On our do-nothing Congress

Readers in other lands, excuse me. This is very US-centric.

I am disgusted and outraged at Congress. The partisan gridlock harms the people of the United States and on teh other living things in this nation and really, around the world.

Failure to implement comprehensive immigration reform means families are torn and separated. It means that hardworking souls risk their lives to come here. They die trying to get here. It means that undocumented people can be, and are, exploited by others.

Failure to implement comprehensive reform of our medical compensation system means that only in the US can people go broke because they're sick. And while costs continue to climb, we are getting fatter, sicker, and weaker.

Failure to control costs mean we will pass to our children an intolerable debt, and can someday soon undermine the full faith and credit of these United States. Someday soon we may have to sell off our treasures to pay the bill. What would we sell? Hawaii? The Grand Canyon? Yosemite? Fort Knox?

Failure to address climate change makes the problem harder, if not impossible to fix. And that means climbing costs from catastrophic weather events, and greater impacts to people who can afford it the least, the people who live on coasts in the global South.

Failure to reform mining laws means more miners will die.

Enough griping. I believe as individuals we have power. We have the power to influence others, we have in this nation some really great rights in our First Amendment. We can assemble, petition our government, write to Editor and read anything we want in the press, and we can speak out and we can pray.

I think grass roots action is not one option. It's the best option, especially with the impaired and useless Congress we now have. I think we need to model the behavior we want in our world.

Let's cooperate, even with people with opposing views. We can find common ground if we try.
Let's live gently on the land, and limit our impact on the planet.
Let's stay in touch with our representatives and make sure they know we expect them to work for the common good, not just the interests who contribute to keeping them in office.
Let's share.
Let's help others.
Let's build community, every way we can.

Let's show Congress what democracy looks like on the ground.

Peace, y'all

Molly

On civil disobedience

Dissent is democratic and civil disobedience is a courageous version of it. It has given women the vote, ended legal racial discrimination, toppled colonial rule and recently, autocratic oppression.

It won't work without the press though. We need the press to share the news, show the courage of dissenters and cruelty of power. Hooray for the press.

I get a lot of my news through friends on Facebook. So I don't use mainstream media the way I used to. Still I cherish my local paper, though I ignore a lot of it.

I see things coming to a head. I am asking myself for what issues am I willing to be arrested. I don't have an answer yet but there is a lot of value in asking.

The first thing thatccomes to me is gratitude, for the press, for my FirstvAmendment rights, and that I have enough years and money to be able to contemplate earning a criminal record without fearing it much

Peace, y'all

Molly

More on Micah's words

Months ago these words started germinating in me. "what does the Lord require but that we love mercy, act justly and walk with our God?". Today I thought hard on these words. In English, mercy and justice are sort of opposites. And love is more than sentiment, it's action, an active verb. So it's clear to me what it means to walk with God. (though it is hard to do). But nurturing both justicevand mercy is still a puzzle.

Then a serendipitous thing happened. Tomorrow is Quaker Lobby Day in my state Capitol, and 'the issues we'll lobby on are criminal justice!! Talk about justice and mercy.

Quakers in my state place priority on efforts to repair the harm suffered by victims over soohong punishments to offenders.

We want to enable offenders to redeem themselves and reintegrate in society.

We wantto replace costly incarceration through diversion, drug treatment, job training, and education.

We want to redress racial inequity of the current criminal justice system.

Tomorrow I will lobby with Micah's guidance. I don't think God requires this. I think God prepared me for tomorrow some how.

Peace, y'a, and act justly, love mercy, and walk with God!

Molly

German anniversaries today - good and bad

Cat Lovers Against the Bomb calendar tells me, and I share with you, today is the anniversary of two key events that rocked the world. Both in Germany, interestingly.

On this day in 1938 was Kristallnacht. Literally, the night of broken glass. That's the night Nazis and citizens ransacked Jewish synagogues, cemetaries, homes and businesses throughout Germany and Austria. This tragic event, which was widely reported across the globe, marked the beginning of the Holocaust.

What is the right way to commemorate this dark milestone? Answer hate with love, I guess.

The second anniversary today is the 1989 fall of the Bein Wall. This is way happier.

But the pain of the pogroms continues.

Must stop the hate, stop the demonizing. Just as there is that of God and good in each of t
Us, there is also something of evil in us, which we must suppress.

Peace y'all

Molly

Riding in the palm of God's hand

The sense of grace and gratitude remains. I have more to do and miles to go...Today I learned how easy it is to get info and support through my city's web site. I can do some good this way.

I have been keeping my promise, my gift to our country on its birthday on July 4. I pledged to use my First Amendment rights.

Am I flexing my First Amendment right to freedom of the press when I write this blog entry?

I petitioned government today via email. I prayed and spoke my mind, and will assemble with coworkers in a few. So, today I'm 5 for 5!

But it is not enough. Miles to go before I rest

How to talk with folks from the other view

My teenager chided me for bringing up the topic of the inauguration with one of her companions who is from a conservative home. Of course I knew her family's orientation. I wanted to open dialog. The companion didn't want to engage, so it didn't go anywhere (except my kid chiding me).

How should I open dialog with those whose views differ from mine? What I want is for us to look forward and find common ground. Positive ground. How? Maybe I should pose a question like, "What are your hopes for the next year?" or "next administration?"

Or perhaps I could share one of my favorite lines from the inauguration speech (or the invocation!!) and ask if others find inspiration in it as well.

I hope I can make some headway. I really want to make a little more peace in the real world.

Peace, y'all

Molly