From ejohnson at berry.edu  Tue Feb  3 14:36:17 2004
From: ejohnson at berry.edu (Johnson, Ellen)
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 13:36:17 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] workshops at YM
Message-ID: <04075613166AF949913A8094A388272A0226FBFC@fsmail.ad.berry.edu>

 <<sayma workshops 2004.doc>> 

Friends, I am re-sending this as a reminder to those who may want to
propose a workshop.  The deadline for proposals is 2/15.  Please share
this with others if you haven't already. The attached info is also
pasted below. thanks, Ellen

Call for Workshops and Plans for YM 2004


Friends, the Yearly Meeting Planning Committee has met twice since June,
and we are making good progress with plans for the 2004 Yearly Meeting,
to be held June 10-13 at Warren Wilson College.  The theme this year
will be Feeding the Flames of Faith:  Integrating Spirit and Action.  We
are building on last year's theme of how our traditions inspire our
practice.  We will have speakers and panels made up of SAYMA Friends who
will share how their faith informs their actions and how their actions
deepen their faith.

In addition to Meeting for Worship for Business and speakers on the YM
theme, there will be the usual favorites:  worshipping together,
"chatting and chewing," singing and dancing, wide-ranging discussion on
many subjects dear to our hearts, and of course many meals shared with
F/friends from far and near.  There are activities for children and
teens through Junior Yearly Meeting and Southern Appalachian Young
Friends.  If you have never attended Yearly Meeting, we encourage you to
ask the folks at your monthly meeting about it.  For many of us, it is a
very special part of our lives.

We know that many of you have talents and knowledge that you could share
with us by leading a workshop at Yearly Meeting.  Below is a workshop
proposal form, due by Feb. 15.  The workshops will last 70 minutes, and
they can be intergenerational, involving both teens and adults.  Friends
are also encouraged to offer workshops exclusively for teens.  Workshops
can be on social justice issues, on spirituality, on art and music, on
Quaker process, or on something we haven't thought of yet!  We do ask
this year that you consider how your proposed workshop relates to the
theme of the many ways spirit and action flow into each other in our
lives.  Watch for more information on YM 2004 coming in March

Here are some of the workshop topics requested on last year's evaluation
forms.  Are you interested in taking one of these on? 
 
Quaker Process: Workshop for First-Time SAYMA participants; Eldering;
Corporate discipline; Clerking; Quaker 101; Quaker history; How we use
our queries; Workshops that explore in-depth (not beginner level) Quaker
Testimonies, Traditions, Faith and Practice.

Also: Centering techniques for worship; Introducing children to Meeting
for Worship; Quaker Parenting; Music/Singing; Nurturing Spiritual
Growth.
__________________________________________________________

WORKSHOP PROPOSAL FORM 
Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting June 10-13, 2004
Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC 

Form due back by February 15, 2004.

Theme: Feeding the Flames of Faith:  Integrating Spirit and Action 
Workshop topics should be related to the theme of the yearly meeting

Title of proposed workshop:



Your name, address, phone number and e-mail if applicable:






What led you to offer this workshop?






How is the workshop related to the Yearly Meeting theme?







Tell us about your experience in leading workshops or any related
experience.








Give us a brief (approximately 50 word) description of your workshop.
(This information will be used to describe your workshop in the advance
program to help Friends in selecting a workshop.)

See back for page 2.Workshop sessions will be only seventy minutes long.
Workshops will be offered Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon.
Please help us in our planning by completing the following  questions
about your proposed workshop:

Please specify which afternoon you would like to give your workshop.
Would you be willing to give your workshop twice? (Be aware that you may
have different people in each session.)

Will the workshop be Lecture? 	Discussion?      Interactive?


Would you like the participants to be adults, youth or both?


Would you like the participants to be men, women or both?


Are there limits to the numbers of participants?  Maximum?
Minimum?


Do you have particular requirements for your workshop?
Equipment?    



Location? (We will try to have all workshops in handicap-accessible
classrooms.)




Are there any books or similar materials related to your workshop topic
that you would like to see stocked in the bookstore at yearly meeting?





Please return this form by February 15, 2004, to:
Ellen Johnson
P.O. Box 490237
Mt. Berry, GA 30149
706-506-3626
ejohnson at berry.edu

Please contact Ellen with any questions you may have.  You will not
receive confirmation that we received your proposal, but you will hear
from us by March 15 on whether or not your workshop will be included in
the program.

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From losborne at cn.edu  Tue Feb  3 14:43:14 2004
From: losborne at cn.edu (Larry Osborne)
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 13:43:14 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] West Knoxville Hosts Susan Carlyle for Earth
	Charter Discussion
Message-ID: <A968D2BF82BCD74FAF78F0C99DDC11CA01672FB0@mail.cn.edu>





West Knoxville Hosts Susan Carlyle for Earth Charter Discussion

Susan Carlyle of New Moon Worship Group near Asheville will lead a
second hour discussion about the Earth Charter on Feb. 15.  We will
combine aspects of the second hour with our regular monthly pot luck.
Friends throughout SAYMA are invited to join us for this time of
worship, learning, and planning for action.

The Earth Charter is an important U.N. related document that spells out
the kind of right relationship humans need to adopt with the whole Earth
community.  Its concerns relate profoundly to the strivings for peace
and justice Friends have manifested in our 350 year history.  Friends
who study and reflect on the Earth Charter may be led to make positive
changes in our personal and meeting lifestyles that are more deeply
satisfying and contribute to a more peaceable world.  Read more about it
at http://www.earthcharterusa.org/.  

Susan Carlyle is active in SAYMA and FGC in matters related to Earth
peace.  Please make plans to attend this informative opportunity.

Larry Osborne
West Knoxville Friends Meeting


From CLaMonte at aol.com  Thu Feb  5 14:28:36 2004
From: CLaMonte at aol.com (CLaMonte at aol.com)
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 13:28:36 EST
Subject: [saymaListserv] Birmingham Friends Meeting hosts Draft Counseling
	Training, 2-21-04
Message-ID: <e4.45dd4dfd.2d53e554@aol.com>

Birmingham Friends Meeting invites SAYMA Friends to a workshop on draft 
counseling, Saturday, February 21, 2004.


TRAINING SESSION FOR NEW GI RIGHTS HOTLINE COUNSELORS--Draft
Counseling
---- 9.00 AM TO 4.00PM---BIRMINGHAM FRIENDS (QUAKERS) PEACE CENTER,
4413 5TH AVENUE  SOUTH, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35222

Birmingham Friends Meeting (Quakers) is hosting a free one day training
session for people who would like to help on the GI Rights
Hotline. The training is designed for people who have no experience.

The GI Rights Hotline (www.girights.org) is a witness for peace. It is
administered by the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors and
provides information to members of the military about discharges,
grievance and complaint procedures. 
Training includes:

        OVERVIEW OF DISCHARGES

        ETHICS AND COUNSELING SKILLS

        WHAT ITS LIKE TO TAKE CALLS ON THE HOTLINE

        DRAFT COUNSELING

INSTRUCTOR:     STEVE WOOLFORD

Steve is a counselor for Quaker House, Fayetteville, NC. See 
www.quakerhouse.org 


CO-ORDINATOR: ADRIAN SMYTHIES

For more information or to make a reservation contact Adrian at
asmythies at mac.com or leave a message on the Meeting House answering
machine at  592 0570.  Or call Adrian at 870-1329.




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From jhminshall at comcast.net  Thu Feb  5 14:35:02 2004
From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall)
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 13:35:02 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Re: [earthcare] Fw: [san] Pentagon Signals
 Climate Change as
 Potential Threat to Nat'l Security: "An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario
 and Its Implications for United States National Security."
Message-ID: <p05210602bc483b98b5fc@[192.168.1.101]>

Dear SAYMA and Atlanta Friends,  The following articles may be of 
great interest to those of you who are concerned and active 
environmentalists.  Janet



Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 13:27:09 -0500
To: earthcare at yahoogroups.com
From: Janet Minshall <jhminshall at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [earthcare] Fw: [san] Pentagon Signals Climate Change as 
Potential Threat to Nat'l Security: "An Abrupt Climate Change 
Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security."
Cc:
Bcc:
X-Attachments:

Dear Quaker Earthcare Friends:  Thanks so much for this long and 
detailed message about abrupt climate change.

I have read articles and mentions of this possibility/probability for 
years.   I understood, however, that the beginning of global warming 
actually went back to the beginning of civilization, to the 
transition from hunting and gathering to farming, not to the 
beginning of the industrial revolution.  Indeed, there are scientists 
who have written about how the warming of the climate on Planet 
Earth, first from the advent of agriculture and the spread of it 
around the world, and later from the industrial revolution, has 
actually delayed the onset of another ice age which would otherwise 
have occurred. Does this mean, perhaps, that environmental pollution, 
while ugly and objectionable in its effect on our surroundings and on 
our air and water resources, has actually given human beings and 
human civilization the time to develop?

How much longer can we continue to stave off the onset of a new ice 
age, a natural occurrence, which we may have delayed through the 
development of agriculture and industrial production?   Janet

I sent a copy of the article below, from the New York Times, to some 
of you a couple of months ago:



>Subject: NYTimes.com Article: Scientist Links Man to Climate Over the Ages
>Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 10:34:45 -0500 (EST)
>
>December 10, 2003
>  By KENNETH CHANG
>
>SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 9 - Humans have altered the world's
>climate by generating heat-trapping gases since almost the
>beginning of civilization and even prevented the start of
>an ice age several thousand years ago, a scientist said on
>Tuesday.
>
>Most scientists attribute a rise in global temperatures
>over the past century in part to emissions of carbon
>dioxide by human activities like driving cars and operating
>factories.
>
>Dr. William Ruddiman, an emeritus professor at the
>University of Virginia, said at a meeting of the American
>Geophysical Union here that humans' effect on climate went
>back nearly 10,000 years to when people gave up hunting and
>gathering and began farming.
>
>Dr. Ruddiman is also reporting his findings in the Journal of
>Climatic Change.
>
>In a commentary accompanying the article, Dr. Thomas J.
>Crowley of Duke University, said he was first taken aback
>by Dr. Ruddiman's premise. "But when I started reading,"
>Dr. Crowley wrote, "I could not help but wonder whether he
>just might be on to something."
>
>The climate of the last 10,000 years has been unusually
>stable, allowing civilization to flourish. But that is only
>because people chopped down swathes of forest in Europe,
>China and India for croplands and pastures, Dr. Ruddiman
>said. Carbon dioxide released by the destruction of the
>forests, plus methane, another heat-trapping gas, produced
>by irrigated rice fields in Southeast Asia, trapped enough
>heat to offset an expected natural cooling, he said.
>
>"The stability is an accident," Dr. Ruddiman said.
>
>Levels
>of carbon dioxide and methane rise and fall in natural
>cycles lasting thousands of years, and both reached a peak
>at the end of the last ice age 11,000 years ago. Both then
>declined as expected.
>
>Both should have continued declining through the present
>day, leading to lower temperatures, and a new ice age
>should have begun 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, Dr. Ruddiman
>said. Instead, levels of carbon dioxide reversed 8,000
>years ago and starting rising again. The decline in methane
>levels reversed 5,000 years ago, coinciding with the advent
>of irrigation rice farming.
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/10/science/10WARM.html?ex=1072070485&ei=1&en=97676d7579640242




>  FYI...
><mailto:greenebank at earthlink.net>greenebank at earthlink.net
>
>-------Original Message-------
>
>From: <mailto:san at lists.coopamerica.org>SIF Shareholder Action Network
>Date: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 11:49:49 AM
>To: <mailto:san at lists.coopamerica.org>SIF Shareholder Action Network
>Cc: <mailto:vic at igc.org>'vic at igc.org'; 
><mailto:lance.lindblom at nathancummings.org>'lance.lindblom at nathancummings.org'; 
><mailto:caroline.williams at nathancummings.org>'caroline.williams at nathancummings.org'
>Subject: [san] Pentagon Signals Climate Change as Potential Threat 
>to Nat'l Secu rity: "An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its 
>Implications for United States National Security."
>
>  > From Tom Paine.com
>  > 
><http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9882>http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9882
>  >
>  > Climate Change Alert
>  >
>  > Patrick Doherty spent a decade in the field of international conflict
>  > resolution, working in the Middle East, Africa, Southeastern Europe and
>  > the Caucasus.
>  > First Paul O'Neill, now Andrew Marshall. Marshall has just blown the lid
>  > off another Bush administration can of worms-namely, its unwillingness to
>  > acknowledge and address the massive threat posed by global climate change.
>  >
>  > Marshall is the founding director of the Pentagon's Office of Net
>  > Assessment, a quiet but powerful think tank within the Pentagon. In 2001,
>  > Marshall was tapped by George W. Bush to lead the Pentagon's military
>  > review that largely defined the scope of Secretary of Defense Donald
>  > Rumsfeld's "transformation" agenda. Marshall, whose ONA has served every
>  > president since Nixon, introduced the term "revolution in military
>  > affairs."
>  > In an article published Jan. 26 in Fortune magazine, Marshall released the
>  > findings of an unclassified report-written by Peter Schwartz and Doug
>  > Randall of the Global Business Network-entitled "An Abrupt Climate Change
>  > Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security."
>  > Global Warming Happens
>  > Until now, the debate over climate change in the United States has focused
>  > on whether global warming exists and if so, whether it can be attributed
>  > to human activity. In their report, Schwartz and Randall close that debate
>  > and raise the stakes. They write that "the IPCC [International Panel on
>  > Climate Change] documents the threat of gradual climate change," deftly
>  > allowing Marshall to implicitly acknowledge that the IPCC findings have
>  > sufficiently established what the report calls "the scientifically proven
>  > link between CO2 and climate change" as well as the international
>  > consensus around climate change itself. But, while fully recognizing the
>  > reality of global warming, the report argues that the gradualist view "may
>  > be a dangerous act of self-deception." The real threat to national
>  > security is from global warming triggering an "abrupt climate change
>  > event."
>  > Abrupt climate change is an increasingly probable and, the authors show, a
>  > historically precedented event in which global atmospheric warming
>  > triggers a rapid modification in global oceanic patterns. The report
>  > focuses on the threat receiving the most concern from researchers, which
>  > occurs when atmospheric warming releases enough fresh water into the North
>  > Atlantic to shut down the "thermohaline conveyor"-currents including the
>  > Gulf Stream-that move warm water north from the tropics. That, in turn
>  > would send much of the Northern Hemisphere into a deep freeze, disrupting
>  > energy, agriculture and fresh water supplies around the world.
>  > This is no abstract hypothetical scenario. The Fortune article cites a
>  > presentation made by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute director Robert
>  > Gagosian who, at last year's World Economic Forum at Davos, "urged
>  > policymakers to consider the implications of possible abrupt climate
>  > change within two decades."
>  > Thankfully, Marshall did just that. The ONA-commissioned report, using the
>  > well-established scenario-planning techniques developed at Shell's
>  > planning unit, generated a plausible future scenario in which the
>  > thermohaline conveyor collapses in 2010. What follows that oceanic
>  > shut-down sounds apocalyptic and yet the authors contend, is quite
>  > plausible.
>  > By 2020, average rainfall in Europe drops 30 percent; "megadroughts"
>  > affect Southern China and Northern Europe; massive boatlifts of people
>  > from the Caribbean attempt to enter the United States and Mexico; China is
>  > unable to feed its population due to the combination of droughts and
>  > violent monsoons and flooding; Eastern European countries invade a
>  > weakened Russia to seek minerals and energy; nuclear India, Pakistan, and
>  > China go to war over water, land, and refugees. In all 400 million people
>  > could be forced to migrate from uninhabitable regions. In the United
>  > States, the East Coast population areas experience severe shortages of
>  > freshwater; flooding creates an inland sea in California's Central Valley
>  > and disrupts freshwater supplies for Southern California; and energy
>  > disruptions are commonplace due to storms, ice and conflict. The authors
>  > make the point clear: this is not a prediction, this is a plausible
>  > scenario given what we know now.
>  > Overcoming Resistance
>  > While the content of this release raises the alarm, Marshall is sending
>  > multiple messages. The timing of the Fortune article, for instance. For a
>  > man of Marshall's long legacy of discretion to directly challenge the
>  > current administration's line on global warming at the beginning of a
>  > presidential election year speaks volumes. That he chose to do so by
>  > releasing a report by respected business consultants in Fortune magazine
>  > seems to say he wants the business world, Bush's most important
>  > constituency, to understand clearly that the status quo is untenable.
>  > This extraordinary act by a senior Defense Department official implies
>  > high-level recognition that the Bush administration's resistance to the
>  > near global consensus on climate change-a consensus that includes the vast
>  > majority of the scientific community, many corporations including General
>  > Motors, Alcoa, IBM, DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, and all the remaining
>  > governments of the OECD-is a threat to national security itself. Indeed,
>  > last month in the journal Science, the United Kingdom's Chief Scientific
>  > Advisor declared that "climate change is the most severe problem that we
>  > are facing today-more serious even than the threat of terrorism." Perhaps
>  > inoculating itself from future criticism the report states, "Many
>  > scientists would regard this scenario as extreme. . . But history tells us
>  > that sometimes the extreme cases do occur, there is evidence that it might
>  > be [occurring] and it is DOD's job to consider such scenarios."
>  > And that resistance has been staunch. In the battle over climate change,
>  > according to a report from the group Environment2004, the Bush
>  > administration has both misrepresented the science and misled the public.
>  > According to The New York Times, the Bush administration acted to distort
>  > and omit EPA findings on global warming. The group notes that the
>  > administration has dismissed the findings of the International Panel on
>  > Climate Change set up by the first President Bush and the findings of a
>  > panel of the National Academy of Sciences that Bush himself requested.
>  > They document how administration has tried to mislead the public by
>  > substituting the absolute indicator of total emissions with emissions per
>  > unit of GDP, which can go down while total U.S. emissions continue to
>  > rise-and then asking emitters (unsuccessfully) to voluntarily commit to
>  > reducing emission intensity. And they highlight how the administration has
>  > stalled the debate by calling for a research agenda which The New York
>  > Times described as a "redundant examination of issues that had largely
>  > been settled, bereft of vision, executable goals and timetables-in short,
>  > little more than a cover-up for inaction."
>  > It's The Emissions, Stupid
>  > Ultimately, "Abrupt Climate Change" is a report for the Department of
>  > Defense. But not entirely. While DoD is primarily concerned with
>  > predicting the arrival of and managing the security nightmare caused by
>  > abrupt climate change, the report also calls for prevention measures which
>  > can only happen through a transformation of the U.S. economy.
>  > "It's important to understand human impacts on the environment-both what's
>  > done to accelerate and decelerate (or perhaps even reverse) the tendency
>  > toward climate change. Alternative fuels, greenhouse gas emission controls
>  > and conservation efforts are worthwhile endeavors."
>  > Only a month ago, Democrats' best chances in the 2004 general elections
>  > relied heavily on the undesirable combination of continued failure in Iraq
>  > and sustained economic underperformance. That began to change two weeks
>  > ago, when the Institute for America's Future brought together coalition of
>  > labor and environmental groups called the Apollo Alliance and issued a
>  > report describing the core of a new economic engine based on shifting
>  > America from suburban sprawl and fossil fuels towards smart growth and
>  > renewable energy. (See Democrats' Moon Shot
>  > 
><<http://tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9820>http://tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9820> 
>)
>  > Democrats now have a powerful opportunity to reframe the 2004 elections
>  > and focus their agenda around an integrated agenda of triage and
>  > transformation. Terrorism is still a real threat and Iraq, Afghanistan,
>  > Israel/Palestine and HIV/AIDS must be stabilized and resolved. The larger
>  > threat of abrupt climate change, however, means we must comprehensively
>  > transform our emissions-ridden economy. Apollo is a good start, but now
>  > Marshall's warnings make it clear that America has no time to waste on low
>  > emissions reduction targets and wasteful subsidies, much less Bush's
>  > stalling and deception. Global emissions markets are the best answer.
>  > Research has shown that emissions trading is the leading pathway to
>  > eliminating emissions, energy independence and reducing agricultural
>  > subsidies that impoverish the developing world-all of which will reduce
>  > conditions that fuel terrorism and the medium-term threat of abrupt
>  > climate change while building a booming new economic engine for America
>  > and the world.
>  > Marshall's sense of patriotic responsibility may just save the lives of
>  > hundreds of millions of people around the world and usher in a new era of
>  > prosperity, sustainability and peace-but only if Democrats reframe the
>  > 2004 elections starting now.
>  >
>  >
>  > Click here to subscribe to our free e-mail dispatch
>  > 
><<http://www.tompaine.com/subscribe.cfm>http://www.tompaine.com/subscribe.cfm> 
>and get the latest on what's new
>  > at TomPaine.com before everyone else! You can unsubscribe at any time and
>  > we will never distribute your information to any other entity.
>  >
>  >
>  > Published: Feb 02 2004
>  > Related links:
>  > International Panel on Climate Change Summary for Policy Makers
>  > <<http://www.ipcc.ch/pub/spm22-01.pdf>http://www.ipcc.ch/pub/spm22-01.pdf>
>  > Fortune.com "Climate Collapse: the Pentagon's Weather Nightmare"
>  > 
><<http://www.fortune.com/fortune/technology/articles/0,15114,582584,00.html>http://www.fortune.com/fortune/technology/articles/0,15114,582584,00.html
>  > >
>  >
>  > Environment 2004: Bush's Record on Global Warming
>  > 
><<http://www.environment2004.org/global_warming.php>http://www.environment2004.org/global_warming.php>
>  >
>  >
>  > Tracey Rembert
>  > Shareholder Action Network
>  > A Project of the Social Investment Forum
>  >
>  > 1612 K Street NW, Suite 650
>  > Washington, DC 20006
>  > (202)872-5313
>  > <http://www.shareholderaction.org>www.shareholderaction.org
>  >
>  > Social Investment Forum
>  > <http://www.socialinvest.org>www.socialinvest.org
>  >
>  >
>  >
>
>---
>You are currently participating as: 
><mailto:greenebank at earthlink.net>greenebank at earthlink.net
>To remove yourself, send a blank email to 
><mailto:leave-san-883V at lists.coopamerica.org>leave-san-883V at lists.coopamerica.org
>.
>____________________________________________________
><http://www.incredimail.com/redir.asp?ad_id=309&lang=9>   
>IncrediMail - Email has finally evolved - 
><http://www.incredimail.com/redir.asp?ad_id=309&lang=9>Click Here
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>To visit your group on the web, go to:
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/earthcare/>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/earthcare/
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
><mailto:earthcare-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>earthcare-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the 
><http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>Yahoo! Terms of Service.
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From freepolazzo at comcast.net  Thu Feb  5 16:00:13 2004
From: freepolazzo at comcast.net (free polazzo)
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:00:13 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] How the US went to war in Iraq in spite of
 intelligence that said it was not needed
Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20040205145926.030daf00@mail.comcast.net>


>
>Hi Friends,
>
>My son, Justin, sent this link to me and I pass it on to you.    Use it as 
>you think best.
>
>Free
>
>A chronology of how the Bush Administration repeatedly and deliberately 
>refused to listen to intelligence agencies that said its case for war was weak
>
>>http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=24889
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From moriah at preferred.com  Fri Feb  6 22:41:30 2004
From: moriah at preferred.com (Mary Calhoun)
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 21:41:30 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] Fw: rescuing hugs
Message-ID: <000901c3ed27$0cc5c160$b872fea9@Mary>

This was forwarded by a friend at Friends General Conference.

^o^
 \_/
Mary Calhoun


----- Original Message ----- 



           Rescuing Hug








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From jhminshall at comcast.net  Mon Feb  9 12:09:15 2004
From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall)
Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 11:09:15 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Re: [afmdiscussion] the wounded are ignored
Message-ID: <p05210601bc4d5ee40f13@[192.168.1.101]>

>Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 10:56:35 -0500
>To: "Joe Parko" <parkoj at bellsouth.net>
>From: Janet Minshall <jhminshall at comcast.net>
>Subject: Re: [afmdiscussion] the wounded are ignored
>Bcc:
>X-Attachments:
>
>Hi Joe Parko,  Thanks for this.  Its very powerful. I am sending it 
>to the SAYMA list and to a Quaker writer who is working on 
>organizing potential conscientious objectors and the issues of 
>military families. He is director of Quaker House in Fayetteville, 
>NC.   Janet

(Joe Parko is FCNL rep from Atlanta Meeting <parkoj at bellsouth.net>.)



>>In Peace and Solidarity,
>>Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson,
>>for Military Families Speak Out
>>www.mfso.org
>>www.bringthemhomenow.org
>>
>>I am an Army Nurse Corps Captain stationed at Walter Reed Army
>>Medical Center (WRAMC), in Washington D.C., and I feel compelled to
>>share with anyone who will listen what I have seen. You see, when
>>Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) troops are evac'd out of Germany, the
>>huge majority are brought here to WRAMC by the Air Force flight
>>nurses and docs. I do not have access to any of the numbers of how
>>many wounded and what types of injuries, etc., but I can honestly
>>tell you that the OIF wounded occupy more than half of our two major
>>intensive care units (SICU and MICU) at any given time. At times, we
>>get so full and are expecting more to arrive, that we have to hound
>>the docs to transfer somebody out of our unit to a ward upstairs so
>>we have some beds for these soldiers. Most of these wounded soldiers
>>come in to our unit on a ventilator breathing for them, with severe
>>wounds caused by IEDs (improvised roadside bombs) or AK-47 GSW (gun
>>shot wounds). Many, many soldiers have already lost arms, limbs, or
>>eyes before they even get to us, and many have received dozens of
>>units of blood before they left Germany. I am very proud that I am
>>privileged to take care of these brave men and women, but it breaks
>>my heart to realize that their incredible loss that they and their
>>loved ones will have to deal with for the rest of their life seems to
>>have not been for the good of our country. Rather, their pain and
>>sorrow has merely allowed a few greedy souls to make a power grab for
>>more wealth and control. One of my dear friends has tried to convince
>>me that this is all part of God's plan, and the death and pain is for
>>some greater purpose that our leaders are not telling us yet. I wish
>>I could believe her. It would make my job and daily life much easier,
>>but I cannot buy it. I apologize to the reader for my tangential
>>thought processes, but this never-ending situation is getting to many
>>military nurses.
>>
>>Anyway, the following is my main point in reaching out to you. As you
>>might be aware, the press is being tightly controlled and what is
>>being reported from a medical standpoint is only a fraction of the
>>true reality. Yes, I do believe the daily number of killed that CNN
>>and whoever report is accurate. What I am saying is that the walking
>>wounded are being sorely ignored. Don't believe me? Walter Reed is an
>>open base, not a tightly controlled fort. Just have a valid ID and
>>consent to a vehicle search. Then park, and walk inside. You will see
>>so many in their 20s, mostly men, missing arms, legs, and eyes. The
>>blinders covering your eyes will be ripped away as you see the poor
>>families making their daily walk from the Malogne house to the wards
>>and units to see their son's or husbands. It is so sad to see young
>>wives and fiancee's cry over their honey who was in Iraq less than
>>one month before losing both legs and have several abdominal
>>surgeries which leaves his belly crisscrossed with staples, and now
>>he is fighting for his life from the infection that the injuries have
>>caused. And that is just one example of what I saw this week. I will
>>spare you any more wrenching true stories.
>>
>>God help our men and women in uniform. Please do something to end this
>>madness.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Michael Hearington  
>>
>>        http://C-N-N.ORG/
>>
>>
>>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>
>>
>>------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
>>Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
>>Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
>>http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
>>http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/UlWolB/TM
>>---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
>>
>>*************************************************For other 
>>questions, contact ekcooney at earthlink.net
>>
>>
>>Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>><*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
>>      http://groups.yahoo.com/group/afmdiscussion/
>>
>><*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>>      afmdiscussion-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com
>>
>><*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
>>      http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>>



From jhminshall at comcast.net  Tue Feb 10 12:37:19 2004
From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall)
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 11:37:19 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Re: [afmdiscussion] the wounded are ignored
In-Reply-To: <ea.46944065.2d590d1d@aol.com>
References: <ea.46944065.2d590d1d@aol.com>
Message-ID: <p05210600bc4eb6089b3e@[192.168.1.101]>

Thanks for your message, Paul Spray.  I am praying for a way to end 
the killing there with the greatest advantage to the Iraqui people. 
Then I think we have to get serious about providing funds to Iraq and 
Afghanistan to rebuild their countries with no strings attached. 
Maybe the 200million dollars that Bush is said to have collected for 
the next presidential and congressional elections would be a good 
source of money to start the rebuilding campaign. Janet Minshall


>Thanks for sharing this. As one who worked in an army hospital 
>during WWI, a volunteer in Viet Nam, and also in several countries 
>of Africa and Asia, I feel that the reports of the deaths in Iraq 
>are perhaps the least part of the tragedy of this useless war. The 
>crippling, blinding, disfiguring, paralyzing wounds of war are 
>indeed terrible, and maybe even worse for Iraqis who have such 
>limited access to medical care.
>Paul Spray
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From gerald at clarity-dev.com  Thu Feb 12 11:03:27 2004
From: gerald at clarity-dev.com (Gerald Rudolph)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 10:03:27 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] [Fwd: [Announcements] 	March 20th, Fayetteville,
 Join the CPRC Bus to March Against the	Occupation]
Message-ID: <402B95BF.8010902@clarity-dev.com>


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Subject: [Announcements] 	March 20th, Fayetteville, Join the CPRC Bus to March Against the	Occupation
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 20:42:55 +0000
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From freepolazzo at comcast.net  Thu Feb 12 13:36:00 2004
From: freepolazzo at comcast.net (free polazzo)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 12:36:00 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] The Emancipation Roclamation Festival
Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20040212123303.049e7430@mail.comcast.net>

Hello Friends,

For those of you who know people in the Philadelphia, South Jersey area, 
here is a wonderful event to support on an issue that is not discussed very 
much.

Free Polazzo
Anneewakee Creek Worship Group
Douglasville, GA


>From: George Price <stonelodge at hotmail.com>
>
>The Emancipation Roclamation Festival
>Is coming
>May 8th, 2004
>At
>Snipes Farm
>in Morrisville PA
>A Benefit Concert for
>The American Anti-slavery Group
>Fighting international slavery
>
>sponsored by
>The Music Club of Moorestown Friends School
>Sacred Grounds
>&
>Music At Snipes Farm
>
>Bands interested please send a demo and press pack to:
>
>George Price
>882 West Bridge Street
>Morrisville PA, 19067
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From dolfin at duke.edu  Sat Feb 14 15:07:40 2004
From: dolfin at duke.edu (Stephen J. Houseworth)
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 14:07:40 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [saymaListserv] Williamsburg Friends Meeting Sustaining Peace
	Workshop
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.58.0402141405580.8732@godzilla.acpub.duke.edu>

Greetings, Friends . . .

Williamsburg (VA) Friends Meeting is holding a workshop
featuring Chuck Fager & Ann Riggs
dedicated to advancing the peace agenda over the long-haul
on Friday & Saturday, 27/28 February 04.
We know it may be a long way to travel,
but the rewards are so promising!
Please announce at Meeting and distribute as you see fit . . .
hope you can join us!

Announcement ready copy,
and a link to learn more, follows below.

Pace,
Steve

===========================================
Stephen Houseworth
for the
Williamsburg (VA) Friends Meeting (Quakers)
|
WFM WebSite:  www.williamsburg-friends.org
757.291.5757
===========================================

"BUILDING A COMMUNITY THAT CAN SUSTAIN PEACE WORK OVER THE LONG HAUL"
an interfaith workshop  with  Chuck Fager, Director, Quaker House,
Fayetteville, NC &
Ann Riggs, Director for Faith & Order, National Council of Churches USA,
will take place on Friday evening, 27February04 (6pm potluck; 7-9
keynote talks) & Saturday day, 28February04 (9h30am-4pm).  Co-sponsored
by the Williamsburg Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers), & the Community of Faith for Peace of Williamsburg, this
workshop will offer participants a rich mix of presentations and
small-group work toward developing strategies for waging and maintaining
peace.

Workshop details are available at www.cf4p.org.   The event will be held
at the Wesley Foundation of the Williamsburg United Methodist Church,
526 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA.  While reservations are required,
this workshop is free and open to the public.  Please call 757.291.5757
or email: sjhous at wm.edu.


From bright_crow at mindspring.com  Thu Feb 19 15:27:48 2004
From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Mike Shell)
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 14:27:48 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
Subject: [saymaListserv] Updates on Southeastern Yearly Meeting's P&SC
	Website
Message-ID: <3648050.1077218870091.JavaMail.root@wamui03.slb.atl.earthlink.net>

Friends,

I've added some new links to the Peace & Social Concerns website I edit for Southeastern Yearly Meeting (SEYM):
http://seympeace.org/.

In particular, take a look at the "What's NEW" section on the home page.

Thanks,
Mike Shell.

Member, Columbia (SC) Meeting
Attender, Jacksonville (FL) Meeting





From bright_crow at mindspring.com  Fri Feb 20 08:59:53 2004
From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Michael Austin Shell)
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 07:59:53 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Baghdad Burning: Anniversary of the Amiriyah
 Shelter massacre- February 13, 1991
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20040220075909.009eaba0@pop.mindspring.com>

Friends,

This is a posting from the Baghdad Burning weblog, maintained by a young 
Iraqi woman who uses the online name River.

It is very distressing, but we Americans need to know these things.

God help us.

Michael.


>Baghdad Burning
>http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
>
>... I'll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and 
>souls can mend...
>
>Sunday, February 15, 2004
>
>Dedicated to the Memory of L.A.S.
>So Happy Valentine's Day* although it's the 15th. It still feels like the 
>14th here because I'm not asleep* it's the extension of yesterday.
>
>Do you know what yesterday marked? It marked the 13th anniversary of the 
>Amiriyah Shelter massacre- February 13, 1991. Can you really call it an 
>'anniversary'? Anniversary brings to mind such happy things and yet is 
>there any other word? Please send it along if you know it.
>
>February 12, 1991, marked one of the days of the small Eid or 'Eid 
>Al-Fitr'. Of course it also marked one of the heaviest days of bombing 
>during the Gulf War. No one was in the mood for celebration. Most families 
>remained at home because there wasn't even gasoline to travel from one 
>area to the next. The more fortunate areas had bomb shelters and people 
>from all over the neighborhood would get together inside of the shelter 
>during the bombing. That year, they also got together inside of the 
>shelters to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr with their neighbors and friends.
>
>Iraqis don't go to shelters for safety reasons so much as for social 
>reasons. It's a great place to be during a bombing. There's water, 
>electricity and a feeling of serenity and safety that is provided as much 
>by the solid structure as by the congregation of smiling friends and 
>family. Being with a large group of people helps make things easier during 
>war- it's like courage and stamina travel from one person to the next and 
>increase exponentially with the number of people collected.
>
>So the families in the Amiriyah area decided they'd join up in the shelter 
>to have a nice Eid dinner and then the men and boys over the age of 15 
>would leave to give the women and children some privacy. Little did they 
>know, leaving them behind, that it would be the last time they would see 
>the wife/daughter/son/fiancé/sister/infant*
>
>I can imagine the scene after the men left at around midnight- women sat 
>around, pouring out steaming istikans of tea, passing out Eid kilaycha and 
>chocolate. Kids would run around the shelter shrieking and laughing like 
>they owned the huge playground under the earth. Teenage girls would sit 
>around gossiping about guys or clothes or music or the latest rumor about 
>Sara or Lina or Fatima. The smells would mingle- tea, baked goods, rice* 
>comfortable smells that made one imagine, for a few seconds, that they 
>were actually at home.
>
>The sirens would begin shrieking- the women and children would pause in 
>the midst of eating or scolding, say a brief prayer in their heart and 
>worry about their loved ones above the ground- the men who refused to 
>remain inside of the shelter in order to make room for their wives and kids.
>
>The bombs fell hard and fast at around 4 a.m. The first smart bomb went 
>through the ventilation, through the first floor of the shelter- leaving a 
>gaping hole- and to the bottom 'basement' of the shelter where there were 
>water tanks and propane tanks for heating water and food. The second 
>missile came immediately after and finished off what the first missile 
>missed. The doors of the advanced shelter immediately shut automatically- 
>locking over 400 women and children inside.
>
>It turned from a shelter into an inferno; explosions and fire rose from 
>the lower level up to the level that held the women and children and the 
>water rose with it, boiling and simmering. Those who did not burn to death 
>immediately or die of the impact of the explosions, boiled to death or 
>were steamed in the 900+ º F heat.
>
>We woke in the morning to see the horrors on the news. We watched as the 
>Iraqi rescue workers walked inside of the shelter and came out crying and 
>screaming- dragging out bodies so charred, they didn't look human. We saw 
>the people in the area- men, women and children- clinging to the fence 
>surrounding the shelter and screaming with terror; calling out name after 
>name* searching for a familiar face in the middle of the horror.
>
>The bodies were laid out one beside the other- all the same size- shrunk 
>with heat and charred beyond recognition. Some were in the fetal position, 
>curled up, as if trying to escape within themselves. Others were stretched 
>out and rigid, like the victims were trying to reach out a hand to save a 
>loved one or reach for safety. Most remained unrecognizable to their 
>families- only the size and fragments of clothing or jewelry indicating 
>the gender and the general age.
>
>Amiriyah itself is an area full of school teachers, college professors, 
>doctors and ordinary employees- a middle-class neighborhood with low 
>houses, friendly people and a growing mercantile population. It was a 
>mélange of Sunnis and Shi'a and Christians- all living together peacefully 
>and happily. After the 13th of February, it became the area everyone 
>avoided. For weeks and weeks the whole area stank of charred flesh and the 
>air was thick and gray with ash. The beige stucco houses were suddenly all 
>covered with black pieces of cloth scrolled with the names of dead loved 
>ones. "Ali Jabbar mourns the loss of his wife, daughter, and two sons*"; 
>"Muna Rahim mourns the loss of her mother, sisters, brothers and son*"
>
>Within days, the streets were shut with black cloth tents set up by the 
>grief-stricken families to receive mourners from all over Iraq who came to 
>weep and ease some of the shock and horror. And it was horrible. Everyone 
>lost someone- or knew someone who lost several people.
>
>My first visit to the shelter came several years after it was bombed. We 
>were in the neighborhood visiting a friend of my mother. She was a retired 
>schoolteacher who quit after the Amiriyah bombing. She had no thoughts of 
>quitting but after schools resumed in April of 1991, she went on the first 
>day to greet her class of 2nd graders. She walked into the classroom and 
>found only 11 of her 23 students. "I thought they had decided not to 
>come*" I remember her saying to my mother in hushed tones, later that 
>year,"* but when I took attendance, they told me the rest of the children 
>had died in the shelter*" She quit soon after that because she claimed her 
>heart had broken that day and she couldn't look at the children anymore 
>without remembering the tragedy.
>
>I decided to pay my respects to the shelter and the victims. It was 
>October and I asked the retired teacher if the shelter was open (hoping in 
>my heart of hearts she'd say 'no'). She nodded her head and said that it 
>was indeed open- it was always open. I walked the two short blocks to the 
>shelter and found it in the midst of houses- the only separation being a 
>wide street. There were children playing in the street and we stopped one 
>of them who was kicking around a ball. Is there anyone in the shelter? He 
>nodded his head solemnly- yes the shelter was 'maskoon'.
>
>Now the word 'maskoon' can mean two different things in Arabic. It can 
>mean 'lived in' and it can also mean 'haunted'. My imagination immediately 
>carried me away- could the child mean haunted? I'm not one who believes in 
>ghosts and monsters- the worst monsters are people and if you survive war 
>and bombs, ghosts are a piece of cake* yet something inside of me knew 
>that a place where 400 people had lost their lives so terribly- almost 
>simultaneously- had to be 'haunted' somehow by their souls*
>
>We walked inside and the place was dark and cold, even for the warm 
>October weather. The only light filtering in came from the gaping hole in 
>the roof of the shelter where the American missiles had fallen. I wanted 
>to hold my breath- expecting to smell something I didn't want to* but you 
>can only do that for so long. The air didn't smell stale at all; it simply 
>smelled sad- like the winds that passed through this place were sorrowful 
>winds. The far corners of the shelter were so dark, it was almost easy to 
>imagine real people crouching in them.
>
>The walls were covered with pictures. Hundreds of pictures of smiling 
>women and children- toothy grins, large, gazelle eyes and the gummy smiles 
>of babies. Face after face after face stared back at us from the dull gray 
>walls and it felt endless and hopeless. I wondered what had happened to 
>their families, or rather their remaining families after the catastrophe. 
>We knew one man who had lost his mind after losing his wife and children 
>inside of the shelter. I wondered how many others had met the same fate* 
>and I wondered how much life was worth after you lost the people most 
>precious to you.
>
>At the far end of the shelter we heard voices. I strained my ears to 
>listen and we searched them out- there were 4 or 5 Japanese tourists and a 
>small, slight woman who was speaking haltingly in English. She was trying 
>to explain how the bomb had fallen and how the people had died. She used 
>elaborate hand gestures and the Japanese tourists nodded their heads, 
>clicked away with their cameras and clucked sympathetically.
>
>"Who is she?" I whispered to my mother's friend.
>"She takes care of the place*" she replied in a low voice.
>"Why don't they bring in someone who can speak fluently- this is 
>frustrating to see*" I whispered back, watching the Japanese men shake 
>hands with the woman before turning to go.
>
>My mother's friend shook her head sadly, "They tried, but she just refuses 
>to leave. She has been taking care of the place since the rescue teams 
>finished cleaning it out* she lost 8 of her children here." I was 
>horrified with that fact as the woman approached us. Her face was stern, 
>yet gentle- like that of a school principal or* like that of a mother of 8 
>children. She shook hands with us and took us around to see the shelter. 
>This is where we were. This is where the missiles came in* this is where 
>the water rose up to* this is where the people stuck to the walls.
>
>Her voice was strong and solid in Arabic. We didn't know what to answer. 
>She continued to tell us how she had been in the shelter with 8 of her 9 
>children and how she had left minutes before the missiles hit to get some 
>food and a change of clothes for one of the toddlers. She was in the house 
>when the missiles struck and her first thoughts were, "Thank God the kids 
>are in the shelter*" When she ran back to the shelter from her house 
>across the street, she found it had been struck and the horror had begun. 
>She had watched the corpses dragged out for days and days and refused to 
>believe they were all gone for months after. She hadn't left the shelter 
>since- it had become her home.
>
>She pointed to the vague ghosts of bodies stuck to the concrete on the 
>walls and ground and the worst one to look at was that of a mother, 
>holding a child to her breast, like she was trying to protect it or save 
>it. "That should have been me*" the woman who lost her children said and 
>we didn't know what to answer.
>
>It was then that I knew that the place was indeed 'maskoon' or haunted* 
>since February 13, 1991 it has been haunted by the living who were cursed 
>with their own survival.
>
>Important Side Note:For those of you with the audacity to write to me 
>claiming it was a legitimate target because "American officials assumed it 
>was for military purposes" just remember Protocol 1 of the 1977 Geneva 
>Conventions, Part IV, Section 1, Chapter III, Article 52: ... 3. In case 
>of doubt whether an object which is normally dedicated to civilian 
>purposes, such as a place of worship, a house or other dwelling or a 
>school, is being used to make an effective contribution to military 
>action, it shall be presumed not to be so used. (Like that would matter to 
>you anyway)
>
>
>- posted by river @ 4:15 AM




From jhminshall at comcast.net  Fri Feb 20 12:11:35 2004
From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall)
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 11:11:35 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: op-ed submission to the NY TIMES
Message-ID: <p05210601bc5be21f089f@[192.168.1.101]>

>X-Originating-IP: [204.127.202.64]
>X-Sender: freepolazzo at mail.comcast.net
>X-Priority: 1 (Highest)
>Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 08:38:54 -0500
>To: freepolazzo at comcast.net
>From: free polazzo <freepolazzo at comcast.net>
>Subject: op-ed submission to the NY TIMES
>
>Hi,
>
>Joe is a member of the Atlanta Friends Meeting.   Several others of 
>the five who were arrested are also from Atlanta.   I want to be 
>there for them if they go to court.   Can anyone else free up some 
>time next month to stand with them?   If you are considering it, let 
>me know and I can keep you informed of when the trail will be held.
>
>Blessings,
>
>Free
>
>>                       DEMOCRACY IS IN TROUBLE                    
>>
>>                                             by
>>
>>                                                 Joe Parko
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>I was charged with criminal trespass on Feb. 17th in the State 
>>Court of Fulton County in Atlanta, Ga. My crime? Trying to get an 
>>appointment to see Senator Zell Miller. There is something deeply 
>>wrong with our democracy when our elected representatives would 
>>rather arrest us than meet with us. All of this began back in the 
>>spring of 2002 when the idea of invading Iraq was surfacing. On 
>>April 22, 2002, I met with Senator Miller's legislative aide in his 
>>office on Capitol Hill and raised many questions about war on Iraq. 
>>Despite my request for a response,  I never heard a word from the 
>>Senator.  On August 28 a large delegation from the MoveOn citizens 
>>group delivered a petition against war on Iraq signed by several 
>>thousand Georgians to Senator Miller's Atlanta office. This group 
>>also left a series of questions about the war which they wanted 
>>Senator Miller to get answers to. But rather than pressing the 
>>Administration for answers, Senator Miller stated that "As a 
>>Marine, I was taught to say 'Aye, aye, sir,' do an about-face and 
>>go do the job my commander-in-chief ordered me to do."  We found 
>>this statement outrageous because Zell Miller is no longer a 
>>Marine. He is a U.S. Senator who is supposed to represent the 
>>people of Georgia.  On Sept. 30, I led a delegation to Senator 
>>Miller's Atlanta office where we left a series of questions about 
>>war on Iraq with a junior staff member and requested that Senator 
>>Miller get answers to these questions from the President before he 
>>attacked Iraq. Among our questions were:
>>
>>
>>1. How reliable is the evidence for WMD?
>>2 .How many casualties can we expect if urban warfare breaks out in Iraq?
>>3. What is the plan for after the war? How long will we be there? 
>>What will war on Iraq cost the American taxpayers?
>>4. Won't a war on Iraq distract us from dealing with the real 
>>sources of terrorism?             
>>
>>
>>
>>             Once again, there was no response from Senator Miller. 
>>I am deeply troubled that Senator Miller knew that these and many 
>>other serious questions demanded answers before war was even 
>>considered, and that he chose to ignore them. Instead, he declared, 
>>even before the debate began, that he would support war on Iraq 
>>regardless of the very profound concerns of many thousands of 
>>Georgians.
>>
>>
>>
>>             Finally, after repeated failed attempts to get an 
>>appointment with our senator, a group of us went to his Colony 
>>Square office on Nov. 4, 2002, and told his staff that we would not 
>>leave until Senator Miller agreed to meet with us sometime during 
>>the next 30 days. Again, Miller refused and at 5:30PM the police 
>>were called in, and the five of us were arrested and taken off to 
>>jail. I am the first to be formally charged and my trial is 
>>scheduled next month.
>>
>>
>>
>>It's ironic that I should be charged with criminal trespass for 
>>trying to see my senator when it is Zell Miller who should be on 
>>trial for abdicating his constitutional duty, which requires 
>>Congress to declare war. Even more to the point, he should be tried 
>>for impersonating a Democrat. If Zell Miller had demanded answers 
>>from President Bush before war was launched, we could have saved 
>>thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars on a totally 
>>unnecessary war. If Zell Miller had listened to the people, we 
>>could have avoided the mess we are in today.
>>
>>                                                         
>>
>>                                                 
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From freepolazzo at comcast.net  Sat Feb 21 22:45:40 2004
From: freepolazzo at comcast.net (free polazzo)
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 21:45:40 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] New FactCheck.org Document: Here We Go Again: Bush
 Exaggerates Tax Cuts
Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20040221214312.00b15600@mail.comcast.net>

Hi Friends,

In case you haven't seen this site, www.factcheck.org   does a good job of 
explaining the "truth" of some of the conflicting arguments the 
presidential candidates are making.

Here is an example.

Note that All the candidates are examined, irregardless of party affiliation.

Blessings,

Free
>X-Originating-IP: [130.91.52.54]
>From: <SubscriberServices at FactCheck.org>
>To: <freepolazzo at comcast.net>
>Subject: New FactCheck.org Document: Here We Go Again: Bush Exaggerates 
>Tax Cuts
>Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 16:46:18 -0500
>X-Mailer: Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000
>Thread-Index: AcP3+vjHaHNkLJ0lT6GOpm7vGvXYKg==
>X-OriginalArrivalTime: 20 Feb 2004 21:46:22.0794 (UTC) 
>FILETIME=[FB62B2A0:01C3F7FA]
>
>Here We Go Again: Bush Exaggerates Tax Cuts
>
>The President can't keep his figures straight. And most people are getting 
>less than he implies.
>
>02.20.2004
>
>Summary
>
>
>
>President Bush stumbled Feb. 19, saying the average tax cut is $1,089. The 
>White House corrected that figure to $1,586. But the fact is that most 
>Americans won't see anywhere near either of those amounts.
>
>As we've said before when disputing equally misleading lowball figures 
>given by Howard Dean, half of all individuals and families will get less 
>than $470, and half will get more. The averageis misleading because it is 
>inflated by very large cuts given to a relative few at the top.
>
>
>Analysis
>
>
>
>Now that the general election campaign is nearing, President Bush has 
>resumed a sales pitch for the tax cuts he's signed. But he persists in 
>making some misleading claims.
>
>At a 24-minute appearance in the White House complex on Feb. 19, the 
>President wrongly stated that "everybody who pays taxes" is getting a cut, 
>which is not true:
>Bush: We cut the taxes on everybody who pays taxes. I don't think it makes 
>sense for tax-cutters to say, okay, you win, and you lose. My attitude 
>was, if you pay taxes, you ought to get relief. And we cut all taxes,
>In fact, all taxes were not cut and millions who pay only federal payroll 
>taxes got no benefit from Bush's cuts.
>
>It is true that everybody who paid federal income taxes is getting a cut. 
>But according to the nonpartisan 
><http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/TaxModel/tmdb/TMTemplate.cfm?DocID=498&topic2ID=40&topic3ID=57>Tax 
>Policy Center , 35.6  million individuals and families got zero benefit 
>from the Bush cuts because their income was so low they were not paying 
>federal income taxes before the cuts. This number includes 15.1 million 
>workers who are paying federal payroll taxes for Social Security and 
>Medicare. That's 15 million "taxpayers" who were left out.
>
>The President also bobbled the numbers when describing the average size of 
>the cut. Here's the official White House transcript of what he said, which 
>was wrong, along with the footnotes inserted later by the White House 
>staff to correct the record:
>Bush: The tax relief we passed, 11 million* taxpayers this year will save 
>$1,086* off their taxes. . . .
>(* 111 million taxpayers will save, on average, $1,586 off their taxes.)
>The $1,586 figure is indeed an accurate statement of the average cut 
>received by those who are getting a cut, according to the Treasury 
>Department. However, it is far from typical.
>
>For one thing, the figure does not take into account the 25% of all 
>individuals and families who are receiving zero tax cut this year. It is 
>an average only of those who are getting some cut. When those who get 
>nothing are added in the average cut drops to $1,217, according to the Tax 
>Policy Center.
>
>But most importantly, the average is inflated by the fact that most of the 
>money is going to a relatively few taxpayers at the top of the income 
>scale, as seen from the following table distilled from a more extensive 
>analysis by the Tax Policy Center:
>
>Combined Effect of Bush Tax Cuts 2003
>Income
>(in thousands) Percent of Households Average Tax Change
>Less than 10 23.7 -$8
>10-20 16.6 -$307
>20-30 13.3 -$638
>30-40 9.7 -$825
>40-50 7.6 -$1,012
>50-75 13.0 -$1,403
>75-100 6.8 -$2,543
>100-200 6.6 -$3,710
>200-500 1.6 -$7,173
>500-1,000 0.3 -$22,485
>More than 1,000 0.1 -$112,925
>Source: 
><http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/TaxModel/tmdb/TMTemplate.cfm?DocID=458&topic2ID=40&topic3ID=57>Tax 
>Policy Center table T03-0123
>
>Taxpayers making more than $1 million a year get an average cut of nearly 
>$113,000 this year. Such huge cuts at the top tend to pull up the 
>numerical average that the President is fond of citing.
>
>A more meaningful number is the median -- or mid-point. The Tax Policy 
>Center calculates the median cut received for income earned in 2003 is $470.
>
>That means half of all individuals and families get less than that, and 
>half get more.
>
>Even the median figure doesn't give a full picture of how the benefits are 
>spread around, however. Taxpayers make out very differently depending on 
>whether they are married or single, and how many children they have under 
>age 17.
>
>That's because much of the tax relief for 2003 comes in the form of a tax 
>break for married couples -- reduction of the so-called "marriage penalty" 
>-- and a doubling of the tax credit granted for each child under 17, to 
>$1,000 per child. Those do nothing to benefit single taxpayers -- 
>including unmarried workers and millions of elderly widows and widowers, 
>for example. In fact, the Tax Policy Center calculates that nearly 13 
>million of those over age 65 will get no tax cut.
>
>On the other hand, the Bush cuts do reduce income taxes for many 
>middle-income families to zero this year -- taking them off the federal 
>income tax rolls entirely.
>
>The following table, also from the Tax Policy Center, shows how different 
>types of families in various income ranges make out  under the Bush cuts 
>this year:
>
>Combined Effect of Bush Cuts for 2003: Typical Families
>
>(Amounts by which federal income taxes would rise if cuts are repealed)
>
>Income
>
>Single
>
>Married Filing Joint
>
># of kids under 17>
>
>0
>
>0
>
>1
>
>2
>
>3
>
>$10,000
>
>$110
>
>$76
>
>$0
>
>$0
>
>$0
>
>$15,000
>
>350
>
>142
>
>610
>
>661
>
>661
>
>$25,000
>
>350
>
>702
>
>1,210
>
>1,661
>
>1,579
>
>$35,000
>
>350
>
>932
>
>1,433
>
>1,897
>
>2,245
>
>$50,000
>
>669
>
>773
>
>1,272
>
>1,773
>
>2,271
>
>$75,000
>
>1,318
>
>1,714
>
>1,817
>
>1,938
>
>2,437
>
>$100,000
>
>2,001
>
>2,596
>
>3,004
>
>3,413
>
>4,510
>
>$125,000
>
>2,695
>
>3,277
>
>3,435
>
>4,094
>
>4,571
>
>$150,000
>
>3,460
>
>4,010
>
>3,918
>
>3,827
>
>4,735
>
>$200,000
>
>5,218
>
>5,623
>
>5,531
>
>4,918
>
>4,364
>
>$500,000
>
>15,585
>
>12,328
>
>12,328
>
>12,328
>
>12,328
>
>$1,000,000
>
>37,713
>
>38,426
>
>38,426
>
>38,426
>
>38,426
>
>Source: Tax Policy Center 
><http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/TaxModel/tmdb/TMTemplate.cfm?Docid=535&topic2>Table 
>T03-0200
>
>
>
>The President is not the only politician who distorts the figures 
>regarding the tax cuts, of course. As we've 
><http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?DocID=124>pointed out before, 
>Howard Dean persisted in a false claim that "sixty percent of us got only 
>$304," when in fact most taxpayers got more.
>
>And some of the points in the President's election-year sales pitch are 
>perfectly valid. For example:
>Bush: Nearly 5 million taxpayers will be off the rolls as a result of the 
>tax relief this year.
>That's true for federal income taxes -- close to 5 million who previously 
>owed some federal income tax will owe none under the Bush cuts, including 
>many middle-income families with children.
>
>We'll no doubt be hearing more about the tax cuts in the months to come. 
>Both Kerry and Edwards, currently slugging it out for the Democratic 
>nomination, have called for repeal of portions of the Bush cuts that 
>benefit upper-income taxpayers.
>
>
>Source
>
>
>
>George W. Bush " 
><http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/20040219-4.html>Remarks 
>by the President on the Economy" Presidential Hall, Eisenhower Executive 
>Office Building 19 Feb. 2004.
>
>Elisabeth Bumiller, Bush Promotes His Tax Cuts as Beneficiaries Stand 
>ByNew York Times 20 Feb. 2004.
>
><http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/TaxModel/tmdb/Content/Excel/T03-0123.xls>Table 
>T03-0123  "Combined Effect of EGTRRA and Conference Agreement on the Jobs 
>and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003: Distribution of Income 
>Tax Change by AGI Class, 2003" Tax Policy Center Washington DC 23 May 2003.
>
><http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/TaxModel/tmdb/Content/Excel/T03-0163.xls>Table 
>T03-0163 "Combined Effect of EGTRRA and JGTRRA: Number of Tax Units by 
>Size of Income Tax Cut and Individual Characteristics, 2003" Tax Policy 
>Center Washington DC 23 June 2003.
>
><http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/TaxModel/tmdb/Content/Excel/T03-0200.xls>Table 
>T03-0200 "The 2001 and 2003 Tax Cuts for Representative Families By Type 
>of Filer for Tax Year 2003" Tax Policy Center Washington DC 2 Jan 2004.
>
>
>
>Please visit 
><http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=145>http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=145 
>to view this FactCheck article in full.
>
>To unsubscribe from future FactCheck.org emails, please click on 
><http://www.factcheck.org/unsubscribe.aspx?EmailId=4595>http://www.factcheck.org/unsubscribe.aspx?EmailId=4595 
>
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From guershea at hiwaay.net  Tue Feb 24 23:35:48 2004
From: guershea at hiwaay.net (JGuerry-CShea)
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 21:35:48 -0600
Subject: [saymaListserv] Passing of Dick Cordray
Message-ID: <200402250335.i1P3ZmJX1069076@mail.hiwaay.net>

SAYMA Friends,

 

Dick Cordray, a founding member of Huntsville Area Friends Meeting, active
part of SAYMA prior to his illness, and long-time peace activist, died
yesterday. We gratefully acknowledge Dick's many commitments and
contributions to our Meeting and to our broader community. We mourn his
passing. 

 

Dick's children are in the process of making arrangements for a memorial
service, and we will advise through the SAYMA list.

 

Judy Guerry

Clerk, Huntsville Area Friends Meeting

 

 

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From Vmbra at aol.com  Wed Feb 25 23:11:24 2004
From: Vmbra at aol.com (Vmbra at aol.com)
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 22:11:24 EST
Subject: [saymaListserv] A curious solicitation
Message-ID: <1c0.15925704.2d6ebddc@aol.com>

I received a letter from a person who says he is a Ugandan student in need of 
money to complete his education.  It had a Ugandan stamp and postmark, and 
was addressed in a different hand than the letter (both appeared to be hand 
written).  I don't know anyone in Uganda, and I am assuming someone is working a 
mail list.  I have no way of knowing whether this is a genuine request or a 
scam but I strongly suspect the latter.  The writer admits I don't know him, but 
does not disclose just how he came across my address in Kampala.  On the off 
chance that this is a Friends mailing list, I thought I'd ask if others have 
received similar messages.

Thanks,

Charles Schade
Charleston WV
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From jhminshall at comcast.net  Thu Feb 26 13:37:16 2004
From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall)
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 12:37:16 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] A curious solicitation
In-Reply-To: <1c0.15925704.2d6ebddc@aol.com>
References: <1c0.15925704.2d6ebddc@aol.com>
Message-ID: <p05210600bc63d02137d0@[192.168.1.101]>

Dear Charles Schade,  I worked a couple of assignments sponsored by 
US Quaker monthly and yearly meetings doing economic development in 
Kenya in 1986-88 with Kenyan Quakers.  Most of the tribes in Kenya 
are the same as the tribes in Uganda having been split into separate 
countries during the time of colonialist occupation.  There has been 
a significant amount of evangelization by FUM Friends in Kenya (about 
250,000 people there and a smaller number in Uganda call themselves 
Friends). Since I returned to the US and ceased my efforts there (due 
to disability) I have received two or three such solicitations each 
year -- sometimes more.

Uganda is once again caught in the middle of a rebellious uprise or 
confrontation in the North.  I don't know the details, but have seen 
photos on the BBC International News.  Anytime there is significant 
unrest the people of Uganda, Kenya, and much of the rest of Africa 
revert back to violence based on long-standing tribal hatreds. That 
has clearly happened again in Uganda.  Some of it makes the US news 
and some of it doesn't. The last time I was there the wonderful 
Quaker man who served as my cultural interpreter and guide had just 
lost his sister in Uganda to poisoning.  Poisoning has been a common 
form of quiet murder there for millenia.

A 12 year old boy was interviewed on the BBC International News last 
night because he seemed to be alone and was obviously frightened of 
the men yelling and yielding machetes and the women screaming around 
him.  When asked, he responded in very good English, through his 
tears, that he was alone, his parents had both been killed in the 
violence, and all his relatives (who in that culture would have been 
expected to take him in and care for him) had also been killed.

If you wish to find out more about the person or persons who sent you 
that letter, FUM's office in Richmond, Indiana, 101Quaker Hill Drive, 
Richmond 47374, phone:317-962-7573, might be your best resource. 
(Bill Wagoner used to be the resource person there on East Africa but 
I'm afraid I've forgotten his actual title.  He is probably retired 
by now, but there must be someone who picked up his responsibilities 
with East African Yearly meetings.  Whether the author of the letter 
is a Quaker or not, Uganda is desperately in need of aid and 
peacekeeping efforts, (as is Haiti, by the way).  Up until this 
recent violence Uganda had the distinction of being further ahead in 
its fight on AIDS prevention and treatment, and in its efforts at 
economic development, than most of Africa. This is a serious setback.

If you do contact FUM, please let me (us) know what you find out. 
Also, the Quaker UN Office (777 United Nationas Plaza, NY, NY 10017, 
phone 212-682-2735) might be helpful.
   					 Best Regards,  Janet






>I received a letter from a person who says he is a Ugandan student 
>in need of money to complete his education.  It had a Ugandan stamp 
>and postmark, and was addressed in a different hand than the letter 
>(both appeared to be hand written).  I don't know anyone in Uganda, 
>and I am assuming someone is working a mail list.  I have no way of 
>knowing whether this is a genuine request or a scam but I strongly 
>suspect the latter.  The writer admits I don't know him, but does 
>not disclose just how he came across my address in Kampala.  On the 
>off chance that this is a Friends mailing list, I thought I'd ask if 
>others have received similar messages.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Charles Schade
>Charleston WV
>
>_______________________________________________
>Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association mailing list
>sayma at kitenet.net
>http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma



From jhminshall at comcast.net  Thu Feb 26 15:18:17 2004
From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall)
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 14:18:17 -0500
Subject: Fwd: Re: [saymaListserv] A curious solicitation
Message-ID: <p05210604bc63f445b65f@[192.168.1.101]>

(SORRY, I JUST GOT A CALL BACK FROM THE PHONE NUMBER I SENT YOU FOR 
THE FUM OFFICE IN RICHMOND, INDIANA.  THE CORRECT NUMBER IS 
765-962-7573)  The area code printed in the FWCC directory was wrong 
and I have changed it in the message below.  Janet.



>Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 12:37:16 -0500
>To: <Vmbra at aol.com>
>From: Janet Minshall <jhminshall at comcast.net>
>Subject: Re: [saymaListserv] A curious solicitation
>Cc: sayma at kitenet.net
>Bcc:
>X-Attachments:
>
>Dear Charles Schade,  I worked a couple of assignments sponsored by 
>US Quaker monthly and yearly meetings doing economic development in 
>Kenya in 1986-88 with Kenyan Quakers.  Most of the tribes in Kenya 
>are the same as the tribes in Uganda having been split into separate 
>countries during the time of colonialist occupation.  There has been 
>a significant amount of evangelization by FUM Friends in Kenya 
>(about 250,000 people there and a smaller number in Uganda call 
>themselves Friends). Since I returned to the US and ceased my 
>efforts there (due to disability) I have received two or three such 
>solicitations each year -- sometimes more.
>
>Uganda is once again caught in the middle of a rebellious uprise or 
>confrontation in the North.  I don't know the details, but have seen 
>photos on the BBC International News.  Anytime there is significant 
>unrest the people of Uganda, Kenya, and much of the rest of Africa 
>revert back to violence based on long-standing tribal hatreds. That 
>has clearly happened again in Uganda.  Some of it makes the US news 
>and some of it doesn't. The last time I was there the wonderful 
>Quaker man who served as my cultural interpreter and guide had just 
>lost his sister in Uganda to poisoning.  Poisoning has been a common 
>form of quiet murder there for millenia.
>
>A 12 year old boy was interviewed on the BBC International News last 
>night because he seemed to be alone and was obviously frightened of 
>the men yelling and yielding machetes and the women screaming around 
>him.  When asked, he responded in very good English, through his 
>tears, that he was alone, his parents had both been killed in the 
>violence, and all his relatives (who in that culture would have been 
>expected to take him in and care for him) had also been killed.
>
>If you wish to find out more about the person or persons who sent 
>you that letter, FUM's office in Richmond, Indiana, 101 Quaker Hill 
>Drive, Richmond 47374, phone:765-962-7573, might be your best 
>resource.  (Bill Wagoner used to be the resource person there on 
>East Africa but I'm afraid I've forgotten his actual title.  He is 
>probably retired by now, but there must be someone who picked up his 
>responsibilities with East African Yearly meetings.  Whether the 
>author of the letter is a Quaker or not, Uganda is desperately in 
>need of aid and peacekeeping efforts, (as is Haiti, by the way).  Up 
>until this recent violence Uganda had the distinction of being 
>further ahead in its fight on AIDS prevention and treatment, and in 
>its efforts at economic development, than most of Africa. This is a 
>serious setback.
>
>If you do contact FUM, please let me (us) know what you find out. 
>Also, the Quaker UN Office (777 United Nationas Plaza, NY, NY 10017, 
>phone 212-682-2735) might be helpful.
>   					 Best Regards,  Janet
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>I received a letter from a person who says he is a Ugandan student 
>>in need of money to complete his education.  It had a Ugandan stamp 
>>and postmark, and was addressed in a different hand than the letter 
>>(both appeared to be hand written).  I don't know anyone in Uganda, 
>>and I am assuming someone is working a mail list.  I have no way of 
>>knowing whether this is a genuine request or a scam but I strongly 
>>suspect the latter.  The writer admits I don't know him, but does 
>>not disclose just how he came across my address in Kampala.  On the 
>>off chance that this is a Friends mailing list, I thought I'd ask 
>>if others have received similar messages.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Charles Schade
>>Charleston WV
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association mailing list
>>sayma at kitenet.net
>>http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma



From jhminshall at comcast.net  Thu Feb 26 15:22:01 2004
From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall)
Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 14:22:01 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Re: NEA as Terrorists
Message-ID: <p05210605bc63f77f78aa@[192.168.1.101]>

>Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 14:05:28 -0500
>To: "Nancy Whitt" <nmwhitt at samford.edu>
>From: Janet Minshall <jhminshall at comcast.net>
>Subject: Re: NEA as Terrorists
>Cc:
>Bcc:
>X-Attachments:
>
>Hi Nancy and Hi to your Nephew in Atlanta,  Thank you so much for 
>this.  When I heard Bush's Secretary of Education, Ron Paige, on 
>CNN, call the teachers organizations  "terrorists" and indicate that 
>their leadership should be prosecuted I realized that he was, of 
>course, condemning some of the greatest supporters of the Democratic 
>Party. This is probably only the start of a nasty Republican smear 
>campaign to discredit the Democratic base.  Janet
>
>
>
>
>>from my nephew, a media specialist in an inner city "theme" school in
>>Atlanta, GA.  If you're interested in children's literature or read to
>>children, check out his website.  N.
>>
>>In response to comments by the Secretary of Education
>>
>>
>>I read today that we are terrorists,
>>my colleagues and I.
>>Not your typical terrorists, I'll grant you.
>>We have grammar instead of guerillas
>>car washes instead of car bombs.
>>We are nurturers of children, not their murderers.
>>Preaching education instead of eradication.
>>The NEA not the IRA.
>>Bathroom breaks instead of prison breaks.
>>Holding hands instead of hand grenades.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>"The earth never tires,
>>     The earth is rude, silent, incomprehensible at first,
>>     Nature is rude and incomprehensible at first,
>>     Be not discouraged, keep on, there are divine things well
>>envelop'd,
>>     I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words
>>can
>>tell."
>>                      -Walt Whitman
>>                       Leaves of Grass
>>Frank Rogers
>>frankrogers at mindspring.com
>>http://frankrogers.home.mindspring.com/



From freepolazzo at comcast.net  Sat Feb 28 15:12:06 2004
From: freepolazzo at comcast.net (free polazzo)
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 14:12:06 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] "The Passion of Christ" and How it affects Jews
Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20040228140910.03525d10@mail.comcast.net>

Dear SAYMA Friends,

This discussion happened on the Atlanta Friends Meeting e mail list.   I 
wanted you to be "in the loop" on this important discussion about 
exclusivity in the Religious Society of Friends.  If you received this more 
than once, it is because you belong to more than one of the lists I use.

Peace,

Free

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Joe,

Thank you for your insightful message.    I'm sure Jesus was a lot darker 
than most people think.  So were most other Jews of that time.

While I haven't seen the movie, The Passion of Christ, (and won't) after 
reading 15 reviews about it and feel that I can comment on how it seems to 
received by the community at large.   How it is perceived by folks is as 
important to understand as is the "truth" about the movie.  The main 
concern I have about the movie is that many Jews and many Christians see 
the movie as condemning ALL Jews for the death of Jesus.

We should listen to them.

If People of Color complained about a movie being racist, would there be a 
big discussion among Quakers to decide if they were right or just 
paranoid?  I hope not.   Maybe there would be questions asked about why the 
movie is racist and then some reflection by the White people about what was 
said.     Perhaps there would be some thanks for the folks who were willing 
to try and bridge the gap between the disparate cultures.   That is one way 
to get to a peaceable kindom.

I think that Jewish people also need to have to have a voice, especially in 
a country where Christians dominate the religious landscape.  Even in a 
Quaker Meeting, where most are more accepting of the Light we all 
share.  Perhaps some personal history would help.

I was raised with the world telling me that I was responsible for the death 
of Jesus Christ.  While growing up in Brooklyn, NY.  I was chased and 
beaten by other children in my neighborhood because I was Jewish and 
therefore responsible for killing Jesus.  The children actually called us 
Christ killers while they were chasing us.   The "responsible" adults in 
the neighborhood were shocked.   But nobody was punished.    My twin 
brother and I learned to run fast.  We had to transfer our Boy Scout 
membership from the local troop which met in a church, to one four miles 
away which met in an synagogue.  That's because the boys who were chasing 
us were from our troop!

A Pope saying a few words in Rome decades ago hasn't really changed that 
world view, even today, judging by the news reports we get on the film's 
release.  Even some Quakers have trouble hearing that Jews don't wish to be 
blamed for the death of Christianity's Son of God (or is he God?-- I get 
confused about that).

When the Friends Song book was published by FGC, a group of Jewish Friends 
went to Central Committee and asked that "The Lord of the Dance" be removed 
from the book   Its a wonderful upbeat hymn about the Lord dancing, but 
that song also says that Jews killed Jesus.   We tried to explain how we 
have been treated thru the years because of this idea.  Of course a 
"committee" was formed.

Friends General Conference decided to keep the Lord of the Dance in the 
Songbook but WITH A FOOTNOTE to explain our concerns.  I ask, who reads 
footnotes in the back of the book, while singing a hymn?  Not I.   Do 
you?   What is going on here, Friends?

Is there room for religious diversity as well as skin color diversity in 
our Society?  Does the Light only speak to a select few or is there that of 
God in every person?

Shalom,

Free

PS:     Rabbi Micheal Lerner has an article at: 
http://www.tikkun.org/index.cfm/action/current/article/220.html

PSS:    The new issue of Tikkun Magazine (March/April 2004) has some good 
articles on the movie.  I recommend "Loosely Based on a True Story: The 
Passion of Jesus Christ in Verbal and Visual Medial".  by John Dominic 
Crossan, professor emeritus of Religious Studies at DePaul University who 
also wrote "Who Killed Jesus? Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the 
Gospel Story of the Death of Jesus (Harper SanFrancisco, 1995)

At 11:24 AM 2/27/2004 -0500, you wrote:
>   The television airwaves have been filled for the last several days with 
> a lot of back-and-forth about Mel Gibson's new film, 'The Passion of The 
> Christ.'  A great deal of debate centers around whether Gibson has 
> fashioned a broadside against Jewish people in the manner of the Medieval 
> anti-Semitic passion plays of old. There are plenty of rabbis arguing 
> with Christian ministers on just about any channel you might choose to 
> watch, so I'm going to leave that question to them for the time being.
>      My question is much simpler: Why would Mel Gibson make a movie about 
> people in the ancient Middle East and cast it with so many white people? 
> To look at the central actors in this film, you'd think Jesus did his 
> work near Manchester, New Hampshire instead of the Holy Land. The answer 
> to that question lies within the United States, the prime market for this 
> film. There are millions of Christians in America, some 25% of whom would 
> characterize themselves as evangelical. It stands to reason that this 
> film would do very well here, especially given the controversy that has 
> surrounded the content.
>
>      The whiteness of the cast, however, speaks to a decidedly 
> un-Christian truth that lies near the heart of this republic.  Simply 
> put, nailing a white Jesus Christ to the cross on film will generate a 
> far more emotional response from the American viewing public than the 
> crucifixion of a savior who actually looks like he is from the Middle East.
>
>      First, let's dispense with the idea that the white people who were 
> cast to play the most emotive characters - Jesus, Judas, and Mary 
> Magdalene - have anything to do with historical accuracy.  In truth, the 
> region where Jesus was born was, and remains, populated by brown-skinned 
> people.  The fact of Christ's non-whiteness is borne out in the 
> historical record, and in biblical scripture.  Right off the bat, the 
> Book of Matthew describes Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt to escape the 
> wrath of Herod.  Egypt is in Africa, and is populated by brown-skinned 
> people.  For my money, this would be the last place on earth I would go 
> to hide a white baby from an angry King.
>
>      The earliest renditions of Jesus, painted by the first Christians 
> called Essenes in the catacombs of Rome, depict a person with brown 
> skin.  During the time of Roman Emperor Justinian II, a gold coin 
> featuring an image of Jesus was minted. This coin, which today can be 
> seen in the British Museum, depicts a man with demonstrably non-white 
> features and tightly curled hair.   Finally, there is the Book of 
> Revelations, which bears out the crafting of the Essenes and the Roman 
> coin-makers by describing Jesus as having hair like wool, feet the color 
> of burnt brass, and who resembled jasper and sardine stones.  Jasper and 
> sardine stones are both brown, as is burnt brass.
>
>      The Jesus most familiar to Americans, the Jesus featured in Gibson's 
> film, looks like the front man for an alternative rock band out of 
> Minnesota.  Judas in this film is a shorter version of the same 
> phenomenon.  White skin, long straight brown hair, decidedly European 
> features - this is not the Jesus that preached revolution against the 
> Empire long ago.  This is the Jesus fashioned by Michelangelo five 
> centuries ago, who used his white cousin as the model for the savior.
>
>      The ugly truth which never even occurs to most Americans is that 
> Jesus looked a lot more like an Iraqi, like an Afghani, like a 
> Palestinian, like an Arab, than any of the paintings which grace the 
> walls of American churches from sea to shining sea.  This was an 
> uncomfortable fact before September 11.  After the attack, it became 
> almost a moral imperative to put as much distance between Americans and 
> people from the Middle East as possible.  Now, to suggest that Jesus 
> shared a genealogical heritage and physical similarity to the people 
> sitting in dog cages down in Guantanamo is to dance along the edge of treason.
>
>      George W. Bush calls himself Christian.  If you believe him, he is 
> on armchair-to-armchair relations with the Almighty, enjoying regular 
> conversations with He Is What He Is on everything from tax policy to 
> invasion plans.  Bush serves a unique dual role as both the Commander in 
> Chief and as high priest to the evangelical wing of American Christianity.
>
>      When Bush did his flight-suit strut across the aircraft carrier last 
> May, he proclaimed victory in biblical verse and sent a signal to those 
> evangelical Christians who see him as more than a man.  Bush, that day, 
> quoted Isaiah's passage from the Servant Songs about captives coming out 
> and slaves being free.  This is the same passage, as described in Luke 
> chapter 4, which Jesus used to announce his coming as the Son of 
> God.  "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing," said 
> Jesus.  Bush's use of this incredibly loaded passage speaks as much to 
> his messianic fantasies as it does to his status as evangelical 
> Christian-in-Chief.
>
>      Yet this is the same man who invades countries without cause and 
> consigns tens of thousands of innocents to explosive, burning 
> death.  This is the same man who pushes tax policies that further enrich 
> the wealthy while stripping funds and services from the neediest in this 
> nation.  This is the man who speaks the language of vengeance, of fear, 
> of violence.  This is the man whose entire moral existence flies in the 
> face of Christ's words from Luke, chapter 12, verse 15: "Take care to 
> guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not 
> consist of possessions."  Sadly, the skewed moral compass of George W. 
> Bush is shared by too many Americans who would call themselves Christian.
>
>      Possibly the most important words ever spoken by Jesus can be found 
> in Matthew, chapter 5, verses 38-45.  "You have heard that it was said, 
> 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,'" said Christ.  "But if any 
> one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if 
> any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as 
> well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 
> Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow 
> from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor 
> and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for 
> those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in 
> heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends 
> rain on the just and on the unjust."
>
>      It is these words that condemn both Bush and the hands-off moral 
> attitude of too many American Christians.  Certainly, Jesus was no 
> fool.  In Luke, chapter 11, verse 21, he said, "When a strong man, fully 
> armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace."  Self-protection, 
> for person and nation, is both moral and intelligent.  But vengeance, 
> violence and hatred are not Christian.  Mercy, love and generosity are 
> the hallmarks of the teachings of Jesus.  If you are to call yourself 
> Christian, you must be for the poor and the weak, and against empire and 
> vengeance.  Period.
>
>      These simple attributes are all too absent in the American soul and 
> spirit.  Gibson's white Jesus is but one example of how far we have 
> strayed.  It is a safe bet that, had Gibson chosen a brown-skinned actor 
> to portray Jesus, his film would not find a connection in this 
> country.  Millions of Americans try to live by the teachings of Jesus, 
> and do so with success, but find themselves at odds with those who carry 
> the banner of Christianity.  This is a travesty.
>
>      Too many so-called Christians are blind to history, blind to the 
> actions of our nation, blind to the hypocrisy of our so-called leaders, 
> and the world bleeds because of it.  Too many so-called Christians are 
> people who would slaughter the savior to protect their power and 
> position.  Were Jesus alive today, he would probably nail himself to the 
> cross to get away from all these people who act like barbarians in His name.


Free

"The greatest ally of injustice is silence" 
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From freepolazzo at comcast.net  Sun Feb 29 10:09:08 2004
From: freepolazzo at comcast.net (free polazzo)
Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 09:09:08 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] Making Votes Count: Editorial Observer: The Results
 Are in and the Winner Is . . . or Maybe Not
Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20040229090725.03ba0e50@mail.comcast.net>


>
>Hi Friends,
>
>If the "Truth will set us Free", then what happens when our votes are now
>up for grabs to the most technologically savy folks money can buy?
>
>This NY Times editorial speaks to the concerns some have raised in 
>previous e mails to Atlanta Friends Meeting list.   It is reproduced below.
>
>I have been working in te "computer software" business for 30 years.   It 
>is a fact of business in my industry that as a deadline approaches and as 
>budgets are reached, the testing that is required is not done.   Often the 
>first 1000 or so customers are doing the "final" testing.  Just notice all 
>the patches that are updated that are for "security purposes" that we get
>from Microsoft every other week.
>
>If the election results are NOT monitored by those who know how computer
>systems really work and who have experience with computer security and
>testing, then we will be hearing many complaints about the results, no
>matter who wins.
>
>It would not be very difficult to display a preview of the ballot that
>could be read by the voter on the screen and who could then "fix"any
>mistakes they made before a final copy is printed after it is posted to the
>machine's total.   The paper ballot could then be given to a poll worker
>and saved in the event there is a question about the count.
>
>All computer systems need to be run parallel when they are installed if
>they are new systems in a previously paper world.
>
>That's the way we need to do this switch.   Let's not be penny wise and
>pound foolish with our Democracy, such that it is.
>
>Blessings,
>
>Free
>
>"The greatest ally of injustice is silence"
>
>
>
>
> >Making Votes Count: Editorial Observer: The Results Are in and the Winner
> >Is . . . or Maybe Not
> >
> >February 29, 2004
> >  By ADAM COHEN
> >
> >CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga.
> >
> >Rob Behler isn't saying Max Cleland's Senate seat was
> >stolen by rigged electronic voting machines, but he insists
> >it could have been. Mr. Behler, who helped prepare
> >Georgia's machines for the 2002 election, says secret
> >computer codes were installed late in the process. Votes
> >"could have been manipulated," he says, and the election
> >thrown to the Republican, Saxby Chambliss.
> >
> >Charlie Matulka, who lost to Senator Chuck Hagel of
> >Nebraska the same year, does not trust the results in his
> >election. Most of the votes were cast on paper ballots that
> >were scanned into computerized vote-counting machines,
> >which happen to have been manufactured by a company Mr.
> >Hagel used to run. Mr. Matulka, suspicious of Senator
> >Hagel's ties to the voting machine company, demanded a hand
> >recount of the paper ballots. Nebraska law did not allow
> >it, he was informed. "This is the stealing of our
> >democracy," he says.
> >
> >Defeated candidates who think they were robbed are nothing
> >new in American politics. But modern technology is creating
> >a whole new generation of conspiracy theories - easy to
> >imagine and, unless we're careful, impossible to disprove.
> >The nation is rushing to adopt electronic voting, but there
> >is a disturbing amount of evidence that, at least in its
> >current form, it is overly vulnerable to electoral
> >mischief.
> >
> >Among the growing ranks of electronic-voting skeptics, Mr.
> >Cleland's loss in 2002 and Mr. Hagel's wins in 1996 and
> >2002 have taken on mythic status. There is no evidence the
> >wrong man is in the Senate today. The problem is, there is
> >no way to prove the right man was elected, either.
> >
> >Mr. Cleland's loss was, some say, a surprise. He was said
> >to be leading in the polls before Election Day, but ended
> >up losing decisively. Many political observers attribute
> >his loss to President Bush's strong support for Mr.
> >Chambliss, and attack ads picturing Senator Cleland with
> >Osama bin Laden. But others are suspicious of the new
> >voting machines in Georgia.
> >
> >In the summer of 2002, Mr. Behler was in a Georgia
> >warehouse, helping prepare thousands of machines for the
> >coming election. He says there were constant problems with
> >the hardware and software, and growing pressure as the
> >election drew near.
> >
> >Three times while he was there, he says, Diebold, the
> >voting machine manufacturer, sent "patches" - updates in
> >the programming - to be installed on the machines. Later,
> >he says, he heard of a fourth. Bev Harris, an
> >electronic-voting critic who runs www.blackboxvoting.org
> >and is a controversial figure in the elections world, says
> >there were eight. Diebold and Georgia insist there was only
> >one patch, which Diebold says was added "prior to the
> >election, but not last minute."
> >
> >The Georgia machines do not produce a paper record voters
> >can inspect to ensure a vote was correctly cast. But
> >Georgia says they go through three testing levels,
> >including an outside body that certifies the software. When
> >patches are added late, however, there may not be time for
> >certifying them. Georgia officials concede the one patch
> >they admit to was given only a partial examination by an
> >outside certifying body.
> >
> >Ms. Harris argues the patches could have turned Cleland
> >votes into Chambliss votes. "You can put in dynamic files
> >that self-destruct after the election," she says. "There
> >would be no evidence."
> >
> >A final piece of the conspiracy theory is that Diebold's
> >chief executive is an active Republican fund-raiser. It was
> >probably inevitable that given all the elements - late
> >changes, an end run around the vetting process, a
> >manufacturer with political ties, and a surprising outcome
> >- there would be suspicions about the results.
> >
> >Some of the same factors were present in Nebraska. In his
> >primary race in 1996, Mr. Hagel, who had lived in Virginia
> >for 20 years, beat the state attorney general by nearly two
> >to one. In the general election, he defeated the governor,
> >who had been elected two years earlier in a landslide. In
> >2002, against Mr. Matulka, he won more than 80 percent of
> >the vote.
> >
> >What gets conspiracy theorists excited is not just Mr.
> >Hagel's prodigious wins, but his job before jumping into
> >the 1996 race: heading American Information Systems, the
> >manufacturer of the machines that count 85 percent of
> >Nebraska's votes. There is a much simpler explanation than
> >electronic sabotage. Mr. Hagel's campaign in 1996 was
> >widely regarded as stronger than his rivals' campaigns. His
> >next opponent, Mr. Matulka, an unemployed construction
> >worker, was a weak candidate. But when critics like Ms.
> >Harris argue these machines could have been programmed to
> >miscount, the state should be able to come back with
> >irrefutable evidence they were not.
> >
> >A healthy democracy must avoid even the appearance of
> >corruption. The Georgia and Nebraska elections fail this
> >test. Once voting software is certified, it should not be
> >changed - not eight times, not once. A backup voting method
> >should be available, so if electronic machines fail or are
> >compromised shortly before an election, they can be
> >dropped.
> >
> >Votes must be counted by people universally perceived as
> >impartial. States should not buy machines from companies
> >that have ties to political parties, and recent company
> >executives should not be running for elections on those
> >machines.
> >
> >And every voter should see a paper receipt. This
> >"voter-verified paper trail" should be retained, and made
> >available for recounts - a low-tech check on the
> >reliability of electronic voting. Most Americans would not
> >do business with a bank that refused to provide written
> >statements or A.T.M. receipts. We should be no less
> >demanding at the polls.
> >
> >After all, as Tom Stoppard has observed, "It's not the
> >voting that's democracy, it's the counting."
> >
> ><http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/29/opinion/29SUN3.html?ex=1079061040&ei=1 
> &en=3bbec5a3720840e6>http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/29/opinion/29SUN3.html?ex=1079061040&ei=1&en=3bbec5a3720840e6
>
>
>
>
>*************************************************For other questions, 
>contact ekcooney at earthlink.net
>
>
>
>
>
>----------
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Free

"The greatest ally of injustice is silence" 
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From freepolazzo at comcast.net  Sun Feb 29 14:04:10 2004
From: freepolazzo at comcast.net (free polazzo)
Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 13:04:10 -0500
Subject: [saymaListserv] The "Passion of Christ" and How it affects  Jews,
	who was "Joe"
Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20040229130210.00afe6a0@mail.comcast.net>


Dear Friends,

I was asked by several people who the "Joe" at AFM, I was responding to.

It was  Joe Parko at <parkoj at bellsouth.net>

Free

"The greatest ally of injustice is silence"