World Spirit Reflections and Updates

Without protection, polar bears could become the first mammal to lose 100 percent of its habitat to global warming. You can help protect the polar bears from extinction by signing this petition and submitting your official public comment to USFWS.


The Bush Administration has proposed to list the polar bear as "threatened" with extinction under the Endangered Species Act due to Arctic ice melt from global warming.

Though a huge milestone, the battle isn't over yet.

You can help protect the polar bears from extinction by registering your official public comment to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service>>

Polar bears live only in the Arctic and are totally dependent on the sea ice for all of their essential needs. The rapid warming of the Arctic and melting of the sea ice poses an overwhelming threat to polar bears, which could become the first mammal to lose 100 percent of their habitat to global warming.

The proposed rule to list the polar bear as threatened does not include a proposal for designating critical habitat protection. Global warming is the single biggest threat to polar bears' survival. Tell the Bush Administration that we must protect the polar bears and their critical habitat.

Time is running out. Without protection, the "foreseeable future" for the polar bear is less than 45 years.

Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat the ensure the survival of polar bears

Labels: conservation, critical habitat, endangered species, polar bear

Speak out now for California’s sea otters and other coastal wildlife! Support the best plan to protect our Central Coast. The deadline for comments is Wednesday, January 31, 2007. Be sure to personalize your comments. Here are some ideas to start with... Share an experience you've had with coastal wildlife. Tell officials how you use coastal waters. Personalizing your comments makes them more effective! Multiply your impact -- forward this message on to others in California.

With a rich diversity of wildlife and spectacular vistas, California’s coast is a true treasure.

You can speak out to ensure that our coastal waters -- home to sea otters, whales and other wildlife -- are protected for future generations.

Take action now. Write the California Fish and Game Commission and urge them to protect our coasts.

Our Central Coast has some of the most pristine and beautiful waters in the world. But overfishing, pollution and coastal development threaten these unique and special areas.

The 1999 Marine Life Protection Act -- the first such law passed in the country -- creates a set of marine reserves along California’s coast. Now, the state’s Fish and Game Commission must decide on how best to set the law in motion for the Central Coast.

Here's where you come in: Urge state officials to protect our Central Coast by selecting the "Preferred Alternative."

The “Preferred Alternative” is the best way forward to protect our ocean legacy. This plan links together a network of marine protected areas covering more than 200 square miles between Half Moon Bay and Point Conception.

It is a balanced plan to restore marine life that leaves more than 80% of coastal waters open to fishing. That’s why the “Preferred Alternative” is supported by diverse stakeholders including conservationists, fishers, divers and residents.

But the plan needs your support -- industry special interests are pressuring the Commission to weaken protections.

Speak out now for the “Preferred Alternative,” the best plan to protect California’s Central Coast. The deadline for written comments is this Wednesday, January 31.

Thank you for all you do to protect California’s oceans and the rich and diverse marine life that inhabit this remarkable area.

Sincerely, Jim Curland Marine Program Associate Defenders of Wildlife

"God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that creeps, so that the water swarmed with all kinds of them, and there was every kind of winged bird; and God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:21]


"God made each kind of wild beast, each kind of livestock and every kind of animal that crawls along the ground and God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:25]


"For all forest creatures are mine already, as are the animals on a thousand hills; I know all the birds in the mountains; whatever moves in the fields is mine." [Psalms 50:10­11]

Labels: California coast, conservation, January 31 2007 deadline, overfishing, sea otters

Lead is one of the most harmful toxins on Earth.

Yet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering removing lead from the list of pollutants it controls under the Clean Air Act. Don't let the EPA abandon 30 years of air quality control – Sign the petition asking the EPA not to stop protecting us from lead!

Ingestion or inhalation of even low levels of lead poses severe risks to humans. Lead poisoning damages the major organs and causes osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, anemia, memory problems and seizures. Children are at the greatest risk with lead poisoning, as low levels of lead can cause lowered IQ levels and learning deficits.

Federal regulation over the last three decades has reduced the quantity of lead in people's blood by over 78 percent; a crowning achievement of the Clean Air Act.

This reduction in lead exposure should be considered a huge success, but that doesn't mean regulation of lead pollution should stop entirely!

Please act now. Sign the petition asking the EPA to continue protecting our air from dangerous lead pollution: http://go.care2.com/e/R4Xv/Dhj2/U1cM


Thanks for making a difference today!

Lauren A.
Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

"Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps." [Deutr 32:33]

Labels: biohazard, Clean Air Act, EPA, health risk, lead pollution, poison

The "Bring the Troops Home and Iraqi Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2007," H.R. 508, was introduced last week by Reps. Lynn Woolsey (D - CA6), Barbara Lee (D - CA9), and Maxine Waters (D - CA35), with the following intent: "To require United States military disengagement from Iraq, to provide United States assistance for reconstruction and reconciliation in Iraq, and for other purposes."

Click here to send an email to your Representative and tell them to co-sponsor H.R. 508!

This bill - which Peace Action Education Fund was involved in creating - mandates that all U.S. troops and military contractors in Iraq return to the U.S. or redeploy outside of the Middle East within six months of the date of enactment, at which point funding obligated or expended to deploy or continue to deploy U.S. forces in Iraq will be terminated. H.R. 508 would also repeal the 2002 authorization of force resolution approved to go to war with Iraq.

A truly comprehensive piece of legislation to end the war, H.R. 508 would also do the following:
* authorize U.S. support for replacing U.S. troops and contractors with an international stabilization force
* prohibit any permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq
* accelerate U.S. troop and contractor assistance for training of a permanent Iraqi police force
* authorize a wide array of non-military U.S. bilateral and multilateral assistance for reconstruction and reconciliation in Iraq, including a compensation fund for Iraqi noncombatant civilian casualties
* guarantee complete health care for U.S. veterans of military operations in Iraq and other conflicts.

This is very important: even if this bill does not pass, the amount of support we can generate for it will help push the debate, and any legislation Congress does pass, in our direction. Click here to let your Representative know that you expect them to co-sponsor H.R. 508.

Peace Action Education Fund, along with our members, supporters and colleagues, has lobbied long and hard for many of the provisions in this act, and its introduction represents a shift toward real security based on international cooperation and the defense of human rights - as opposed to the endless war strategy of the Bush Administration. It would build trust with the Iraqi people and others in the Middle East, guarantee that the federal government meets its obligations to the many veterans who have sacrificed so much in this war, provide reparations and reconstruction for the Iraqi people, and offers a formal avenue for members of the House to admit their error in authorizing Bush to use force in the first place.

This is the bill we have been waiting for, and working toward, for a long time. Please take a moment to send your Representative an email and let them know that non-binding resolutions are not enough - demand that the co-sponsor H.R. 508, the "Bring the Troops Home and Iraqi Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2007."

With thanks for all you do for peace and justice,

Randolph

Labels: American Troops, Iraq war fiasco, peace action, war on terror

I don't like having to address the evil, ugly, awful truth all the time because I would only be addressing the dark side of reality.

But there are key times such as today that we must consider history and truth. Let me ask you: How do you know if someone has lied to you?
How do you know if someone is lying to you?
How do you know if someone WILL lie to you?
Do you remember how it feels when someone is boldface lying to you?
How would you describe it when a snide, self-agrandizing authority figure treats you like a moron by sandwiching the truth between lies? Or sandwiching lies between truth?
How does it make you feel when that authority figure expects you to eat every bit of that B.S. sandwich?
Have your parents ever done that to you - just so they could get their way?
Did they tell you that that did it for "your own good?"

If anyone in "authority" has ever done that to you, then you know how it feels. They tell you that they will take "full responsibility," but those are just meaningless words to them. Aren't they?

The difference is when the Bush Administration does this, it is on a grand scale that affects every civilized human on the planet. Therefore, let's go back to history and truth of the state of the union as we get ready for the state of the union, today:

You can tell your local media what you think of the current state of the union.

Labels: depleted education grants, inflated energy costs, inflated healthcare costs, Iraq war fiasco, retirement insecurity, stagnant incomes, state of the union

I thought that I should repost this particular message every once in a while as a reminder.

Someone has said if Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. In W.W.II there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace.

Dion Fortune's "Society of Inner Light" during WWII had the threefold purpose of protecting Great Britain, blocking and destroying the evil which had taken over Germany, and laying the foundations for a better and more just world after the war. We must wonder about the still unresolved mystery of Hitler's fanatical deputy, Rudolph Hess, and his strange, some say, insane flight to England on the night of May 10, 1941 bearing a peace offer. There are strong indications that far more forces were at work rather than a guilty conscience.


Some of the greatest advice from Ms. Fortune can be extrapolated from this quote: "Nothing and nobody is altogether evil, therefore it is never justifiable to destroy any person or thing by direct action, but only to open a channel whereby spiritual forces are brought to bear upon the problem... Our work is a work of healing, and no hate must come of it..."

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America.

If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along.

Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Together, we "CAN" make a difference! Thank You, and God Bless America

• Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.


• Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.


• Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.


• Painful moments, TRUST GOD.


• Every moment, THANK GOD!

I will tell you how I pray in another post. We will see how we agree with each other.

Until then, peace be with you,

Randolph

While the newspapers are filled today with accounts of President Bush's plan to escalate the Iraq war -and we hope that you are contacting Congress or otherwise demonstrating your opposition to this insane plan - we must also remember that today is an important anniversary in Bush's so-called "war on terror."

Five years ago today, on January 11th, 2002, twenty hooded and shackled men shuffled off a plane from Afghanistan, arriving at the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Since that day, more than one thousand men and boys have been imprisoned at Guantanamo amid accounts of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, with absolutely no legal recourse in what amounts to a judicial black hole.

On the fifth anniversary of that dark day, we say: no more. Hundreds of peace and justice activists will be risking arrest to deliver the names of Guantanamo prisoners into the judicial system in Washington D.C. today, January 11, 2007. We ask you to support them and help us bring our nation back to the side of humanity, justice and the rule of law.

Call your members of Congress through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and demand that
• Guantanamo Bay prison be closed;
• all detainees there be either charged and tried, or released;
• torture and all other forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment by the U.S. military, the CIA, prison guards, civilian contractors, or anyone else, be clearly and unequivocally forbidden.

It is incredible but true: not a single prisoner at Guantanamo has been charged, tried or convicted of any crime. Many prisoners have been released because no evidence has been found against them, yet more than 430 people continue to languish in indefinite detention without hope of release, fair trial, or even a hearing on the charges against them Fear and desperation mark their confinement. The prisoners have resorted to hunger strikes as a way of protesting their treatment, and many have attempted suicide.

We cannot claim to be a just or humane society while our government abandons all accepted standards of justice and law, both our own and international law.

Please call your members of Congress today through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Demand that Guantanamo Bay prison be closed; that all detainees there be either charged and tried or released; and that torture and all other forms of cruel, inhuman by any agent or employee of the U.S. government or armed forces be clearly and unequivocally forbidden.

Thank you for participating in this International Day of Action to End Torture and Close Guantanamo, for acting on behalf of our fellow human beings in Guantánamo, and for joining us to defend the law and our common humanity.

Demonstrators rallied at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and around the globe to call for the closure of the US prison, five years after its first "war on terror" detainee arrived. Around 395 people are
being held at the controversial US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, most without legal safeguards such as access to courts or legal counsel. UN chief Ban Ki-moon joined in the world refrain, saying "like my predecessor (Kofi Annan), I believe the prison should be closed." His comments came as the London-based human rights group Amnesty International appealed to world powers to press the United States to shut down the prison at the US enclave at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

SBS World News

Labels: Gitmo Bay, Guantanamo Bay, inhuman torture, Iraq war, unjust imprisonment, war on terror

Tonight, President Bush will announce his most recklessly arrogant action of his recklessly arrogant presidency -- sending more of our troops into the Iraq civil war. In doing so, he'll defy the counsel of military experts on the ground and thumb his nose at the 61 percent of the American public that opposes an escalation of the conflict.

It's time for all Americans to collectively and emphatically tell the President, NO!

Our friends and allies in the Win Without War Coalition and MoveOn.org are organizing civic actions across the country --a grassroots surge against the Bush escalation -- 24 hours after the President's address tonight. You can sign up and learn more at www.AmericaSaysNo.org, hosted by Win Without War member True Majority.

In November, the voters rose up demanding a change of course in Iraq, and a government that serves the people, not the special interests, at home. Campaign for America's Future is hard at work on the domestic front so the First 100 Hours agenda succeeds at home.

But the President's escalation is such a brazen disregard of the people's will, we felt compelled as progressives to join with our allies across the country to stand up for American security and democracy. Tomorrow at a press conference in Washington, we will help to launch the new Americans Against Escalation in Iraq coalition.

We need to set a new tone in Washington this new year: The will of the people must be done -- both at home and abroad!

This is a crucial moment in the history of American democracy. Do our elections matter? Are we a republic or a monarchy? Will our system of checks and balances ensure that the public dictates our policies, not an unaccountable sovereign?

In November, the people sought to correct our nation's course at the ballot box. Because the President's refuses to listen, our only recourse is to get louder -- in our streets, our town squares and our houses of worship.

Please join our friends at Win Without War at www.AmericaSaysNo.org, and join the Nationwide "Surge" of Protest.

BACKGROUND

President Bush is expected to give his "new direction in Iraq" speech tonight, Wednesday, January 10th. News reports have already confirmed that Mr. Bush is going to reject all reason, logic and sound advice, as well as the wishes of the American people, and propose sending even more troops to Iraq. It is preposterous, but that is exactly what he is going to say, according to all sources: send 20,000 to 30,000 more troops.

We urge you to join us in saying NO! to this insane plan to sacrifice even more American troops - and more Iraqis - in an unjust, immoral and unwinnable military occupation.

There are three ways you can participate in this critical effort:

1) Join or organize a simple "Americans Say NO!" demonstration in your community - several hundred are already being organized (details immediately below).
2) Contact your members of Congress: tell them that you absolutely oppose an escalation of the war in Iraq, and that they need to do more than simply pass non-binding resolutions - they need to stop it. Click here to send them a quick email message.
3) Join us for the massive "Mandate for Peace" National March and Lobby Days here in Washington, D.C. January 27-29.

A few members of Congress are talking about how they might prevent Bush's proposed escalation, but they need to hear a tremendous push from the peace movement and the American public saying NO! to this delusional idea. You can help out in any or all of the following ways:

1) The "Americans Say NO!" demonstrations across the country are being coordinated by Win Without War and True Majority, with the support of Peace Action Education Fund, and our hope is to get as many people as possible across the country presenting a graphic image of our opposition to any escalation. The plan is simple, and the events are easy to host (if there is not one already happening in your area): groups will converge in their local communities on the evening after the President's speech with some ready-made signs carrying the "NO!" message. You can read out the names of the servicemembers from your state who have died in Iraq, or simply hold a silent candlelight vigil. Tell the press, and be sure to take a digital photo of your event to add to the online collection.

To find an "American's Say NO!" event in your area, or to sign up to host one (and find simple instructions), please click here.

2) Some members of Congress already understand the mandate for peace that was delivered in last November's election, but many still don't - and even some that do are still too timid to act on it by opposing the President. Remind them just how strongly you feel about this - click here to send your members of Congress a strongly-worded message denouncing any escalation of the war in Iraq, and telling them that they need to do more than simply pass non-binding resolutions against it.

3) What was already going to be a large rally in January could become truly huge if Mr. Bush tries to push his "surge" plan through. Just as it is critical for us to do the demos and send email messages to our members, it is critical to have the largest possible turnout for the Mandate for Peace National March and Lobby Days on January 27-29. Click here to find out more about it. (You can also contact local Peace Action chapters to find out their plans for the march; click here to find the chapter nearest you.)

This is a remarkably important moment. We won a significant victory to end the war with the election this past fall - now we must follow up on that victory to ensure that the Bush Administration cannot ignore it. Thank you for contacting your member of Congress, joining an "Americans Say NO!" event, and coming to the national march and lobby days on January 27-29.

So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, [Deuteronomy 2:16]

^[1] "Kennedy: 'George Bush's Vietnam'", Kate Phillips, The Caucus - Political Blogging from the New York Times, January 9th, 2007,

^[2] "President Bush Pleased to Accept Recommendations from Secretary Gates for General Petraeus and Admiral Fallon", White House Press Release, January 5th, 2007,

Labels: American Troops, Iraq war, peace action, President Bush

A Message from Oceana:

I've bought books, cds and more from Amazon.com over the years. And I even turned to the online megastore for some last minute holiday shopping a few weeks ago. But those purchases may be last, now that I've seen Amazon is selling the "delicacy" shark fin soup, aka threatened species in a can.


>> Take action! Tell Amazon to drop the soup

Shark finning involves cutting off the shark's fins while it is still alive, and then tossing the body back into to the sea, dead or dying. Finning only utilizes 2 - 5 percent of the entire animal, throwing away sources of protein and potential commercial and medicinal products.


Up to 73 million sharks are killed every year to support the international shark fin market, threatening already overexploited shark populations around the world. And millions more are accidentally caught as victims of dirty fishing. Sharks are slow-growing and long-lived animals, and often their populations cannot bounce back from the incredible fishing pressure placed upon them for their fins. In fact, one-fifth of all shark species are considered threatened with extinction according to the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) 2006 Red List of Threatened Species.

Consumer pressure has already gotten Amazon to discontinue carrying canned shark fin soup from Pacific Rim Gourmet. Now, it's time to get it to discontinue ALL shark fin products. Roland's shark fin soup has generated customer discussions such as, "Amazon should be ashamed of carrying such products - Remove it" and has prompted consumers to "tag" the item with tags like "extinction," "endangered species," "morally wrong," "animal cruelty," and "senseless."

We can't afford to let sharks disappear because of a rare culinary dish. They are the top predators of the ocean, and without them we will lose the species diversity and ecosystem balance they help maintain. Please contact Amazon's customer service and investor relations now, and tell them to remove this terrible product.

For the oceans,

Suzanne Garrett Campaign Project Manager

P.S. Want to do even more? You can contact the soup company directly at:
American Roland Food Corp
71 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010

For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. [Ecclesiastes Qoh 9:12]

Labels: conservation, over fishing, shark fin soup

Speak out for the Salton Sea -- one of
North America’s largest stopovers for migratory birds!

Tell the California Department of Water Resources to restore the Salton Sea in a way that protects the people and wildlife that depend on this desert jewel.

Forward this message to at least 5 people who care about wildlife.

Nestled in the southern California desert, the Salton Sea is a desert jewel in danger of
disappearing forever.

Don’t let one of North America’s most important areas for migratory
birds wither away! Tell the California Department of Water Resources to
adequately protect the Salton Sea!

Water diversion plans could cause the Sea to evaporate away, devastating migratory bird
populations. Over the next two decades, this 360-square-mile lake will decrease by 30 percent -- rapidly shrinking vital wildlife habitat and increasing the amount of dust and salt that blows through the surrounding communities.

With over 90 percent of California’s wetlands gone, the Salton Sea has become an important stopping point for over 400 species of birds -- millions of individuals -- migrating up and down the Pacific Coast.

Millions of migratory birds -- including the imperiled brown pelican, Yuma clapper rail and the western snowy plover -- depend on the Sea as a vital stopover for
their migration.

Help save the Salton Sea and the birds that depend on it.

Late last year, the California Department of Water Resources released a report assessing eight proposals to restore the Salton Sea. Unfortunately, none of the plans alone would adequately protect the people and wildlife that depend on the Sea.

A plan that takes parts of the report’s alternatives would provide the best path to restoring wildlife habitat while adequately protecting air and water quality for the surrounding communities.

The Salton Sea is important to bird lovers everywhere and it must be protected. Speak out now -- your comments must be received by the January 17th deadline.

The State of California has an opportunity to restore this desert jewel -- and with your
help we can set the course for a successful restoration of the Salton Sea and protect the people and wildlife that depend on it.

Sincerely, Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife

P.S.
For more information about the Salton Sea and the restoration planning
effort, please go to our Salton Sea web site: http://www.saltonseacoalition.org/

"God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that creeps, so that the water swarmed with all kinds of them, and there was every kind of winged bird; and God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:21]


"God made each kind of wild beast, each kind of livestock and every kind of animal that crawls along the ground and God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:25]


"For all forest creatures are mine already, as are the animals on a thousand hills; I know all the birds in the mountains; whatever moves in the fields is mine." [Psalms 50:10­11]

Labels: conservation, Genesis, love of life, Psalms, Salton Sea, wild life

Someone has said if Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. In W.W.II there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace.

Dion Fortune's "Society of Inner Light" during WWII had the threefold purpose of protecting Great Britain, blocking and destroying the evil which had taken over Germany, and laying the foundations for a better and more just world after the war. We must wonder about the still unresolved mystery of Hitler's fanatical deputy, Rudolph Hess, and his strange, some say, insane flight to England on the night of May 10, 1941 bearing a peace offer. There are strong indications that far more forces were at work rather than a guilty conscience.


Some of the greatest advice from Ms. Fortune can be extrapolated from this quote: "Nothing and nobody is altogether evil, therefore it is never justifiable to destroy any person or thing by direct action, but only to open a channel whereby spiritual forces are brought to bear upon the problem... Our work is a work of healing, and no hate must come of it..."

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America.

If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along.

Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Together, we "CAN" make a difference! Thank You, and God Bless America

• Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.


• Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.


• Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.


• Painful moments, TRUST GOD.


• Every moment, THANK GOD!