Don't Let Romney Bork America

Subject to authority - really?

The attached commentary is from the web site Episcopal Cafe. It talks about that infamous section in Romans by Paul about being subject to authority. Although the post doesn't use the word context the author speaks to it as he sets what Paul has to say in context. I mention this because it is the Literalists who choose to ignore the setting of scripture when espousing the supremacy of civil authority.

The link to the article is here: http://www.episcopalcafe.com/thesoul/be_subject_to_the_governing_au.htm

Faith Activism and Martin Luther King's Legacy

The 16 percent: Poverty in the United States | The Christian Century

The 16 percent: Poverty in the United States The Christian Century:


In November, the Census Bureau released its new Supplemental Poverty Measure, according to which there are 49.1 million poor people in the U.S.—2.9 million more than were counted using the official formula. The official poverty rate is 15.1 percent for 2010, whereas the SPM puts it at 16 percent. Some criticized the SPM as an ideological stunt, while others praised it as more accurate than the standard measure. Whatever gauge is used, however, poverty is on the rise—it's been going up since 2007 and is at its highest rate since 1993.

To read the balance of this article from The Christian Century click on the underlined link.

Your Views: Letters to the editor - Utica, NY - The Observer-Dispatch, Utica, New York

The letter to the editor of The Observer-Dispatch in Utica, NY that is reproduced here articulates the demands of the demonstrations on Wall St. and at other cities around the country even though the author of the letter does not mention those demonstrations.
Your Views: Letters to the editor - Utica, NY - The Observer-Dispatch, Utica, New York: Class warfare defined differently
Why is it that Republicans and the corporate news media always play the “class warfare” card whenever someone stands up for the middle class and those in need? President Obama proposes a tax increase for those making more than $1 million and let the rhetoric begin.
You want to know what I think class warfare is?
Class warfare is crushing collective bargaining, like Republicans have done in Wisconsin and Ohio.
Class warfare is privatizing Medicare so the private health insurance industry can make more money while crippling benefits for middle class Americans, like Congressman Paul Ryan has proposed.
Class warfare is voter suppression by requiring photo IDs, closing DMV offices and shortening the time for early voting, like they have done in many Republican controlled states.
Class warfare is taking over local community government with state appointed managers, like the Republican Governor of Michigan has done.
Class warfare is letting those responsible for the economic disaster in 2008 get away scot free to make more money, while the people their actions put out of work are still struggling to find work. Class warfare is opposing consumer protection from predator lending.
Trickledown economics does not work. We’ve had the Bush tax cuts primarily benefitting the wealthy for 10 years. Where are the jobs? You have seen the statistics. During the Bush years, we had virtually no job growth, where we had some 20 million jobs during the Clinton years, when taxes were increased for the wealthy.
WILLIAM GAZITANO
Utica

We're winning the war on war

An article from Salon.com. Casualties are decreasing in recent wars according to the author. Are we on the road to eliminating war itself? An interesting possibility. See what the author has to say by clicking on the link below. It is worth reading to get to the last paragraph.
We're winning the war on war

The Daily Show - Poetry

Did you see The Daily Show last night (May 11, 2011)or did you hear about the poetry slam that was at the White House on one of the news programs? I missed The Daily Show but I did hear a portion of one of the poems by a gentleman known as Common. In the poem he was talking about equality and he ended the poem with three lines that simply blew me away. The line was, "One King's dreams was able to Barack us." The line was repeated three times. Now an individual that might have something positive to say AND was invited to the White House by the Obamas is an instant target for Fixed News(aka Fox News). They immediately did what they do best and took one portion of one line from one of Common's poems and quoted it completely out of context. This gave The Daily Show the opportunity to put together a really easy segment. (John Stewart should really send a thank you note to Fox News for making his job so easy.) Listen on this link to what John Stewart had to say about Fox News' commentary. (Be patient the clip starts out by talking about other subjects.)
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-11-2011/tone-def-poetry-jam?xrs=share_copy

It is really sad that a show that is designed as comedy is able to broadcast more accurately about the news of the day than a 24 hour news network. But then if we are really honest with ourselves we have to understand that Fox News is not news. The kindest way to characterize it is to call it commentary. The more accurate discription is propaganda.

As Christians Should We Celebrate a Death?

On May 2nd, the morning after we received the news that Bin Laden was killed I realized that what I was thinking would not be accepted by many people. To celebrate the death of any individual is somehow wrong. Was / had he turned into a monster? Yes! But as Christians we are told and are suppose to believe that everyone is a child of God. We would be well served to reflect on how anyone can become what Ben Laden had become. A possible answer to that may be that when anyone or any religion or any faction of a religion decides to hate it is the start down a road that leads to even greater hate and destruction. This is probably what Ben Laden allowed to happen. He took one of the world's great Abrahamic - monotheistic religions and twisted it toward hate. This was embraced by a small faction and we saw the result of this on9/11/01 and since. As Christians, if we are not careful, we too can allow hate to motivate us. Indeed some have. Examples of this can be seen in history as Nazi Shinheads, the KKK,and during the 1930s as isolationists. Caution is called for in our reactions. Caution is called for in our jubilation. We need not go down the same road as Bin Laden.

Having written my thoughts in a notebook, that you see above, I was pleased to see on an NPR post on Facebook the following story. Perhaps my thoughts are not so lonely after all.

Is It Wrong To Celebrate Bin Laden's Death?

by Linton Weeks

A crowd gathers outside the White House early Monday to celebrate President Obama's announcement that U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden.

May 2, 2011

Impromptu celebrations erupted near the White House in Washington and ground zero in New York when news of Osama bin Laden's death was reported and tweeted.

Laura Cunningham, a 22-year-old Manhattan reveler — gripping a Budweiser in her hand and sitting atop the shoulders of a friend — was part of the crowd at ground zero in the wee hours Monday. As people around her chanted "U-S-A," Cunningham was struck by the emotional response. She told New York Observer: "It's weird to celebrate someone's death. It's not exactly what we're here to celebrate, but it's wonderful that people are happy." …To read the balance of this article go to: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/02/135927693/is-it-wrong-to-celebrate-bin-ladens-death

Paul Ryan’s Elitist Budget

Woe to You, Legislators!

by Jim Wallis 04-14-2011

It is reported that Congressman Paul Ryan makes every member of his staff read philosopher Ayn Rand, the shameless promoter of the gospel of aggressive self-interest. This makes sense to me as I read Congressman Ryan's new budget proposal. I wish he had his staff reading the Bible instead.

While widely lauded by conservatives, Congressman Ryan's budget …To read the balance of this article by Jim Wallis and So Jo magazine go to:http//:blog.sojo.net/2011/04/14/woe-to-you-legislators/

Jim Wallis has, in the past, written about budgets being moral documents; the theme is continued here.

Guns and responsibility

Since the 60s I have wondered about the insane lack of gun control in this country. The killing goes on, the NRA keeps buying legislators and the killing goes on. Public figures are shot the question is asked about lax gun laws and the killing goes on. Ordinary citizens continue to be slaughtered including children many people wonder about lax gun laws, and the killing goes on. Even the Supreme Court, men and women whose very profession should make them familiar with the English language and US history, are unable to read the Constitution in context of both language and history; they arrive at decisions that increase the possibility that laws will become even more lax, and the killing goes on.

Eugene Robinson makes valid points about this issue in his editorial that follows. Consider clicking on the link about "lax gun laws" embedded in his writing. Perhaps you would like to also go to the Brady web site to hear some ideas that counter the propaganda of the NRA. The web address is: http://www.bradycampaign.org/

Guns and responsibility

By Eugene Robinson

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

We may not be sure that the bloodbath in Tucson had anything to do with politics, but we know it had everything to do with our nation's insane refusal to impose reasonable controls on guns.

Specifically, the rampage had everything to do with a 9mm semiautomatic Glock pistol - a sleek, efficient killing machine that our lax gun laws allowed an unstable young man to purchase, carry anywhere and ultimately use to shoot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head. The weapon also was used to shoot 19 bystanders, killing six of them, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl.

Read the balance of Eugene Robinson's opinion piece by going to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011004763.html?nav=hcmoduletmv

If you clicked on the "lax gun laws" link in the article you may have been as incredulous as I was to read the line that quoted the NRA as saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this senseless tragedy," it said. "We join the rest of the country in praying for the quick recovery of those injured."

The False god of Security

On Monday October 18, 2010 The "USA Today" published an article on the Op-Ed page that very accurately depicts this nation's obsession, or as the author puts it, worship of the false god of security. This is neither new or unusual as this idolatry expresses itself in a variety of ways. In the genesis of this blog I wrote about an experience in a local church in which many of the parishioners treated the US flag as an idol. (See my very early blog posts on April 19,2008 and August 2,2008 to get the complete details about this.)The first portion of the USA article, "We worship the God of security", is posted below. To read the entire article at the USA Today web site go to the link at the end of this post.

We worship the God of security
By Henry G. Brinton
We live in a culture of fear, and since 9/11 we have grown increasingly anxious about terrorism, pandemics, environmental disasters and nuclear annihilation — anything that can injure or kill us. Our method of coping is to make an idol out of any activity, agency or technology that will promise us security.
Sociologist Robert Wuthnow has written a new book Be Very Afraid that examines how we respond to the constant threats we see around us. His conclusion: Instead of freezing when they face a threat, Americans get busy and buy duct tape. Nothing frustrates us more than terrorism alerts such as the one recently issued by the U.S. State Department for travel to Europe. It warns us of potential danger but gives no specific guidance.
I believe that this idolatry of safety is a very unfaithful response. Whether one is Christian, Jewish or Muslim, the challenge of faith is to put trust in God, not in security precautions. Nor is it a sensible response. Atheists realize — right along with people of faith — that we cannot control every aspect of the world around us. Security is a false god.

To read the balance of this article go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-10-18-column18_ST_N.htm

THANK GOD; HEALTH CARE SIGNED INTO LAW

(The following article was taken from episcopallife on line.)

President signs health bill into law

Faith-based groups stay the course

By Lynette Wilson, March 23, 2010

[Episcopal News Service] President Barack Obama signed the health-insurance overhaul bill, extending coverage to some 30 million uninsured people, into law March 23 during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
"After a century of trying, today after over a year of debate, today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in America," said Obama, during the ceremony broadcast live on television and the Internet.
Diocese of Connecticut Bishop Suffragan James E. Curry, speaking to ENS from the House of Bishops meeting in Camp Allen, Texas, called the legislation "a wonderful step that continues our national walk toward accessibility." The Episcopal Church's longstanding commitment to health care reform is deeply rooted in the Baptismal Covenant, he said

To read the balance of this article go to: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_121035_ENG_HTM.htm

Prayer for Peace

The following post was taken from an E-mail sent by the

Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

PRAY: Prayer for Unity in a Time of War by Kathy Kelly

I implore you then, live up to your calling...spare no effort to make fast with bonds of peace the unity which the Spirit gives. - Ephesians 4:1, 3

Thou hope and joy of all creation, You have given to all generations the power to seek you, and in seeking you, to find you. Grant us, we pray, a clearer vision of your truth, greater faith in your power, more confident assurance of your love.

Our sisters and brothers in Iraq suffer overwhelming grief and affliction. Bombed, maimed, mutilated, wasted, tormented, these our brothers and sisters endure unending war, much of it fueled by U.S. wealth and arrogance. Grant us, we pray, courage to overcome our cautions, to set aside our unjust comforts, to resist the works of war and embrace the works of mercy.

Grant us, we pray, the grace to hear deep in our hearts our Muslim brothers' and sisters' daily call to prayer: "O God you are peace. From you is peace and unto you is peace. Let us live our lives in peace. Bring us into your peace. Unto you be honor and glory. We hear and obey. Grant us your forgiveness God, and unto you be our becoming." Amen.

The “Fruits” of the Health Care Debate

The "Fruits" of the Health Care Debate

While watching the news on CNN recently, and listening to the latest report on what has become a perpetual news item, the Health Care legislation, it occurred to me that there are two simple motivations that the legislators need to focus on.

In our national mythology there is a phrase that Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal would say that they subscribe to. That is that individuals have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The passage of the Health Care bill would go a long way in assuring the first item in that quote; for access to health care would assure more people not only life in overcoming illness but probably a better quality of life. With life one can then pursue the other two guarantees of liberty (freed from sickness) and the pursuit of happiness (note the word pursuit).

The second motivation is one that the legislators, many of whom describe themselves as Christians, would say that they subscribe to. That is the concept that Christians will be known by their fruits (Matthew 7: 20). In general, if one listens carefully to the motivations of each side of the debate, those favoring the passage of the bill will focus on the needs of the individual; especially those without insurance or those struggling to pay for insurance.

On the other side of the issue the verbiage, if not the pictures, speaks to what this will mean for the corporations. Jesus, the individual the conservative Christians at least give lip service to following, while he walked this Earth was found among and serving the least and the lost and was about bringing to account the powers of the world, the civil and religious authorities of his time. The large insurance and drug companies are two of the "powers of this world" in our time who do not want this legislation to pass.

"Thus, you will know them by their fruits." What "fruits" does an individual legislator support; the rights of and care for individuals, as exemplified by Jesus, or the perpetuation of the status quo the influence of the powers of this world, that in the time of Jesus were represented by the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Roman Empire?

Why Do People Vote Against Their Own Best Interest?

The article that can be read in its entarity at the site address below provides a clear view of why people vote against their own best interest. The thrust of the article has to do with the current debate about national health care. Why would people vote against their own best interest? The article presents some clear, reasonable answers to that question.

"The Republicans' shock victory in the election for the US Senate seat in Massachusetts meant the Democrats lost their supermajority in the Senate. This makes it even harder for the Obama administration to get healthcare reform passed in the US.

Political scientist Dr David Runciman looks at why is there often such deep opposition to reforms that appear to be of obvious benefit to voters."

To Read the balance of this article from the BBC go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8474611.stm

Progressive Social Reforms

From God's Politics a blog by Jim Wallis & friends from the Sojourners web site.

What Do Health-Care Reform, the 40-Hour Work Week, Unemployment Insurance, the Minimum Wage, etc., Have in Common?

by Chuck Gutenson 11-25-2009

Well, they were all brought to you be political progressives, they were all opposed by political conservatives, and they all are now viewed as fundamental presuppositions of a healthy society by virtually everyone. Okay, all but health-care reform, but trust me, if it passes, in no time at all it will be viewed so positively that we will no longer be able to remember why it took us so long to implement it. And, of course, the list actually includes many, many more initiatives—child labor laws, basic workplace safety rules, social security, Medicare, and so on.

In each case, the vast majority of political conservatives opposed them. They told us that businesses would be ruined, that the problems resulting from implementing the initiatives would be worse than if we left things as they were, that implementing them would make us non-competitive, or, more generally, that the good life as we know it would be gone if we were so foolish as to pass these pieces of legislation. One would think that after being wrong sooo many times, political conservatives would speak with a bit more humility, but alas, not so. If one took some of the speeches in opposition to health-care reform, one could substitute "minimum wage laws" or "child labor laws" in place of "health-care reform" and it would be déjà vu all over again—to quote Yogi Berra.

For the balance of the blog go to: http://blog.sojo.net/2009/11/25/what-do-health-care-reform-the-40-hour-work-week-unemployment-insurance-the-minimum-wage-etc-have-in-common/?continue

God and Universal Health Care

This opinion piece appeared in The Forum on the op-ed page of USA Today on Monday July 27, 2009. I agree with Oliver Thomas' premise that God would support universal health care. Jesus said that the place to find him was among the poor and, as Mr. Thomas suggests, much of the New Testament deals with Jesus' compassion for the poor. Those conservative Christians (often but not always Republicans) who would support the basic idea WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) seem to object to Universal Health Care that would benefit the poor. Although a single payer option would be best; the public option is at least a step in the right direction.

So what can an individual do? The usual and obvious answer is contact your representatives in Congress. Do it, that also is a start.

Would God back universal health care?

Religious texts give us a good idea. The common theme: Don't turn your back on the needy.

By Oliver Thomas

Mixing church and state might be inexcusable, but the influence of religion on our political views is inevitable. Accordingly, the First Amendment does not prohibit laws that reflect our religious values as long as those laws have a secular purpose and effect. So it is curious that, until recently, little has been written about the moral dimension of the health care debate. The focus has largely been on how to pay for insuring 46 million uninsured people in America and whether to provide a so-called public option. At last, religious leaders are stepping forward to explain what our Scriptures and religious traditions have to teach us about the most important domestic policy issue to come before the Congress in recent years.

The answer, it turns out, is a lot. Not directly, of course. Our Scriptures were written long before talk of deductibles, pre-existing conditions and single payers. But indirectly, the Christian, Hebrew and Muslim texts have much to say about the quality, availability and affordability of health care.

(Illustration by Web Bryant, USA TODAY)

Where we are now

Let's start with the current arrangement. Unless you qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, health care in America is rationed based upon income and prior medical history. If you aren't part of a group health plan and can't afford or don't qualify for private insurance because of a pre-existing condition, you're sunk — condemned to a life of no health care or, at best, substandard health care. We've all heard the heart-wrenching stories of Americans who are forced to choose between food and medicine or who die because they could not afford surgery.

Here's where the Bible comes in.

Perhaps the truest thing I can say about the God of the Bible is that he is for the poor. Not just a little. God appears to be for the poor in a way that he is for no other. Because a disproportionately high number of the uninsured are low-income, knowledge of this simple fact is critical to our views on health care reform. And please don't take my word for it. The Hebrew Scriptures command that a certain amount of farm produce be left behind for the poor, forbid interest from being charged on loans and forgive the debts of people at seven-year intervals.

In ancient Israel's agrarian society, even the land itself was to be returned to its original owners every 49 years so that a family's underlying source of income could be protected and sustained. While some Christians conclude that the infamous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their militant homosexuality, I think the Bible reports otherwise. Instead, Ezekiel 16:48-49 suggests that it was because they neglected to care for the needy.

Such "care" extends to health care. The legendary Jewish scholar and physician Maimonides listed health care first on his list of services that a city should offer its residents. According to Rabbi David Saperstein (described by Newsweek as the most influential rabbi in America), the ancient Jewish commitment to provide health care to all God's children stems from the Torah's teaching that an individual human life is of infinite value. "A little lower than the angels," as the Psalmist puts it. Quoting Leviticus, Saperstein says, "We are constantly commanded not to stand idly by the blood of our neighbors."

Christians find similar teachings in the New Testament. One of Jesus' most famous parables is about health care. A Samaritan traveler happens upon a seriously wounded man lying by the side of the road. The Samaritan attends to the man, dresses his wounds and pays a substantial sum for his care and recovery. Jesus ends the story by telling his hearers to "go and do likewise." At the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus adds final instruction to those who might have lingering doubts about their responsibilities to their uninsured neighbors: "Love one another as I have loved you."

So tell me, do you suppose Jesus would make a person choose between food and medicine?

For Muslims, the Holy Quran contains multiple admonitions to attend to the needy. One of the prophet Mohammed's sayings, in particular, bears mention: "When a believer visits a sick believer at dawn, 70,000 angels keep on praying for him until dusk. If he visits him in the evening, 70,000 angels keep praying for him until morning, and he will have reaped rewards in paradise." Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf tells me that if merely "visiting" the sick provides this kind of blessing, providing actual medical care especially if the person is poor would engender even greater rewards.

What about the how?

While our various holy texts instruct us about who should receive health care (i.e. everyone), and our common religious teaching to "do unto others as we would have them do unto us" suggests that the quality of medical service should not be compromised because of age or income, our scriptures do not instruct us about how we should go about accomplishing the task.

Some faith communities, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have elaborate social welfare systems that may include funds for medical costs. Others may band together to provide free clinics for the uninsured of all faiths as some doctors have done. Some members of Congress are proposing "health care cooperatives" as one means of expanding coverage, and some states have gotten ahead of the federal government and are finding ways to cover their own citizens. However we choose to do it, the moral imperative is the same: high quality, affordable health care for everyone.

The Rev. Jim Wallis, a Christian activist and founder of Sojourners magazine, has warned that there is one additional role clergy will be playing in the upcoming debate: helping us get at the truth. "Lying is not allowed here," he says. No doubt Wallis remembers the rancorous 1993-94 health care debate with its infamous Harry and Louise ads. But this time, things feel different. Doctors, hospitals, drug makers and insurance companies are at the negotiating table. Even Wal-Mart is running ads advocating employer-mandated coverage.

Nevertheless, Cigna insurance executive turned whistle-blower Wendell Potter testified recently that the insurance industry fearing competition is engaged in a campaign to scare Americans away from any sort of public plan.

In truth, says Potter, America's nearly half-century-old Medicare program has proved itself an efficient choice. Administrative costs of Medicare? Less than 5%. Of the private plans? Closer to 20%, according to Potter.

Jesus admonished his disciples to be as innocent as doves, but he also warned them to be "as wise as serpents." Let's hope Congress can be the same.

Oliver Thomas is a minister, lawyer and author of 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can't Because He Needs the Job).

Posted at 12:16 AM/ET, July 27, 2009 in On religion column Permalink

U.S. MILITARY SPENDING

This post is copied from an E-mail sent by The General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church. It was written by Mark Harrison the Director of Peace and Justice Programs. The opinions expressed in this E-mail, and most ideas that originate from the "national" church, are much more progressive than ideas and opinions that eminate from local UM churches; at least in my experience.

To get a graphic indication of how much more the United States spends on the military than the rest of the world be sure to look at "Ben's BB Demostration" on the side bar of this blog and "The Oreo Cartoon" posted on February 23, 2009. Then go to the bottom of the blog and find out how your tax dollars could be spent in more constructive ways that actually improve the lives of people.

U.S. military spending leads the world

Military expenditures worldwide set new record.

The U.S. seems to be in an arms race again — but this time it seems to be with itself!

The United States accounted for 42% of global military spending last year, according to the Stockholm (Sweden) International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) annual report. Worldwide, governments spent a record $1.46 trillion on their armed forces in 2008.

SIPRI is an independent research institute focusing on international security, arms control and disarmament. The annual SIPRI Yearbook on Armaments, Disarmament & International Security reports on several security-related fields: from trends in armed conflicts to world nuclear forces; from military spending to the ban on cluster munitions; from peacekeeping to non-proliferation.

Worldwide military expenditure increases in 2008 represent an increase of 4% in real terms compared to 2007, and an increase of 45% since 1999. The United States accounted for 58% of the global increase between 1999 and 2008, with its military spending growing by $219 billion in constant 2005 prices over the period.

China and Russia, with absolute increases of $42 billion and $24 billion, respectively, both nearly tripled their military expenditure over the decade. Other regional powers, particularly India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, Brazil, South Korea, Algeria and the United Kingdom, also made substantial contributions to the total increase.

The United States spent seven times more than the second-biggest spender, China. In fact, the United States spent more on its armed forces than the next 14 countries combined.

The top 10 spenders in SIPRI's annual yearbook, released in June, on armaments, disarmament and international security (in billions of dollars):

1.United States (607.0)

2.China (84.9)

3.France (65.7)

4.United Kingdom (65.3)

5.Russia (58.6)

6.Germany (46.8)

7.Japan (46.3)

8.Italy (40.6)

9.Saudi Arabia (38.2)

10.India (30.0)

Incidentally, SIPRI researcher Dr. Sam Perlo-Freeman pointed out that ranking second in spending doesn't make China the second-strongest military, not by a long shot. He said that's because "a lot of other countries have been at this game for a lot longer than China."

U.S. arms spending increased by 71% during the presidency of George W. Bush, according to SIPRI. As a result, global military spending is 45% greater than it was a decade ago. From 2007 to 2008, U.S. military spending increased by 10%, which helped make global military spending 4% higher in 2008 than 2007.

Another record was set last year with the total of international peace operation personnel reaching 187,586, a jump of 11% since 2007, the previous record year. Despite this, some of the ambitious missions being deployed in trouble spots like Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo remain far short of their envisioned strengths. This means hard choices and continuing challenges in manning and sustaining these important missions.

U.S.-based Boeing remained the top arms producer in 2007, the most recent year for which reliable data are available. Boeing had arms sales worth $30.5 billion.

All the top 20 companies in the 'SIPRI Top 100' for 2007 are United States or European.

SIPRI estimates that in total there were around 8,400 operational nuclear warheads in the world, of which almost 2,000 were kept on high alert, capable of being launched in minutes. Counting spare warheads, those in storage and those due for dismantling, some 23,300 nuclear weapons were in the arsenals of eight states: the United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan and Israel.

The yearbook also includes analysis of pressing issues and key events in the fields of international security, peace and conflicts, armaments and disarmament. Highlights in SIPRI Yearbook 2009 include a chapter by Francis Deng and Roberta Cohen, architects of the U.N. policy on internally displaced populations, which points to the linked problems of population displacement and "one-sided" violence committed by armed forces against civilians.

Other chapters examine the prospects for the war in Afghanistan and developments in the control of conventional, chemical, biological and nuclear arms. For the first time, the SIPRI Yearbook includes the Institute for Economics & Peace's Global Peace Index, which ranks 144 countries according to their relative peacefulness.

More information about the yearbook is available at SIPRI.

I pray for the day that such reports will show a downward trend.

Mark Harrison
Director of Peace with Justice Program
United Methodist Church

Rachel Maddow - Scarey prisioners on US soil

Political Posts

There are two new side bars on Don Quixote of Rome. One is POLITICO.com and the other is PolitiFact.com. There will be selected posts on the side bars. You can "click" the word details under a meter on Politi Fact that will take you to that article and from there you can go to the full site. With POLITICO you can click either on the article to go to that article or click on the top of the side bar to take you to the full site. What you see from Politi Fact is the Truth-O-Meter which "grades" the truth of statements by people in the news. The "grades" go from pants on fire (a favorite of mine) to completely true. Enjoy the information from POLITICO and the ability of the Truth-O-Meter to keep celebrities "feet to the fire" with their public statements.