2009 March 02 « Rev. Danny Fisher

March 2, 2009

URGENT ACTION: Ask the Senate to Set Up a Commission of Inquiry to Look Into the "War on Terror" Before the End of the Week!

This week the US government is debating whether to set up a Commission of Inquiry to look into Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ tactics. This could have major ramifications all the way up the chain of command.

Key US Senators, leading this call for justice, need a massive global endorsement to ensure that the Commission is set up and has real teeth. But there are powerful interests that want to cover up the truth about torture, secret detention and other unlawful abuse.

Sign this important petition below and we will present it to the Senate hearing before decisions are made this week:

To the US Government: We welcome President Obama’s announcements to begin to end the abusive tactics and policies of Bush’s ‘War on Terror’. We urge that an independent body is set up to fully investigate those practices, that those responsible are held accountable, and that future US anti terror practices rigorously conform with human rights principles and the rule of law. With this, a new beginning in global relations is possible.

Add your name to the petition here.

March 2, 2009

Tibet News (3.2.09)

“Tibetans are not allowed to enter Labrang Monsastery, and are diverted by security personnel guarding the entrance to Labrang Monastery.” Photo via Free Tibet.
[This post has been updated and expanded as of 10:22 a.m. EST on 3.2.09.]

Here are the Tibet-related headlines for today:

The Agence France-Presse reports that “tensions were high” in southwest China after police shot a Tibetan monk who immolated himself in protest of Chinese rule in Tibet. I posted about that incident a few days ago.

These tensions are exacerbated by the fact that even more protests have sprung up in Sichuan Provice, including within the city where the immolation/shooting took place. Reuters has more.

In addition to what’s happening in Sichuan Province, I posted about a peaceful march and candlelight vigil led by monks in Qinghai Province. The Associated Press has produced a report rightly noting that “scores of Tibetan monks” have been demonstrating in China and offers a useful chronology of events. Take a look.

They’ve got a lot today: Reuters also produces a detailed piece about how “years of Chinese government denunciations and decades in exile have not loosened the Dalai Lama’s influence over Tibetans in his homeland, where his banned image remains treasured.”

In tandem with this piece, the press organization also produces several useful “fact boxes” on “the historical ties between China and Tibet”, “question marks over the succession of the Dalai Lama”, and “the Karmapa’s emergence as a Tibetan leader”.

In addition, Reuters reporter Emma Graham-Harrison also gives a first-hand account for the news service about “reporting from behind China’s Himalayan curtain.”

The AP brings us the news that the Nepalese government has officially banned protests in front of the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu. (A report on Indopia indicates that sixteen exiles trying to stage pro-Tibet demonstrations there were arrested.)

Reuters also weighs in on His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley, and the possible role he may play in the Tibetan government in the future. I’ve previously posted about stories in Newsweek, the New York Times, and the Houston Chronicle on this matter.

Lastly, over at Shambhala Sun Space, our pal in the Buddhoblogosphere Rod Meade Sperry point us to photographs of “enormous numbers of armed security forces swarming the important monastery town of Labrang (Amdo).” One photo is posted above at the top of this post.

March 2, 2009

The Montreal Zen Poetry Festival

TMcG at Full Contact Enlightenment points us to news about the upcoming Montreal Zen Poetry Festival. The festival, which is organized by seven people who practice and volunteer at Enpuku-ji/Centre Zen de la Main, is described this way:

“Forget the words!” is the theme of the second biennial Montreal Zen Poetry Festival, an ambitious and enigmatic affair that will take off the weekend of March 06 to 08, 2009. The festival, launched in 2007 and fast becoming a must-attend cultural event, draws on the deep interconnection of Zen and poetry as it aims to bring an awareness of Zen and Zen culture to a wider audience.

Poets, translators, calligraphers, scholars, literary publishers, and Zen monks from across North America will come together to explore how Zen embraces a paradoxical relationship with language. The festival organizers invite everyone to take part in this meaningful and entertaining line-up of events with our lively and thought-provoking speakers and artists.

For more information, visit the festival’s website here.

March 2, 2009

My "Five Great Films about Buddhism" Piece Updated, Re-Posted at elephant journal

Photo by Touchstone Pictures.
Over at elephant journal, I’ve edited and re-posted an old post from this blog in which I named the titles of five great films about Buddhism. Please do take a look here if you have a moment, and let us know what your favorite movies about Buddhism are.

March 2, 2009

Raise Hope for Congo

Join the challenge at www.raisehopeforcongo.org.

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