Cruel. Inhuman. Degrades Us All.

Close Guantánamo Bay.

The detention of “enemy combatants” at the US Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba has now entered its fifth year. Hundreds of people of around 30 different nationalities remain held in effect in a legal black hole, many without access to any court, legal counsel or family visits.

Many of them allege they have been subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Three detainees have died at the camp, after apparently committing suicide. Others have gone on prolonged hunger strikes, being kept alive only through painful force feeding measures.

Guantanamo Bay is a symbol of injustice and abuse.

Can someone tell me why it remains open, why these men are not given a trial and why it shouldn’t be shut down?

Five years Now! – No independent hearing; no family contact! Is This The American Way

By Khalid Al-Odah

Consider this. Over the course of the past five years, America, the most powerful country on earth, overthrew Saddam Hussein, a ruthless dictator. And after Saddam’s fall from power in 2003, US forces captured him, and he was tried, convicted and executed.

In those same five years, Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan and Yasser Arafat have died. Kuwait’s beloved ruler, Sheik Jaber Alsabah has passed away and we have a new ruler, a new crown prince, a new prime minister and a new parliament.

So much has happened in the past five years, and yet for my son Fawzi — detained in Guantánamo Bay since January 11, 2002 — time has stood still. Fawzi has spent his days in a 6.8ft x 8 ft cell, often in solitary confinement and denied all contact with his family. Even death row inmates in U.S. prisons are treated better than this. Fawzi’s treatment has irreparably scarred him and our family. And for what?

Read more

My boy is growing up

Chad Crawford, who was “my son” one year for UMHB’s Welcome Week is being featured on the Beatitudes Society.

When we got to the summit, we could not believe what we saw there—an expansive panoramic view of the northern part of San Francisco Bay and an exquisite lodge where we could sit and catch our breaths. They even poured us water out of wine bottles with fancy green leaves inside! I knew I wasn’t in Texas anymore. It was a far cry from the extreme poverty we saw everyday on the streets of San Francisco—but geographically only a few miles away. I believe that there are people in my generation who want everyone to enjoy a better quality of life, who want to work to close the gap between the wealthy and the poor, who want to be better stewards of God’s creation. We believe that all of these visions are connected. Sometimes we have to take paths that haven’t been made yet, and sometimes we find roads that have been paved by those who have already been at it for decades, creating the society that my generation also wants.

Read his full article
He also has an ongoing blog.

Proposed “intake center” for homeless looks scary

Marni passed along an article regarding the homeless in Dallas and a proposed intake center for the city. It also focuses a lot on Austin Street where we go “almost every week.” The article is from the Dallas Observer, March 2004.

We need to back down and take a deep breath about this, all of us. I believe the mayor’s motives are good, but she has also shown remarkable
insensitivity. I don’t think the real estate guys are even required to have
good motives.
You and I are required. This is a legitimately tough issue. But rendering
human beings nameless and faceless, treating them all as round pegs to be
shoved into identical round holes, loading them on buses and putting them in
camps: You and I don’t want to have any part of that.

It’s a great insight into some of the issues involved.

Let Google find your cellphone

Next time you’ve lost your cellphone, let Google maps help you find it.
If you search for a business using Google maps, the site will offer to place the call for you. Type in your number and it will place a call to your cellphone or land line and then connect you to the business after you pick up.
If you lose your cell phone, just use the service and then simply ignore the call from Google.
It’s a lot less embarrassing than admitting you’ve lost your cell phone and need someone to call it for you. From Google:

There are two things that I really like about this. The business’s phone number is automatically stored in your caller ID so you can easily call back in the future. And by checking the box to remember your phone number, you can make future calls from Google Maps with just two mouse clicks (and picking up your phone, of course).

Via Lifehacker

The power of visuals

According to a multimedia prof in Florida (link redacted), a graphic presentation showing the Cowboy’s new stadium received 42,000 hits, compared to just 20,000 for the print version.

That’s a huge difference for just five pics.

How can we put that information into use in our churches?

I think it shows how visually stimulated our current society is.

If people can actually see what you’re trying to tell them there’s more chance they’ll pay attention and retain it.