"Christ's example is being
demeaned by the church if they ignore the new leprosy,
which is AIDS. The church is the sleeping giant here.
If it wakes up to what's really going on in the rest
of the world, it has a real role to play. If it doesn't,
it will be irrelevant."
- Bono
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Wednesday, November 21, 2007 I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It should be a day when we reflect upon the blessings in our lives. It should not be about family conflicts, the perfect day, the perfect meal or any other real (or imagined) stress.
Whether you have a lot or a little, I suspect you have had a few blessings this past year. Know that no matter what your situation is right now, things will change - for good or bad, the cycle of life goes on and nothing is permenant.
Remember those in your family or community who are suffering. Remember that there are still people suffering from Hurricane Katrina. Remember that 30,000 children will die today, tomorrow and the next day from the effects of poverty.
Keep all of your global brothers and sisters in your prayers. Remember, these small gestures can change your life and the world.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007 Tuesday, November 6, 2007 The great cities rest upon our broad and fertile prairies. Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms, and grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.Willian Jennings Bryan, in a speech given at the Democratic National Convention, July 9, 1896
Today is election day - even though it is raining and I have a terrible headache, I will go to the poles and cast my vote on some issues that are very important to Maine.
And - this week, the discussions begin on one of the most important bills in the senate this year - the US Farm Bill. Please read on and call your senators as dicussions and voting takes place this week and next.
Again, I thank Ann Fisher, the editor of the Sun Chronicle in Saco, for giving me a platform to write about social justice issues.
Here is a copy of my column, just submitted.
During the next week, the US Senate will be discussing and voting on one of the most important bills to effect Maine, US and global farmers – the US Farm Bill.
This bill has the opportunity to strengthen government support for small farmers. According to Oxfam, it can reduce poverty at home and in developing countries. The watered down version – passed by the House of Representatives – contains an unfair system of subsidies, which undercut farmers and rural economies. Oxfam reports that the largest 10% of producers receive more than 75% of all subsidy payments. The commodity subsidies our tax dollars support lead to excess production, reducing market prices, which hurts millions of small farmers around the world – including those in Maine.
Did you know that Late Night host David Letterman, former NBA star Scottie Pippen, billionaires David Rockefeller and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen receive crop subsidies from our tax dollars? A Beverly Hills address receives farm subsidies as well, while farmers in America and the developing nations struggle to earn a living.
Farmers in northern New England struggle to keep their land and way of life, with many living in poverty. Buying fresh produce from our local farmers is a joy many of us share during the summer and fall; it saves on fossil fuels used in transporting, allows us to have fresher produce and promotes local economy. Several of the big chains now buy from local farmers – including Wal-Mart and Hannaford’s - due to the requests from consumers. Revisions in the US Farm Bill can help sustain a way of life that is essential to our heritage and our health. With the current subsidies on corn, wheat and soy, the expense of healthy food is atrocious. The subsidies to gentleman farmers and large corporations encourage us to eat cheap, unhealthy processed foods rather than the fresh alternatives. Our government is not alone in making bad choices for small farmers. In the European Union (EU), farmers receive more than $2 day in subsidies for each cow, while more than 1 billion people worldwide survive on less than this.
The US Farm Bill should include measures on the following: commodity reform to help small, struggling farmers; conservation reforms to encourage better land stewardship; diversification to encourage the production of non-commodity crops; and equity to encourage economic growth opportunities for all. It needs to look at nutritional education and changes so that we have an understanding of food banks and agricultural production; and a global leadership to set our farm policies in accord with local, national and global farmers.
If you doubt that we are in crisis, just walk around your grocery store and look at the prices of fresh produce and healthy foods. Next, look at the number of farmers that can no longer afford to produce your food. You can make a difference. Please contact both Senator Collins and Senator Snowe this week at (202) 225-3121 or e-mail them through the US Senate website.
Ask each of them to support a US Farm Bill that benefits small farmers in our state and our world - not a watered down version that only benefits corporations. Ask them to support the FRESH Act sponsored by Senators Lugar and Lautenberg and the Grassley-Dorgan Payment Limits Amendment – both ensure that our tax dollars for subsidies go to struggling farmers. This legislation helps us and creates no harm for farmers in the developing world.
You can make a difference – just call or e-mail. Take back your power as an American and tell our senators what you want them to do. I did. ‘We the People’ can make a difference if we take the time.
173,045,325 People Stood Up & Took Action Against Poverty Worldwide
between Oct. 16 - 18, 2009!
They gathered at over 3,000 events in more than 120 countries.
116,993,629 People Stood Up & Took Action Against Poverty Worldwide
between Oct. 17 - 19, 2008!
That is almost 2% of the
total world population!
43,716,440 People Stood Up Against Poverty
Worldwide between Oct. 16 & 17, 2007! Were You One of Them?
23,542,614 People Stood Up Against Poverty
Worldwide on Oct. 15, 2006! Bless Them All!
"Be the Change You Want to See In the World." Gandhi
Upcoming Events
Send Me Your Events!!! October 17, 2009 NEIDEEP Interfaith Service & Conference
at Fairfield United Methodist Church, 10am to 2pm, including potluck lunch
Join people of all faiths
Discover the role of women in
ending local & global poverty
Location - FUMC, 33 Rt. 201, Fairfield, Maine
Just off I-95, Exit 133
This event is in conjunction with
Stand Up & is Free
The Rev. Dr. Paige Blair Episcopal Priest & Bonnie N. Davis
Buddhist
First NEIDEEP Conference
Our First Meeting took place in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA on 2/21/06.
The day began with an Interfaith Service.
Sister True Virtue, who at the time was the Abbess of the Green Mountain Dharma Center, teaching in the tradition of
Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing, led a meditation, centering & grounding
the more than 80 participants for the rest of the day.
Local Christians including The Rev. Dr. Paige of St. George's Episcopal Chuch (York Harbor), Pastor Sharon Miesel of
York-Ogunquit United Methodist Church (UMC)
& Pastor Sue Kingman of Sanford Unitarian Universalist Church (UUC) also took part in the Interfaith Service.
Iman Ibrahim Sayer, Boston Dialogue Foundation, did a transforming reading from the Koran in Arabic.
Rabbi David Mark, Temple Israel in Portsmouth, blew the Shofar,
made from Ram's Horn, reminding us that it is made from the same material as our fingernails &
that the work before us must be done with our hands.
The Rt. Rev. Peter Weaver, presiding bishop of the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church (NEUMC)was also
serving the Worldwide head the United Methodist's at the time of the conference. He spoke about trips to Africa, meeting with
religious leaders to speak with President Bush, & attending the Transatlantic Forum on Global Poverty in London prior to the 2005 G8 Summit.
Jan Schrock, Senior Advisor of Heifer International at the time, is the daughter of
Dan West, Heifer's founder, spoke about Heifer's interaction with communities, helping them plan their futures.
Lallie Lloyd, Episcopalian's for Global Reconciliation (E4GR), spoke about her book -
"Eradicating Global Poverty - A Christian Study Guide on the MDG."
Margaret Udahogora, of Rwanda, spoke about educating orphans from her country, also
reminding us of Africa's beauty. Suzanne Bowman,
talked about BeadforLife - Ugandan women (many HIV/AIDS positive) making beads and jewelry for two years and now
supporting 170 families.
NAACP, Salvation Army and United Way attended as guests with clergy and
other participants. Program stressed MDG, trade issues, & activisim.
Millennium Campaign Pledge & ONE Declaration were signed - "No Excuses" White Wristbands were handed out with
resource guides. By setting the example of working together across potitical, cultural, spiritual & religious boundaries,
we can make an amazing difference.
Interfaith Communities Can Heal the World!
A second round of NEIDEEP is planned for October 2008.
Activating New England will make a difference in ending extreme poverty. After all, we hosted a memorable
tea party that changed the course of history.
In a world where so many go hungry,
Let us make the fruits of creation available for all.
In a world where one billion of our brothers and sisters do not have safe drinking water,
Let us help the waters run clear.
In a world where so many die so young,
And so many mothers die in childbirth,
And so many families are ravaged by disease,
Let us bring health and healing.
In a world where women carry such heavy burdens,
Let us recognize and restore the rights of all.
Let us join together, with a new sense of global community,
A new awareness of our need for one another,
And for this fragile planet,
To meet the clear challenge of the Millennium Goals,
To bring hope as substantial as bread,
To make human dignity as visible as wheat in the fields.
Special thanks to The Rev. Mike Kinman for his assistance on how to set up a cool blog!