Public Tuning Out

Rep. Chris Murphy was a bit surprised to have people less concerned about Iraq and more rconcerned about other matters, such as the economy (and rightly so!), in a town forum this week. Maybe not surprised, but people are not making the link to the cost of the war. Cost estimates range from $1tril by the government to $3tril by a recent study. The cost estimate in lost revenues alone for Hartford, CT, is $200 million.

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At What Cost, This War?

What has the war cost your city? The Hartford, CT, city council has estimated the war to cost their city alone $200 million in lost revenues. In a city whose public high schools have a 35% drop-out rate, and neighborhoods with almost 50% unemployment, the war has cost the residents this city a better life and a better future. Who knows the cost for future generations to this and many cities across the country.

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The faith of George Bush?

The Bush Tradegy, an excerpt from "What Bush Believes" by Jacob Weisberg, on slate.com.

What exactly does Bush believe? Evangelicals have hailed him as a God-fearing man, and point to his daily prayers in the Oval Office. But have Evangelicals been merely puppets to Bush's political interests? An examination of his "faith" would say, "yes, they have."

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Iraqis still ask if U.S. invasion was worth it

Are Iraqis better off now than they were before the U.S. intervened? It depends on who you are, where you live, what tribe you belong to. Either way, it is a difficult question to answer definitively.

"The human cost is staggering -- anywhere between 90,000 and 1 million Iraqi civilians killed, according to various estimates; nearly 4,000 U.S. soldiers dead; while 4 million Iraqis are displaced."

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How Would Jesus Vote?

Evangelical? Democrat? Politicians come out of the closet. And I, for one, appreciate it!

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200th Anniversary of Abolition of Slave Trade: Slavery is Not Dead

Anti-Slavery advocates throughout the US are signing this petition asking Congress to sign into law te Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. While this will not free all 27 million slaves throughout the world, it will help those in slavery in Sudan.

“Sudan is the only place where chattel slavery is not just surviving but experiencing a great revival. This renascence of the slave trade began in the mid-1980s... (John Eibner, “My Career Redeeming Slaves” from the Middle East Quarterly, December 1999).

Go to the American Anti-Slavery Group and sign this petition:

2007 marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade; and yet, an estimated 12,000 southern Sudanese remain enslaved in northern Sudan, victims of a 23-year civil war that pre-dates the current conflict in Darfur.

Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey is preparing to re-introduce the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act. I am writing to ask you to help ensure that this bill becomes law by signing on as a co-sponsor and voting for it when it reaches the floor. Honor this bicentennial year by taking meaningful action on modern-day slavery.

If passed, the Eradication of Slavery in Sudan Act will create a commission charged with the following:

(1) identifying the location of slaves in Sudan and ensuring their freedom;

(2) ensure safe passage of freed slaves and family reunification;

(3) documenting existing cases of slavery and working to prevent new cases from occurring;

(4) ensuring that former slaves have access to basic education and skill training, as well as medical, social, and psychological support needed for their effective rehabilitation and reintegration into society; and

(5) ensuring that those individuals responsible for slavery are brought to justice.Passing resolutions honoring the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade are meaningless if they are not accompanied by concrete action. Please help to ensure that basic human right, freedom, can be a reality for everyone at last.

Signed by:
[Your name]
[Your address]

Resources:
2007 Trafficking in Persons Report
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
The International Justice Mission

Insurance Companies Reactions to Sicko

A very interesting article which shows the reactions from the pharmaceutical and insurance companies regarding Sicko.

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Myths and falsehoods about global warming

Since the release of the film An Inconvenient Truth (Paramount Classics, May 2006) featuring former Vice President Al Gore, the issue of global warming has received increased attention in the popular media. Yet numerous media figures have distorted the scientific studies they cite...read on to learn more!



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