The Peacemaker

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

I’d like to share the story below from Tim Corcoran’s Facebook post.  This is what I was trying to say yesterday.  Things change when one becomes responsible for a situation.

http://www.digitalwampum.org/the-peacemaker–the-tadadaho

It’s the story of how a man – the Peacemaker – was born into a tribe that was warring with five other tribes. The Peacemaker goes on a journey bringing his message of peace to the people, turning their hearts and helping them to bury their weapons of war.

Towards the end of the story, the Peacemaker has to deal with the most evil of all men – Tadadaho. This man was so evil he had snakes growing out of his head.

 

It was a great challenge to deal with this man. The Peacemaker’s approach was to put Tadadaho into a position of leadership. In this way, Tadadaho’s need for acknowledgement was met, and they worked with him to turn his heart and comb the snakes from his hair.

 

Perhaps we have a new Tadadaho. How will we comb the snakes from his hair? For me it starts with praying for him, as my elders said to.

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This Is What Democracy Looks Like

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

From all that I have been reading online, I imagine this will be an unpopular post.

A chant we often use during street marches and protests is “this is what democracy looks like.”

Tuesday’s election is also what democracy looks like.  Elections are where citizens choose their representatives.  Then we have the incredible process of the peaceful transfer of power.  As someone who doesn’t believe in war, this is just amazing to me.

Many were very concerned when Donald Trump implied he might not accept the election results if he lost.  I thought at the time that no one should be allowed to run for office if they didn’t accept the conditions of doing so, which include abiding by the result.

I am well aware of the deep concerns about how fit Donald Trump is for the office of the Presidency.  But the time to deal with that was during the campaign.  Now the people have spoken, and enough people believe he is fit, and it falls upon us all to abide by the result.  Many of us were anticipating the possibility of many Trump supporters rejecting the election of Hilary Clinton, thinking that would be very bad form.

Donald Trump has said a great many things I strongly object to.  But now he is in the position of needing to figure out how to run the Executive branch of our government.  Actions will matter, not so much words.  The great inertia of our government bureaucracy will provide some cushion against too many abrupt changes.  Laws will still have to be passed by Congress.  The Supreme Court will continue its work.

It would be unfortunate to see progressives become the unwavering obstructionists that the Republicans have been during the Obama administration.

Obviously millions of our fellow citizens have voted for what they hope will be change, so that the government will better serve the people.  I think our efforts would be better spent in joining them to hold our newly elected representatives accountable for the promises they made during the election, the ones we agree with like job creation and fixing our failing infrastructure.  Much of that will require a lot of hard work and compromise.  We can choose to engage in this effort, or not.  Even if Hilary Clinton had won, the country is so divided right now that it would still have been important to work to address the concerns of Trump supporters.

The Trump administration stands for many things I oppose.  But I would encourage us to embrace the role of peacemakers, and work with all our fellow citizens to help our new representatives make the government work better for us all.

 

 

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Faith and Politics

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Mark 12:17

Governments are institutions created by men and women to provide a legal framework for how the society they live in functions.  As we know there are many possible types of governments, some with closer ties to religious institutions than others.  A few countries actually have an official state religion.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”  This is related to the concept of the separation of church and state.  This not only protects those practicing their own faith from government interference, but is also intended to prevent the government from imposing any one particular set of religious beliefs upon the general public.

History has revealed a wide range of examples of how these concepts have worked out in practice.  Conflicts most commonly occur when government policy is seen as encroaching upon religious beliefs.

What is often difficult to sort out is how our laws reflect our values, which for many of us are determined by our faith.  Our laws are supposed to contribute to the welfare of everyone, and to be applied impartially.

Many people of faith feel a duty to provide a moral context to our laws and how government institutions work.  The challenge is to create laws that enhance the good of everyone without imposing particular religious beliefs on anyone.

Speaking from my own faith background, Quakers believe our faith is part of everything in our lives.  One result of that is that Quakers believe we should be engaged in our public discussions of how well our government is working for all, from a practical as well as a moral perspective.  The practical part is related to ensuring government works fairly for every citizen.  The moral part comes into play when we decide what values the government operates on.  For example, many people of faith believe war is immoral, and work to prevent wars and conflicts that lead to them.

Quakers established a national organization, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) in 1943, to lobby in the public interest, to bring a faith perspective to the legislative process.

The opening Bible verse is intended to guide how a person of faith lives in society, which is subject to the laws of the government.  But the boundaries between church and state are not always clear.  If there is a conflict, the person of faith follows their religious beliefs, even if that puts them at odds with the government, even to the extent of breaking the law.

What prompted this writing this morning is anticipation of what might occur with a Trump/Pence administration.  Mr. Trump has not said much about his religious beliefs, but unfortunately Mr. Pence, as governor of Indiana, has actively worked to create laws that impose his religious beliefs.  The most glaring example was the so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  I’m concerned about how this will play out at the national level now.

jeff_blm1

 

 

 

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The Unknown

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

While I am surprised at the election of Donald Trump, I’m not shocked.  I just hadn’t realized how deep and widespread the anger toward the political establishment went.  We had a premonition of this with his surprising capture of the Republican party’s nomination.

I’ve been reading “The Next American Revolution” by Grace Lee Boggs for our monthly book discussion at KI (Kheprw Institute).  The book explains the George Bush presidency from the perspective of the dying of the status quo of the white male dominated empire.  I imagine the Trump presidency will just help move this along.

Since the Republican campaign has been about what it is against, we don’t know much about what it is for.  Building a wall, getting rid of Obamacare, cautions about policing the world but building up the military, fossil fuel investment, and huge tax cuts are about all that I’m familiar with.

If Hilary Clinton had been elected, we would have likely seen more of the same political gridlock from Republican opposition to anything from a Democratic President, no matter the merits.  With Republican control of the Presidency and both houses of Congress, legislation is likely to be passed.  Exactly what that legislation looks like remains to be seen.

The midterm elections will be interesting, when the public has another chance to vote (in a more limited sense) on how things went during the first two years of the Trump Presidency.

I think there are fundamental forces in play that will be much more important than politics.  Increasingly severe weather, rising sea levels, and other effects of environmental damage will consume government resources at all levels.  And transitioning from a fossil fuel based economy will severely strain our economic system.

And maybe even more important, I feel there is a movement away from materialism, and toward a “moral revolution of values.”

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The Real Goal of #NoDAPL

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

Although this link is to an article that talks about being an effective ally while at Standing Rock, it makes some important general points, the main one being that the ultimate goal is not to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline, but helping Native Americans stop the pipeline.  What has been happening with the Standing Rock gathering of tribes goes far beyond the issue of the pipeline.   http://upliftconnect.com/12-ways-standing-rock/

We are truly in a struggle for our very survival, and the only way we can avoid human extinction is by a radical change in our lives, which involves not just stopping using fossil fuels, but changing our mindset to realize how our future depends on restoring our damaged environment.  We must make our lifestyles closer to that of Native Americans, who have always lived in harmony with the Earth.  That includes embracing a spiritual approach to life.

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Driverless Cars – Autonomous Vehicles

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

“If we don’t cease to exploit

our physical environment

and embark on its restoration,

our biology will not only pass away

but we will appear,

to whatever chroniclers take an interest in us,

to have been people who either

had no power to understand their own death,

no desire to do so,

or who simply embraced suicide.”

                    Barry Lopez

 

One of the most significant decisions affecting my life was the one to give up having a personal automobile nearly 40 years ago.  My objections were mostly about how wasteful it is for each family to have one or more personal automobiles.  The waste in all the material to make each complex machine, the waste of parking areas and so many streets.  But the main objections relate to burning so much nonrenewable fuel and the many types of environmental damage done by that.

I also object to how personal automobiles allowed urban sprawl to occur, isolating people and forcing the use of personal automobiles because things were so far apart, and public transportation systems often didn’t well serve areas outside city centers, if that.

Driverless cars are about to be mass produced and many changes will occur.  Now would be the time to be discussing some of those possible changes, while we have the opportunity to influence how this evolves.

One of the biggest choices will be what we want our communities to look like.  Some people think autonomous vehicles (AV) will encourage even more urban sprawl because people will be able to do work in the car.

Perhaps the biggest issue is whether we will tackle private ownership of AV’s.  One of the most wasteful aspects of our current auto situation is that most cars are parked well over 90% of the time.  It will be so easy to request to be picked up by an AV, you would think that would encourage significant numbers of people to decide they don’t need to own one.  Now would be the time to work with the government and industry to discourage private AV ownership.

Here in Indianapolis we are beginning to experience a little of this.  Indy-Blue is an electric vehicle (not autonomous) rental program that has 200 vehicles available in locations all over the city, and not just in upscale neighborhoods, either.

 

 

 

 

 

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Teach Your Children

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

We live in, and are moving into even more chaotic times.  So many of the systems, institutions, ideas, social norms, ways of communicating, and means of making a living have changed dramatically in a short time.

Many are expressing this in various ways as the end of empire.  The global financial, political, and manufacturing systems based upon materialism and the accumulation of wealth regardless of the human and environmental costs no longer have those resources available to continue to sustain them.  Those who hold positions of power in those systems are, despite their frantic efforts, losing their power.

Growing numbers of people are realizing this, and being forced to figure out what to do now that the status quo is failing.  People are beginning to realize we have a crisis of values.  Lives built on materialism are empty and unsatisfying.  And institutions we once believed in have been turned against us.  As just one example, the criminal justice system has been turned into a program to remove Black men from society, and to attack unarmed, praying Native Americans.  No one talks about our continuous wars and the staggering amount of lives, money and other resources they consume.

Fortunately, an awakening is occurring.  A new society is slowly emerging.  Are you going to be part of it?  Because this new society will need the engagement of every willing person.  This new society realizes we can no longer trust others to do the work we should be doing anyway.  This new society needs teachers young and old to demonstrate how to live lives of value.  What are you teaching your children?  What do you wish you could teach your children?

Now is a crucial time.  We are moving into a new era.  Which direction that takes will depend upon who steps up to help lead the way.  The new way needs your help.

The situation related to the Dakota Access pipeline is an excellent example of this.  In the old days of the empire, it was acceptable to disregard and kill Native Americans, and steal their land from them.  It is acceptable to force farmers and landowners to allow a fossil fuel pipeline to be built on their land, despite the well documented record of pipeline spills.  It is acceptable to blatantly deny First Amendment rights to First Americans.  It is acceptable to use militarized police, mace and attack dogs against people who are simply praying that the pipeline will be stopped, so the water can be protected.  It is acceptable for the mainstream media to hide these abuses by not reporting on them.

Just think about that–police in riot gear and military vehicles attacking people who are praying.  This is a chance to raise your voice against this oppression, and for the new way forward.  Not the time to sit on the sidelines.  What do your children think about this?

I hope each one of us will consider right now what we will do as we move into the new era.  Talk with your friends and neighbors.  Speak out against abuse.

What are we teaching our children now?

#noDAPL

 

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Who’s Banking DAPL?

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

Last night the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) presented the financial picture for the $2.5 billion loan for the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.  The four main banks involved are listed below.  The figure “Who’s Banking Against the Sioux?” was created by RAN to show which financial institutions are involved in which parts of the financing.  The red lines show the direct financing of the pipeline project.  The other lines represent revolving credit that the companies involved can draw on.

So far about one third of the money has been withdrawn by the companies.

One of the most interesting facts about the financing is that only $1.1 billion can be used until ALL of the necessary permits for the pipeline’s construction have been obtained.  The final permit necessary to complete construction would be a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers easement to cross Lake Oahe in North Dakota, which is still pending.

The other thing the presentation stated was that this is all the money that will be available for construction–new financing, in case of delays, for example, is not anticipated.

banks1

Financial Companies Behind the Bakken Dakota Access Pipeline

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Move the Pipeline?

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

In a recent interview on Now This, President Obama said the Army Corp of Engineers is looking into rerouting the Dakota Access pipeline.

“We’re monitoring this closely,” Obama said. “My view is that there is a way for us to accommodate sacred lands of Native Americans. And I think that right now the Army Corps is examining whether there are ways to reroute this pipeline.”

“We’re going to let it play out for several more weeks and determine whether or not this can be resolved in a way that I think is properly attentive to the traditions of First Americans,” he said.

This highlights the multidimensional nature of the Dakota Access pipeline issue.  The issues include:

  • honoring Native American sacred sites
  • honoring Native American rights
  • protecting clean water supplies (Missouri River)
  • the poor safety record of pipelines and oil trains
  • the environmental damage of fracking
  • the need to stop burning fossil fuels now in order to address greenhouse gas overload

Moving the pipeline would honor Native American sacred sites.  Giving Native Americans a larger role in decisions about infrastructure projects would be one way to better honor Native rights.  And if the pipeline is moved downstream from the Standing Rock reservation, as was done for the city of Bismarck, that would help address the water protection for Bismarck and the Standing Rock tribe, but not, of course, the rest of the Missouri River and the water supply of all of the cities, towns and farmlands it serves.

And continuing the construction of the pipeline would result in worse environmental damage from the other issues–damage from fracking, pipeline leaks and burning the fossil fuel, adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

The water protectors have said again and again that what they are doing is for everyone, not just themselves.  While rerouting the pipeline would help the Standing Rock Sioux, I doubt water protectors will stop raising their concerns just because the immediate threat to them was removed.

From Democracy Now! story September 6, 2016:

AMY GOODMAN: Why is this such an important fight to you?

PROTESTER 17: Because water is life. Like I said, without water, we’d all—we wouldn’t be here. These plants wouldn’t be here. There’d be no oxygen. We’d all die without it. I wish they’d open their eyes and have a heart, to realize, you know, if this happens, we’re not going to be the only ones that are going to suffer. They’re going to suffer, too.

Peter Clay photo
Brandi Herron
#noDAPL Joshua Taflinger

 

 

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Dakota Access Quaker Meeting

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Jeff Kisling

One of the positive things about social media is connecting (electronically) to others who share your interests and concerns.    I have been following the Facebook writings of Mark Morey, who has spent time at Standing Rock.

Following is a story he tells that sounds a lot like Quaker Meeting for worship.

Mark recalled sitting around a fire one evening at the camp when he was struck by four words from an elder, lofted out of the long silence:

“Fear of the unknown.”

This is a moment of cultural importance, and it points at realities that can be frightening.

The grandmothers on the frontline facing police in riot gear with weapons and billy clubs, speak from their heart to them:

“We are doing this for your children too, you know. We know you want this but your heart is closed, so we are praying for you.”

Bear Creek meeting
Bear Creek Meeting
Benches at North Meadow Friends
Peter Clay photo

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