLK on Loving Your Enemies

Hope4Unity — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:00:08 EST

"There’s another reason why you should love your enemies, and that is because hate distorts the personality of the hater. We usually think of what hate does for the individual hated or the individuals hated or the groups hated. But it is even more tragic, it is even more ruinous and injurious to the individual who hates. You just begin hating somebody, and you will begin to do irrational things. You can’t see straight when you hate. You can’t walk straight when you hate. You can’t stand upright. Your vision is distorted. There is nothing more tragic than to see an individual whose heart is filled with hate. He comes to the point that he becomes a pathological case. For the person who hates, you can stand up and see a person and that person can be beautiful, and you will call them ugly. For the person who hates, the beautiful becomes ugly and the ugly becomes beautiful. For the person who hates, the good becomes bad and the bad becomes good. For the person who hates, the true becomes false and the false becomes true. That’s what hate does. You can’t see right. The symbol of objectivity is lost. Hate destroys the very structure of the personality of the hater."

A Knock at Midnight:
Inspiration from the Great Sermons of
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/sermons/571117.002_Loving_Your_Enemies.html

The Alliance For Middle East Peace

Hope4Unity — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 01:08:57 EST

"The Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is a coalition of 57 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that promote people-to-people coexistence and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, Arabs and Jews in the Middle East. As an alliance, the NGOs work together to raise awareness about the extent and importance of their work, as well as cultivate new and expanded resources to support Middle East coexistence."

http://www.allmep.org/allmep_v1/aboutALLMEP.php

Children of the Gaza Strip

Hope4Unity — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:50:24 EST

Hunger, stunted-growth, psychological problems for children in the Gaza Written by dailyclarity on Dec-21-08 5:31pm A Worldvision report released in the last few days details the terrible impact of Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip on the Palestinian children there. Children are malnourished and lacking vital protein and vitamins which is leading to stunted growth in around 27% of children in the Gaza. The psychological impact on the children is also disturbing with many having regular nightmares, bed-wetting problems and the “Children show low levels of love of learning due to violence practiced against them, difficult curricular and deteriorated educational environment,” the Worldvision report states. The staggeringly high unemployment rates in the Gaza are 65% resulting in acute poverty with a average per capita income of $140. it is against the backdrop of this urgent humanitarian crisis that Israel began today to drum up support in the international diplomatic community for an all out assault on the Gaza. A whole generatoin of children of the Gaza seem to be paying the price for Israel’s control of the Gaza Strip and the Hamas resistance to the blockade.

The Reuterscoverage of the Worldvision report is below:

“A baseline survey conducted in World Vision’s North Gaza Area Development Programme (ADP) has revealed disturbing findings linked to the physical and psychosocial well being of children – underscoring the need for long-term, sustainable development among some 66,000 people.

Located north of the Gaza Strip, the Beit Lahya community relies on farming, fishing and the service sector for its livelihood – all of which have been severely impacted by Israeli military operations, movement restrictions in the sea and border closures leading to a devastated local economy.
World Vision, together with community leaders conducted the baseline survey involving 41 focus groups and more than 50 indicators to measure the well-being of children and their families and the ability of families and the community to meet children’s needs. Survey outcomes also form a benchmark upon which to measure the impact of World Vision’s work.

More than 33.1% of families in Beit Lahya have 10 or more family members and live in extreme poverty. They rely on coupons for food and can’t afford to adequately clothe and educate their children. While nearly every household in Beit Lahya has access to water, the quality is so poor that 95% of households have to buy their drinking water. Many children are affected by parasites and diarrhoea, which is adequately treated in only 24% of cases. Mild stunting (low height for age) affects almost 13% of children, moderate stunting 8.46%, and severe stunting 4.83%. ‘My children have forgotten the shape and smell of cooked meat and chicken”, said a mother in one focus group.

Perhaps even more alarming is the poor psychosocial well-being of children, with bedwetting and nightmares featuring heavily in focus group findings – both linked with fear and anxiety as a result of the ongoing conflict. “Most children with nightmares experience lack of concentration and attention deficit”, shared a teacher in a focus group session. Children show low levels of love of learning due to violence practiced against them, difficult curricular and deteriorated educational environment. ‘In the past, my father used to tell me, if you scored high marks in schools, I will bring you a bicycle. Now he stays at home with no job, he says nothing to encourage me”, said one student.

The staggering unemployment rate (65%) and low per capita annual income (US$140) is also putting pressure on families to generate an income any way they can. “If my elder daughter was a boy, I would have dropped her out of school in order to work to increase our livelihood’s earning”, was the response in one focus group. While World Vision child sponsorship has been in place for less than a year, the organisation is using donated funds to improve the educational environment for students, by investing in infrastructure, training teachers and developing curriculum. ‘A better environment for the child means a healthier environment in the school in the midst of the larger less controllable external environment’, said Rania Cory, World Vision Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza Sponsorship Manager.

The survey also revealed that limited recreational and social opportunities for children is a major issue in this ADP, which is why the sponsorship programme has enabled some 1,500 sponsored children to attend summer camps and participate in birthday parties, chaperoned trips and sporting competitions.
Instilling a greater sense of hope is also a primary aim of World Vision’s development work in the area - and a major challenge given the low levels of ‘emergence of hope’ revealed in the survey, especially among parents. Lessons on peace and conflict resolution have been conducted with children from years five to eight to help children think about the consequences of conflict in a simple way, says ADP Manager Mohammad El Halaby. And, workshops have been conducted with parents on issues like early marriage and nutrition to help them make informed choices on the ways they raise their children.

Helping farmers and fishermen generate better incomes for their families by rehabilitating greenhouses and restoring boats and nets, as well as offering training on more efficient work practices is just one way that World Vision is helping families provide for their children. Improving the psychosocial wellbeing of children is a longer-term, delicate process and a challenge World Vision must undertake closely with community leaders and members alongside addressing the underlying causes of fear and poverty. It is hoped that sponsorship, in tandem with income generating activities and advocacy efforts, will play a part in giving children and their parents hope for a peaceful and fulfilling future.”

Source:http://www.zimbio.com/Gaza+Strip/articles/614/Hunger+stunted+growth+psychological+problems

12/22/08 from France 24 International News: Israel and Hamas

Hope4Unity — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:34:00 EST

Monday 22 December 2008

By FRANCE 2 - Oliver Farry (video)

AFP - Hamas threatened on Monday to resume suicide attacks if Israel launches an offensive on its Gaza stronghold, as the Jewish state kicked off a diplomatic campaign to win support for any military action.

"It is our right as an occupied people to defend ourselves from the occupation by all means possible including suicide attacks," Ayman Taha, a Hamas leader, told AFP.

The warning came as Israel kicked off a campaign to muster international support for any major military offensive to try to halt rocket fire from the impoverished Palestinian territory.

Tensions have mounted since the expiry on Friday of a six-month truce in and around Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which is branded a terrorist group by the Jewish state and the West.

In a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, Israel's envoy to the United Nations Gabriela Shalev said the government would respond to continuing rocket fire, foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, leader of the main governing Kadima party, has ordered Israeli ambassadors around the world to emphasise that Israel "will not hesitate to react militarily if necessary" to protect its citizens.

She is also due to meet foreign ambassadors to Israel and speak with her counterparts abroad.

"The world must understand that the situation in southern Israel is intolerable for hundreds of thousands of citizens exposed to rocket fire," Palmor said.

"We cannot remain with our arms crossed. Either the international community intervenes or we will have to act," he told AFP.

The public relations effort came a day after Israel threatened a major offensive against the impoverished territory that has been ruled by Hamas since June last year.

The two frontrunners in the race to become prime minister after a snap election in February -- Livni and Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads the opposition Likud party currently leading in opinion polls -- both vowed to oust the Islamist movement, sworn to the Jewish state's destruction.

Violence around the enclave has steadily escalated since Friday, when Hamas said it would not renew a six-month truce with Israel, which came into effect after months of Egyptian mediation.

Since then, the army has carried out several air strikes, killing one militant and wounding several Palestinians, and militants have launched several dozen rockets into the Jewish state, wounding a handful of people.

Despite the bellicose rhetoric, observers say the Israeli government is wary of launching a major offensive less than two months before the general election for fear it would not be able to score a decisive victory against Hamas.

"The politicians aren't in any rush to reach election day with an incomplete military operation and only partial results hanging around their necks," wrote military analyst Alex Fishman in top-selling daily Yediot Aharonot on Sunday.

"And worse than that, to be accused of having ordered a military operation just to improve their chances at the ballot box," he said.

Israel responded to violence that erupted around Gaza in early November by tightening its blockade of the territory and blocking deliveries of humanitarian aid and other basic supplies.

The over-crowded and aid-dependent land of some 1.5 million people has been subject to Israeli blockades and repeated raids since 2006, when Hamas won parliamentary elections and later joined in a deadly cross-border raid which saw militants capture an Israeli soldier, who remains hostage to this day.

Source:

http://www.france24.com/en/20081222-hamas-resume-suicide-attacks-should-israel-launch-gaza-offensive-livni

How to build a just peace in the Middle East?

Hope4Unity — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:11:25 EST

December 15, 2008, Dr. Kamran Mofid

Building up a flourishing Palestinian economy is a crucial element in securing lasting peace in the Middle East, Gordon Brown has said.

Today (15th December 2008) the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, hosted a Palestine Trade and Investment Forum in London. At a joint Downing Street news conference with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Mr Brown reiterated Britain's commitment to a "comprehensive and just peace" in the Middle East. "Establishing a viable Palestinian state with a stable economy and flourishing private sector is a crucial part of this process," Mr Brown said. Mr Brown also expressed his hope that the election of Barack Obama as the next US president would provide a new opportunity for the international community to come together on the Middle East peace process.

I would very much like to draw your attention to an article which I wrote on this very subject and which was posted on our web site on Friday December 8th 2006, more or less two years ago today, give or take one week. I very much wish to quote a passage from this two year old piece. Just imagine if it was put into practice.

"How Can a Lasting Peace Process Move Forward?
Sound economic policies, effectively implemented, are essential elements of the peace process in the Middle East. “Economics of Hope”, leading to envisioning, enabling and empowering the disposed and marginalised people of Palestine is the most effective path to a non-violent resolution of conflict in the Middle East and a long-term security for Israel. Without economic empowerment, leading to tangible economic wellbeing and prosperity, all forms of peace proposals and dialogue, although valuable, will remain ineffective in realising their overall objective: peace, security and harmonious living, side-by-side.

The Path to Peace, Reconstruction, Security and Prosperity: Challenges and Opportunities

It is increasingly apparent that the problem of economics is not just a technical problem for experts but is above all a moral and spiritual issue. The world is longing for a system that would be both participatory and socially just; a system with a functioning economy that would be at the same time sensitive to theological consequences. We must deal with the issue of economic empowerment that has a religious tract. Through our indifference and complicity, the integrity of our faith is in jeopardy.

People everywhere, given a chance prefer to be compassionate, spiritual and caring. They want to be able to practice their religions freely. More and more, they also want to see that their religious values have a bearing on their economic systems and structures. This philosophy is nowhere stronger than in the Middle-East, whose people by and large are very spiritual, religious, hospitable, informed and cultural. They largely do not reject the pivotal values behind the market economy. Indeed, the Middle-East region throughout the history has been the major area of, and for, business, trade and commerce. They do know that, under the right conditions, a market economy can drive development, decrease poverty, encourage productivity, and reward entrepreneurial energy.

The children of Abraham in the Middle East know well that religion is a major factor in the formation of social networks and trust. In addition, the impetus for focusing specifically on spiritual/theological economics draws on the growing recognition in economics and other social sciences that religion is not epiphenomenal, nor is it fading from public significance in the 21st century and the importance to social/economic dynamics of human economic intangibles. Recent developments in the social sciences suggest a growing openness to nonmaterial factors, such as the radius of trust, behavioural norms, and religion as having profound economic, political,and social consequences"...Read the article:

http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info/2006/12/08/israel-and-palestine-can-there-be-peace-there-can-be-no-peace-without-economic-justice-in-palestine/

The Children Of Uganda & World AIDS Day

Hope4Unity — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:14:25 EST

Today is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. This day was established by the World Health Organization in 1988 to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS pandemic. As we enter the holiday season, Children of Uganda is remembering those we have lost to AIDS over the last two decades. The children we serve ~ who are among the 14 million children worldwide who have lost parents to AIDS ~ will never forget. Remember the ones left behind during this special time of year: http://www.childrenofuganda.org/facts/facts_about_the_children_of_uganda.cfmThe mission of Children of Uganda is to support and empower hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda to lead successful and productive lives.

Media That Matters Film Festival -- Economic Justice

Hope4Unity — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:34:33 EST

Defining Economic Justice

"Economic justice, which touches the individual person as well as the social order, encompasses the moral principles which guide us in designing our economic institutions. These institutions determine how each person earns a living, enters into contracts, exchanges goods and services with others and otherwise produces an independent material foundation for his or her economic sustenance. The ultimate purpose of economic justice is to free each person to engage creatively in the unlimited work beyond economics, that of the mind and the spirit."

-- Center For Economic and Social Justice

http://www.cesj.org/thirdway/economicjustice-defined.htm

Films from the multiple Media That Matters Film Festival collections explore the issue of economic justice from an international perspective. Here's one example:

A Loud Color

6:34 min
Documentary
Directed & Produced by Brent Joseph

Winner of the Legacy Award

"This film follows Louis Harding as he rebuilds the community center he opened just one month before Hurricane Katrina hit and destroyed his work. Despite the setback, 72-year-old Harding refuses to give up on his mission to combat poverty in New Orleans. He discusses the importance of history, heroes and self-esteem in the black community and explains why making his dream a reality is more important now than ever before."

http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/8/a_loud_color/

For even more films on this issue, visit MediaRights.org.

Media That Matters and Arts Engine

"The Media That Matters Film Festival is the premier showcase for short films on the most important topics of the day. Local and global, online and in communities around the world, Media That Matters engages diverse audiences and inspires them to take action."

"From gay rights to global warming, the jury-selected collection represents the work of a diverse group of independent filmmakers, many of whom are under 21. The films are equally diverse in style and content, with documentaries, music videos, animations, experimental work and everything else in between. What all the films have in common is that they spark debate and action in 12 minutes or less."

Media That Matters FOCUS

"Media That Matters FOCUS is a new series of curated collections that center on particular issues. Our first FOCUS release (October 2006) is Media That Matters: Good Food, a collection of shorts on food and sustainability. Following the model of our annual festival, the films stream online, screen around the country and are distributed on DVD. Stay tuned for new FOCUS collections on LGBT Rights, Criminal Justice and more in years to come."

Arts Engine

Arts Engine supports, produces and distributes independent media of consequence and promotes the use of independent media by advocates, educators and the general public. By fostering the production and use of independent film, video and new media, Arts Engine connects media makers and active audiences in order to spur critical consideration of pressing social issues. Learn more at www.artsengine.net.

http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/about/

Change We Can Believe In?

Hope4Unity — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:12:07 EST

"This Is Change? 20 Hawks, Clintonites and Neocons to Watch for in Obama's White House"

By Jeremy Scahill, AlterNet. Posted November 20, 2008.

A who's who guide to the people poised to shape Obama's foreign policy.

from the conclusion of the article by Jeremy Scahill:

Barack Obama campaigned on a pledge to bring change to Washington. "I don't want to just end the war," he said early this year. "I want to end the mindset that got us into war." That is going to be very difficult if Obama employs a foreign policy team that was central to creating that mindset, before and during the presidency of George W. Bush.

"Twenty-three senators and 133 House members who voted against the war -- and countless other notable individuals who spoke out against it and the dubious claims leading to war -- are apparently not even being considered for these crucial positions," observes Sam Husseini of the Institute for Public Accuracy. This includes dozens of former military and intelligence officials who spoke out forcefully against the war and continue to oppose militaristic policy, as well as credible national security experts who have articulated their visions for a foreign policy based on justice.

Obama does have a chance to change the mindset that got us into war. More significantly, he has a popular mandate to forcefully challenge the militaristic, hawkish tradition of modern U.S. foreign policy. But that work would begin by bringing on board people who would challenge this tradition, not those who have been complicit in creating it and are bound to continue advancing it.

Read the full article: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/107666/this_is_change_20_hawks%2C_clintonites_and_neocons_to_watch_for_in_obama%27s_white_house/?page=1

I still HOPE for CHANGE and BELIEVE that President-elect Obama will lead us to real change. Although, sometimes lately I worry. I find that surrogates or advisors say or do things that make me cringe. All I know for sure is that it's time for peace and prosperity for all. We must expect and accept nothing less from ourselves or our leaders.

Stevie Wonder, "Love's In Need Of Love Today":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBz9OoeCdlA

Stevie Wonder & Take 6:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXXqv2TgfnY

A Letter to President-Elect Obama from Dr. Kamran Mofid, Founder of Globalisation For The Common Good Initiative (UK)

Hope4Unity — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:15:19 EST

You Have Sown the Seeds: Now is the Time to Prepare for a Rich Harvest

Dear Mr. Obama,

Congratulations on your election as the next president of the United Sates of America. Millions of Americans and indeed many more millions around the world are eagerly looking to you and your administration to address many pressing crises facing your country and the world over. These include climate change and ecology, banking, credit and subprime mortgage lending, soaring cost of energy and food, hunger and infectious disease, international relations and cooperation, peace and justice, terrorism and war, armaments and unprecedented violence, crime and insecurity. Other major problems include the fear of getting sick, old, homeless and jobless.

It is precisely in times like these – unstable and confusing though they may be – that people everywhere need to keep their eyes on the better side of human nature, the side of love and compassion, rather than hatred and injustice; the side of the common good, rather than selfishness, individualism and greed.

With your election a seed of hope has been sown. Now it’s the time to ensure this seed will grow into a most wonderful and rich harvest by insisting that the abundance that comes from God and earth and human effort must be shared, lest its concentration in the hands of the few become a blood-clot endangering our lives- as indeed has happened.

We must remember that the day before your inauguration on Tuesday 20th of January is Martin Luther King’s Birthday. Exactly one year before he died, speaking at Riverside Church in New York, Dr. King called on Americans to cure themselves of the destructive “triplets”, as he called them, of racism, militarism, and materialism in America. The world is united in hoping that a rich harvest of your presidency will be the destruction of the “triplets”.

To do this, your government needs- as I am sure, it will- to adopt a new strategy of generosity toward all the people of America, as well as to all other people and nations around the world, by replacing the strategy of domination that has so long been the policy paradigm. Your administration needs to transform all institutions including the U.S. government to act not merely for economic benefits and the highest return to the shareholders, but also to encourage people’s natural inclination toward love, generosity, compassion, imagination, and wonder at the beauty of the planet Earth and the universe in which we live, by encouraging us all to know and serve the common good.

Those who may not have your best interest at heart may say this is too idealistic. But today, idealism is the new realism. So-called realism, through the strategy of domination, has only led to endless wars, needless suffering, and exploitation, seriously compromising the moral and spiritual standing of the U.S., both at home and abroad.

The world is waiting to see the seed of hope sprouting, growing into a tree of love, embracing all God’s people. To take us to the Promised Land and heal our broken world -- as you have reminded us throughout the campaign period --we need to change, a change we can all believe in, and here I offer Globalisation for the Common Good, to be a path that we should travel along to create a world that is free, just, and prosperous for all.

Music Education in the Public Schools: An Opportunity for Grassroots Support

Hope4Unity — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:54:55 EST

"The first place I heard the blues was in Kansas City." Langston Hughes

"Kansas City has a rich history of music, especially jazz. While most of the music was created by professional musicians at various performance venues in and around the city, there were also the up and coming musicians at the local schools. One such school with an extremely rich musical history is Lincoln High School, often referred to as the 'castle on the hill'.” http://lcpabands.org/Links/history.htm

President-elect Obama understands the importance of arts in the schools which includes music education. Quality music education programs need financial support in every school district in order to provide the world class education that every student deserves.

"What we can’t have is the creation of a cultural caste system where only the children of the affluent will have the opportunity to have an arts education. The only way the children of the non-affluent are going to get an arts education is in the public school. But the quality of education in the public schools is inconsistent, so that’s an issue we’ve got to deal with".— Denny Senseney, President of Senseney Music. Source: http://www.supportmusic.com/smc_report.pdf

Lincoln College Preparatory Academy's Wind Ensemble, a 45-student concert band has been invited to participate in a special rehearsal and recital program at Carnegie Hall in New York City in April 2009.

The Band Boosters are seeking community financial support in order to make this dream music experience a reality for students.

Lincoln High School is located in the 18th & Vine Historic District of Kansas City, Missouri. The history of Lincoln is summarized on the Tiger Bands' site: http://lcpabands.org/Links/history.htm Lincoln, a public school in an urban neighborhood, provides a college prep education (including an academic music program) to students from across the city.

The performance program at Carnegie Hall annually attracts talented youth and young adult musicians from across the country. Students, Band Boosters and other supporters are seeking to raise the $75,000 needed to arrange the one-week trip and performance program in New York.

This is an appeal for your support!

Please send any donations to:

LCPA Band Boosters
c/o LCPA Bands
2111 Woodland
Kansas City, MO 64108

For more information about the Lincoln College Prep Band Program and the students' efforts to get to New York City in April 2009, visit www.lcpabands.org.

Musical Kansas City:
From Rags to Classic Jazz to the Classics

http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/parisoftheplains/webexhibit/page4.htm

Sometimes when everyone agrees that something is a good idea -- like supporting music education or sending students to Carnegie Hall -- then everybody assumes that everyone else is already doing something to help which may result in nobody doing anything at all -- so, please donate if you are able.

Thank You!

YES!

Dialogue of Civilizations, Vienna, Austria 2008

Hope4Unity — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:09:25 EST

World Public Forum's Meeting in Vienna Theme:

In the Search for a New Paradigm

The participants in the Vienna meeting of WPF have agreed to establish a working group of experts that is to research the problem of creating a new paradigm of the global society.

Kamran Mofid: Globalisation for the Common Good and the “Dialogue of Civilizations”

"The question of the scope and potential of dialogue among cultures and civilizations is achieving unprecedented significance, especially in the present international context. More than ever before, dialogue poses a fundamental challenge and must be based on the unity of mankind and commonly shared values, the recognition of the world’s cultural diversity and the equal dignity of each civilization, culture and individual. Why is it necessary to engage in a Dialogue of Civilizations? What can we learn from past dialogues? What effect could an increased dialogue have on the substance and process of international relations? Could there be any such thing as a global ethos, a common overarching human value system, a globalisation for the common good that transcends cultural and civilizational differences? In my presentation an attempt is made to show how the "Dialogue among Civilizations and Globalisation for the Common Good" can be a path towards building a world that is just, free and prosperous." -- Dr. Kamran Mofid, 11/14/08

Read the Text of the Speech by Kamran Mofid
Delivered at the First Summit of the World Public Forum (WPF)
“Dialogue of Civilizations” November 09-11, 2008
Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria

http://www.dialogueofcivilizations.org/

Kamran Mofid PhD (ECON)
Founder, Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative
www.globalisationforthecommongood.info
Co-editor, Journal of Globalisation for the Common Good
www.commongoodjournal.com
Globalisation for the Common Good, Chicago 2009
http://www.gcgchicago2009.info/

Member of the International Coordinating Committee of the WPF Dialogue of Civilisations

Secretary of State Selection

Hope4Unity — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:02:51 EST

The selection of Bill Richardson as Secretary of State is the best choice among the names that are reportedly under consideration.

Gov. Richardson has communicated a world view that is more closely aligned with the voters who elected Barack Obama for Change We Can Believe in.

The world is watching and waiting for a new approach from The UNITED States -- not more Bush/Cheney era rhetoric toward Iran or a resurrection of the Clinton Administration.

President-Elect Barack Obama

Hope4Unity — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:05:57 EST

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand." --President-Elect Barack Obama, November 4, 2008

Thank You!

November 4, 2008 was a moment of truth that will move us ever closer toward healing the world's broken heart.

An OBAMA Moment Early On Election Day November 4, 2008

Hope4Unity — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:26:14 EST

Early this morning near 18th & Vine in Kansas City, MO a citizen of one of the wealthtiest nations in the world pushed a shopping cart containing all his worldly goods up the same steep hill he climbs each day after freshing up in a water fountain at a nearby park.

The man on the hill who lives his life on the street could detect on election day something special in the air...maybe the righteous wind. Believing in the power of one voice, and community organizing Obama volunteers were canvassing door-to-door even when there was no door, and so the man with the cart received an "Obama '08" sticker.

A moment passed as he studied the sticker. Then, without saying a word this American Patriot moved slowly to the front of his cart and balancing the overflowing cart against his hip, he paused then smiled slightly.

With great care and a look of reverence for what today represents, he carefully placed the OBAMA STICKER front and center on the plastic tarp that protected the contents of the cart.

In the early morning light on Election Day 2008, in a quiet Obama-inspired moment there was shared hope and belief in Barack Obama and in ourselves. A New Day is on the way.

"I am my sisters' keeper. I am my brothers' keeper."

One Voice...

One Love...I am grateful.

Now, let's get back out there and make this happen. The world is watching. We can do this!

November 3, 2008

Hope4Unity — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:47:55 EST

A Garden Beyond Paradise

Everything you see has its roots
in the unseen world.
The forms may change,
yet the essence remains the same.

Every wondrous sight will vanish,
every sweet word will fade.
But do not be disheartened,
The Source they come from is eternal—
growing, branching out,
giving new life and new joy.

Why do you weep?—
That Source is within you,
and this whole world
is springing up from it.

The Source is full,
its waters are ever-flowing;
Do not grieve,
drink your fill!
Don't think it will ever run dry—
This is the endless Ocean!

From the moment you came into this world,
a ladder was placed in front of you
that you might transcend it.

From earth, you became plant,
from plant you became animal.
Afterwards you became a human being,
endowed with knowledge, intellect and faith.

Behold the body, born of dust—
how perfect it has become!

Why should you fear its end?
When were you ever made less by dying?

When you pass beyond this human form,
no doubt you will become an angel
and soar through the heavens!

But don't stop there.
Even heavenly bodies grow old.

Pass again from the heavenly realm
and plunge into the ocean of Consciousness.
Let the drop of water that is you
become a hundred mighty seas.

But do not think that the drop alone
becomes the Ocean—
the Ocean, too, becomes the drop!

~RUMI

OBAMA/BIDEN PROPOSAL PROVIDES BETTER NATIVE HEALTH CARE PLAN

Hope4Unity — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:34:29 EST

The following is from THE NATIVE AMERICAN TIMES/NativeTimes.com

CHICAGO – On an Oct. 14 conference call with reporters, two Indian Country leaders discussed how an Obama-Biden administration would help millions of First Americans looking for affordable, quality health care.
Councilman Robert Moore of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe spoke about the health care challenges facing many people in the First American community. Moore noted that any discussion on reforming America’s broken health care system had to include a discussion about First Americans and Alaska natives.
“We know that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to honoring health care treaty obligations to our tribal nations,” said Moore. “Obama and Biden support sufficient funding for Indian Health Services and proper staffing and maintenance for IHS facilities. By comparison, John McCain has consistently voted against funding for Indian Health Services. Senator Obama’s willingness to bring tribal nations to the table empowers us to shape what happens to the IHS so that we have a very modern medical experience.”
Larry Curley, executive director of the Indian Health Board of Nevada, observed that First Americans simply cannot afford John McCain’s extreme health care plan. The McCain health care plan is a “radical deconstruction” of American health care that would dismantle our employer-based health care system upon which many Native Americans rely for coverage and force more Americans into the individual insurance market where they would have to fend for themselves and raise taxes on tens of millions of families.
“Under the Obama-Biden plan, First Americans who have coverage today will be able to maintain their current coverage, have access to new affordable options, and see the quality of their health care improve and their costs go down,” said Curley. “Senator Obama understands the importance of programs such as Medicaid, which currently provide health insurance cover to over 22 percent of American Indian adults and 46 percent of American Indian children. That is why an Obama-Biden administration would expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function and work at all levels of government to ensure greater communication.”
Source:
http://nativetimes.bizweb5.tulsaconnect.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=410&Itemid=1

Education with Barack Obama

Hope4Unity — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:12:55 EDT

Achievers Obscured by History
By Frank T. Manheim and Eckhard Hellmuth
Jul 27, 2006

Retired geochemist Frank Manheim, now adjunct professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and Emeritus professor of chemistry, Eckhard Hellmuth at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, were interested in science education.

They tracked down a rumor about special achievements in chemistry at Kansas City Missouri’s formerly segregated Negro high school. Exploring a subject that has involved controversies and sensitivities, their research revealed an important story that was obscured for 50 years.

Topeka and Kansas City

In 1954, an eight-year old Black girl from Topeka, Kansas made national headlines. The NAACP, led by Thurgood Marshall, a rapidly rising Black lawyer who had achieved a succession of court victories, won Oliver Brown’s suit against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Brown’s daughter, Linda, who was in third grade, had to walk across Topeka to her segregated school. Her white friends could go to school a few blocks away. The landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision outlawed legal imposition of segregation in the United States.

Science Awards Confirm Forgotten History

Around the time of the Topeka decision, students of Sumner High School, a segregated Negro high school in Kansas City Kansas, accomplished something not only unexpected, but also improbable, considering the prevailing conditions of discrimination, the sub-standard school funding, and the educational and socioeconomic background of the Negro population that Sumner served. The accomplishment was this: Sumner dominated all Metropolitan Kansas City high schools (then more than 75 percent white) in awards for science presentations in the newly initiated National Science Fairs program.

It was not a fluke. Sumner would dominate top science prizes for much of the 1950s. Later, Lincoln High School, a Negro high school until 1954 on the Missouri side, dominated science awards in the Kansas City, Missouri school district well into the 1960s.

Read the story: http://www.sciencespectrumonline.com/artman/publish/printer_150.shtml

"The story of the schools should add to their legacy in Greater Kansas City history. It offers insights for education today, though we neither can nor would wish to recreate some of the conditions that influenced the developments. The story also points to an urgent need to research educational history and circumstances in African-American communities prior to the mid 1960s, while the personal experience and documentary resources of surviving educators and other knowledgeable observers are still available." -- Manheim & Hellmuth, 2006

Senator Obama often speaks of the value placed on education by his parents and grandparents. Reform of No Child Left Behind is one of the important changes that will be achieved in an Obama administration.

Be a True Patriot: VOTE for OBAMA!

Hope4Unity — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:32:34 EDT

The Obama campaign says they've been told by the St. Louis Police Department that about 100,000 people gathered to hear Obama's rally in St. Louis earlier Saturday. (Photo: Matt Hoye/CNN)

Thank You MISSOURI!

A Vote For OBAMA Is An Act of Patriotism

Patriotism is a love of one's country. A vote for Barack Obama is a true act of patriotism and one that will elevate each of us at this crucial time in world history. Senator Obama reveals America in its most humble and heroic light all at once.

Senator Obama is more than a politician, more than a mere nominee of a political party. Barack Obama is a reflection of the "better angels" within each of us at our finest hour. In Barack Obama we find a leader who believes in us, who cares about us, and in our ability to bring about change even if there was a day when we did not believe in ourselves or in him.

The life of the Obama family, Barack and Michelle Obama, their children, their extended families, the choices they've made, is America, "the American Dream", the realistic version. This is the idea of America we say we believe in -- Everyone's' America --where challenges are great and struggles are a daily part of life, but a place where anyone can make it if they try. Their story is one of modest beginnings, hard work, sacrifice, courage, determination, kindness, and honesty. The Obama story, the true American story, represents an understanding that success is not just about wealth and that wealth is not only defined by money.

Barack Obama has demonstrated his conviction that we are are all inherently worthy of the best life has to offer. Senator Obama understands that the choices each of us make in life, for ourselves and our families, are made within a particular context that either affirms or denies our basic human rights. Only when justice prevails for all will this country create a "more perfect union."

A vote for Barack Obama is a vote of confidence in ourselves and in the ideals that The UNITED States of America has come to represent, ideals that are too often hijacked by those with less than honorable intentions. Senator Obama is The Change We Need and The Leader We Can Trust to Work For Us and With Us toward a Better Day.

Barack Obama is clearly in touch with the depth of suffering and capacity for resilience of the American people. This suffering is real to him. You can see it in his face and hear it in his voice as he listens to our stories and talks with us about ways to improve our lives. Senator Obama also belives in our basic decencey and common sense and our ability to find strength and create joy and justice through collective action. This is transformational leadership -- creating a once-in-a-lifetime movement in response to the "fierce urgency of now."

Vote for Barack Obama and take back OUR government... Bring the troops home from Iraq, Jobs, Fair Trade, Homes and Mortgage Relief, Quality K-12 Education for All, Before and After-school Programs, $4,000 College Tuition Tax Credit, Healthcare for Every American, New Technology, Green Energy, Freedom from Oil Imports, Progressive Taxation (No Tax Increases for most Americans and Small Businesses), Protection of Retirement Benefits (No Taxes for Seniors with incomes of $50,000 or less), Support for Veterans, Diplomacy, Equal Pay for Equal Work, Immigration Policies that don't destroy families, Transparent Government, Appropriate Regulation of government, corporations and the financial sector, Economics for The Common Good...with a list of more positive change that goes on and on.

"There is still a dream to believe in there is still a hope after hope is gone..."

The choice is clear, the time is now: Vote for Barack Obama for President!

The Working Poor

Hope4Unity — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:45:58 EDT

In a country as wealthy as the United States, "working poor" should be a contradiction in terms. But tens of millions of Americans fall into that category -- affecting a growing population of children.

Despite their toil, many of the working poor are broke. Frequently they lack health insurance. If a child gets sick, if they lose their job, if a spouse leaves, it can swiftly spell a financial emergency. They sometimes choose between food and rent or between medicine and heat. What's it like for people in low-paying fulltime jobs, with no savings, falling behind on their bills, sometimes lining up at food pantries, even shelters? And how does this affect the rest of society?

Documentary: http://www.humanmedia.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=280

Here's another story on the Working Poor Families Project:

Financial strain heightens for public assistance, social service agencies

By DIANE STAFFORDThe Kansas City Star

There is a growing financial strain on public assistance and social service agencies. Here is why:

•About 350,000 more U.S. families were deemed “low income” in 2006 than in 2002, according to Census Bureau figures.

Given higher unemployment, higher prices for food and fuel, and stagnant pay in low-wage jobs, the number is sure to be higher now.

•More than one in four working families (about 9.6 million families with children) were classified low income in 2006.

“Low income” means a family earns less than 200 percent of the poverty income threshold set by the Census Bureau. Two years ago, that label was affixed to 42 million Americans, 21 million of them children.

Then, a family of four needed income of $41,228 to have an adequate measure of economic self-sufficiency. Given the economic forces since then, the sufficiency income level is likely to be higher.

OBAMA: Choice of The National Education Association

Hope4Unity — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:56:41 EDT

How Obama Became NEA's Recommended Candidate

Posted by NEA on September 18, 2008 1:06 PM

After reading through questionnaires and interviewing the presidential contenders more than a year ago, the NEA PAC Council—made up of all state Association presidents, national officers, and heads of NEA member caucuses—developed a list of “acceptable” candidates based on their commitment to public education.

Obama was one of many to respond. Sen. John McCain chose not to return the Council’s questionnaire, so he did not get an interview. After a studied analysis of the acceptable candidates and their positions on everything from professional pay to No Child Left Behind, the PAC then unanimously asked the NEA’s Representative Assembly (RA) to recommend that members support Obama. The RA made the final decision by a secret ballot vote in July, when 80 percent of delegates voted in favor of Obama. The vote was well above the minimum of 58 percent required by NEA bylaws.

http://educationvotes.nea.org/news/2008/09/how-obama-became-neas-recommen.php

American Indian Symposium -- Kansas City, MO

Hope4Unity — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:05:49 EDT

5TH ANNUAL AMERICAN INDIAN SYMPOSIUM

Building Bridges, Transforming Perceptions towards American Indian People: Changing Tomorrow, Cherishing and Honoring Our Past

November 17, 2008, 8 am-5 pm, Pierson Auditorium -- University Center, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Missouri.

Call to Register: Contact the Kansas City AMerican Indian Council at 816-471-4898 or 800-546-4898 or e-mail a8cvicky@kc.rr.com and RSVP by 11/7/08.

Symposium Goals: The symposium will provide a forum where American Indians can share their strategies, models and tools with individuals and organizations that provide services to urban American Indians to help resolve common health, mental health, education, and law issues to create effective partnerships to deliver care in the urban community setting and to access the resources needed to create programs that will benefit alll American Indian populations.

Symposium Objectives: Symposium participants will learn innovative strategies to address and improve the Health, Mental Health, Education and Legal Disparities that negatively impact the wellness of the urban American Indian population and have opportunities for networking and learning from others.

Highly Recommended based on last year's symposium!

First Americans for Obama Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBjnLu06HQY

Mindset of Excess: MBA Education

Hope4Unity — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:30:16 EDT

Dr. Kamran Mofid, Economist and Founder of Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative:

Re: When it came to the crunch, MBAs didn't help

In an article in today's Observer (26 October 2008), Simon Caulkin, management editor, reflects on the MBA programmes, teachings and their contributions to the current global financial crisis. Caulkin begins his reflection as follows: "It's not just in finance that the inquests have begun. What part have the business schools and business academics played in the implosion of the world's banking system? That was the question posed in a letter to the Financial Times last week by Nottingham University Business School's Professor Ken Starkey. Hedge funds, private equity, investment banking, venture capital and consulting - the high priesthood of financial capitalism - were overwhelmingly MBAs' preferred job destinations, he noted. Now the schools needed to 'reflect on the role of the MBA and MBAs in the carnage of Wall Street' and consider 'how management education has contributed to the mindset that has led to the excesses of the last two decades'".

Caulkin then follows his argument by highlighting a few more other professors from other business schools, notably Professor James Fleck, dean of The Open University Business School and Professor Martin Parker of Leicester School of Management who have questioned the spirit of their teachings in the face of the current crisis.

I salute all these and other academics for their courage and honesty in speaking out against the inhumanity and injustices of neo-classical economics and asking for new models and theories of teaching. This is all well and good. But this kind of self criticism, however welcomed and timely, is mostly done post-crisis. We should all note that there were many academics, economists, including myself and others who have been asking fundamental questions about these MBA programmes and courses. Sadly it seems that we were not listened to.

Economists for Obama: Resource for Canvassing

Hope4Unity — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:19:25 EDT

The Truth on Taxes• Obama: Tax cuts for 95% of working families
• McCain: NO tax cut for 100 million Americans
• Most would get a larger tax cut from Obama

Barack Obama: A President for All Americans

Hope4Unity — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:37:01 EDT

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/opinion/33211544.html

So I know what it feels like to be viewed as an outsider. I know what it's like to not always have been respected or to have been ignored. I know what it's like to struggle.

Every president is shaped by his own experience. These have been mine. And so I want you to know that I will never forget you. The American Indians I have met across this country will be on my mind each day that I am in the White House. --Barack Obama 10/24/08

Organizing For A New Day

Hope4Unity — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:41:59 EDT

"Colin Powell reminded us of what's at stake in this election -- for America and for the world," Obama told the crowd. "He reminded us that at a defining moment like this, we don't have the luxury of relying on the same political games and the same political tactics that are used every election to divide us from one another and make us afraid of one another."

Obama/Unity:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLMssMEnVaI

Members Only:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP5ftcSIUjc

community organizer - An individual who brings people together and nurtures leaders at the local level to solve a common problem or meet a shared need such as improving schools, expanding employment opportunities, widening access to affordable health care and housing, seeking relief from environmental hazards, securing equal rights for immigrants, etc. >> COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, ACTIVIST, GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY

Martin Luther King Jr. was a community organizer. Mahatma Gandhi was a community organizer. Cesar Chavez was a community organizer. Great religious leaders, rebels, civil rights activists and just about anyone who has risen up against the status quo and tyranny have been, at heart, community organizers."
-- Ed Sills, Houston Chronicle Sept 10, 2008

http://www.civicmind.com/bcomorg.htm

Our Conscience Cannot Rest

Hope4Unity — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:11:37 EDT

“Our conscience cannot rest as long as people are called ‘working poor’ in America. If you are working, you should not be poor." --Barack Obama

2/29/08 quoted in The Brownsville Herald

HOPE, BELIEVE, CHANGE ... We Are The Change. There is a better day on the horizon. Until the day when food, shelter, clothing, medical care, education and decent work for fair pay become a right; until it's about justice not charity, then consider helping through programs such as the following:

The Hunger Site was founded to focus the power of the Internet on a specific humanitarian need: the eradication of world hunger. Since its launch in June 1999, the site has established itself as a leader in online activism, helping to feed the world's hungry. On average, over 220,000 individuals from around the world visit the site each day to click the yellow "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button. To date, more than 300 million visitors have given more than 500 million cups of staple food.

The staple food funded by clicks at The Hunger Site is paid for by site sponsors and distributed to those in need by Mercy Corps and Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest) . 100% of sponsor advertising fees goes to our charitable partners. Funds are split between these organizations and go to the aid of hungry people in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America.

Hunger: Do You Know The Facts?

It is estimated that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. That's roughly 100 times as many as those who actually die from these causes each year.

About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. This is down from 35,000 ten years ago, and 41,000 twenty years ago. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five.

Famine and wars cause about 10% of hunger deaths, although these tend to be the ones you hear about most often. The majority of hunger deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. Families facing extreme poverty are simply unable to get enough food to eat.

The Hunger Site began on June 1, 1999. In 1999, a year marked by good economic news, 31 million Americans were food insecure, meaning they were either hungry or unsure of where their next meal would come from. Of these Americans, 12 million were children.

How You Can Help In Mere Seconds — Every Day

The Hunger Site provides a feel-good way to help promote awareness and prevent hunger deaths every day — through easy and quick online activities.

With a simple, daily click of the yellow "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button at The Hunger Site, visitors help provide food to those in need. Visitors pay nothing. Food is paid for by the site's sponsors and distributed by Mercy Corps worldwide and by Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest) to food banks throughout the United States.

http://www.thehungersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces

Artisan Stories:

http://www.thehungersite.com/clickToGive/artisans.faces?siteId=1

Global Communication Association Conference

Hope4Unity — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:15:46 EDT

Oman Conference 2008

Global Communication Association Conference

Globalization and Media in the Middle East
Muscat, Sultanate of OMAN
October 20-21, 2008

Global Communication Association Conference

Globalization and Media in the Middle East
Muscat, Sultanate of OMAN
October 20-21, 2008

Established in 2007 and inaugurated at the Shanghai Global Communication and Development Conference, GCA is intended to:

Foster and promote academic research in global studies;
Promote academic collaboration among major universities around the world;
Facilitate joint projects and research opportunities among scholars, researchers, and graduate students;
Facilitate faculty research and exchange programs;
Facilitate joint programs, grant opportunities, symposiums, and timely initiatives among centers, institutes, and global organizations;
Explore the myriad opportunities and challenges in the areas of teaching, learning, communication development, globalization, mass media, and international cooperation; and
Hold annual conferences throughout the world.

http://blogs.calumet.purdue.edu/gca/

Globalisation for the Common Good works closely with Global Communication Association.

www.globalisationforthecommongood.info

Who Is Barack Obama? The next U.S. President!

Hope4Unity — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:53:00 EDT

Who is Barack Obama?

Barack Obama will soon be the next President of The UNITED States of America. This will happen despite the disgusting and frightening attempts by McCain and Palin to instigate dangerous, fear- and ignorance-based reactions to Senator Obama.

One More Time...

(From an earlier post "Our Best Selves: Southwest Missouri and Beyond")

Certainly, there will be individuals who, for a variety of reasons that really don't matter, will never vote for President Obama. Those individuals, the audience for divisive, fear-mongering rhetoric represent a small segment of a vast country.

This is a nation that is ready to embrace the message of hope, justice and change that Barack Obama has offered. This nation is ready for Obama's judgement to lead, his specific plans to improve the economy, to develop energy alternatives, to create new jobs, to institute tax savings for the middle class, to increase access to quality education and affordable health care, and to support returning veterans.

Keeping America safe is a priority for Barack Obama and he understands how to do so without sacrificing thousands of lives and billions of tax dollars each month on war when a war is waged on the basis of lies. President Obama will represent America with strength, honor and integrity in this country's dialogue and cooperation with the rest of the world.

The UNITED States of America needs innovative solutions and Barack Obama is ready to explain his views and present his proposals and both will withstand discussion, debate, and fact-checking.

It's been a long time coming, but the "fierce urgency of now" has swept across America and there's no turning back -- "Not Now, Not This Time."

Whether in the urban neighborhoods of Kansas City and St. Louis or in the back hills and resort areas of Southwestern Missouri, it is time to be OUR BEST SELVES.

It's time to work together for the ideals we believe in rather than to hedge our bets or withhold our votes due to the unrealistic fears projected upon us by those interests that have no interest at all in the majority of us who are struggling every day.

This election is too important for individual survival, the economic viability of our families, the safety of our nation, and the peace and prosperity of the world to allow the simple-minded noise of predictable, low-road politics to distract us from all the challenges we are facing.

This election is not about the sound of a name or the shade of skin. This election is not about Christian or Muslim or celebrities or surges. We know what the real issues are because we're living them every day...and we're suffering...we're watching our neighbors and our families suffering too.

There's a story behind each sound bite, each wild accusation and each divide-and-conquer campaign ad. It is our right and our responsibility to reach beyond those scraps of misinformation to seek out the truth, to learn the details of policies and positions, to make an informed choice.

Once we accept that challenge, once we take back our government -- OUR Government -- then, we will no longer be held captive by fear. We will no longer sit by in silent misery to be manipulated by those who seek, through corrupt power, to exploit our diversity and divide us for their own ends.

We are capable of being FOR something, a change for the better rather than being against each other out of uncertainty or habit.

In the same way that the people of mid-America do not deserve to be categorized as nothing more than an over-simplified "demographic" by pollsters, Senator Obama does not deserve to be reduced to a caricature by the other campaign when they've destroyed their own credibility and can not come up with anything better -- like real issues, for example.

Senator Obama is about truth and transparency, and unlike other candidates, Senator Obama believes in the common sense and decency of average Americans.

Let's stand together, even if we don't agree on every point, and prove to ourselves that we have the power to create "A More Perfect Union."

No More Fear! BELIEVE! OBAMA '08

www.barackobama.com

International Indigenous Solidarity Gathering & More

Hope4Unity — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:05:16 EDT

International Indigenous Solidarity Gathering
Latin America, Asia and the PacificOctober 23 - 26 2008

An Open Invitation
P.O. BOX 813 North Melbourne,
Victoria – Australia 3051 –
http://www.latinlasnet.org/, http://www.foe.org.au/

The Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET), Friends of the Earth - Australia (FoE) and other solidarity groups proudly announce The International Indigenous Solidarity Gathering Latin America, Asia and the Pacific on October 23-24-25-26, which brings together indigenous and non indigenous grassroots popular organisations struggling, resisting and supporting Indigenous/first peoples/ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders rights from Australia, Aotearoa (NZ), the Asia - Pacific Region, Turtle Island (North America), and the Latin American continent.

We would like to invite you and/or your organisation to attend this important Conference in Australia.

The Gathering (Encuentro) aims to build bridges connecting our struggles, and strengthen solidarity, friendship and collaborations between indigenous and non-indigenous grassroots organisations throughout various regions of the world, especially where multinational corporations and military interventions severely impact on indigenous lands and communities. This Gathering is taking place on Wurundjeri land. We give our respects to the Wurundjeri elders past and present.
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

ACORN: Association Of Community Organizations for Reform Now

Hope4Unity — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:03:20 EDT

Who is ACORN?

ACORN is the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people with over 400,000 member families organized into more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in 110 cities across the country. Since 1970, ACORN has been building community organizations that are committed to social and economic justice, and won victories on thousands of issues of concern to our members, through direct action, negotiation, legislative advocacy and voter participation. ACORN helps those who have historically been locked out become powerful players in our democratic system.

Community organizing: Each of the 1,200 local ACORN neighborhood chapters in 110 cities and 40 states brings neighbors together to work for stronger, safer and more just communities.

Issue campaigns: Each ACORN office carries out multiple issue campaigns. ACORN members across the country work to raise the minimum wage or enact living wage policies; eliminate predatory financial practices by mortgage lenders, payday lenders, and tax preparation companies; win the development of affordable housing and community benefits agreements; improve the quality of and funding for urban public schools; rebuild New Orleans; and pass a federal and state ACORN Working Families Agenda, including paid sick leave for all full time workers. Learn more about ACORN:

http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12342

U.S. Attorney Fired After Failing to Indict ACORN for Voter Fraud

April 4, 2007

There are new developments in the scandal over the Bush administration’s firing of eight U.S. Attorneys. One of the dismissed prosecutors has revealed that he was pressured by Republican officials to target the advocacy group ACORN for voter fraud. ACORN was working on a voter registration drive in low-income and largely minority neighborhoods in New Mexico. David Iglesias told Newsweek that he found no case worth bringing against ACORN. But that apparently did not please the White House. Last week Attorney General Alberto Gonzales" ex-chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson testified that during the run-up to the mid-term election White House adviser Karl Rove complained that Iglesias and two other U.S. Attorneys had not done enough to prosecute so-called voter fraud.

Source: Democracy Now! The War and Peace Report

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/4/4/headlines#11

Bogus "Voter Fraud Charges" Aim to Camouflage Voter Suppression October 10, 2008

ACORN has just completed the largest, most successful nonpartisan voter registration drive in U.S. history. We helped 1.3 million low-income, minority and young voters across the country register to vote.
Unfortunately, just as in 2006, that success in bringing people into the democratic process, have been greeted with unfounded accusations to disparage our work and help maintain the status quo of an unbalanced electorate.
After a similar spate of charges against ACORN in 2006, we learned that then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had fired Republican U.S. Attorneys because they refused to prosecute ACORN and other voter assistance groups on trumped up fraud charges. This was the heart of the U.S. Attorney-gate scandal that led Karl Rove, Gonzales and other top Department of Justice officials to resign. Because the press didn’t catch on until long after the election, it was part of a successful strategy to create an unfounded specter of voter fraud and to suppress voting.
Statement continued @ Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12340

"No Child Left Behind" & Military Recruiter Access To Private Information

Hope4Unity — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:30:39 EDT

LEAVE MY CHILD ALONE!

Did you know that President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act mandates that public high schools must turn over private student contact information to local military recruiters or risk losing federal education funding? And not only that but the Pentagon has compiled a database of over 30 million young people, including 16 and 17 year olds, for the purpose of military recruitment?

The Leave My Child Alone coalition makes it easy to protect children from unwanted military recruiting by getting their names off both these lists. To opt your child out, go to:

http://www.leavemychildalone.org

You can also join up with other concerned parents, teachers, grandparents, veterans and members of your local community by attending or organizing school board meeting outings to advocate for opt out policies and pass model school board resolutions. To find out about events near you or to find out how you can organize an event yourself, go to:

http://www.leavemychildalone.org/

The Leave My Child Alone coalition was created by Working Assets, Mainstreet Moms and ACORN to protect high school students from unwanted military recruiting. Since the coalition's launch on Mother's Day 2005, concerned parents nationwide have held over 450 "opt out" events, and thousands of kids have been opted out of lists that public high schools turn over to military recruiters.

Watch a free video online and access advocacy material at the link below:

http://www.leavemychildalone.org/

LIFE

Hope4Unity — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:50:29 EDT

This is a photo of the Tomb of Gowhar Shad in Herat, Afghanistan. It was built in 1417 Herat, an oasis town, was once one of the most beautiful places in the world, Now it is one of the most destroyed cities in the world.

If we continue to exploit the people and places of the world then one day there will be nothing left but tears.

"When your face is hidden from me, like the moon hidden on a dark night, I shed stars of tears and yet my night remains dark in spite of all those shining stars."

-- Epitah of the Persian Poet, Jami on his tomb in Herat.

Celebrate Life with Love and Respect ...

Economists: Dr. Kamran Mofid & Dr. Joseph Stiglitz Explain The Financial Crisis

Hope4Unity — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:38:17 EDT

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. -- Mahatma Gandhi

The Current Financial Crisis: Dishonesty fuelled by Greed

"Over the weekend, John McCain's top adviser announced their plan to stop engaging in a debate over the economy and "turn the page" to more direct, personal attacks on Barack Obama. In the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, they want to change the subject from the central question of this election. Perhaps because the policies McCain supported these past eight years and wants to continue are pretty hard to defend. But it's not just McCain's role in the current crisis that they're avoiding. The backward economic philosophy and culture of corruption that helped create the current crisis are looking more and more like the other major financial crisis of our time." www.barackobama.com

Dr. Kamran Mofid, Economist.

On 10/6/08 Dr. Mofid, an internationally renowned economist, and founder of the Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative, in a letter to his subscribers, wrote the following on the current economic crisis:

In the last couple of weeks, 100s of billions of Dollars, Pounds and Euros of tax payers money have been poured down the drain to bail out a non-functioning, unregulated, unaccountable financial system. The money that we were told was not there to pay for improvements in health, education, housing, transportation, pension, child care,..to name but a few. Moreover, no body has been charged yet: one law for them and another one for the tax payers! The profits were privatised when the going was good and the costs have been socialised, now that the going got tough, heaven on earth for them and hell for the tax payers!

Where are the market forces now, you might ask? Where are all those neo-liberal economists now, singing the praises of the market, deregulation, liberalisation, privatisation, free tade, share/property-owning democracy,..? Where are they now, telling us how to maximise our profits and income, how to minimise our costs and how to exploit the natural resources, all for the sake of maximum economic growth, and then tell us how to externalise the costs and consequences to the tax payer or to the people of Bangladesh for example, when they get flooded.

Where have they gone now? Why are they so quiet now, not sharing their wisdom on the wonders of the market and competition and scarcity with us all! I wonder if all these billions that tax-payers have given will work in rescuing the economy where mammon has taken over? My answer is: it will not, as long as the so-called experts/economists do not admit that without humanity, ethics and justice, economics and business are house of cards built on shifting sands.

Many millions of words have been written on this meltdown, on what went wrong, but not much on why it went wrong. The overwhelming majority agree on the role of one vital element: dishonesty fuelled by greed. We forget at our own peril that honesty and greed are essentially spiritual and moral issues.In the last few weeks the greed of Wall Street and the City (London financial district) has been under the spotlight. The Archbishop of York recently- and in my view correctly- called some of the traders bank robbers. "We find ourselves in a market system which seems to have taken its rules of trade from Alice in Wonderland", the Archbishop remarked. The Archbishop of Canterbury has also criticized "trading of the debts of others without accountability" and compared unfettered belief in the market with fundamentalism. This last word "fundamentalism" used by the Archbishop means a lot to me. It is the fundamentalism of economics, its teaching and MBA programmes that is, in my view, the shifting sand upon which we have built this house of cards, called economic globalisation, which has now come home to roost.

The Chicago Boys school of economic thought has proven to be an Emporer with no clothes! As long as this curse persists, there will be no possibility of reaching the Promised Land: where we can have justice, peace, happiness and contentment.

Blankets to Sub-prine Loans: Hang Your Head Only IF The Hat Fits

Hope4Unity — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:13:11 EDT

Columbus Day memories inspired by Bush, Cheney, McCain and Palin.

Everybody else meet here =======>> www.VoteForChange.com

Buffy Ste. Marie -- My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl08n8_b3Sw

Lyrics:

Now that your big eyes have finally opened
Now that you're wondering how must they feel
Meaning them that you've chased across America's movie screens
Now that you're wondering how can it be real
That the ones you've called colorful, noble and proud
In your school propaganda
They starve in their splendor
You've asked for my comment I simply will render

My country 'tis of thy people you're dying

Now that the longhouses breed superstition
You force us to send our toddlers away
To your schools where they're taught to despise their traditions
You forbid them their languages, then further say
That American history really began
When Columbus set sail out of Europe, then stress
That the nation of leeches that conquered this land
Are the biggest and bravest and boldest and best
And yet where in your history books is the tale
Of the genocide basic to this country's birth
Of the preachers who lied, how the Bill of Rights failed
How a nation of patriots returned to their earth
And where will it tell of the Liberty Bell
As it rang with a thud Over Kinzua mud
And of brave Uncle Sam in Alaska this year

VP Debate: Why Senator Biden Won Before The Debate Started

Hope4Unity — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:39:15 EDT

"The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out."
-- Baron Thomas Babington Macauley

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove.....but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." --Author: Unknown

During the VP Debate the words of Beau Biden talking about his father kept running through my mind so I looked for the text of his speech from the Democratic Convention which is posted below.

Beau Biden's Speech from the 2008 Democratic Convention:

"Good evening, I'm Beau Biden. And Joe Biden is my dad."

Many of you know him as a distinguished and accomplished senator. I know him as an incredible father and a loving grandfather. A man who hustled home to Delaware after the last vote so he wouldn't miss me and my brother's games. Who, after returning from some war-torn region of the world, would tiptoe into our room and kiss us goodnight. Who turns down some fancy cocktail party in Washington so he won't miss my daughter Natalie's birthday party.

The truth is, he almost wasn't a senator at all. In 1972, shortly after his improbable victory, but before he took the oath of office, my father went to Washington to look at his new office space. My mom took us to go buy a Christmas tree. On the way home, we were in an automobile accident. My mom, Neilia, and sister, Naomi, were killed. My brother, Hunter, and I were seriously injured and hospitalized for weeks. I was just short of 4 years old. One of my earliest memories was being in that hospital, Dad always at our side. We, not the Senate, were all he cared about.

He decided not to take the oath of office. He said, "Delaware can get another senator, but my boys can't get another father." However, great men like Ted Kennedy, Mike Mansfield, Hubert Humphrey -- men who had been tested themselves -- convinced him to serve. So he was sworn in, in the hospital, at my bedside. As a single parent, he decided to be there to put us to bed, to be there when we woke from a bad dream, to make us breakfast, so he'd travel to and from Washington, four hours a day.

Five years later, we married my mom, Jill. They together rebuilt our family. And 36 years later, he still makes that trip. So even though Dad worked in Washington, he's never been part of Washington. He always sounded like the kid from Scranton, Pa., he is. And even that is a story of overcoming.

Now some people poke fun at my dad talking too much. What a lot of people don't know is that, when he was young, he had a severe stutter. The kids called him Dash -- not because he was fast on the football field, which he was, but like a dash at the end of a sentence you can't finish. But now he speaks with a clear and strong voice. He says what needs to be said. And he does what needs to be done.

When domestic violence was often a dark secret, Dad wrote the Violence Against Women Act, which gave countless women support, protection and a new chance at life. When crime was spiking in our communities, Dad wrote the crime bill that put 100,000 cops on the streets and led to an eight-year drop in crime across the country. When Serbian thugs were committing genocide in the Balkans, Dad didn't hesitate to call Slobodan Milosevic a war criminal to his face, and to convince Congress and our allies to act. He's willing to speak truth to power: to the White House and to world leaders.

I know my father will be a great vice president. As I mentioned, my dad has always been there for me, my brother and my sister, every day. But because of other duties, it won't be possible for me to be here this fall to stand by him the way he stood by me. So I have something to ask of you. Be there for my dad like he was for me.

Be there for Barack Obama because our country needs him. Be there for both of them because millions of families need to know that their best days aren't behind them, but ahead of them. Be there for both of them because millions of people are trying to overcome, just like my dad overcame. Be there. Be there because Barack Obama and Joe Biden will deliver America the change we so desperately need. Please join me in welcoming my friend, my father, my hero and the next vice president of the United States: Joe Biden.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/beau-biden-speech-at-demo_n_121993.html

"The chant is 'Drill, Baby, Drill', Mr.Biden, and the people are hungry to tap into our energy sources." -- Sarah Palin

OBAMA: A Leader You Can Trust To Work For You

Hope4Unity — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:46:00 EDT

Michelle Obama will be in Kansas City, MO this afternoon in the Historic 18th and Vine District. This is near Alvin Ailey II and Lincoln College Preparatory Academy (LCPA).

LCPA is a public school that was recently designated as a Gold Star and Blue Ribbon School. Students at Lincoln come from across the city with strong GPAs and high test scores. LCPA students represent diverse cultures and backgrounds and reflect the best of what hard work of dedicated students, involved parents and good teachers can achieve even when resources are stretched to the limit.

This morning in Wisconsin and over the past weeks across the country, Senator Obama has been talking with voters about specific steps he will take to stand up for all Americans if elected President. One of the things he has mentioned is support for Arts in the Schools.

Lincoln College Prepatory Academy has one of the best music programs in the region. The Lincoln Prep Wind Ensemble was recently invited to perform at Carnegie Hall. The LCPA performance will take place in NYC in April 2009. This trip will cost around $80,000 in a district that operates on a tight budget, where families struggle and where "A Leader You Can Trust" is crucial for survival.

True education involves excellence in math and science, strong reading and writing skills and an appreciation of the arts. Music education, for example, improves student performance in other subject areas. It develops discipline and generates appreciation for creativity and diversity.

The opportunity to make the trip requires a lot of fundraising by the LCPA Band Boosters, support from the school district, parents, and potential corporate sponsors. Increased support for public education must be a priority of the next President. Barack Obama understands this. Many of the students on their way to Carnegie Hall from LCPA would never have had a music lesson without a music program in their public school. Senator Obama will be a strong advocate for arts in the schools. Increased cooperation among parents, teachers, business, education and government will happen in an Obama administration.

McCain Promotes the Bush/Cheney Energy Plan of 2001 as The McCain Energy Plan of 2008 during First Presidential Debate of 2008

Hope4Unity — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:50:04 EDT

Three Mile Island Chernobyl

McCain/Bush/Cheney

While attempting to distance himself from anything "Bush," John McCain continued to spout the Bush/Cheney Energy Plan of 2001 presenting it as his own new energy plan of 2008 during the first Presidential Debate on 9/26/08. McCain listed as one of his energy proposals the building of about "45 nuclear power plants."

McCain has made this statement on the campaign trail as well:

"If I am elected president, I will set this nation on a course to building 45 new reactors by the year 2030, with the ultimate goal of 100 new plants to power the homes and factories and cities of America," McCain said during a campaign stop at a nuclear power plant in Michigan on Tuesday.

McCain’s current positions on offshore drilling and nuclear power dovetail with the policies of the Bush administration and mark a sharp break between major environmental groups and McCain, who previously used his environmental credentials as proof of his maverick ways.

As McCain abandoned his opposition to offshore drilling in June, Sierra Club political director Cathy Duvall said McCain “is using the environment as a way to portray himself as being different from George Bush. But the reality is that he isn’t.”

The Sierra Club, which is considered the oldest and largest environmental organization, has even begun running ads criticizing McCain and favoring Barack Obama.

With McCain's reversal on offshore drilling and his vocal support of nuclear energy, he now is pretty much in sync with Cheney’s secretive Energy Task Force of 2001, which called for more aggressive oil exploration, including in environmentally sensitive areas, and "the expansion of nuclear energy in the United States as a major component of our national energy policy."

Cheney’s energy plan, as it turned out, was largely written by executives of major energy companies, including Ken Lay and other top officials of the now defunct Enron Corp., which was particularly interested in energy price deregulation.

When Enron imploded in a wave of accounting scandals in late 2001 documents surfaced revealing the company’s behind-the-scenes role in drafting Cheney’s energy plan. It also was discovered that Enron was part of a scheme to create artificial electricity shortages in California in early 2001 to jack up rates.

The embarrassing revelations helped derail Cheney’s legislative package in Congress. But the Bush administration and the energy industry kept pressing for approval of various parts of the plan, such as expanded nuclear power by pitching it as a “green” energy option that doesn’t produce carbon dioxide.

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), a powerful industry lobby, spent $680,000 during the first half of 2007 lobbying the White House, Congress, the Energy Department and other federal agencies, according to a disclosure form filed with the Senate's public records office.

Among the key lobbyists for nuclear power were the NEI’s Tom Loeffler, a former Republican congressman and Cheney's longtime friend, and Nancy Dorn, who worked as a congressional liaison for Cheney and later became a lobbyist for General Electric. The lobbying appears to have paid off as McCain is now making nuclear energy a centerpiece of his presidential campaign.

Bush’s Advisers

McCain’s shifts on energy policies also came as he brought onboard advisers who had previously helped the Bush administration craft its energy agenda.

One of McCain’s advisers on energy policy has been David Conover, the former principal deputy assistant secretary office of policy and international affairs at the Energy Department. In 2005, Conover briefed members of Congress about the Bush administration’s plan for reviving the dormant nuclear power industry.

“Concerns over... climate change suggest a larger role for nuclear power as an energy supply choice,” Conover told a Senate Commerce subcommittee. “The Nuclear Power 2010 program is working with industry to demonstrate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission`s new [streamlined] licensing process.”

NP2010 became one of Cheney’s pet energy projects, as he pressed aggressively to get the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to speed up approval and licensing for nuclear plants.

Last September, Princeton-based NRG Energy Inc., having emerged from bankruptcy proceedings, became the first company in 30 years to submit an application to build two new General Electric-designed nuclear reactors at its Bay City, Texas, nuclear power plant facility.

Prior to NRG's application, there had not been a filing for a new nuclear power plant in the United States since before the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor meltdown three decades ago. Government records showed that NRG's former president, David Peterson, traveled to Washington on two occasions in 2001 to work with Cheney's Energy Task Force.

Last October, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation's largest public power provider, also filed an application with the NRC for a license to construct and operate two new nuclear power reactors in northern Alabama using General Electric's Westinghouse AP1000 reactor units.

The application was filed under the banner of NuStart Energy LLC, a consortium of electric utilities that joined together in 2004 to test the NRC's streamlined nuclear reactor licensing program. The licensing costs were paid for by the federal government under the Cheney-backed NP2010 program.

Members of the NuStart consortium include: Constellation Energy; Duke Energy; EDF International North America, the U.S. subsidiary of the French electric utility; Entergy Nuclear; Exelon Generation; Florida Power & Light Company; Progress Energy; South Carolina Electric & Gas; Southern Company; and Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, Tennessee.

With the exception of Progress Energy, South Carolina Electric Gas & Light, and EDF International, all of these companies participated in meetings with Cheney's Energy Task Force and advised the Vice President on energy policy.

Additionally, these corporations have said publicly they intend to file applications for nuclear reactor licenses before the end of 2008, the deadline to receive billions of dollars in federal subsidies and tax credits. The NRC says it expects to receive as many as 21 applications to build 32 new reactors before the end of 2008, with most, if not all, expected to go online in 2015.

Nuclear Doubts

However, economists and scientists continue to question both the economic viability of nuclear power and the hazards from nuclear waste, which remains lethal for 100,000 years or more.

A 2003 study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said that even with volatile natural gas prices, the cost of producing electricity from nuclear power plants is still 20 percent higher than electricity produced from gas-fired power plants, and 60 percent more expensive than electricity produced from a coal-fired power plant.

Jon Block, nuclear energy and climate change project manager for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said one of the continuing problems with constructing new nuclear facilities is how to dispose of nuclear waste.

"In over 50 years of operating experience, the nuclear industry still has not managed to solve the problems of safety, security, and disposal of highly dangerous radioactive waste," Block said. "Until that happens, we're much better off investing in safer, cleaner energy sources such as renewable wind, geothermal, tidal, and solar projects."

The Energy Department, the agency largely responsible for monitoring nuclear waste, submitted an application to the NRC to build a repository at Yucca Mountain, the site of a former nuclear testing ground in Nevada, where the agency has proposed burying the waste deep underground.

McCain supports the idea of storing waste in Yucca Mountain, a plan opposed by a majority of Nevadans, which could cost the Arizona Republican politically in a critical swing state.

Source: Jason Leopold at Consortiumblog

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/080608b.html

(See more of Jason Leopold's work at, The Public Record, at www.pubrecord.org)

Note: The Petro-Chemical Industry contributed an estimated $48m to the Republican Campaign of 2000.

Still on last night's Presidential Debate (9/26/08) John McCain was proudly announcing his plan to build 45 nuclear power plants (Bush/Cheney Energy Plan 2001) as if he thought of it that moment -- that idea probably still sounds good to the biggest builder of nuclear power plants (which happens to be in Texas), the Brown & Root subsidiary of the Halliburton Corporation (recent Chief Executive Dick Cheney?) as in Vice-President Cheney's Halliburton -- yes, that Halliburton.

One of the early Bush/Cheney energy proposals was to drill for oil in Alaska's artic wildlife refuge (Sarah's Alaska?) This proposal was recommended by Don Evans (Bush Commerce Secretary?) former (?) Chief Executive of Tom Brown, Inc., a billion-dollar oil and gas corporation.

Did you notice Haley Barbour during the pre-debate interviews in Oxford, MS? Haley Barbour was also there in 2001 helping to fine-tune the Bush/Cheney energy plans. For, example, when Barbour realized that coal-emission standards (of Clinton/Gore) were going to make the Bush/Cheney position on coal look too expensive to the public, then Barbour told Bush to get rid it. Consequently, Bush/Cheney decided they could drop the emphasis on coal and come out looking as if they'd suddenly developed concern about carbon emissions.

Here's a little more on the Haley Barbour and the Bush/Cheney energy plan:

"Take Haley Barbour, former chairman of the Republican National Committee. In the spring of 2000, the Bush campaign recruited him to help with strategy."

"A year later, as a lobbyist for several electricity producers, he pushed Bush and Cheney to renege on a campaign promise to restrict power plant emissions of carbon dioxide. The gas has been linked to global warming."

On March 1, Barbour sent a sternly worded memo on the subject to Cheney. "A moment of truth is arriving," the note began. Complying with carbon dioxide limits would be so expensive that Bush should reverse his position, Barbour argued.

"Clinton-Gore policies meant less energy and more expensive energy," he wrote. "Most Americans thought Bush-Cheney would mean more energy, and more affordable energy."

Within weeks, Cheney's task force had adopted the same reasoning on carbon dioxide. Bush cited the task force position when he announced in March that he had changed his mind.

Source: Published on Sunday, August 26, 2001 in the Los Angeles Times

Read the entry below from www.commondreams.org

LCV Presents: Top Ten Reasons to Vote for Obama/Biden

DENVER - The League of Conservation Voters has endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States because of his record-setting plans for a clean energy future and his proven record as an environmental champion. As the party conventions highlight the differences between Senators Obama and McCain, LCV presents the Top Ten Energy and Enviromental reasons why every American should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden on November 4:

Read the List at the link below:

http://www.lcv.org/newsroom/press-releases/lcv-presents-top-ten-reasons-to-vote-for-obama-top-tenbiden.html

www.VoteForChange.com

Obama/Biden 2008

The Daily Drama: John McCain Goes to Washington, D.C.

Hope4Unity — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:04:29 EDT

The Drama today in Washington, DC is being played out by the same cast of characters who brought us disasters from Katrina to Iraq to the Mortgage Crisis.

The MSM has been asking what John McCain's next distraction would be -- and we're watching it unfold right before our eyes.

I don't give McCain enough credit to pull this off alone, of course. The Republican Party has to do something to buy time to figure out what they'll do about their Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates.

Reasonable and responsible Republicans have already thrown their support to the Obama campaign.

The Republican Party has run puppet candidates for decades because it doesn't really matter to them who is in office. The politicians are merely front-men for the money behind the facade of an elected President. Still, I guess the party wasn't counting on the mess that the ~~Palin/McCain~~ -- or, McCain/Palin team was going to create.

All this running around in D.C. over the financial institution bailouts is not about the Republican Party's concern for their constituents. It's about creating the impression of concern. It's about distracting the country from issues, serious challenges that their candidate does not understand and is not prepared to address. It's about keeping the media focused on what McCain will do next, and it's a display of the extent to which the Republican Party will go to keep money in the pockets of the very same people who handed us this financial crisis on a silver platter with a huge serving of sub-prime loans.

The crisis they've created may destroy retirement accounts, freeze lending and stop payrolls dead in their tracks, but there's no way that Wall Street and the monied-interests behind it are ever going to do anything for the common good.

It seems quite likely that when, after rushing around from closed-door meeting to closed-door meeting, they suddently come up with a "plan," it will be the same plan that they've had since before the current crisis was every reported.

There may be no choice but to bailout the banks now, and if that is what it takes to keep the economy from devastating more citizens, then I guess we have to support it. But, surely none of us can believe for a moment that John McCain has anything to contribute, or that he is aware of much of anything except that he's got a shot at skipping a debate. His handlers are probably only able to dish out incentives to him in small, easy-to-understand snippets.

If there's anyone left that really believes in the Republican Party's ticket, then I'm amazed. The U.S. electorate should simply send Obama to the Presidency by acclaimation and return to work on the vast number of complex issues facing our country and the world.

Barack Obama's judgment has been sound to date and consequently, I will support his position on the bailout plan -- whatever that might be -- because I know that he understands that silly season isn't just for campaigns anymore but also for crisis.

Obama/Biden 2008

www.VoteForChange.com

The New World Order: Mercenary or Maverick? Neoliberalism by Any Other Name

Hope4Unity — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:59:23 EDT

"Neoliberalism does not bother with ideology. Neoliberalism is a conscious betrayal of the interests of 99% of the people on this planet."

Are there alternatives to plundering the earth, making war and destroying the planet?

This text is based on a panel presentation together with Ferdinand Lacina, former Austrian Minister of Finance and Ewald Nowotny, President of the BAWAG-Bank during the “Dallinger Conference”, AK Wien, November 21, 2005.

Original German Title: “Alternativen zur neoliberalen Globalisierung, oder: Die Globalisierung des Neoliberalismus und seine Folgen, Wien, Picus 2007.

Claudia von-Werlhof is prominent writer and academic, Professor of Women's Studies and Political Science at the University of Innsbruck, Austria.

(Translation: from the German by Gabriel Kuhn)

Introduction

Is there an alternative to plundering the earth?

Is there an alternative to making war?

Is there an alternative to destroying the planet?

No one asks these questions because they seem absurd. Yet, no one can escape them either. They have to be asked. Ultimate absurdity has taken hold of our lives. We are not only headed towards the world’s annihilation – we are headed towards it with ever increasing speed. The reason is the “globalization” of so-called “neoliberalism”. Its motto is TINA: “There Is No Alternative!” It is the deal of deals, the big feast, the final battle – Armageddon.

Wrong? Exaggerated?
Let us first clarify what globalization and neoliberalism are, where they come from, who they are directed by, what they claim, what they do, why their effects are so fatal, why they will fail, and why people nonetheless cling to them. Then, let us look at the responses of those who are not – or will not – be able to live with the consequences they cause.
TINA – Supposedly without Alternative
What Is “Neoliberal Globalization”?
For a good twenty years now we have been told that there is no alternative to neoliberal globalization/the globalization of neoliberalism, and that, in fact, no such alternative is needed either. Over and over again, we have been confronted with the TINA-concept: “There Is No Alternative!”
The TINA-concept prohibits all thought. It follows the rationale that there is no point in analyzing and discussing neoliberalism and so-called globalization because they are inevitable. Whether we condone what is happening or not does not matter, it is happening anyway. There is no point in trying to understand. Hence: Go with it! Kill or be killed!
Some go as far as suggesting that neoliberalism and its globalization – meaning, a specific economic system that developed within specific socio-historical circumstances – is nothing less but a law of nature. In turn, “human nature” is supposedly reflected by the character of the system’s economic subjects: egotistical, ruthless, greedy and cold. This, we are told, works towards everyone’s benefit.
While a tiny minority reaps enormous benefits of today’s economic liberalism (none of which will remain, of course), the vast majority of the earth’s population, yes the earth itself, suffer hardship to an extent that puts their very survival at risk. The damage done seems irreversible.
All over the world media outlets – especially television stations – avoid addressing the problem. A common excuse is that it cannot be explained (Mies/Werlhof 2003, p. 23ff, 36ff). The true reason is, of course, the media’s corporate control. Neoliberalism means corporate politics.

Wall Street Bailouts & The Neo-liberal Agenda

Hope4Unity — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:37:13 EDT

Why is all the proposed bailout action happening so quickly -- executed on the basis of 2 /12 pages of "plans" -- under the control of one man without accountability?

I don't have an exact answer, but doesn't that seem like the first question anyone would ask? No, because this is an emergency, remember and it really has nothing to do with "us."

What is "Neo-Liberalism"? A Brief Definition

by Elizabeth Martinez and Arnoldo García
Updated: February 26th, 2000

"Neo-liberalism" is a set of economic policies that have become widespread during the last 25 years or so. Although the word is rarely heard in the United States, you can clearly see the effects of neo-liberalism here as the rich grow richer and the poor grow poorer.

"Liberalism" can refer to political, economic, or even religious ideas. In the U.S. political liberalism has been a strategy to prevent social conflict. It is presented to poor and working people as progressive compared to conservative or Right-wing. Economic liberalism is different. Conservative politicians who say they hate "liberals" -- meaning the political type -- have no real problem with economic liberalism, including neo-liberalism.

"Neo" means we are talking about a new kind of liberalism. So what was the old kind? The liberal school of economics became famous in Europe when Adam Smith, a Scottish economist, published a book in 1776 called The Wealth of Nations. He and others advocated the abolition of government intervention in economic matters. No restrictions on manufacturing, no barriers to commerce, no tariffs, he said; free trade was the best way for a nation's economy to develop. Such ideas were "liberal" in the sense of no controls. This application of individualism encouraged "free" enterprise," "free" competition -- which came to mean, free for the capitalists to make huge profits as they wished.

Economist, Joseph Stiglitz: How to prevent the next Wall Street crisis

Hope4Unity — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:34:36 EDT

Commentary: How to prevent the next Wall Street crisis

By Joseph Stiglitz
Special to CNN -- September 17, 2008

Editor's note:

Joseph E. Stiglitz, professor at Columbia University, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2001 for his work on the economics of information and was on the climate change panel that shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. Stiglitz, a supporter of Barack Obama, was a member and later chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during the Clinton administration before joining the World Bank as chief economist and senior vice president. He is the co-author with Linda Bilmes of the "Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Costs of the Iraq Conflict."

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Many seem taken aback by the depth and severity of the current financial turmoil. I was among several economists who saw it coming and warned about the risks.

There is ample blame to be shared; but the purpose of parsing out blame is to figure out how to make a recurrence less likely.

President Bush famously said, a little while ago, that the problem is simple: Too many houses were built. Yes, but the answer is too simplistic: Why did that happen?

One can say the Fed failed twice, both as a regulator and in the conduct of monetary policy. Its flood of liquidity (money made available to borrow at low interest rates) and lax regulations led to a housing bubble. When the bubble broke, the excessively leveraged loans made on the basis of overvalued assets went sour.

For all the new-fangled financial instruments, this was just another one of those financial crises based on excess leverage, or borrowing, and a pyramid scheme.

The new "innovations" simply hid the extent of systemic leverage and made the risks less transparent; it is these innovations that have made this collapse so much more dramatic than earlier financial crises. But one needs to push further: Why did the Fed fail?

First, key regulators like Alan Greenspan didn't really believe in regulation; when the excesses of the financial system were noted, they called for self-regulation -- an oxymoron.

Second, the macro-economy was in bad shape with the collapse of the tech bubble. The tax cut of 2001 was not designed to stimulate the economy but to give a largesse to the wealthy -- the group that had been doing so well over the last quarter-century.

The coup d'grace was the Iraq War, which contributed to soaring oil prices. Money that used to be spent on American goods now got diverted abroad. The Fed took seriously its responsibility to keep the economy going.

Foreign Policy Experts Endorse Barack Obama for President

Hope4Unity — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:33:10 EDT

Over 70 Foreign Policy Experts Announce Endorsement of Barack Obama for PresidentChicago, IL | December 19, 2007

Chicago, IL -- Over seventy foreign policy experts, with experience ranging from the State Department and the Pentagon, to the White House and the U.S. Congress, today announced their endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President.

The group, which includes individuals who have served under every President since John F. Kennedy, said that Obama has the judgment to lead America at this pivotal moment in history, and the ability to take on unconventional threats and restore America's security and standing in the world.

"On the most important foreign policy decision of the last twenty years, Barack Obama made the right judgment in opposing the war in Iraq. His combination of sound judgment, global understanding, and bold and detailed policy proposals is exactly what America needs in a President at this critical moment in our history," said Larry Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration.

Their endorsement came as Obama held a Foreign Policy Forum in Des Moines, Iowa, where he and several of his top foreign policy advisors engaged in a n open dialogue with Iowa residents on the challenges America faces and how Obama would address them as President. At the event, Obama discussed his specific plans to end the war in Iraq, renew American diplomacy, pursue aggressive diplomacy with Iran, fight terrorism and extremism, and lead the world against the threats of the 21st century.

Further details on Obama's foreign policy agenda can be found here:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/foreignpolicy/

Verify your registration, Register to Vote, Find Your Polling Location here:

www.VoteForChange.com

The Economy, National Security, Bush/McCain and No-Bid Contracts, Pentagon & Waste

Hope4Unity — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:33:02 EDT

Military Industrial Complex 2.0

President Bush will leave office boasting that the United States has the most powerful military machine in the world - but his true legacy is a Pentagon bloated almost beyond recognition and crippled by its dependence on private military corporations, says Frida Berrigan.

16th September 08 - Frida Berrigan, TomDispatch.com

Seven years into George W. Bush's Global War on Terror, the Pentagon is embroiled in two big wars, a potentially explosive war of words with Tehran, and numerous smaller conflicts – and it is leaning ever more heavily on private military contractors to get by.

Once upon a time, soldiers did more than pick up a gun. They picked up trash. They cut hair and delivered mail. They fixed airplanes and inflated truck tires.

Not anymore. All of those tasks are now the responsibility of private military corporations. In the service of the Pentagon, their employees also man computers, write software code, create integrating systems, train technicians, manufacture and service high-tech weapons, market munitions, and interpret satellite images.

16th September 08 - Frida Berrigan, TomDispatch.com

Once upon a time, soldiers did more than pick up a gun. They picked up trash. They cut hair and delivered mail. They fixed airplanes and inflated truck tires.

People in ties or heels, not berets or fatigues, today translate documents, collect intelligence, interpret for soldiers and interrogators, approve contracts, draft reports to Congress, and provide oversight for other private contractors. They also fill prescriptions, fit prosthetics, and arrange for physical therapy and psychiatric care. Top to bottom, the Pentagon's war machine is no longer just driven by, but staffed by, corporations.

Consider the following: In fiscal year 2005 (the last year for which full data is available), the Pentagon spent more contracting for services with private companies than on supplies and equipment -- including major weapons systems. This figure has been steadily rising over the past 10 years. According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, in the last decade the amount the Pentagon has paid out to private companies for services has increased by 78% in real terms. In fiscal year 2006, those services contracts totaled more than $151 billion.

Ever more frequently, we hear generals and politicians alike bemoan the state of the military. Their conclusion: The wear and tear of the President's Global War on Terror has pushed the military to the breaking point. But private contractors are playing a different tune. Think of it this way: While the military cannot stay properly supplied, its suppliers are racking up contracts in the multi-billions. For them, it's a matter of letting the good times roll.

Missouri Farmers Union: Why Rural Votes Matter from MSU President

Hope4Unity — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:50:24 EDT

Here's an excellent letter that I came across while reseraching rural issues in Missouri. It appears in the September 2008 News Section of the Missouri Farmers Union site and was written by the Missouri Farmers Union President, Mr. Russ Kremer.

Thanks to the MSU for giving their permission to reprint the article here.

Your Rural Vote Matters
More Than You May Think
by Russ Kremer
President, Missouri Farmers Union
September 2008

It's a rhyme we repeated as gradeschoolers: "For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost."
The lesson is universal. One vote by itself may seem inconsequential. It is not.
What's the power of one vote? Consider this: In Missouri's recent primary election, the unofficial voter turnout was a pathetic 18.9 percent. Statewide. A total of 755,385 Missouri registered voters bothered to go to the polls, despite hotly contested races in every county. That means only one in every 5.3 Missouri registered voters took a ballot.
Look at it another way. If you voted, your vote represented 5.3 voters. If you count Missouri's total population of nearly 6 million people, including children and unregistered adults, your vote represented eight Missourians. You didn't vote eight times. But by default, seven other people let you have a voice for them. Next time you go to the coffee shop or the beauty shop, listen as the conversation centers on our future, and the economy, and gas prices, and corporate farming. Then tell them you're doing your part, representing eight people. They'll ask you what you mean.
Tell them.
Continued:

Missouri's Proposed Voting Requirement & Disenfranchised Voters

Hope4Unity — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:45:56 EDT

What's the Current Status? This report is from May 2008.

MISSOURI'S PROPOSED VOTING REQUIREMENT
COULD DISENFRANCHISE MORE THAN 200,000 U.S. CITIZENS
Rural, Low-Income, and African American Residents Among Most Affected
By Donna Cohen Ross and Allison Orris

Missouri’s legislature is considering a constitutional amendment permitting the state to require residents to provide documentary proof of their U.S. citizenship in order to vote. If implemented, it risks disenfranchising large numbers of Missouri residents who are U.S. citizens.

The amendment does not specify the forms of documentation the state would accept as proof of citizenship, but it appears likely that residents would have to produce a certified birth certificate or passport. Proof of citizenship is generally established in one of two ways, either through production of a birth certificate or passport or through production of certain forms of government-issued photo ID, but these IDs themselves generally cannot be obtained without a birth certificate or passport.

Results from two national surveys show that a large number of citizens lack birth certificates or passports including disproportionately large numbers of people in potentially vulnerable groups such as low-income, African American, and elderly residents. In addition, a similar requirement recently imposed in Medicaid effectively pushed tens of thousands of eligible people off the program and demonstrated that obtaining the documents can prove difficult, time-consuming, and, in some cases, essentially impossible.

OBAMA Stands With FIRST AMERICANS

Hope4Unity — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:21:28 EDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBjnLu06HQY

(Thanks to M.S. for a reminder of this video)

BARACK OBAMA’S PRINCIPLES FOR STRONGER TRIBAL COMMUNITIES

"Perhaps more than anyone else, the Native American community faces huge challenges that have been ignored by Washington for too long. It is time to empower Native Americans in the development of the national policy agenda." Barack Obama

The hundreds of Indian tribes in America face a unique set of challenges. Issues like sovereignty, health care, and education—issues that are central to tribes’ future prosperity and embedded in the federal government’s responsibility—are often neglected. Barack Obama is committed to tribal nation building and enforcing the federal government’s obligations to Indian people.

http://nativevote.org/images/docs/obama.pdf

Check Your Voter Resigtration Status, Register to Vote, Find You Polling Place:

www.VoteForChange.com

Obama '08

Rural America -- MISSOURI -- Wins with OBAMA

Hope4Unity — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:45:34 EDT

Across America Family Farms are being threatened by Corporate Agriculture. Rural Missouri and rural America deserve a President who supports family farmers over the interest of agribusiness. Vote for Barack Obama for President, a president who is talking with and looking out for rural Missouri and rural America:

Protection from CAFOS -- or concentrated animal feeding operation -- refers to a farm where large quantities of livestock or poultry are housed inside buildings or in confined feedlots.

"Rural people are actively involved in shaping the destiny of their communities. They cannot rely on some "invisible hand" of economics to create a positive future. The "invisible hand" has been severely crippled, if not cut off, as an economy made up of small proprietorships has been replaced by an economy dominated by large corporations. Rural people must assert their right put their long run, community interest ahead of the short-run, self-interest of those who invest in and operate CAFOs. Such operations cannot even be justified on economic grounds, when one takes a long-run economic perspective. Nor can the impacts of CAFOs on environmental quality and social justice be tolerated if communities are concerned about their long-run sustainability." -- John Ikerd, Agricultural Economist

Continued:

Financial Bailouts & "The Wrecking Crew"

Hope4Unity — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 04:31:50 EDT

From the author of the landmark bestseller What’s the Matter with Kansas?, a jaw-dropping investigation of the decades of deliberate—and lucrative—conservative misrule

In his previous book, Thomas Frank explained why working America votes for politicians who reserve their favors for the rich. Now, in The Wrecking Crew, Frank examines the blundering and corrupt Washington those politicians have given us.

http://tcfrank.com/books/the-wrecking-crew/

Look out America! The money "they" are talking about is your money!

Forces at play in the recent bailouts seem familiar. Remember the Savings & Loans Crisis?!

"McCain was one of the "Keating Five," congressmen investigated on ethics charges for strenuously helping convicted racketeer Charles Keating after he gave them large campaign contributions and vacation trips. Charles Keating was convicted of racketeering and fraud in both state and federal court after his Lincoln Savings & Loan collapsed, costing the taxpayers $3.4 billion. His convictions were overturned on technicalities; for example, the federal conviction was overturned because jurors had heard about his state conviction, and his state charges because Judge Lance Ito (yes, that judge) screwed up jury instructions. Neither court cleared him, and he faces new trials in both courts.) Though he was not convicted of anything, McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating after Keating gave McCain at least $112,00 in contributions. In the mid-1980s, McCain made at least 9 trips on Keating's airplanes, and 3 of those were to Keating's luxurious retreat in the Bahamas." http://www.realchange.org/mccain.htm

Excerpts from:

"Stocks Rise as Plan To Handle Bank Debts is Aired" by Dina Temple-Raston

September 17, 2008 · The Federal Reserve said Tuesday it would lend AIG $85 billion to help stave off a worldwide financial crisis. In return, the government received a major stake in the giant insurance company. Two leaders of Senate financial committees say the Fed had no choice. Both senators say they see no more government bailouts on the horizon. No other financial entities in trouble meet the standard of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or AIG...

NPR.org, September 18, 2008 · Stocks rallied at the end of the day Thursday as investors piled into the market on reports that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is considering setting up a credit facility that would resemble the Resolution Trust Corp. that helped end the savings and loan crisis.

The Resolution Trust Corp. was an entity responsible for liquidating the assets of the savings and loan associations that went bust in the late 1980s.

Treasury would not confirm that it had decided on an RTC-like solution for this crisis, but it didn't knock the prospect down, either, providing only "no comment."

Earlier Thursday, President Bush hinted that something was in the works when he came out and said he would do whatever was necessary to stabilize the markets. He didn't offer any policy prescriptions, but he did assure investors that he was closely monitoring the unfolding situation.

"The American people are concerned about the situation in our financial markets and our economy and I share their concerns," the president said, after announcing he had canceled a scheduled trip out of Washington to keep on top of the financial crisis.

"Our financial markets continue to deal with serious challenges," he said. "As our recent actions demonstrate, my administration is focused on meeting these challenges."

Even if there were such a solution in this case, it is unclear exactly how the entity would be set up or even how it would work. The RTC of the 1980s helped the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. work with with sick savings and loans and created an orderly process to deal with a staggering number of insolvencies."

Source:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94699984

Now, check out "The Wrecking Crew" in light of the recent trio of bailouts, the rationales given for those bailouts, and the flourish of meetings in response to an ongoing financial crisis.

Question:

Are the "no comment" crisis-response plans being orchestrated behind closed doors this weekend a hustle to take the money and run -- a substitute for Social Security funds that the Bush/McCain types haven't yet been able to wrestle from tax-payer funded government entities, privatise and hand over to multinational corporate interests?

When you consider these vague plans, any endorsement by Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain, the guy who does not understand many issues: the economy, The Consitituion, or acronyms for government agencies (just to name a few), is reason enough to be suspcicous.

"For troubled institutions this will provide an orderly process through which to identify bad loans and eventually sell them," McCain told a rally of supporters in Iowa."

The Plot Against Liberal America

"In its pursuit of a free-market utopia, the US right tried to crush unions, the legal profession and all the pillars of the left. It will not stop there," warns Thomas Frank.

In their own pursuit of the free-market utopia, America's right-wingers did not have... far to travel... scatter the left's constituencies, hack open the liberal state and reward friendly businesses with the loot.

Grover Norquist, one of the most influential conservatives in Washington and the "field marshal of the Bush plan", according to the Nation magazine, has been most blunt about using the power of the state "to crush the structures of the left".

He has outlined the plan countless times in countless venues: the liberal movement is supported by a number of "pillars", each of which can be toppled by conservatives when in power. Among Norquist's suggestions has been the undermining of defence lawyers - who in the US give millions of dollars to liberal causes - with measures "potentially costing [them] billions of dollars of lost income".

Conservatives could also "crush labour unions as a political entity" by forcing unions to get annual written approval from every member before spending union funds on political activities.

Norquist's coup de grâce is that the Democratic Party in its entirety would become "a dead man walking" with the privatisation of social security.

Much of this programme has already been accomplished, if not on the precise terms Norquist suggested. The shimmering dream of privatising social security, though, remains the great unreachable right-wing prize, and the right persists in the campaign, regardless of the measure's unpopularity or the number of political careers it costs. President Bush announced privatisation to be his top priority on the day after his re-election in 2004, although he had not emphasised this issue during the campaign. He proceeded to chase it deep into the land of political unpopularity, a region from which he never really returned.

He did this because the potential rewards of privatising social security justify any political cost. At one stroke, it would both de-fund the operations of government and utterly reconfigure the way Americans interact with the state. It would be irreversible, too; the "transition costs" in any scheme to convert social security are so vast that no country can consider incurring them twice.

Once the deal has been done and trillions of dollars that pass through social security have been diverted from the US Treasury to stocks in private companies, the effects would be locked in for good. First, there would be an immediate flood of money into Wall Street; second, there would be an equivalent flow of money out of government accounts; immediately propelling the federal deficit up into the stratosphere and de-funding a huge part of the federal activity.

http://www.stwr.org/united-states-of-america/the-plot-against-liberal-america.html

Excerpts Continue Below:

Ethics and Economics

Hope4Unity — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:09:35 EDT

"Through the Eye of a Needle"...an expression with many interpretations. There are also many explanations for what is happening in the U.S. economy.

Economic Policies: Greed, Indebtedness, and Poverty

The U.S. and the Global Economy

As America struggles to avoid recession, the world economic order appears to be heading for a drastic overhaul - creating pressure for world leaders to ditch the fast-declining U.S. dollar, writes Massoud Hedeshi:

The US economic power horse is running out of ideas and cash as it jostles with a massive national debt, housing and financial crises, rising inflation, and a depreciating currency.

This has all contributed to a growing tendency to live off credit amassed through petrodollars and foreign loans, leaving repayment for future generations.

Today, in much of America, communities and suburbs are dealing with a drastic increase in foreclosures and short sales. This has not been helped by the fact that gas is selling at over $1 a litre ($4 a gallon).

Standard monetary tools such as lowering or increasing interest rates can no longer provide quick fixes to the situation for both economic and political reasons.

http://www.stwr.org/united-states-of-america/blame-the-dollar.html

When approximately "360 people on the planet own as much wealth as the poorest two billion,"and "the same 20% of the global population is also responsible for some 80% of the forces of destruction of our planet" what do you think is going to happen?

Economist, Dr. Kamran Mofid, author of Globalisation for the Common Good (2002, Shepheard-Walwyn (Publishers) Ltd., referencing the work of George Ann Potter, Deeper than Debt: Economics Globalisation and the Poor, (The Latin Bureau, London, 2000) quotes Potter who argues that "global debt and the financial crisis of the 1990s are man-made problems. This is the most essential fact to grasp in the complex set of issues which confronts the world economy today."

"The problems that have been created are human problems and they are having a disastrous effect on the poor everywhere in the world. They are man-made problems for which neo-classical economic policies are responsible and they are deliberately designed to keep the indeted in debt bondage." (K. Mofid, Globalisation for the Common Good, page 36).

My thoughts:

This has everything to do with what is happening in the U.S. economy today. With regard to the Presidential Election of 2008, it is crucial for voters to grasp that despite the way pollsters ask questions such as, "What's the number one issue in this election?" -- followed by choices such as (1) the economy (2) national security (3) global warming (4) gas prices (5) energy costs and alternatives, or (4) Iraq, there is no sane way to separate these issues. They are all connected. It is imperative for the next President of the United States is to understand and articulate this fact.

Without a compehension of these complex, interactive dynamics, then there will be no fundamental change. Barack Obama is the President we need at this critical time -- the only candidate who is capable to leading us in a new direction.

http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info/2008/03/27/a-reflection-on-a-fundamental-shift-economics-with-heart-and-soul-an-ongoing-debate-in-the-us-general-election/

More from the book, Globalisation For The Common Good:

"It is the central fact from which spring industrial, social and political difficulties that perplex the world, and with which statesmanships and philanthropy and education grapple in vain. From it come the clouds that overhang the future of the most progressive and self-reliant nations. It is the riddle that the sphinx of fate puts to our civilisation, which not to answer is to be destroyed. So long as all the increased wealth which modern progress brings goes but to build up great fortunes, to increase luxury and make sharper the contrast between the House of Have and the House of Want, progress is not real cannot be permanent."-- Henry George.

(Henry George, as referenced by K. Mofid, GCG, 2002, pp. 77-78, from George, Henry, Progress and Poverty, 1879, reprinted by Robert Schalkenback Foundation, New York, 1971.)

http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info/

"A time comes when silence is betrayal." VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN 11/4/08

Hope4Unity — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:03:40 EDT

"The truth of these words is beyond doubt, but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexing as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty. But we must move on."

"Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak... And we must rejoice as well, for surely this is the first time in our nation's history that a significant number...have chosen to move beyond the prophesying of smooth patriotism to the high grounds of a firm dissent based upon the mandates of conscience and the reading of history. Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movement, and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its guidance. For we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us."

There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam (Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan) and the struggle I and others have been waging in America...Then came the buildup in Vietnam (Invasion of Iraq), and I watched this program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war. And I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor (and the middle class) so long as adventures like Vietnam (Iraq)continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic, destructive suction tube. So I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor (and working-class) and to attack it as such."

VOTE OBAMA For The Environment -- Who Really Made McCain's VP Choice?

Hope4Unity — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:18:19 EDT

Barack Obama scored a 100 on the League of Conservation Voters Scorecard.

In contrast, read the following and ask yourself, "Who really chose the Republican candidate's VP running mate?"

John McCain never met Sarah Palin until the day he nominated her so who chose her, Exxon Mobil?

On Thursday at Mile High Stadium Vice President Al Gore spoke at the nomination of Barack Obama. Al Gore said, “With John McCain's support, President Bush and Vice President Cheney have led our nation into one calamity after another because of their indifference to fact; their readiness to sacrifice the long-term to the short-term, subordinate the general good to the benefit of the few and short-circuit the rule of law… So why is this election so close?

Well, I know something about close elections, so let me offer you my opinion. I believe this election is close today mainly because the forces of the status quo (Big Oil and their puppets George Bush, Dick Cheney and the Republican Party) are desperately afraid of the change Barack Obama represents. (If we stop our oil gluttony big oil’s profits decrease.)”

Al Gore continued, “There is no better example than the climate crisis. As I have said for many years throughout this land, we're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the future of human civilization. Every bit of that has to change.”

“Oil company profits, as you know, have soared to record levels, and gasoline prices have gone through the roof, and we are more dependent than ever on dirty and dangerous fossil fuels. Many scientists predict -- shockingly -- that the entire North Polar ice cap may be completely gone during summer months during the first term of the next president. Sea levels are rising; fires are raging; storms are stronger. Military experts warn us that our national security is threatened by massive waves of climate refugees destabilizing countries around the world, and scientists tell us the very web of life is endangered by unprecedented extinctions.”

“We are facing a planetary emergency, which, if not solved, would exceed anything we've ever experienced in the history of humankind.”

“And it just so happens that the climate crisis is intertwined with the other two great challenges facing our nation: reviving our economy and strengthening our national security. The solutions to all three require us to end our dependence on carbon-based fuels.”

Instead of letting (oil) lobbyists and polluters control our destiny, we need to invest in American (green technology) innovation.”

Which Experts? U.S-Iran: Listening & Learning vs. Carrots & Sticks

Hope4Unity — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:27:57 EDT

Iran-US: A study in misperceptions
By Hossein Askari

WASHINGTON - In the popular media and even in learned journals and think-tank conferences, the failure of United States-Iran rapprochement is invariably blamed on Washington's insistence on a suspension of Iran's uranium-enrichment program and on Iran's intransigence on the same.

While the obstinacy of both sides may indeed be the superficial cause of the breakdown in relations, the real reason is that neither side even tries to understand the other. The cynical reader may label me as naive to even think that politicians in the world's only superpower should care about understanding an adversary's perspective. To a cynic, there is nothing to understand. Power is might, and might makes right. The US has power and it will do as it wishes. End of story!

But if the US is serious about negotiating with Iran, what does Washington need to understand about the Iran of today? What should it know about Iran's power structure? What is the input required of advisors and Iran experts for a US president and for other senior decision-makers? Do such advisors and experts even exist in the US? Does the US seek out such counsel?

Given that US presidents and secretaries of state do not vet their "experts" to see if they can deliver what is needed, it would certainly seem they don't care to understand Iran. Consulting "experts" may simply be another opportunity for photo-ops or to lead a naive public to conclude that its leaders have taken the time to carefully consider important policies and decisions.

THE RURAL BLOG: Tatoos to World Trade & More

Hope4Unity — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:25:04 EDT

Black Henna Tatoos Causing Major Skin Problems:

... an article from "The Rural Blog" Posted by Jason Martin.

"Those who attend state and county fairs and summers carnivalsmay have something new to look out for. Dermatologists war that black henna tattoos might contain para-phenylenadiamine (PPD), a harmful chemical used to make the longer-lasting tattos, which has been associated with a sudden increase in major skin problem, reports Newswise, a research-reporting service."

Read the rest of Jason's post here:

http://irjci.blogspot.com/search?q=Black+Henna+Tattos

About The Rural Blog

"This blog generally follows traditional journalistic standards. It's not about opinions, though you may read one here occasionally. It's about facts that we think will be useful to rural journalists, non-rural journalists who do rural stories, and others interested in rural issues. We don't try to be provocative, so we don't generate as many comments as most blogs with the level of traffic we have, but we certainly invite comments -- and contributions, to al.cross@uky.edu. Feel free to publish blog items, with proper credit."

http://irjci.blogspot.com/2008_07_27_archive.html

By now we've all heard it said that Senator Obama will have a tough time gaining the support of rural voters. The idea that rural America opposes an Obama Presidency is repeated so often that it may begin to sound like the truth--as if Obama should jump on a tractor and ride slowly off into the sunset defeated. Don't believe it! I am convinced that Senator Obama's plans and policy positions are highly compatible with the issues of rural voters, especially after discovering The Rural Blog.

Sample Topics from The Rural Blog:

Letter: Life Experience Leads to a Vote for Obama

Hope4Unity — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:47:02 EDT

The following is a post found in the Missourian. It is the story of a Missouri voter who came the decision to support Barack Obama from life experiences very different from mine. It is posted here in the HOPE that an undecided voter can relate to it then make the choice to vote for Senator Obama for President.

Missourian

Monday, August 25, 2008, 3:08 p.m. CDT

By Kenneth Vail, Columbia, MO

Over the past decade I've found myself straddling the ideological fence when it comes to the political arena. Having spent the first 17 years of my life in Los Angeles, I grew up in communities that pushed good-natured American values and even attended Social Justice classes at my Christian elementary and high schools. But, I also grew up in a very conservative family that gave money to the Republican Party and I routinely attended church, chapel and local youth group functions. It was because of this part of my life that I began to shoot shotgun sports competitively and ended up on the National Shotgun Team by the time I was 15 years old. After I graduated high school, I spent five years living and training shotgun shooting at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Through my experiences, I've learned how much can be accomplished by one person, and how much more can be accomplished by a group of hard-working, disciplined people banding together. But just as importantly, I've also learned that our first loyalties are to the values and principles that illuminate the moral fabric of the American people. Here, we can point to the traditional American values of freedom, equality and respect for human life that have repeatedly led to progress within our nation and to America's leadership in the international community.

I've also come to notice that this presidential campaign is showcasing one of the greatest exemplars of the great American tradition that we've seen in quite a while. Barack Obama represents this nation's tradition of inspiring cooperation and tolerance - of protecting our personal freedoms - and of respecting human life, wherever it may be found. A few weeks ago in Berlin, Barack Obama powerfully delivered America's message to more than 200,000 Germans; a strong diplomatic skill that I think we'll need if we want our president to lead the international community and prevent our soldiers from dying due to failed diplomatic efforts.

During my travels to competitions around the world, I learned firsthand that people in all the countries of the world are all real people with lives and friends and families just like us. Barack Obama understands the world's common humanity and is taking traditional American values to the world stage - advocating freedom, equality and respect for human life both in America and abroad. Ibelieve it's a traditional American pastime to spread these values, so on Nov. 4, I'll be voting for Barack Obama - to preserve these traditional American values.

Source:

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/08/25/letter-life-experience-leads-vote-obama/

Recommend Viewing: 260 Reasons to Vote for Obama

Hope4Unity — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:04:10 EDT

Here is a list of 260 Reasons to Vote for Obama that I just found and I'm posting the link:

260 Substantive Reasons to Vote For Barack Obama by davefromqueens Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 09:47:48 PM PDT

"Barack Obama is one of the most substantive people to ever run for President. He has offered more specifics than perhaps any other candidate out there. Below are 260 substantive reasons to vote for Obama. My list is incomplete, there is much more to add. Much of it comes from Obama's speeches and website and includes dozens of bills he has sponsored. Let's stop the false smears now."

Source:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/04749/8596/693/460010

Video: VANISHING PRAYER

Hope4Unity — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:26:14 EDT

Vanishing Prayer is a video about human rights violatons against First Americans which, according to the sources below, were made possible by John McCain's legislative assistance to The Peabody Coal Company:

View the video here:

http://www.cain2008.org/

Learn more about the John McCain that was not included in the RNC's slide tribute to the Republican Presidential Nominee that preceded his accepatance speech at last night's convention:

http://www.acsa2000.net/cain2004.org/home.html

A Question for Sarah Palin and John McCain...

Hope4Unity — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:23:29 EDT

Barack Obama: The Change We Need and The Change We Can Believe In

A Question for Sarah Palin and John McCain:

Is the Palin/McCain idea of change "A Change You Can Be Mean In?"

As I listened to Sarah Palin deliver a speech authored by John McCain's speech writer I was reminded of the words that follow:

Text: Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13), Psalm 138, Luke 5:1-1

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you Lord.

Amen.

Black Elk wrote: “The Lamenter [who is seeking a vision] cries, for he is humbling himself, remembering his nothingness in the presence of the Great Spirit.”

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

0h divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.

Cree Prophecy

Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.

Chief Seattle, 1854

Earth, Teach Me

Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.

An Ute Prayer

Barack Obama, Illinois

Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 08:00 PM

To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation;

With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.

Senator Biden Has the Ability to Ease Tensions with Iran

Hope4Unity — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:08:55 EDT

The Biden factor in US-Iran relations
By Kaveh L Afrasiabi-- Asia Times

This article may be considered as "active listening" for the eyes. The article was published in Asia Times and represents the opinion of Dr. Kaveh L. Afrasiabi.

Senator Barack Obama's choice of Senator Joseph Biden as his running mate for the Democratic ticket for the US presidency is a good omen for troubled US-Iran relations and will likely translate into positive developments on that front in the event Obama moves into the White House.

Senator Obama's Views on Iran are Misrepresented by McCain

Hope4Unity — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 07:41:34 EDT

Article from The Dallas Morning News

"Fact Check: McCain Repeats Error on Obama's Iran Views"

Saturday, August 30, 2008

"Obama says Iran is a 'tiny' country and 'doesn't pose a serious threat.' "

-- new McCain campaign ad

Republican John McCain has repeatedly questioned Democrat Barack Obama's familiarity with foreign affairs in the campaign for president.

Because Iran threatens to become another hot spot, Mr. McCain launched a TV ad Wednesday challenging Obama as "dangerously unprepared to be president." The ad claims, based on an Obama speech May 18 in Oregon, that Mr. Obama dismissed Iran as too "tiny" to represent a serious threat.

The ad’s announcer states: "Iran. Radical Islamic government. Known sponsors of terrorism. Developing nuclear capabilities to 'generate power' but threatening to eliminate Israel. Obama says Iran is a 'tiny' country, 'doesn't pose a serious threat.' Terrorism, destroying Israel, those aren't 'serious threats'? Obama – dangerously unprepared to be president."

Back in May, Mr. McCain made this identical claim about the same Obama speech when Mr. McCain gave an address to the National Restaurant Association in Chicago. Last time, Politifact.com called McCain's claim False.

Hurricane Katrina: Where were Bush and McCain?

Hope4Unity — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:04:47 EDT

On the Morning Katrina Struck New Orleans, and Hours After the Levee Breach, McCain Was Enjoying Birthday Cake With President Bush. From the White House Website: "President George W. Bush joins Arizona Senator John McCain in a small celebration of McCain's 69th birthday Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, after the President's arrival at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix. The President later spoke about Medicare to 400 guests at the Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort and Country Club in nearby El Mirage. White House photo by Paul Morse" [The White House, Accessed 4/20/08]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRar6yKZE8g

Book: After The Taliban

Hope4Unity — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:23:58 EDT

After The Taliban

Nation-Building in Afghanistan

by James Dobbins

"In October 2001, the Bush administration sent Ambassador Dobbins to war-torn Afghanistan to help the Afghans assemble a successor government to the Taliban. This memoir recounts how the U.S. administration reluctantly adjusted to its new role as nation-builder, yields insights into how government and diplomacy really work, and explains why the United States has failed to stabilize either Afghanistan or Iraq."

http://www.rand.org/pubs/commercial_books/CB414/

UN Millennium Project: Development Goals

Hope4Unity — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:59:07 EDT

Investing in Development

A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals

We have the opportunity in the coming decade to cut world poverty by half. Billions more people could enjoy the fruits of the global economy. Tens of millions of lives can be saved. The practical solutions exist. The political framework is established. And for the first time, the cost is utterly affordable. Whatever one’s motivation for attacking the crisis of extreme poverty—human rights, religious values, security, fiscal prudence, ideology—the solutions are the same. All that is needed is action.

This report recommends the way forward. It outlines a way to attain this bold ambition. It describes how to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Presented here are the overview and full report of Investing in Development, the final report of the UN Millennium Project. The overview is available here in six languages in pdf format; the English overview is available in html format using the navigation at the left on the Overview Report page. The task force reports are also available in pdf format.

LCV Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Obama/Biden

Hope4Unity — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:45:11 EDT

10. Look to the future: Senator Obama offers the most comprehensive energy plan of any Presidential nominee in history, it will end our dependence on foreign oil and create as many as 5,000,000 jobs. Senator McCain’s plan continues the Bush Administration’s policy of appeasement to Big Oil, does nothing to reduce our dependence on oil, and isn’t as good as Paris Hilton’s.

9. You pollute, you pay: Obama and Biden support plan to make polluters pay for pollution credits and to clean up toxic waste. McCain wants us to foot the bill for clean-up and to give polluters billions in tax breaks and subsidies.

8. Keeping us healthy: Obama and Biden have fought to keep our air and water clean. McCain has voted against clean water ten times and voted six times to make it harder for states and the EPA to keep our air clean.

7. Listening to the scientists: The Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that America must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 in order to avoid the worst effects of global warming. Obama’s plan will reach that goal. McCain’s plan falls far short.

6. The record speaks for itself: Senator Barack Obama earned a lifetime environmental voting score of 86%. Senator Biden earned an 83%. Senator John McCain earned a 24% score.

Stevie Wonder Performing with Take 6 at Invesco Field

Hope4Unity — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:31:24 EDT

Stevie Wonder, Invesco Field, Denver, CO the night of Senator Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic Party Convention:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uB6HmR36_w

Foreign Policy Panel: Obama and National Security Issues

Hope4Unity — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:21:29 EDT

The Center for U.S. Global Engagement and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs held a panel discussion during the Democratic National Convention entitled, "Foreign Policy and National Security in an Obama Administration." The panel discussion was originally aired by C-SPAN on 08/28/08.

The panel discussion emphasized the importance of laying foundations for relationships with the people of other nations and supporting development with a focus on needs identified from within those nations. There was also discussion of redirecting support from a militaristic approach to one of development.

While I have confidence in Senator Obama's judgment and I'm impressed with Dr. Susan Rice, some members of the panel expressed views towards Iran that I found unacceptable.

For example, why is Iran is so frequently portrayed as more of a threat to the world than any other country with nuclear weapons?

Why didn't the panel call for aggressive diplomacy and tough sanctions against Israel, India, and Pakistan for their already-existing nuclear arsenals, especially since these three countries--no less than Iran--are also in violation of UN Security Council resolutions regarding their nuclear programs?

What gives the United States the right to decide which countries are "allowed" to have nuclear weapons and which countries are not? There should be no country with nuclear weapons --including the U.S.

The following quote from Senator Obama on "investing in our common humanity" is key in improving international relations, increasing global security, and restoring our devastated domestic economy:

I will strengthen our common security by investing in our common humanity. Our global engagement cannot be defined by what we are against; it must be guided by a clear sense of what we stand for. We have a significant stake in ensuring that those who live in fear and want today can live in dignity and opportunity tomorrow. -- Senator Barack Obama

Below is an overview, from Roll Call, of the discussion on National Security Issues in an Obama Administration by the Panel of Foreign Policy Advisers:

A panel of foreign policy advisers close to Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) shed light on how an Obama presidency might deal with national security issues.

The group, which included former Cabinet officials, Members of the Congress and representatives from various countries, such as Britain and Afghanistan, spoke at a roundtable discussion Thursday in Denver. The panelists touched on a variety of issues, including the threats of terrorism, climate change and nuclear proliferation.

Michelle Obama

Hope4Unity — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:36:18 EDT

The Next First Lady Michelle Obama

Excerpts form Mrs. Obama's speech at the Democratic Party Convention in Denver, CO:

"I come here as a wife who loves my husband and believes he will be an extraordinary president," she said. "I come here as a mom whose girls are the heart of my heart and the center of my world. They're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about when I go to bed at night. Their future and all our children's future is my stake in this election."

Michelle Obama underscored the humble upbringing of both herself and her husband, the opportunities their parents gave them that allowed them to achieve, and the choices they made to give up the possibility of lucrative careers in favor of community action.

She called her dad her "rock."

"It was the greatest gift a child can receive: never doubting for a single minute that you're loved and cherished and have a place in this world," she said.

Barack Obama, she said, "doesn't care where you're from or what your background is" because Americans are bound by something deeper: a belief that this country "should be a place where you can make it if you try."

We love you Michelle!

BELIEVE

Hope4Unity — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:26:44 EDT

Senator Obama is the ONLY Presidential candidate America can believe in. Barack Obama has integrity, vision, courage and the judgment to take this country in a fundamentally new direction. The UNITED States of America has not had a trustworthy President for so long that I HOPE America will recognize him now that he has arrived. I believe that OBAMA will be the next President of our nation.

Senator Obama has already demonstrated a strength of character that no other candidate can claim. Character is a crucial factor we need to focus on going into the general election. I believe time will tell that Obama is the only presidential candidate that will actually stand with citizens of this country and citizens of the world to work collectively from the bottom up for peace and diplomacy, prosperity, sustainable energy, health care, jobs, college for all, early childhood programs, women's rights, compassionate immigration policy, and the environment.

I believe that Barack Obama is the only candidate who is in the campaign because he believes in us. Obama cares about justice in the world for everyone. Senator Obama is not about simply competiting to claim a victory. Barack Obama will not stoop to the cheap tricks and empty gimmicks of others. President Obama will help us change this country and change the world. No more politics as usual--No more distractions--No more lies--BELIEVE THAT!

OBAMA '08

President Obama and "The First Thinking Woman," Michelle Obama -- Coming Soon!

I can hear it now: "I, Barack Obama, do solemnly swear that I will fathfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and I will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. "

Defeat Evil on November 4, 2008: Elect OBAMA!

Hope4Unity — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:31:09 EDT

It's difficult to believe that John McCain finally got something right. Once released from Pastor Warren's mythical "cone of silence," Senator McCain was asked what could be done about evil. McCain replied, "Defeat it!" Let's take that bit of advice and elect Barack Obama as the next President of the UNITED States of America!

In reality the election of one human being, even one as spectacularily qualified as Senator Obama, will not eradicate evil from the planet, but Obama's election will advance the cause of truth and justice and will represent a firm stance against the institutionalized corruption to which we have grown far too accustomed. There must be a way to open the eyes and ears of those who have yet to grasp how thoroughly evil has twisted its way into our daily lives and then radiates out into the world poisoning our planet, our relationships and demeaning our human family. It seems clear to anyone who is paying attention that the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the organized plot to demonize Iran, torture, invasion of privacy, human trafficking, and electrification of U.S. troops via Halliburton and subsidiaries, to name a few as the list goes on and on, is all brought upon the world like the plague by characters we've never heard of as well as those "smiling" faces we see right here in America, for example, the infamous Bush/Cheney/McCain double-talk club and their wealthy-beyond-imagination cohorts who thrive on money and power.

All the flag-waving rhetoric about making the world safe for democracy is a gigantic joke to them, a cynical and sinister game of chess that totally disregards human suffering, destruction of the environment, or any other person, place or thing that might stand between those forces of evil and their spoils. The "Axis of Evil" is flourishing in America, not by everyday citizens but in our midst,and sometimes by those who we have elected to represent our interests. Exploring that idea is not treason it is the ultimate act of patriotism. When we look into what is really going on, then it becomes rather apparent that the "inflammatory" sound bites we hear from other parts of the world seem less paranoid and antagonistic and more like a realistic assessment of why the image of the U.S.A has taken such a beating around the globe.

The Russian invasion of Georgia is merely another version of "Project Iraqi Freedom." which is really the blood sport of overthrowing governments for oil and gas. It only takes a few minutes to amass the background information necessary to demonstrate the way these "conflicts" were orchestrated and carried out. Google "BTC" or "Halliburton" (from New Orleans to Iraq) for a glimpse of the international intrigue perpetrated by the short list of evil players.

Who are the real terrorists in the world today? A very little research will unravel all the propoganda we've been force fed. Terrorism is never the answer. Although, the terrorism we're programmed to fear is only the tip of the melting iceberg. This is what street violence by gangs and international terrorists that we're shown on TV have in common: They are pawns in a game they only partially understand, a game that is ultimately controlled by those with elite connections, a game that criminalizes the pawns and rewards those with a front seat at the chess board with a constant supply of the world's resources with the added buzz of feeling superior to the rest of humanity that they've managed to divide and conquer.

It has been suggested that people like Bush, Jr. and John McCain are actually no more than than ventriloquists' dummies, talking puppets, marionettes dancing on the strings of the truly evil and wealthy, but does it really matter when they play along so willingly? The challenge for the '08 Presidential election is not finding the answer to that specific question, but rather how to get those who do not know or care about any of this to consider that this is not the hype of paranoid conspiracy theorists, but is in fact what goes on everyday. It's what is hidden behind the distractions of flag pins, tire gauges and commecials featuring Paris and Brittany. How will we be able to do that? What can we do to trace the connections between the hustle for oil and gas and power of any other kind and the current state of our economy?

If you don't like to make phone calls or knock on doors of undecided voters, if you can't bring your self to participate in an organized event of voter registration...you can do the most effective thing of all which is to gather all the information you can about what is going on in the world around us and about Senator Obama's Blue Print for Change and then talk to your family, friends, co-workers, or anyone else that you feel comfortable talking with. Tell them in your own words, from your heart , why it is vital that they register to vote, and why you are voting for Barack Obama, and encourage them to do the same.

When we start to grow tired of the political games, if the "I'm invisible-again" feeling resurfaces; when it appears that the plot has thickened to the point that there is nothing we can do to alter the course of events, when evil seems to operate in what feels like an alternate universe of money, power and influence, then we still have to try because our lives and our planet depend on us. We have the right and responsibility.

I feel most days as if all of this is "beyond my pay grade" too, but "WE THE PEOPLE" really have no choice, because the alternative is too horrible to consider.

Yes, John there is evil in the world and at the moment you have been selected as its poster child. Whether you were tucked away in the "cone of silence" or being fed your lines by those who weren't, a little truth slipped out of your mouth at Saddleback: What can be done about evil? "Defeat it!" We'll take that nugget of advice and you can keep..."drill, drill, drill," and "bomb, bomb, bomb," for your own amusement."

VOTE for BARACK OBAMA for PRESIDENT!

Human Trafficking

Hope4Unity — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:07:51 EDT

Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy
by John Bowe

Most Americans would be shocked to discover that slavery still exists in the United States. Yet most of us buy goods made by people who aren't paid for their labor - people who are trapped financially, and often physically. In Nobodies, award-winning journalist John Bowe exposes the outsourcing, corporate chicanery, immigration fraud, and sleights of hand that allow forced labor to continue in the United States while the rest of us notice nothing but the everyday low price at the checkout counter.

Nobodies is a vivid and powerful work of investigative reporting, but it is also a lively examination of the eternal struggle for power between free people and unfree people. Against the American landscape of shopping mall, outlet stores, and Happy Meals, Bowe reveals how humankind's darker urges remain alive and well, lingering in the background of every transaction and how understanding them may lead to overcoming them.

Based on thorough and often dangerous research, exclusive interviews, and eyewitness accounts, Nobodies takes you inside three illegal workplaces where employees are virtually or literally enslaved.

U.S. Government Funding of International Terrorism

Hope4Unity — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:11:55 EDT

Ahmed Rashid, author of TALIBAN Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia (2001) provides an account of of the Taliban's development, impact on Afghanistan and international terrorism.

In the introduction to Afghanistan and the history of the Taliban Movement the author describes a few of many examples of the U.S. government's role in funding international terrorism, the Mujaheddin and it's next generation, the Taliban.

Here are two examples:

(1) The late 1970's

"Within a few short, dramatic months Afghanistan had been catapulted into the centre of the intensified Cold War between the Soviet Union and the USA. The Afghan Mujaheddin were to become the US-backed, anti-Soviet shock troops. But for the Afghans the Soviet invasion was yet another attempt by outsiders to subdue them and replace their time-honoured religion and society with an alien ideology and social system. The jihad took on a new momentum as the USA, China and Arab states poured in money and arms supplies to the Mujaheddin. Out of this conflict, which was to claim 1.5 million Afghan lives and only end when Soviet troops withdrew from Afhanistan in 1989, would emerge a second generation of Mujaheddin who called themselves Taliban (or the students of Islam.)" -- A. Rashid, page 13

(2) Taliban injuries, loss of life and funding of a brutal style of war

"The Taliban's wounds are a constant reminder of 20 years of war, which has killed over 1.5 million people and devastated the country. The Soviet Union poured some US$5 billion a year into Afghanistan to subdue the Mujaheddin or a total of US$45 billion -- and they lost. The US committed some four to five billion dollars between 1980 and 1992 in aid to the Mujaheddin. US funds were matched by Saudi Arabia and together with support from other European and Islamic countries, the Mujaheddin received a total of over US$10 billion. Most of this aid was in the form of lethal weaponry given to a simple agricultural people who used it with devastating results." -- A. Rashid, page 18

Link to Ahmed Rashid:

http://www.ahmedrashid.com/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, in his own words

Quotes from President Bush

In his remarks, the president again laid out what the White House called the
Bush Doctrine. "If you harbor terrorists, you are terrorists. If you train or arm a
terrorist, you are a terrorist. If you feed a terrorist or fund a terrorist, you're a
terrorist, and you will be held accountable by the United States and our
friends."

NY TIMES 11/22/2001 Bush Says War May Go Beyond Afghan Border

In other words, the President, the CIA, his father and many of their business
partners, cabinet appointees and so-called allies are - based on the
President's own words - terrorists.

Only by bringing them to justice can we ever hope to win the war on
terrorism. When he announced the U.S. air strikes against Afghanistan, President Bush
Jr. said, "We're a peaceful nation." He went on to say, "This is the calling of
the United States of America, the most free nation in the world, a nation
built on fundamental values, that rejects hate, rejects violence, rejects
murderers, rejects evil. "
Then went on to drop more than 12,000 bombs and KILL 3,500 Civilians in Afghanistan by U.S. Bombers University of New Hampshire Economics.

Reposted by "http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/12.30A.afgh.pipe.htm", a report
from PakNews.com states that Unocal gets it‘s pipeline! "Pakistan, Afghanistan
and Turkmenistan on Friday signed here a framework agreement for a US $3.2
billion gas pipeline project passing through the three countries."This was what
it was all about. As has been widely reported, the Bush administration was
negotiating with the Taliban early in 2001 to work out the deal for the pipeline
for Unocal. The administration told the Taliban it could choose between "a
carpet of gold or a carpet of bombs." We all know what it was in the end.

Arsenal of Hypocrisy:

http://www.arsenalofhypocrisy.com/bush.php

2008: This must NOT happen again...

VOTE for Barack Obama for President!

Hypocrisy & Hegemony: U.S. Role in Starting Iran's Nuclear Program

Hope4Unity — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:42:25 EDT

The Bush/Cheney/McCain regime continues in a hypocritcal campaign to warn us about the dangers that prey upon the world from the "Axis of Evil."

The Bush/Cheney/McCain team try to work us into a frenzy of fear by invoking their version of patriotism. They would have us believe that the U.S. has the right to openly or covertly invade and control other countries, and that any dissent is unpatriotic.

Isn't it interesting (read sickening) to watch G.W. Bush lecture Russia on how unethical it is to invade the sovereignty of Georgia while simultaneously refusing to provide Iraq with a deadline for the withdrawl of U.S. troops? The rules of Bush/Cheney/McCain & Company are based on the notion that they are entitled to write the rules for the rest of the world for which the world "should" be grateful. However, those same rules do not apply to them.

THe Bush/Cheney/McCain plan for "Iraqi Freedom" has now cost years of occupation in Iraq, thousands of deaths of U.S. military troops and countless Iraqi lives, at the cost of $10 billion dollars a month!

In the Bush/Cheney/McCain war racket, Iran has received more than it's fair share of threats, sanctions, threats of further sanctions, and ultimatums disgiused as diplomacy.

The tables have turned--Americans will not continue to be manipulated by the Bush/Cheney/McCain tactics. People around the globe are calling out for dialogue, cooperation, peace and prosperity for all and the collective voices of humanity can no longer be silenced by fear, cynicism, and divisive rhetoric. A new era is upon us and the time for CHANGE is NOW!

A review of the role the U.S. Played in Starting Iran's Nuclear Program in the 1970's:

Payvand's Iran News ...

12/22/04 Iran's Nuclear Energy Program. Part V: From the United States Offering Iran Uranium Enrichment Technology to Suggestions for Creating Catastrophic Industrial Failure
By Muhammad Sahimi
http://www.payvand.com/news/04/dec/1186.html

Read the full article at the link above. It's long, but valuable. The author's concluding remarks, only some of the documented examples in support of the conclusion, and references are provided in the excerpts below:

H.Con.Res.362 & S.Res.580: Impact of Grassroots Opposition

Hope4Unity — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:03:21 EDT

Update of 8/11/08 from Iran Nuclear Watch

Prospects for H.Con.Res. 362 & S.Res. 580

Across the country, organizations and community groups have mobilized opposition to H.Con.Res. 362, a controversial non-binding resolution calling for more punitive measures against Iran. The combined efforts of all of the organizations and individuals have successfully put speed bumps on the road for a resolution that staff from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office initially said would “pass like a hot knife through butter” before the 4th of July recess. So far, four Representatives – Tom Allen, Steve Cohen, Danny K. Davis and William Lacy Clay – have withdrawn support. Several others, including Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA), Mike McNulty (D-NY), Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Robert Wexler (D-FL) have expressed that they may do so if language is not changed.

It is no small feat getting Members of Congress to change their co-sponsorship on an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) supported resolution, particularly in an election year.

U.S. Conduct in the Middle East Since World War II

Hope4Unity — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:07:01 EDT

"Ancient History": U.S. Conduct in the Middle East Since World War II and the Folly of Intervention." -- from the CATO Institue

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1019&full=1

The link above has been posted here before. It provides a valuable history review which makes it worth re-posting as a reminder to ask, "How would it make you feel?"

Interview: President Ahmadinejad of Iran

Hope4Unity — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:46:00 EDT

July 28, 2008

Brian Williams, NBC: Inteview with President Ahmadinejad of Iran

"It was clear in just the opening few minutes of the conversation that the Iranian President had a message he wanted to impart to the U.S. and to the wider world. In various answers to our questions, he talked about common ground with the United States. The Associated Press today described his words spoken to us as "unusually conciliatory," and said he raised hopes for a breakthrough." -- Brian Williams (Introduction to an Excerpt of the Interview)

PEACE: Iran & U.S.A.

Hope4Unity — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:41:37 EDT

Iran has been been referred to as part of "The Axis of Evil," as well as "The Greatest Threat to World Peace," and an instigator of "mischief" in the Middle East. In fact, the citizens of Iran face many of the same challenges as people in the United States.

Although, Iran appears to be a wealthy nation due to oil, gas and other natural resources, the fact is that the citizens of Iran are facing inflation, high rates of unemployment, human rights violations, and constant threats to their national and personal security.

It is difficult for students to attend universities and for those who do manage to earn a degree there is tough competition for good jobs. The current President of Iran has made too many inflammatory statements, not unlike those of President Bush, that do not reflect their views.

The American people and The Iranian people have common concerns about the words and deeds of their leaders. Threatening sanctions against Iran, or worse yet, talk of an attack on Iran by the U.S. and/or Israel will solve nothing. The aggressive posturing by some elected officials in both countries does not represent the interests of citizens in Iran or in America.

There are too many misconceptions about the history of Iran and about the current desire of many Iranians, inside and outside of Iran, to create a peace and prosperity for all people through the rule of law, dialogue and diplomacy and a more democratic form of government. The Iranian people can reach these goals without U.S. interference.

It also seems that many people in the region -- Iran's neighbors, view aggressive action by the U.S. to be a much greater threat than any threat from Iran. Please take time to learn more about Iran and the people of Iran beyond what is offered by the main stream media. One example is available below:

Our Best Selves: Southwest Missouri and Beyond

Hope4Unity — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:02:47 EDT

Thoughts on Senator Obama's Visit to Southwestern Missouri

A drive across Southwest Missouri can be a relaxing and beautiful experience with lush vegetation, wild flowers or trees draped in kudzu, roaring rivers and waterfalls, cliffs and caves, rolling hills that abruptly rise to mountains followed by steep drops to bottom land, a place where hawks and eagles soar overhead.

Or, the same trip can reveal the disparities in life like shacks, as if from a depression-era film, leaning crookedly by the side of the road in contrast to the clear cut bluff above the shacks, that has become the staging ground for a sprawling log mansion accented with glass and stone. There are snakes and mosquitos, Confederate flags and survivalist encampments, racism, sexism and a not-so-subtle dislike for "outsiders."

There are grandmothers, not necessarily your own, that will bake for you and feed you until you're ready to burst, and who will tell you stories and show you family pictures from dawn to dusk. On the other hand, a restaurant (serving breakfast 24-hours a day) may refuse to serve a "mixed" group of potential diners. There are drifters and meth labs and all manner of country-style trouble that is just as dangerous as urban crime. Or, you might have a flat tire along the road, and a fisherman or farmer may come to the rescue in a pickup truck even if they don't know you, and regardless of where you're from or how you look. In general, there are good and bad people and things just as in any other place on earth.

National Homeless and Low Income Voter Registration Week -- September 21-27, 2008

Hope4Unity — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:12:10 EDT

September 21-27, 2008 is National Homeless & Low Income Voter Registration Week

Another important election year is approaching and we hope you will join us in ensuring everyone’s voice is heard. The National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition are honored to invite your organization to participate in National Homeless & Low Income Voter Registration Week on September 21-27, 2008 by hosting a voter registration drive or promoting voter education and participation.

We hope you will unite with us in this historic week by joining us on a national conference call on Wednesday August 6 at 3:00 pm ET to discuss the many ways you and your organization can get involved. You can access this call online (link will be available on this page on day of call) or by dialing 800-377-8846, Participant Code 03348043#. To RSVP and for further information, please RSVP to advocacy@naeh.org expressing your interest.

Voter Registration: National Coalition for the Homeless

Hope4Unity — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:55:01 EDT

"The Strength To End Homelessness Lies in the Power of Your VOTE!"

2008/2009 Voter Rights/Registration Packet

YOU DON'T Need a Home to Vote!

While federal and state laws have eliminated some of the barriers to voting for homeless people, other obstacles remain. Those obstacles can be overcome if people experiencing homelessness know their rights and learn ways to overcome the barriers.

Residency and Mailing Address Requirements:

Some states had previously required registrants to live in a “traditional dwelling” in order to register to vote. Judicial decisions in court cases and the enactment of federal and state laws have eliminated that requirement. Today, homeless individuals in all states--including those people who are living on the streets--have the right to register and vote. When registering to vote, homeless voters only need to designate their place of residence, which can be a street corner, a park, a shelter, or any other location where an individual stays at night. Designation of a residential address or location of residence is required to ensure the voter lives within the district in which she/he wishes to register and to assign the voter to the appropriate polling location. Usually, the location of a residence may be indicated by drawing a map or by providing a general descriptive location, if not the address of a shelter.

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/getinvolved/projects/vote/index.html

Homelessness in America

Hope4Unity — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:02:54 EDT

Homeless Veterans
The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says the nation's homeless veterans are mostly males (4 % are females). The vast majority are single, most come from poor, disadvantaged communities, 45% suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse problems. America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom, or the military’s anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America. Forty-seven percent of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam Era. More than 67% served our country for at least three years and 33% were stationed in a war zone.
Although accurate numbers are impossible to come by -- no one keeps national records on homeless veterans -- the VA estimates that nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. And nearly 400,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country. According to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Urban Institute, 1999), veterans account for 23% of all homeless people in America.

"Counting the number of homeless veterans and determining the causes of homelessness for veterans are difficult tasks." The fact sheets at the links below provide brief overviews of the issues:

www.endhomelessness.org

http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm#questions

"Misnomer" The Art of War

Hope4Unity — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:54:16 EDT

Misnomer

They speak of the art of war,
but the arts
draw their light from the soul’s well,
and warfare
dries up the soul and draws its power
from a dark and burning wasteland.
When Leonardo
set his genius to devising
machines of destruction he was not
acting in the service of art,
he was suspending
the life of art
over an abyss,
as if one were to hold
a living child out of an airplane window
at thirty thousand feet.

by Denise Levertov
USA (1923-1997)

Interactive Global Vision: Empowering Citizens of the World

Hope4Unity — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:05:12 EDT

International Group Launches Plan for Global Commons

An international partnership -- called the Coalition for the Global Commons – will use advanced internet software on an interactive web site, http://www.global-commons.org/, as well as personal discussions, international meetings and electronic surveys. The initial partners include such organizations as the Centre for Global Negotiations, CIVICUS, Ethical Markets Media, LLC, and Global Marshall Plan Initiative.

The Coalition aims at tapping global opinion and expertise on problems that transcend national borders which neither governments nor businesses are equipped to address. Among those issues are the global environment, poverty and an emergency relief program for the world’s poorest nations. Consultations will also consider reform of the global economy, the creation of fees on international transactions to fund sustainable development, and new multilateral institutions for global governance.

www.global-negotiations.org

http://www.global-commons.org/display/CGC2/Home

"A World That Stands As One" OBAMA in Berlin

Hope4Unity — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:09:09 EDT

BARACK OBAMA in Berlin, July 24, 2008 as he wins the hearts and minds of a world in search of HOPE, PEACE, UNITY and CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN ! Leadership, Judgment, Courage, Honesty, Consistency, Vision, Intellect, Respect, and Passion are just a few of the qualities of the next President of The UNITED States of America which have been demonstrated on this trip. Thank YOU Senator Obama!

"A World That Stands As One"

(A few favorite excerpts from this speech)

"Now the world will watch and remember what we do here – what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time?'

"Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words “never again” in Darfur? "

"Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don’t look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?"

"People of Berlin – people of the world – this is our moment. This is our time."

H.Con.Res. 362: Two More Representatives Withdraw Their Support

Hope4Unity — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:52:43 EDT

On July 22, 2008, Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Thomas Allen (D-ME) joined Representative William Lacy Clay in withdrawing there names as co-sponsors of the controversial resolution H.Con.Res. 362. Below is the statement from Rep. Allen on his withdrawal. Alternet published an article on July 23, 2008 on efforts to oppose the resolution entitled “Anti-War Movement Successfully Pushes Back Against Military Confrontation With Iran.”

Rep. Tom Allen’s Statement on H. Con. Res. 362

Washington, D.C. (Wednesday, July 23, 2008)---U.S. Representative Tom Allen issues the following statement today regarding his decision to remove his name as a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 362:

"I cosponsored H. Con. Res. 362 because I believe that the Iranian regime poses very real threats to stability in the region and that it is in our national security interest to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. However, there is language in this resolution that may imply Congressional approval of a blockade of Iran. I want to be perfectly clear about where I stand: I believe our nation should be engaging in tough diplomatic talks with Iran that will permanently dismantle that country's nuclear weapons program, and that sanctions should be part of that strategy. However, I do not support the idea of a blockade. Since the resolution has not been amended to address these concerns, yesterday, I removed my name as a cosponsor."

http://irannuclearwatch.blogspot.com/

The Geneva Conventions

Hope4Unity — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:50:12 EDT

The Geneva Conventions are international treaties binding on all States which have accepted them. The information that follows is a review of the history and key points in the Conventions.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In 1859 Henry Dunant, a Swiss citizen, witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino and was horrified by the sight of thousands of wounded soldiers lying helpless and abandoned with no one to care for them.
This experience led him to suggest the setting up of voluntary relief societies who could be trained, during peacetime, to care for the wounded in time of war.
He also called for an international agreement to be drawn up to protect the wounded, and those who looked after them, from further attack.
In 1863 Henri Dunant arranged an unofficial international conference at which it was agreed that each country should form a relief organisation capable of assisting the Army Medical Services in wartime. This was how the Red Cross began.

In 1864 governments were invited to send representatives to a diplomatic conference. As a result 12 European nations signed a treaty stating that in future wars they would care for all sick and wounded military personnel, regardless of nationality. They would also recognise the neutrality of medical personnel, hospitals and ambulances identified by the emblem of a red cross on a white background.
The treaty was called the Geneva Convention. This Convention was concerned only with soldiers wounded on the battlefield. Over the years, however, it has been expanded to cover everyone caught up in conflicts but not actually taking an active part in the fighting.

There are now four Geneva Conventions, which were drawn up in 1949. They cover armed forces on land and at sea, prisoners of war, and civilians. And all of them have now been accepted by virtually every State in the world.

In addition, two new Protocols (a Protocol is an addition or amendment to a Convention) were drawn up in 1977 at a diplomatic conference.