tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19342003807065744292024-03-13T23:11:51.706-07:00Global Peace NewsThis web space has been created in order to highlight those individuals, organizations and groups that work tirelessly for the cause of peace and that of social justice. In addition, contemporary events that bring to the fore the urgent need for peace will be reported here.Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-47706385704411096282024-01-12T06:09:00.000-08:002024-01-12T06:09:06.859-08:00A Question<p> <span> </span><br /><br /> It is now 2024 – the year of my 80th birthday. To this date (January 3, 2024) the human world is just as crazy as ever. The propensity of Homo sapiens to slaughter members of their own species has continued unabated since the dawn of human civilization. Racial, cultural, religious, and ideological differences seem to drive this horrific behavior even though, science has clearly shown that humans regardless of nation of origin, color of skin, differences in ethnicity are all members of the same human family. <br /><br />The slaughter continues even though science has unequivocally demonstrated that, as a concept, race is a mythological construct. Two major wars are raging on the planet, and the carnage that is resulting from these conflicts is difficult to fathom. These wars are fine examples of the apparent inability of humanity to resolve differences other than through violent means. <br /><br />As a direct result of the staggering economic, social and psychological impact that war engenders, humans are regressing and, as a result, are failing to thrive. Even though it is abundantly clear that the heartfelt acceptance of the recognition that we all members of the same human family would lead to a remarkably different and life-affirming future, we continue to behave in a way that ensures the horrific burden of human suffering of the kind that is unnecessary and stultifying. <br /><br />From this reality, the question I would like to pose is the following – “Will we as a species ever truly learn from the lessons of our own history that our tendency towards violent behavior will ultimately undermine our collective future? There is, after all, no reasonable alternative to peace. <br /><br /> <br /><br />I realize that there is no answer to this singular question; I also know that it has been asked innumerable times in the past from all over this beleaguered planet. Humans, after all, are complex and often inexplicable creatures and the future destiny of humanity remains elusive. <br /><br />I persist in my determination to live with my eyes wide open. After all, the reality of the human condition is the essential truth we can rely on and the study of history our truest ally and guide.</p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-5865847713808505262023-12-20T20:09:00.000-08:002023-12-20T20:09:37.933-08:00Remember the Children<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Remember the Children<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Remember the children<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">crushed and obliterated<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">under the weight of 2000 pound bombs<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">screaming from the sky<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">dispatched by uncaring machines of death.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Remember the children of<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Israel and<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Somalia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Yemen <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">the Sudan<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Nicaragua<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Honduras<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">victimized by <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">insidious bigotry, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">religious differences that<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">seem so oblivious <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">to the suffering they engender.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Remember the children of the present<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">and the future<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">who live in a world<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">that offers no relief,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">no respite<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">from the cruelty of their captors,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">from endless punishment<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">over which they have no control.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Remember the children <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">suffering needlessly <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">for no good reason.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Remember the children <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">denied the capacity to thrive and grow<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">for they are our lost treasures <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">consumed by the raw power of hate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Remember the children for<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">they hold in their feeble hands the <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">ultimate fate of humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Remember the children<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">to forget is to <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">consign ourselves to an abysmal future<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">devoid of compassion and love<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">leaving us with an uncaring and brutal world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-82254201807439328492023-12-02T18:23:00.000-08:002023-12-04T12:50:50.231-08:00On the Propensity of Humans to do Harm to Each Other<p> I am struck by the complexity of the nature of human relationships when one considers the manner in which human identity is established within each of us during our lifetimes. Constantly faced with a panorama of choices that constitute so much of our dealings with the world around us, our minds must continually filter, interpret, and analyze the constant stream of data that we take in through our senses. The sense of belonging that is such a potent driver within the self and in relation to others is further enhanced by one’s association with family, tribe and nation.</p>These processes are complex and overlayed by our ever-changing state of mind, and the state of health of both body and mind. In addition, all of these “cerebral gymnastics” are influenced by our variable and often volatile emotional states of being that originate from a distinctly separate part of the architecture of the human brain. These choices are also constrained by the summation and convergence of innumerable past experiences that influence so much of the decisions we make.<br /><br />I am pursuing this line of investigation into the nature of the internal world of the human mind (i.e. brain) in order to understand why there is so much suffering that can result from human interactions. It may be that the level of complexity that is inherent in each of us, as briefly outlined above, is further magnified in the arena of human interactions resulting in a vast panorama of possibilities and outcomes. To quote a line from the Bob Dylan song, Idiot Wind, “It’s a wonder we can even feed ourselves.”<br /><br />Within the swirling matrix of human interactions, differences in attitude and viewpoint are bound to surface. It is within the nature of politics to find mechanisms to assuage differences in order to reach practical and sustainable solutions to societal problems. Within this elaborate matrix of human interactions with its wealth of possibilities, it becomes inevitable that there are those who succeed; those who fail and those who succumb.<br /><br />I remember what my dear friend, Ralph, of long ago who was an immigrant from Jamaica and living in New York City, at the time, said to me. To paraphrase, he marveled at how well New Yorkers seem to get along given not only the sheer and often overwhelming population density but also the fact that so many came from disparate and diverse backgrounds. To me, this reality highlights the natural human longing to find harmony whenever possible. Sadly, this tendency is too often overshadowed by the equally powerful propensity to surrender to the emotionally-laden feelings of prejudice, bigotry, fear, and hatred.<div><br /></div><div>As members of a particular culture, we are taught to rationalize these darker emotions by categorizing our enemy as somehow evil or less than human. Within the framework of this kind of propaganda we are never trained to consider our own culpability. In this way we are destined to repeat this pattern again and again.</div>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-50721720880955263392023-10-17T09:28:00.003-07:002023-10-17T09:28:51.860-07:00The Fate of the People of GazaTo further support this pathological pursuit of the destruction of Gaza by the Israeli government is sheer madness. How could we remain silent in light of this unrelenting carnage raining from the sky with continual aerial bombardment for nine consecutive days without apparent letup? It is a massive imposition of collective punishment wrecked upon the ordinary citizens of Gaza who have already endured 16 years of a joint Israeli and Egyptian blockade that has created what is regarded as the largest outdoor prison in the human world. Within this blockade, almost everyone of the 2.2 million individuals is trapped within a very small area. An overwhelming majority of the population of Gaza are young with many very young with not hope of escape or improvement of their abysmal living conditions on the horizon. <br /><br />Further exacerbating this untenable situation is the barbaric siege imposed upoon Gaza that has resulted in the blockade of all electrical power, water, food and medical supplies. Ironically, the scale of this inhumanity as a means of collective punishment is behavior reminiscent of Nazi Germany. If this behavior continues, massive death and unspeakable suffering will surely follow. Is this the kind of future scenario we are embracing with our silence? <br /><br />After all, the overwhelming majority of the population of Gaza are not members of Hamas, or participants in the fanatical and violent extremist actions perpetrated by Hamas. Can the Israeli government actually claim innocence in the midst of all of this horror? Can they continue to propose that Hamas alone is evil as they are the originators of the horrific blockade that has persisted for so long, and as they intentionally bomb buildings where people reside, target ambulances, mosques, communal marketplaces, hospitals and even cars filled with individuals attempting to escape from the worst of the mayhem. <br /><br /> In the final analysis, in this the twenty-first century where we find humanity engulfed by two major conflicts, it seems that the human species has not learned much in regard to actively pursuing a path of social harmony and peace in over ten thousand years of civilization. This unavoidable reality still dominates human behavior even though science has clearly shown that all humans are members of the same human family and that as stewards of this planet, we continue to act in a way that is responsible for the inexorable deterioration of the ecological fabric that sustains all of life on this most remarkable planet Earth. Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-55403192145991523222023-10-17T08:49:00.001-07:002023-10-17T08:49:30.261-07:00Shadows of War<p>On September 8, the world was rocked by the incursion onto Israeli territory by gunmen directed by Hamas, the radical group in control of Gaza – from the extremely tiny territory of Gaza populated by over 2 million inhabitants that have been subjected to a severe and unconscionable blockade for 16 years. This blockade has successfully interdicted shipments of such important commodities as medical supplies, water and with effective control of electrical power that is supplied to this enclave. Free passage out of Gaza by Palestinians has been made virtually impossible. Gaza has been described as the world’s largest outdoor prison.</p><br />On Sept 8, a state of war became the second major global conflict in the human world adding to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War.<br /><br />My thoughts on this situation –<br /><br />At times like these, it is tempting to take sides and offer a plethora of rationalizations regarding the infinite wisdom of going to war and fill ourselves with a sense of righteousness ennobled by our grievances. And yet, the age-old song of violence and retribution gets played once again. And once again, humanity is infected with a bolus of rage and hatred that will ultimately get us nowhere. And once again, true human progress is thwarted.<br /><br />What is not clearly understood is that the human world is heading towards an unsustainable future, for humanity is undermining its own prospects by maintaining a structure with a vast imbalance in the distribution of wealth and the reliance on massive violence and death to sustain the status quo. This subservience to power leads inevitably to needless suffering on a massive scale. In addition to this recurring onslaught, we are collectively laying waste to the biological infrastructure that sustains all of life.<br /><br /><div><h2><b>Shadows of War</b></h2><br />Darkness once again falls<br /><br />heavily upon this tiresome human world.<br /><br />Shadows of war<br /><br />propelled by ridiculous dreams of dominance and empire<br /><br />sustained by minds<br /><br />unable to see the horrid future they project,<br /><br />unwilling to embrace the pain and suffering<br /><br />they inflict,<br /><br />unreceptive to the laments of mothers<br /><br />over the children forever lost to the shrill<br /><br />call of bombs and bullets<br /><br />as explosions rip through the fabric of neighborhoods,<br /><br />unrepentant for the death they distribute<br /><br />to the innocent like candy,<br /><br />for all the blood and bones and carnage,<br /><br />for all the wrecked lives and distorted hatred<br /><br />injected into the future,<br /><br />unable to embrace all of humanity as equals,<br /><br />ever ready to crawl into bed<br /><br />with hollow and pointless death.<br /><br />Shadows of war,<br /><br />a long and tiresome story<br /><br />revisited again and again<br /><br />the litany long,<br /><br />the dark foreboding song always the same,<br /><br />the list seeming endless,<br /><br />stretching back<br /><br />to the very beginnings of<br /><br />civilization.<br /><br />How long can Homo sapiens endure?<br /><br />how long can the natural world<br /><br />upon which we depend<br /><br />sustain us?<br /><br />when we choose<br /><br />chaos over harmony<br /><br />needless death and unimagined suffering<br /><br />over love and life,<br /><br />darkness over light,<br /><br />stupidity over real intelligence<br /><br />over and over again.<br /><br />Darkness once again falls<br /><br />heavily upon this tiresome human world.</div><p></p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-73613050487489431792023-02-23T07:23:00.004-08:002023-02-23T07:39:53.770-08:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP3RTGkkZ9InU2AmDR2mPJBqUT1VeHHeMyjYx27dPylI_v-yJwYZcoDfGc-ajxUeahdyzeQBI5uB8pscdEJbE2F1lGAx_nedA56jAnPUTxqHwLTLEHQw-dzkIpikcXoKF9rbp7kiU1BpBHMABXLve-tPUcNpmWO7qhC14cHwTrgvECij6-e3dVA3O/s992/jimmy%20carter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="992" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP3RTGkkZ9InU2AmDR2mPJBqUT1VeHHeMyjYx27dPylI_v-yJwYZcoDfGc-ajxUeahdyzeQBI5uB8pscdEJbE2F1lGAx_nedA56jAnPUTxqHwLTLEHQw-dzkIpikcXoKF9rbp7kiU1BpBHMABXLve-tPUcNpmWO7qhC14cHwTrgvECij6-e3dVA3O/s320/jimmy%20carter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><h1 style="line-height: 200%;"><a name="_Toc341247990"></a><a name="_Toc379556818"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Toc341247990;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">President
Jimmy Carter</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal">James Earl Carter Jr<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "James Earl Carter Jr" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->. was born on October 1, 1924
in the provincial southern farming town of Plains Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His father was a farmer and businessman and
his mother was a practicing nurse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
young child he moved with his family to a farm in the neighboring town of
Archery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carter grew up in a thoroughly rural
community; his family’s home was without electricity and his neighbors were
predominantly African-American.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although at the time of his birth the highly segregated and
prejudicial cultural and legal infrastructure, collectively referred to as Jim
Crow,<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE
"Jim Crow" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was
everywhere in evidence, his mother, Lilian, volunteered her nursing services as
a midwife and health care provider to her black neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her generous and caring nature had a profound
influence on the young Carter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
father was an astute businessman and expanded his farm to include 4,000 acres;
he subsequently became a peanut broker and a retailer of farm supplies and
equipment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Carter was educated in the public schools and went to the
Georgia Institute of Technology<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span> XE "Georgia Institute of Technology" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>before he enrolled in the United States Naval
Academy<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE
"United States Naval Academy" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in Annapolis Maryland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His professional interest initially
gravitated towards science and technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and ultimately pursued
graduate studies in nuclear physics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was shortly after his graduation from the Academy that he married Rosalynn
Smith of Plains, Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After earning
his doctorate in nuclear physics, Carter was chosen as an engineering officer
on the Sea Wolf – the second nuclear submarine commissioned by the U.S. Navy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Carter’s military and professional career was suddenly cut
short by the sudden death of his father in 1953.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In response to this tragedy, he resigned his
post and returned to Plains with his family - that now included three sons – to
assume the responsibilities of his father’s various family businesses including
the family farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His father had served
in the Georgia state government as a House Representative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carter, like his father, felt a responsibility
to serve his community and consequentially ran for a seat in the Georgia Senate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first, it appeared that he had lost the
election, but an ill-conceived fraud was uncovered in which his opponent had
registered fictitious voters some of whom were deceased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the fraud was exposed, Carter became a
member of the Georgia State Senate and readily won reelection.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 1966, Carter ran for governor of his state, but was
defeated by the overt racist and segregationist Lestor Maddox<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Lestor Maddox" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following this defeat, he was inspired by his
sister Ruth Carter Stapleton<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span> XE "Ruth Carter Stapleton" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to reevaluate his life and had undergone a
spiritual reawakening that he later described as being, “born again.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four years later he became Georgia’s
governor and during his acceptance speech made the exceedingly controversial and
unprecedented statement that, "the time for racial discrimination is
over." <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During his term as governor, he implemented many reforms
including:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Increasing the percentage of African-Americans
in Georgia’s civil service by 40%<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Equalizing the public funding for rich and poor
school districts in the state and, thereby, greatly enhancing educational
opportunities for those most in need<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Increasing educational opportunities for
prisoners and the developmentally disabled<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Streamlining government and eliminating wasteful
projects<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 40.5pt; text-indent: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Canceling construction projects that would be
detrimental to the natural environment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These progressive programs and policies drew the attention
of the Democratic Party<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Democratic Party" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and he was chosen to be the Democratic
National Committee<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Democratic National Committee" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(DNC) Campaign Chairman for the 1974
congressional election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On account of
the disastrous presidency of Richard Nixon<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Richard Nixon" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of the Republican Party<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Republican Party" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the uninspired administration of President
Gerald Ford, the Democrats did well in the 1974 elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Since the constitution of the state of Georgia barred Carter
from running for a second term as governor, he decided to run for the
Presidency of the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
highly focused energy and resolve, he campaigned rigorously in the democratic
primaries throughout the country and did so well that he won the nomination on
the first ballot at the party’s convention in Madison Square Garden, New York City<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "New York City" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jimmy Carter became the President of the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His effectiveness has been called into
question by some who felt that he was not strong enough within the arena of
foreign policy, especially in regards to how he dealt with the nation’s
adversaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although he was
instrumental in getting the leaders of Egypt and Israel, President Anwar El
Sadat<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE
"President Anwar El Sadat" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Prime Minister Menachem Begin<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Prime Minister Menachem Begin"
<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->,
respectively, to agree on a plan for peace – the so-called Camp David Accords<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Camp David Accords" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(a peace that is still in existence) - he had
the misfortune of being president during the successful Fundamentalist Islamic
Revolution<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Fundamentalist Islamic Revolution" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in Iran in 1979 that led to the toppling of
the Iranian monarchy under the Shah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This ultimately led to the taking of American hostages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The resulting standoff lasted for 444 days
beginning on November 4, 1979 and lasting until January 20, 1981.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming under considerable domestic pressure,
Carter authorized a rescue mission referred to as Operation Eagle Claw<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Operation Eagle Claw" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that took place on April 24, 1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This mission was an abysmal failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should be noted, however, that all the
hostages were ultimately returned safely and unharmed and that no war
ensued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, Carter lost the support
of the American people and he failed in his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Ronald Reagan" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the 1980 election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hostages were released within minutes of
Reagan’s swearing-in ceremony.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unlike many presidents who have gone before him, Carter has
devoted his post-presidential life to the causes of peace and social justice
throughout the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has
accomplished this through the creation of the Carter Center<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Carter Center" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He describes this work in the following way,
“Our most dedicated investments of time and energy have been among the poorest
and most forgotten people of Guyana<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Guyana" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, East Timor<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "East Timor" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Haiti<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Haiti" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Mali<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Mali" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Burkina Faso<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Burkina Faso" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Ethiopia<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Ethiopia" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Niger<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Niger" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Liberia<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Liberia" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Cote d’lvoire<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Cote d’lvoire" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Mozambique<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Mozambique" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Nicaragua<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Nicaragua" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Ghana<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Ghana" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and other communities throughout Africa, Latin
America and the Middle East.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Carter Center recruits experts for the purpose of
dealing with following kinds of issues that plague many parts of the human
world:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Conflict Resolution<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Human Rights<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Mental Health<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Agriculture<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Disease Control and Prevention<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Promoting Democracy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These experts analyze complex political relationships that
underlie trouble spots around the globe and meet and exchange information
through intelligence briefings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Center also employs interns from some 350 different universities
worldwide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The staff of the Center works
closely with local governments and meets with those that are in need of
assistance in their homes and villages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Carter Center is a non-profit enterprise and depends upon individual
and corporate donations in order to function.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Carter sold the remainder of the family businesses in order to help
finance this monumental endeavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
site of the Center along with the Carter Presidential Library is located in
Atlanta, Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As stated on the
Carter Center website (cartercenter.org), the Center’s mission is based on the
following five principles –<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The Center emphasizes action and results. Based on careful
research and analysis, it is prepared to take timely action on important and
pressing issues.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Center does not duplicate the effective
efforts of others.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Center addresses difficult problems and
recognizes the possibility of failure as an acceptable risk.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Center is nonpartisan and acts as a neutral
in dispute resolution activities.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: 0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Center believes that people can improve
their lives when provided with the necessary skills, knowledge, and access to
resources.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is not so much a think tank as it is an action
agency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to Carter’s careful and
judicious planning and conservative economic development, the Carter Center now
has an endowment of over 250 million dollars, and programs do not proceed until
the funding is assured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the
programs that have been put into play through the Center include the fight
against diseases endemic to the tropics, especially malaria<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "malaria" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, river blindness<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "river blindness" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and trachoma<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "trachoma" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and improving the quality of food grains in
Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In addition, considerable efforts have been made towards
conflict resolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this purpose,
the Center employs Dr. Doyle Powell<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Dr. Doyle Powell" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a fellow in conflict resolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result of an analysis done regarding the
nature of conflicts, it has been found that nearly all the thirty-four
conflicts studied, involving battle deaths of at least 1000 individuals, are
civil wars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to help settle
these conflicts nonviolently, the Center has often called upon some of its more
influential members including Desmond Tutu<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Desmond Tutu" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, Oscar Aria<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Oscar Aria" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, the former President of
Costa Rica, and Elie Weisel<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span> XE "Elie Weisel" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, a Holocaust<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Holocaust" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>survivor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the course of its work, the Carter Center has monitored almost 70
elections throughout the world in the course of 18 years.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On account of these extraordinary efforts, President Jimmy
Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Nobel Peace Prize" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in October of 2002.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The decision was based upon the following
reasons as stated by the Norwegian Nobel Committee -<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the
Nobel Peace Prize<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Nobel Peace Prize" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for 2002<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Nobel Peace Prize for 2002"
<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to Jimmy Carter, for his decades of untiring
effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance
democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During his presidency (1977-1981), Carter's mediation was a vital
contribution to the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, in itself a
great enough achievement to qualify for the Nobel Peace Prize<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Nobel Peace Prize" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->. At a time when the cold war
between East and West was still predominant, he placed renewed emphasis on the
place of human rights in international politics.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Through his Carter Center, that celebrated its 40th
anniversary in 2022, Carter has since his presidency undertaken very extensive
and persevering conflict resolution on several continents. He has shown
outstanding commitment to human rights, and has served as an observer at
countless elections all over the world. He has worked hard on many fronts to
fight tropical diseases and to bring about growth and progress in developing
countries. Carter has thus been active in several of the problem areas that
have figured prominently in the over one hundred years of Peace Prize history.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In a situation currently marked by threats of the use of
power, Carter has stood by the principles that, "conflicts must as far as
possible be resolved through mediation and international co-operation based on
international law, respect for human rights, and economic development.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">President Jimmy Carter’s devotion to the causes of peace and
social justice has certainly earned him such an honor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His tenacity is so formidable that his
efforts continue to this day.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-67463179893254075072023-01-17T09:05:00.000-08:002023-01-17T09:05:07.679-08:00Why Peace?<p> There are many armed conflicts being waged all over the planet in the beginnings of the twenty-first century. The one predominant war that is currently raging is the Russian-Ukrainian War. This conflict has left many thousands of death and has devastated the infrastructure throughout the Ukraine. There are also many civil wars like the ongoing conflicts in Columbia and the Sudan. Others represent territorial conflicts like the battle between Pakistan and India over Kashmir and the long standing conflict between the Palestinians of Arab descent and the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. There is also a strong religious component to these conflicts as well. Other conflicts fueled by powerful religious and ethnic differences are exemplified by Lebanon’s civil war in the 1970s due in large part to the enmity between Muslims and Christians. Of course, the horrific and tragic genocide that took place in Rwanda can not be overlooked. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the various trouble spots that exist in the precarious world of humans. Overshadowing all of these calamitous events is an inexorable deterioration of the global environment.</p><br /><br />On examining the ferocity of warfare, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that the human species has failed to learn very much over its protracted history. The history of Europe from the Ancient Roman and Greek civilizations to the present, as an example, is replete with the carnage that is the inevitable outcome of innumerable wars. These conflicts helped shape not only the geopolitical contours of modern-day Europe, but also nurtured a sense of cultural superiority that propelled forward the colonial ambitions that so impacted the rest of the world. Many of the contemporary areas of instability and unrest are a direct consequence of the policies and actions of the colonial powers of the past.<br /><br /><br />Within the individual human psyche, there exists a constant tension between the force and power of the emotions driven by the passions embodied in territory, tribe, and nation, and that of reason. The more reactive emotions stem, in large part, from the evolution of the species in an environment that was essentially hostile and in which the forces of nature that impacted human experience were not understood and the causes of calamity were attributed to the gods, malevolent spirits or a particular enemy.<br /><br /><br />In the beginnings of the humankind, ignorance was prevalent, and fear and suspicion dominated and shaped human behavior. Although the advancement of science and technology has shed light upon many aspects of the human experience that were once shrouded in mystery, the inherent tendency to strike out violently against that which is feared and poorly understood remains to haunt human societies. What is particularly unique about humanity in the twenty-first century is the inescapable reality that the application of overwhelming force against a perceived enemy is no longer a viable solution especially considering the destructiveness of modern technological weaponry.<br /><br /><br />Over the thousands of years of human civilization, great empires have risen and eventually fallen. The cycle of empire-building and dissolution has generally followed the same inexorable path. The beginning stage is represented by the rise of a local community of common origin followed by a gradual accretion of power, usually by force. Success at this initial stage leads to an ascendancy through the use of superior military strength that overshadows all opposition and leads to the conquest of local adversaries. As power becomes increasingly concentrated into an overweening empire, there is a tendency to expand and overextend the sphere of influence and domination. This ultimately leads to an exhaustion of resources both material and human. Finally, the empire contracts and ultimately dissolves. The entire process might take place over a thousand years as exemplified by the Roman Empire or hundreds of years as demonstrated by the now defunct British Empire.<br /><br /><br />In all of human history, these cycles of expansion and contraction were tolerable given the low density of human populations on the planet and the relatively benign effects of the primitive weaponry on the global environment. This model of collective human behavior where economic, political, and social differences and rivalries are settled through violent means is no longer tenable in the modern era.<br /><br /><br />The essentially tribal nature of human interactions has evolved over the millennia of human civilization into competing national sovereignties. The idea that each nation state is a power unto itself is no longer compatible with the rapidly evolving global character of human endeavor. There is currently too much at stake in maintaining the status quo, especially in regard to the survival of the species. The development of technological weaponry, especially nuclear and chemical weapons, has created a situation in which warfare necessarily leads to horrific consequences. Examples of the disastrous effects of protracted conflict can be seen both locally for the populations involved and globally due to the environmental impact as witnessed in the nuclear attacks against the civilian populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the use of anti-personnel cluster bombs in Cambodia, the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, the deployment of land mines in Afghanistan, the use of chemical weaponry during the Syrian Civil War, and the use of Depleted Uranium (DU) hardened ordnance in Iraq.<br /><br /><br />The daunting issues that face humanity are no longer local but rather global in nature. The remarkable savagery of the First and Second World Wars of the Twentieth Century awakened the idea of a world organization as a forum for international communication so as to foster dialog between nations and forestall the possibility of future wars of such magnitude. The first experiment in a world organization as a vehicle for adjudicating international disputes was the League of Nations that was created at the aftermath of World War I. This international body met with limited success and was eventually disbanded. This experiment in world governance was followed by the creation of the United Nations at the end of World War II. The United Nations is still extant but remains hostage to the dominance of the special interests of the powerful industrial nations that constitute the Security Council.<br /><br /><br />The will to empire is still very much with us. Apparently, no significant lessons have been learned from the horrid and often repeated mistakes of the past. The absolute necessity for true international cooperation as a means to effectively circumvent a catastrophic future that now seems so inevitable is still not recognized. Many nations remain fixated on the ferocious competition for dominance and supremacy at the expense of those sovereignties that are weaker and more fragile. A poignant present-day example of this is the Chinese annexation of Tibet, a process that is currently going on. This competition has usually been over the natural and human resources required to fuel and sustain national economies. The needs for additional natural resources such as land for expansion of national populations or energy and mineral resources have often been the focus of international aggression. As needed resources such as oil or water become scarce, the competition will, by necessity, grow increasingly explosive.<br /><br />This particular mindset has become problematic; the species is in desperate need of a completely new paradigm. The model must be based, by necessity, on a spirit of cooperation and giving. The chasm that currently exists between the so-called “haves” and “have-nots” both within and between sovereign states is helping to sustain the extreme level of violence that continues to plague humanity. Fundamental issues of social and economic justice need to be uppermost on the agenda. Such a focus would require a serious implementation of the role of social responsibility and conscience in the behavior of individuals and governments. The idea of belonging wholly to one nation must be superseded by the idea of being a member of the world community. This, of course, represents a huge leap in understanding, tolerance, and compassion; it requires an obligation to act in the best interests of all humanity. At the core of this change in worldview is the incorporation of non-violent behavior in inter-personal relationships.<br /><br /><br />The first images of the planet taken from space clearly demonstrated, for all human beings that the earth is our only home. This conception has, in my judgment, become such an integral part of human consciousness that the current and obvious threat posed by global warming may offer some impetus for change. The time may be right to open more effective channels of communication between nations with the focus of developing sustainable economies that would help insure a livable planet for future generations of not only the human species but all the magnificent creatures that constitute the living world. Simply moving through life with self-interest as the guiding principle is not enough to forestall a major calamity that only concerted human action can avert.<br /><br /><br />In my judgment, the human species is facing an impending crisis that may ultimately challenge its ability to survive on this fragile planet. The forward momentum of what is referred to as “human progress” has led human societies to a rapidly changing world where there are cavernous divisions in religious and political beliefs and a grievous imbalance in the distribution of wealth. These differences are intertwined with each other and provide the impetus for unrest and violent behavior. For the first time in human history the convergence of these forces on a world with limited resources and an ever-expanding human population has created a situation in which the future of the species is no longer assured. The question remains as to whether we are collectively smart enough to overcome these difficulties and work together globally in ways that can divert a catastrophic future.<br /><br /><br />Unfortunately, violence continues to be the essential driving force for resolving serious disputes between nations and peoples. The contemporary rise of what is referred to as terrorism (although the use of this term conveniently bypasses the terror tactics so often employed by nation-states) is indicative of aggressive behavior that knows no clear territorial boundaries. This does not have to be the case. There are many alternative ways to address controversial issues without necessarily employing violent methods. Why is it that raw aggression is so often the method of choice in resolving economic, political, and social disputes?<br /><br /><br /><br />The leaders of nations often use their positions of power to exploit the fears and emotions of their fellow countrymen to fulfill hidden agendas, often economic in nature, that serve the powerful. It is the young, uneducated, and threatened members of the population who are most susceptible to the propaganda that is used to amplify the fears and uncertainties that are such an integral part of the human experience. From a chauvinistic viewpoint, the adversary is pictured as evil and somehow inimical to civilization. The enemy, so described, is often seen as less than human and, therefore, worthy of elimination. Those who are lured into doing the fighting are subsequently told that they must abandon the normal societal prohibitions that the rest of the society is taught to live by.<br /><br /><br />In war, civilized behavior is abandoned as young men (and women) are placed in situations where their main function is to kill and avoid being killed by the adversary that they face. For individual soldiers, survival becomes the impetus for their actions. Their behavior is rationalized by the idea that they are fighting for a higher purpose. Without, this set of beliefs, wars would not be possible.<br /><br /><br />The burden of war and the carnage and devastation that it brings is no longer tenable in the modern world. Technological weaponry has grown too deadly and sophisticated and the global environment, which is already in serious jeopardy, needs humanity’s undivided attention. There is, after all, one common thread that binds us: we are members of the same species depending on our planetary environment to sustain us.<br /><br /><br />It is imperative that national leaders embrace this reality and work towards finding common ground, especially with those who are perceived as dangerous adversaries. We face a global crisis that requires global solutions. The grinding hunger, poverty, ignorance, and despair that haunts the lives of billions of human beings must be addressed, along with finding ways to avoid the serious impact that unabated global warming will bring to ourselves and most importantly, future generations. There are, of course, many barriers to such a degree of international cooperation, but in reality there is no viable alternative. The world, with all its wonders, is for us to preserve or destroy.<br /><br /><br />These thoughts do not, by any means, represent new concepts or ideas. Quite to the contrary, throughout human history there have been voices putting forth the idea of peace and suggesting methodologies to achieve this elusive goal.<br /><br /><br />THE END<br /><br /><br />Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-15572825362341261412022-12-31T08:39:00.006-08:002022-12-31T08:39:55.046-08:00A Hopeful DreamTruth no longer a whisperbut a flood of clarity,<br />guns and all weapons of<br />bad intention or ill feeling<br />reduced to their base metals<br />and fashioned into implements of healing,<br />all who are hungry<br />are fed,<br />all who are afraid<br />are reassured,<br />all who are pariahs<br />brought into the human fold,<br />all who are filled with the bile of hatred<br />cajoled with sweetness and caring,<br />all who suffer needlessly<br />from their own lack of faith in themselves<br />see the blazing light of true wisdom,<br />all who have hearts weighted by greed<br />free themselves from the onerous weight of possessions,<br />all who love ignorance<br />witness the rapture and wonder of learning,<br />all who usurp themselves and others with power,<br />come to recognize their own impotence,<br />all who are crippled and torn apart by disease<br />see their true worth,<br />artists and lovers of knowledge and thought<br />are finally appreciated,<br />all without homes<br />find shelter in the heart of humanity,<br />all who are fractured<br />made whole,<br />all who are obsessed by race or creed<br />are freed of their limitations,<br />all limited and pernicious ideas<br />fall to oblivion from their own weight,<br />all who are demagogues<br />find a life of true service,<br />all ideas born of avarice and rooted in war<br />are finally dead,<br />all embrace all<br />as members of the human family.Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-51316958444020444522022-04-15T17:55:00.000-07:002022-04-15T17:55:09.211-07:00Dr. Paul Farmer<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVHaV6_H3cTga27reAKTA8sdg1z2CwPaJ2X3jHtTbMMhgZmfnBSWR7vJJYn8DA2ME6Mb0EpcoV2lGj9YGBkcAzN_YmwZc4_EOpF81F8o9culTWuJXIOCl7ZW_LGmAkPKLOxUzzIgC3DDNvlsFXCf3jKmiyCbw7bVGnp6YXejfuZYEMltVT8SdREUm/s1200/paul%20farmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVHaV6_H3cTga27reAKTA8sdg1z2CwPaJ2X3jHtTbMMhgZmfnBSWR7vJJYn8DA2ME6Mb0EpcoV2lGj9YGBkcAzN_YmwZc4_EOpF81F8o9culTWuJXIOCl7ZW_LGmAkPKLOxUzzIgC3DDNvlsFXCf3jKmiyCbw7bVGnp6YXejfuZYEMltVT8SdREUm/s320/paul%20farmer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">A Tribute to Paul Farmer who died February 21, 2022</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Paul Farmer</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Doctor Paul Edward Farmer was born in 1959. He was the second of six children; he grew up in the mill town of North Adams, Massachusetts. In 1966, the family moved to Alabama and later relocated to Florida in 1971. They were so poor that they lived in a bus that his father had purchased in auction. There, as a young boy, he picked fruit with Haitian migrant workers and was probably influenced by that experience. The extent of the economic deprivation that he felt growing up helped him understand what it means to be without, and may have inspired him to devote his life’s energy to those in need. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Farmer is widely known for his remarkable and unrelenting service to the people of Haiti, driven by his desire to provide good quality health care and assistance to the impoverished people of that country. In addition, he has been a strong advocate for Haiti in the international arena and has been particularly critical of what he sees as America’s plan for fixing the nation’s enfeebled economy. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In order to have a clearer understanding of the economic and political forces that have come to shape present-day Haiti, it is important to have an historic perspective of this beleaguered country. Hispaniola was colonized by Christopher Columbus’ brother, Bartolomeo, for Spain in 1496. He established the capital at Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) on the eastern side of the island. In 1697, the Treaty of Ryswick ceded France dominion over the western half of the island – present day Haiti. During the eighteenth century, Haiti operated as a slave colony and a leading port of call for slave ships. By the latter part of that century, nearly one out of every three slaves, who arrived in Haiti, died within a few years of reaching the colony.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In 1791, a revolt began against French domination. This revolt was led by François-Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture (May 20, 1743 – April 7, 1803). Toussaint led enslaved blacks in a long struggle for independence over the French colonizers; ultimately, his movement abolished slavery, and secured "native" control over the Haitian colony. In 1797, following his victory, L’Ouverture expelled the French commissioner Léger-Félicité Sonthonax, as well as the British army; freed the slaves in neighboring Santo Domingo, and wrote a Constitution naming himself governor-for-life.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Between the years 1800 and 1802, Toussaint L'Ouverture - translated from the French, his name literally means “all saints” or “all souls opening” - tried to rebuild the collapsed economy of Haiti and reestablish commercial contacts with the United States and Britain. His rule permitted the colony a taste of freedom which, after his death in exile, was gradually undermined during the successive reigns of a series of despots. His last words were to his son in France, "My boy, you will one day go back to St. Domingo; forget that France murdered your father."</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In 1804, the independent state of Haiti was formed and it was declared as a safe haven for runaway slaves. It is important to note here that the United States government refused to recognize Haiti’s independence. Sadly, the native population of Haiti is no longer extant; they were eliminated as a result of the Spanish domination that preceded the arrival of the French.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In 1825, King Charles X of France recognized the independence of the country only on condition that an indemnity of 150 million Francs - approximately one-half million dollars - be paid and that an agreement be reached regarding a reduction of import and export taxes placed on French goods; this arrangement was tantamount to extortion. These repayments continued until after World War II. The effect of this agreement was devastating to the Haitian economy in that it represented a mass transfer of wealth from the poor indigenous people of Haiti to wealthy foreigners. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">From 1915 through 1934, Haiti was occupied by the U.S. military. The United States occupation of Haiti began on July 28, 1915, when 330 US Marines landed at Port-au-Prince as directed by President Woodrow Wilson. They were dispatched to the island with the express purpose of protecting U.S. corporate interests. It ended on August 1, 1934, during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Farmer first traveled to Haiti in 1983 while it was under the harsh dictatorship of the Duvalier family. At that time, it was considered to be the poorest country in the western world. Baby Doc Duvalier who was “President for Life” fled the country in 1986. The first attempt at democratic elections was undertaken the following year; the fragile nature of this movement towards democracy was made apparent by the fact that a massacre took place at one of the polling stations.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In 1990, Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide ran for President and on Dec 16, 1990 he won sixty-seven percent of the popular vote. He was a catholic priest who was an avid proponent of liberation theology and believed strongly in the, “preferential option for the poor,” reminiscent of the work and mission of Father Romero of El Salvador. He voiced opposition to the policies of Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan, President of the United States. As a consequence, President Bush, who succeeded Reagan, funded Aristide’s opposition and cut off aid. The paramilitary group Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti (FRAPH) rose to prominence and staged a coup on September, 1991 that left one thousand dead. Aristide ultimately returned to power in 1994.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Before the devastating effect of the recent earthquake, the Haitian economy was already in terrible shape. By the year 2000, the entire budget for Haiti, with a population of eight million people, was less than the budget of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a city of 100,000 individuals.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Farmer graduated from Harvard Medical School with an ancillary PhD degree in anthropology. He worked in Haiti for eight months out of every year without pay, serving peasants who had lost their land as a result of the construction of a hydroelectric dam. For the remaining four months of each year, he worked in Boston living in a church sanctuary. He was briefly expelled from Haiti during the reign of the military junta, but managed to sneak back into the country by bribing government officials. In 1994, Jimmy Carter was dispatched by President Bill Clinton to try to persuade the junta to abdicate their pernicious rule of the country.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The tireless energy of Farmer on behalf of the people of Haiti has earned him the affectionate title of the, “poor people’s doctor.” In 1999, he also worked at the Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston and was the Professor of Medicine and Medical Anthropology at Harvard Medical School.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Farmer’s primary concern and professional interest lies in the realm of the relationship between economic inequality and infectious disease. In his mind, many of the premature deaths that occur throughout the world from uncontrolled infectious diseases are a direct result of the mal-distribution of medical technologies. He is never reluctant to fault the rich countries for their failure to address this issue on a global scale, especially his home country, the United States.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">On account of his strong commitment to the service of those in need and his passion to do whatever he can to counter the dire effects of poverty, he has created a remarkable community referred to as Partners in Health (PIH) in Zammi Lasante. This complex includes a woman’s clinic, a general hospital, an Anglican Church, a kitchen that prepares meals for 2,000 people daily and a treatment center for Tuberculosis (TB). This medical center possesses two laboratories and an ambulatory clinic that serves hundreds of people. One million peasant farmers - in a country of eight million -depend upon this facility. The per capita income of the average Haitian is about one dollar per day. Twenty-five percent of Haitians die before the age of 40. Farmer is so committed to the health and well-being of the people of Haiti that no one is turned away. In addition, PIH helps build schools, water systems and manages a vaccination program with the goals of vaccinating all children, reducing malnutrition and decreasing infant mortality. </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In 1993, Farmer was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant of $220,000 for his efforts. He donated the entire sum to PIH. The following is an excerpt of his acceptance speech on receiving this grant: “The individuals who are living in dire poverty throughout the world may well exceed one billion in number. The suffering, starvation and premature death that is a consequence of this poverty is unconscionable in a world where the wealthiest nations enjoy an abundance and have ready access to a multiplicity of resources that are denied to so many of their fellow humans. In many regards, the scale of this suffering is due to a lack of access to an adequate food supply, appropriate medical technology, education and basic information.” </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Dr. Paul Farmer had dedicated his life to demonstrate that these horrific conditions can be effectively ameliorated, if not entirely eliminated, by making available to everyone what is currently available only to some</div></div>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-22529695897596698312022-04-14T08:41:00.006-07:002022-04-14T08:41:53.157-07:00Anna Arnold Hedgeman<p> </p><div class="WordSection1">
<h1 align="left"><a name="_Toc92715173">Anna Arnold
Hedgeman</a><o:p></o:p></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMS0I1Qvhx_cBzwklIY_DQjoNAFS6Ppt6zvStRkqY4sYeUbuHCloE2T0KmpV07WPaZao2h49mHPwVX1CE69W4ItdQClxrkSEcExH18JoJze7WdVdSv2dnKz9EjUmoSyUyH6D8_srl4GlCVuHz7edukDg3zHnNjfAzbtlRa7nSL7AzI550IjvP21lYF/s271/anna%20arnold%20hedgeman.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="186" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMS0I1Qvhx_cBzwklIY_DQjoNAFS6Ppt6zvStRkqY4sYeUbuHCloE2T0KmpV07WPaZao2h49mHPwVX1CE69W4ItdQClxrkSEcExH18JoJze7WdVdSv2dnKz9EjUmoSyUyH6D8_srl4GlCVuHz7edukDg3zHnNjfAzbtlRa7nSL7AzI550IjvP21lYF/s1600/anna%20arnold%20hedgeman.jpeg" width="186" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Anna Arnold
Hedgeman</span><!--[if supportFields]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span> XE "<span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'>Anna Arnold Hedgeman</span>" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> was born in the late 19<sup>th</sup> century
(1899) in the small town of Marshalltown, Iowa</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span>
XE "<span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'>Marshalltown, Iowa</span>"
<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.
As a small child, her family moved to Anoka, Minnesota</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span>
XE "<span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'>Anoka, Minnesota</span>"
<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> – they were the only black family in their
local community. Her parents, William
James Arnold II and Marie Ellen (Parker) Arnold, placed a great deal of value
and importance upon education and scholarship.
They were also active in their community, and Hedgeman did not
experience any notable discrimination while growing up. However, she was to feel the full weight of
racial prejudice later in her adult life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Following
her graduation in 1918, Hedgeman continued her education at Hamline University</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> In Saint Paul, Minnesota</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – a private liberal arts college founded in
1854. This university places a strong
emphasis on experiential learning, service, and active engagement in issues of
social justice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As a student
at the university, she attended a lecture given by Dr. W.E.B. DuBois</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></span>
XE "<span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%'>Dr. W.E.B. DuBois</span>"
<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%'><span style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> – a famous sociologist and historian (1868 –
1963) - that she found inspirational and helped direct her aspirations towards
a career in education. She graduated
from Hamline University in 1922 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She was the first person of color to earn a
degree at Hamline University.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
One of her first positions post-graduation was a teaching position at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Rust College is an historic black college founded in 1866 during the brief period of post-war Reconstruction (1865 – 1877). During her stay in Rust College in the heart of the Deep South she suddenly experienced the full impact of Jim Crow (as discussed previously). She was awakened to this reality even before she arrived in Mississippi by train, for she was obliged to sit in the “colored” car behind the locomotive and was denied access to the dining car on account of the color of her skin as soon as the train departed from the Cairo, Illinois train station. This demeaning experience sharpened her awareness of the true nature of racism within the United States. <br /><br />After two years at Rust College, she moved back to Minnesota to find racial barriers confront her when she tried to find a teaching position. In 1924, she accepted a position as executive director of the black branch of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) in Springfield, Ohio; she remained in that position until 1938. <br /><br />For the following ten years she worked at a number of high-level positions including serving as the Assistant Dean of Women at Howard University. By 1948, she turned her attention to a political career and worked for the Harry Truman campaign for President of the United States, and went on to become the first black woman to serve on the cabinet of then New York Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. In this role, she gained a reputation as a strong advocate for civil rights and was recruited by Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin to plan and coordinate the 1963 March on Washington that was highlighted earlier in this book (see the chapter devoted to John Lewis). Serving as the Coordinator of Special Events for the Commission of Religion and Race of the National Council of Churches, Hedgeman convinced some 40,000 Protestants to participate in this march on August 28, 1963, that brought hundreds of thousands of individuals to the nation’s capital. <br /><br />On account of her wide-ranging experience and professional career especially in regard to her inexhaustible advocacy in the area of equal rights for African-Americans, Hedgeman became a sought-after lecturer at black colleges and universities throughout the United States. She authored a number of books that highlighted her efforts including, The Trumpet Sounds (1964) and The Gift of Chaos (1977). Hedgeman died on January 7, 1990. <br /><br />As an African-American woman, Hedgeman came to understand the deleterious impact of racism on the lives of people of color within the United States and dedicated herself to help make substantive changes in this cultural dynamic that remains a persistent aspect of the national landscape. </div><br />Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-62849128748734594912022-04-14T08:24:00.001-07:002022-04-14T08:24:46.804-07:00Excerpted from Comments and Reflections Regarding Life's Journey<p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">I
seem to be in the midst of struggling with the prospect of ageing that
dominates the horizon of my remaining years.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">It is no easy matter to find accommodation with the ineluctable reality
that body is no longer as capable of doing the complete bidding of my wishes
and desires.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">In regard to my intrinsic
abilities I can no longer trust them as completely as I used to.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Of course, this comes as no great surprise, and
to resist this reality is, of course, futile.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To
me the only sensible course is acceptance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Furthermore, a recognition of individual mortality has an additional
benefit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That benefit resides within an
increased and more acute awareness of the wondrous qualities and subtleties and
intrinsic beauty that imbues every passing moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world presents me with a remarkable array
of details and perspectives present in the simplest of experiences if I choose
to open myself to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
my mind, if I allow myself to be caught up within the intricate fabric of
distractions produced and sustained by the modern world the unfortunate
consequence is that the precious moments are lost within the crazy-quilt miasma
of contrived existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is, after
all, an inventive and intricate shadow world that envelops the modern human
world that constantly demands our complete attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of this shadow world is wrapped in the
comforting domain of the pursuit of material possessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The potpourri of images and manifestations of
objects that are continually fed into the sensory apparatus of the thinking
brain are presented to us as palpable vehicles designed to enhance our chances
for individual happiness whether it be a shiny new car, an ensemble of fabulous
clothes that would improve our sexual appeal, all manner of so-called “hygiene
products” that have become our necessary companions in the social world,
labor-saving devices that are guaranteed to free up our time and bring us even
more happiness, and on and on – the list is seemingly without end.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Moments
lost to these distractions cannot be regained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Life cannot be rewound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life
proceeds moment to moment through a continuum of choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Modern living demands heightened unquestioned
passivity to the multi-faceted norms that have been carefully constructed for
mass consumption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This intricate structure
is indeed a reality of a kind, but it is not representative of the natural
world and by its nature is impermanent and can readily implode upon itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many examples exist of such an internal
collapse have been reported through the course of history of human
civilizations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
are representatives of a sentient species – our home is planet earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are by no means the sole inhabitants on
Spaceship Earth, although we often behave as we should be and possess a seeming
determination to make it so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we
will accomplish, however, if we do not awaken from our collective stupor, is to
craft an environment that will ultimately be unable to sustain us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the height of stupidity, for we seem
to relish the idea of killing each other over issues that are more contrived
than real, undermine our collective future by our continued raping of the
natural world, and endanger our future rather than embrace peace, harmony, and
real and substantial social justice. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Without
the presence of Homo sapiens, the earth will continue to spin on its axis,
revolve around its sun and move through time within a vast and wondrous cosmos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our continued existence as a species is not
required and is certainly not a necessary component of the working
universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
products of our collective imagination, the panoply of gods, ethereal beings,
spirits, demons, apparitions, etc. will all vanish when humans are no longer
extant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have no substance outside
the realm of the human brain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
universe, however, is real, time is substantial and each moment is
transient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within this fabulous matrix
our individual selves are created and move on time’s ineluctable trajectory
until our individual brains cease to function and the molecular organization
that sustains us unravels joining us once again to the chaos and ferment of
creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may pretend that this is
not reality; we may put our faith in fabulous ideas of other-worldliness, but
it is not matter for it changes nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Self-delusion may provide comfort but it changes nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may choose to embrace death with the belief
that there is something more, but it changes nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reality has no need of either our
acquiescence or resistance, for when the brain ceases to function, as
individuals we are no longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is that
simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
my thinking, if I choose delusion over reality, I choose to engage the pretend
version of existence and fail to appreciate the vivid reality that surrounds
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I do know is that while I
continue to have a conscious existence it is my responsibility to fully appreciate
that I am a living witness to the wonders around me no matter how brief my
sojourn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am, after all, grounded to
this Earth, lungs filled with the air that sustains me, a body that moves me
through life and the marvelous organ of the human brain that is me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
I can embrace myself so thoroughly and completely than I can embrace
everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once stripped of the array
of filters that distort existence in order to fit into prescribed limits, it is
then that I can truly see and understand what it is to be human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is an inseparable bond between the
ability to see with clarity and love, compassion and understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all, in fact, flawed creatures,
imperfect on account of the evolutionary path of our species, mortal by design,
contained within the architecture of our brains, yet we are collectively capable
of so much more than the disastrous and unsettling choices we have made to
date.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Think
of the world we could craft if all humans were to fully incorporate the truth
that we are all (the eight billion of us) members of the same human family
rather than continuing to pursue the current idea that we are somehow intrinsically
separate based upon contrived differences in race, belief systems, political
ideology, sexual preference etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think
of the world we could craft if we finally stopped killing each other for no
good or apparently justifiable reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Think of the world we could craft if we seriously began to be responsible
stewards of our earthly home rather than actively undermining the natural world
that sustains us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think of the world we
could inhabit if we finally took full responsibility for our collective fate
rather than allow ourselves to move about in a delusional reality of our own
making that presumes that a super-human being(s) is “watching over us.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we were to bring about our own
self-destruction tomorrow, the cosmos would be completely unaffected and the
movement of time would be unimpaired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
human species is not a required component for the running of the universe
machine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-26805367873440574502022-03-30T17:15:00.004-07:002022-03-30T17:15:40.961-07:00Dame Cicely Saunders<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GmmpVhVzgQs3zlj6YVIZy4IXcsmIQwIZNHdTl5ojk6gaYwKl_szU_TkjkwD8xSkkmxYGavI7oqsdfzvZ1TNAAmLTR-Z2R6xn0ZqAw2fyS9v6L0SoANvVdXWQJJDFZp7pbBBoWLPTb5W1eXs0QLiFf_Ing-QHShVV8R8HwmTLYsbpWvRp7zE/s275/dame%20cicely%20saunders.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3GmmpVhVzgQs3zlj6YVIZy4IXcsmIQwIZNHdTl5ojk6gaYwKl_szU_TkjkwD8xSkkmxYGavI7oqsdfzvZ1TNAAmLTR-Z2R6xn0ZqAw2fyS9v6L0SoANvVdXWQJJDFZp7pbBBoWLPTb5W1eXs0QLiFf_Ing-QHShVV8R8HwmTLYsbpWvRp7zE/s1600/dame%20cicely%20saunders.jpeg" width="275" /></a></p><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Cicely Mary Strode Saunders, was the founder of the modern conception of hospice and, also established the discipline and rigor associated with palliative care – a type of care with the primary goal of relieving pain and distress in patients with severe and often terminal illnesses. By definition, a hospice is a home for the severely or terminally ill patient.<br /><br />Cicely Mary Strode Saunders was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, England in 1918. She was the eldest of three children. Saunders’ family was financially well-situated; however, the household environment was deeply affected by a controlling father and a remote and withdrawn mother. The family lived in in a large house with spacious grounds.<br /><br />When Saunders was just one years old, she was cared for by her Aunt Daisy. This arrangement was soon abruptly ended and she was subsequently returned to her home and sent to Roedean School when she was 10 years-old. At school, Saunders was taller than the other girls. This difference made her feel awkward and separate from her peers. she felt that this aspect of her growing up made her come to appreciate those who were considered different. As a child Saunders suffered from scoliosis – defined as a sideways curvature of the spine - severe enough that she was made to lie flat on the floor for 40 minutes a day.<br /><br />These experiences as a child may have contributed to her desire to be of service to others and become a nurse. Her father did not approve of this choice of possible careers. As a result, she went to St. Anne’s College in Oxford where she pursued the study of politics, philosophy, and economics with the goal of eventually working in government.<br /><br />However, the outbreak of World War II that began when Germany - under the aegis of Adolph Hitler - invaded Poland (1939), disrupted this career path, and, defying her father’s wishes, she enrolled as a student at The Nightingale Training School to become a Red Cross war nurse. During her training, she had rotations at several mental hospitals and worked at the Park Prewett Hospital in London. Physically, the work was very stressful, and placed an additional burden on her back. As a result, she returned to Oxford for a year and gained a "war degree." She was trained at the Royal Cancer Hospital that qualified her as a social worker (almoner), in 1947.<br /><br />It was in the following year that a life-changing experience altered the course of her professional career. While working at Archway hospital in London, she cared for a Polish émigré, David Tasma, who was dying. In the course of her caregiving, Saunders and Tasma became intensely involved with each other. In their conversations, the idea occurred to them of founding a home in which people who were dying could find some solace and peace in their final days. On his death, he left her 500 pounds as seed money to realize this dream.<br /><br />Saunders was advised by professional colleagues that if she truly wished to realize her dream, she should obtain a degree in medicine as a doctor. It was reasoned that with this credential she would be more readily listened to. In 1957, she became a physician graduating from St. Thomas’ Medical School in London. She broadened her knowledge in pharmacology so that she could better understand how to alleviate pain in terminally ill patients. With this knew knowledge, she became a powerful advocate for the regular administration of pain medications to such patients rather than supplying them on demand.<br /><br />In 1958, shortly after she qualified, she wrote an article concerning a new approach to the end of life. In it she stated that, "It appears that many patients feel deserted by their doctors at the end. Ideally the doctor should remain the centre of a team who work together to relieve where they cannot heal, to keep the patient’s own struggle within his compass and to bring hope and consolation to the end."<br /><br />During this time, Saunders began to formulate her vision for a facility devoted to the care of terminally-ill patents. She envisioned a facility that would provide emotional and spiritual support in addition to the traditional focus on medicine. She also appreciated the value of providing a comforting and homelike environment to those at the end of life. Saunders also kept in mind the need to offer support to the families of patients as well, recognizing the stressful aspects of end-of-life issues.<br /><br />By 1959, she had drawn up a detailed proposal for the hospice she had in mind. After an intense period of negotiation, construction began in 1965 – it was to be called St. Christopher’s Hospice located in South London. It was opened in 1967. It has since become a prime model for hospice care to this date, that is emulated throughout the world.<br /><br />Saunders spent her final days at St. Christopher’s along with her husband, Marian Bohusz-Szyszko. He passed away in 1995 and she continued working until the end of her life in 2005.<br /><br />The extent of the contribution Saunder’s has made to the caring of the terminally ill might best be expressed in her own words taken as an excerpt from her acceptance address of the Templeton Prize given on May 12, 1981.<br /><br />“For over 1,000 years hospice was a resting place for pilgrims, giving them a welcome that lasted till they were ready to go on. For a few, the sick and wounded, it would have been the last stage. For the past 100 years or so hospice has also meant a foundation, still religious, admitting those with incurable illness when the hospitals would no longer care for them. Founded on both sides of the Atlantic and in Australia around the turn of the century, they were for patients dying of cancer and of tuberculosis and with long term illness when the only alternatives were the Poor Law and similar Institutions. Among this group it was the Irish Sisters of Charity who chose the name Hospice, first in Dublin, later in Hackney and applied it especially to those who were dying.<br /><br />“Over the past decade the word has been filled up with new meanings and has come to stand for a world-wide movement identified by attitudes and expertise rather than by bricks and mortar, for many hospice teams have no beds of their own. I would define the modern hospice as a skilled community working to improve the quality of life remaining for patients and their families struggling with mortal and long-term illness. Some also include the frail elderly. Hospice is about a special kind of living and in a sense is still concerned with travelling: patients, families, elderly residents and the staff and volunteers who meet them, find they are drawn into a journey of the spirit.<br /><br />“However, this new development began with a building when you, Ma’am, opened St. Christopher’s in July 1967, when we took the word Hospice from St. Joseph’s, generous in this as in everything else. Not the first hospice, but the first planned not only to care for a mixed group of patients but also to develop research and teaching.”<br /><br />It is for these reasons that the name and person of Dame Cicely Saunders has become synonymous with what is regarded as modern hospice care. Without her clear and compassionate vision, the pain and suffering endured by the terminally ill would not have been so effectively curtailed.Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-75542756800321497332022-03-14T08:41:00.002-07:002022-03-14T08:41:40.880-07:00Raif Badawi - Saudi Activist & Political Prisoner<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUJBLDYJEB4TpuLD8qhRFWbh8TFvsmDyEU16oxZNhKYxmK6t-o15NaMiqcuDzhpAksRpp3sMuQWfegrGgrJ1nPZgiktWrm0NUfWGBcdkDVdKNVkYnW4LLNbrpgw3VzHvmHhuZjDhdutU0WtDUuo-iO8R3BSApQyRut3HHvLIBjFM1NqgvNclGIBKaS=s857" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUJBLDYJEB4TpuLD8qhRFWbh8TFvsmDyEU16oxZNhKYxmK6t-o15NaMiqcuDzhpAksRpp3sMuQWfegrGgrJ1nPZgiktWrm0NUfWGBcdkDVdKNVkYnW4LLNbrpgw3VzHvmHhuZjDhdutU0WtDUuo-iO8R3BSApQyRut3HHvLIBjFM1NqgvNclGIBKaS=s320" width="299" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p>Raif bin Muhammad Badawi gained notoriety when he was arrested in 2012 at the age of twenty-eight for the following crimes: "setting up a website that undermines general security", "ridiculing Islamic religious figures", and "going beyond the realm of obedience.” He was sentenced to seven years in prison. This sentence was increased to 10 years in 2014.</p><div><br />Badawi is a is a Saudi writer actively engaged in advocating for a more liberal social and political environment in his native Saudi Arabia. To expand his audience, he created a website – Free Saudi Liberals.<br /><br />Badawi's blog had many members. It quickly became a forum for vigorous debate regarding Saudi politics. For this reason, he was arrested in late 2007. Although he was eventually released, he became the victim of constant harassment that eventually led to his subsequent arrest in 2012.<br /><br />Raif Badawi was born on January 13, 1984, in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. His parents are Najwa, a Lebanese Christian, and Muhammad Badawi, a Saudi Muslim. At a young age, his Saudi grandmother explained to him that, “Saudi society historically was not as strict and men and women used to work together in the fields.”<br /><br />Badawi's mother died young at an unknown age. He was raised by his father and grandmother in a household beset by economic difficulties. Badawi attended school until the age of thirteen when his father reported him for parental disobedience, a crime in Saudi Arabia, and spent six months in a teenage detention center.<br /><br />Saudi Arabia is a theocratic monarchy whose laws and regulations follow the rulings and teaching of Islamic law. The legal system is based on sharia as interpreted by Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. The government is under the leadership of a king and prime minister. Furthermore, the royal family rules by fiat, and there is no Constitution.<br /><br />Wahhabism is an Islamic revisionist theology that exerts a powerful influence in Saudi Arabian politics. It derived its name from the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhabi. Wahhabism is an extremely stringent and uncompromising from of Islam that insists on a purely literal interpretation of the Koran. Through this highly restrictive interpretation, those who do not practice this form of Islam are considered heathens and are dealt with harshly. In Saudi Arabia apostasy itself is considered a crime worthy of the death penalty.<br /><br />Badawi was influenced by the writings of progressive Arab author, Abdullah al-Qasemi, and Turki al-Hamad, a noted journalist and thinker. He was particularly inspired by Mohammed Saeed Tayeb, a staunch believer in democracy who was also imprisoned.<br /><br />Ultimately, he became so concerned about the oppressive and authoritarian nature of Saudi politics that he began to speak out openly in regard to these concerns. For this reason, Badawi’s activities were considered by the government as anathema and explains the severity of the punishment he has been forced to endure. Badawi’s courageous insistence on expressing his views has been regarded as a particular threat, for the government’s autocratic imposition of Islam on the lives of its people is especially vulnerable in the human world of the twenty-first century in which global communication is a predominant aspect of modern life.<br /><br /><br />He has been reported to be in poor health, and his general condition has noticeably worsened during his imprisonment and torture according to his wife, Ensaf Haidar, currently residing in Canada. She fled her native country convinced that her life would be endangered if she remained in Saudi Arabia.<br /><br /><br />The following interview with Ensaf Haidar was conducted by Jaafar Abdul Karim at Deutshe Welle (dw.com) in 2017.<br /><br /><br />Ensaf Haidar: The fact that my husband has been in jail for five years shows that there is no freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia.<br /><br />Raif expressed his opinion in a friendly and peaceful manner, so there was no reason to be afraid. He had also written for Saudi newspapers, and that shows that he wasn't an enemy of the state. He even had the experience of traveling abroad.<br /><br /><br />So why are some states so afraid of these independent spirits?<br /><br />Because of the different opinions. It's us they're afraid of, not the expression of opinion as such.<br /><br /><br />So they would prefer there to be only one opinion?<br /><br />This is what their approach suggests. They want everyone to be of the same opinion. They're afraid of a wide range of opinions.<br /><br /><br />How is your husband doing at the moment?<br /><br />After five years in captivity separated from his children and the outside world, he's naturally doing poorly physically and psychologically. He has been imprisoned for five years without having committed a crime.<br /><br /><br />Of course, the Saudi authorities see the situation differently. What do you tell your children? Do they understand what's going on?<br /><br />They understand it and are proud of their father, though they miss him very much. They need him, especially at this age.<br /><br /><br />Do you stay in constant contact with Raif?<br /><br />In the beginning he always called me for brief periods of time, but I haven't heard anything from him in over three weeks.<br /><br />If we had press freedom, Raif would be free. He's been in jail for five years and he'll be there for five more. Along with that he's also been handed a 10-year travel ban, a fine of one million riyal ($266,654 USD) and 1,000 lashings by cane. Anyone who sees this sentence can decide if we have press freedom here or not.<br /><br /><br />How important then is freedom of expression?<br /><br />There are people who say there is already too much division; there's terrorism and there's foreign interference, which undermine a country's sovereignty.<br /><br />Those who speak peacefully and know the laws have the right to express themselves! That is a basic right of every person, whatever the subject.<br /><br /><br />Do you speak with your children about freedom of expression?<br /><br />That is a social issue and not just a legal one. From society as well there is a partial rejection of freedom of expression…<br /><br />Here in Canada it is, of course, completely different. It's a secular country, where you can express your opinion freely, directly in the press. When I tell my kids about their father, they don't understand what the problem is at all with someone having a blog. It's completely different here.<br /><br /><br />There is an international solidarity campaign for your husband. How does that make you feel?<br /><br />I can only be thankful and hope that the initiators continue with it. However, so far it has had a psychological effect. It hasn't impacted the proceedings against Raif so far. But I hope that the solidarity continues nonetheless, because moral support is so important. That gives Raif and me hope and strength.<br /><br /><br />Do you personally hope that pressure from the campaign will help free Raif? It is now an international campaign.<br /><br />I hope that the Saudi government one day recognizes that freedom of expression is every man's right. Raif always peacefully expressed himself and loved his country. In this way I hope that he soon comes free.<br /><br /><br />What is your appeal for World Press Freedom Day?<br /><br />I hope that the whole world continues to stand by us. I call on the Saudi government to give every citizen a space for freedom of expression.<br /><br /><br />Badawi is currently represented by The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights that acts as his international legal counsel. The mission statement of this organization is the following as presented on their website (raoulwallenbergcentre.org).<br /><br /><br />“The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights is a unique international consortium of parliamentarians, scholars, jurists, human rights defenders, NGOs, and students united in the pursuit of justice, inspired by and anchored in Raoul Wallenberg’s humanitarian legacy – how<br /><br />act can confront evil, prevail, and transform history.<br /><br />“From mid-May to early July 1944, the Nazis deported 440,000 from Hungary to the Auschwitz Birkenau death camp – one of the most efficient, cruelest, and most horrific mass deportations in the Holocaust. Raoul Wallenberg arrived as a Swedish diplomat in the Swedish legation in Budapest in July 1944 and in six months saved 100,000 Jews.<br /><br />“The Wallenberg Centre is organized around five pillars of pursuing justice, each of which reflects and represents Wallenberg’s humanitarian legacy. The Honorary Co-Chairs of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights are: Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel (U.S. – in memoriam); the Honorable Justice Rosalie Abella (Supreme Court of Canada); the Honourable Göran Persson (former Prime Minister of Sweden); and the Honourable Elyakim Rubinstein (Former Deputy President of the Israeli Supreme Court). The Centre’s Founder and International Chair is Professor Irwin Cotler and the Co-Chairs from countries of Wallenberg’s Honorary Citizenship include Jared Genser (US); Michael Danby (Australia); and Natan Sharansky (Israel).”<br /><br /><br />The goal of this organization is to use the global media as well as private diplomatic efforts to help secure Badawi's release from prison.<br /><br />According to this organization, “Raif Badawi has been languishing in a Saudi prison since his arrest in 2012, and his subsequent sentencing in 2014 to 10 years imprisonment and 1000 lashes, itself constitutive of torture and a standing violation of International Human Rights Law. Badawi's "crime"? Establishing an online forum and exercising his right to freedom of expression. Despite Saudi Arabia expressing an interest in reforming and modernizing, Raif Badawi – an advocate of liberalism and tolerance, and the champion of these changes – remains imprisoned and separated from his wife and three children, now citizens of Canada.”<br /><br /><br />While his exact location is unknown, it has been reported that Badawi is currently imprisoned in Dhahban Central Prison.<br /><br /><br />Following the 2012 arrest, Amnesty International designated Badawi a prisoner of conscience. As reported on their website – amnestyusa.org,<br /><br />“In May 2014, Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years behind bars, 1,000 lashes, a 10-year travel ban, and a lifetime ban from appearing in the media. He was convicted of violating Saudi Arabia's draconian information technology law and "insulting Islam." The conviction stems from number of articles Raif wrote and published on his site "Saudi Arabian Liberals," which he founded as a forum for social and political debate. Raif also refused to remove other Saudi writers' articles from the site.<br /><br />"We want life for those who call for our death, and rationality for those who desire ignorance for us." -Raif Badawi<br /><br /><br />“The charges against Raif are related to articles he wrote criticizing religious authorities in Saudi Arabia, and pieces penned by others that Raif published on the Saudi Arabian Liberals' site. The prosecution had called for him to be tried for 'apostasy' or abandoning his religion, which carries the death penalty.<br /><br />“Raif is one of many activists in Saudi Arabia persecuted for openly expressing their views online. Facebook and Twitter are incredibly popular in a country where people can't openly voice their opinions in public. The authorities have responded to this increase in online debate by monitoring social media sites and even trying to ban applications such as Skype and WhatsApp, further stifling free expression.”<br /><br />Badawi’s unshakeable determination and remarkable courage as an advocate of human freedom and the right to express one’s views openly are of great value to us all, and a reminder of the inherent power of the human spirit.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-23377608602434178872022-01-27T11:14:00.003-08:002022-01-27T11:14:58.414-08:00Gordon Hirabayashi<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoa5Rb4Nfmn0fcE5Fa3irmEco5e4OzFHqlW5DWyrPbws0FSxMYRFOH8bV5ZwABRVSus6n9o56XS9Uvk-OvFyUGbDTo7fqTdAOLg_bLdCxZYfPLoIuFLtvXiA2ovpMRWFm2hSc32jX8PpJvbgNxDdQCCpG3PBPOGT7--x5DTZ8tAD5lDnYxk04=s236" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="161" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoa5Rb4Nfmn0fcE5Fa3irmEco5e4OzFHqlW5DWyrPbws0FSxMYRFOH8bV5ZwABRVSus6n9o56XS9Uvk-OvFyUGbDTo7fqTdAOLg_bLdCxZYfPLoIuFLtvXiA2ovpMRWFm2hSc32jX8PpJvbgNxDdQCCpG3PBPOGT7--x5DTZ8tAD5lDnYxk04=w273-h400" width="273" /></a></p><br />We have previously examined the life of Fred Korematsu, above, and have seen the degree of his courage in opposing the involuntary internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. There was yet another individual, Gordon Hirabayashi, who openly defied Order No. 9066 that forcefully relocated so many Japanese-Americans, brutally uprooted them from their lives and livelihoods and for many their property as well.<br /><br />Hirabayashi was born on April 23, 1918, in Sandpoint, Washington to Shungo and Mitsuko Hirabayashi who emigrated from Nagano Prefecture, Japan – a farming community. Shungo came to the United States in 1907 and was later to marry Mitsuko in 1914. It was an arranged marriage that was not uncommon in that era. Both Shungo and Mitsuko had studied at the Kenshi Gijuku Academy in Japan where they had learned English and eventually converted to the Christian religion. Rather than joining a conventional Christian mainline church they became followers of Kanzo Uchimura (1861 – 1930) who was responsible for founding the Mukyokai movement in Japan. The emphasis of this mode of Christianity proposed a non-liturgical approach to religious practice. It became known for its non-church services.<br /><br />In 1891, Uchimura gained notoriety when, as a teacher at the First Higher School in Tokyo, he refused to bow before the signature of the emperor affixed to a copy of the new Imperial Rescript on Education. He later changed his mind and from a sickbed sent a colleague to bow for him, but the affair effectually ended his educational career. The Mukoyokai movement was pacifist in its orientation and stressed that behavior should reflect belief. It was apparently this ideology that inspired Hirabyashi to act in a way that lived up to his beliefs.<br /><br />Once in America, Hirabayashi’s parents were instrumental with others in forming the White River Garden Corporation. In order to accomplish this, the Japanese-American members had to use a white intermediary on account of the fact that the Washington State Constitution had incorporated an alien land law in its founding documents in 1889. In 1921, this law was amended to make it impossible for aliens ineligible for citizenship to hold major shares in a corporation, hold property or hold any major interest in lands delegated for agricultural use. Because of this legal stipulation, the White River Garden Corporation lost its case in the Washington State Supreme Court and the farmland was ceded to the State, but the families involved were allowed to stay on the land and rent it from the State.<br /><br />Given his unique Christian upbringing, he began to take a pacifist stance in regard to the growing conflict that was embracing Europe and Asia. By 1939 following the German occupation of Poland, the United Kingdom had declared war on Germany. As a consequence of these events, Hirabayashi as a young man registered with the Selective Service as a conscientious objector and joined the Religious Society of Friends, the Quakers, known for their long-standing pacifist theology.<br /><br />Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, it was becoming quite evident that the United States domestic policy had begun to focus on Japanese-Americans as possible being a potential threat to domestic security. Finally, with the promulgation of Executive Order 9066, the military was given the responsibility of implementing the forced migration of Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast to hastily constructed internment camps.<br /><br />Realizing that his constitutionally mandated rights were being violated, he made the momentous and courageous decision to resist. When the time came requiring him to register for relocation, Hirabayashi turned himself in to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). His strategy was to create a test case as a way to challenge the underlying constitutionality of the federal mandate that ordered the forced incarceration of an entire group without due process of law. He had an underlying faith in the democratic system. He received a substantial amount of legal help and was eventually represented by Frank L. Waters. He was also supported by the American Friends Service Committee and Norman Thomas (1884 – 1968), the noted pacifist and leader of the Socialist Party of the United States for many years.<br /><br />On May 13, 942, Hirabayashi wrote the following letter (see the image below) –<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNWpOzd0ONv7hDq0pAKKpWvfjITrpIzXJHRnKzk9lJ_PSsHkzPNI4u3-gaxm4ueadZ3QO8VaX0KILe6qBRYNiy39gayIGhpsGK2rEVbbenTWdd4vvxIF1-uEHdsk-9DJuY0izCCAv8eDX4Cz-cUW0Mjq9kQgwv3gAX0lv4Gw_oPm3ddCR4pQo=s4362" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4362" data-original-width="2723" height="732" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNWpOzd0ONv7hDq0pAKKpWvfjITrpIzXJHRnKzk9lJ_PSsHkzPNI4u3-gaxm4ueadZ3QO8VaX0KILe6qBRYNiy39gayIGhpsGK2rEVbbenTWdd4vvxIF1-uEHdsk-9DJuY0izCCAv8eDX4Cz-cUW0Mjq9kQgwv3gAX0lv4Gw_oPm3ddCR4pQo=w458-h732" width="458" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />On May 28, 1942, Hirabayashi was indicted for violating Public Law 505 that made the violation of the mandated curfew imposed upon Japanese-Americans a federal crime. He was subsequently arraigned on June 1, 1942, at which time he pleaded not guilty based upon the legal argument that both the exclusion law and the curfew denied him basic constitutional rights as a citizen of the United States.<br /><br />He ultimately lost this case and was sentenced to serve his allotted time in confinement at a road camp and ended up at a camp outside of Tacoma, Washington. When Hirabayashi’s legal team appealed this conviction to the Supreme Court, Hirabayashi v. United States, the justices by unanimous vote upheld his conviction on June 21, 1943.<br /><br />He served his remaining time in a prison in Tucson, Arizona. There he met Hopi draft resistors and other pacifists like himself who refused military service on the grounds of being conscientious objectors. This experience reinforced his determination to resist.<br /><br />Following his release from the federal prison in Tucson, he was faced with yet another challenge to his determination to resist what he believed were unconstitutional infringements on his personal liberty. He received a form from the Selective Service that came to be known as the “loyalty questionnaire (Form 304A). It was entitled, The Statement of United States Citizens of Japanese Ancestry<br /><br />Since this form specifically singled out citizens of Japanese descent, he refused to fill it out and returned the blank form with a letter detailing his view regarding his view of the legitimacy of the questionnaire. His submission was ignored, and he was subsequently ordered to proceed to the CPS camp for induction. He refused induction. And was charged with Selective Service violations. In court, he represented himself, and was found guilty and was sentenced to one year at the McNeil Island Penitentiary.<br /><br />After his release and following the end of the war, Hirabayashi completed his studies in sociology and with his advanced PhD degree, he taught abroad in Beirut, Lebanon, Cairo, Egypt, and Alberta Canada where he finally retired in 1983.<br /><br /><br /><br />Ultimately, his wartime conviction was vacated by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1987. This decision represented a repudiation of the extra-legal treatment of the Japanese-American population during the war.<br /><br />In 1999, Hirabayashi was recognized for his courage and conviction in the face of the assault on his basic freedoms as a citizen of the United States by the renaming of the site of the Tucson Federal Prison in his honor to the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site. In 2002, a kiosk was created that honored not only Hirabayashi, but also the forty-one Nisei draft resistors that were also sent to prison.<br /><br />Hirabayashi died on January 2, 2012 and was subsequently posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama – a fitting acknowledgment to his contributions in living up to a central ideal of democracy – equal treatment of all under the law.Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-42045045397332894182021-12-05T10:52:00.005-08:002021-12-05T10:53:48.952-08:00Chief Raoni Metuktire<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4Fku2IjhhE0/Ya0KN1jRqGI/AAAAAAAANR0/co9YD7OJ88oA0IRtVRLg7hSzmYasSyAOwCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="354" height="222" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4Fku2IjhhE0/Ya0KN1jRqGI/AAAAAAAANR0/co9YD7OJ88oA0IRtVRLg7hSzmYasSyAOwCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Chief Raoni Metuktire is the chief of the Kayapo people who populate a region of the Amazon forest. It is this vast region in South America
that represents a highly important resource that plays a central role in the
stability of the global climate especially with the added threat of climate
change that is a direct result of human activity.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Amazon forest has been threatened for decades due to the
unabated incursion of commercial development that has had a devastating impact
on the the region – threatening the delicate ecological balance that sustains
this natural system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, the
livelihood, safety and security of the indigenous peoples that populate this
region have been under continued assault.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chief Raoni has been involved in the preservation of the
remaining rain forest that is home to his people for decades and has repeatedly
risked his own safety in the pursuit of this illusive goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although there is no official record of his
birth, it has been assumed that he was born around 1932 in a village called
Krajmopyjakare<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
XE "Krajmopyjakare" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, otherwise known as Kapot<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Kapot" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This village resides in the midst of he
region referred to as the Mato Grosso in Brazil<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Mato Grosso in Brazil" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(see map below).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rTSryaXQ-uc/Ya0KYeGx7EI/AAAAAAAANR4/PcG8HkiafRkFLI_G8LamyYEX7Y8B0xI2gCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="595" height="229" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rTSryaXQ-uc/Ya0KYeGx7EI/AAAAAAAANR4/PcG8HkiafRkFLI_G8LamyYEX7Y8B0xI2gCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>The Kayapo are a nomadic people; as a child he lived in many
locations. At the age of 15, Raoni
participated in the rites of initiation as a warrior and wore a labret – an ornamental disk in their lower lip that
was gradually replaced by larger disks an ultimately reached the current size
after four months.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 1954, Raoni met the Villas Broas brothers<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Villas Broas brothers" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– Orlando, Claudio and Leonardi were Brazilian
activists that drew attention to the plight of the indigenous people of Brazil and
ultimately succeeded in getting the upper Xingu<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "upper Xingu" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>legally protected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He stayed with them for a year, learned
Portuguese and was greatly influenced by them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was in 1973 that Chief Raoni began a friendship with noted
French film maker, Jean Pierre Dutilleux<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Jean Pierre Dutilleux" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, that ultimately led to the
release of a documentary film entitled <i>Raoni</i><!--[if supportFields]><i><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span></i> XE "<i>Raoni</i>" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><i><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></i><![endif]--><i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>that was presented at the 1977 Cannes
festival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gave the Chief Raoni and
the plight of his people worldwide exposure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He used this exposure as an opportunity to expose the threat
the deforestation posed on the rain forest ecosystem and the plight this posed
to the indigenous populations of this region.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 1989, Chief Raoni, enlisted the help of Sting<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Sting" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, a popular British rock band
to broadcast his message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the
first time he ever traveled beyond his homeland of Brazil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The resulting impact of all these events
aroused enough global support that a vast tropical reservation was create in
1993 that encompassed the Mato Grosso and Para states in Brazil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, Chief Raoni won the support of
such notable individuals as French President, Mitterrand<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "President, Mitterand" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the former French President Chirac<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "President Chirac" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->, The king of Spain, Juan
Carlos<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE
"Juan Carlos" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Pope John Paul II<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span> XE "Pope John Paul II" <![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chief Raoni Metuktire remains a charismatic and influential
leader in support of the indigenous peoples of the rain forest and an outspoken
proponent of a sustainable planet.<o:p></o:p></p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-39757961168716279562021-11-27T08:03:00.004-08:002021-11-27T22:46:10.675-08:00Why Moving Towards the Light is More Important than Ever<p> This country, founded on a belief in human equality, the power of democracy and the rule of law, is in serious crisis and moving inexorably towards the darkness. After only 232 years since the birth of the Democratic Republic in 1789, the democratic system as outlined in the Constitution has been seriously threatened especially following an attempted coup by its former President on Jan 6 of the year 2021. The near successful attempt to undermine the peaceful transition of power by a mentally unbalanced demagogue and blatant white supremacist is troublesome in its own right.</p>However, it seems that a major political party not only has essentially refused to condemn this overt attempt to subvert the very basis of a democratically-aligned government but has made it clear through both rhetoric and actions its determination to undermine the electoral process. Through its unrelenting attacks on the truth; and through its violent and corrosive language in which the members of the opposing party – that clearly holds the majority – are labeled as the enemy, it has become quite evident that the democratic process is held in contempt.<br /><br />These are indeed dark times when the forces of bigotry and repression, of ignorance and violence, of hatred and fear are encouraged and seen as values to be lauded. These are indeed dark times when white supremacy is regarded as a political philosophy to be embraced and emulated. These are indeed dark times when truth is supplanted with outrageous falsehoods and intellect and science are held suspect.<br /><br />This nation has failed to come to terms with the violent reality of its past. Part of this violent heritage was the near genocide of the native peoples of North America for the primary purpose of uprooting them from their land and their way of life so as to make room for white settlers who wished to forcefully occupy all available land and exploit its vast and untapped resources. There has been and continues to be a refusal to acknowledge the great injustice of the enslavement of the peoples of Africa captured and forcefully exported from their land and their people so as to exploit their labor .and deprive them of their inherent humanity. This incomplete accounting does not include the totality of violent aggression directed at immigrant populations over the life of the nation.<br /><br />A significant aspect of this past is the many wars of aggression fought around the world so as to impose and protect economic and political hegemony especially in regard to poorer nations. More often than not these conflicts left millions of needless and avoidable deaths and unimaginable destruction.<br /><br />This unabashed history of intolerance, hatred and violence has left innumerable injuries that fester within the body politic and have seriously impacted the collective psyche of the American people. As a result, fear, uncertainty, insecurity, and suspicion have festered within the population making it susceptible to the vitriol and toxic polemics that reverberate throughout the culture. This has given rise to a crazed environment where hundreds of millions of guns and weaponry are now in the hands of the general public. A consideration of the inevitable outcome of this mass possession of instruments of death is difficult to contemplate.<br /><br />We are a people in crisis. A route out of this path into the darkness is to turn towards the light. This shift in direction involves a number of key transformations. A first priority must be a return to the truth and the concomitant rejection of the lie in all its manifestations. Secondly, the reality that science has clearly demonstrated that needs to be fully embraced is the fact that all peoples of the world regardless of the color of their skin, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender, etc. are members of the same species – Homo sapiens – all worthy of the same rights and privileges and entitled to the same treatment under the law. A necessary corollary of this truth is the fact that race is an artificial construct that has no reality outside this mistaken perception. A true ascendence to this reality would deny bigotry, prejudice and feelings of racial superiority any standing.<br /><br />One of the key components of such a shift in attitudes and general mindset is the necessity of discarding delusional thinking that has led to the acceptance of crazed philosophies and expectations that have no true relationship with reality. Freeing ourselves of the burden of this thinking would allow the nation to begin to confront real issues such as climate change, that in the absence of remedial action may eventually engulf us.<br /><br />Finally and most importantly, we need to discard the blinders that have kept us trapped in a world of our own creation where we have come to believe that we as individuals are the center of existence and therefore fail to recognize and appreciate the wondrous diversity that surrounds us. We are, after all, a part of the fabric of existence; all of humanity and nature deserves to be heard, nurtured, supported and appreciated. This, to me, is the essence of love.Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-70389065045255786812021-07-29T08:25:00.002-07:002021-07-29T08:26:23.144-07:00A Time of Deep Sadness – The American Political System 2021<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">As a people, we should be deeply troubled about what has transpired over the recent past.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">The change that has apparently overtaken the American political system began with the election of America’s first Black President, Barrack Obama, the 44th President of the United States.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">For on that day, the underlying malaise that has haunted this country since its inception as a supposed Democratic Republic finally broke through the surface and shattered the veneer that has dominated the domestic landscape.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Once the imposing barrier that had existed to forestall real social progress imploded, a significant portion of the white population found that the new reality encompassing a ethnically, culturally, and racially diverse nation was regarded as entirely unacceptable.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The malaise I am referring to is that of the profoundly delusional belief in the supremacy of the white race.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This belief together with the corollaries that it embraces is particularly absurd in the twenty-first century where the modern understanding of molecular biology and genetics has clearly established that race is a completely manufactured concept having no basis in reality, for all individual human beings regardless of their place of origin, color of their skin, cultural identity, system of beliefs are all members of the same species with no essential differences between them. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our history as a nation has much to atone for in regard to the malevolent and evil behavior directed at Native American peoples that led to their near-genocide and the unconscionable stealing of their birth rite and homeland.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This appropriated land and natural resources were takings that the colonists and their descendants enormously benefited from.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This belief in the supremacy of the white race was also used to rationalize the institution of slavery that deprived the freedom, dignity,and welfare of people of color forcefully removed from their homelands for the sole purpose of enhancing the economic status of the slave owners and all those who indirectly benefited from this forced arrangement.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To this day, Native Americans and African -Americans are still paying a horrific price for the color of their skin – a wholly accidental difference that is insignificant from the perspective of the inherent biology of the species.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The reality of the bigotry and prejudice that is the essential consequences of this belief in white supremacy – this lie of monstrous proportions – has so distorted the mentality and intelligence of those who hold it as a fundamental truth that it has elevated sheer stupidity and staggering ignorance to a such a place preeminence within our culture that an entire major political party has come to embrace it.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is the price we are collectively paying for not condemning such preposterous lies.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The reality of what actually transpired on January 6 is a clear indicator of how far we have come to our own self-immolation.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Any impartial observer to the horrendous events that transpired on that day could not come to any conclusion other than that the perpetrators involved held the system of laws and beliefs that are absolutely essential within the framework of a democratic republic in complete contempt.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">To conclude otherwise is to make a mockery of democracy itself.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Democracy cannot be sustained if truth and reason are held suspect.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Democracy requires an informed, educated, and intelligent population.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Without this bulwark, the enormous problems that confront the nation cannot be delineated, analyzed and successfully addressed.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Without an informed, educated, and diverse electorate, we will effectively jeopardize our future and may well experience a kind of dystopia that has usually been addressed in fictional literature and the medium of film.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If the violent mob that attacked the nation’s capital - encouraged by a significant portion of the Republican Party - actually succeeded in the installation of a deranged, intellectually challenged and horrendously incompetent leader like Trump in defiance of democratic principles we would be witnessing a significant acceleration of this apparently inexorable process of decline.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">One might argue that this line of argument I am presenting is extreme and somewhat exaggerated.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, please remember that we now live in a country that has justified the universal acquisition of firearms of all varieties including assault weapons.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Within this environment, this country has come to tolerate a level of violence that most civilized societies would find entirely unacceptable.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Given these realities, what would be the consequences for a country with an abysmal public health system, a failing infrastructure, a catastrophic and extreme climate, a large population of poor and homeless when all of these issues are ignored or mismanaged by an extremist, autocratic, undemocratic, and corrupt government? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What would be the status of the ordinary citizen among a thoroughly armed and disaffected population?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are we prepared to accept such a bleak and unforgiving environment for ourselves and future generations?</span></p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-14449961999267877852021-06-18T20:36:00.004-07:002021-07-29T08:33:50.482-07:00The Plight of the Native American Peoples of the US<p>It is a disturbing and unavoidable reality that the westward expansion of the United States during the early stage of its development as a nation was accomplished at the expense of the native populations that occupied these coveted lands. These native peoples were conveniently viewed as less than human and treated accordingly, resulting in their near genocide. As a result, they were violently displaced from the land they held as sacred for the sake of the unimpeded and ineluctable occupation by white settlers.</p><p>To this day, no substantive apologies have ever been offered and no attempt at restitution made to help ameliorate the suffering that has been imposed on these native peoples and their descendants. The following is a description of the tragedy imposed upon Chief Joseph and his people - the Nez Perce.</p><h1><a name="_Toc72944705">Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce</a><o:p></o:p></h1><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-luD0AYq9mhk/YM1ipndiZ_I/AAAAAAAAMsg/5qDt_v4LH7EsP1trWB_bm5T_OMAuxFz9wCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="clear: left; display: inline; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="192" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-luD0AYq9mhk/YM1ipndiZ_I/AAAAAAAAMsg/5qDt_v4LH7EsP1trWB_bm5T_OMAuxFz9wCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="184" /></a></p>was known to his people as "Thunder Traveling to the Loftier Mountain Heights."<br /><br />The Nez Perce occupied an area of Oregon referred to as the Wallowa valley in Eastern Oregon. These people were first exposed to white settlers during the Lewis and Clark expedition (1804 – 1806). They were treated with kindness, consideration, and compassion. On this first encounter they were impressed by the technological advances and capabilities these strangers. To some members of the Nez Perce people, they were regarded as superior being whom they wanted to emulate. This embrace of these newcomers, however, would prove to be ofrelatively short duration.<br /><br />It was not longer after this initial encounter, that the NEZ Perce was visited by Christian missionaries. An exposure to the ways of the white man as exemplified by the lifestyle of these missionaries led many Nez Perce to convert to Christianity.<br /><br />Joseph’s father, Tuekakas, as chief of the Nez Perce was a convert and as a consequence, Joseph was exposed at an early age to the ways of these foreigners.<br /><br />Although the homeland of the Nez Perce was remote and hard to reach served as a significant barrier to encroachment by white settlers, this protection was disrupted by two significant events in the early history of the U.S. republic. One was the California Gold Rush of 1848 and the other was Homestead Act of 1862 that granted up to 160 acres of land to those who would establish residence and make the land productive. This act resulted in the settlement of about 1.6 million on land mostly West of the Mississippi.<br /><br />Although many individuals migrated to California In search of gold, few became rich. When the dream of becoming rich weathered, many were attracted to the West as a place to settle. As a result, these miners began to encroach upon the land of the Nez Perce.<br /><br />In addition, the push to settle in the vast lands of the West promoted by the Federal government through the enactment of the Homestead Act was thwarted by the presence of Native American populations that were already resident. In the fact of this reality, the government attempted to come to some kind of peaceful arrangement with these populations through the instrument of treaties. However, there was no real incentive to honor the provisions of these treaties, since the newly formed American nation possessed a superiority in numbers and military capability. The historic record is replete with examples of the abrogation of these treaty arrangements.<br /><br />When Joseph became chief following the death of his father, he naively believed that the U.S. was sincere in its efforts to find peaceful arrangements and would be true to treaty obligations. It is important to understand that the Nez Perce had a strong body of spiritual beliefs in which the land and all that resided upon it were considered a sacred and sustaining aspect of existence and could not be owned, purchased, or exploited. In this light, the attitudes and politics of the white settlers and the US government were inexplicable.<br /><br />The turning point came In 1877 as a result of the conference held between many of the indigenous tribal leaders and General Howard representing the US government. The meeting was held at Fort Lapwai. It was Howard’s intention to use this opportunity to issue an ultimatum to those Native American leaders invited that they must leave their land and move to designated reservations. They could do this freely or be forced to migrate. The outcome of this conference demonstrated once and for all the unwillingness of the US government to honor its treaty obligations when it was not in its interest to do so. The ultimate conclusion was that Howard issued his ultimatum that the Nez Perce must either move out of their homeland to a reservation defined by the US government within thirty days or be forcefully driven out. When Chief Joseph attempted to suggest that this abbreviated timeline was impossible to adhere to, his entreaties were ignored.<br /><br />Rather than accept this ultimatum, Chief Joseph fled with his people – there goal was to travel to Canada and remove themselves entirely from jurisdiction of the US government. This represented a 1400-mile trek (see map below) while constantly being pursued by the US army. This was a brave yet futile effort that resulted in the death of many hundreds of his people. He ultimately surrendered in 1877.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wGGEpS-zN1M/YM1kSrUeplI/AAAAAAAAMso/y0nYxLrrPiEGd-NSyIoqynrwM9utH2hQQCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="509" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wGGEpS-zN1M/YM1kSrUeplI/AAAAAAAAMso/y0nYxLrrPiEGd-NSyIoqynrwM9utH2hQQCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="255" /></a></div><br /> <br /><br />Following the final defeat of the Nez Perce at the hands of the US army, Chief Joseph gave a very poignant and unforgettable speech on October 5, 1877, upon his surrender to General Howard who had been pursuing him and his people for many months in their vain attempt to flee to freedom in Canada. His speech is shown below.<br /><br />"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say, 'Yes' or 'No.' He who led the young men [Olikut] is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are — perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."<br /><br />It is a testament to his timeless courage and unshakeable conviction that there is a town in Oregon (Joseph, Oregon) near Wallowa Lake named after him and the Nez Perce Memorial National Park was created in the same region that is also the site where he is buried. Of course, whether or not the descendants of the Nez Perce will ever be justly compensated for the grave injustice perpetrated against their people is an open question.<br /><br />The story of this remarkable human being is an extraordinary one.</div>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-87112784265356891532021-03-17T06:54:00.004-07:002021-03-17T07:19:58.495-07:00Judgment and Forgiveness<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdBb7XoUUpI/YFIKCsEsDHI/AAAAAAAALj4/i8h51ZJ3puod5XGeMf53Z2GX9FWgXr3ZQCNcBGAsYHQ/s300/nelson%2Bmandela%2Band%2Bdesmond%2Btutu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdBb7XoUUpI/YFIKCsEsDHI/AAAAAAAALj4/i8h51ZJ3puod5XGeMf53Z2GX9FWgXr3ZQCNcBGAsYHQ/s0/nelson%2Bmandela%2Band%2Bdesmond%2Btutu.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It is easy to arrive at a summary judgment in regard to an individual, familiar, or not, family member or stranger. It is facile, indeed, for any of us to believe that we have the categorical right to judge another human being on whatever evidence seems to be at hand whether directly experienced or purely anecdotal. It is far too tempting to reach a harsh and immobile conclusion in regard to another individual’s perceived character based upon the assumption that one has a complete understanding of what is right and what is wrong.<br /><br />In truth, is anyone ever truly able to make a judgment without fully comprehending how reality is perceived through the eyes and mind of the individual being examined through such a myopic lens? Good and evil are terms used far too often with a false and misleading sense of certainty. Far too often, the pronouncement of evil is applied from the standpoint that the one(s) making this determination is decidedly good.<br /><br />There are no absolutes in the context of human behavior. It is not possible to comprehend another human without seeing through the same eyes, co-existing within the same mind and understanding the cumulative impact of life experiences upon his or her view of the world. Those who are abused in childhood are more than likely to become abusers as adults. Mental Illness has many and myriad manifestations, and those who suffer from severe chemical imbalances within their brains, often exhibit erratic, irrational, and sometimes dangerous behavior. An historic example of this reality was that of Adolph Hitler who was ultimately determined to be a schizophrenic psychopath.<br /><br />The best we can do and still remain true to the vagaries and vicissitudes of human nature is to judge the behavior and not the person. This is not to suggest that dangerous behavior that does harm to others can be ignored by the society at large; this is not to propose that the person guilty of crimes against his fellow humans is not to be held accountable for his or her actions. We cannot however, with any confidence, determine the inner-workings of another mind and come to any unambiguous assessment of that individual.<br /><br />Paradoxically, we do have the capacity to condemn a behavior yet forgive the individual responsible for that behavior. Forgiveness is a recognition of the innate frailties of being human. Forgiveness can open the mind and heart, shattering the constraints that judgment imposes. Forgiveness can provide a gateway to the liberation of the spirit, for it lightens the burdens imposed by judgment and loss. Under certain circumstances, forgiveness seems impossible, yet it often becomes a necessary feature of acceptance and growth. Without forgiveness, reality becomes distorted and superimposed by a bleak world of black and white, devoid of color. Without forgiveness, the human world is destined to follow the trajectory that is an unavoidable consequence of violence and retribution. The path of forgiveness and reconciliation that South Africa took following the fall of apartheid under the guiding influence of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu is an excellent example of the power of these actions in forging a more peaceful future.</p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-64240793277387449762020-12-23T07:50:00.001-08:002020-12-23T07:50:22.640-08:00Holiday Message for the Coming Year - 2021<p> The year 2020 has been in many ways disturbing and unsettling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What, of course, comes to mind almost immediately is the COVID 19 pandemic that has claimed so many lives and has been so economically devastating to many facets of the national economy, and especially for those who have lost their livelihoods and businesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Added to this national burden are the deep fractures that have been exposed in regard to a national sense of unity, shared-mission and purpose.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Along with this overwhelming sense of loss, however, is the untold bravery, courage and unwavering energy displayed by so many who have risked their own lives and safety to come to the aid of all of us for the unselfish commitment to the greater good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These individuals have come from many diverse positions - as doctors, nurses, emergency response teams, members of the police and fire departments and first responders of all kinds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To this list, we should include all those responsible for providing food; for delivering the mail; for the taxi and bus drivers, train operators and pilots; for the teachers; for all those who care for the elderly and for all those who provide the essential services that we all too often take for granted.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">My wish for the New Year (2021) is that we grow wiser from the events that have befallen us and see the future as a time for healing and learning from our collective missteps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My hope is that the new year will be a time of new beginnings. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dream is that we will finally come to recognize that regardless of our national origin, religious affiliation, skin color or sexual orientation we are all members of the same species with the same physical bodies, the same architecture of the brain, the same genetic makeup, the same constellation of feelings, of hopes and of dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of us is worthy of the same opportunities to grow and develop as sentient beings on this most remarkable planet that also needs our kindness, care, and attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earth is, after all, our only home.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Best Wishes to All</p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-16076541625343450922020-10-28T07:49:00.002-07:002020-12-23T07:52:49.282-08:00The Critical Need for a New Paradigm<p> The human species is in a state of perpetual crises. This has been made evident by the turmoil present within so many human societies throughout the globe. It has been this way since the very beginnings of human civilization. The protracted history of humanity in the last 10,000 years has been filled with many wars of aggression, widespread bigotry, hatred, and enmity between peoples who view themselves as being different. This propensity for tribalism and xenophobia is more than likely a result of human evolution on planet earth – it was a time when these kinds of responses provided a significant advantage for small local groups competing for survival in an essentially hostile environment. </p><br />During this early stage in human evolution, the species (Homo sapiens) was sparsely populated on the planet and the tribal disputes between local peoples of different origins did not have much of an impact on the longevity of the species or on the health and state of the natural environment primarily due to the primitive nature of weaponry. <br /><br />Currently, however, with close to 8 billion individuals populating this fragile ecosystem called earth and where advances in technological warfare has brought us horrendous weapons of mass destruction, this is no longer the case. We have reached a time in human development on planet earth where it has become imperative that humans learn to cooperate with each other regardless of their place of origin, the color of their skin, their particular belief systems, and their sexual orientation. <br /><br />The level of competition between peoples for natural resources such as land and water and sources of energy, for example, has become so acute that the usual practice of acting with violence and aggression towards real or perceived adversaries has become counterproductive and detrimental to the very future of the species. Empire building and the penchant for colonization has thankfully diminished over the recent past, but the urge to dominate others and accrue wealth and power at the expense of the weak remains as a dominant and corrosive force within the body politic. <br /><br />The modern quest for energy to propel the hunger and thirst for material progress has now created a situation where the very stability of the earthly climate is in jeopardy. In order to ensure a secure future for the coming generations, the only remedy is to reach all-encompassing solutions to the daunting issues of climate change, wars of aggression, hatred, and bigotry and to build cooperative and compassionate relationships between all peoples around the globe. <br /><br />To accomplish these elusive goals on a worldwide scale requires a new paradigm – one in which all humans inhabiting this planet are accepted as an intrinsic part of the human family and worthy of an equal chance and opportunity to pursue their goals, aspirations and the promise of a full and rewarding life. One in which all humans are viewed as being of equivalent worth and held within the context of a universal and caring global human community. <br /><br />It is within this light, that true peace and security is achievable. It is within this light, that humanity will finally be able to release itself from the seemingly endless cycle of violence and retribution. Whether humankind will ever be able to transcend the oppressive boundaries of its own limited conclusions is, of course, an open question. We must, however, dare to hope and dare to dream and dare to finally act in our own best interests. Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-31455108713358736452020-10-07T12:03:00.002-07:002020-10-07T12:07:15.012-07:00Why Peace<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/v/s!AhLgmI2tjfZRibB5BAv7WiTOumJM0w?e=gHBlNj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="994" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LFr_VYvS-9g/X34Q1r7ZkqI/AAAAAAAALZI/UinWMUdjB8QkCdNDSpEIoyM_ZgIoiV6YACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Mahatma%2BGandhi.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-44114921037054836752020-10-03T19:08:00.005-07:002020-10-31T18:44:01.179-07:00The History and Impact of Slavery in the United States (1619 - 2020)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!AhLgmI2tjfZRia5zrrGL3Q5Gqq3LIQ?e=dX1llx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sDq3lrQoT60/X3kujdqDauI/AAAAAAAALX0/ROXR9txfRT8vvaUwUExqxuKut6aZvf1QQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/modern%2Bday%2Bkkk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Class Document</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/v/s!AhLgmI2tjfZRieNpzzpshnkwPHRtwA?e=B4u8AZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ilmfDDdIIzg/X5RDDkV6BQI/AAAAAAAALa4/Uw_u5PlQwjwN7mx595ud4bf2xdtwvQs3wCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/civil%2Brights%2Bconfrontations%2Bduring%2Bcivil%2Bright%2Bunrest%2Bin%2Bthe%2B1960s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Video Presentation</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-82963216859963099192020-05-20T08:59:00.002-07:002020-05-20T11:08:26.540-07:00A Plea for Sanity and IntelligenceWithin the seemingly endless maelstrom of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, we are witnessing the full consequences of failed leadership on the part of the Federal government within a corrupt and dysfunctional system. To refer to the virus as our enemy is rather ludicrous at best. Viruses are a fundamental aspect of biological life on planet earth. As a type of life form, they have played an essential role in the evolution of living things over billions of years and are not about to disappear. <br /><br /><div>The enemy in this debacle is ourselves. As a democratic society, we have apparently chosen an individual to head the Federal government who is patently incapable of real and authentic leadership; someone who is inherently unable to intellectually grasp such a complex issue with all its layered nuances and is, thereby thoroughly and completely out of his depth. He and his cohorts have failed in regard to nearly every level of dealing with a national crisis of such major proportions. <br /><br />Even though we are currently mired in a very difficult and perilous situation, we do have the unprecedented opportunity to emerge from this crisis with a renewed focus and determination to finally acknowledge and correct the critical inequities that have permeated our national life for far too long. The threat to our health and livelihoods that this pandemic has posed has essentially unveiled the deep-seated problems that have confounded American life. <br /><br />It has been over one-hundred and fifty years since the end of the devastating and debilitating Civil War and yet as a people we are still haunted and plagued by the prejudice, hatred and bigotry that propelled us into that devastating conflict in the first place. Fear and suspicion continue to dominate national life and have led to an armed and anxious people. We have not yet come to terms with our collective past. The process of rebuilding our social and economic life at the end of this pandemic may provide us with an opportunity to recognize our failings and construct an entirely different and more inclusive image of ourselves not simply for the present moment, but for future generations as well. <br /><br />Many of the societal ills that have characterized ordinary life in the United States prior to this pandemic include a failed national health system, a fractured and dysfunctional national immigration policy, a seemingly perpetual crisis around the issues of homelessness, poverty and hunger, a justice system that has produced the highest per capita prison population in the world and an educational system that effectively excludes many from legitimate access. As a result of this abject failure to educate our own people, there is currently a profound fear and apparent disregard of the essential role that science does play in modern life. <br /><br />Many of these failings have as their primary root cause a massive and inequitable distribution of wealth where there are but a few winners at the very top of the economic scale. Along with this tilted economic alignment comes an equivalent and devastating distribution of economic and political power and influence. As a result, important and far-reaching public policies and decisions have been and are being made not based upon the common good and sound scientifically and intellectually- derived principles but rather upon the immediate capacity to generate wealth and profit. <br /><br />As this public health crisis has clearly demonstrated, this system has failed us especially with leadership that is clearly and categorically aligned with the interests of wealth and power. A society not based upon the premise of providing for the common good, regardless of its avowed political system, is essentially unsustainable. <br /><br />As a people, we are thereby faced with the choice of either coming through this unprecedented situation and reverting back to failed principles or learning important lessons and fashioning a social order focused upon on creating a sane, intelligent, and sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.</div>Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1934200380706574429.post-12239067148794001232020-03-27T09:17:00.003-07:002020-03-27T09:17:40.716-07:00A Time of ReassessmentAt this moment, with the nation hunkered down under the ominous cloud of a persistent virus pursuing the rapacious programming of its inherent biology, it could be a time for personal and societal reflection. Viruses have, in fact, been an integral part of life on this planet for perhaps billions of years and have apparently played a significant role in the evolution of the remarkable diversity of living beings on this earth. They are a part of the universe of living things that populate the natural environment and are not likely to disappear. That is the reality that we are dealing with. <br /><br />We can face this challenge by using the tools that science can and does provide and make judicious and wise decisions, or we get let fear dominate our thinking and abandon reason and rational behavior. The ladder choice would necessarily lead to disaster. <br /><br />At a time when many of us are faced with an enforced isolation, it may provide an opportunity to reflect not only upon our own lives and those who we love and live with but on the very nature of the society that we live in. <br /><br />In my opinion, it is the time to honor those who have the courage and a determined sense of loyalty and caring to place their own personal safety at risk every day to serve us – to minister to our health, to provide the food and nutrition we require, to deliver the mail, to staff the hospitals, to provide security, to drive ambulances, to rush to fires, to save lives, etc. For these individuals, we must provide all the tools they need to not only do their work but to stay safe; for they are our real saviors. <br /><br />There are many individuals and families who have been living on the margins – making barely enough income to survive. In a dire situation where that income stream has been halted, they also require our immediate and sustained assistance. There are hundreds of thousands of homeless individuals and families who have no safe house to retreat to minimize their exposure to the virus. Collectively, we cannot in good conscience abandon them. We are a nation with the remarkable distinction of having the greatest number of prisoners per capita than any other sovereignty. Steps must be taken to change this sobering picture; otherwise, it places our view of justice in a remarkably hypocritical light. <br /><br />My hope it that these stark realities that now haunt us will provide the incentive to reconsider, reevaluate and reassess the nature of our social contract. It may provide an impetus to resuscitate the Commons – to develop the much needed infrastructure to provide accessible healthcare for all, to have a public health system capable of responding quickly and decisively to health emergencies, to provide adequate housing for everyone, and to properly educate and care for all our children. <br /><br /> Joseph Aprilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146849288862816584noreply@blogger.com0