Category: Politics

Human Rights Day


The Universal Declaration of Human Rights from Seth Brau on Vimeo.
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Today is the day we celebrate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (December 10, 1948).

Heard anything about it today?

My wall calendar mentions Human Rights Day – but that’s all I’ve seen. Not even a Google Doodle today. 🙁

Wonder if its because we’re just to swept up in the Advent/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza spirit to notice? Seems like Human Rights Day would be a great holiday for Followers of the Way.

I am currently reading “On the Side of Angels” and it talks extensively about human rights, justice, kingdom mission and the like. They seem to make a similar point to one I made back in September, and raise issue with the term “human rights.”

But that despite that issue, I don’t believe that means we stop recognizing the hurting, the oppressed, the poor, the sick, the needy among us. I think it should give us greater cause for pause and give us greater reason to fight for the rights of others — those of fellow Christians, as well as believers in other faiths and those who choose not to believe.

So take pause and consider what you can do to help join the fight for your fellow man. And may we choose compassion over anger and love over hate and may we see all humans as the living image of God.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

info from the UN
pdf copy of the declaration
voice of the martyrs
thoughts from this fragile tent

re: What would you tell Obama?

I took a photo tonight for my memo to Barack Obama. Took it in the midst of another photo shoot with Laurie (so that’s the brief background on the suit and santa hat :-)).

I posted the photo to Facebook and Flickr and then decided – hey – why not create a Flickr group to let everyone share their memo’s to the president-elect.

So, I’m hoping that by the time you read this – this slideshow will be full of photos (and not just mine). But regardless – share yours and then tell a friend.

What would you tell Obama?

Sojourners is asking folks, “What would you tell president-elect Obama if you had a chance meeting with him?”

…with rumors flying about the details of the Obamas’ impending move to the capital, Obama sightings may become none too rare for locals, forcing all D.C. residents to wonder, if given a fleeting audience with the president, what would I say?

We’ve had the experts and notables in the Sojourners network weigh in with their memos to Obama (which I am excited for you all to read in full in the upcoming issue of Sojourners magazine), but truthfully, I am more curious to see what average Americans wish to tell the man on whom so much is riding these days, because to me it seems that our collective hopes, fears, dreams, and requests need to be heard in this time of change, so we never forget the felt needs of Americans today.

They only ask that you send it as a picture – like so ::

Or like so ::

So, what would you tell the president elect? Post your photo on your blog and share the link in the comments below or via twitter or somewhere we can all see it. And of course, while you’re at it – send a copy of it to interact@sojo.net as well.

I’ll try and post mine later tonight.

Shane Claiborne on Buy Nothing Day & Black Friday

Shane Claiborne posted a guest blog entry on the Sojourner blog today and recapped his thoughts on Black Friday and Buy Nothing Day. Loved this story ::

I love the story of one pastor who got fed up with all the decorations and clutter. He began to see that we are in danger of losing the very “reason for the season,” Jesus — the Jesus that was born in the middle of Herod’s bloody genocide, the Jesus who was born a refugee with no room in the inn, the Jesus who knew suffering from the cradle to the cross. This pastor went through the sanctuary the night before the big Christmas service and spread out manure all over the floor — nasty, stinky piles of turd. As folks came in the next day in their best attire, he preached — and did he ever. He preached about how the original story of was not about malls and decorations. He preached about a story that was not pretty. He preached about a God who enters the s**t of this world and redeems all that is ugly and broken. It is a story they will never forget. It is the story of our faith.

Here’s a video from Buy Nothing Day events in Philly – posted by our friend Jamie Moffett – (look for Shane on stilts) ::


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World AIDS Day

Today is Dec. 1, 2008. Two big events take place today.

Rosa Parks in 1955 with Martin Luther King in the background (via Wikipedia)

The anniversary of Rosa Parks taking a stand, by taking a seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955, and World AIDS Day.

Two great movements/issues of our day — the civil rights movement and AIDS awareness/treatment/elimination.

I almost hate to compare the two movements (simply because I think they’re both worthy of their own attention and comprehension) but I think both are issues the church should be actively involved in and actively working to make change in. We’ve come a long way in both arenas but there’s still a long way to go as well.

I just started reading “On the Side of Angels” by Dr. Joseph D’Souza and Benedict Rogers. It talks right to this issue.

“Each person facing abuse of their own human rights is a fellow human being of eternal value, created by God in his image. Each one is our neighbor.”

For too long, we’ve delegated titles and stereotypes to people who are different than us. We’ve avoided people because of their different culture, or because of a disease that they might have contracted because of “immoral behavior.” And we’ve ignored the fact that each of us have contracted our own disease of sin that we DID contract because of our own immoral behavior.

Far too long we’ve said that you get what you deserve and you get what’s coming to you.

But as D’Souza and Rogers write, “Unless and until Christian life and witness actually becomes involved in individual lives and society, we cannot authentically carry out kingdom mission in this world.”

So here’s to my creed and the prayer that I live it out both today, and all the days to come ::

rather than seeking revenge, i will seek reconciliation
rather than repaying violence with violence, i will seek creative transforming nonviolent alternatives
rather than focusing on external conformity to moral codes, i will be internally transformed by love
rather than loving insiders and hating outsiders, i will welcome outsiders into a new “us” and “we”
rather than anxiety about money or security or pleasure, i will trust myself to the care of God
rather than living for wealth, i will live for God who loves all people, including our enemies
rather than hating our enemies and competitors, i will them and do unto them not as they have done unto me – or before they do unto me – but as i wish they would do for me

And to the mission of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah ::

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

resources ::
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Drug abuse by any route can put a person at risk for getting HIV. This is because drug and alcohol intoxication affect judgment and can lead to unsafe sexual practices, which put people at risk for getting HIV or transmitting it to someone else. NIDA has developed the following resources to help educate, share and increase awareness of the AIDS issue.

NIDA’s Learn the Link Campaign ::

More Resources ::

AIDS.gov

The Federal government has developed a wealth of HIV/AIDS testing, prevention, treatment and research information. In addition, the following are some of the many resources you can use to help response to HIV/AIDS.

Adult stem cells score

Shared this story from NPR on Facebook earlier this week.

Here’s what Christianity Today had to say…

Adult Stem Cells Score Again

Windpipe transplant patient Claudia Castillo.
Windpipe transplant patient Claudia Castillo.
A trachea engineered from bone marrow stem-cells makes ethical research more appealing.

Susan Wunderink

Claudia Castillo, whose lungs had been ravaged by tuberculosis, has a new trachea. She made it herself . . . sort of.

Doctors in Spain took stem-cells from Claudia Castillo’s bone marrow and had them form a section of trachea based on the trachea of an organ donor. The scientists transplanted the 2.75-inch piece and published the results in The Lancet:

The graft immediately provided the recipient with a functional airway, improved her quality of life, and had a normal appearance and mechanical properties at 4 months. The patient had no anti-donor antibodies and was not on immunosuppressive drugs.

The results show that we can produce a cellular, tissue-engineered airway with mechanical properties that allow normal functioning, and which is free from the risks of rejection.

Castillo is the first person to have an engineered trachea transplant, The Guardian says. She has had her new windpipe for several months without immunosuppressants—a breakthrough in surgery.

Besides giving hope to those who need transplants, Castillo’s case is also important to the debate over whether to allow stem-cell research which destroys embryos.

“Engineering new tissues and organs from stem cells has long been a goal of researchers, because it would help overcome a chronic shortage of donor organs.” NPR says. “But controversies over the source of stem cells have slowed research in the United States.”

However the transplant, rather than highlighting limitations, is another victory for ethical (and legal) stem-cell research. In its Q&A on stem-cells, CNN says “In the past, because adult stem cells were considered stuck in their ways, the focus had been on embryonic cells but now scientists and doctors will be wanting to see if adult cells can be used to treat a wider range of conditions.”

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I’m hoping the Obama-Biden team sees more and more stories like these and works to provide more funding for adult stem cell research. They’ve already pledged to increase funding for embryonic stem cell research – let’s keep adult stem cell research on the table as well as stem cells from umbilical cords — as we’re doing here in Texas.