Reactions to the Election

This is a little late since the election was yesterday, but I thought it was a pretty powerful video and definitely worth sharing. Maybe something to keep in mind if (heaven forbid) Sarah Palin appears on the 2012 GOP ticket.

A Message for Sarah Palin

Looking ahead, President-Elect Barack Obama faces significant challenges once he assumes the presidency. In addition to two wars and a downward spiraling economy, Obama must address the human rights violations that have occurred under the Bush administration in the name of combating terrorism and protecting national security. Amnesty International has called for the new president to create "a plan and date to close Guantánamo; issue an executive to ban torture and other ill-treatment, as defined under international law; and ensure that an independent commission to investigate abuses committed by the US government in its "war on terror" is set up," all within the first 100 days of his presidency. Amnesty International has also released a checklist detailing the "human rights challenge" they are posing to Obama during his first 100 days in office. 

Fighting the resource "curse" nonviolently

As I mentioned in class on Friday, I was fortunate enough to participate in a training program with Oxfam America this past summer.  Oxfam is an international nonprofit that works to combat issues of poverty and injustice. 

One of the most interesting issues I came across was the extractive industries problem.  In many developing, and poor countries, wealthy corporations are coming into communities and striping them of their natural resources.  These companies pay- but the money goes to the government, not to the communities affected.  The governments grow enormously wealthy, but the people remain in poverty, not receiving the economic benefits.  And, not only do these people remain poor- but they become worse off than when the corporations entered, often experiencing water pollution.

 

See, for example, in Equatorial New Guinea (Map above, right).  The country has enormous oil resources.  While the government receives compensation, the people still live without adequate health, education, and nutrition resources.  There has been limited progress addressing this injustice.  However, the United States is debating a bill, H.R. 6066 that would increase transparency for industry-government interactions.

Oxfam challenged people to fight this injustice nonviolently.  They especially emphasized letter-writing and advised people to contact their own representative.  Oxfam officials held that, by using our own political clout and specifically listing legislation we supported, we could peacefully stimulate change.

See this oxfam article for greater detail.