Racism, misinformation and militarization have hurt Haiti relief effort
By Derrick O'Keefe
| January 20, 2010
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Everyone should check out and share the essential coverage Democracy Now! is providing of the disaster in Haiti. Amy Goodman and others from DN! are reporting from Port-au-Prince.
Yesterday, DN! reported that 'Misinformation and Racism Have Frozen Recovery Effort at General Hospital in Port-au-Prince.' This from an interview with Dr. Evan Lyon from Partners In Health (PIH):
"This question of security and the rumors of security and the racism behind the idea of security has been our major block to getting aid in. The US military has promised us for several days to bring in—to bring in machinery, but they’ve been listening to this idea that things are insecure, and so we don’t have supplies.
I’m living here in the neighborhood with a friend. I’m staying with some of my Haitian doctor colleagues. We’ve been circulating on the roads to 1:00 and 2:00 in the morning, moving patients, moving supplies, trying to get our work done. There is no security. The UN is not out. The US is not out. The Haitian police are not able to be out. But there’s also no insecurity. I don’t know if you guys were out late last night, but you can hear a pin drop in this city. It’s a peaceful place. There is no war. There is no crisis except the suffering that’s ongoing.
The concern for militarization, the concern for occupation is very real. There is capacity that we don’t have that the military will help us with, and that is urgently needed, because we’re losing patients minute to minute. But the first that listeners need to understand is that there is no insecurity here. There has not been, and I expect there will not be."
With the announcement of 1,000 Canadian troops on their way to bolster the much larger U.S. military force, we at the Canadian Peace Alliance have put out a statement warning against the militarization of aid:
"The Canadian Peace Alliance (CPA) urges its member organizations and supporters to give generously to the relief efforts responding to the catastrophic disaster in Haiti following last week's massive earthquake.
The CPA also wishes to express its deep concern about the deployment of up to an additional 1,000 Canadian Forces to Haiti, announced Sunday by Defence Minister Peter MacKay, in collaboration with a U.S. mission of over 10,000 troops. Early reports from Haiti suggest that this militarization of the relief operation is both unwelcome and unhelpful.
Al-Jazeera news reported on the weekend that the U.S. military, which now controls the airport in Port-au-Prince, turned away several planes carrying physicians and supplies from Doctors Without Borders. A CARICOM aid flight and other humanitarian deliveries have also been turned away, with deadly results for the Haitian people.
Patrick Elie, a social activist and former Haitian Defense Minister, stated, "We don't need soldiers as such. There's no war here." Elie noted the importance of Haitian sovereignty, "The choice of what lands and what doesn't... should be determined by the Haitians. Otherwise it's a takeover." Even the French government, which has long partnered with the U.S. in subjugating Haiti, complained that the U.S. operation looks more like an "occupation" than a relief mission.
The extent of the death and suffering in Haiti is in part a result of systemic policies that have undermined Haiti's economic and political independence. This includes, most recently, the 2004 US, Canadian and French-backed coup d'etat against the democratically-elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, which was consolidated by a UN occupation.
Aristide, exiled since 2004 in South Africa, has said he wishes to return to Haiti to help with relief efforts. Associated Press reported Sunday that people in Haiti, "sounded furious with [current] President Rene Preval, who hasn't been seen at a rescue site or gone on radio to address the nation since the quake struck. 'Preval out! Aristide come back!' some shouted."
Getting aid to those in desperate need must be our priority, and the CPA commends the ordinary people from across Canada who have given generously or volunteered for rescue or medical duty. Especially given the track records of the US and Canadian governments towards Haiti, the militarization of aid and infringements on Haitian sovereignty threaten to compound an immensely tragic situation..."
UK author and blogger Richard Seymour has an excellent analysis of the fabricated security crisis, and related issues.
The cost in human agony and loss of life is staggering; Dr. Lyon suggested thousands are dying each day for lack of surgery. There is a total shortage of pain killing medicine, for instance.
There are myriad initiatives springing up to raise funds for emergency relief in Haiti. Consult the Canada Haiti Action Network (CHAN) for more information. In fact, you should join CHAN or one of their local affiliates today. You should also, if you haven't already, donate to Partners In Health (PIH) and spread the word about their essential work.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Putting disciplined quiet time into your life’s routine
“Putting disciplined quiet time into your life’s routine”
January I, 2010
Dear friends,
Here are some suggestions for putting disciplined quiet time into your life’s routine. I wish I had these when I started.
1. Commit yourself to a goal you think you can fairly easily meet. Too many times we set the bar too high and fail to achieve it and then feel guilty, saying “I will never be able to be disciplined,” or “This just doesn’t fit who I am.” And then we give up trying.
2. Choose something that is meaningful to you - read the psalms, a prayer book, another book, some type of meditation, or a combination of things. To begin with, it is best for this to be fairly simple.
3. Be creative. I have heard of people having a regular, disciplined quiet time as they drive or travel on public transportation. I know of one woman who scheduled three hours once a week, sending her small children off on a “date night” with Daddy. Ask God to lead you.
4. Try to keep the same routine for your quiet time – the same amount of time (10, 20 or 30 minutes or whatever you choose), the same time period, the same place. These can all help you to establish this discipline.
5. Commit yourself to do this for two weeks to a month despite the call of sleep, laziness, urgent matters or whether you feel like it or not.
6. Commit yourself to do this discipline for the allotted time period before you evaluate or change your routine. Do not evaluate or change it till the time period is up. This can be hard, as there is a real tendency to evaluate and change it during this time. A voice will tell you, “Oh, that part is no longer meaningful. I will just change this small part.” But try to avoid this till the committed time is up. This is because evaluating or changing it will make it unclear to you as to whether it was worth your effort to discipline yourself in this way.
7. If you “fall off the wagon,” it does not mean you should stay off! You should just get back on the wagon again!
These ideas come from the book It’s a Meaningful Life - it just takes Practice by Bo Lozoff. Bo teaches prayer and mediation to prisoners as a way reducing violence in prisons.
My quiet time is a time of the day I really look forward too. It is worth your every effort.
Peace, Jim Fitz OVER
PS: Here are some quotes from Bo’s book (pages 18-21) that further describe the significance of spiritual practices.
“We are always beginners on the spiritual journey… To work deeply and naturally, spiritual practices require time, commitment, and patience. Choose some that you are drawn to, do them every day, and you will see significant changes in your life… It is tried-and-true ancient wisdom.”
“Wherever you are, in whatever circumstances you find yourself, you are in an ideal position to perform spiritual practice.”
“The point of such practice is not to escape pressures or get our minds off our problems, although either may happen as a welcome side effect. The real purpose of spiritual practice is to strengthen our presence of mind right here and now… Spiritual practice helps us handle… anything that comes our way in the rip-roaring roller coaster of life.”
“It’s not about changing the event itself—although miracles do seem to happen sometimes as we develop faith and awareness—but about staying in the moment of reality, remembering that even this moment belongs in our spiritual journey. As we become able to face danger or conflicts without getting lost in fear and denial, we have the opportunity to play the hero of our dramas rather than their victim. Life dramas can take an almost playful turn when, as Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron puts it, ‘your curiosity becomes stronger than your fears.’ ”
“For that reason, many of these practices can be done during the course of the day, not only at some special time like meditation or yoga. For example, the best (and most difficult) time to work on anger is when we are getting angry… Nothing outside can prevent us from doing spiritual practice. I have learned that lesson well from my thousands of prison friends who choose to develop awareness and compassion in some of the noisiest, angriest, most brutal environments on earth. Their amazing persistence has transformed my life.”
“My own studies and experimentation have led to a style of practice that suits my nature, just as your studies and experimentation will lead to a style that suits yours. But all of us need to touch some balance of mind, body and spirit with our practices. All of us need to balance the mystical and the pragmatic.”
“As time goes by, as our hearts open and our vision clears… Our lives become a seamless whole, and every moment becomes our conscious practice. We accept life and life accepts us, and the fears, worries, and internal bickering of a lifetime fall away. Getting there is not always easy. But the joy and gratitude inherent in this spiritual awakening surpass any other kind of payoff life could possibly offer.”
“The ultimate purpose of all spiritual practice is to reach a state of uninterrupted Communion, a state in which no difference exists between ‘my will’ and ‘Thy will,’ or indeed between the self and God. ‘I and the Father are One,’ as Jesus said (John 10:30).”
May you remember the lord is always very close helping you in this.
Pray for the stressed marriages as the Lord adds more to my contacts. Thanks.
Peace, Jim
January I, 2010
Dear friends,
Here are some suggestions for putting disciplined quiet time into your life’s routine. I wish I had these when I started.
1. Commit yourself to a goal you think you can fairly easily meet. Too many times we set the bar too high and fail to achieve it and then feel guilty, saying “I will never be able to be disciplined,” or “This just doesn’t fit who I am.” And then we give up trying.
2. Choose something that is meaningful to you - read the psalms, a prayer book, another book, some type of meditation, or a combination of things. To begin with, it is best for this to be fairly simple.
3. Be creative. I have heard of people having a regular, disciplined quiet time as they drive or travel on public transportation. I know of one woman who scheduled three hours once a week, sending her small children off on a “date night” with Daddy. Ask God to lead you.
4. Try to keep the same routine for your quiet time – the same amount of time (10, 20 or 30 minutes or whatever you choose), the same time period, the same place. These can all help you to establish this discipline.
5. Commit yourself to do this for two weeks to a month despite the call of sleep, laziness, urgent matters or whether you feel like it or not.
6. Commit yourself to do this discipline for the allotted time period before you evaluate or change your routine. Do not evaluate or change it till the time period is up. This can be hard, as there is a real tendency to evaluate and change it during this time. A voice will tell you, “Oh, that part is no longer meaningful. I will just change this small part.” But try to avoid this till the committed time is up. This is because evaluating or changing it will make it unclear to you as to whether it was worth your effort to discipline yourself in this way.
7. If you “fall off the wagon,” it does not mean you should stay off! You should just get back on the wagon again!
These ideas come from the book It’s a Meaningful Life - it just takes Practice by Bo Lozoff. Bo teaches prayer and mediation to prisoners as a way reducing violence in prisons.
My quiet time is a time of the day I really look forward too. It is worth your every effort.
Peace, Jim Fitz OVER
PS: Here are some quotes from Bo’s book (pages 18-21) that further describe the significance of spiritual practices.
“We are always beginners on the spiritual journey… To work deeply and naturally, spiritual practices require time, commitment, and patience. Choose some that you are drawn to, do them every day, and you will see significant changes in your life… It is tried-and-true ancient wisdom.”
“Wherever you are, in whatever circumstances you find yourself, you are in an ideal position to perform spiritual practice.”
“The point of such practice is not to escape pressures or get our minds off our problems, although either may happen as a welcome side effect. The real purpose of spiritual practice is to strengthen our presence of mind right here and now… Spiritual practice helps us handle… anything that comes our way in the rip-roaring roller coaster of life.”
“It’s not about changing the event itself—although miracles do seem to happen sometimes as we develop faith and awareness—but about staying in the moment of reality, remembering that even this moment belongs in our spiritual journey. As we become able to face danger or conflicts without getting lost in fear and denial, we have the opportunity to play the hero of our dramas rather than their victim. Life dramas can take an almost playful turn when, as Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron puts it, ‘your curiosity becomes stronger than your fears.’ ”
“For that reason, many of these practices can be done during the course of the day, not only at some special time like meditation or yoga. For example, the best (and most difficult) time to work on anger is when we are getting angry… Nothing outside can prevent us from doing spiritual practice. I have learned that lesson well from my thousands of prison friends who choose to develop awareness and compassion in some of the noisiest, angriest, most brutal environments on earth. Their amazing persistence has transformed my life.”
“My own studies and experimentation have led to a style of practice that suits my nature, just as your studies and experimentation will lead to a style that suits yours. But all of us need to touch some balance of mind, body and spirit with our practices. All of us need to balance the mystical and the pragmatic.”
“As time goes by, as our hearts open and our vision clears… Our lives become a seamless whole, and every moment becomes our conscious practice. We accept life and life accepts us, and the fears, worries, and internal bickering of a lifetime fall away. Getting there is not always easy. But the joy and gratitude inherent in this spiritual awakening surpass any other kind of payoff life could possibly offer.”
“The ultimate purpose of all spiritual practice is to reach a state of uninterrupted Communion, a state in which no difference exists between ‘my will’ and ‘Thy will,’ or indeed between the self and God. ‘I and the Father are One,’ as Jesus said (John 10:30).”
May you remember the lord is always very close helping you in this.
Pray for the stressed marriages as the Lord adds more to my contacts. Thanks.
Peace, Jim
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