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Be sure to read the ending ... about how a similar campaign may have averted nuclear war in the 1950s ... -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Over the last six years, approximately 25,000 people have died from acts of terrorism, worldwide. Over that same period, 52 million people have died from preventable hunger; about 24,000 people per day. Patterns of Global Terrorism, Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State, 2000 The following article is courtesy of a United Church Faith in Action committee newsletter: The following action has its roots in the Christian scripture upon which Bush says his crusade is based. Please, do what you can. We may never know what impact our efforts have. We may not be "successful". All we are called to be is faithful. "We can do no great things. We can only do small things with great love." (Mother Theresa) 1. Place 1/2 c. uncooked rice in a small plastic bag (a snack-sized bag or sandwich bag works fine). Squeeze out excess air and seal the bag. 2. Wrap it in a piece of paper on which you have written: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. (Romans 12:20) Please send this rice to the people of Iraq; do not attack them." 3. Place the paper and bag of rice in an envelope (either a letter-sized or small padded mailing envelope - both are the same cost to mail) and address it to: President George Bush White House - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20500 4. Make a second package and mail it to (you don't need to affix postage if mailing within Canada): Prime Minister Jean Chretien Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A2 Drop this in the mail TODAY. It is important to act NOW so that President Bush and Prime Minister Chretien get our letters as soon as possible! In order for this protest to be effective, there must be hundreds of thousands of such rice deliveries to the White House and Parliament Hill. We can do this if we all forward this message to our friends and family. If we get the message out, there will be packets from hundreds of thousands of people! 5. There is a positive history of this protest! Read on! In the mid 1950s, the pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation, learning of famine in the Chinese mainland, launched a "Feed Thine Enemy" campaign. Members and friends mailed thousands of little bags of rice to the White House with a tag quoting the Bible, "If thine enemy hunger, feed him." As far as anyone knew for more than ten years, the campaign was an abject failure. The President did not acknowledge receipt of the bags publicly; certainly no rice was ever sent to China. "What non-violent activists only learned a decade later was that the campaign played a significant, perhaps even determining role in preventing nuclear war. Twice while the campaign was on, President Eisenhower met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to consider US options in the conflict with China over two islands, Quemoy and Matsu. The generals twice recommended the use of nuclear weapons. President Eisenhower each time turned to his aide and asked how many little bags of rice had come in. When told they numbered in the tens of thousands, Eisenhower told the generals that as long as so many Americans were expressing active interest in having the US feed the Chinese, he certainly wasn't going to consider using nuclear weapons against them." People Power: Applying Non-violence Theory by David H. Albert, p. 43, New Society, 19. If you want to pass this on, paste this text onto a new message rather than just forwarding it. It makes for easier reading. Thank you all for being people of hope. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- SUST-MAR TIP: our archives are http://www.chebucto.ca/lists/sust-mar CBC enviro news-briefs follow: -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- FREEZE TUITION FEES, STUDENTS TELL POLITICIANS Hundreds of students across the province carried bright yellow signs and beat make-shift drums as they marched down the streets Wednesday afternoon. FULL STORY http://novascotia.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=ns_tuitionprotest20030205 NOVA SCOTIA 3RD IN ATV ACCIDENTS The number of young people injured while using all terrain vehicles (ATVs) has gone up dramatically in the past five years, according to a new report. In Nova Scotia, the accident rate rose by 63 per cent. FULL STORY http://novascotia.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=ns_atv20030205 POWELL'S EVIDENCE FAILS TO SWAY MOST OF SECURITY COUNCIL The evidence Colin Powell presented Wednesday, intended to convince members of the UN Security Council that a war in Iraq is necessary, instead convinced most members to improve the UN weapons inspections. FULL STORY: http://cbc.ca/stories/2003/02/06/powell_rxn030206__ © Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
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