“Bin Laden Killed, Americans Celebrate”

* Issues, Implications, Options…

by Glen Gersmehl

Peacemaking friends,

Here is the resource a network of us are using in talks, discussions, articles, and letters to the editor.

At a minimum, I encourage you to check out other useful articles by Chris Hedges, Kathy Kelly, Randy Schutt, Stephen Zunes, Richard Deats, John Feffer...links at the end (and perhaps at least the first, fifth and a few following paragraphs of the resource...) from many PJSA, PJRC, LPF... folks and would be happy to hear your thoughts on this, other resources, etc.

Thank you for being the community we so dearly need these days if we are to respond as we can.

Gratefully, Glen Gersmehl

Urgent Alert

Dear Friend of Justice and Peace,

We face an urgent, significant threat to U.S. humanitarian aid. A new proposal in the House of Representatives will eliminate 43% of the funding for international affairs requested by Obama. This vote on 2012 funding comes right after activity over 2011 funding, and could easily be missed. A 43% cut would seriously imperil the ability thofe United States to meet needs for humanitarian aid or genocide prevention.

If possible, please call your member of Congress, and forward to other individuals interested networks urging them to call their Representative in opposition to H.Con.Res.34. The call would have to be made this morning. More details are in the 'Save Darfur' sample email below to share with your friend list.

Please be in touch with LPF or Save Darfur with questions, and thanks for all you do.

All the best,
Glen Gersmehl, LPF
Joe Maddens, Save Darfur

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SAMPLE EMAIL

Fight Devastating Cuts to the International Affairs Budget
Dear _________,
Please call your Representative today or tomorrow morning and urge him or her to vote against H.Con.Res.34.
Tomorrow the House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.Con.Res.34. If passed, H.Con.Res.34 would drastically reduce the spending level in the international affairs account for the 2012 fiscal year. The account is critical because it:

• Ensures that the United States has the diplomatic capacity to support peace in Darfur and throughout Sudan;
• Saves lives by supporting humanitarian aid programs in countries where populations are the most vulnerable. Examples include Sudan, Burma, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo;
• Works to ensure more effective genocide and mass atrocity prevention and civilian response; and
• Furthers the United States’ national security interests.

The House Budget Committee’s proposal would slash the international affairs account by $27 billion over the President’s request. This marks a 43% reduction in funding from what the president requested. The disproportionate targeting will put lives at risk in Sudan and jeopardize national interests.
A robust international affairs account is essential for national security and is supported by top military officials including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen and Commander of the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan General David Petraeus. Last year, Secretary Gates appeared alongside Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to speak out against cuts to the international affairs budget because of their risk to national security.
Please call your Representative today or tomorrow morning and urge him or her to vote against H.Con.Res.34 due to its drastic cuts to the international affairs budget.
Thank you.

Just how much is a BILLION dollars?

Its budget time in Washington and we hear a lot of big numbers being thrown around. But just how big are these numbers?

Thanks to Wayne Cornelius of the Raleigh, North Carolina LPF Chapter for this piece.

I saw this image in the latest issue of the statistical journal, Significance. (Our friend, Dennis Boos, has contributed to Significance on other topics, by the way. But he’s not involved with this work.) It reminded me of the accordion-folded graph about the U.S. national budget that was circulated at last year’s State Fair Peace Booth. The author is a London-based journalist. In his own words,

This image arose out of frustration with media reporting of billion dollar amounts. That is, that they’re meaningless without context. But they’re continually reported as self-evident facts. 500 billion for this war. 50 billion for this pipeline. Literally mind-boggling amounts of money.So here we’ve scraped reported figures from The New York Times, The Guardian, and other news outlets and visualized them as a treemap (?). So you can see in one place figures that would otherwise be scattered across multiple news reports.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/the-billion-dollar-o-gram-2009/. Credit for the graphic and interpretation, David McCandless,2009 Creative Commons license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). Data: http://bit.ly/bndollar

One further note: When you see a BILLION mentioned in the foreign press, it could be off by a magnitude because there is no common definition of how much a billion or a trillion is!
see: http://eyeful-tower.com/muse/billion.htm

Stop Gambling on Hunger!

Much of the current world food crisis and skyrocketing grocery bills have their roots in the deregulation of US commodity markets over the past 15 years. Without these controls, speculators in the stock market can cause artificial food price spikes and shortages while they try to turn a profit. New financial reform laws such as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act seek to end such volotile speculation, but are at risk of being watered down before their implementation. Write a comment to the CFTC today to support reform and stop Wall Street from gambling on hunger.  
You can also check with the financial managers of your pensions/401ks, organizational endowments, etc. to make sure that your money is not invested in commodity derivatives. It has become en vouge to do so, so there is a decent chance that your money may be contributing to the problem.

ELCA World Hunger Video Series

One in six people in the world go to bed hungry every night. The ELCA World Hunger Program impacts the lives of millions of people around the world through a comprehensive and sustainable program that uses multiple strategies—relief, development, education, and advocacy—to address the root causes of hunger and poverty. ELCA World Hunger responds to neighbors around the corner and around the world. To meet some of the people helped by this vital program, check out this video series.

Responding to the Earthquake in Japan

On March 11, an earthquake off the Pacific coast of Japan struck with a magnitude of 8.9 -- the fifth largest quake in recorded history. I triggered a tsunami which devastated Japan´s coastal areas with 30-foot waves and seriously damaged nuclear plants which are now threatening to melt down and spread radiation. 
Check out the ELCA website for information on how to respond to this disaster and ways to donate and stand in solidarity with the People of Japan.

An Urgent Appeal for Egypt

from the ELCA:


Pray for a peaceful solution that benefits all in Egypt

Take Action
During these tumultuous times in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East, Christians are called, as always, to offer prayers and action for justice and peace, to speak for those whose voices are muted, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. The uprising in Egypt draws our attention, not only because the scenes are mesmerizing, which they are, and not only because events there affect us here, which they do, but because our neighbors, God's children, are suffering and we are called to be the hands, feet and voice of Christ, reaching out with hope and help.
Read more and Take Action

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from Sojourners:

In the past few days, we have all watched the nonviolent protest in Egypt with prayer and anticipation. We have seen the hope of a young generation trying to bring democratic change to their country. But now, the streets have turned violent, with armed thugs attacking peaceful protesters.

The faith community in the United States needs to support our brothers and sisters standing up for their rights and their freedoms in Egypt.

Tell President Obama: Now is the time for you to call for the immediate resignation of President Mubarak, and to support all efforts to keep the protesters safe.

Take Action Now!