Yes. No. What?

+Yes+
+ China and Brazil stepping up and working on saving or reducing impact on forests.

+Passage of a healthcare bill which will impact 30 million U.S. citizens.  Hard to believe have lagged for so long in this area.

+Britain, finally taking on Israel's abuse of cloned British passports.  The article, however provides us with a nice ?What? below...


-No-
-States suing to protect us from National Healthcare Reform.

-Trying to make the case that you are bipartisan, when you offer no solutions to problems.  The Republican Party is the current leader, but there have been plenty of this on both sides of the aisle in the past.

-Continued denial of abuse by the Vatican, and certainly a lack of willingness to punish those involved.  The days of the "fueros" or exceptions, where the Church can stand behind its own law, are long gone.


?What?
?Britain takes on Israel abuse of passports, using its Serious Organised Crime Agency.  This would explain Monty Python skits.  A lot.

?The continued popularity of competitive eating. Seriously.  As if we don't have enough health issues and problems with healthcare...

Federalism vs. States' Rights

Having failed to "protect" people from healthcare at the federal level, we now see that the states will join the fray as allies of the privileged.  Once again, the role of the state and federal governments seems to be to protect our citizens against being served by the very people we have elected to have our back.  Instead, it seems that we are given the backside.  Most recently several states are now filing a lawsuit over healthcare as a way to protect the rights of their citizens.  When Jefferson and Adams where engaged in their historic debate over rights of states vs. the federal government, what they could not have foreseen was a system where it did not matter.  Each made their case that there were rights that needed to be protected, and that a federal government would intrinsically behave differently than a state government.  Instead, what we have is an alliance of the privileged at both the state and federal levels who are interested in making sure government does not serve anyone with their healthcare needs.  


It is this ideological twist that is crucial.  Rather than thinking in the best interest of those who they serve, the crucial goal is to undercut healthcare for those who need at most at whatever cost and whatever level possible.  Again, those in opposition, Republican and Democrat alike, suggest that the key here is to be in opposition, to make sure that no changes are made, to prevent the rise of socialism; and at the same time suggesting that efforts to provide for others are proof of a lack of bi-partisanship.  The end goal, is not to serve others, not even their needy constituents, but it is to shut the system down.  


This proves that it there is nothing intrinsic to federalism vs. statism that protects a people.  Instead, what is needed is a counter-dialogue to this ideology that works against looking at each other as human beings that deserve to have basic healthcare needs met.  It is not socialism, since all major religions argue for this, basic philosophy argues for it.  Rather, the argument needs to be made that it is only a rigid ideology, unthinking and uncaring with regard to others among us, that lead us to the conclusion that we need not provide for the least among us who lack basic healthcare for themselves and their families.  


It is important to note also that this counter-dialogic argument needs to be sustained-it cannot be short-term or abandoned by those who thing that the battle has been won with the passage of a healthcare bill.

Environmental Justice and Decision-making

The pdf of a talk I've given a couple of times, based on discussions, readings and work at the Cooperative Ministries in McMinnville and at Linfield College. You don't get the lecture (good for you), but you can get the general ideas I discuss in the presentation: Environmental Decision-making

Photo-op over substance

For the past 30 years, since the Reagan administration, style and the photo-op have ruled over substance. Senator Ensign's (R. Nevada) criticism of President Obama's picture with Hugo Chávez is a case in point. Republicans and Democrats alike have, over the past 3 decades, focused more on the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words than on actual policy and diplomacy. Reagan's use of the photo-op was masterful, as was Bill Clinton's. The idea of "spin," now so common it just passes for politics, elevates the momentary illusion over the complex understanding of reality. Presidents and presidential candidacies have been made and unmade based on spin and photo-ops (Dukakis in the military tank is one great example), and even during presidencies, it seems that great care is taken not to appear with the wrong person.

During the Bush II administration this was very much the case, with carefully orchestrated attempts at making sure that the president was not placed in a situation where he had to do anything more but be in the same room with someone like Chávez. This has also been one of our chief exports; several years ago, during a IMF summit in Mexico, then Mexican President Vicente Fox did everything he could to avoid even being in the same part of the country as Fidel Castro. This begs the question; "If the picture is the thing, how do our politicians resolve our differences?" The issue isn't the picture or the presence in the same room, but rather, shouldn't we be encouraged when our presidents take a nuanced, complex view of the world and the politics it takes to run it. Instead, we have become captive to the idea that a picture substitutes for policy.

This also is a means to increase the partisan divisiveness. We now need not wait for, listen to, or even differ on our opinions regarding policy. All we need is a picture, which in turn becomes proof a policy shift, proof of betrayal of a principle, and of course, proof of betrayal of the American people. Such continues to be the case with this particular instance; one that has been perpetuated by Democrats and Republicans and democrats and republicans alike for over thirty years; pictures simplify and words overly complicate.

The upside of this is, of course, convenience. Being able to rely on a picture upon which to base our opinions means not having to take the time to understand the world in a more complex way. It also makes the job easier for people like Sen. Ensign, since he doesn't have to think very hard either...

Yes. No. What?

+YES+
+Closing CIA "black sites" where U.S. agents and contractors tortured our opponents. Hard to have any moral high ground on torture, when you also do it. Kudos to CIA Director Leon Panetta for closing them. Plus, we still have many other lovely and covert ways to screw up the world without torture.

+Getting in touch via FaceBook with Alison McManus, who went with me to Nicaragua in 1996. She literally went with me on a whim, boarding the plane on the same day in which I asked her jokingly if she wanted to fill a space and go to Nicaragua. She went on to grad school in sociology and did work on women in social movements in Nicaragua. Now teaches sociology in Great Britain. For a kid about whom I once said, "I hope you don't turn to a life of crime," it is amazing that she now teaches sociology. It either speaks to the life-changing nature of travel, OR to how closely related crime and sociology are!

-NO-
-The unending election battle between Coleman and Franken. Wow, let the people speak, indeed. It doesn't matter which side you are on, it needs to end.

-I first saw this on FaceBook, posted by a Linfield sociology alumna (and professor of sociology at UC-Santa Clara now) about Texas legislator Betty Brown calling for Asian-Americans to simplify their names on Matthew Yglesias Blog. No, it's her brain that has been oversimplified already. Wow.

?What?
?The head of Great Britain's top anti-terrorism unit, Bob Quick, having to resign after arriving at 10 Downing Street with top secret document in full view. Probably only slightly more embarrassing than former CIA Director Stansfield Turner's appearance on Da Ali G. show, where he seemed to not know that the show was a put-on, given that they had to run out and then arrest people before the picture got out for this blooper.

?Did Levi move in with the Palins? Did the practice safe sex "most of the time?" Is Levi trying to make money off of poor Bristol and Sarah? Who cares?!?!?!?!? Can they just go away?

guatemala3

Yesterday we worked for half the day, and both sites are nearly half completed with foundations and up to the windows of the houses. We then had lunch with our families, with many tears over how quickly people can become attached and mean something to one another. We then had an official "despedida" or goodbye party, with both families, again more speaches and a lot of emotion.

After that, we went to a house dedication for another family. It was great to see a house that was completed, especially for the students. The National Board for Habitat was there, as well as Luis, the Director of HG. I met several of the board members, including the current president and the founder of HG, which was terrific. Linfield College was mentioned several times, and the President of the Board mentioned how impressive it was to have these students working on their spring break. They also saw how our students immediately started playing with the kids, including a pick up game of soccer on a dusty field nearby, before things got going. Linfield students are amazing, as they generally are very positive and willing to go with the flow of things--very little happens on schedule here, but they deal with it well.

We are currently in Antigua for a bit of an afternoon off. We have been to markets and bought coffee, and relaxed a bit. We will have our last dinner together tonight, and then we fly out at noon tomorrow.

guatemala habitat 2 posting

We have literally had about ten minutes per day for down time, so it has been hard to get here, much less possible to get any pictures up.

So far, things have gone well. The group is working hard, and we are now laying a lot of cement block. I have moved back and forth according to the need at the site, so that I could mix cement and also be able to move mountains of cement block. good times. The families are great, and very appreciative. We had a birthday and they brought donuts, something to drink and sang happy birthday for Sam.

Last night we had a guy who fought for 13 years in the Guatemala war, as a guerrilla, talk to the group. It was very powerful, as he joined at the age of 12, after his father was kidnapped and subsequently killed by the Guatemalan military. He talked about the physical and psychological scars, and despite this, managed to introduce some humor into it. He was also was very frank about the U.S. involvment in the wars and spoke specifically of the U.S. green berets and other special forces that he would regularly see directing the massacres at villages, and also responsible for the training of their counter-insurgency groups. Hard to hear at times.

Tonight I am talking with Luis (head of Habitat Guatemala) about possibly helping with a research project that they need done. Might involve HAVING to fly back here a couple of times--what a bummer that would be...

Tomorrow we head to Momostenango to see Thelma and Luis, the weavers, and that will be fun. We will work half a day, which I think will be a welcome respite after two full 8 hour days.