A refugee crisis

In the first century AD, a refugee from the war-torn Middle East, escaping civil unrest and religious persecution tried to reach Rome to state his case before the Imperial court.  On his way, his ship was lost in the Mediterranean Sea, and he almost died, then rescued by the good people of Malta, where he was shipwrecked.  His name was Paul, later St. Paul, and he founded the western Christian church.

Here we stand 2000 years later, and hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people from the exact same place are trying to escape civil war and religious persecution.  Desperate to seek asylum, they undergo terrible and dangerous passage to western Europe.  During this crisis, the good people of Malta have saved many from losing their lives at sea.  Other European countries have mixed responses to the crisis, but the EU is responding, albeit slowly, and at the risk of so many lives.

This past week, 71 smuggles people, many children, suffocated in a trailer truck in Austria, being smuggled to safety.  Another 105 drowned in the Mediterranean.  I think in 2000 years we should have made progress.  Sadly, modern western people have a worse track record than the Roman Empire.  You needn't be Christian to appreciate this irony, just a moral human being.

What about us here in the United States?  In 1951, the UN produced a landmark convention regarding the definition and rights of refugees.  The convention also laid out the responsibilities of signatory states regarding the rights of asylum seekers.

Despite the words of Emma Lazarus, etched onto the base of the Statue of Liberty:

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore....

The US was one of the few countries never to have signed the 1951 convention.  In 1967, due to the concerns of many countries, particularly the US, a 1967 Protocol refining the 1951 convention was adopted.  The US did sign the 1967 Protocol, bringing my country into accord with the rest of the civilized planet.  Tellingly, we are only 1 of 2 countries worldwide who have not adopted the 1951 and 1967 agreements together, Venezuela being the other.

The US has now committed to the worldwide refugee accord.  You can find the summary of the treatise here.

So how does the US comply with our duties as an asylum country?  We utterly ignore our responsibility!
All over Central America, people seek asylum from persecution and violence.  We ignore these obvious threats to life and liberty and accuse them all of 'sneaking in' for economic opportunity alone.  Certainly some, perhaps many, are here due to economic privation alone, but the horrors of Central America, from the genocide of Mayans at the hands of the Guatemalan government to the political persecution of Hondurans, to US fueled drug wars in Mexico, we label legitimate refugees as "ILLEGALS".  Why the capitals?  It think this is the second worse epithet ever uttered by Americans on a downtrodden people. It is a disgusting label.

Prominent politicians speak of erecting a wall at the Rio Grande River.  They accuse refugees of myriad crimes based on anecdote, hyperbole and demagoguery. There is a lot of hate. Families are destroyed. People die.  The truth has been trumped.  Shouldn't we rethink this contradiction of our values?

What we ought to do, as a moral and just nation is open our borders. Fix the mess WE made in Central America.  Assist the EU in the humanitarian crisis emerging from Syria and Iraq; our failure to act fuels ISIS, Hamas, Assad and Hezbollah.

Stop the war.

Stop the hate.

Thomas Merton and the Bomb

I’ve been struggling with how to begin a discussion about Thomas Merton for some time now.  He is one of the people of the 20^th century that I admire most, perhaps even the most.  Thomas Merton was quite famous for a while, but he is not particularly well remembered nearly 50 years after his death.  In the 1940’s Thomas Merton wrote a book, The Seven Storey Mountain, about contemplative, communal life.  It was a best-seller, and made him famous.  Being famous was a challenge for Merton, as he himself belonged to a strict contemplative community, namely the Order of Cistersians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.), better known as the Trappists.  Trappists are famously introspective and meditative.  In fact, most people think that they take a vow of silence, although their silence is merely encouraged rather than enforced.  As you might well imagine, Merton’s fame presented challenges for him personally, and for the order.

After his initial success, Merton continued to write about spiritual matters with the blessing of the O.C.S.O.  In fact, had the order forbade him to write, we may never have heard from him, as he was both devoted and disciplined.  By the 1950’s he had largely devoted his writings to the moral issues of war, and the spiritual need to pursue peace.  He became increasingly concerned with the moral challenge presented by nuclear weapons.  Gradually, the Trappist order became more concerned about the increasingly political tone of his writings, and suppressed a good deal of his writing, although he continued to combat censorship within the order, while maintaining the strictest discipline required of a Trappist monk.  The resulting body of work was an incredibly rich source of moral thought in terms of nuclear armament.  His writings included poetry, letters, essays and novels.  Much of his work was published posthumously, having died accidentally in Thailand in 1968.  His thoughts on pacifism and moral duty are some of the best articulated thoughts in the modern era.

By 1961, Thomas Merton had dedicated his life to nuclear disarmament.  He wrote a poem Original Child Bomb, which may be read or heard on The Healing Project blog, found in the link above.  It is stark and humorless free verse, with 41 numbered stanzas.  I urge you to read it or listen to the reading on the blog.

In the last stanza of the poem, there is a rueful comment that men are fatigued by the questions.  AS we approach the 70^th anniversary of the destruction of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I feel that the fatigue has become poorly understood and easily dismissed history.  The non-proliferation protocol seems to have largely failed.  On the day I started preparing this blog, a tentative deal with Iran was reached which would commit that country to not producing a nuclear weapon.  There are a great number of Senators and Congressmen who do not want to ratify the agreement.  We should carefully consider Thomas Merton’s moral objections to nuclear warfare, and whether a belligerent strategy will  be preferable to a negotiated peace.

Clarity

I keep trying to write a post, and I keep getting thrown off.  I’ve limited myself to a small number of topics; refer to a few posts back.  I was hoping to build some structure and a way to move forward.  I think that this method will normally work, and I plan to continue with it. 

So, getting thrown off…the last time I wrote I had some hope that South Sudan would find its way back to peace.  Perhaps I was right that we are near a solution, but the day I wrote that post seems to have been the closest point to getting a deal out to the country in a long while, but subsequent events have been horrifying.  Now there is a growing consensus among impartial observers that Salva Kiir and his army have been guilty of unspeakable acts.  Before one thinks that the government in place is the enemy of peace though, Riik Machar’s opposition may be guilty of even worse crimes.  Further, it is suggested that Machar is nothing more than a proxy for Omar Bashir of Sudan, and his efforts to undermine his former rebel provinces.  They all appear to be bloody-minded criminals.  So where will peace come from?

Well, I had not planned to come right back to South Sudan’s war, so perhaps I should have diverted my attention, but it is terribly hard to do so when you feel despair for the situation.  I had planned on writing introductory notes about Thomas Merton.  Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk who lived in the mid-20^th Century.  He was a prolific author, first about devotion to God through monasticism, and then about the horrors of war, particularly nuclear war.  My plan has been to introduce Merton as a prelude to talking about the upcoming 70^th anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima.  I wrote a few drafts, but Merton is such an inspiration to me, I got lost in how to start.

Well, now I’ve started to tell you about Thomas Merton, so I guess I’ll be able to hold onto that thread.  I just hope I can properly dive into his works before we get to Hiroshima.  We’ll see.  I’m going to get to him one way or another.  I may have been able to get that thread going, and then…

Charleston.

What can I say about Charleston?  It seems like everything I’ve spoken about unraveled with Charleston.

Charleston puts the Baltimore riots in a harsh, blinding flash.  The reason we fell into the rioting ultimately was hate, wasn’t it?  Never mind who hates who, it’s simply the presence of hate.

Why are refugees met with hate, in Europe, where no country will own up to the responsibility to care for people who have risked all to cross the Mediterranean; or in the US where we stigmatize with the moniker “illegals”, many of whom have legitimate cause for asylum.

In Africa, greedy, rapacious people divide Dinka and Nuer, SPLA and SPLA I/O over hate, then kill for power – and hate.

Hate now comes into crisp focus.  Nine beautiful, holy, people in a church were slaughtered for no other reason than hate.  Even the response to the Charleston Massacre has been tinged with hate, with suggestions that people in church should be armed to prevent violence; that a rallying flag for hatred should not be removed because of tradition.

Hate.  That’s what we have to fight.  I know that greed, and poverty, and ignorance will kill people.  Those things only become truly deadly in the presence of hate though.

It’s a sad thought.  Hate is preventable.  Preventing hate will fix it all.  And, while it may be the human condition to harbor hate, it is a higher condition of the human spirit to harbor love.  So let’s get to love.  I think people who see problems either fix blame or fix the problem.  Let’s do the latter.  In South Sudan, fighting bad people does not make you good.  It’s no different here.  Love makes you good.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis (click here for the prayer in song)

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.

South Sudan and the Arusha Peace Accord

5 months ago, in Arusha, Tanzania, the parties to the South Sudanese civil war signed an accord designed to bring peace and reconciliation to South Sudan.  That agreement is here.

Since the Arusha Accord was signed the warring factions of the South Sudanese Liberation Movement (SPLM) have only moved deeper into warfare.  The results have been horrific.  Today, however, it appears that the Arusha Accord may be gaining traction.  Today, President Salva Kiir, who famously wears a cowboy hat given to him by US President George W. Bush, has vowed to implement the deal according to the news source Gurtong.net.  It is hoped that the opposition, led by former Deputy Chairman Riek Machar will also commit to the peace process.  Over the past several days, fighting has intensified.  While this is distressing, it may be a sign that warring factions are finishing their campaigns, and striving for last minute advantages.

I believe that it is more likely than not that the two year old civil war is ending.  It is also noteworthy that:

• This is an Africa-led brokered deal, with South Africa, Ethiopia and Tanzania taking the lead.  The US, European and Asian powers have not exerted a neo-colonial presence, further relegating that massive injustice to history;
• The accord looks a lot like the South African Peace and Reconciliation deal following the overthrow of apartheid, at least to my eyes.  If it is the same kind of peace, and parties are diligent in implementation, hopes for a true and enduring peace will be achieved.

So, how does the prospect of a healthy and prosperous South Sudan look?  In the short run, the challenges are enormous.  We can expect residual violence to continue for a while, but if we are on the verge of peace, that will subside.  Grinding poverty is a destabilizing factor, as are the large amount of displaced people, both internally and externally from destabilized areas to the north and east, particularly in Sudan and the Central African Republic.  Allegations of Sudanese interference and hostility may threaten the peace.

For my readers who are primarily American, we should let the peace process proceed without interference, letting the youngest country on the planet build their own future.  It would be helpful if the World Bank forgives the South Sudanese debt, which is an effort that Americans can help with.  We should take note of the human rights issues that have occurred over the past two years, including the forcible recruitment of child soldiers, and instances of systematic rape used as a terror weapon.  While we wait for these issues to resolve under the Arusha framework, we should applaud the peace brokers from South Sudan, and leading African nations.  We should continue to educate ourselves to the issues facing South Sudan, and we should actively pray and/or meditate on behalf of peace in South Sudan.

I am grateful that the South Sudanese have a realistic, attainable chance at peace.  Bless you all.

An Artistic Respite – Ladysmith Black Mambazo

When I revived this blog, I was determined to give it a little more breadth.  I decided that I would break some of the talking a break, especially as I am aware that I can be long-winded and lean toward a lecture format.

Tonight, I’m inviting you to enjoy Ladysmith Black Mambazo, via YouTube links.  You can access their long and fascinating story as you listen via a google lookup.  I recommend it.  I will only add that they are ambassadors for peace from the kwaZulu nation, and South Africa.

My first link is for an 81 minute selection of performances of LBM and the Soweto Gospel Choir, many of which are only the Soweto Gospel Choir (no worries, it’s also wonderful).  It’s beautiful, and long enough to accompany my several year old posts of the philosophy of peace, where I pick a small fight with St. Augustine, or just enjoying while you do something quietly.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Soweto Gospel Choir

Next, I have their 2007 performance of ‘Homeless’ at the Nobel Peace Concert honoring Nelson Mandela.  Homeless was featured on Paul Simon’s famous album “Graceland”

Homeless at the 2007 Nobel Prize Concert

Last one:  Amazing Grace

I hope the hyperlinks work in Blogger!

That’s all.  Good night, and Peace!  

Will we fix what is wrong in Baltimore?

To understand why Baltimore became violent in April, 2015, one needs to understand some basic facts about the city.  It seems clear to me that the riots following the murder of Freddie Gray were inevitable, the catalyst for the violent outburst was the Gray murder, but it could have been caused by any incident given the conditions in the city.

Baltimore is a city in sharp decline.  In the mid nineteenth century it was the second most populous city in the United States after New York.  Until about 1980 it was still one of the ten largest cities in the country.  At its height in 1950, Baltimore had about one million residents.  Today, the city has only 620,000 people, a decline of one-third of the population in 65 years.  It was once one of the great manufacturing centers and a key shipping center.  Despite some recently improved economic sectors, including health care, academics and tourism, these improvements do not replace the losses in employment.

Baltimore is a black majority city.  Nearly 64% of the cities people are black.  In most respects, this fact should be inconsequential.  Sadly though, the mechanisms that continue to repress poor people of color exist in Baltimore.  Within the black community, mobility is stagnated; college education is difficult and expensive to attain, yet the largest employer and organizational group in the city, Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University, rely on a workforce dominated by the highly educated.  Further, there is a clear and undeniable component of racism that oppresses Baltimore’s black people.

One in five residents of Baltimore lives below the poverty line.  I’ll leave this fact alone; it speaks for itself.

Baltimore is desperate, poor, short on hope, and now violent.  It is extremely important to make Baltimore peaceful again.  Of course it’s not easy.  We will continue to see Baltimore being under threat of violence until we address what is wrong.  The big picture resolutions to the Baltimore problem are:

·         Rebuilding trust between the residents of Baltimore and the police force.  The riots were met with a measure of restraint by the police.  I am sure that most officers are proud professionals who ensure everyone’s safety.  Smart protocols which engage police in the everyday activities of people exist in many cities, and could be adopted there.

·         Improve access to higher education.  The sad truth that higher education selects based more on economic status that academic status.  This is a nationwide problem, but it is acutely felt in Baltimore.

·         Identify entrepreneurs within the city, and enable them with microloans and planning support.  Small businesses should bring hope and vision, and

·         End racism.  End institutional racism.  End racism based on ignorance. Just end it.

What a daunting list!  No one said peace was easy, right?

I will revisit the issues raised here, hopefully soon.  I think my next few posts will head into other directions, but I still feel there is a lot of unfinished business.  Peace, my friends.

Some Housekeeping

Let me start this piece off with a bit of a complaint.  As news consumers, Americans have such a short attention span that major, long-trending stories can gain no traction.  I am appalled that a few short weeks after the fires in Baltimore were extinguished, there is hardly a word spoken about the riots, or Freddie Grey.  It would be easy to say that CNN and related news outlets will report on an endless string of stories where a photo opportunity occurs behind the reporter, and that reporting stops when the viewer gets bored.  I am more concerned that these 24-hour news feeds make editorial decisions based on viewers’ appetites; as such, the news is not content-driven, but market-driven.  News has been reduced to a segment of the entertainment machine, and predictably content,  depth, and a willingness to report on second-tier stories have suffered.

Given that criticism, I find myself thinking about addressing matters of peace that seem urgent.  In fact, many of the issues that come out of the news of the day are urgent.  I would like to do a deep dive into Syria, Iraq and ISIS.  The proposed Iran nuclear deal is incredibly important.  Events in Yemen, Burundi and Burma vie for my attention as well.  Nonetheless, I am not writing these pieces to keep up with the day’s news, and so I will only refer to these issues tangentially, so that I can follow some long term trends, and keep a longer conversation moving along.  I apologize if you think that I should devote more of my time to Middle Eastern issues, or the Guantanamo Bay prison, or the Ukraine.  They are all worthy of our attention.  Instead, I will keep a discussion (a dialogue would be OK ;-) ) going about a finite number of themes that will allow us all to become better educated, and to become better peacemakers.  To that end, for the remainder of 2015, I plan on limiting my posts the following:

·         Justice for the American underclass.  My recent post titled ‘Baltimore and Beyond’ can be seen as a launch of this thread,

·         The South Sudan Civil War, to the end of educating my followers and exploring how conflicts rise and continue, and how peace might develop,

·         The worldwide migration of vulnerable people,

·         A retrospective of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 70 years later, which will include current non-proliferation challenges, and an introduction to the pacifism of Thomas Merton,

·         The connection between peace and art, to break from the politics and brighten this space a bit.  This is a new idea that I’m looking forward to, and

·         A calendar of peace events in Greater Boston, or perhaps throughout New England, which was always a goal of this blog.

I hope that keeping to these issues will bring my writing into better focus, and allow for better reading for you.  As the 1500^th pageview will most likely happen over the next few weeks, I’ll want to write more regularly, and build my readership.  Thanks.  Look forward to a follow-up on Baltimore in the next few days, and a cycle through of each of the items I’ve promised.