Social Justice News 11-24-06

Hey everybody,
Happy Turkey Day. I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday and got to their destinations safe and sound. There’s a lot of news this week. It was pointed out to me that I might be wrong about my statements on China last week. If so I apologize; I have never been to China and have no way of knowing what things there are like except for the stories that come out –which, as I’m sure everyone knows –are not entirely reliable. Someone also asked me about the Global Warming ideas I asked for a few weeks ago, and why I hadn’t sent them out as promised. Well, it was kind of hard to send them out since I didn’t get any. If you want to submit something, I’ll still take it.

Announcement: An Inconvenient Truth came out on Tuesday, and it includes an update from Mr. Gore which I sincerely recommend. There are rumors flying around again that the White House may be about to change its official position on climate change. It’s possible but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Even if it happens, I would bet it would only be for political reasons. I think George Bush has about as much chance of coming to believe in global warming as I do of ever going on a date! (I’d love to be wrong of course –if you think I am, send me your logic.)

GOOD NEWS
Hippies in the Woods: This long story, in the Washington Post no less, profiles the Earthhaven Ecovillage. It goes in depth into what these folks are doing. Below the article I’ve included the link to Earthhaven’s website.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/AR2006111400979.html
http://www.earthaven.org/

CLIMATE CHANGE
The Stakes: Human Civilization Al Gore himself responds to Viscount Mockton’s “scientific” debunking of global warming.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/19/nclim19.xml&page=1

Stop the Scare Stories: A newsweek editorial accuses Stern and others of publishing “scare stories” over global warming and wanting them to stop –so of course, they won’t affect economic growth. Um, let’s see, in the words of Al Gore, which do I prefer? Some bars of gold or the entire planet?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15563663/site/newsweek/from/RSS/

God will take care of it: Inhofe’s at it again. This time he’s saying not to worry about global warming, because even if its real, God is still up there and will take care of it and us. Ur, okay, I think I’m going to start building an ark now. It’ll be needed when both Greenland and Antarctica have melted.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/17/inhofe-hoax/

POLITICS
The Price of Protesting: The janitors who went on strike in Houston learned the hard way what the price of protesting in modern America is –being trampled and then arrested. So much for freedom of assembly.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/44532/

Obsessed with Gays: A comparison of the response of American and South African leaders to same-sex marriage.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1119-27.htm

POLLUTION
Would you like the glow in the dark floor or walls? Or how about the whole package?: The U.S. government made no attempt to clean up the uranium mines in the U.S. Southwest once they were abandoned. This has led to soaring cancer rates among the Navaho who now drink contaminated water and even live in radioactive houses.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-navajo19nov19,1,3773810.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=1&cset=true

ENVIRONMENT
GM Crops May Cause Disease: So inserting fish genes into tomatoes and insect repellant into corn may not have been such a good idea. Gee, who knew?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=SMI20061119&articleId=3912

OTHER
The Great Turning: Korten gives a talk to the citizens of Willits California describing his ideas on how to change (and save)our planet. If you haven’t read his book, The Great Turning, I recommend it. It is slightly repetitive but very good.
http://www.willitsnews.com/community/ci_4678772

Modern Day Heretic: A story of modern day heresy and its consequences. This is the tale of what happened to a Pentecostal Bishop after he asked himself one day “What if there is no hell?” It’s under last weeks story on the front page.
http://www.thislife.org/

Website of the Week: The Earth Policy Institue. http://www.earth-policy.org/

UU Joke of the Week: Do UU's ever pray?
Only when they think a Democrat is going to lose an election.

Have a good weekend everybody!
-Rebecca

Life in the Madhouse

“Welcome to the jungle, it gets worse here everyday…” So sang the old classic. That was my alma mater’s old fight song. People have long compared the rat race and even life itself in the modern world to a jungle. There is something about that imagery that appeals to us. Maybe it’s in our genes; after all we are descended from jungle dwellers. Whatever the reason it is no longer accurate. At least not for those of us here in the good ole US of A.

I realized this truth earlier today while I was starting the coffee. A lot of realizations happen to me at this time of the day when I am halfway between sleep and wakefulness. The news was blaring on the radio in the background. Suddenly it hit me. We don’t live in a jungle, we don’t live in a rat race. Those tired old metaphors are no longer accurate. Today’s world is a madhouse.

That’s right I said it: a madhouse. I live in the looney bin, and I haven’t even been committed! The entire friggin’ world has gone insane. The inmates are running the asylum, and they were elected by other inmates. I mean this seriously. From where I sit the world has gone nuts.

People are debating how much and what kind of torture is acceptable. Not whether or not you should torture people, but how much you can torture them and in what ways. Hello? Someone who prefers waterboarding over electric drilling does hold the higher moral ground, folks. People can now be held indefinitely without ever being charged. No lawyers, no trials, no evidence, no witnesses. The goddamn Nazis were given trials in open public courts –and these were pseudo-people who’d made lampshades out of human skin, among other atrocities!

Right wing groups are rising in power around the world. Iraq and parts of Africa are in total anarchy. Protestors were trampled in Houston, arrested, and then had their bail sat at $888,000 –more than murderers.

Government planners are devising ways to “win” a nuclear exchange –even after every human being on earth and most of the other species has been killed. Similar plans are being devised for biological and chemical attacks. The current attitude of the Neo-cons towards Iran is “nuke ‘em while we can”. These same enlightened folks also want to round up all illegal immigrants and all Muslims into the new internment camps Halliburton has built prior to deportation. Oh yes, and repeal the bill of rights, outlaw birth control, and turn the country into a Christian state, ala the Old Testament. Hello? Does this sound like the behavior of sane people?

Our economy is built on a house of cards. The stock market is hitting new highs almost daily, but foreclosures and defaults are at record levels. The official inflation and unemployment figures are at least several percent understated. PhDs are working in McDonald’s –and glad to at least have a job. More and more Americans are being pushed out on the street and/or can’t afford a meal. People who are going hungry are now “those with low food security” according to the new government report. Let me tell you something: if you can’t afford food, you don’t have any food security –cause you don’t have any damn food! One out of every six people in this country has no health insurance, and that number rises daily.

We’re told deficits don’t matter, and debts don’t matter. Our government may owe $30,000 to China for every man, woman, and child alive here today, but hey it don’t matter. Got ten grand on the credit card? No problem! The message is simple: buy, buy, buy. Go into debt. Mortgage your house. But buy that new ipod and the new PS3. And what do people do? Buy, buy, buy. There were fights over the PS3 last weekend and one person got shot. Over a game system. People now spend a third of their waking life from cradle to grave watching television –mostly junk at that. And this is good?

Oh yes, and then there’s the environment. Guess what? The way we live is unsustainable. Which is a shorthand way of saying are way of life will crash and burn one day if we don’t willingly change. Global warming is here, but we have Senators standing up and calling it a hoax. And that God will take care of the faithful, regardless. Those who do believe in climate change are not arguing about how to stop it, but rather how much of it can be allowed and how many species, people, and landmass it is acceptable to lose!!!! Of course, no one is going to give up their big screen tv to save the Beluga whale. Or even their own grandchildren, as several people have publicly stated. It’ll be their problem, and they’ll either deal with it or they won’t. Or so runs the thinking.

This sounds like the antics of a young child –or a delusional adult. But it is the way the majority of people in this country think and behave. Why aren’t more people standing up to stop this madness? Where are they at? Even the majority of clergy are egging it all. It is almost as if our population suffers from some sort of mass psychosis. From a psychological and sociological stance it is absolutely fascinating to watch. From the standpoint of a human being, and one who tries to be ethical at that, it is absolutely terrifying.

But what can be done about it?

Social Justice News 11-27-06

Hey everybody,
Another busy week. I’ve mostly got over my cold, but it decided to settle into my ears and sinuses. Now I have a nasty ear infection. If it isn’t one thing, it’s another, I swear. It’s been another big week in the news. President Bush is in Vietnam this week. Can you believe it? He finally went. Of course, he’s about thirty years too late, but better late than never!

GOOD NEWS
White House Sued: For not putting out a federally mandated report on climate change. It probably won’t go anywhere, but hey, it’s a start!
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1115-01.htm

CLIMATE CHANGE
Senate Panel Attacks Kids Book About Climate Change: The U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works issued a statement that outright ridicules a new UN book aimed at explaining global warming to kids. Not only do they ridicule the book, but the statement is riddled with “facts” that either aren’t facts, or are distorted beyond recognition. (For example, they are right when they state that the interior of Greenland is still gaining ice. At about 4 cubic kilometers a year. What they neglect to point out however, is that the exterior of the icecap is losing ice at 42 kilometers a year! But it shows how desperate global warming skeptics have become, that they are now stooping to ridiculing children’s books!
http://epw.senate.gov/fact.cfm?party=rep&id=265811

Environment Be Damned: Apparently India’s people know the consequences of putting economic growth ahead of the environment –and they don’t care. Economic growth must come first, they say. Somehow I think they’ll change their minds when Mumbai is flooded by rising sea levels, but hey, what do I know?
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1841660,0094.htm

Drought Hitting the Table: The long-running drought in Australia is causing further hikes in the price of food, making it even harder for families to put dinner on the table.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/scorchedearth/drought-to-hit-dinner-table/2006/11/12/1163266401232.html

POLITICS
Bush to China: Stop Hoarding Money!!!: Apparently the Chinese save too much money. Or so said our President this week, who is urging them to buy more and save less. I thought this was a joke, but it’s the real deal. He also said the reason the Chinese save so much is that they don’t have either a pension system or a real health care system. Um, Mr. Bush, I think you got your countries mixed up. China has state health care and good retirement systems, plus an extended family ethic that says take care of your elders. Which country doesn’t have any of these things? Oh wait, that’s us. Oh my. (As a side note, if the Chinese started spending more, then they wouldn’t be able to loan the U.S. government the $30 million dollars per hour it needs just to keep the doors open!
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Bush_Says_China_Saving_Too_Much_Money_999.html

Power to the People: Unless your in Mexico, that is. The Mexican government is finally taking steps to suppress the Oxaca protestors. And what do these nefarious criminals want? They’re corrupt governor removed.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111006H.shtml

Silent Killers: All those unexploded bombs we, among others, have deposited in various countries are still killing –mostly women and children. And this is supposed to be honorable warfare?
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1114-08.htm

POLLUTION
Dump it on the Poor: Ports cause a staggering amount of problems to the environment, especially among the poorest people. Asthma, chronic lung diseases, smog are all some of the side effects of these operations. Some say we can’t afford to clean them up. But we can pay for the consequences? Um yeah, right. I smell something off here –oh yeah, that’s the smell of greed. My mistake!
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_4657812

OTHER
Breed to Succeed: I tried to improve on this headline and couldn’t it. I don’t read many things that scare the bejeezus out of me, but this is one of them!
http://www.alternet.org/story/44254/

Vehicle Hyprocrisy: Apparently, a lot of people want to have their cake and eat it too –at least when it comes to cars. I was amazed by how many hybrid owners also have SUVs!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15658052/site/newsweek/

Rape Epidemic: Hundreds of thousands have been raped in the brutal war in the Congo.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/congo/story/0,,1947147,00.html

Website of the Week: The Farm, one of the groups that presented at last month’s Sustainability Expo at The Flying Monkey. http://www.thefarm.org/

UU Joke of the Week: UU Prayer: "Dear God, if there is a God, if you can, save my soul, if I have a soul."

Have a good weekend everybody!

Thank God/Goddess/(Insert preferred deity) for Wal-mart!

I mean that. Seriously. As much as I hate store (which is a lot), I’m glad they exist today. Why? That $4 prescription drug program of theirs. I finally went back to the school nurse because this cold wasn’t getting any better, and because I’ve had this throbbing pain in my right ear for the past several days. It turns out I have a really bad ear infection. And I don’t have any health insurance since I lost my job. Which means any meds have to be cheap. So they gave me a generic antibiotic (amoxicillin, which has me worried since I’m allergic to penicillin). I actually got the meds filled at my usual Target pharmacy but they’re matching the Wal-mart progam. So I got a prescription that would have cost $20 before this program started for only one-quarter of that. That’s an amazing discount. And one that really helps someone who’s unemployed and has no health insurance like me!

On a related note, I asked the pharmacist if there was anything I could do to help the swelling around my ear. He tried to sell me a twelve dollar decongestant. I said no thanks, and when I came home, made a poultice and put it on the ear. Five or ten minutes later the swelling was much better. If only the infection could be taken care of that easily!

Just Crazy Weather or Something More?

The weather lately has been completely crazy, not just here but around the world. Where I live we broke our all time daily rainfall record –and not just broke it, but nearly doubled it! And it is STILL raining, with no sign of stopped anytime soon. This entire autumn has been like the rainy season in the tropics –it rains more often than not, and this is normally our driest season. Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, people are alternating between cold blasts from Alaska and storms from the gulf, many of them subtropical. (Read: tropical storms/hurricanes that form over cold water instead of hot. See the ‘Not a Hurricane’ story in last week’s SJ News.) One place reported winds that were hurricane strength. And here, we also had incredible winds yesterday. And let’s not forget the 1,000 year drought going on in Australia right now. I could mention a dozen other crazy weather patterns, but I think the point is clear.

There has also been a larger than usual number of earthquakes lately. Drug resistant TB is making a very strong comeback in Africa, and is spreading rapidly. Other tropical diseases are also spreading WAY outside of their normal range, and the avian flu is mutating so rapidly the panicked WHO docs can’t even track it. Oh yes, and lets not forget that the world grain harvest went down again this year. That leaves only 57 days of surplus supplies between the entire world and –gasp –famine.

Are all these just coincidences? Random unrelated events? I don’t think so. In fact, I’m sure of it. These are warning signs, the first major indicators. Climate change is here. If we are very unlucky, the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse –Famine, Plague, War, and Pestilence –will soon follow. To make matters worse, if world oil production goes down this month as well, it will have gone down for an entire year. The change isn’t enough to shout ‘Peak Oil’ yet, but it is certainly a plateau. How things will pan out remains to be seen but the ride has started. Buckle up your seat belt and hold on. This is going to be a rough one.

Interesting weather links (research credit for these goes to George Ure):
http://www.komotv.com/news/4643576.html
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/11/15/D8LDSD902.html

Social Justice News 11-10-06

(Note, the last two social justice newsletters haven't been posted here due to technical problems.)

Hey everyone,

Good times are here again. That’s what the Dems are singing at any rate, after the elections on Tuesday. They even won some state seats here in Alabama. I’m not going to go into it too much below, because I’m sure everyone knows all about it and what it means by this point. I’m instituting another change this week. (Tired of them yet? LOL.) I’m going to create a new section just for good news. I know folks get tired of reading all the bad Social Justice News (including me), so I’m going to start this section. I promise to try and have at least one story in it each week, though I can’t guarantee more than that! Under the category of what were they thinking, last week our esteemed government accidentally posted a bunch of important military papers on a public website –including the complete instructions for how to build an atomic bomb! (Hello? How far have they dropped the standards for military intelligence? I know it was an oxymoron to begin with, but still!) The link’s been closed down by now of course –but not before the papers were copied and spit out all over the web. You would think all that money spent on “Homeland Security” would have been put to good use, but oh well.

I’ve been a bit sick this week. I lost my voice entirely for a couple of days but its now just starting to come back. As of today I am still unemployed, so if anyone knows of any job openings, send them my way, would you please? I would really appreciate it.
Now to the news.

GOOD NEWS
A Growing Trend: Literally. This story discusses the increasing popularity of local and organic produce.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/05/AR2006110500887.html

On The March: A huge rally to stop climate change took place in Britain this week.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1953695.ece

Green Roofs Popping Up All Over: More and more green roofs are being built all over –including in Maine!
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/061106roof.html

Katrina Cottages: These are pretty cool, and a good reaction to the McMansion trend.
http://realestate.msn.com/buying/Article_CSM.aspx?cp-documentid=1209895&GT1=8800

CLIMATE CHANGE
Not a Hurricane: But almost. It was a ‘subtropical’ storm. Wonder why you didn’t see this on CNN or The Weather Channel? Hmm, now who wants to be the reporter to tell an all ready spooked country that what appears to be a hurricane is off the coast of –Oregon? Repeat after me: It’s not a hurricane, it’s not a hurricane. Climate change isn’t real, climate change isn’t real.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/shownh.php3?img_id=13951

Worst Drought in 1,000 years: Australia is withering under this drought, which shows no sign of ending soon. As Australia is expected to be one of the losers of climate change overall, it might become completely uninhabitable by the majority of its current residents soon. See Jared Diamond’s section on Australia in his book Collapse for a detailed summary of the problems facing our friends Down Under.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,,1941942,00.html

It’s Hard to Explain, Tom: A mythical (and chilling letter) from the author to a future grandchild, trying to explain the lack of action on climate change.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1106-22.htm

A Hard Way, But One That Will Work: This story sets out some serious ideas that would work in the battle against global warming. However, most of these don’t have a snowbell’s chance in hell of being widely adopted, at least now voluntarily.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2437530,00.html

Evangelical Sermon on Global Warming: I never thought I’d see evangelicals getting on board with environmentalists, but hey, I ain’t complaining.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1109/p13s01-lire.html

It’s Not My Fault: So say the world’s worst offenders, including the U.S.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/110106EA.shtml

Hardest Hit: Africa, all ready suffering so much, will be the biggest loser of global warming.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1959047.ece

POLITICS
He Admits It!!!!! This week Bush acknowledged the link between Iraq and oil for the first time. Next thing you know, he’ll be telling the truth the first time around. Not!
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110506Z.shtml

Forget Red vs. Blue: How your state votes may have more to do with the number of Wal-marts in it than the number of churches.
http://www.alternet.org/story/43972/

San Francisco Values: Hip hip hooray for Speaker Pelosi! (Sorry I couldn’t resist.) This commentator, who refers to Pelosi as “one tough woman” (she’d have to be, to take on Bush and company head-on) outlines her agenda for the first 100 hours of the new house session and also defines the phrase “San Francisco Values” that the Republicans have been bandying about: marriage equality, a decent minimum wage, universal healthcare, a lower than average poverty rate, impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Sounds good to me. No wonder the GOP are scared!
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=515662

O’Reilly Has Details of Women’s Abortions: Okay, someone explain to me how a tv talkshow host got something this personal, and why he hasn’t been arrested for it!
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/15931493.htm

Rumsfeld Must Go!: What’s more shocking than the Army Times calling for the resignation of the Secretary of Defense? The Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Times all calling for the same thing –and all on the same day! I agree –toss the bum out, along with his cronies GW and Cheney.
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2333360.php

Water: The World’s Biggest Problem: Okay, so sewage, sanitation, and clean water may not be the glitziest ‘problems’ in the world today, but when you have 5,000 kids dying from lack of drinking water every 24 hours, and others going to school next to dungheaps twenty feet high, it’s time for people to wake up and quit ignoring the problem.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article1962786.ece

Israel Accused of State Terrorism at the UN Security Council: This didn’t get press coverage here (gee, I wonder why), but it’s about time someone stood up. Warning: This particular link is to Al Jazeera, so be careful about opening it on corporate networks, or you might end up wearing an orange jumpsuit.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/9DB7DCAA-C83A-42CF-A2A8-D77602AD2051.htm

POLLUTION
Brain Damage from Pollution: Millions of kids may have suffered brain damage from exposure to all the toxic chemicals present in the modern world. And we wonder what’s causing the explosion of autism and other disorders? Hmm, let me see, what is one plus one again?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-2442654,00.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/07/health/webmd/main2161153.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1108-08.htm

How’s that rocket fuel taste?: Perchlorate, one of the main solid rocket fuels in use, has been found in the drinking water of many different states. Gee, that gives a whole new meaning to the song ‘Running on Rocket Fuel’, now doesn’t it?
http://www.organicconsumers.org/perchlorate.htm

Environment
Eco-Rage: We’ve all heard of road rage, but eco rage? Hmm, without commenting on the overall morality of it, I think I can safely say that if more people were enlightened enough to have ‘eco-rage’ there wouldn’t be a need for it!
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ec69320d-9c7c-4c1b-acf3-5853803777bc

Kansas Water Problem: The Ogallala Aquifer is running dry –and draining the nation’s breadbasket with it.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/101606EB.shtml

OTHER
City Design Causes Diseases: Sure, our cities may be car-friendly and easy to get around, but it turns out that’s part of the problem!
http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2353

Worst Blackout in 30 Years: Europe had the worst blackout its had in over 30 years this week. Why? Because they shut down some key transmission lines so a luxury cruise liner could pass. Um, yeah, that’s fair I think.
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1959048.ece

Website of the Week: The google directory for Voluntary Simplicity. http://www.google.com/Top/Society/Lifestyle_Choices/Voluntary_Simplicity/

UU Joke of the Week: This is from Michael Feldman’s What Do You Know. I heard it on NPR last weekend. Can anyone say we have an image problem?

(In the middle of along monologue on hunting in Minnesota.):
Here in Minnesota we always lose a lot of Unitarians during hunting season. It’s nothing deliberate, mind. We’ve nothing against Unitarians. They’re nice enough folk. But they don’t know anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone whose cousin knows someone who hunts. They like to go out in the woods in their Birkenstocks with their looking glasses and try to spot the pelleted tail woodpecker and other rare birds, and so on and so forth. Then they do that in hunting season, and the next thing they know they’re in Unitarian heaven –which is just like Cambridge, but with no anger, no tears, and no animal products.


Have a good weekend everybody!