morepraxis

The following is a excerpt from a newsletter regarding Scott Parkin, who is being deported as I type.

A US peace activist and non-violence trainer, Scott Parkin, from Houston, Texas, has been detained in Melbourne by Australian Federal Police. Scott, working with Houston Global Awareness, was to speak at a public forum and workshop about the progress and success of the peace movement in the US and companies profiting from the Iraq war, reports Anthony Kelly of the Pt’chang Non-violent Community Safety Group. The reason given for Scott’s detention is that he poses “a threat to national security.”

In the run-up to the UN Millennium+5 Summit in New York, the Prime Minister has announced that Australia’s aid allocation will rise from $2.5 billion this year to $4 billion by 2010 (largely targeted within Asia and The Pacific). This is a very welcome step forward and offers hope for the region’s poor if it is directed towards poverty reduction.

Last night John Pilger was interviewed on LateLine by Tony Jones concerning the introduction of new anti-terrorism laws in Australia.

If we’re talking about terrorism, left off the debate, left out of the debate, is state terrorism. The fact that Australia enthusiastically joined a rapacious, illegal attack on a defenceless country in which tens of thousands of people died. That under international law, under the Nuremberg enactment that formed the basis for international law all those years ago, that is an illegal, rapacious and an act, in effect, of terrorism. Why is that not included in the debate on terrorism, because in the end state terrorism absolutely dwarfs the Al Qaeda variety, which is minuscule compared with the kind of bloodshed and suffering and attack that has gone on in Iraq.

The Pentagon has drafted a revised doctrine for the use of nuclear weapons that envisions commanders requesting presidential approval to use them to preempt an attack by a nation or a terrorist group using weapons of mass destruction. The draft also includes the option of using nuclear arms to destroy known enemy stockpiles of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.

AN ARTWORK that shows Star Wars characters nailed to crosses has sparked controversy before its public debut. The controversial piece called ‘Crusci-fiction’ consists of a roomful of 25 replicas of robot C3P0 hanging on crosses.

10 day’s until the next white arm band day, and two weeks until the UN Millennium Summit.

Saturday 10 September
Second global White Band day. Wear the White Band!
This White Band day aims to influence world leaders who are gathering at the UN Millennium Summit on progress towards achieving the MDGs in New York 14-16 September.

Take part in a White Band event! Or wear the bands at work, at school, while travelling, shopping, cooking or socialising or just at home!

Be one of the millions of people globally who agree that world leaders should do more to eradicate poverty now.

Pray – Wear the band during the week of the summit as a reminder to pray for the leaders invloved.

‘In Taoism the call is descriptive. ‘Regard your neighbour’s loss or gain as your own loss or gain.’ In Jainism the call is instructive. ‘One who neglects existence disregards their own existence’. In Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Confucianism, Judaism and Baha’i the call is imperative and it is framed in negative terms. ‘Never do to others what would pain you.’ ‘Hurt not others with that which hurts yourself.’ ‘What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbour.’ ‘Do not impose on others what you do not yourself desire’. ‘Desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.’ While In Christianity, Islam and Sikhism the call is imperative and it is framed in positive terms. ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. ‘Do unto all people as you would they should do to you’. ‘Treat others as you would be treated yourself.’