Darfur - Please read

Hope you can find time to read this and help our (lifenets) campaign.

Over 450,000 have been killed in Darfur. 2.5 million are crammed into refugee camps with little access to medical care, clean drinking water, and security.

Oxfam International discontinued its humanitarian operation after a staff worker was raped. The government of Sudan is attacking aid groups in order to target the refugee population.

For four years, the Sudanese government has pretended to negotiate on a peacekeeping force, only to cancel arrangements at the last minute. Negotiation cannot end genocide -- The United States should immediately implement a No-Fly Zone to protect civilians.
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"If every member of the House and Senate had received 100 letters from people back home saying we have to do something about Rwanda, when the crisis was first developing, then I think the response would have been different."

-Senator Paul Simon [About Rwanda]


TODAY ANOTHER CRISIS EXISTS. THE GENOCIDE IN DARFUR.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY WRITING TO THE HOUSE OF SENATE SO THAT THEY ARE MORE INFORMED TO TAKE ACTION.
IT'S SIMPLE AND ONLY TAKES A FEW MINUTES.
JOIN THE 100 VOICES CAMPAIGN.
THE GOAL IS TO COLLECT100 PERSONALIZED LETTERS ON DARFUR TO SEND TO EACH U.S SENATOR.
HELP REACH THIS GOAL; FOR THE PEOPLE OF DARFUR.
THEY NEED YOUR HELP.

http://www.lifenets.net/dev/?q=node/15&refid=43

COPY AND PASTE ALL OF THE ABOVE LINK TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

SDM

Life in a Breath

Like the Man of La Mancha I had what I thought to be an impossible dream –
One that was so incredible as to delight the soul. I dreamt of a world in which all there was is love, of an emotion so life affirming so as to give new meaning to life itself. I dreamt of any eye that would meet with mine, without blinking so that two souls could touch. I dreamt of a warm heart, so warm as to dull the warmth of the sun. I dreamt of lips that when pursed caught my full attention… My dream – Impossible – was for a love that was the very breathe of life, impossible, until you, my love, eternal.

SDM

Response to email rec'd

You see... this is exactly what I am talking about. When you say; "I do believe that god is with all people but closest to the Muslim people." This for me is the embodiment of one who is not willing to step beyond artificial grounds. Grounds set forth under artificial terms.

I think that you misunderstood, my father married a Muslim although he himself is not. But I believe that that union is actually the result of two people who can reach beyond artificial and man (or woman) made restrictions and beliefs. Mohommad, Abraham, Isaac & Ishmael were all men were they not?

I wonder if when you meet your God and I meet mine if he, she or it will prefer you to me? According to your faith (which you've converted to) it is so! Is this not the same as George Bush saying (although I'm paraphrasing here) that his God told him to go to war with Iraq and that it was right? I know that the illustration may not be immediately clear. Let me please refer you to the following; http://sdmupwords.blogspot.com/2007/07/pope-and-slippery-slope.html

This is something I wrote just the other day.

I am willing to accept that Mohammad was a Prophet, yet I take umbrage with the statement that he is to be the last.

As you will see from what I wrote. I am a prophet, as potentially are you. So does this mean that Mohammad was wrong or merely overstated? And what ramifications are there from that statement? War, strife, discontent? etc?

Before attacking what I'm saying examine yourself deep within your soul. The God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam is the same God and yet each religion says that their God will prefer one over the other. If that is the case then I am not sure that I want to believe in that God. Do you follow what I am saying here?

My God which by no means is better or worse than any other God accepts all people equally. Treats all people equally. Will receive all people equally that accept that they are but one in a much wider scheme.

SD Mac

Response to a friend request from American Muslim on MySpace

As-Salamu Alaykum, Shalom Aleichem, Peace Unto You,

I am not a religious man. I was however raised in the spirit of tolerance. I was raised both Catholic and Jewish and my father then married a Muslim after my parents divorce.

I believe that religion has been used as a pretext for much of that which is wrong in the world. I strongly believe that each of the monotheists state that their God is right and all others is wrong. This is a belief which will ultimately cause (and has already) great strife in the world.

I categorically state that we are all but players on this world stage. Further that none of us have met God, be God a man, woman or it, none of us know.

I say to many that I am a Rabu (Rasta Buddhist).

I too am curious how you came to find me? As you can see from my profile I am trying to effect positive change in the world by operating outside the normal confines (or boxes) of all religion, corporate culture and charitable causes.

How did you come to find me and in what spirit is it that you would like to be friends?

Do you believe as I do that we can imbue children with the ability to think outside of the box that for so long has caused so much strife on this planet?

Do you believe as I do that we can channel the purity and innocence of childrens thoughts to effect positive change?

Do you believe as I do that someday we will be called to account by something greater than ourselves?

Do you believe that our reward is in the way that we live our lives here in this moment, at this time and in this place?

As a Jew who is now converting to Islam have you considered the possibility that all religion may not have the final answer that so many search for?

As a human being living on this planet, one of seven billion constituents, all interrelated, what is your responsibility?

I am a friend of all on this planet who are concerned with righting iniquity, recognizing our shortfalls and trying to correct them.

Do you feel the same?

I ask all this not to be a thorn or righteous, I ask this to determine what your true self is and whether we are on the same path.

I look forward to hearing your response. Best regards,

SD Mac

Obstruction by a chosen Non Canadian

Conrad Black,
A man of the house of lords,
raised in Canada,
a citizen once, no more,
giving up that right,
for a pompous title,
and a red robe,
now guilty,
a Canadian again he wants to be,
Mail Fraud,
2 counts Guilty,
Obstruction,
Guilty,
A bed he made,
no must he lie,
Canadian no more, nor should he be
I wonder,
will he look as dignified in American Penal System Orange.



SDM

Truth and Poison

I feel the truth like poison seeping into our water table.
From the ground water we drink this tainted reality as half truths from the past are coming back to take their final due and there can be no escape.
These half lies, half truth, have served to stunt our collective consciousness lulling us into a very false sense of security.
It has weaved its way into our every day brought to us by those that seek to fatten their pockets not enrich the global brother and sisterhood.

I feel the truth, at least half, like arsenic, slowly stunting my nervous system until I am numb and desensitized so that when 100% truth is given (which is rare) I am somehow more ready to deal with it.

I’d like my truth like I like my water;

Fresh, clean and the source of life’s affirmations.

SDM

Heaven's Gift

With visions of tomorrow,
Dancing in our heads,
Its reality today,
That sets our souls ablaze,
Loves consistent and steady hand,
Firming its hold on our hearts,
As this truth, our love, tickles our memories,
In high esteem,
Each day will fade,
Bringing us another to experience and enjoy,
Brought together by God,
Reaffirming faith,
Believing in all that’s real,
Kiss me once,
Again and again,
Mounting a story for ages told,
As each day we live and learn,
Watching this beautiful gift,
Blossom and unfold,
Hold my hand,
While we take this stand,
Indeed our last hurrah,
For in you I know,
All I need to know,
And believe me that is much,
I hunger more,
And crave for sure,
Your love from heaven sent.

SDM

The Pope and a Slippery Slope

Today is a weird day for me,
The birthday of my mother,
The death of a man, who taught me greatly in a very personal way,
To the family of Ed Mirvish I send my deepest condolences and I thank them for his influence and theirs,
Please celebrate his life,
And now the Pope saying that Protestants are less than Church goers.

This Pope is undoing the great work that was accomplished by the church in the last 30 years. I stand opposed to what he is saying today and I believe that the latest instruments of the Roman Catholic Church are heading down a slippery slope designed to cause a further deep struggle between monotheists.

I have always had a problem with any religion that preaches that its God is right and the rest wrong. That it may be written by the last prophet. I am a prophet. You are a prophet. Bob Marley was a prophet, Gandhi, etc, etc, etc.

But why? To what end? What is the benefit?

To this I say the following;

The Catholic Church is more an instrument of political power today than it is a religious organization. More a bank than a religious organization. More an art museum than a religious organization.

The moves by this Pope have set the church back to a different time. And it is one which is destined to begin a dangerous dialogue.

Please bear in mind that this is the same Church that has a document purportedly written by the hand of Christ that says (paraphrasing here); "Where ever you turn rock I am there, where ever you split timber I am there" and this church says that this is blasphemous.

I left the Catholic Church long ago. I am a spiritual man, a man that believes that there is something in this universe that is far beyond me. I believe that the practice of making oneself better brings one closer to God. Whether God is male or female, animal or it, neither I nor anyone else today knows. But I do know this; we are now headed down a very slippery slope.

To any and all that read this; acknowledge that we are not alone. Acknowledge that there is something greater than you and I. Acknowledge that there is a way to live our life where that living is the reward of its own.

Please think about this…

SDM

Interconnectability

Would you like to play a game with profound ramifications based on the limitations of humanity?
Right now the game is afoot and Saddam is Moriarty to Bush’s Watson.
Elementary my dear, that this is war, Round 2, finish the job that was started twelve years ago.

From behind the veil of the right to defend liberty and responsibility to instill a truly representative government for the Shias, the Sunni and the Kurds a new Iraq will emerge.

For winter months when the sun was high, heating the says and chilling the nights the soldiers of liberation at Camp Shughart Gordon learned of their fight, the plight of a nation and the resolve of another.

With the precision of lightning and the new high speed of the internet, this war is different and new.

No one ever suggested or expected that the internet would be so swift – Like the justice that is now being enforced. In the information age it almost seems as information, or the opposite of it, is the weapon of choice.

As the sun emerges and the birds begin to squawk and Indian woman chants something barely understandable but the meaning is not lost; Anger very rarely is misunderstood and it would seem in this age anger is an acceptable response to fear as war looms in a new way – The interconnectability of the universe, sitting here, now is emblazoned, bold for the eye.

SDM

context - right after it was clear US was going to invade Iraq.

"Liberators?"

You have to admit that in this age of information we seem to be getting short changed. Propaganda and rhetoric in this time of war seem to have taken the place of information. For example, the well crafted, public relations, “Code Name” for this ongoing coalition of the willing action is “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. For months leading up to this war, Rumsfeld, Bush, Powell, Cheney and Rice told the world that Iraqi military would roll over and play dead. It hasn’t. We were told that the people of Iraq would welcome the coalition as liberators. As yet, that remains to be seen, perhaps when the regime has truly folded that will be the case? Perhaps! At this moment Rumsfeld is on the screen, on the street in DC, asked about the progress of the coalition the first words he said of coalition success; “We’ve secured the southern oil fields.”

I’ve tried hard not to be cynical, tried hard not to buy the conspiracy theory line. Unfortunately, its beginning to seem as if we’ve been witnessing and buying, hook, “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” Line; “Coalition of the Willing” and the unfortunate sinker; “We are liberators.”

Its quite sad for me to say as a lifelong friend of the United States of America, the land of liberty, the center of the free world, democracies great proponent, that it appears this mission should be called;

“Operation Earthen Prize.”

I hope history reflects on the aftermath of this war; I pray for us all!

SDM

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context - written just after America invaded