Anti-Malaria Give-A-Net Program

Perhaps the biggest preventable tragedy in the world today is the thousands of deaths every year of the world's poor because of malaria. I have experienced first-hand in Africa the importance of bed nets. Watch the video today and take action in your community.

Anne Lamott, Politics and the Future of Democracy

I was listening to liberal Christian author Anne Lamott give a speech on NPR this weekend. One of her many fine points was saying that the two greatest ideas that America gave the world was modern democracy and the separation of church and state. This insightful commentary came led me to some further thoughts on American democracy and the future...

America gave these two things to the world, and now, many places in the world have advanced those ideas to new levels. America has responded by trying to hold onto their old styles of these two ideas instead of embracing their advances. Why? I think largely because in the American narrative, we've convinced ourselves that our way is the always the best.

So we hold onto outdated American democratic ideas like "pork" amendments on legislation or gerrymandering of congressional districts, because that's "the way we've always done it." And I can't even begin to complain about all the glitches in an outdated campaign system, from financing to disenfranchisement to the electoral college. Our system is hardly a fair democratic system, instead it is a system balanced heavily in favor of the rich, white, and powerful men in America.

Is there no shame that third-world countries in Africa and Asia have fairer elections than we do? Do we realize that experts are estimating that $1 billion dollars will be given to presidential candidates for 2008 election? Only a handful of states have open primaries where you can vote for anybody and besides, primaries amount to a party-style electoral college system.

Aside from the stupidity of the electoral college, most countries have this little thing called a run-off election. Why can't our elections be held over two or three days, or be a national holiday like other countries make it? I was just mulling over these ideas in light of France's election. They had 4 canidates... far right 10%, right 30%, center 18%, left 25%. so the top two get to have their run-off election and try to build a consensus with those who didn't vote for them.

To sum up, America is stuck in our traditional ways. Democracy and freedom have advanced in other countries, but we are the arrogant ones who think that because we created it, our current system is still the right way to do it.

This little rant didn't even touch on Lamott's second point about the serparation of Church and state. There are many in America who hold onto the idea of a "return" to a nation legislated by Christians for Christians in what has become the most diverse country in the world. They will have to wait for a rant from me until next time.

Political Debate in America Today

This is a funny cartoon lampooning internet arguments, but it also rightly nails political discourse by pundits on television and radio shows. I enjoy listening to honest political discussions, but whenever it is a discussion by two opposing pundits whose job is to defend their position at all costs, I change the channel faster than you can say "Cross-Fire".

The Legacy of Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) died this week. I have read a few of his books and admired his anti-war stance for many years. His last book attached the Bush presidency and the Iraq War. For me, he will be the person who enlightened me about the Dresden bombings by Allied Forces toward the end of WWII. The Allies planes obliterated this beautiful city which was a symbol of baroque humanism and all that was best in Germany.

With 25,000–35,000 German civilians killed in the Dresden fire-bombings, the casualties suffered in the Dresden bombings were similar to those suffered in other German cities which were subject to firebombing attacks during area bombardment. Overall, British-American bombing of German cities claimed between 305,000 and 600,000 civilian lives. Whether these attacks hastened the end of the war is a controversial question.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden_bombing

Heard of the Peace Tax Fund Bill?...You Need To!

http://www.peacetaxfund.org/ http://www.fcnl.org/action/2007/lam0412.htm For more than 50 years, conscientious objectors to war have been permitted to perform alternative service rather than violate their religious beliefs by serving in combat. But to this day, they are still required to support the military through taxation.

As military spending increases each year, the ability of the U.S. government to wage war relies less on conscripted soldiers and more on drafted dollars to pay for advanced equipment, technology, and other costs of military activities. Conscientious objectors to the payment of taxes for war need an "alternative service" for their tax dollars. The Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund bill would provide such an alternative.

The Peace Tax Fund bill creates a special fund within the U.S. Treasury to receive the full tax payments of designated conscientious objectors. The tax payments received in that fund would be available to support all government services, except the military. The Peace Tax Fund would enable conscientious objectors to pay 100% of their taxes without violating their beliefs about not participating in war.

I urge you to cosponsor the Peace Tax Fund bill as a matter of religious freedom. Representative John Lewis expects to introduce the bill soon - please contact his office to become an original cosponsor. Read more about this important piece of legislation at: http://www.peacetaxfund.org/ http://www.fcnl.org/action/2007/lam0412.htm

War and Taxes

The Friends Committee on National Legislation calculates that 41 cents out of every dollar that you pay in 2006 federal income taxes before April 17 goes to the military – to pay for both current and past military activities. That figure is the clearest reflection of how the federal government spends your tax dollars. Of every dollar you pay in taxes:

• 1 cent goes to diplomacy and development
• 5 cents goes to education, job training, and social services
• 12 cents goes to respond to poverty in the United States
• 41 cents goes to war

Simply amazing stats. We have been like the frog in the pot of water as we gradually boil alive. The Cold War is over. The Terror War is cold. The Fear War is raging. We must wake up and call on the government to stop wasting our money while the poor get poorer.