Rev. Danny Fisher

I urge you to join Amnesty International in sending messages to Myanmar junta chairman Than Shwe and Ambassador Linn Myaing asking them to ensure that humanitarian aid is distributed to the victims of Cyclone Nargis and that they cooperate with international relief efforts. The text of the message reads:

I stand in solidarity with the victims and the Union of Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. I am relieved to see that the international community has effectively responded through their willingness to assist the victims by providing the most essential life-saving supplies. However, I am growing concerned that not all of this aid will be able to be delivered, due to government-restricted access and aid being distributed through discrimination, and not need.

The relief, aid, rehabilitation, and subsequent development of the Union of Myanmar will depend heavily on how it responds to the needs of its citizens in all parts of the country. Ensuring access to all impacted regions of the country will help ensure that aid is adequately delivered. I hope that you will ease visa restrictions and customs procedures that have already hampered access by international relief workers over the course of the past few days, and has slowed the delivery of desperately needed aid, especially to the hardest hit areas, and to the over one million people that have been displaced.

I am also concerned that international relief funds might be misused to forcibly relocate populations. Any relocation of internally displaced persons from camps or disaster areas must be voluntary, unless the safety and health of those affected requires evacuation. They should not be coerced in any way, including through the suspension of assistance to those persons. The right of internally displaced persons to return voluntarily to their former homes or lands in safety and with dignity should be respected and the authorities should assist them in either returning or resettling in another part of the country.

I ask that you fully cooperate with the international relief and rehabilitation efforts underway, and that there be transparent mechanisms for the delivery of international aid. Human rights violations in disaster settings greatly impair the effectiveness of humanitarian workers and add unnecessary complexity to the reconstruction of the country. I hope that as a sovereign power, you will exercise your most fundamental duty – the responsibility to protect your population. My thoughts will continue be with the victims during this difficult time.

Again, this is very important. Please take just a few moments and send messages to Than Shwe and Linn Myaing here.

Well, actually, we turned two yesterday. I just forgot, and thus did not mark the occasion.

Two years. I know it’s a cliché to say so, but it honestly does seem like yesterday that I was sitting in my room on UWest‘s campus posting on the blog’s first birthday. And it really doesn’t feel that much longer ago that I was sitting in my Boulder apartment creating the blog.

Last year, I blogged about the changes the blog had gone through. “Who is the blog for?” I wondered. These days, I’m less concerned about that. I’m just kind of doing my thing–blogging about what’s interesting to me, trying to produce something that’s useful–and I’ve made peace with that. I don’t feel like I have to do just one or two things, or write for a specific audience. People seem to be reading, whether I’m blogging about Cyclone Nargis, Buddhist news, professional chaplaincy, films, or something else.

If I think of the blog as anything specifically, I suppose I think of it the way our pal James Ishmael Ford thinks about his: as “an increasingly important part of my ministry.” It’s connecting me with people, allowing me to hear and share the Dharma, and enabling me to help benefit beings in small ways.

Last year, I closed with a sentiment that’s still very appropriate, so we’ll end with it today:

I’m happy with the blog. I think it’s helping me to learn and grow in my understanding of both Buddhism and chaplaincy. My wish is that it might do the same for others.

First, CREDO Action is currently trying to get people to send messages to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), urging her not to compromise on illegal wiretapping. They write:

Earlier this year the House of Representatives — thanks in large part to pressure from the grassroots and the netroots — stood strong and refused to pass the Senate version of “FISA reform.” The Senate’s version, you’ll recall, removed effective judicial oversight from White House wiretapping programs, and also granted retroactive immunity to the big telecom companies that are alleged to have assisted the Bush administration in the illegal wiretapping of American citizens.

Our allies at the American Civil Liberties Union are now reporting that some high-ranking members in the House — including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer — are working behind closed doors with the Bush administration and conservatives in Congress to negotiate a compromise bill. Apparently, they’re considering caving in and handing over everything the President has demanded: expanded surveillance powers, and a “get out of jail free” card for big phone companies that broke the law.

House leadership must not buckle to pressure from the White House and its allies at all costs. House leadership — and every representative — should reject any compromise that would undo the battles we fought so hard to win in February.

Take a few seconds to send a vitally important message to Speaker Pelosi here.

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CREDO Action is also asking people to urge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and their senators to pass S.J.Res. 28, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND)’s resolution of disapproval of the FCC’s new ownership rules. As they explain:

The FCC’s flawed proposal will lead to greater media consolidation, less competition, and less diverse perspectives in our media system — all of which are contrary to the public interest.

Urge Reid and your senators to vote for the resolution here.

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The Save Darfur Coalition is trying to get as many people as possible to send the following message to George W. Bush by June 1st:

Dear President Bush,

On June 1, the U.S. will assume the presidency of the U.N. Security Council. As president, the U.S. will have the opportunity to set the agenda for the Security Council and lead the way to protect the people of Darfur.

The U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1769 authorizing deployment of a protection force to Darfur almost ten months ago, and yet only a third of the authorized peacekeeping force has reached Darfur.

The United States and other leading nations who supported the resolution have failed to overcome logistical obstacles to UNAMID’s deployment. The international community has not provided the necessary material support to fully and effectively deploy the mission, including trucks and helicopters

The UN has failed to act with sufficient haste in preparing conditions on the ground in Darfur for UNAMID’s full deployment. Not surprisingly, the Sudanese government has continued to work against deployment by creating political obstacles and renewing its military offensive in Darfur, resulting in an additional 100,000 displaced Darfuris and hundreds dead since the beginning of the year.

The world’s failure to protect the people of Darfur is simply unacceptable.

Mr. President, your administration must use the U.S. presidency of the Security Council to ensure that all stakeholders do what is necessary expedite deployment of peacekeepers and help protect Darfuri civilians. In particular, you must:


• Address the logistical obstacles to deployment. You must organize a high-level UNAMID donor conference to secure contributions of all necessary funding and equipment for UNAMID. You must also work with Secretary-General Ban to ensure that all preparations for UNAMID’s deployment are being swiftly made, and thus ensure that a lack of bases, equipment, and sustainment capacity are no longer impediments to full deployment.

• Address the political obstacles by introducing a Security Council resolution imposing strong targeted sanctions upon leaders of the Sudanese regime until they fully and verifiably facilitate every aspect of UNAMID’s deployment.
  

Send your message to Mr. Bush here.

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In honor of Mother’s Day this coming Sunday, Amnesty International is soliciting donations for their “Stop Violence Against Women” campaign, which seeks to end the systematic violation of women’s basic human rights in 36 countries. Make a tax-deductible donation in your mother’s name here.

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Lastly, while we’re on the subject of women’s rights, MoveOn.org is circulating a petition calling on Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to support the Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831)–a bill that would guarantee women equal pay for equal work in the United States. You can send him a message that reads:

I’m offended by Senator McCain’s statement that women need more education and training instead of guaranteed pay equity. Senator McCain and every other senator must support legislation that would help guarantee equal pay for equal work.

Send him the message here.

Not long ago, I posted about the sad death of Lobsang P. Lhalungpa, translator of The Life of Milarepa, who was killed by a drunk driver in Santa Fe, NM, on April 28th. I have two updates on this tragic story.

First, Lhalungpa-la’s friend Stephen Fox wrote an email to me sharing His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message to Lhalungpa-la’s children:

Your late father will be remembered for his pioneering role in establishing the first Tibetan language programme of All India Radio and for his dedicated life service to the promotion and preservation of our rich spiritual and cultural tradition. He also did much in helping Tibetan refugee communities at a very difficult time in their early years of exile. In his passing way, we have lost a great patriot and scholar.

I have updated my original post with this quote. You can see it here.

Second, speaking of Mr. Fox, I have a correction to make regarding the Central Tibetan Administration’s official press release about Lhalungpa-la’s death: in the document, I am quoted as saying, “Many of Lobsang’s books were introduced with a short preface by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” While I was aware of this before Lhalungpa-la’s death, this statement was actually made by Mr. Fox in a piece he wrote that I quoted in my blog post on Lhalungpa-la’s death. The attribution should be to him.

Visit http://www.burmaitcantwait.org.