perspectives

370 Million People Stand Up - U.S. Stands Down?

I grew up in a family with great love and respect for our country. Most of my life, I spent following that belief. It saddens me every time I learn some other reality that puts a dent in my trust about the United States. The Iraq War and its crimes against humanity has had a big influence in opening my eyes, but there are many other truths that have been exposed and observed that are a cause of shame. Today still another came to my attention. It came in a report about a United Nations Resolution that is a major victory for 370 million people across the world. The joyful news read:

"It's a triumph for indigenous peoples around the world," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after the General Assembly vote. "This marks a historic moment when member states and indigenous peoples have reconciled with their painful histories."

While 370 million people stood up; the United States stood down

I didn't get far into article until I was stunned to discover that the United States was one of just four countries that objected to others having rights to keep their land and resources that belong to them.

What is wrong with are our national conscience?

How can the country known as the "land of the free" treat its neighbors with just disregard and disrespect? Do you ever ask yourself this question? I know this is only one example, but I've seen too many in recent years, haven't you? I'm also not blind to our history that chronicles awful things. I know there has been much written that proves this is a common practice, but shouldn't the "the leader of the free world" be more of a role model for others? Every time some revealing situation happens, I am again stunned. There is a deep disappointment that comes over me like a wave. How did we get so far astray that we want to deny so many what belongs to them, when we have so much??? I still cannot reconcile the mind and soul that could live with such decisions, can you?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of the consequences for our behavior when he said, "If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight."

How have we allowed things to continue to go so far astray with our greed?

Gandhi also spoke clearly about what is right, "The Golden Rule ... is to resolutely refuse to have what millions cannot. This ability to refuse will not descend upon us all of a sudden. The first thing is to cultivate the mental attitude that will not have possessions or facilities denied to millions, and the next immediate thing is to rearrange our lives as fast as possible in accordance with that mentality."

What do you think about the U.S. when you read this report?

Jubilation as UN Adopts Historic Statement on Native Rights

Haider Rizvi
OneWorld US
Fri., Sep. 14, 2007
<http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/153160/1/>

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 13 (OneWorld) - Despite strong objections from the United States and some of its allies, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution Thursday calling for the recognition of the world's 370 million indigenous peoples' right to self-determination and control over their lands and resources.

The adoption of the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples comes after 22 years of diplomatic negotiations at the United Nations involving its member states, international civil society groups, and representatives of the world's aboriginal communities.

An overwhelming majority of UN member countries endorsed the Declaration, with 143 voting in favor, 4 against, and 11 abstaining.

The United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand stood alone in voting against the resolution. The nations that neither supported nor objected were Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, Samoa, and Ukraine.

"It's a triumph for indigenous peoples around the world," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after the General Assembly vote. "This marks a historic moment when member states and indigenous peoples have reconciled with their painful histories."

In her comments, General Assembly President Haya Al Khalifa described the outcome of the vote as a "major step forward towards the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all."

Pleased with the General Assembly's decision, indigenous leaders told OneWorld they wanted the declaration to be adopted by consensus, but since certain countries remained unwilling to recognize their rights until the end, a majority vote was the only possible option left.

"If a few states do not accept the declaration, then it would be a reflection on them rather than the document," said Les Malezer, an aboriginal leader from Australia, before the resolution was presented to the General Assembly.

Before the vote many indigenous leaders accused the United States and Canada of pressuring economically weak and vulnerable nations to reject calls for the Declaration's adoption. Initially, some African countries were also reluctant to vote in favor, but later changed their position after the indigenous leadership accepted their demand to introduce certain amendments in the text.

The Declaration emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their institutions, cultures, and traditions and pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations.

It also calls for recognition of the indigenous peoples'
right to self-determination, a principle fully recognized by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, but deemed controversial by the United States and some of its allies who fear that it could undermine their rights to rule over all their current territory.

In return for their support, the African countries wanted the declaration to mention that it does not encourage any actions that would undermine the "territorial integrity" or "political unity" of sovereign states.

Though the African viewpoint was incorporated into the final version, the Declaration remains assertive of indigenous peoples' right to self-determination and control over their land and resources.

"It is subject to interpretation, but we can work with this," Malezer said last week.

Thursday, Malezer and his colleagues in the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues described the world body's decision as "a major victory."

International Day of the World's Indigenous People International Day of the World's Indigenous People © Pan American Health Organization "The 13th of September 2007 will be remembered as an international human rights day for the indigenous peoples of the world," said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, chairperson of the Permanent Forum, in an emotional tone filled with joy.

International civil society groups working for the rights of indigenous peoples also expressed extreme pleasure with Thursday's vote.

"We are really very happy and thrilled to hear about the adoption of the Declaration," said Botswana Bushman Jumanda Gakelebone of First People of the Kalahari, who works with the independent advocacy group Survival International.

"It recognizes that governments can no longer treat us as second-class citizens, and it gives protection to tribal peoples so that they will not be thrown off their lands like we were," Gakelebone added in a statement.

Survival's director Stephen Corry said he hoped the declaration would raise international standards in the same way the Universal Declaration of Human Rights did nearly 60 years ago.

"It sets a benchmark by which the treatment of tribal and indigenous peoples can be judged, and we hope it will usher in an era in which abuse of their rights is no longer tolerated," he added.

Vivian Stromberg, executive director of the New York- based rights group MADRE, said Thursday that the Declaration's passage "will signal a major shift in the landscape of international human rights law, in which the collective rights of indigenous peoples will finally be recognized and defended."

At the UN, indigenous leaders, however, cautioned against a possible gap between rhetoric and effective implementation of the Declaration.

"It will be the test of commitment of states and the whole international community to protect, respect, and fulfill indigenous peoples' collective and individual human rights," Tauli-Corpuz said.

"I call on governments, the UN system, indigenous peoples, and civil society at large to rise to the historic task before us and make the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples a living document for the common future of humanity," she said in a statement.

Though pleased with the General Assembly's decision, some indigenous leaders seemed unhappy that the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand did not accept the Declaration.

"Canada has shown its true colors on our human rights,"
Arthur Manuel, a leader of Canada's indigenous peoples, told OneWorld.

Those in opposition have said the Declaration is "flawed," mainly because of its strong emphasis on the right to indigenous self-determination and full control over lands and resources. In their view, these clauses would hinder economic development efforts and undermine so-called "established democratic norms."

The United States has also refused to sign on to a UN treaty on biological diversity, which calls for a "fair and equitable" sharing of the benefits derived from indigenous lands by commercial enterprises.

Meanwhile, threats to indigenous lands and resources persist, say rights activists, in the form of mining, logging, toxic contamination, privatization, large-scale development projects, and the use of genetically modified seeds.

"The entire wealth of the United States, Canada, and other so-called modern states is built on the poverty and human rights violations of their indigenous peoples," said Manuel. "The international community needs to understand how hypocritical Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States are."

Recent scientific studies have repeatedly warned of devastating consequences for indigenous communities in particular as changing climates are expected to cause more floods, hurricanes, and other extreme weather events across the world.

The United States and Australia have taken particular criticism also for their refusal to join the majority of the world's nations in efforts to combat climate change.

May we be the change we need in the world and in the United States.

I welcome your thoughts.

Debbe Kennedy
Founder of the Global Dialogue Center

Come visit us ... www.globaldialoguecenter.com

IRAQ, BUSH and LINCOLN: Lies, Truth and Leadership

What is in the consciousness of a man that can come on the world stage and speak for 17 minutes in lies, half-truths and language designed to hoodwink anyone listening. It was disheartening to listen to President BUSH's address to the American people about the IRAQ WAR. He has never been truthful, but like a "father" in a dysfunctional family, the co-dependent daughter keeps thinking, "This time, perhaps he'll change." Not a sign of it last night.

Aren't you tired of living with the vision of a self-proclaimed "war president" and all its negative implications and fear generating political tactics at others' expense?

I listened to the General David Petraeus' testimony this week on C-SPAN and it was not what one would have expect from the commanding officer in Iraq --- a clear report with RESULTS against PLAN with a clear strategy forward and defined NEXT STEPS. He is obviously been politically abused as a shield for BUSH's sham. The pain on his face showed. His honesty when called upon to give it helped one see he was doing as ordered. However, what we heard from BUSH took the IRAQ WAR propaganda coming out of the White House to new levels of sham and shame. It was clear that BUSH's speech writer cherry-picked half sentences and words taken out of context to create a deceptive picture of the TRUTH in IRAQ and its implications.

A New York Times Editorial, No Exit, No Strategy, described it well:

"This was the week in which Americans hoped they would get straight talk and clear thinking on Iraq. What they got was two exhausting days of Congressional testimony by the American military commander, hours of news conferences and interviews, clouds of cut-to-order statistics and a speech from the Oval Office — and none of it either straight or clear.

The White House insisted that President Bush had consulted intensively with his generals and adapted to changing circumstances. But no amount of smoke could obscure the truth: Mr. Bush has no strategy to end his disastrous war and no strategy for containing the chaos he unleashed.

Last night’s speech could have been given any day in the last four years — and was delivered a half-dozen times already. Despite Mr. Bush’s claim that he was offering a way for all Americans to “come together” on Iraq, he offered the same divisive policies — repackaged this time with the Orwellian slogan “return on success.”

The sad part is that as Chris Matthews said last night, the goal of the speech was to hoodwink at least of 1/3 of the American public with his speech to keep this his war going, because it paralyzes the Congress to move beyond his VETO power. How did we ever allow our country to be run by such incompetence and corrupt lust for power as we continue to witness? Last night as I listened, it seems Mr. Bush has lost it --- no one in a right mind could without conscious get up on the world stage and deliver that speech full of lies. It was almost embarrassing to listen, imagining the world was listening. Chris Matthews summed it up nicely saying something close to this (forgive me Chris for not quoting directly): Our soldiers are not fighting for the Iraqis; they are not fighting to protect the American people; they are fighting to sustain BUSH's failed policy.

CASUALTIES THE HEAVIER BURDEN ON OUR NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS
The heavier burden we all share is that allowing this war to continue under false pretenses rests on our collective conscience. How can anyone support BUSH's failure policy. While the "The Surge" was going on and Mr. BUSH was on vacation, along with the IRAQ political leaders and NO MEASURABLE RESULTS was achieved --- 649 US (608) and Coalition (41) soldiers died and 3890 US wounded and maimed --- and 11806 Iraq Security Forces and Civilian Deaths resulted ---- and these are just the ones devoted volunteers can piece together from DOD reports. Source: Iraq Coalition Casualties

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IRAQ BODY COUNT
See a comprehensive indepth analysis at the UK-based IRAQ BODY COUNT. As they quote at the top of their site from General Tommy Franks, "We don't do body counts." It was founded in 2003 by volunteers in the UK and US, who felt a responsibility to ensure that the human consequences of our military intervention in Iraq were not neglected. The service they provide is remarkable. They list three ways to contribute. Learn how you can help.
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PRESIDENT LINCOLN: Reflections from a War-Time President
In a old book that fell into my path written during WWII written by John Homer Miller (Take a Look at Yourself), it shares two stories about President LINCOLN. I ran across it by-chance this morning. It was comforting in a way to know that LEADERSHIP did exist. With what we've had to watch in our political leaders in recent years, one gets concerned that you never did see things rightly. President LINCOLN obviously ran his presidency with a different approach and thinking about his enemies:

"During the War between the States an elderly lady rebuked Lincoln for speaking kinds words for the South. 'Why do you speak well of your enemies,' she demanded, 'rather than destroy them?' 'Why Madam,' replied Lincoln, 'do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?'"

"Near the close of the Civil War some wounded soldiers of the Confederacy were kept prisoners at City Point. Among themselves they discussed bitterly the man whom they believed had brought on the war of rebellion. One day, Mr. Lincoln came to City Point. He went among the soldiers of the Northern army and did not forget the Rebel soldiers being cared for in the ward near by. After Lincoln had departed, one of the Rebel soldiers sat up in bed exclaiming, 'Is that the kind of man we have been fighting against for four years? Why, he even recognized a Rebel and treated him as well as any of his own. If God spares my life I will never again raise my arms against the United States Government."

What do you see in the contrast between LINCOLN and BUSH in these anecdotes?

How are you working to stop IRAQ WAR?

Debbe Kennedy
Founder of the Global Dialogue Center

Come visit us ... www.globaldialoguecenter.com

9-11 COMMEMORATION:A time for self-examination

IN COMMEMORATION of all the man-made tragedies in the world.

In America, the bells will toll all over this land in commemoration of 9/11. With all the tragedies, anguish and loss since then in every region of the world --- most caused or at least, worsened indirectly by man's own lack of leadership, greed, ineffectiveness, will for power, lust for war or inhuman treatment of their brothers and sisters or disregard and disrespect for living creatures that inhabit this planet, it is hard to just think of our tragedy. One would think that 9/11 would have led us to be more caring and thoughtful of others, but the deaths, disregard, disrespect of human life we have caused as a nation since that horrific day doesn't speak well of lessons learned. Instead we continue to:

• point fingers
• call people degrading names and make fun of them
• allow our dedicated service men and women to be abused by leadership failures
• kill and maim innocents without proper respect and care

...and never stop to examine the root cause of all the hatred felt for our country around the world. It's not our freedom people abhor, is it really? Or is it our behavior and actions --- our contemptuous approach? Our demands on others, while we ravage others' resources, break laws and violate trust of our neighbors, creating a breeding ground for the world's disgust of our policies and practices.

This day for the sake of lives lost calls for self-examination, don't you think?

First, we must start with the long-awaited "Report on the Iraq War" by General Petraeus on Monday. I know the Iraq War has nothing to do with 9/11 --- but this is why today was such a sham. It was disrespectful to the tragedy of 9/11 and its aftermath to listen to another bunch of gobbledygook no one would understand --- obviously prepared to deceive and deflect any real accountability. At this senior executive level of "reporting" if it were done in a business, it demand measuring RESULTS against PLAN. There was little one could decipher as RESULTS reported. There was what I learned in management school was called X=GOOD statements flying around all day long. They appeared to really tell us nothing different than we were told last time, which was NOTHING.

I think I heard something at one point fly out of General Petraeus' mouth that sounded a lot like "deaths are down 55%  --- 55% of WHAT and SINCE WHEN and WHERE?  Throwing out numbers that don't add up and connect to nothing does not inform the American public, nor justify the human treasure lost and $450,472,654,000 + cost of the IRAQ WAR. This kind of reporting from the TOP BRASS surprised me actually. I expected more. They are the ones that taught us HOPE is not a METHOD; EFFORT is not a RESULT. One is left feeling duped. 

The American People have spoken;
unfortunately, no one is listening. Why do we accept this?

When the tragedies of the world trouble me, like they do with the passing of this symbolic day of remembrance of all tragedies, I find strength in voices that echo from the great sages of history---from the role models who inspired change in individuals and the world in ways that endure. Today, I heard three of their voices calling out to me...

Nelson Mandela spoke to me. The memory of his courageous journey told in Long Walk to Freedom remains with me. "I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. ...For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. The true test of devotion to freedom is just beginning," he reminded me.

I also came across a page where I had written a quote from Paramahansa Yogananda that a friend shared with me some time ago. He reminded me to stoke the embers inside, because there remains much work to do. “To be alive is to be on fire with purpose, to move forward with undaunted determination toward a goal. Many people think great things but do not act on them. However it is the activity that creates the greatness.” The Life of Paramahansa Yogananda

But what difference can I make? There are days when I worry that my work, my actions and passions are not enough. I see so much need. I feel so inadequate, don't you. Today is a reminder. However, Mandela and Yogananda had me thinking and feeling a sense of urgency about what I've been called to do. As I walked by my bookshelf this this morning in quiet desperation, a little book of Gandhi's wisdom caught my eye. I opened it at random and he spoke again,

"Good travels at a snail's pace. Those who want to do good are not selfish, they are not in a hurry, they know that to impregnate people with good requires a long time. ...The trial of one's conviction is just beginning. Greatness in contribution requires action. Doing the good requires selflessness and patience."

Let this day be a day of commemoration for all human tragedy, not just our own. May we leave it with a sense of personal responsibility to create a better world than we know today, one action, one behavior, one person at a time.

The great sages are speaking to you in the distance?? Listen.

Debbe Kennedy
Founder of the Global Dialogue Center

Come visit us ... www.globaldialoguecenter.com

Double Stardards? Consequences for Breach of RULES

The breach of standards that resulted in nuclear warheads being mistakeningly flown over the U.S. appears once again to demonstrate how out of control the administration of our country has become.

It certainly raises a few questions to consider.

What do you think?

Background:
An Air Force B-52 bomber carrying six cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads flew across the central United States last week after the nuclear weapons were mistakenly attached to the airplane's wing, defense officials said today.

"Essentially, this is an issue of a departure from our very exacting standards," said Lt. Col. Edward Thomas, an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon, who declined to confirm that nuclear warheads were involved. "The Air Force maintains the highest standards of safety and precision, so any deviation from these well-established munitions procedures is very serious and we are responding swiftly."

The incident, first reported by the Military Times newspapers, which reportedly prompted the senior leaders were prompted to relieve a munitions squadron commander of his duties. Other airmen have been barred from performing duties related to munitions pending the outcome of the investigation. Source: Washington Post

SERIOUS QUESTIONS:

1. US Example for Other Countries
Haven't you heard lots from BUSH blaming others' carelessness and the urgent need to halt proliferation of nuclear weapons in regard to their countries building them?  We already have them. US has one of biggest bunches of them I believe. Why is it okay for us to have them and be careless? Where is the leadership here?

2. Commander relieved of his duties for the breach of standards.
If a "breach of standards" of a serious nature deserves consequences of being removed from one's command, why have BUSH and his administration --- after long lists across domestic and foreign fronts of careless, reckless "breaches of standards" with sweeping implications, illegal activities and the deaths of tens of thousands and millions displaced from their homeland --- not resulted in them being relieved of their commands?

Do we have double standards? What's your thinking?

I would love to know what you think and any other questions you think this situation raises.

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center and
Leadership Solutions Companies
www.globaldialoguecenter.com

IRAQ: A Racquet with Secrecy of Human Costs

The headlines are everywhere: Secrecy Shrouded Bush Trip to Iraq.

Secrecy seems to be a repeated pattern in the Bush Administration actions and behavior. Go for the surprise; show up for the staged show. Today, White House officials reportedly bristled at the idea that the trip was a publicity stunt.

The question they need to ask if how their actions, history and execution might have left such impressions?

"There are some people who might try to deride this trip as a photo opportunity," Perino said. "We wholeheartedly disagree. This is an opportunity for the president to meet with his commander on the ground and his ambassador on the ground. ... And he will be able to look Prime Minister (Nouri) Maliki in the eye and talk with him about the progress that is starting to happen in Iraq, what we hope to see and the challenges that remain."

The secrecy we live with has permeated every aspect of American life and we keep allowing it to hoodwink us as our human treasure and tax dollars are spent for greed and corruption as the expense of people here and there.

One of the Bush's secrets are the facts about the dead, maimed, wounded and displaced in Iraq. Oh, we occasionally hear the soldiers death total via the media --- and we show a picture up on the screen of some young life gone; and occasionally, we hear a profile of wounded soldier, but none of these paint the gruesome picture of the impact this war has had on soldiers and "collaterals". This would seem to be a key part of any status report.

Have you heard Bush personally give the American people a clearly stated assessment of the status about the lives loss and sacrificed in this war that is costing billions every month?  This would seem to be key accountability requirement.

The totals are shocking...

IRAQ WAR STATISTICS

158,509 wounded and medical evacuations

3740 dead - 118 self-inflicted 

77,808 Civilians reported killed by military intervention
(named and identified victims of the Iraq war by Iraq Body Count
New recent events

2.2 Million fled Iraq for Jordon or Syria in last four years

"The mass exodus and internal displacement of people have been brought on by escalating sectarian conflict combined with the presence of foreign troops. United Nations refugee agency spokesperson as saying that massive displacement of Iraqis, internally and externally, continues unabated, causing a great deal of suffering and uncertainty. Estimates put the number of people fleeing the violence at 2,000 daily." Source: Relief Web - Act Communications, Geneva, Switzerland.

Why is this administration left without accountability?

In the classic anti-war book, War is a Racket, written by someone who earned the right to provide a trusted perspective, Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler, known as America's most decorated soldier, wrote in 1935 what remains true today:

"War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes."

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center and
Leadership Solutions Companies
www.globaldialoguecenter.com