By Dwight Swanson

Crackdown on Drugs

The War on Terror is nearing its ninth year, with neither indication that an end to this war is possible, nor any way of knowing whether the expenditure in bombs and lives has had any effect whatsoever on the intentions of those who use the methods of ‘terror’.

The news this week of the US ‘crackdown’ on the Mexican drug cartel, La Familia, offers a fitting comparison to the nebulous war declared by George W Bush. It was another Republican president, Richard Nixon, who declared a ‘War on Drugs’ in 1969 (this date from that impeccable source, Wikipedia, fits with the Editor’s memory). This ‘war’ is still being fought forty years later.

It is being fought in Mexico, Columbia, and Afghanistan, to name but a few places. Immense resources are dedicated to the battles by Western nations to try to stop the flow of the drugs that reach our streets and decimate succeeding generations of youth. This does not include the cost in lives of innocent people at every stage of production and consumption—the producing countries enduring drip-feed wars between drug-lords, militias, and governments, each seeking leverage for more power, all terrorising the local populations; the consuming countries enduring the crime perpetrated by the addicts, and the gang violence that goes with selling of the drugs, which still does not compare to the loss of lives, break-up of families, rehab and medical costs, and, not least, the lost potential of thousands of people’s lives.

One phrase of the news report of the US crackdown, which took place across 19 states, and cities from Seattle to Boston, stood out. According to this report, 80% of the drugs produces or trafficked through Mexico go to the US, ‘to feed the insatiable appetite for illegal drugs’.

One more battle in the War on Drugs. Who is winning? Who is winning the War on Terror?

Meanwhile the Church worries about creeping socialism, homosexual marriages, and woman bishops, while bored young people stand on the street corners of cities and towns across the country with nothing better to do than sink into chemical induced forgetfulness, and over-bonused financial wizards and over-paid celebrity ‘heroes’ snort cocaine.

Neither war can be won. Terror and drug-use, alike, are symptoms of the ills of our society. Until we address the causes, we will make no progress against the symptoms.

The causes of each are not wholly unrelated. Each might be seen as expressions from those marginalised by societies which value personal comfort without thought to the cost of that comfort—cost to the societies from whom the wealth is taken; cost to the societies who live in comfort, but are empty at the centre.

By Dwight Swanson

Over the past week the Asian Pacific has born the brunt of disasters of nature. The tsunami in Samoa and the earthquake in Indonesia followed hard on the devastating typhoon that hit Manila. The nature of 24-hour news coverage—endless repetition of the non-news until major events occur, then saturation coverage until the next event—with its short attention span, means the Manila disaster was quickly forgotten. Tsanumis are fascinating; earthquakes give opportunity for Western rescue teams to rush off to save lives. Flooding offers neither.

Having lived for some time in Manila, and having experienced one ‘super typhoon’, this story is not only more personal, it offers opportunity to offer a local perspective on the clean-up. These countries cannot handle such over-whelming disasters alone, but they do not simply stand around waiting for salvation.

The seminary campus where I taught for two years sits on two hills divided by a normally lazy and languid stream, above the city of Manila in the suburb of Taytay. The Guardian published pictures from the neighbourhood:

The swollen creek inundated the seminary chapel:

The squatter community next door was less fortunate, lying lower to the water. Two children perished. The campus became a refuge for nearly 300 people, as the students and faculty opened all buildings for people house them, cooked meals, and donated dry clothing. One student with medical training treated minor injuries for 150 people. Each family was given a ‘Crisis Care Kit’.

When the water retreated, the students set to clearing the knee-deep mud from the chapel, and then worshipped together.

After three days, the government was able to relocate the refugees to temporary housing. How long that lasts, is to early to know. But it is certain the students will be involved in helping the displaced to rebuild when they are able to return. Hopefully, the squatters will be able to build on safer ground, with more substantial housing. That is the next stage of the story—and another matter in its own right.

By Dwight Swanson

A small-town newspaper in the state of Colorado has called for more socialism in its editorial column.

"Colorado needs a health care funding solution"

"The cost of public health care at any of the state’s hospitals should be affordable to patients, and the public health care they receive at a Colorado hospital should be top-notch.

If we believe both of those statements are true, Colorado must overhaul its budget process. Both quality and affordability in public health care require substantial investment, which is hindered by the state’s budget system during financially lean years.

Health care is one of the only areas of discretionary spending in the state budget. State sentencing laws require a certain amount of spending for prisons; a constitutional requirement protects funding for K-12 institutions; and federal requirements for Medicaid eat up another large portion of Colorado’s general fund. When those budget items must grow, but the state budget cannot, that squeezes public health care.

There are reassurances that health care funding isn’t on the chopping block for next year. Boulder Rep. Jack Pommer, who will head the Joint Budget Committee, said last week health care funding won’t face cuts in 2010 because the state must maintain a certain spending level to receive federal stimulus funding."


Is this the beginning of the end of American capitalism as we know it?

[NOTICE: Yes, the article is actually talking about higher education. The Editor has exchanged 'higher-education' for 'health care'. If one is socialist, so is the other.]

By Dwight Swanson

It has become a common-place to hear testimonials to the Fox News (aka Fiction) Network from Christians of the Religious Right. They will make clear that it is the only news they follow because, they will say, it is unbiased (meaning, it tells the news as they wish it to be), in distinction to all other news providers which are run by godless liberals.

This trust in Fox is bemusing. Clearly none of these family-values, high morality believers has asked themselves the question as to what interest Fox has in their support, and what Christians actually get in return.

Has anyone asked who Rupert Murdoch is? And what might be behind his control of major networks in every English-speaking country, and newspapers in every major city? And his efforts to reduce the competition? Or, how much his influence on heads of state, who woo him, matters for Christian concerns?

In the UK, his empire is currently attacking the BBC’s public funding support. Free-market ideologists in the US may have no trouble with this, but then, you have become used to 20 minutes of commercials in every hour. The BBC continues to show its lack of bias in reporting by virtue of the unhappiness with every government with its reporting. Murdoch’s newspaper has begun a campaign for the Conservatives already. As they say on Fox: 'Fair and balanced'.

Right wing Christians are deluded if they think the Fox Network cares ‘beans’ about them beyond their money, and readiness to vote the way they recommend.

As for support for Evangelical values? The Editor monitors a wide variety of news websites, including Fox. One UK paper (The Daily Mail) outdoes Fox in confusing entertainment with news. Here are the headlines from the last couple days of logging on to ‘Fox Breaking News’:

Simpsons' Playboy Pictorial: Marge is naked in Playboy, and FOX News.com has learned Hef may be courting even more cartoon cuties (link)

14 Baseball-Loving Ladies: Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio, and famous women haven't stopped since. Here are 13 more celebs who love their ballplayers... (link). (Don’t miss the cover photos.)

Pastor Benny Hinn: Charlatan or Man of God? (link) What? An exposè? No. But, great concluding soundbite! (No place for lofty theologians on Fox. Guess Rupert won't be phoning me.)

Praising Unnatural Beauty: Contestants show off breast implants, nose jobs and face lifts as Miss Plastic Hungary 2009 promotes benefits of all things fake (link) Most uplifting! (Any Christian TV hostesses included?)

Ah, yes. Fox is clearly targeting the Evangelicals!

[‘Test the spirits to see whether they are from God’, 1 John 4:1]

By Dwight Swanson

This observer has been disturbed by the level of hatred and vitriol directed at President Obama, which bears no relation to anything he has actually done, let alone proposed. And with the willing endorsement of those who call themselves Christian. And not just Christian, but true, born-again genuine-as-opposed-to-liberal-nominal-call-themselves-but-really-are-not Christians.

Thomas L Friedman, of the New York Times, has just written an editorial which expresses what has disturbed me (link). Sadly, I am aware that the above mentioned Christians will dismiss Friedman out of hand because he writes for the NY Times. Such people need to read this. And consider where their hatred is leading them. And consider what such hatred has to do with Jesus Christ.