Faith Without Works is Dead – the War in Iraq

You’ve probably heard that saying, “Faith without works is dead,” or more precisely, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” So, now let’s apply that to the war in Iraq. It is not enough to say we want the war to be over. We have to take massive action if we want to end the war. If we believe in peace, but we take no action, our belief is dead. But with massive action, our belief can be realized on the earth.

Here are a few actions you can take today to bring peace to the middle east right now.

1. Take to the streets! Join in the March for Peace. See http://www.unitedforpeace.org. They brought the troops home from Vietnam, after we took to the streets in massive numbers. It's time to take to the streets today.



2. Support a candidate who supports peace. Two declared presidential candidates have come out in favor of bringing our troops home - Tom Vilsack and John Edwards. You can contribute to their campaigns. You can volunteer to work for them. You can hold rallies in your home to support them. If you contact the campaigns, they will give you plenty to do to work toward peace.



3. Believe it or not, you can end the war with a little popcorn. That's right - popcorn. Screen a film about the war in your home. Brave New Theaters makes it easy. Go there and sign up to screen Iraq for Sale, The Ground Truth, or Sir No Sir.



4. Make a suggestion to your Congressmen/women. How about this for a practical suggestion? Do NOT cut off the funding for the troops on the ground. Instead, cut off the billions of dollars for missiles and ships and other methods of traditional warfare. That will get some attention at the Whitehouse and the Pentagon without harming our troops. If the Pentagon wants to choose to spend their billions on a pointless war, let them. But they're going to have to give up their toys to do so.



5. Heal the real wound that is causing much of the strife in the Middle East. End the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Join with others at PeaceNow.org.

So, there’s the bottom line. If you want peace now, you’ve got to work for it. Faith that we will have peace in Iraq without direct action, is dead. Let’s work together to bring peace to Iraq today.

An Open Letter to President George W. Bush

Dear President Bush,

I strongly oppose adding more troops to Iraq, in what is being described as a "surge." To do so would be to override the expressed concerns of Generals on the ground, Secretary Powell, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group and the American people. Please bring our troops home. There is no military solution to this political problem.

Furthermore I would like to see the findings of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group implemented right away. We need to engage in aggressive diplomacy, not aggressive military operations.

Sincerely,

Tony Loyd

Join Me in Des Moines!

I'm inviting you to join me in Des Moines, Iowa on December 28th at 4:30 PM to watch John Edwards on the first stop of his candidacy for presidency.

WHERE: Iowa Historical Building, 600 East Locust, Des Moines

WHEN: Thursday, December 28th 4:30pm

For tickets go to http://www.johnedwardseven
ts.com. This event is free and open to the public.

Also check out http://www.iowaforedwards.
com/.

Here is the video of John Edwards announcing his plans.

I Laughed. I Cried. It Changed My Life

I’m sitting in the living room of a total stranger. This might be weird enough, but we’re watching a movie staring Al Gore. Imagine that - a movie starring Al Gore giving a PowerPoint presentation on Global Warming. I can barely suppress a yawn while thinking about it. But nonetheless, here I am in this person’s living room, watching this movie and I am...laughing. Now that’s something I didn’t expect.

In fact, An Inconvenient Truth is just the opposite of what I expected. Someone in the room just commented “Where the hell has this guy been?” Al Gore is animated (if you can imagine that), passionate and at times, yes, funny.

A few minutes later, as Gore is telling the story of his six-year-old son’s near-death experience, I find my self crying. I’m not usually one for crying at movies (though the ending for “It’s a Wonder Life” gets me every time). I also cried one other time, when Gore talked about the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. While may be hard to imagine, you just have to see the movie to understand.

Global Warming is real, it’s a threat and we have to take massive action if we’re going to save this planet. So, in the spirit of being a good activist, here are some actions you can take immediately.

1. Go to your local library and check out a copy of An Inconvenient Truth. Watch the movie. If it moves you the way it moved me, then invite your neighbors over and have them watch it with you. Most people will come if there is free popcorn involved.



2. Buy the DVD at Amazon. A percentage of the profits go to a new effort, the Alliance for Climate Protection, to educate the public about global warming. The Alliance has a list of further actions you can take on their web site. If you don’t need a copy, then donate a copy to the local library or to schools in your area.



3. Go to the EPA's Personal Greenhouse Gas Calculator and figure out how much you are producing in greenhouse gases. Then, scroll farther down the page for several ideas to offset your greenhouse gas burden on the earth.



4. Next, go to AlGore.com and fill out a postcard to go to the Congress. If you do so immediately, Al Gore himself is planning on hand-carrying the post cards to Congress.



5. Hand-write a letter to your Representative and Senators. It seems that Congress takes hand-written letters more seriously than typed ones or email. Express your concern and ask them to support the reduction of greenhouse gasses. Ask them to tell you exactly what they intend to do about global warming.

But most of all go see the movie. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. It will change your life.

You Don’t Have to Feel Like the Lone Ranger!

Just in case you think you're the only one who feels the way you do, take a look at this slideshow from Moveon.org.

If you like what you see, there are three actions you can take, starting right now!

Action 1: Pass this URL, http://RFDBlog.com on to all of the progressives you know. The more people who join the conversation, the better.

Action 2: Join with a local chapter of Operation Democracy. You can see more information about Operation Democracy here. I am a member of the local chapter in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.

Action 3: You can participate in the photo petition you see at the URL at the top of this posting. You can find all the instructions you need here.

Like I said: feel free to pass this blog posting on to all of the progressive thinkers you know. We need to keep the momentum we gained from the recent elections to make a real difference in the world.

Time Has a Strange Way

I’m lying in bed, wrestling with a persistent thought and trying to resist the urge to wake up. I can tell I’m fighting a losing battle. I crack open my eye to see the time…2:10 AM. When I went to bed I was so tired that I thought I would sleep for fourteen hours, but here I am, four short hours later – time is strange like that.

I slip quietly into the cool house, my feet shuffling on the wood floor. Note to self: locate slippers. The seasons have changed and winter has arrived. I stop by and pet the confused dog just to let him know that it’s OK to go back to sleep. I find my way to the kitchen and unconsciously fire up my laptop. Maybe I’ll knock out a few emails. My friends won’t be surprised to see the timestamp on the email. I’m not sleeping much these days. My Outlook calendar opens in front of me and I remember the thought that had forced me awake in the first place. December 10 is Human Rights Day.

Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That document serves as the cornerstone for the modern human rights movement, which has done so much to secure human freedom and dignity since World War II.

Wow. What a weird time in US history to celebrate human rights. Traditionally, Americans mark December 10 with joy, proud of their country’s role in promoting human rights around the world. Not today. U.S. policies in the “war on terror” - secret prisons and secret evidence, torture, indefinite detention without charge or trial – break our distinguished human rights legacy. Since 2001 US authorities have held detainees in secret CIA-run prisons with no access to families, lawyers or the International Committee for the Red Cross. The government passed and signed the Military Commission Act, contradicting international law and repealing the right of habeas corpus. They’ve sent suspects to be interrogated in countries with proven histories of torture.

What makes this time in history so tragic is how far the United States has fallen. In a different time, specifically in the aftermath of the Holocaust, America played a leading role to establish human rights for all. Eleanor Roosevelt actively led the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This important document defines basic rights such as freedom from torture, the right to a fair trial and the right to education.

Today, the country urgently needs a change of course. The world urgently needs the United States government to restore its standing as a global leader on human rights. We could close Guantanamo, stop sending people to countries that torture and shut down secret CIA prisons. We should either charge and fairly try detainees, or release them. We could establish an independent commission to publicly investigate reports of abuse in U.S.-controlled detention centers. We could ensure that anyone responsible for detainee abuse is held to account, regardless of rank or stature.

Today, with a new Congress and a new mandate from the people, we have a chance to start anew. The America I believe in leads the world on human rights. Today, this Human Rights Day, we have a new time to start again. Fortunately for us, time has a strange way of changing things.

Governor Tom Vilsack's Announcement Speech

If you're curious about Tom Vilsack and would like to meet this little-known candidate, take a look at his speech in which he announces his run for the presidency.

http://cultureshift.com/Video/Vilsack.wmv