Ascend, Evolve, Expand.....: Happy Mother-Killers' Day    
 Happy Mother-Killers' Day7 comments
8 May 2005 @ 18:48, by Sandi Hunter

Happy Mothers Day??

It is Mother's Day and my "gift" to you is the truth about this obligatory Hallmark-consumer Holiday. "Mothers Day" started out as a movement for peace, a cause with great merit, but our society has turned it into an obligatory, card sending, must take mom out to "dinner" day. This falls in line with the shallow way we treat important issues and topics.

So the next time you want to say "Happy Mothers Day", instead honor the soul that is here on this planet and do something that will better the world. Honor the truth, don't ignore and don't do things just because everyone else is doing it or it feeds egos...

Are you happy about being a Mother in this age of "pre-emptive" war?

Better yet, honor the truth by upholding the value of peace, human life and in fact, the quality of life itself, by joining together to oppose this senseless war in Iraq. Just like these mothers of the Civil War, rekindle that sense of reverence for life and truth....

Love and CLARITY,
SandiMom

****************************
Joy Rae Freeman wrote:

From: "Joy Rae Freeman"
To: "Joy Rae Freeman"

Subject: Mother's Day Proclamation for Peace + May
> 15th Protest
> www.countingthecost.org
> Date: Sun, 8 May 2005 09:23:20 -0700
>
> THE ORIGIN OF MOTHER'S DAY
>
>
> Mother's Day origins were not with breakfast in bed
> or a corsage or a
> greeting card; it began as a political cry for
> peace.
>
>
> In 1870, fearing America's involvement in another
> war, Julia Ward Howe, the
> mother of six, penned a document known as "The
> Mother's Day Proclamation for
> Peace," that would bring a country to recognize a
> mother's infinite love for
> her children, her husband, her home, her country and
> for peace. Mother's
> Day began as a protest against war.
>
>
> Howe had recently walked the battlefields of the
> Civil War with her husband
> and with Abraham Lincoln. She had just written "The
> Battle Hymn of the
> Republic." But now, as the Franco Prussian War was
> beginning, she felt that
> she could not bear any more violence. She called for
> a congress of women to
> gather immediately to promote "PEACE: A Mother's Day
> for Peace." Julia Ward
> Howe held a standing room only meeting in Boston the
> day that she read that
> proclamation.
>
>
> About that same time, there was Anna Jarvis, who
> organized "A Mother's
> Friendship Day" in which mothers from both North and
> South whose sons had
> died in the Civil War came, dressed in gray or blue,
> held hands together and
> sang. Anna Jarvis's daughter - who shared her name -
> organized what is now
> considered to be the first U.S. Mother's Day on May
> 10, 1908. President
> Woodrow Wilson... [redefined] its purpose in a
> non-political way when he set
> aside the second Sunday of May as Mother's Day.
>
>
> Written in 1870, but alarmingly relevant today,
> here's the complete text of
> her --
>
> Mother's Day Proclamation for Peace

> "Arise, then, women of this day!
>
> Arise all women who have hearts! Whether your
> baptism be that of water or of
> tears! Say firmly: We will not have questions
> decided by irrelevant
> agencies, Our husbands shall not come to us reeking
> with carnage, for
> caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken
> from us to unlearn all
> that we have been able to teach them of charity,
> mercy and patience.
> We women of one country will be too tender of those
> of another country to
> allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.
>
>
>
> From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes
> up with our own. It
> says, 'Disarm, Disarm!'
>
>
> The sword of murder is not the balance of justice!
> Blood does not wipe out
> dishonor nor violence indicate possession.
>
> As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at
> the summons of war, let
> women now leave all that may be left of home for a
> great and earnest day of
> counsel.
> Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and
> commemorate the dead. Let them
> then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the
> means whereby the great
> human family can live in peace, each bearing after
> their own time the sacred
> impress, not of Caesar, but of God.
>
>
> In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I
> earnestly ask that a general
> congress of women without limit of nationality may
> be appointed and held at
> some place deemed most convenient and at the
> earliest period consistent with
> its objects, to promote the alliance of the
> different nationalities, the
> amicable settlement of international questions, the
> great and general
> interests of peace."
>
> Source: [link]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On May 15, 2005, in protest of the rising death toll
> and the
>
> on-going military occupation of Iraq, people
> around the country will
>
> wear numbers symbolizing the 100,000+ civilians
> and soldiers who
>
> have died since the beginning of the war. We hope
> that you will
>
> join us in this action that is both a protest
> against the war and a
>
> memorial to those who have died in Iraq. We have
> reserved the
>
> numbers between 1 and 1,700 for those who lost
> family members in Iraq,
>
> and we will provide these numbers free of charge
> to family members.
>
>
>
> Please contact me as soon as possible if you would
> like to wear a
>
> specific number representing your loved one who died
> in this war.
>
> SIGN-UP NOW at annie@countingthecost.org so we can
> send you your number
>
> right away.
>
>
>
> Increasingly, many Americans believe that the war
> is over. They
>
> think that relatively few civilians and soldiers
> have died. They
>
> think that U.S. interests and Iraqi interests are
> best served by the
>
> continued occupation of Iraq.
>
>
>
> The reality is that a war of occupation continues
> in Iraq. We now
>
> know that over 100,000 Iraqi citizens have been
> killed since the
>
> beginning of the war.
>
> Over 1,500 U.S. soldiers have died. Countless
> others have been
>
> wounded and maimed. And, although the pictures
> are not shown on TV,
>
> large numbers of Iraqi citizens and U.S. soldiers
> continue to die.
>
>
>
> Let's tell the truth about the war and continuing
> occupation in
>
> Iraq.
>
>
>
> On May 15, wear a number representing one of the
> Iraqi citizens,
>
> U.S. soldiers, coalition soldiers, and other
> international civilians
>
> who have been killed in Iraq. Join one of the
> local actions being
>
> planned in Philadelphia, Boston, and other
> locations. See our
>
> website for a complete list of locations where
> actions are now
>
> planned:
>
> www.countingthecost.org
> Organize an
> event of your
>
> own, such as candlelight vigil at a local war
> memorial or a
>
> demonstration in your town square.
>
>
>
> Or, simply spend the day wearing your number and
> talking to your
>
> neighbors about it.
>
>
>
> Together we can show that the cost of this war is
> too high.
>
> Together we can convey to our communities that NOW
> is the time for a
>
> rapid withdrawal of U.S.
>
> troops, the establishment of a transitional force
> not dominated by
>
> U.S. interests, and a commitment on the part of
> the U.S. to provide
>
> financial assistance for rebuilding Iraq.
>
>
>
> Ask your friends to SIGN UP NOW! at
>
> www.countingthecost.org and we will send them
> their number to wear
>
> on May 15. We will provide without charge number
> placards to the
>
> family members of those who died in Iraq. For
> others who would like
>
> to ware a number on May 15, we will ask them to
> donate $10 to cover
>
> minimal administrative costs, and to make sure
> that everyone who
>
> wants to can participate, even if they can't pay.
> The remainder of
>
> these donations will help fund humanitarian aid in
> Iraq and
>
> continued anti-war work.
>
>
>
> At www.countingthecost.org you will also find
> detailed information
>
> about the death toll in Iraq, a list of local
> actions already being
>
> planned, and ideas to help you and your group plan
> an action of your
>
> own.
>
>
>
> Don't forget to send this email on to a friend who
> can join us.
>
>
>
> CountingTheCost.org
>
> c/o Women's International League for Peace and
> Freedom
>
> 1213 Race Street
>
> Philadelphia, PA 19107
>
> 215-563-7110
>
> annie@countingthecost.org
>
>
>
> CountingtheCost.org is a volunteer initiative
> begun in Philadelphia,
>
> with assistance from the Women's International
> League for Peace and
>
> Freedom.
>
>
>
> Current Sponsors: Women's International League for
> Peace and
>
> Freedom, Veterans For Peace, Gold Star Families
> for Peace, Iraq
>
> Veterans Against War, National Lawyers Guild,
> Global Exchange, The
>
> Shalom Center, Brandywine Peace Community,
> Catholic Peace Fellowship
>
> Philadelphia Chapter, Delaware County Wage Peace
> and Justice,
>
> Mishkan Shalom, Philadelphia Regional Antiwar
> Network, A Quaker
>
> Action Group II, House of Grace Catholic Workers.

[< Back] [Ascend, Evolve, Expand.....]

Category:  


7 comments

9 May 2005 @ 05:16 by rishi : Great post
timely and very relevant. I haven't heard much about the Iraq tragedy here except for very recently. This post really makes it's point clearly, and in the right context...people against senseless wars and destruction REGARDLESS of what is politically correct and TV-demanded.

When I first saw this message I thought for sure it would receive dozens of replies. In what way can this issue be said better...more honestly? A way is not immediately apparent to me. Perhaps it's exactly BECAUSE it's so honest that it's not a popular subject for discussion...  



9 May 2005 @ 09:33 by ashanti : The war in Iraq
Interesting that your media is not covering the war in Iraq. In South Africa, we get daily coverage of the on-going war, the daily car-bombs and suicide attacks, the chaos and unrest, mothers clinging to their critically wounded children, faces wraught by tragedy, pain and despair. Iraq has now moved into a guerilla insurgence/resistence mode, with almost daily suicide attacks, and will probably be that way for years to come, ravaging what is left of the country that was once a mighty civilization. What we see on our media over here is obviously very different from what is being piped (or not piped) to the so-called "western" world. Very interesting.

Thank you Rishi and Sandy, for showing that now that the hype has blown over, over there in the USA, some citizens still do continue to be concerned over what is happening in Iraq, and are not, bored and sated with this issue, now moving onto the next sensationalist issue.

From what we are seeing over here, it is an open, bleeding wound that continues to be pounded by civil strife, unrest, car bombs, suicide attacks, deformed children being born from the side-effects of the USA-UK-Australian weapons-of-mass-destruction programme.

Thank you both, for still being concerned, and speaking the truth.  



9 May 2005 @ 15:08 by astrid : Wars have ALWAYS
first and foremost been wars against Women and Children! ...and we will keep repeating it till we learn the Lesson in it!IT DOESN'T PAY... in other than suffering, phony-ness and destruction!( read --especially part three -- in vaxen's latest article: "The POLITICS of OBEDIANCE" ; there you have it! Excellent description of why people choose cruel leaders for instance.... because it leaves the door open for THEM to be cruel to those they see as "below" themselves in the Social Pecking Order...and Women and CHILDREN and Animals and Elderly have ALWAYS been lowest!... )The Change is NOT a SOCIO POLITICAL thing, but a MORAL / ETHICAL in our DAILY lives, how we value LIFE in ourselves and others!  


9 May 2005 @ 15:27 by jerryvest : Excellent article - "When will we ever
Learn". I talked with a soldier the other day and he expressed his disdain for the war. I'm sure there are others who can see through this smoke screen. We created the insurgency and it will not just go away by killing more patriots.

Bring our Troops home.

How can mothers be happy when their children and families are being killed every day? Stop the carnage.  



9 May 2005 @ 21:02 by spells : informed vs. brainwashed
Thanks all for your comments. Yes Ashanti, some do still keep as up to date as possible with what is truly going on in the world. Part of staying informed is due to not owning or watching TV and not believing/following only what the media wants to inform us about.

Ashanti wrote: "From what we are seeing over here, it is an open, bleeding wound that continues to be pounded by civil strife, unrest, car bombs, suicide attacks, deformed children being born from the side-effects of the USA-UK-Australian weapons-of-mass-destruction programme."

I'll bet that if the tables were turned and all that was happening here, it would not only be the karma so rightly deserved by the US, but we would be hearing over and over again, ad nauseum, how awful it is and how could anyone do this to precious Americans. Because it is happening on the other side of the world, Amerikans can sit back, ignore and not take responsibility for their part in this awful atrocity. They can still live as "good materialist/consumers" watching their tv programs, building bigger houses, buying newer "things" and not pay attention at all to the harm THEY are doing to our precious planet.

Yes Astrid, I agree with your statement "Excellent description of why people choose cruel leaders for instance.... because it leaves the door open for THEM to be cruel to those they see as "below" themselves in the Social Pecking Order...and Women and CHILDREN and Animals and Elderly have ALWAYS been lowest!"

The main reason why people really don't oppose our government is because they are just like the people making these deadly decisions to some extent. Their intentions are not truly pure, because if they were sincere, they would not allow all this corruption, lies, war and carnage to continue.

Yes Jerry ...bring our troops home, but I don't see that happening until true crises hits all who are silent now.  



10 May 2005 @ 14:03 by spells : From WSWS.......
Soaring birth deformities and child cancer rates in Iraq

By James Cogan
10 May 2005

Iraqi doctors are making renewed efforts to bring to the world’s attention the growth in birth deformities and cancer rates among the country’s children. The medical crisis is being directly blamed on the widespread use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions by the US and British forces in southern Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, and the even greater use of DU during the 2003 invasion.
The rate of birth defects, after increasing ten-fold from 11 per 100,000 births in 1989 to 116 per 100,000 in 2001, is soaring further. Dr Nawar Ali, a medical researcher into birth deformities at Baghdad University, told the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) last month: “There have been 650 cases [birth deformities] in total since August 2003 reported in government hospitals. That is a 20 percent increase from the previous regime. Private hospitals were not included in the study, so the number could be higher.”
His colleague, Dr Ibrahim al-Jabouri, reported: “In my experiments we have found some cases where the mother and father were suffering from pollution from weapons used in the south and we believe that it is affecting newborn babies in the country.”

The director of the Central Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, Wathiq Ibrahim, said: “We have asked for help from the government to make a more profound study on such cases as it is affecting thousands of families.”
The rise in birth defects is matched by a continuing increase in the incidence of childhood cancers.

Six years ago, the College of Medicine at Basra University carried out a study into the rate of cancer among children under the age of 15 in southern Iraq from 1976 to 1999. It revealed a horrific change between 1990 and 1999. In the province of Basra, the incidence of cancer of all types rose by 242 percent, while the rate of leukaemia among children rose 100 percent. Children living in the area were falling ill with cancer at the rate of 10.1 per 100,000. In districts where the use of DU had been the most concentrated, the rate rose to 13.2 per 100,000.

The results were cited at the time in campaigns to end the UN-imposed and US-enforced sanctions against Iraq, which were held responsible for the death of as many as 500,000 Iraqi children from malnutrition and inadequate medical treatment.

The study noted: “Most doctors and scientists agree that even mild radiation is dangerous and increases the risk of cancer. The health risk becomes much greater once the [DU] projectile has been fired. After they have been fired, the broken shells release uranium particles. The airborne particles enter the body easily. The uranium then deposits itself in bones, organs and cells. Children are especially vulnerable because their cells divide rapidly as they grow. In pregnant women, absorbed uranium can cross the placenta into the bloodstream of the foetus.

“In addition to its radioactive dangers, uranium is chemically toxic, like lead, and can damage the kidneys and lungs. Perhaps, the fatal epidemic of swollen abdomens among Iraqi children is caused by kidney failure resulting from uranium poisoning. Whatever the effect of the DU shells, it is made worse by malnutrition and poor health conditions....

“Iraq holds the United States and Britain legally and morally responsible for the grave health and environmental impact of the use of DU ...” (A version of the report is available at: [link]).
Terrible as these results were, the last six years have witnessed a further rise in the number of children under 15 falling ill with cancer in Iraq. The rate has now reached 22.4 per 100,000—more than five times the 1990 rate of 3.98 per 100,000.

Dr Janan Hassan of the Basra Maternity and Childrens Hospital told IRIN in November 2004 that as many as 56 percent of all cancer patients in Iraq were now children under 5, compared with just 13 percent 15 years earlier. “Also,” he said, “it is notable that the number of babies born with defects is rising astonishingly. In 1990, there were seven cases of babies born with multiple congenital anomalies. This has gone up to as high as 224 cases in the past three years.”

The statistics point to the long-term consequences of depleted uranium contamination. Munitions containing an estimated 300 tonnes of DU were unleashed by coalition forces in southern Iraq in 1991. A decade after the war, DU shell holes are still 1,000 times more radioactive than the normal level of background radiation. The surrounding areas are still 100 times more radioactive. Experts surmise that fine uranium dust has been spread by the wind, contaminating swathes of the surrounding region, including Basra, which is some 200 kilometres away from sites where large numbers of DU shells were fired.
A 1997 study into the cancer rate among Iraqi soldiers who fought in the Basra area during the 1991 Gulf War found a statistically significant increase in the rate at which they were stricken with lymphomas, leukaemia, and lung, brain, gastrointestinal, bone and liver cancers, as compared to personnel who had not fought in the south. One in four of the American personnel who fought in first Iraq war—more than 150,000 people—are also suffering a range of medical disorders collectively described as “Gulf War Syndrome”. While the US military denies there is any relationship, exposure to depleted uranium is one of the factors blamed by veterans and medical researchers.

Somewhere between 1,000 and 3,000 tonnes of DU was expended during the three-week war in 2003. Unlike 1991, however, where most of the fighting took place outside major population centres, the 2003 invasion witnessed the wholesale bombardment of targets inside densely-populated cities with DU shells. Christian Science Monitor journalist Scott Peterson registered radiation on a simple Geiger counter at levels some 1,900 times the normal background rate in parts of Baghdad in May 2003. The city has a population of six million.
Given that it was two to four years after the 1991 war before cancer and birth defect rates began to rise dramatically, the fear among medical specialists is that Iraq will face an epidemic of cancers by the end of the decade, under conditions where the medical system, devastated by years of sanctions and war, is unable to cope with the existing crisis.

Dr Amar, the deputy head of the Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital in Basra, one of the main hospitals treating Iraqi cancer patients, told the Sydney Morning Herald on April 29: “We don’t have drugs to treat tumours. I have a patient with tumours who is unconscious and I don’t have drugs or a bed in which to treat him. I have two women with advanced ovarian cancer but I can give them only minimum doses of only some of the drugs they need.

“Two or three days ago we had to cancel all surgery because we had no gauze and no anaesthetics. Our wards are like stables for horses, not humans. We can’t properly isolate patients or manage their diets. We don’t have proper laboratory facilities....

“If you are sick don’t come to this hospital for treatment. It is collapsing around us. We’re going down in a heap.”

See Also:
Iraq: child malnutrition almost doubles after US invasion
[26 November 2004]
Iraqi social crisis continues unabated as US slashes funding
[20 October 2004]  



16 Oct 2007 @ 02:20 by mwbyyubm @58.85.20.52 : mwbyyubm
kckrmnwn [link] bwgcrzxt hcwbkxyy jllxgtly [URL=http://ogioqpqj.com]qhjelkzm[/URL]  


Your Name:
Your URL: (or email)
Subject:       
Comment:
For verification, please type the word you see on the left:


Other entries in
22 Aug 2006 @ 18:44: Prayer for a Good Death
29 Aug 2004 @ 23:10: Breakup Of The North Pole
21 Apr 2004 @ 15:27: Being Dislike and/or Being Misunderstood
13 Apr 2004 @ 19:09: Reiki
13 Apr 2004 @ 08:09: Photos of Iraqi children killed
19 Jan 2004 @ 12:11: Bits of info....
24 Dec 2003 @ 11:25: A Holiday Message for hope, peace and freedom.....
10 Oct 2003 @ 12:54: Conversation on Spiritual Community
1 Oct 2003 @ 19:09: Right Action (A conversation)
18 Aug 2003 @ 10:17: Power Outage Traced To Dim Bulb In White House


[< Back] [Ascend, Evolve, Expand.....] [PermaLink]?