Release Gaza aid ship!

On the 30th of last month, the Spirit of Humanity, a ship delivering aid to the Gaza strip, was abducted in international waters by Israeli forces. Its aid, including medicine, olive trees, and toys, were confiscated.

I have always found Israel's policy toward Palestinians loathesome, at least as much as the terrorist response it has inspired. Yet the question of U.S. censure of Israeli excess is a tricky one. Israel is our ally, it is a foothold in a region crucial to our energy needs, and it commands sympathy from many U.S. voters. Furthermore, it is doing nothing that we did not do in our nation's expansionist history. To do anything but support Israel would be a strategic blunder. To turn our back on them would be unthinkable--except for the tiny fact that it may be the right thing to do.

Realistically, due to the delicate nature of the situation, our president can only censure Israel in small ways. Perhaps this aid ship situation may be an opportunity to show America's growing disgust with Israeli aggression.

You can sign a petition requesting that the Obama administration demand the ship be released and its mission continued.

ONE GOOD DEED: Sign a petition for the release of the Gaza aid ship the Spirit of Humanity.

Support the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009

Conflict minerals are raw materials mined in war zones. Many components of our cell phones and electronics--particularly tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold--come from the Congo, where rampaging militias use mineral revenues to support their campaigns. These militias are notorious for their use of forced child soldiers and rape as a weapon of terror.

The Congo Conflict Minerals Act is a senate bill that fights such trade. Among other things, it proposes that the US military publish a map of armed groups in mineral-rich areas of the Congo. This would make it easier for industries to avoid conflict minerals and trade only in those unstained by blood.

The bill includes the following measures:

· support for further investigations by the UN Group of Experts on Congo;
· mapping of which armed groups control key mines in eastern Congo;
· development of a U.S. government strategy to address conflict minerals;
· inclusion of information on the negative impact of mineral exploitation and trade on human rights in Congo in the annual human rights reports; and,
· guidance for companies to exercise due diligence. (quoted from here)

Raise Hope for Congo, an Enough! campaign, provides an electronic form letter to urge your senator to cosponsor the bill.

ONE GOOD DEED: Urge my senator (after months of election dispute, at last Minnesota has a senator!) to cosponsor a bill to fight trade in conflict minerals.

A plea to those following the Iran election controversy

This is a plea for open hearts and level heads.

Like many I am following the Iran election controversy. I don't doubt that the election could have been rigged, and my heart goes out to the protesters suffering and in some cases dying for what they believe in.

At the same time, I am noticing an extreme bias in certain US reporting. For example, the NY Times has been giving the story massive coverage. It has headlined multiple stories almost every day since the election results were reported (ten days!). This is far out of proportion to coverage we normally see of similar events in countries that are not so strategically critical to our foreign policy. It doesn't take a professional analyst to realize that there is a connection to America's current delicate, potentially explosive, stance toward nuclear Iran. Nor is it arcane that Iran is a key player in the theater of our wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. And perhaps most importantly, it's no secret that the idea of democracy in a Muslim nation tugs at American heartstrings, and can be used to push our buttons.

It's natural that the media should prefer stories that interest the public, so some disproportion in coverage is to be expected. But what's going on right now is disproportionate enough to raise the question of agenda. It was not long ago that we were fed the "Saddam is genociding the Kurds" story, followed by the "our military isn't ready" story, and the "weapons of mass destruction" hoax. And let's not forget that during that same period our very own nation saw an election which was every bit as questionable as the current one in Iran.

Please note that just because the headlines hide an agenda, it doesn't mean they aren't true. Saddam was a bad guy, a really bad guy, and the Kurds did suffer. But those true facts were falsely used to pump us up for wars, actions with motivations other than "good vs. evil." In the same way, Ahmadinejad may be worth questioning. The election results may be worth questioning. And our moral outrage may be required. But we do not have to be dupes about it. If we keep our collective cool and look at this rationally, we'll be much more likely to make wise decisions in the future.

Please also note that the presence of agenda does not necessarily validate conspiracy theories! The public is quite capable of hypnotizing itself, through nothing more than "herd culture" behavior, without anyone directing the panic from behind a curtain. Presidents and other leaders may bear particular responsibility, but ultimately we can only point fingers at ourselves. It's up to us, the public, to grant or withhold assent.

It is particularly difficult to keep our cool when outrage is or appears to be justified. But even when such is justified, uncritical reactions never lead to a happy ending.

So, please, as you follow this story, don't let the headlines hypnotize you. We are only effective when we keep both our hearts and our heads in the game!

P.S. One way to take the brainwashing machine off spin cycle is to compare headlines with foreign newspapers. Check out BBC News, Moscow Times, China Daily, and the like. Look specifically for newspapers with different foreign policy agendas and views contrary to your own. Don't trust any one newspaper over another, but observe overall trends that emerge.

The Iran election controversy

I posted a brief essay calling for level heads with regard to the current Iran election controversy. It's so easy to cry bloody murder when it's the other guys at fault. We need to be compassionate, and we can't let anyone become "villains."

See the following post for the essay.

ONE GOOD DEED: Raise awareness for critical thinking in a time of public outrage.

Ask Obama to reveal his peace plan for Darfur

President Obama has included Darfur in his speeches but has yet to reveal a concrete plan of action. The Save Darfur Coalition has prepared an electronic letter to the president demanding a plan for peace in the Darfur region. Just follow the link, edit the letter if you wish, sign your name to it, and click send. It takes all of thirty seconds.

I have posted numerous times on the Darfur situation, and since then I've learned a fair amount about it. One thing I've learned is that US military intervention could very well prove counterproductive. The Save Darfur Coalition tends to include a military option within its purview of potential actions, so you have to be careful about what letters you support. This one bears no military language and pursues helpful and necessary goals.

By the way, please do not trust my judgments about the viability of military action. Read up, and make your own decisions.

ONE GOOD DEED: Send a letter asking to Obama to reveal his Darfur peace plan.

A letter to Secretary Clinton

With the ICC warrant issued for his arrest, Sudan's president Bashir has retaliated by kicking out a number of humanitarian aid organizations. This leaves millions of displaced persons without food or sometimes even water. The U.S. has to take diplomatic action to rectify the situation. Save Darfur has a form to sign an online letter to Secretary Clinton, asking her to make Darfur a top priority. Please take thirty seconds of your time to make you opinion known.

ONE GOOD DEED: Send a letter to Secretary Clinton asking her to make Darfur a top priority.

UPDATE: Sudan president arrest warrant misreported

It appears the New York Times was mistaken in reporting that the ICC had issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese president Omar Bashir. The ICC says no such decision has been made yet.

Apparently some UN diplomats and officials said the decision had been made, when it had not.

Of course the situation remains a hot spot, all the more so for the disinformation chaos. The atrocities remain what they are, and a U.S. response is still necessary.

Sorry for the misreport in the last post.

Essay: Sudan president to be arrested - please urge Obama to send an envoy

Here is a link to send a message urging Obama to send an official envoy to Darfur. Details follow.

Yesterday was momentous in the struggle for justice in Darfur. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudan's President Bashir. This follows on Bashir's 2008 indictment by the ICC on multiple counts of genocide and atrocities. While the warrant for arrest may be a ray of hope, it could also precipitate escalation of violence. The African Union requested a 12-month postponement of arrest efforts over fears of violence between Bashir supporters and opponents.

In the wake of this situation, the Save Darfur Coalition is calling for Americans to urge President Obama to send an official envoy to Sudan. The fears of increased violence require firm action to show that pro-Bashir violence will not be tolerated.

It took me less than one minute to complete and send the email to Obama's office. Please considering doing the same. A hand-written letter may be even better, although in this case time is of the essence.

What we're seeing today is the result of years of careful effort by the ICC and many other dedicated voices, a struggle depicted in the movies Darfur Now and The Devil Came on Horseback. Yet despite these efforts, there has been very little effect on the ground in Darfur. The Janjaweed militia have been burning villages, killing men, and raping women on a systematic basis since 2003. For six years Darfur's people have lived in under these conditions. The daily need to go out and collect firewood, as mentioned in The Devil Came on Horseback, illustrates the situation: if men do it, they face castration or death; if women, rape. So most have made the communal decision that women, who at least may live through it, should collect the firewood. No one should have to make this kind of decision.

Please consider doing all you can to end this situation. Although there is the potential that any action could lead to more violence, we have effectively been doing nothing for six years, and the situation shows no sign of resolving itself.

Sending a letter to President Obama is one small step that takes less than a minute to complete. The goal is that the president "should immediately appoint a high-level official with the stature, mandate and authority to be the U.S. point person on Sudan—and bring an end to the genocide." Please weigh the potential outcomes and act according to your conscience.

Here is the link:
http://action.savedarfur.org/campaign/iccowner/3ksxgni40765mx3k?

After sending the email, please urge your friends to do the same. Feel free to pass on the current email from me if that should strike your fancy.

images: above - burning villages in Darfur, photo by Brian Steidle; left - map of Sudan showing Darfur in the west

Urging Obama to act in Darfur

The Save Darfur Coalition is calling for Americans to urge the president to send an official envoy to Sudan, in the wake of the ICC's call for President Bashir's arrest. Details follow in the next post.

ONE GOOD DEED: Send an email urging Obama to appoint an official U.S. envoy to bring peace to the Sudan, and encourage my friends to do the same.

Prayer following the inauguration

At This Significant Moment
(To These Five Things I Give Honor)

At this significant moment,
When frost hardens the furrows,
Granaries are all but empty,
And sons and daughters tarry beyond the hill in arms,

At this significant moment,
When the snowy field is surveyed by a new worker,
An unprecedented hand grips the plow,
And seeds of change shake in the basket,

At this significant moment,
When weight shifts anxiously from foot to foot,
Ruddy cheeks shiver,
And lips blow on knuckles like dice for good luck,

Let me in my way give honor to five things.

First, to Justice:
That wrongs past and wrongs current be set right,
That all may share fairly and equally in the harvest,
And that poor policies may be like nourishing soil for better ones,

Second, to Prudence:
That this new sower may judge wisely the stars for planting,
That we may hold no unrealistic expectations,
Nor make a savior of the man.

Third, to Fortune:
That the new crop may not bring mere change,
But that it may be change for the better,
And change for the best.

Fourth, to War:
That frenzied wrath may calm,
That enemies may be reconciled,
And that no death may be in vain.

Fifth, to Peace:
That whatever road be taken,
Our sons and daughters may follow it home one day soon,
And by the same road too may fare the safety of all the world's citizens.

At this significant moment,
As the new worker opens the door of the shed,
To these five things I give honor,
And we shall have these, the right tools for the job.

At this significant moment,
As the yoke is placed on the oxen,
To these five things I give honor,
And they will haul us through the difficult ground.

At this significant moment,
As my brow raises to the horizon,
To these five things I give honor,
And my hands know their role in the season of planting.

A prayer

Today I wrote a prayer following upon the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Then I posted it to the various spiritual email lists I'm on. It's not specific to any religion or philosophy, so it is broadly applicable.

People are so excited, not just in America but everywhere. I felt a prayer might help to focus that energy, while checking some of the over-zealous tendencies. I hope it is able to inspire someone.

ONE GOOD DEED: Share the inspiration of the inauguration with a prayer.