The World Today – Fernando Suarez del Solar

The World Today – Fernando Suarez del Solar

The world today is faced with the possibility of an imminent third world war; we stand at the gates of Hell itself with so many human lives being killed in the misnamed cause of “Peace”

The occupants of the White House have prepared in great detail the shock waves of terror which have brought these atrocious military attacks on the innocent peoples of Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan and they are preparing to unleash even more violence on the peoples of Iran, Syria, etc. The question then becomes: Where is the world going with this course of action? What future can our youth look forward to as one by one the doors to universities are closing to them, leaving them only the doors to military bases? Where is this hateful militarism leading us?

Today the world is experiencing yet another war: Israel against Lebanon. But can we say it is really a “war” when the civilian population of Lebanon is being killed like flies by bombs and missiles manufactured in the United States – bombs and missiles that explode on their homes while they have no real idea why?

Is it right to kill innocent children to rescue two soldiers kidnapped by a gang of wrongdoers called terrorists?

Is that reason enough to destroy an entire people?

Today banner headlines tell of the horrors happening to the Lebanese people, but –

What happened to the ”other war”, the one where more than 2500 north American youths have died, as well as thousands of ordinary Iraqi civilians, the immense majority of whom were children? It seems that human beings have gotten used to seeing the dead of war, and to not reacting until the black bag arrives at their family’s doorstep, carrying the mutilated body of their own son or daughter. That’s when they raise their voices and ask for Peace. Why wait until then? Why not start NOW to raise our voices, to act and demand a Ceasefire, the withdrawal of the invading troops and respect for the sovereignty of other nations?

That is why I have decided to issue a general call to all people to unite in a single voice, to rise up as one body, and to resist these attacks which are not only act of aggression against one people, but against the whole of humanity itself.

It is ludicrous and at the same time worrisome to realize that in the United States our youth are facing shrinking opportunities for a quality higher education under the pretext of a “War on Terrorism”, that in their search for opportunities now they are being pointed to enrollment in a military system which sooner or later will destroy them and end their lives. It is criminal that the Bush government designates millions of dollars for a deceitful system of military recruitment in the schools, while monies for real education are reduced day after day.

The truth is I am sickened, disturbed at the whole world’s passivity in this terrible situation. I am tired and frustrated to see the deaths mounting day by day, children dieing, parents losing their children, and it seems that there is no hope for a future of peace and justice among the nations. My son died, and it is true that nothing I do or write will bring him back. No. But I am convinced that my words, my actions can bring awareness to others so that we can begin to build another type of army – an army of non-violence, an army of peace that fights with words and education for a better world. Traduced por: Linda Kraus

Fernando Suarez del Solar, Founder & Director
Guerrero Azteca Peace Project
(760)233-0630 Direct telephone
(760)746-4568 Main telephone
(760)737-2334 Fax
PO Box 300221,Escondido,CA 92030-0221
fernando(at)guerreroazteca.org
www.guerreroazteca.org

POR UNA GENERACION LLENA DE PAZ Y AMOR
FOR A GENERATION FILLED WITH PEACE AND LOVE

True Measure

"The true measure of men (sic) is how they treat someone who can do them
absolutely no good."
Samuel Johnson

What Does "Sustainable" Mean - Earth Talk

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: The term “sustainable” seems to be the new green buzzword. What exactly does it mean, particularly when applied to such things, say, as transportation or agriculture? -- Steve Nezhad, Portland, ME

“Sustainable,” quite simply, is the positive result of conducting economic, social or environmental activities in such a way that current needs are met without compromising the well-being of future generations. A sustainable activity also does not despoil the here and now, in part because of how it may affect the future.

For example, cars that run on oil and gasoline are unsustainable on both counts: They make use of a non-renewable resource (that is, one that will be completely depleted at some point in the future); and they pollute the environment right now. Thus they negatively impact the present-day as well as tomorrow.

What, then, is sustainable transportation? Any option that moves people or goods while impacting the environment minimally. Walking and bicycling are the most sustainable, using no energy except for leg power and consuming very little or no resources. And public transportation moves large numbers of people at once while also saving space, as one negative impact of cars is that activities tend to spread out through the process of sprawl, creating the need to travel greater distances to obtain goods or get to work.

As such, to a large extent transportation can be made more sustainable through urban design. The closer together we locate shopping and entertainment centers, the easier it is for public transport to get us there, and the less reliant we are on cars. And cars themselves can be more sustainable by running on clean fuels or on technologies, like hybrids, that use less fuel. Better yet, cars of the not-too-distant future will be powered by fuel cells, which run on hydrogen and spew no pollution. Ideally, that hydrogen will be made from water, using power from solar energy, thus creating no pollution at that point in the process, either.

In the realm of farming, sustainable agriculture in its ideal form provides a living for those who farm and supports the local community’s needs while maintaining the natural ecology of the farm and its surrounding environment. According to the National Safety Center (NSC), a “sustainable” farm produces crops without damage to the farm’s ecosystem, including the soil, water supplies and other adjoining resources. Sustainable agriculture is also “intergenerational,” says NSC, in that it seeks to pass on to future generations a conserved natural resource instead of one that has been depleted or polluted.

Some examples of sustainable agriculture include avoiding chemicals, rotating crops, and choosing crops that suit the climate, so as to reduce the need for chemicals and preserve the long-term fertility of the soil. In light of modern developments, some might add that avoiding genetically modified crops would also fit with the sustainable model, given the uncertainty of their impact on ecosystems and personal health.

Robert Gilman of the Context Institute defines sustainability as “extending the Golden Rule through time…Do unto future generations as you would have them do unto you.” Meanwhile, Paul Hawken of the Natural Capital Institute offers an equally concise summary: “Leave the world better than you found it, take no more than you need, try not to harm life or the environment, make amends if you do.”

CONTACTS: Context Institute, www.context.org; Natural Capital Institute, www.naturalcapital.org.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

150 UK Lawyers Sign Letter regarding Pervasive Racism toward Mumia Abu-Jamal

From the Global Women's Strike/Phila

Dear Friends:

Below is an extraordinary letter signed by over 150 leading UK lawyers that is being sent today to the US Court of Appeals regarding the pervasive racism that death row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal faced and continues to face in the US judicial system. The letter was initiated and distributed by Ian Macdonald QC and Legal Action for Women (LAW), a free legal service and our sister organization in the UK. The letter is being submitted at the same time as Amicus Curiae briefs from the National Lawyers Guild and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Mumia’s lawyer, Robert R. Bryan, filed opening briefs for the appeal on July 20.

NOW IS A CRITICAL TIME IN THE CASE. After 24 years on Pennsylvania’s death row, Mumia, an award-winning journalist convicted in 1982 of killing a policeman, has been granted an appeal which, if successful, could result in a new trial. This would be the first time his case against conviction would be heard by a jury.

THIS IS THE KEY DEATH PENALTY CASE IN THE US AT THIS TIME. NOT ONLY MUMIA ABU-JAMAL’S LIFE BUT THOUSANDS OF LIVES HANG IN THE BALANCE. Mumia had no criminal convictions before his arrest. The determination of the police, prosecution and judge to deny him a fair trial and execute him strongly suggests that this outstanding campaigning journalist is being tried for his track record of exposing racism, police brutality and corruption in Philadelphia, and for the opposition to US government policies and practices that his journalism continues to express.

A recent letter from Mumia to Selma James of the Global Women’s Strike who initiated this project, spells out the importance of the letter. “I greet you Selma and through you all of your comrades, colleagues and friends on that side of the Atlantic. I thank you all for making that public letter with signatures a possibility and hopefully a tool of freedom and justice. I was jazzed reading that – great.”

We urge you to circulate the UK lawyers’ letter widely, including to your contacts in the legal system, and to do all you can in the coming months to publicise this outrageous travesty of justice and to secure a new trial for Mumia with the aim of winning his freedom.

Phoebe Jones, Global Women's Strike/Philly, and Margaret Prescod, Women of Color in the Global Women's Strike

For info locally: 215-848-1120 (Philly) or 323-292-7405 (LA)
philly@crossroadswomen.net la@crossroadswomen.net

To reach Legal Action for Women directly +44 207 482 2496 or +44 7 956 316 899

law@crossroadswomen.net

Palestinian and Israeli Youth to Collaborate at GIFTS

PEACE IT TOGETHER 2006

A Peace & Filmmaking Summer Camp

At the Gulf Islands Film and Television School

August 4^th – 21^st, 2006

PREMIERE SCREENING

Galiano South Community Hall

August 19 at 7:00pm

SCREENING GALA

HR Macmillan Space Centre

1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC

August 20 at 7:00pm

For immediate release. Vancouver, July 18^th, 2006.

As the fog of war thickens in the Middle East, and broadens its impact beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine, it is more important than ever to hear hopeful news regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The lives and faces of people that do not make it to the forefront of international media may have a different story to tell. The stories of such people are often lost and forgotten amid the darkness of bloodshed and suffering. It is especially important to know that despite the severe situation, there are many people determined to build momentum towards reconciliation and peace. Their stories bring a ray of light and hope.

One such story – or in fact, thirty of them - is unfolding this summer among the serene rainforest of British Columbia’s Gulf Islands. Thirty youth from Palestine, Israel and Canada will gather at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School on Galiano Island to engage in creative conversations and filmmaking in a peaceful and safe environment of mutual respect and co-existence for 18 days. The summer program is appropriately named Peace It Together.

The organizers of this unusual peace initiative believe that Peace it Together is more relevant now than it has ever been. “As violence escalates, people become more polarized and more emotional”, says Reena Lazar, a Jewish-Canadian and an executive director of Creative Peace Network. “This, of course, is the exact opposite of what is needed. While our program is unlikely to solve the current crisis, it will give the participants the unique opportunity to work through their fear and anger in a safe environment and with the very people to whom their feelings are directed”.

Adri Hamael, a Palestinian-Canadian and an executive director of the organization adds, “Through dialogue and filmmaking, the youth and their audiences will have the chance to struggle with and make sense of the conflict that impacts so many lives. I'm hoping that adults around the world, and particularly back in the participant’s homelands, will listen to what these young people will have to say.”

This is the second peace summer camp initiated and organized by Creative Peace Network, a Vancouver-based multicultural charity committed to promoting peace by ending the culture of revenge and counter-revenge, and by building a culture of mutual respect and understanding between Palestinians, Israelis, Jews, Muslims and Arabs. The organization is made up of, and lead by, equal numbers of Palestinian, Israeli, Jewish, Muslim, Arab and Canadian members.

The program will be mentored by leading filmmakers and educators from British Columbia, one of whom is Velcrow Ripper, a documentary filmmaker and winner of two Genie Awards (ScaredSacred, Bones of the Forest), a spiritual activist and co-founder of the Gulf Islands Film and Television School. “In this tragic time of dramatically escalating war and bloodshed in the middle east, we desperately need stories of hope, possibility and reconciliation”, Says Ripper. “Peace It Together is one such flower rising from the wreckage, offering a critical opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian youth to step outside the pressure cooker of war and spend time learning to recognize their shared humanity, using creativity to help tear down the walls of misunderstanding, building new bridges to peace”.

Preparing for the program has already had a significant impact on the local community. The process requires constant dialogue, listening, self-awareness and transformation – and every single person in the project is exposed to this process: the board of directors, members, volunteers, and the staff at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School – and of course, the participants.

“As we prepare for the program, we realize how much impact this project has already had on our lives in raising our awareness of the issues and cultural differences”, says Kenna Fair, director of the Gulf Islands Film and Television School. “Everything has to be thought of to the last detail in order to accommodate the students’ needs and the program’s integrity. We’ve ensured, to the best of our ability, that there are an equal number of male and female mentors, Jewish and Muslim mentors, and so on. Our catering service has been altered completely to accommodate the regulations of the Kosher and Hallal kitchens that many of the students observe. We hope that if we can create, along with the students and mentors, an environment of co-existence within our school – it will be a memory and an example for them to take home and live by in the future”.

Peace It Together will celebrate its successful step towards peace with an August 20^th Gala, and a public screenings of the participants’ films, both at the HR Macmillan Space Centre Gala and the August 19^th premiere on Galiano Island. The youth will be present at the Gala screening to present their films, and will be available to answer questions from the audience. After the 21^st the participants will return to their homelands with their own films in hand, a message of hope which they will be able to share with the world in international film festivals – but most importantly, share with their families, friends and classmates back home.

Media contact: Ayala Sender (778) 863-0806

ayala@hellocoolworld.com

Available for interviews:

Adri Hamael – Creative Peace Network Executive Director, Palestinian Canadian

Reena Lazar – Creative Peace Network Executive Director, Jewish Canadian

Hila Russ-Woodland – Creative Peace Network Director, Israeli Canadian

Omar Kassis – Creative Peace Network Director, Palestinian Canadian

Kenna Fair – Executive Director of The Gulf Islands Film and Television School

Sonia Theroux – Communications Coordinator, The Gulf Islands Film and Television School

Velcrow Ripper – Mentor at the Gulf Islands film and Television School, an award winning Filmmaker (ScaredSacred, Bones of the Forest) and a Spiritual Activist

Fair Share Health Care

Fair Share Health Care

http://walmartwatch.com/fairshare

Lebanon Mourns 57 Civilians Killed in Israeli Strike on Qana
- Qana Survivor: My Brother, Sister and Daughter Have Died
- Israel Suspends Air Strikes; Blames Hezbollah
- 5,000 Lebanese Protesters Storm UN Base in Beirut
- Shiite Cleric Sistani Warns Dire Consequences If No Ceasefire
- 2 Million Protest In Mexico City For Vote Recount
- White House Fears U.S. Officials Could Be Tried Under War Crimes Act
- Proposed Law Would Allow Gov¹t to Indefinitely Detain U.S. Citizens
- Report: Oakland Police Infiltrated Anti-War Group
- Social Ecologist Murray Bookchin, 85, Dies

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/31/1435210

How to Fight a War in Wartime

How to Fight a War in Wartime
Michael J. Coyle

WILL I MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

• How many joined the movement to create equality for all women? Very few!
• How many brought the fruit of the 1960's Civil Rights movement to all? Very few!
• How many stood up with Gandhi against the colonialists? A tiny fraction of the population!

IT DOESN'T TAKE EVERYBODY!

Agitate - Advocate - Demonstrate - Educate - Organize

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Develop a presentation and deliver it to schools, churches, & community groups
• Start a reading/discussion group
• Make your own media
• Build talking points against the war that address the way those you speak to listen
• Engagingly educate yourself about the war: makes you a more effective advocate
• Talk to others: educate by intentional calls & conversations (family, friends, strangers)
• Create an online petition demanding the end of the war
• Speak out online - publish a blog or post on existing blogs
• Create podcasting content on your online space and ask others to do the same
• Write an op-ed piece or a letter to the editor for your local newspaper
• Design, post and distribute flyers detailing the death, horror and cost of the war
• Donate resources: money, time, creativity
• Write local and national political representatives
• Respond to biased reporting
• Participate in activist groups and coalitions
• Attend rallies
• With legal issues in mind, peacefully and nonviolently occupy a building/street/etc.
• Use your creativity: write music, street theatre, and more - all against the war
• Use the web: visit pro-war or uncritical sites and post effective comments
• Share all the work you create with others (verbally, web, email, print, etc.)
• Do one thing a week (whether you take 5 minutes or hours)

LET YOUR GRATIFICATION BE THAT YOU ARE NOT JUST A BYSTANDER

SHARE RESPONSIBILITY AND WORK WITH OTHERS

A MOUNTAIN IS MOVED ONE STONE AT A TIME

http://myprofile.cos.com/mcoyle1