Thursday, January 22, 2009

Halleluah !

Date: Friday, January 23, 2009, 12:06 PM


THE PERSISTENT MAN

On this cold sunny day an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, 'I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.'

The Marine looked at the man and said, 'Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here.'

The old man said 'Okay' and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, 'I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.'

The Marine again told the man, 'Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here.'

The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine saying 'I would like to go in and meet with President Bush.'

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, 'Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?'

The old man looked at the Marine and said, 'Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it.'

The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, 'See you tomorrow.'

Author : Unknown

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Change revealed ... Hope renewed

I was drawn to Barack Obama through his words, his intellect and his compassion. He inspired us with two words really : hope and change. We are desperate for both. Interesting to consider, that these concepts of hope and change are as broad as they are narrow. Each citizen has a unique idea of what hope and change mean to them. Each can internalize these broad concepts to make them personal. Obama reached out to us as a mass citizen base with a very personal promise. A broad concept with a narrow vision. He embraced all of it and in doing so, acknowledged each one of us. That is why we elected him. He represents our personal hope and private yearning for change...

His inaugural address, gracefully advanced us from a euphoric idea to a measurable goal. Hope will be tactile and change will be visible. Barack Obama defined our greatness as a nation, encouraging us to find confidence in our historic strength. He leads us, now to a pragmatic energy. In order to deliver on the promise of hope and change, we - as American citizens as well as our government, must now define change, visualize hope, work for it and fight for it. We can no longer just want it.

Some have criticized his speech today, saying it was not "lofty" therefore less inspiring. I disagree. I celebrate its pragmatism. I am ready to realize the hope and create the change :
"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people on which this nation relies."


I am proud to hear Obama honor the ordinary citizen as the great American, crediting him with the greatness of our country :
"Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."


I applaud his willingness to publicly face our shortcomings, our failures, our mistakes :
"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works."
For there is no shame in making a mistake there is only shame in denying it. If we want to affect change, we have to truly see the present, understand the shortfall, creatively solve the problem and rebuild.

I acknowledge the challenge and struggle before us, and I am comforted by the unity to face it :
"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work or remaking America."
Great accomplishments are rarely achieved in solitude. We must get back to actively helping each other. We must agree on the goal, transcend the differences and unite to achieve. We need to harness the boundless talent and creativity in this country and abroad. We need to celebrate it and deploy it.

Today, on behalf of America, Barack Obama addressed the world :
"America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity; we are ready to lead once more."
Obama will first focus us to simplify our thinking, neutralize our perspective and anchor our respect for basic human rights as we approach solutions for global conflict, suffering and prosperity. History is relevant only for its lessons. It, in and of itself is not a reason to hate or kill. Obama reminded those who fight first to :
"know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."
War will likely continue, somewhere on the planet, as we move through this stage of enlightenment, compassion and change but what I heard today, is that America will first diligently try to reason before we activate bloodshed in the name of freedom :
"We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."


The power and might of American ideals was renewed today:
"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."
Our willingness to go to war has fueled a divisive ambiguity of our goals and aspirations as a world leader who proclaims peaceful democracy and a protector of freedom. It has weakened us as a nation and as a leader. In an attempt to protect our own boundaries we have invaded others. We have become occupiers not facilitators, robbing communities of their sovereign dignity and for the first time bringing about a question of how important these American ideals really are. Our actions have made the world wonder if there is a crack in the armor. We are vulnerable. Today, I heard a renewed commitment to eradicate that vulnerability and once again make known the character of our nation. We reclaimed our singular and unwavering focus to protect freedom and support democracy.


"Our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please"
The humility of these words makes them profound and powerful. Obama reminds us that we have a responsibility to demonstrate the greatness of our country through the greatness of our acts. We must be generous with our ideals through our respect for the ideals of others. We must strive to understand differences while we work to peacefully incorporate them. If and when we develop a sense of entitlement, due to our power, we will immediately be diminished. Our unity will disappear, our trust will fade and our confusion will divide. Power is earned but it is fragile.

I was encouraged and in fact excited to envision the "world" as a common place for all of us. A place that we inhabit together. A place that embraces human and geographic potential. A place that celebrates differences and works together to create opportunity rather than conflict. A world where boundaries are used to create and nurture peaceful communities, not destroy them :
"as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."
The only thing greater than the hope of a common, distinctly beautiful humanity is the realization of it. America the Humanitarian is more important to me than America the Beautiful. But if we can accomplish this, we will have accomplished both...

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Cowards

Excerpts from: 'We Are Very Violent': Israeli War Crimes Mount

By Jonathan Cook, AlterNet. Posted January 10, 2009.

Amnesty International accused Israeli soldiers of using Palestinian civilians as human shields -- a charge Israel has repeatedly levelled against Hamas.


A further petition has been launched by eight Israeli human rights groups, demanding that Israel's Supreme Court ban the army from targeting ambulances and medical personnel.


The petition cites a large number of cases in which Israel has fired on ambulances, arguing that as a result medics have been unable to treat the wounded or transport them to hospital


Four children were found close to starvation alongside 15 bodies, including those of their mothers. Many other civilians were found dead in the area, and others are believed still to be in hiding. Israeli tanks were stationed nearby the destroyed buildings and continued their brutal attack during the whole period.


Al Haq, a Palestinian legal rights group, warned that 80 per cent of the more than 750 Palestinians killed in the fighting so far have been civilians. According to figures cited by the World Health Organisation, at least 40 per cent have been children. Another 3,000 Gazans have been wounded. Israeli casualties are in the low double digits.

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Cowards of the worst most violent kind...is that how Israeli Jews want to be remembered? Is that the legacy they are seeking? There is no justification for this conflict. None. It is time to replace anger with ambivalence if not compassion. It is time to replace failure with a plan for success. It is time to stop thriving in the pain of the past and start living in the hope of the present and the promise of a peaceful future.

Easy to express. Impossible to legislate. I agree with Naomi Klein, that our contribution to ending this conflict should be first to cut off all financial aid, (currently $3billion to Israel from the U.S.). Allow only highly regulated humanitarian aid. Ban imports from the entire region. Heavily sanction. Then, after a time of isolation - engage in conversation. Powerful conversation that refuses to succumb to emotional accusations or prior atrocities. It must be rigidly focused on territory definitions, independent states, peaceful coexistence and collaboration. A negotiation that is focused on similarities Vs differences. Committed to identifying and acknowledging common desires and universal rights of the conflicting parties. When negotiations veer from these goals, we stand up and walk out.

My intent is not to over simplify this situation, by suggesting that there is only one way to solve it. But it is often useful to break conflicts down to bite sized pieces so that they feel less insurmountable. It helps to set priorities and identify potential compromises. Generally it brings clarity,to a complex, multi tiered entity. But it requires commitment and patience. There are many Israeli Jews, in the region that are passionately committed to a resolution. They could masterfully guide this process, along with fellow scholars and diplomats, equally committed and passionate, in Palestine, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, U.S., Europe...All are neighbors, wanting a better, peaceful and prosperous life. More important, there are people in these regions who are capable of laying a foundation to materially improve conditions in a peaceful environment. The point,is that it is not just those looking in from the outside, that see the futility of these conflicts. The brutal dismissal of human rights for a chronically unworthy cause...there are thousands within the war zone that see this, as well. They are vocal. But their ability to organize effectively and forcefully is not yet as strong as the military might. Our "highly regulated" humanitarian aid should find these organizations and funnel money to them.

This is a time for "tough love". Although not always successful, this practice usually associated with addicts and their personal nucleus is highly effective and always instructive. The concept of tough love is to be unwavering in your support, only as long as the addict shows a personal commitment to change his/her behavior. And the process of change is sincere, measurable and permanent. It requires the surrounding influences to stop enabling. The terms of the deal are non-negotiable. Both sides have to do their part, aggressively and deliberately. When this fails old behaviors return, destruction ensues and recovery is lost. When it works, the nucleus strengthens, significantly, the addict actively recovers and behavior changes. Life starts to work again. Positive things begin to happen. Recovery is perpetuated.

This process, though obvious, is gut wrenchingly hard. In the Middle East there are a host of things that the people in each region must face. It is not a simple addiction, it is a cross generational journey that must be stopped, crushed and redirected. It is admitting that the suffering and killing is futile, the aftermath is gratuitously devastating and the victory is meaningless. There must be a way to open the hearts and minds of these fighters. They must be able to forgive themselves as well as their aggressors. They must restore their individual honor and believe that they deserve a better life. The burden of shame needs to be destroyed, a feeling of pride must be restored. These aspirations are psychological rather than tactical, they are felt in the heart Vs on the fist. But if you look at all of the significant progress people have made historically in their communities around the world, you will learn that shear will, perseverance and mutual respect for human beings delivered the victory. The achievements have been permanent, unambiguous and inarguable.

We are enabling this conflict, as we denounce it. That makes us complicit in its outcome. Shame on us. We are aiding and abetting, not supporting. This region needs to feel isolated and forced to choose extinction or resolution. We as outsiders cannot manufacture their desires. If they are left alone they will have to dig deep to discover how they want to survive. They will have to choose an enduring path to growth, acceptance and prosperity or a short delusional and painful path to self destruction. It is really not much different than the choice of an addict. He knows that his current way of life is no life at all. At some point he faces his fears, discards his shame and works toward a better life or he dies, never knowing who he really was or what he could have become.

Force yourself to look around you

It is hard not to feel overwhelmed and underwater when you read global press on global issues...all of which impact us. Some at the level of touching us in our everyday lives. Top of mind for me is the financial crises, as they have gotten personal for me, on multiple levels. One of the sources of frustration I feel, aside from suddenly not knowing my financial path is, the time and attention I am having to pay to that aspect of my life. Not only is it boring, it is distracting me from what I really care about - civilly. managing my tiny financial unit should not be as complicated as it has become. The capitalistic aspiration in America, I thought, was to work, support your family, contribute to your community, mentor and then after paying your dues for 35-40 years, have the ability to give back on your terms...I thought wrong. Although this "financial crisis" has been building momentum for several years, when it hits home, it feels sudden. Which makes us panic, unproductively until we can accept and muster up enough strength to carry on in the new scene. We are still in the panic stage. Those of us who can function in stressful situations, will be creative in the rebuilding phase and come out ok on the other side. Those of us that fold under stress will need help to regain our footing.

The message, regardless of how you react, is to be compassionate. Recognize the collective hardship and as you are solving your problems think too about how you can solve one problem for some one else. If we don't help each other we will be much weaker and thus slower to recover.