Year: 2014
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Facing Charges–Again
I am facing charges again. I will be arraigned with at least fifteen other anti-drone demonstrators in federal court on September 9 in Sacramento. I consider it a privilege to be part of a sustained movement of nonviolent resistance to the current unjust global system, which is violent to the core. Beale Air Force…
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Words of Sorrow, Words of Hope
Leonard Cohen has a song called The Faith, which asks again and again, “O love aren’t you tired yet?” One verse goes like this: “A cross on every hill, a star, a minaret, so many graves to fill. O love, aren’t you tired yet?” Sometimes I feel tired–discouraged by the struggles and suffering of people…
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Courage
In light of the Israeli slaughter of civilians and destruction of infrastructure in the open-air prison of occupied Gaza, the following poem is just as relevant today as when it was written. Guari wrote “Courage” on October 9, 2001, two days after the United States started bombing Afghanistan in “Operation Enduring Freedom” following the attacks…
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In Gaza: Where is God?
As the Israeli army’s wholesale killing of civilians trapped in Gaza continues, the question arises: where is God? Is God looking on “from a distance,” impassive and unconcerned? Worse yet, is it God’s will, this collective punishment of the Palestinian people? Does God side with those who dominate through massive force and military might?…
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They’re Just like Us
When my grandchildren, Alex and Malina, were recognized for raising money for mosquito nets for the Imagine No Malaria Campaign, Alex explained, “They’re just like us.” Just ten years old, and already they have empathy and can imagine how these other children must feel, even children who live halfway around the world. This…
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Occupy NATGAT 2014
I began blogging in October, 2011, as reports back from Occupy Wall Street in New York. Guari and I plan to be at this year’s Occupy National Gathering, or NATGAT 2014, which will take place from July 31 through August 3 in Sacramento. Preparations are being made, committees are being formed, venues are being booked,…
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Resolution on Natural World Investment Screen
Resolution in support of an investment screen expressing United Methodist Social Principles on The Natural World. Passed by the 2014 California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church Whereas unintended consequences deriving from attempted directives to divest from certain industries for social purposes include the possibility of legal liability for the violation of trust agreements,…
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Resting Up after Annual Conference
I’m still resting up after last week’s trip to Burlingame for the 2014 California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. I took three of my grandchildren with me. They attended the Annual Conference youth program during the day, and we spent time together at night. Alex and Malina, both ten years old, were recognized…
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Clearing
I’ve been doing a lot of clearing lately: clearing out the “granny cabin” and fixing it up for a friend, clearing out boxes of stored items, sorting closets and cabinets, clearing out extraneous “stuff” from our house and yard, throwing out junk and giving things away. At the same time I’ve been letting go of…
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Embracing Spaciousness
This is a reposting of a blog posting titled “Easter Renewal” from last year. It feels timely in my life right now. When I look at the major problems in our world–climate change, predatory capitalism, war, injustice of every kind–or even the small problems of family and friends, I want to do everything…