Missing Star and Cradle in Palestine-Israel

Missing Star and Cradle

Weird Christmas Eve 46 times past
With no holly, blinking red or green lights,

No 'holy' decorations, only the gaudy glare
Of cold Jerusalem's neon theater sign;

We watched Catch 22 with our kibbutz bunch
After being frisked for bombs at the entrance.

Years explode by while politicians yet pitch
Uncradled in the maze of their doctrinal hype;

The sacred cave's still dark and unstable,
For more unwise men, so starless, misrule.

--Dan Wilcox

First pub. in Danse Macabre
and in poetry collection,
Psalms, Yawps, and Howls

Write for Prisoner of Conscience Nassima al-Sada, Imprisoned by Saudi Arabia

FROM AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL:

"URGENT ACTION: SAUDI ACTIVIST HELD IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT (SAUDI ARABIA: UA 21.19)
Woman human rights defender, Nassima al-Sada, was placed in solitary confinement since early February 2019, in al-Mabahith Prison in Dammam.

Nassima has been detained since July 2018 without charge or trial. Nassima’s detention was part of a recent wave of arrests that targeted Saudi human rights activists. Since May 2018, at least 15 human rights activists, including several women human rights defenders have been detained without charge in Saudi Arabia. Amnesty International calls on the Saudi authorities to release Nassima al-Sada and all other human rights activists immediately and unconditionally.

Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.

His Majesty King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: +966 11 403 3125Ambassador Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz

Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington DC 20037
Phone: 202 342 3800
Contact Form: https://bit.ly/2KScqag
Twitter: @SaudiEmbassyUSA
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
Dear King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud,

Nassima al-Sada is a woman human rights defender who has been arbitrarily detained since July 2018. According to trusted sources, Nassima al-Sada has been placed in solitary confinement since early February 2019 in al-Mabahith prison in Dammam. Nassima has been detained without charge or trial since July 2018.

Nassima has been campaigning for civil and political rights, the rights of the Shi’a community in the eastern province, and women’s rights, in particular, the right of women to drive and for the end of the repressive male guardianship system. Prior to her arrest, Nassima al-Sada had been repeatedly targeted, harassed, and placed under travel bans for her human rights activism.

I urge you to release Nassima al-Sada and all other activists, including all women detained without charge, immediately and unconditionally, as she is a prisoner of conscience, solely detained for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression, assembly and association."

Read more details about this prisoner of conscience at
https://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent-actions/urgent-action-saudi-activist-held-in-solitary-confinement-saudi-arabia-ua-21-19/
--

"Human rights are rights that are inherent to all human beings, whatever ones nationality, place of residence, sex, ethnic origin, religion, language, or any other status. Everyone is equally entitled to human rights without discrimination.

These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible. All human rights are based on the notion of human dignity. These rights are often guaranteed to us by law in the form on international treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of law.

International Human Rights Law places obligations on governments to act in a particular manner and to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, not only for individuals but also for groups."
https://alqst.org/eng/about-human-rights/

In the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

Guest Post: "Vote...with Your Life" by a doctor to the impoverished, Sarah Thebardge

FROM SARAH THEBARGE:
"A while ago, a horrible thing happened to me. Someone I trusted used, abused and violated my personhood, while I was undergoing chemo in a life-threatening fight with breast cancer.

"It took me years to get over it. Years of tears. Countless questions. And hours upon hours of quality therapy.

"I kept asking my therapist how I could get past it. How I could move forward when it was impossible to go back and change the past. How I could live with a terrible stain that could never be erased. How I could live in a world where such injustice was possible...tolerated, even.

“You live your life well,” my therapist said. “Because the way you live your life is your way of voting how the world should be.”

"And in those words I found the peace, the forgiveness, the strength I needed to move forward.

"I forgave because I think the world needs more forgiveness.

"I befriended a refugee family because I think that marginalized, invisible people need to be seen with love and dignity.

"I started a college fund for these five little Somali sisters, and I’ve willed my house to them, because I think the world needs more engaged, intelligent, powerful women to lead it...

"I practice medicine in the U.S. and in developing countries around the world because I think the world needs as many compassionate healers as it can get...

"I don’t do it perfectly, but I try to do it well: I try to vote with my life for the way I think the world should be.

"With every single thing we do, every single day, we can cast a vote for the way the world should be.

"We can vote for Love.

"We can vote for Compassion.

"We can vote for Forgiveness.

"We can vote for everyone’s voice to be heard.

"We can vote for women who have been discriminated against.

"We can vote for people of color who have been oppressed.

"We can vote for refugees and immigrants to be welcomed as our guests.

"We can vote for justice to be served...

Read the rest of Sarah Thebardge's inspiring, encouraging article at:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/sarahthebarge/2018/11/vote-with-your-ballot-then-vote-with-your-life/

"She studied Medical Science at Yale School of Medicine, and Journalism at Columbia School of Journalism.

"Sarah has practiced international medicine extensively, volunteering in Togo, West Africa, Kenya and the Dominican Republic. Her next book, WELL, about three months she practiced medicine in Togo, launched in November 2017.

Christianity and Abuse

Religion gets even worse:
Christian leader Paige Patterson, former President of the Southern Baptist Convention, and head of one of its seminaries tells a woman to accept abuse from her husband!

So she got black eyes this time.

What did Patterson then say?

Paige Patterson said, "And sure enough, he [husband] did. She came to church one morning with both eyes black.

And she was angry at me and at God and the world, for that matter. And she said, “I hope you’re happy.”

And Patterson said, “Yes ma’am, I am...I’m sorry about that, but I’m very happy.”
--

Patterson was happy because he saw the abusive husband in the back of the church!

This is so immoral and revolting--for him to tell her to accept abuse! Oh but a happy ending NOT. Contrary to what Patterson claims, the end doesn't justify the means...accept abuse so that eventually your husband will change.

We've heard this before in human relations: Waterboard (or other forms of torture) and you will rescue innocent people from terrorists...bomb hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, and you will rescue others in the future...refuse equal treatment toward others and you will be blessed by God, ETC. ad nauseam....

American Christians often go off the deep end into unethical, unjust, unequal beliefs and behaviors, BUT Patterson's speech has definitely reached an abyss, a low below low.

How hellish to state that some forms of abuse aren't that bad, and that a woman ought to submit to abuse and obey such a husband and stay in the same house with him.

This sounds like the Muslim university professor here in California who defended the Quran's statement that husbands ought to beat their wives.

When I strongly protested, he explained, ah, but the beating is only a "light" beating, not a harmful one.

Good grief. More and more religion is showing its toxic character. Of course, it has in the past...it's only repeating.

Even a little abuse is far too much!


Stand up against toxic, abusive religion...

And seek the Good, the True, and the Just,

Daniel Wilcox

Don't "Make America Great" Again!

With so many endless claims of how we need to “make American great again,” here’s why that makes little sense:

Consider John C. Calhoun, one of America’s greatest, most honored American leaders of the past:
A government committee led by John F. Kennedy chose John C. Calhoun as one of the five greatest United States Senators ever!
John C. Calhoun became the seventh Vice President of the U.S.,
also ran for president,
was Secretary of State,
was Secretary of War twice,
was a U.S. Congressman,
and then South Carolina’s Senator, etc.

Calhoun was a committed slave owner like 12 American Presidents including Andrew Jackson who invaded another country, who, allegedly, according to the news is one of President Donald Trump's heroes.

America used to be much worse than now, NOT "Great" by any stretch of the mind.

Read John C. Calhoun's views opposing human rights, equality, freedom, etc.: “…nothing can be more unfounded and false—the prevalent opinion that all men are free and equal.”

” These great and dangerous errors have their origin in the prevalent opinion that all men are born free and equal;—than which nothing can be more unfounded and false.”

“It [universal human equality and freedom] never did, nor can exist; as it is inconsistent with the preservation and perpetuation of the race.”

“It follows, from what has been stated, that it is a great and dangerous error to suppose that all people are equally entitled to liberty.”
“It is a reward to be earned, not a blessing to be gratuitously lavished on all alike;—a reward reserved for the intelligent, the patriotic,
the virtuous and deserving...an all-wise Providence has reserved it...”
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/…/disquisition-on-gover…/


Become seekers of the truth, goodness, equality, liberty, justice, beauty...

Maybe in the future that could help America become great ethically for the first time.

In the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

How Many of Us in the West Are Robbing the Poor?

The Quaker William Penn wrote a striking line on social justice that reaches to the very depths of our conscience, does it not?

"If thou art clean and warm, it is sufficient, for more doth rob the poor."

William Penn, from Some Fruits of Solitude

Think of how many of our luxuries and our weapons and our expenses in the United States could totally eradicate all poverty.

Several years ago, one leader emphasized that only a small portion of what U.S. citizens spend on non-basic items could eliminate all the hunger in the world!

And consider that the many billions spent on weapons
could easily eradicate disease,
and hunger,
and inequality
in the
WHOLE
world.


In the Light,

Daniel Wilcox