October 25, 2006
A few good articles have
caught my eye this past week, so here are the links if
you are interested.
1. Christians and
nonviolence
2. The torture bill
3. What we are teaching our
children
4. Soldiers of Conscience,
not to be confused with conscientious objectors
*****************
1. This is from the pastor
of a Christian megachurch. Too bad more pastors aren't
speaking and writing as he is. And he got it published
in his local paper!
2. There are a few historical tidbits in this article by
Keith Olbermann, showing how we have been down this path
before, exchanging liberties and our moral standing for
a false security.He suggests it is the beginning of the
end of America, if we don't wise up and fast.
3. Is it any wonder that there have been 11 school
shootings in the past year? Our leaders are teaching our
children, and all too well.
4. Refusal to commit war crimes as a basis for refusing
to fight a war - a concept that certainly has broader
appeal among soldiers than does CO. We need our own
cadre of Refuseniks in this country.
Speaking of soldiers, don't forget to mark your calendar
for Thursday, November 9, 7pm for a showing of The
Ground Truth, at the UU Society of Laconia meetinghouse.
It is a very powerful film, capturing the voices of
soldiers loud and clear.
July 10, 2006
It's been quite a few months
since I've sent the news and notes, just haven't had the
heart to look at the news on a regular basis. These are a
few items I've gleaned that I think are worth sharing
1. Ray McGovern on facing the
consequences
2. Robert Kennedy on voting
fraud in 2004
3. Sister Joan Chittister
summarizes the current state of affairs
4. Movies to see this summer
*****
1. Ray spent time traveling with
an Iraqi woman who was talking with American audiences about
what is happening in Iraq. He shares with us her frustration
at the responses of her audience, and challenges us to go
further.
2. There was a big article in
Rolling Stone about Kennedy's investigation of the election
fraud of 2004. If you missed the article when it was on
Common Dreams, here's the link.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0601-34.htm The
media is doing very little to look further into his findings
- no surprise there. Letters to the editor are in order.
3. This column by Sr. Joan,
a Benedictine nun, seems to capture so many issues in a
pretty concise way. I've written to them to ask if they
would consider sending it to the local paper.
4. I want to put in a plug here
for some movies I think we should all see.
An
Inconvenient Truth - about global warming. I
haven't seen it yet, but what I've heard is that it is very
good and easy to follow, quite compelling.
The War
Tapes - playing in Concord at the Concord 10 - film
was shot mostly by NH Guardsmen in Iraq, and it is
beautifully edited, I think. Shows all the facets of these
men, their experiences over there, good, bad, and ugly. Also
interviews with their family members about the impact of
their deployment and how they changed as a result. Puts a
very human face on the soldiers, and I don't think it has
any particular political agenda as a whole.
Why We
Fight - not as much of a historical retrospective
as I expected, as it mostly only goes back to WW2 and how
subsequent events supported the development of the
conditions we see today. I'd say it's definitely critical of
militarism and of the current Iraq war, and perhaps will
attrack some viewers who think it's more of a
historical/sociological study. For some folks, it will be an
eye-opener.
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