Rev. Danny Fisher

Here are two cool videos posted to YouTube in recent months that I found while looking for news about Sulak Sivaraksa:

Sivaraksa is Thailand’s preeminent social activist and engaged Buddhist leader, and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He founded and directs Thailand’s Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation, also serves on the advisory board of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists. And in addition to all his work as an activist, organizer, and social critic in Thailand, he has served as chair of the UN’s Asian Cultural Forum on Development and has been a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Hawaii, and Cornell University. Sivaraksa is also the author such books as Seeds of Peace: A Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society, Conflict, Culture, Change: Engaged Buddhism in a Globalizing World, and Loyalty Demands Dissent: Autobiography of a Socially Engaged Buddhist.

This from Amnesty International:

As the number of casualties continues to mount, civilians in Gaza are in increasingly dire need of food, medical and other emergency assistance. Ask [U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice] to urgently express deep concern about Israel’s disproportional response and its policies which have brought the Gaza Strip to the brink of humanitarian disaster. Also urge Secretary Rice to call on Israeli authorities and Hamas to immediately cease all unlawful attacks and help reverse the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza by exerting pressure on Israel to open the crossings to allow adequate quantities of humanitarian aid — including food, water, medicine and fuel into Gaza.

Send a message to Secretary Rice here.

This from the State Department today:

Sunday, January 4, 2009 marks the 61st anniversary of Burma’s independence from British rule. We wish to express our warmest wishes to the people of Burma on this occasion. As we reflect on Burma’s independence struggle, led by General Aung San, we are reminded of our own history.

We support the peaceful efforts of people everywhere to exercise freely their universal human rights. We stand with the Burmese people today in honoring Aung San’s vision for an independent, peaceful, and democratic Burma and look forward to the day when Burma’s citizens will be able to enjoy the fruits of freedom and democracy. We earnestly hope that day will come soon.