Whatever happened...?

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On this date

in 1930,

Gandhi began the

Salt March,
or
Satyagraha
(though that term means much more than this one instance of peaceful resistance or rebellion).

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We average Christians have it easy

And I really mean that!

"The average Christian doesn't have to pick up his phone when it rings and think about somebody killing him or his children. The average Christian didn't have any of that" - Rev. C.T. Vivian, vice president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, on why Rev. Martin Luther King’s favorite hymns and spirituals helped carry him through troubled times.

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Despite what people seem to think today

there appears to be great joy in the work and lives of many of the 'old school' nuns who now look back on their lives.

100-year-old nuns: Serving God made for a ‘beautiful life'

I had the wonderful experience of being taught, and nursed, by nuns like this. I'm glad of it and wouldn't change the experience for anything...

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Peace and holiness

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." - Hebrews 12:14

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From a man many people call a saint

"I submit that an individual who breaks the law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law." - Martin Luther King, Jr

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A 'hope for peace' quotation

"If you are religious, then remember that this bomb is Man's challenge to God. It's worded quite simply: We have the power to destroy everything that You have created.
If you're not religious, then look at it this way. This world of ours is
4, 600,000,000 years old. It could end in an afternoon." - Arundhati Roy, 1998

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On this date,

in 1968, a group of men and women entered the Catonsville, MD, draft board office and burned 600 draft records, The nine were Catholic, including the Berrigan brothers, both Catholic priests.

The Catonsville Nine

God bless them for their courage in a very difficult time...
(Take a look around the website linked above. It's really a step back in time, and is very well done.)

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I love film

and I love art and other visual media. So do these folk...

The films and TV shows that may just cure your ills

"Looking for a mood enhancer? A way to unleash your tears? Need help falling asleep? Or just a cure for a really bad day? Here's what Dr Birch has been prescribing..."

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An answer,

by the Vatican, to all those who say that Rome has abandoned the truth by consorting with 'unbelievers'...

Vatican: Assisi Event a Pilgrimage, Not Syncretistic: Notes Elements Holy Father Proposes for Reflection

Believe me, there are many in the Church who believe that Rome has lost their way. Not all traditional Catholics have left to go with those who are split from the Church. I konw people who say things like that which I've just suggested the Vatican is answering...

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On this date

in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi and his satyagrahis reached the end of their 23 day-long

Salt March

from Sabarmati to Dandi, a total of 240 miles. An incredible act of non-violent protest on the part of one of the world's greatest peacemakers...

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Honoring the flag

"Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people's brains and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead." - Arundhati Roy

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Shy U.S. Intellectual Created Playbook Used in a Revolution

From the New York Times

Gene Sharp, 83, is known for writing about nonviolence.

"Few Americans have heard of Mr. Sharp. But for decades, his practical writings on nonviolent revolution — most notably “From Dictatorship to Democracy,” a 93-page guide to toppling autocrats, available for download in 24 languages — have inspired dissidents around the world, including in Burma, Bosnia, Estonia and Zimbabwe, and now Tunisia and Egypt."

This man reminds me of T.C. Douglas's "Mouseland"

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Peaceful protest

On this date in 1960, 4 black college students sat at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, knowing that they wouldn't be served. This came to be known as the start of the

Greensboro Sit-In.

Each generation has their moments to be remembered. This is an incredibly important one in the history of the United States...

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Justice

"I submit that an individual who breaks the law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law." - Martin Luther King, Jr

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This is wonderful!




Cottage Med/Caring in Community

The link above is to a website. It's a medical clinic in the U.S., but take a look at the pages. It really is worth browsing, if for no other reason than to read of their mission. The person who seems central to it also seems to be related to The Society of Friends (Quakers). It's incredibly refreshing, and encouraging. I found it while searching out software. Theirs is free. They don't mince words about the medical system in their area or about big business in medicine.

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To end the year,

a good peace quotation:

"There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people." - Howard Zinn 1922-2010

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On this date

in 1915, the U.S. branch of

The Fellowship of Reconciliation

was founded. Their mission, from their website states:

"The Fellowship of Reconciliation seeks to replace violence, war, racism and economic injustice with nonviolence, peace, and justice. We are an interfaith organization committed to active nonviolence as a transforming way of life and as a means of radical change. We educate, train, build coalitions, and engage in nonviolent and compassionate actions locally, nationally, and globally."

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OK, now...

...isn't this just the biggest contradiction you've seen in years?

Obama defends war as he picks up Nobel Peace Prize

I'm saddened. Somehow, after all those years of G. W. Bush, Jr., I would have thought that a dynamic individual who ran a dynamic campaign and was elected as President of the United States, would somehow be, I don't know, more, than what he is. It seems to be a very dull presidency with no enthusiastic push to change the status quo. I'm disappointed...

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One wonders

if it's just the start...

Christian church, Native American tribe reconcile

I think it's necessary for the descendents of the original settlers to apologize, but I wonder if there will be a financial settlement as well. It's what has happened so often in Canada that there's an expectation of financial redress...

(I'm not saying I disaprove, I'm just stating a fact. It was something the article didn't touch on, consequently I don't think it was part of the apology. We seem to be much further ahead in Canada regarding fairness in Aboriginal reparations.)

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