peacemaker's Bible study: Sunday, May 08, 2005

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Fw: Announcing online Spiritual Progressives conference

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

Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2005 7:56 PM

Subject: Fwd: The Interfaith Alliance supports Spiritual Progressives conference

The Interfaith Alliance supports Spiritual Progressives conference.

The religious right has hijacked the language of religion for their extremist political agenda.

Starting today, were moving forward. Will you be there?

Join us for the important online event Spiritual Progressives: A Dialogue on Values and Building a Movement (http://forum.rockridgeinstitute.org/?q=dialogue05) from May 9th-20th. TIA supports this event because it will help us all to discuss how our values and spirituality can be combined to create a positive political movement. The event, led by prominent scholars and leaders in the religious and spiritual community, will be a first step in taking back religious and political discourse. We will discuss:

Who we are and why we believe what we do,
What unites the progressive movement,
Why progressives of different faiths should work together,
Why this has been so difficult until now, and
What actions we can take to promote our shared values? Find out more and sign up for this important event. (http://forum.rockridgeinstitute.org/?q=dialogue05)

Dont miss the chance to participate!

The Interfaith Alliance and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation - the national non-partisan advocacy voice of the interfaith movement. Our 150,000 members are from more than 70 faith traditions and people of good will united to: promote democratic values, defend religious liberty, challenge hatred and religious bigotry and reinvigorate informed civic participation.

Torchbearers Contribute to support the TIA mission www.interfaithalliance.org/torchbearers

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Fw: Soldier lifts lid on Camp Delta

<DIV>Thanks to the truth tellers!  </DIV> <DIV>In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black">From: <A title=nagle@telplus.net href="mailto:nagle@telplus.net">A</A> </DIV> <DIV>To: <A title=cwolman@mcn.org href="mailto:cwolman@mcn.org">carol wolman</A> </DIV> <DIV>Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2005 3:58 PM</DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV> Saar's book, Inside the Wire, provides the first fully detailed look inside Guantánamo Bay's role as a prison for detainees the White House has insisted are the 'worst of the worst' among Islamic militants. His tale describes his gradual disillusionment, from arriving as a soldier keen to do his duty to eventually leaving believing the regime to be a breach of human rights and a disaster for the war on terror. Among the most shocking abuses Saar recalls is the use of sex in interrogation sessions. Some female interrogators stripped down to their underwear and rubbed themselves against their prisoners. Pornographic magazines and video were also used as rewards for confessing. Soldier lifts lid on Camp Delta For the first time, an army insider blows the whistle on human rights abuses at Guantánamo Paul Harris in New York Sunday May 8, 2005 <A href="http://www.observer.co.uk/">The Observer</A> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1479040,00.html">http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1479040,00.html</A> An American soldier has revealed shocking new details of abuse and sexual torture of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay in the first high-profile whistleblowing account to emerge from inside the top-secret base. </DIV> Erik Saar, an Arabic speaker who was a translator in interrogation sessions, has produced a searing first-hand account of working at Guantánamo. It will prove a damaging blow to a White House still struggling to recover from the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq. In an exclusive interview, Saar told The Observer that prisoners were physically assaulted by 'snatch squads' and subjected to sexual interrogation techniques and that the Geneva Conventions were deliberately ignored by the US military. He also said that soldiers staged fake interrogations to impress visiting administration and military officials. Saar believes that the great majority of prisoners at Guantánamo have no terrorist links and little worthwhile intelligence information has emerged from the base despite its prominent role in America's war on terror. Saar paints a picture of a base where interrogations of often innocent prisoners have spiralled out of control, doing massive damage to America's image in the Muslim world. Saar said events at Guantánamo were a disaster for US foreign policy. 'We are trying to promote democracy worldwide. I don't see how you can do that and run a place like Guantánamo Bay. This is now a rallying cry to the Muslim world,' he said. Saar arrived at Guantánamo Bay in December 2002, and worked there until June 2003. He first worked as a translator in the prisoners' cages. He was then transferred to the interrogation teams, acting as a translator. Saar's book, Inside the Wire, provides the first fully detailed look inside Guantánamo Bay's role as a prison for detainees the White House has insisted are the 'worst of the worst' among Islamic militants. His tale describes his gradual disillusionment, from arriving as a soldier keen to do his duty to eventually leaving believing the regime to be a breach of human rights and a disaster for the war on terror. Among the most shocking abuses Saar recalls is the use of sex in interrogation sessions. Some female interrogators stripped down to their underwear and rubbed themselves against their prisoners. Pornographic magazines and videos were also used as rewards for confessing. In one session a female interrogator took off some of her clothes and smeared fake blood on a prisoner after telling him she was menstruating. 'That's a big deal. It is a major insult to one of the world's biggest religions where we are trying to win hearts and minds,' Saar said. Saar also describes the 'snatch teams', known as the Initial Reaction Force (IRF), who remove unco-operative prisoners from their cells. He describes one such snatch where a prisoner's arm was broken. In a training session for an IRF team, one US soldier posing as a prisoner was beaten so badly that he suffered brain damage. It is believed the IRF team had not been told the 'detainee' was a soldier. Staff at Guantánamo also faked interrogations for visiting senior officials. Prisoners who had already been interrogated were sat down behind one-way mirrors and asked old questions while the visiting officials watched. Saar also describes the effects prolonged confinement had on many of the prisoners. He details bloody suicide attempts and serious mental illnesses. One detainee slashed his wrists with razors and wrote in blood on a wall: 'I committed suicide because of the brutality of my oppressors.' Saar details a meeting with an army lawyer where linguists, interrogators and intelligence workers at the base were told the Geneva Conventions did not apply to their work as the detainees could not be considered normal prisoners of war. At the end of the meeting the group was told: 'We still intend to treat the detainees humanely, but our purpose is to get any actionable intelligence we can and quickly.' But Saar said that many, if not most, of the detainees were rarely interrogated at all after their initial arrival. They just sat listlessly in their cells for months on end. He believes that many of them were either simple footsoldiers caught up in the war in Afghanistan or elsewhere, or innocent men sold out to the Americans by local enemies settling a grudge or looking to collect reward money. Saar accepts that some genuine terrorists have been held at Guantánamo. 'There are individuals there who I hope will never be set free,' he said, but he contends that they are in the minority. 'Overall, it is counter-productive,' he said. Saar was an enthusiastic supporter of George Bush in the 2000 elections but he has changed his world view after being exposed to Guantánamo Bay. 'I believe in America and American troops,' he said, 'but it has drastically changed my world view and my politics.' Saar left the army and has become a hate figure for some right-wing groups which say he and his book are unpatriotic. But Saar believes exposing the abuses of Guantánamo will lessen the damage done to America's reputation in the long run. 'The camp is a mistake. It does not need to be that way. There should be a better way, more in line with American morals,' he said. </DIV>

Conyers letter to Bush re: "smoking gun" memo

<DIV>Thanks to Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (Michigan-Dem) for acting so quickly on the "smoking gun" memo released to the British press, which proves that Bush and Blair cooked intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq.  88 House members have already signed it.  If yours has not, please email or call him/her and ask that he/she sign on.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In the name of the God of truth, Carol Wolman </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.rawstory.com/aexternal/conyers_iraq_letter_502">http://www.rawstory.com/aexternal/conyers_iraq_letter_502</A></DIV> <DIV> May 5, 2005 The Honorable George W. Bush </DIV> <DIV>President of the United States of America The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: We write because of troubling revelations in the Sunday London Times apparently confirming that the United States and Great Britain had secretly agreed to attack Iraq in the summer of 2002, well before the invasion and before you even sought Congressional authority to engage in military action.  While various individuals have asserted this to be the case before, including Paul O'Neill, former U.S. Treasury Secretary, and Richard Clarke, a former National Security Council official, they have been previously dismissed by your Administration. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>However, when this story was divulged last weekend, Prime Minister Blair's representative claimed the document contained "nothing new." If the disclosure is accurate, it raises troubling new questions regarding the legal justifications for the war as well as the integrity of your own Administration. The Sunday Times obtained a leaked document with the minutes of a secret meeting from highly placed sources inside the British Government. Among other things, the document revealed: * Prime Minister Tony Blair chaired a July 2002 meeting, at which he discussed military options, having already committed himself to supporting President Bush's plans for invading Iraq. * British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw acknowledged that the case for war was "thin" as "Saddam was not threatening his neighbours and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea, or Iran." * A separate secret briefing for the meeting said that Britain and America had to "create" conditions to justify a war. * A British official "reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable.  Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD.  But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." As a result of this recent disclosure, we would like to know the following: 1) Do you or anyone in your Administration dispute the accuracy of the leaked document? 2) Were arrangements being made, including the recruitment of allies, before you sought Congressional authorization go to war? Did you or anyone in your Administration obtain Britain's commitment to invade prior to this time? 3) Was there an effort to create an ultimatum about weapons inspectors in order to help with the justification for the war as the minutes indicate? 4) At what point in time did you and Prime Minister Blair first agree it was necessary to invade Iraq? 5) Was there a coordinated effort with the U.S. intelligence community and/or British officials to "fix" the intelligence and facts around the policy as the leaked document states? We have of course known for some time that subsequent to the invasion there have been a variety of varying reasons proffered to justify the invasion, particularly since the time it became evident that weapons of mass destruction would not be found. This leaked document - essentially acknowledged by the Blair government - is the first confirmation that the rationales were shifting well before the invasion as well. Given the importance of this matter, we would ask that you respond to this inquiry as promptly as possible. Thank you. Sincerely, 88 Congress Members who have already signed letter: </DIV> <DIV>Neil Abercrombie Brian Baird Tammy Baldwin Xavier Becerra Shelley Berkley Eddie Bernice Johnson Sanford Bishop Earl Blumenauer Corrine Brown Sherrod Brown G.K. Butterfield Emanuel Cleaver James Clyburn John Conyers Jim Cooper Elijah Cummings Danny Davis Peter DeFazio Diana DeGette Bill Delahunt Rosa DeLauro Lloyd Doggett Sam Farr Bob Filner Harold Ford, Jr. Barney Frank Al Green Raul Grijalva Louis Gutierrez Alcee Hastings Maurice Hinchey Rush Holt Jay Inslee Sheila Jackson Lee Jessie Jackson Jr. Marcy Kaptur Patrick Kennedy Dale Kildee Carolyn Kilpatrick Dennis Kucinich William Lacy Clay Barbara Lee John Lewis Zoe Lofgren Donna M. Christensen Carolyn Maloney Ed Markey Carolyn McCarthy Jim McDermott James McGovern Cynthia McKinney Martin Meehan Kendrick Meek Gregory Meeks Michael Michaud George Miller Gwen S. Moore James Moran Jerrold Nadler Grace Napolitano James Oberstar John Olver Major Owens Frank Pallone Donald Payne Charles Rangel Bobby Rush Bernie Sanders Linda Sanchez Jan Schakowsky Jose Serrano Ike Skelton Louise Slaughter Hilda Solis Pete Stark Ellen Tauscher Bennie Thompson Edolphus Towns Stephanie Tubbs Jones Chris Van Hollen Nydia Velazquez Debbie Wasserman Schultz Maxine Waters Diane Watson Melvin Watt Robert Wexler Lynn Woolsey David Wu Albert R. Wynn </DIV>

Life or Death? A Mother's Day Meditation by Carol Wolman, MD

Life or Death?

A Mother's Day Meditation

by Carol Wolman

Psalm 27: ¹³I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

My children are 20 and 25. As I look around and ahead, I fear for their future and for their children's future.

We're already going 90 miles an hour on a dead end street- thank you Bob Dylan. And the monsters in control are planning to bomb Iran! Perhaps the munitions makers are hurting right now, with no hot wars going on.

Many mothers support the war machine, because they have bought the rapture copout - it says that true believers will be spared the Tribulation and go directly home to Jesus. These mothers welcome the destruction of life on planet earth, believing that it will hasten their joy.

To them I say: mothers, don't you love your children? Don't you care about their future? Don't you know that our love for our children is the same as God's love for us? Don't you know that He tells us to choose life for ourselves AND OUR CHILDREN?

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

Most of us mothers choose life. We know that war brings death, and we want peace. We remember that Mother's Day was started as a world day for peace, by Julia Ward Howe.

Mother's Day Proclamation by Julia Ward Howe - Mother's Day History

We resonate with Cindy Sheehan's grief for her son killed in Iraq. http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/050805Z.shtml

The forces leading to destruction of the planet are in power. They control the money, the military, and many of the churches. They are seeking to impose a theocracy in the US which institutionalizes the death cult.

Mothers, love your children. Do not lose heart. God is on the side of life. He wants us to choose life. He is good, He loves us, He is here with us.

Psalm 27: ¹³I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

When I become discouraged about the fate of life on the planet,

I call on God's name with the breath He gives me:

IN = YAH

OUT = WEH

IN = YAH

OUT = WEH

"YAHWEH" means "I AM THAT I AM". When Moses quailed at the idea of leading the Jews out of Egyptian slavery, He asked God "Who shall I say sent me?" From the burning bush, God replied "Tell them Yahweh sent you".

Exodus 3: ¹⁴And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

If we quail at the thought of leading our people out of the darkness and slavery being imposed upon us by the Bush administration, let us take a deep breath and remember who we are- mothers devoted to our children and grandchildren. We are peacemakers, choosing life for the future generations.

IN = YAH

OUT = WEH

IN = YAH

OUT = WEH

In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman

peacemaker's Bible study

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Fw: Announcing online Spiritual Progressives conference

The Interfaith Alliance supports Spiritual Progressives conference.

Dont miss the chance to participate!

Fw: Soldier lifts lid on Camp Delta

Conyers letter to Bush re: "smoking gun" memo

Life or Death? A Mother's Day Meditation by Carol Wolman, MD

About Me

Previous Posts

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peacemaker's Bible study

Sunday, May 08, 2005

Fw: Announcing online Spiritual Progressives conference

The Interfaith Alliance supports Spiritual Progressives conference.

Dont miss the chance to participate!

Fw: Soldier lifts lid on Camp Delta

Conyers letter to Bush re: "smoking gun" memo

Life or Death? A Mother's Day Meditation by Carol Wolman, MD

About Me

Previous Posts

Archives

Dont miss the chance to participate!