Violet-eared Emerald - awesome, huh? This picture was taken by Greg Prelich, a very good photographer and decent guy on our Costa Rica trip in the Spring.

I like the Quaker connection to Costa Rica. The Q's from Fairhope, Alabama moved to Costa Rica in the 1940s or 1950's. They were delighted to move to a country that had no military. Their trip was arduous. They bought some land they named Green Mountain, or Monteverde, as it is known today. They also bought a large chunk of land and made it a preserve. And, they introduced cheese making to the area. The dairy and cheesemaking continue to this day, as does the Meeting. The area still has a number of Quakers. And today Costa Rica has a huge number of preserves and national parks. I don't know if Monteverde's was the first but it was certainly among the first. And now the people in Monteverde and nearby Santa Elena have opposed the paving of the road up to their lands, because there are too many traffic problems there already!

Peace, y'all

Molly

fiction, peace, China and Costa Rica

This bird -- silver-throated tanager-- is my desktop wallpaper this week. It takes my breath away when I see it. I can't feel the heat and humidity of where I first saw this species. I can't hear all the other jungle sounds. Still it awes me.

Peacemaking proceeds even slower these days. Maybe I am like a plant, and right now I am growing deeper roots rather than bearing fruit.

I am amazed recently at all the connections I'm noticing between the fictions I'm reading lately and the ideas and situations in real life. Bio-hazards. The meaning of America. The importance of training and drilling, so we'll know what we need to do when the time comes.

Maybe peacemaking is slower because I am reading so much fiction lately and it fills my head. Guess I'm reading a little too much.

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Tiammenen (sp?) Square face-down of pro-democracy activists and the Chinese military. The Chinese military squashed the protesters. I thank God America's military cannot participate in internal affairs. Glad to live in the USA.

Maybe my focus will return soon.

peace, y'all

Molly

Latin American conflicts

My thoughts are in Central America. My daughter and I will go to Costa Rica on Friday and I really need to tend to a few last-minute details. And today's entry in the Cat Lovers against the Bomb notes that 10 years ago, Guatemala's Truth Commission found that 93% of the civil war deaths were at the hands of the military.

When I was in grad school my prof for the Latin American politics class said the problem was that in Latin America, the countries are occupied by their own military. I guess Guatemala illustrates this point clearly and tragically.

Our military doesn't 'occupy' the U.S. because of some law from Reconstruction times. Plus the Bill of Rights, I think. That would be a good exercise in civics for baby boomers. Find the answer to this: why does the US military NOT meddle in domestic affairs?

War's costs in Guatemala

The Cat Lovers Against the Bomb (thanks, Nebraskans for Peace) reminded us that ten years ago yesterday, President Clinton said US aid to Guatamalen military was wrong. I did a little looking on internet to learn more about Guatemala's recent history. I feel regret and shame my government (for the people, by the people, of the people) helped harm so many innocent people.

Then, using the CIA fact book, I compared Guatemala to Costa Rica, a nation with no military, and with USA, a nation we are most familiar with. Here are a few comparison points

Guatemala
Suffrage 18 & universal , except members of Active military, who are confined to barracks
Population 4.2 million
GDP (gross domestic product) $49.73B $
GDP/person $5400
Life expectancy @ birth 69.99
Infant mortality (per 1000 births) 28.79
Literacy 69.1%
%GDP spent on education 2.6

Costa Rica
Suffrage - 18, universal and compulsory

Population 13 million

GDP - 70.19B

GDP per person- $11,000

Life expectancy @ birth 77.4

Infant mortality (per 1000 births) 9.1
Literacy 94.9%
%GDP spent on education 4.9

USA
Suffrage 18 and universal
Population 303 million
GDP $14.58T(rillion)
GDP/person $48,000
Life expectancy @ birth 78.14
Infant mortality (per 1000 births) 6.3
Literacy 99%
% GDP spent on education 5.3


Costa Rica is little but by eliminating its military, has much more $$ available for health and education than does Guatemala. Costa Rica: no wars, high literacy, higher life expectancy. Dividends of peace.

I find it sad that Guatemala's active military is confined to quarters and cannot vote on election days. Guatemala has been stable for a few years now, and I hope it lasts. Guatemala vividly illustrates the costs of war. High infant mortality, shortest life expectancy in our hemisphere, rampant poverty, incalculable impacts from human rights abuses.

Yes Mr. Clinton, the US's role in supporting the Guatemala military was wrong.

I am going to Costa Rica

Today I decided to go to Costa Rica this spring on a gonzo birding trip. I like bird-watching, but this is the big leagues. I expect I will love it, with guides and birding pro's to help me find birds and learn what they are. I want to bring my daughter along so we can enjoy each other and experience this together, and she may learn to like birding more--and practice her Spanish!

What has this to do with peace? It's a dividend of peace that we can contemplate such a trip. And one reason Costa Rica is such a mecca for eco-tourism is that it has no military sucking up its budget and terrorizing its own people. Costa Rica is a functioning democracy that lives in peace. No civil wars. Nearly universal literacy, though it's defined fairly liberally.

I am thrilled. I am grateful.

Peace, y'all

Molly