We attended a “Fair Trade Party” at Beth and Al Mancuso’s place in Cleveland. They were selling fair trade goods and food, coffee, tea, etc… from Third World countries. The intent is to help the poor in, say, Latin America, South America, Africa… get a “fair” price for their crops, their art, their clothes… I recently told the Wheeling Intelligencer newspaper that our administration would highly favor this type of fair trade imports and would stridently discourage free trade that considerably advantages, say: corporate farms in America that can grow at such volume and ship cheaply enough that the farm can actually undercut subsistence farmers in Venezuala trying to sell to their local markets up the street. This is not being “American strong,” this is an absolute social justice travesty. Note: One of the people at the the Mancuso’s Fair Trade Party had a sweatshirt on with a picture of a Native American and the words: “Homeland Security: Fighting Terrorism Since 1492.” How apt.
11/22/07
Thanksgiving Reflection: We had Thanksgiving Dinner at the Catholic Worker House among the poor and homeless of Cleveland (currently the poorest city in the country). The camarderie, and grace, this evening was palpable. The turkey wasn’t bad either… On a board in the house the following was written for the occasion: “And don’t forget this country was formed on the conquest of stolen land and that millions of indigenous people were slaughtered at the hands of the white man.” …How true, huh. And it’s not enough, we believe, to just lament the fact. It is up to us to make it right — which means way more than a legislative, formalized apology. We need to make significant tangible amends and go about the task of forming, through a melding of cultures, what God probably intended for America since the beginning — or rather, since 1492. Note: To view how we might go about that, see our Native American position paper.
11/20/07
We are moving into the Christmas season and many people in America will spend all kinds of time and money shopping for Christmas presents for people who, in most cases, already have more than enough. Meanwhile, famine sweeps through Somolia, Darfur… with scores of starving little children pleading through hollow eyes for a mere sip of milk. Then there are the million homeless people in Bengladesh in the aftermath of last week’s catastrophic typhoon, who are sleeping in the mud, or desperately looking for their loved ones, or desperately looking for food… And we’re headed for the Mall while singing stuff like Silent Night or The First Noel. Are we (spiritually) nuts? Do we think that the child who was born on Christmas Day and went on to say all this stuff about helping the poor, would think heading to the Mall — in the midst of so much potentially relievable human suffering out there — would be a good idea? Hardly. Let’s give our suburban children only one gift this year. Let’s give them a gift with eternal ramifications. Let’s give them an example of how to really help others — until it hurts.
11/17/07
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change just released their final report (over a five year study) on Climate Change. The NY Times reported it is, by far, the most alarming report, indicating we could be looking at a hyper-accelarated global warming scenario in the near future. The story said an unrelated Energy Agency report recently indicated that if current policies weren’t changed — the world would warm six degrees by 2030. This would be nothing short of absolutely catastrophic. So… It’s my belief that we can’t wait for worldwide government leaders to meet in a couple months to craft what will replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2012. For those (“change agents” in your neighborhoods, churches, civic groups…) who believe the UN, and other, Climate Change reports are valid, it’s time to — in a ‘hyper-accelerated’ fashion — step up your energy conservations practices, exponentially. And this is not just about saving the planet in the future, it’s about us being responsible for killing people now. I told the Wellington News in Ohio that if our energy gluttony in America is leading to super-charged hurricanes, super-charged typhoons (2,300 dead in the Bengladesh typhoon last week, and counting); current droughts and famine in more arid countries, etc… we are, in a very real sense: killing people now! And do Americans really think that we are going to be able to play the “unintended consequences” card with God at Judgement on this thing? I mean if we know there is a distinct: cause and effect. C’mmon. This isn’t moral theology rocket science. This is simply what it is: killing people! (For instance, turning on the air conditioning in America is like metaphorically pulling the trigger on a gun that shoots slow motion bullets at people starving to death from global warming, drought caused famine in Nigeria.) As a presidential candidate, I would strongly suggest all American ‘change agents’ out there start sacrificing tremendously and influencing as many others as possible, now! Note: For suggestions on how to do this, see our Energy Policy. Note 2: For our campaign supporters: We need supportive letters to the editor about our campaign to Ohio newspapers. Just google “Ohio newspapers,” and go to the letter to the editor e-mail links on the various papers. It’s important this starts happening now in the context of our current Ohio strategy. Thanks.
11/15/07
The NY Times carried a front page story on Delray Beach, Fla., which they dubbed: “The Oasis of Sobriety.” The reason for this is because of Delray’s “compact geography and critical mass of recovering people.” There are recovering radio shows here, a number of rehab centers, scores of halfway houses, coffee shop therapy groups… We would do well, I believe, to mimic this proto-type in towns across America — and not just for alcohol and drug addiction. On a West Coast campaign swing, I told CBS News in Monterey, California, that we have become: a society of addicts. That is, many are now addicted to gambling, work, sex, television, overeating… I am a former addictions counselor, and know that the best chance for recovery is being surrounded by people consistently working on similiar issues — often with the base for recovery being the 12 Steps of such groups as Alcoholics Anonymous, Codependents Anonmyous, Overeater’s Anonymous, Gambler’s Anonymous, Debtor’s Anonymous… It is this collective, addictive/compluslive behavior that translates into: higher crime rates, more broken homes, more abortion, more personal debt, more physical and psychiatric disorders… I told the Salem News in Ohio that to heal the country, you have to heal the family — starting with these core issues. For our position paper on this…
11/14/07
My wife Liz and I are coaching a Rec. Center indoor soccer team for the next six weeks in Cleveland. The Comets. We had our first game last night. It was a spirited match, with kids (mostly Black and Hispanic) lost in the exciting play, the cheering… as most youth would be. The difference down here? At halftime I came across a plain clothes police officer looking into the gym from one of the doors — with a gun holstered to his side. After the game, we drove one of our players, Devon (not his real name), 9, home through a nearby rough neighborhood. (One he often walks through after dark). Devon pointed out some older boys on a street corner. “Them’s the ‘dope boys,'” he said, rather matter of factedly. “They always trying to get me to do crack.” As we drove away from Devon’s place, I couldn’t help but think what an absolute (spiritual) scandal it is that we let these little kids in these big cities, day after day, try to dodge hunger, bullets and needles (or crack)… as so many just continue on with their comfortable, and insular, suburban lives — without virtually any concern. Note: For more about our take on urban youth…
11/13/07
My family and I attended a “Native American Culture Class” at Trinity Church in Cleveland tonight. It was sponsored by the American Indian Education Center here. The Center’s Sheldon Glave said it is essential people understand the true history, and plight, of the Native Americans. A Navaho woman, Loretta Taylor, demonstrated how to make fried bread, explaining here ancestors made it from ground wheat and animal fat. It was (and still is) a staple in Native American diets, especially among the poor. Because of poverty and poor nutrition, low income Native Americans are often more prone to disease… The session was attended by Jesse of the Tiano Tribe, who lives in Lorain, Ohio, and is a Native American activist. He said the Tiano was the first tribe Christopher Columbus encountered. I added that it was my belief God had orchestrated a “coming together” (with Columbus being the first) of two cultures to learn from each other. And synergistically, this would have created a much better society as a whole. One problem: Columbus, and those who came after, were more interested in gold, land, and so on. They were driven by greed, not the common good. We can still make it right, I explained this evening, through (for instance) classes just like this one. Note: To view our Native American position paper, which is based on years of cross country research…
11/11/07
Veterans Day… Some 25,000 people came to “The Wall” in D.C. to commemorate Vietnam, and Veterans Day in general, yesterday. Our campaign went to southern Washington state several years ago to commemorate it. There we met with a Vietnam veteran who was a medic during the “Hamburger Hill” battle, the second bloodiest of that war’s history. For three solid days, this man ferried the injured off the hill and exhaustively tried to treat them the best he could. When the battle ended, he curled up in a fetal position under a tarp. He was flown back to the states with a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. When we met him, he’d been living in a small house boat on a slough off the Columbia River. He had an extreme case of agoraphobia and seldom left the house. He lived in a lonely, isolated world accompanied by numerous flashbacks to Vietnam… Our administration would push for as much quality help — in-depth counseling, significant financial assistance, a myriad of other support — as possible for this man — and all who have fought. We owe them.
11/9/07
My daughter Sarah and I did some volunteer work last night at a nearby “drop-in” center for the ‘Lazarrus’s at the gate (see last entry)’ in our Cleveland neighborhood. These are the poor, the homeless. During the night I talked with another volunteer, Matt Reitz. Mr. Reitz is the new president of the non-profit Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation. He said a recent thrust of his organization is to start brainstorming about how to help relatively low-income people move toward home ownership. Mr. Reitz told me they are talking about a multi-dimensional approach, with public seminars by real estate agents, credit counselors, financial analysts and the like. In addition, there’s been talk of Neighborhood Tours to give people more insight into what’s available, a look at rennovation techniques on existing homes, etc. Mr. Reitz added that so many people these days are sinking money into rent when the money could go toward developing equity. It is this type of thing that often keeps the poor, poor — or at least poorer… As an addendum, I told a newspaper in Champaign, Illinois, that we should expand the concept of “social security.” That is, for instance, we should help as many people as possible move into homeownership so they feel more “secure” in their community. And in that vein, one of the things our administration would propose would be that after, say, seven years, some low-income people would be eligible to draw from some of what they’ve paid into Social Security for small, no-interest home loans.
11/8/07
I attended a Bible Study at the Catholic Worker House in Cleveland last night. The subject was the “rich man and Lazarrus (the beggar) at his gate” parable. “Average Joe” cliff note: The rich man doesn’t help Lazarrus much because he’s too focused on his own comfort. He dies and goes to Hell as a result… One Bible study member works for the Inter-Religious Task Force here and talked about the abject poverty of the ‘Lazarrus’s’ in Central America he’s seen. Another woman said as a college project she lived with poor, Hispanic immigrant ‘Lazarrus’s’ near the border. I said I just opened a correspondence from Food for the Poor the day before and was met with the horrifically tragic stick-thin figure of Guillermo, 6, (a young ‘Lazarrus’ in South America) who would starve to death three weeks after the picture was taken. He died clutching a teddy bear and pleading with his mother for help… Meanwhile, most of us in America (lower-middle class, middle class, upper middle class…) are tremendously “rich” by comparison. Yet we have blanketed ourselves in a sea of tremendously deluded rationalizations about why it is acceptable that we live these tremendously comfortable lifestyles (pursuit of “The American Dream,” wanting it “better” for our children, ad infinitum, or rather: ad naseum)… “Do you think when we’re standing there at Judgement with God that He is going to buy into America’s socio-economic strata system about what’s “rich;” or do you think He might go by, oh, a more global perspective?” I asked. What’s more, I postulated: “Lazarrus was at the rich man’s gate day after day. And just like an alley cat, he must of stayed there because he was getting just enough scraps from the rich man to barely sustain himself, no more.” I continued that a modern analogy would be us “rich” people making sure we are comfortable on every level (nice bed, three meals a day and snacks, the heat at 68 at home, air conditioning, comfortable furniture, a fairly full wardrobe…) and then we give a small bit (percentage wise) — not out of our perceived comfort needs, of course; but rather out of our excess. But like the rich man, we delude ourselves into thinking it’s enough. This is quite an eternal bet we’re making. I wonder if the rich man said to God at Judgement: “But what about You’re mercy?” And maybe God said: “What about yours, toward Lazzarus?” …Last night I said that we needed to stand in solidarity, cutting back to two meals a day (no snacks) and sending the savings to the scores of kids who are starving to death. We need to house share (to halve expenses) and cut the heat back in our American homes to 50 (or less), sending the savings to the millions freezing in refugee camps. I once told the Portland News, in Portland, Indiana, that Americans should sleep in sleeping bags on the floor and take the savings (on the comfortable beds, bead spreads, etc.) and send it to the scores of children with AIDS sleeping atop burlap bags on dirt floors in small huts in Uganda, Biafra, Nigeria… “It is all that simple,” I said. “And all that hard.”