Kabul's Women Only Market

I just received Mercy Corps’ Mother’s Day e-newsletter. I was very interested to learn from it that a women-only market has been designed in Kabul, Afghanistan. Is this really a good idea? Doesn’t this perpetuate the situation in Afghanistan which keeps women separate but unequal and second-class? Maybe so. But in the short run, Bagh-e-Zanana Women’s Market has made life easier for Afghan women still subject to Afghanistan’s strict customs. According to Cassandra Nelson in A Hand Up, Not a Handout in Kabul, Afghanistan, Lending a Hand and a Little Bit More, this new women’s market "has opened the door to possibilities that until this year were unthinkable to most Afghan women. In the center of the crowded and teaming city, behind a tall wall and gate monitored by security officers, lies an oasis for women." Nelson goes on to describe how, "Here in this protected park setting, women are free to run businesses, dress as they please and simply relax without the cultural pressures and stares of men that have kept women at home and hidden under the burka for decades."

Nelson profiles several businesses run by women in the market: a beauty shop, an exotic Asian women’s clothing store, and the Hashim Super Store, launched by 45-year-old Aziza Rajabi. Before the market, Aziza had to sell clothing through middlemen. She had to stay locked in her house and found it difficult to meet other women. Now she can sell her clothing directly to her customers. She is out of the house all day and able to easily meet other women.

Mercy Corps helps women’s businesses in this market by providing loans through their microfinance program, Ariana Financial Services Group, which they started in April 2003. This program was started with an initial grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Mercy Corps funds. The program is now funded through Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and the World Bank. It enables many businesses, including the women’s businesses, to move to the next level by providing loans to help entrepreneurs open shops, purchase generators, purchase equipment and materials, and expand businesses and product lines. This helps the women move beyond mere existence into a more stable financial position.

Iditarod Cruel to Dogs

This seems like a good day to talk about dogs. Because Bush preempted Survivor, I was able to walk my dogs last night. Also, now that I’m on the subject of dog walking, I thought it would be a good time to talk about where to look for me if I disappear while jogging. If I disappear while jogging, it’s very simple. Look on Rostosky Ridge Road. I’m serious. I jog up an extremely steep hill which is in a remote area. Few motorists drive by. There are steep cliffs in that area also. It would not be unheard of for a 52-year-old woman to have a heart attack jogging up that hill. I could even fall over the cliff if that happened to me. So it is obvious where to look if I disappear while jogging!

Okay, onto the main subject, which is dogs. According to a letter to the editor in The Daily News, Monday, April 25, 2005, which is a newspaper published in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, the Iditarod race is cruel to dogs. The title of the letter is "Iditarod is ‘dog torture’", and it is from Margery Glickman, director, Sled Dog Action Coalition, www.helpsleddogs.org. Glickman states that Iditarod dogs often race 1,150 miles, the distance between Pittsburgh and Austin, Texas in eight to fifteen days. Dogs often suffer "death, paralysis, penile frostbite, bleeding ulcers, lung damage, pneumonia, viral diseases, ruptured discs and broken bones." As my readers know, I have been going to two Presbyterian churches weekly. Please pray for forgiveness for me for wishing penile frostbite on certain individuals in the news lately who have done things to little girls. I’ve been much less angry, and my minister at Round Hill, Rev. Meek, has been working on his anger as well as ours. But some individuals in this society make it hard to completely give it up. Anyway, people who would do this to dogs are also among them.

But I digress. Glickman goes on to point out that an average of 53 percent of the dogs who start the Iditarod do not finish. She cites a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine which states that 81 percent of the dogs who do not finish suffer lung damage. She also cites The Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine as reporting that 61 percent of dogs who do finish have ulcers. None of the dogs who start have ulcers before the race, according to this journal. However, Glickman says sick dogs are often forced to start the race and given massive doses of antibiotics to keep them in the race. Glickman even names racers who were overheard to admit that they drugged their dogs because of their ambition to win. "If the dogs could walk, they’d say the Iditarod is dog torture," writes Glickman.

BU Girl Named MCC Head

Yeah, I’m a BU girl. So I was excited to find out from the More Light Presbyterian message board that a BU girl has been nominated to head the MCC denomination. This denomination has been lead by only one other person—Rev. Troy D. Perry, who founded the church. According to the message on the MLP board, Metropolitan Community Church was founded in 1968. It has more than 43,000 members in 23 countries. It is a predominantly gay denomination providing an "affirming ministry to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of faith." The Boston University girl who will lead all this is the Rev. Nancy Wilson. She attended Boston University School of Theology.

The difference between MCC and my new church, the Sixth Presbyterian Church, is that MCC is a GLBT church. My church is a mainstream Presbyterian church which has voted to be a More Light church. This means that the church welcomes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons, and they are treated equally. My church has a healthy contingent of GLBT people, but it has all kinds of people. There are many senior citizens. A lot of them were attending the church when Fred Rogers was a member. There are disabled people. The church is racially and ethnically mixed. Families of mixed faith are welcome. Then there is just a variety of many other young and middle-aged adults, parents, and children. There is even one dog who comes to church! To give you an idea what my church is like, it is smack in the middle of the main Jewish neighborhood in Pittsburgh, right across from the Jewish Community Center. When I told one woman at church that I attended a different service Saturday night, she said, "Oh, are you Jewish? Which synagogue do you attend?" Apparently, it is not unheard of for Jews in the area to attend both a synagogue and my church!

Anyway, this BU girl Rev. Nancy Wilson has a terrific resume of human rights activism and work to build bridges with other people of faith. She’s even met Pope Benedict XVI! She has impressive list of places she’s preached and been a guest speaker. She has been with her female partner for 27 years, and they are activists for same-sex marriage. Do you blame them? It’s ridiculous that two people who have been together this long, who are religious and valuable members of the community, are denied the right to marry because they are the same sex. The government should stay out of it and stop telling people whom they are and are not allowed to marry. Even if many Christians are against same-sex marriage—which is their right--they should not impose their beliefs on others. The government should stay out of religion and protect equal rights for all people.

Russian Government Coverup in Chechnya

I received Doctors Without Borders’ April e-newsletter several days ago. Doctors Without Borders was forced to suspend their operations in Chechnya because their volunteers have been kidnapped in the North Caucasus. Many Chechen refugees had fled to neighboring Ingushetia. At one point, 180,000 Chechens had fled to that region. Chechens have put pressure on the Russian government to let them return to Chechnya, and, as of February, only 34,000 of them remained in Ingushetia. With the massive return to a city such as Grozny, which is in ruins, Doctors Without Borders decided to resume its operations in Chechnya. Denis Lemasson, the program manager for the region, was the first to return.

Lemasson found that the Russian government’s claims that the situation is becoming normalized are misleading. He felt that the war is still going on, but with different methods. The number of deaths remains the same and may even be increasing. Cleansing operations which used to be aimed at whole villages have been more carefully targeted. The Russian military presence remains at 80,000 troops. In addition, the people are afraid of warring Chechen militias which have sprung up.

The security situation is such that international volunteers cannot maintain a presence in Chechnya and are limited to short, irregular visits. This compounds the problem of addressing the poor living conditions. The area experienced an unusually cold winter. People found it difficult to stay warm. In temporary shelters, the only source of heat was electric heaters, but there was an irregular power supply. Many people did not have access to showers or toilets, and some people had to buy water. Lemasson also disputed the ministry of health’s contention that the health system was improving in Chechnya. There are only enough hospital supplies to meet 40-50 percent of the needs, he alleged. The Grozny maternity ward and the burn unit depend completely on Doctors Without Borders for their supplies.

Lemasson felt that the Russian government has done nothing to make Chechnya a liveable place for the returning refugees and that the conditions they face upon their return are worse than those they faced in Ingushetia. He stated that, "The disastrous sanitary conditions, like the stressful setting, are linked to an ‘active’ conflict, which is far from the so-called ‘normalization’ that Russian authorities describe.

From "Voices from the Field, Return to Grozny," February 10, 2005, Doctors Without Borders April 2005 e-newsletter.

The Importance of Clean Water

I recently received a piece of mail from an organization called "Food for the Hungry." I figured their newsletter might talk about refugee camps and food distributions and would ask for money to feed a certain number of people. I was surprised to learn that their efforts were centered on providing clean water. The newsletter explained not only how a permanent, clean water supply was essential to food supply, but how it was essential to any improvement in people’s lives.

To understand this, first of all, I have to say that watching "Survivor" is not a total waste of time in this regard. Watching the survivors’ struggles to obtain water and purify it for use is a very good way to understand the reality of this in peoples’ lives.

Food for the Hungry lists five reasons why easy access to clean water is essential for peoples’ lives to improve and for them to pull themselves out of poverty and misery. First of all, unclean water causes disease such as dysentery, diarrhea, and typhoid. Many people, especially children, die of these diseases, especially since people without a clean water supply often have no access to health care. Thus, many people die from the diseases caused by unclean water before they can even have a chance to improve their lives.

Secondly—and this was something I had never even thought about—children often drop out of school and receive little or no education because they must spend most of their time hauling clean water many miles to their homes! This also affects the food supply because people are either sick from drinking unclean water or are too busy hauling clean water back to their homes to work in the fields, produce food for themselves, or food they could sell in the marketplace. Additionally, their animals often get sick and die from sharing the same unclean water source with the people, compounding the food situation!

Food for the Hungry is a Christian organization, and so they naturally care about saving these peoples’ souls. Polluted water, they point out, often causes people to believe in evil spirits and resort to religions dedicated to appeasing these evil spirits. They are therefore not open to Christianity. Whether or not you agree with this, it definitely is not desirable for people to live lives of ignorance in which they do not have time for an education and are reduced to fearful lives of superstition.

Home Runs and Steroids

Suspicions of steroid use surround the home run kings, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa. All three of these players had their eye on breaking all-time records: Roger Maris’ single-season record of 61 and Hank Aaron’s career record of 755. Did these players need to jeopardize their health and take steroids to break the home run records? Should Maris still have the record? Should Hank Aaron keep his record?

Similar to what my minister, Rev. Meek, preached about at Round Hill Presbyterian Church last Saturday night (I talked about this a few days ago in my blog), we baseball fans are all a bit guilty and responsible if Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa cheated to break these records. There was tremendous excitement around watching Sosa and McGwire break Maris’ record, as well as watching Bonds then break McGwire’s record. I am as guilty as anyone else of tremendously enjoying the quest to break the single season home run record, so I too am responsible for putting the pressure on these players to accomplish it. If Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds all did take steroids, then Maris should rightfully still have the single season record. If McGwire and Bonds took the steroids, but Sammy is innocent, as he claims, then he deserves the single season record of 66. McGwire hit 70, and then Bonds wanted the record so badly, he probably felt pressured to take steroids to beat McGwire and hit 73. It’s a vicious cycle. One player cheats to get the record, and the next guy has to cheat to beat it. Is having this record really worth cheating and jeopardizing one’s health?

While the players may have had to cheat to beat Maris’ single season record, and to even beat Babe Ruth’s 60 in a season, I contend that players do not have to cheat and jeopardize their health to beat Hank Aaron’s career record of 755. The requirement to beat Aaron’s record is hard work: A home run hitter has to be willing to play for a very long time and work very hard to keep himself in great shape.

Barry Bonds did not need to take steroids, cheat, jeopardize his health, and besmirch his record and reputation to have a chance to hit over 755 home runs in his career. Back when Sosa and McGwire were locked in the struggle to beat Maris’ record of 61, the media was talking about three players in the running to beat Aaron’s record: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey, Jr. No one even mentioned Barry Bonds. But even then, I felt that Barry Bonds had the best chance to do it. These were my thoughts on how Barry would accomplish it. I never envisioned Barry hitting 73 home runs in a season. I felt that Barry would hit 40-50 home runs each year. He seemed to be in top condition for his age, and he seemed to be a player who improved with age. I figured Barry would play until at least 45 and that he might even end up a designated hitter at some point late in his career. Because of his inflated ego, he would naturally want the career home run record. Probably around the age of 44 or 45, Barry would finally hit 756 and pass Aaron.

Mark McGwire is out of baseball and Griffey has been plagued with injuries. It is still possible that Griffey and Sosa could hit more than 755. But Barry is very close to doing it with 703 career homers. He’s injured right now, but he’s only 40. It is too bad Barry may have jeopardized his health and his reputation by taking steroids, since Barry could have beat Aaron’s record honestly through hard work and longevity.

Baseball and Steroids

Yesterday morning, I woke up and switched on the TV to get the jogging forecast. I had left a sports station on, and there was a program about how older baseball players stay in shape. The program showed how hard players such as Julio Franco, Steve Finley, and Terry Mulholland work to keep playing well at the major league level well into their 40’s. It’s very refreshing to watch a program like this after all the talk of steroids. The hard work these athletes put in is the way to go. Using steroids is NOT the way to go! It is not worth risking your health to boost your performance in a sport.

Senator John McCane was on Chris Matthews’ Hardball last week from RFK Stadium talking about the issue of steroids. I don’t care that some people may think he’s using the issue for publicity; I’m glad he’s bringing it up. Some people made fun of the hearings on Capitol Hill, but I’m glad they held those hearings. Hooray for the brave parents of high school kids who’d committed suicide over steroid use! They were very brave to testify before Congress and share their tragic stories. In addition, I don’t care if Jose Canseco is a snitch who wrote his book just to make money. He’s brought attention to this issue. The more attention the better!

Since the new steroid policy has been in place, there are still plenty of games with home runs and high scores. The players don’t need steroids. They don’t need to jeopardize their health. Two games in particular caught my attention. Both games had the score of 8 to 5. In one game, the Red Sox beat the Yankees 8-5. They had three home runs off of none other than Randy Johnson. The next night, the Pirates won an 8-5 game in which they homered four times. Eight to five with three or four home runs in fine with me! Both games took place in parks where it is not always easy to hit home runs—PNC Park and Fenway Park. Some of the players who hit the home runs are not known as sluggers. If baseball can produce 8 to 5 games with three and four home runs, it’s just fine without steroids!

Ephedra Ban Overturned

The FDA ban on supplements containing ephedra was recently struck down by a federal judge. This is not surprising. Substances such as tobacco and alcohol, which are more dangerous than ephedra and which undoubtedly cause many more deaths, can be purchased and used legally. The FDA was unable to prove that ephedra was a drug and not a food. There used to be a big jar of it at the East End Food Coop in Pittsburgh. It was quite visible that it was a plant and an herb. You could scoop heaps of it into a paper bag, buy it cheaply in bulk, and make a very nasty brew of it at home with a mug, a tea strainer, and hot water. It wasn’t going to be easy for the FDA to ban it, especially when there is money to be made from selling it.

According to Mark Thiessen of the AP in "Judge Strikes Down FDA Ban on Ephedra," April 15, 2005, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (Democrat, Illinois) and Orrin Hatch (Republican, Utah) worked to ban the substance. Durbin and Hatch are to be congratulated for their efforts. At least the attempt to ban ephedra has alerted the public to its danger. According to Thiessen, "Research shows that the amphetamine-like herb can speed heart rate and constrict blood vessels even in seemingly healthy people, but it is particularly risky for those with heart disease or high blood pressure or who engage in strenuous exercise." A famous case where ephedra use was the cause of death involved a pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles’ system, Steve Bechler.

My family’s experience with ephedra illustrates the danger. When I was suffering from anorexia and already had an irregular heart beat, I was able to walk into "health" food stores and purchase it as a dietary supplement. I was also able to purchase the herb itself at the food coop, as I described above. My heart pounded even faster after using ephedra, which was very dangerous for an anorexic who was already at risk for heart trouble. One of my relatives, however, used ephedra without even knowing she was doing so! She and her family had been given free bottles of a vitamin and herbal energy supplement when they purchased some type of food processor or juicer. The manufacturer, naturally, was hoping my relative’s family would like the supplement and purchase it regularly. My relative bragged about how energetic she felt after taking it but noticed that her heart was pounding very fast. This relative is an extremely conscientious and upstanding citizen who would never purposely endanger her or her family’s health. I suspected right away one of the herbs that might be hidden in the massive list of ingredients. I asked to see the bottle, and sure enough, one ingredient hidden among many others was "ephedra sinica." At that time, neither of us knew of the danger, or I would have warned her to stop taking it. To this day, I don’t think she even knows she and her family were taking ephedra.

My family’s experience with ephedra is frightening in hindsight, because high blood pressure and stroke run in our family. In addition, this relative periodically has problems with high cholesterol.

Let’s hope that ephedra received enough negative publicity during the short-lived ban to deter people from using it and inform those who might inadvertently take it.

Been There Done That Deja Vu All Over Again Etc.

As usual, I attended my two church services, Round Hill Presbyterian’s New Song Saturday on Saturday evening, and Sixth Presbyterian’s Sunday service. Sixth Presbyterian Church is a kinder, gentler church. The first part of the service at Round Hill is filled with music from the church band. We are lead in these lovely songs by Stella’s angelic voice. By this time, I am about to spend the rest of my life in a blissful trance of love, compassion, and forgiveness. That is, until the Rev. Dr. Lowell Meek removes his guitar and steps down to his podium, and boot camp begins!

This Saturday evening, Round Hill’s service was one of a kind! If anyone had mistakenly stumbled into our service for the first time in the middle of the service, they would have wondered what circus was performing. This week, for some reason, there was no nursery. I like the service better without a nursery. Without a nursery, children of all ages sit amongst the congregation. This evening, there was even a newborn baby. Since the children must be kept busy during the service, all sorts of coloring books, crayons, and digital devices are scattered about. Tambourines are distributed to the children. When there is a nursery, they usually forget to distribute tambourines and the only instrument in the audience is my Indian cymbals from my days of chanting in Sanskrit at the Muktananda ashram. During the first few songs, children are interested, beating the tambourines and trying to sing along.

When Rev. Meek’s sermon begins, it doesn’t take the children long to get bored. This evening, Rev. Meek was on a tear. His sermon was based on Daniel 9. This was because it was time, with Easter out of the way, to remind us that our nation is the most violent, evil, wicked nation on earth, that the whole world hates us, and that we all are responsible because we too are violent, evil, and wicked. We, like the people of Israel in Daniel, must beg for forgiveness and do something about the violence, evil, and wickedness of this society, which we allow to continue down this path of doom.

About two-thirds of the way through the sermon, all hell did break loose, and you had to think that the youth of Round Hill Church were proving Rev. Meek’s point. By now, the cutest little girl in the congregation was clanging my Indian cymbals as Rev. Meek obliviously continued reminding us of our wickedness. Another little boy was lying at my feet, half his body stretched out beneath the pew in front of me. Other children were beating their tambourines. Another kid was running up and down the aisle screeching. Rev. Meek preached on about our depraved condition. The cute little girl who had been clanging my cymbals ran around the aisles and made it up to Rev. Meek as he was finishing up. Immediately, the stern face broke into a loving smile as Rev. Meek gazed down on the little brat who had just been drowning out his sermon. Rev. Meek has at least eight children, so I guess this is his usual modus operandi. But this is what I love about New Song Saturday. I like the fact that the kids are raising hell as Rev. Meek reminds me that I’m wicked. I need to be reminded of it weekly. I like this whole chaotic and casual atmosphere.

When I got home, the sermon had stirred my curiosity, and I began to read the book of Daniel. As I read the first couple chapters, my mouth flew open in amazement. Was this really happening somewhere between 500 and 600 B.C? This sounded awfully familiar to me. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (hopefully you know what country that is today) was having disturbing dreams. He had the magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers brought before him and told them, "My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap," Daniel 2:5, The Holy Bible, The New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982. Since the wise men could not interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, "…the decree went out, and they began killing wise men…" Daniel 2:13. Just who does Nebuchadnezzar remind you of? If you don’t know the answer, you’ve been living in a cave for several decades!

Daniel came to the rescue by praying to the Lord, receiving the interpretation of the dreams, relaying the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar, and asking him to stop killing the wise men.

This raises a number of issues and questions, two of which I can think of. First of all, could the Hindus be right about reincarnation? Secondly, imagine all the suffering, bloodshed, death, and war that might have been prevented if Tariq Aziz had been adept at interpreting dreams! Due to a lack of time and space, we will be unable to discuss these issues here today!

Spreading Democracy in the Middle East

I found some interesting information on the More Light Presbyterian message board. This August, Jerusalem Open House, Jerusalem’s center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, is hosting an international interfaith gathering, WorldPride 2005. Religious leaders of various faiths who do not agree with this have launched an international campaign to pressure the Israeli authorities to cancel the event. Among Americans working to force cancellation of WorldPride 2005 are Texas evangelist Mike Evans; Leo Giovinetti, pastor of the Mission Valley Christian Fellowship in San Diego, California; and Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the director of the Rabbinical Alliance of America.

Just imagine, for a moment, that WorldPride 2005 were being held in a city in the United States. Probably, no one would try to have it canceled. Demonstrators who did not agree with the participants would show up and demonstrate. The protesters would not be fond of the participants, and the participants would find the demonstrators very annoying. People would walk by the conference. They would find out what was going on inside, and they would hear the demonstrators. They would be able to think about it and decide for themselves whether they agreed with the participants in WorldPride, the demonstrators, or neither of them.

I don’t know who Evans, Giovinetti, and Levin voted for. I don’t know if they have announced how they voted publicly. However, I would think it is more likely they voted for Bush. Isn’t Bush the guy who says he is trying to spread democracy in the Middle East? In fact, since he’s president, doesn’t that mean that our country has a policy of trying to encourage democracy in the Middle East? How democratic is this to pressure the Israelis to cancel this event so that no one’s voice will be heard? Not only will a whole segment of the population be silenced; those who disagree and want to protest will be silenced as well. The people who could have walked by WorldPride 2005 will not get to see what is going on, hear the protests against it, think about it, and decide what they think about the issues raised.

Don’t the Israeli people deserve the same democracy and freedom of speech we enjoy in the United States? Evans, Giovinetti, and Levin seem to feel that the democracy we spread in the Middle East should be less democratic than the democracy they have in this country. If we are serious about spreading democracy in the Middle East, we must stand up for the same freedom of speech and assembly we have in this country, even if those exercising it are unpopular to some.

Tax Day

Today is the day we face the music and have to get our tax payment in the mail. Some people, however, are so opposed to paying for war that they don’t mail their payments, and they suffer the consequences of being conscientious objectors. According to Peace Tax Fund Update, Issue 1, 2005, a newsletter published by the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund in Washington, DC, "war-tax resisters want to pay our taxes, but we cannot in good conscience pay others to kill in our names," (p. 3). Tax resisters also object to the hardship funding the military budget makes for average people, and particularly the poor, because of cuts in programs. They feel that the money used to fund Bush’s wars could do much good if used for social programs instead. Therefore, tax resisters redirect the money withheld from the IRS to "humanitarian and peaceful causes" (p. 3).

These people are serious, and they are suffering great hardship to follow their conscience. According to Andy McKenna in "My Taxes as Fuel for His War," on page 3 of the newsletter, a state worker endured a bank account seizure twice, an emergency-room physician had one car seized by the IRS and now faces seizure of another car and wages. One conscientious objector lives in poverty below the taxable level as an artist and housecleaner. McKenna has had his wages garnished with only $662.50 left per month, since this is considered the federal poverty level.

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) is expected to introduce the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Bill on April 15 (p. 1). If passed, conscientious objectors could director their taxes to a fund dedicated to non-military purposes (p. 3). According to Tim Godshall in "Legislate Nationally, Resolve Locally" (p. 1), the group has started by lobbying a city council to pass a resolution in favor of the bill. The first effort is in New York City. "The NYC Campaign has generated much support from New York peace, justice, and religious organizations by focusing on the economic impact of military spending on their city," Godshall writes.

Obsessed Fans

I have developed a recent habit of listening to the country station here in Pittsburgh, Y108. I have to do a lot of driving, so I purposely listen to it on the car radio. I sing and write songs, and for some reason, the country station helps me the most in this pursuit. I get better ideas for writing songs from it, and it seems to help me practice my singing better than other opportunities in my life. I also learn songs I can sing with my guitar. Church doesn’t help as much. During the Saturday night service at Round Hill, I’m too busy enjoying myself and trying to follow along with the words on the screen. Sunday’s service at the Sixth Presbyterian is more traditional. But I don’t know the hymns that well, and they are just a little too soprano for me.

I don’t even notice the names of the musicians on the country station. It turns out, however, that there is an obsessed female fan of a singer named Keith Urban. She lives in Latrobe. She regularly calls in to the station. From my limited experience, Keith Urban seems to have a very lovely voice and sing very lovely songs. This woman is not obsessed in any sick or criminal fashion. But her whole life is centered around traveling around the country to see this singer. She goes to great lengths to go to his concerts and get good seats. I became very intrigued by this woman and would just love to meet her. It got me thinking about whether I was obsessed with any famous person.

First of all, there is a golfer who I think is probably a big part of my life. His name is Phil Mickelson. He is a left-handed golfer, as I am. I have been a fan of his for many years. I think I probably spend many moments every week thinking about whether he is playing and where he is playing and planning as to how I’m going to watch it on television. He has definitely brought many interesting times into my life. I try to watch the other left-handed golfers also, but I pay particular attention to Phil. One time I was going to drive to Ohio to follow him around the course, but I got sick. Since then, I’ve made no attempts to drive anywhere to see him play. I did get to follow Steve Flesch around for nine holes, but that’s because he played at a nearby course. So, as important as Phil is to me, I don’t think I’m obsessed with him.

A couple days ago, I watched a baseball game between two teams I could care less about: the Braves and Mets. I only watched the game to see Pedro Martinez. I realized Pedro is still my favorite baseball player even though he is no longer on the Red Sox. I just love Pedro! And I don’t even like the Mets. I did drive to Toronto one time to see Pedro pitch. However, I really don’t consider myself to be obsessed with Pedro.

The closest I come to being an obsessed fan involves not one person, but a whole team. I think to some degree I am obsessed with the Red Sox. In high school, I used to run away from home to see them. I would take vacations to see them. I lived next to Fenway Park for eight years. When I moved to California, I went to see them when they played the Oakland A’s. I have driven to Cleveland, Toronto, and Philadelphia to see them. When they came to PNC Park, I stood in line for tickets and went to all their games. I really think about the Red Sox a lot, and I still love them just as much without the curse! Maybe more. I have a very hectic, challenging life and a lot of problems. When you start quoting Kevin Millar to people on what you have to do to get through your life, you start to wonder if maybe you aren’t a bit obsessed with the Red Sox!

Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism

Rev. Meek changed the format at the New Song Saturday service for this week. There was more music than usual, and instead of a sermon, he held an open forum with the congregation in which we could make comments or ask questions. The theme of the forum very soon became centered around a couple of New Testament verses, Ephesians 4:29 and 4:31: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers….Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." The Holy Bible, The New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.

The very same discussion ensued which could have easily taken place in the Soto Zen meditation group I used to attend. Verses from James and Corinthians were quoted to buttress the verses from Ephesians. All these verses, and the discussions they provoked, were very similar to Buddhist precepts and discussions of the precepts. S. N. Goenka in his article "Moral Conduct, Concentration, and Wisdom" explains the Buddhist Precept "to abstain from false speech" as follows: "Speech must be pure and wholesome. Purity is achieved by removing impurity, and so we must understand what constitutes impure speech. Such acts include telling lies, that is, speaking more or less than the truth; carrying tales that set friends at odds; backbiting and slander; speaking harsh words that disturb others and have no beneficial effect; and idle gossip, meaningless chatter that wastes one’s own time and the time of others. Abstaining from such impure speech leaves nothing but right speech." Entering the Stream, An Introduction to The Buddha and His Teachings, Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn, Shambala, Boston, 1993, pp. 99-100. Just as Buddhists emphasize that abstaining from improper speech does much to enhance purity and prevent the creation of bad karma, Rev. Meek explained to us how avoiding uttering "corrupt words" from our mouths is very important in not damaging our relationships with others, especially those we love. This similarity reminded me that it is possible Jesus and perhaps some of his disciples did in fact travel to India and study Buddhism, as many people hypothesize.

Rev. Meek spent a lot of time on anger. Here, you could see the difference between the Christian and Buddhist views on this subject. I think Buddhists look at anger as something that is unreal. It is only your thoughts. By silently meditating, watching it, and allowing it to run its course, it will dissipate, and you will be in your natural peaceful state. The Western view sees anger as a more real thing, something that must be discussed and diffused, or it will burst out in an undesirable manner. In that spirit, Rev. Meek designed an exercise where each of us was to turn to another person in the congregation, tell him or her about a time we were angry, and how we felt. I’ve made friends with another woman who comes to the service alone. She has a husband and grown children, but she usually comes to the service by herself. I was all too eager to spill my guts about my recent anger toward Rev. Meek for the right-wing literature he passes out at the service. I told her I was very liberal politically, and that I’d considered walking out of Round Hill Church. The way I had handled it was to post my feelings on the internet. Very liberal Presbyterians came to my rescue, and I had to resolve this by going to a different church on Sunday, the Sixth Presbyterian Church, which was a very liberal church. Just after I spilled this all to my new friend, I learned from her that she is none other than the Chief of Police! It was a rather humorous incident to lighten up this serious evening of soul searching!

On Sunday, the service at Sixth Presbyterian seemed to fit right in with my experience of the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Christianity. The guest speaker was an Orthodox Jewish woman by the name of Amy Jill Levine. Her talk was about differences and similarities between Judaism and Christianity and centered around Mark 2:23-28: "Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?’ But he said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him, how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him? And he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." The New King James Version. Levine stressed the similarities between the New Testament and the Old Testament, where it was also stated that the Sabbath was created for people, and not the other way around. She gave many examples from Jesus’ life with parallels to the Old Testament. She also tried to explain Jesus to us through Jewish eyes, because Jesus was very Jewish. She gave examples from Jesus’ life and explained to us how one Jew (or a gentile) could see this as evidence of a messiah, while another Jew would see no sign of a messiah but would just view Jesus as another prophet. In the end, Jews disagreed about Jesus, she said, and Jews have always disagreed about something!

In the end, we all have so much in common—Buddhists, Hindus, Moslems, Jews, Christians and other faiths. We all view the same important things, but sometimes we view them with small differences. It is so important to respect each other, discuss these things, keep talking, and above all, do it in peace.

Down with Monarchy!

I just watched the blessing ceremony for Charles and Camilla. I have to admit, I liked the music. I really liked the Russian music but am not sure why it was included. I understand why those ex-Episcopalians who appear on "The Journey Home" on EWTN (a program regarding people of other religious faiths who have converted to Catholicism) miss the music.

However, this post is dedicated to thanking some very special souls in Heaven who did something wonderful for me. I would like to thank Great Great Great Great Grandfather Thomas (I still visit your grave in Fells Church Cemetery) and Great Great Great Great Grandfather Wright for fighting in the Revolutionary War so that I don't have to be a subject to these clowns! While courtsying might tone up my leg muscles, thank you for fighting so that I don't have to do it! I would like to thank my Great Grandfather James Henry Ford for renouncing Queen Victoria, becoming an American citizen, and working for years in the mines so that I don't have to be a subject to these clowns! I visit your grave at Mingo Cemetery, and I believe you are my guardian angel. I'm glad I met people who knew you and were able to tell me about you. I greatly enjoyed your in-laws' letters from the early 1900's and their sarcastic comments about Queen Victoria's death.

While I enjoyed the music, I did NOT enjoy the hats, although there are many creatures here in my backyard (which, fortunately, is no longer part of your colony thanks to my GGGG grandfathers) who would love them!

The Masters

The Masters begins today. As a feminist, I know I should boycott it. After all, Hootie the good ol’ boy won’t let women join Augusta National. Alas, the past couple years, the Masters has been good to the tiny, persecuted, oppressed, and despised minority of which I am a member—left-handed golfers. How can I boycott the Masters when Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson are winning it? This year, four lefties are in the field. Past champs Mike and Phil, Steve Flesch, and Nick O’Hern. Lefty Richard Green won the Australian Masters, the gold jacket, and the Australian Order of Merit, but that wasn’t good enough for Hootie, and Richard got snubbed.

If you have ever watched the Masters, you know that it is famous for weird clothing rituals. Men run around in green jackets; caddies are dressed like Mr. Goodwrench. What will Hootie think up this year to torture the caddies?

If you’ve read other posts on my blog, you may know that I go to a More Light Presbyterian church. The More Light Presbyterians work toward the full inclusion of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender persons in the Presbyterian Church. I am thinking of asking the MLP to establish a section for left-handed golfers. I’m not quite sure whether there is a place for lefty golfers in the Presbyterian Church, or where we might fit in. I often wonder how Jesus would have treated us if we had existed 2000 years ago. Perhaps Jesus would have touched us and healed us, and we would have magically turned into right-handed golfers. I prefer to think that Jesus would have accepted us as we are and would have invited us in for a meal with tax collectors and prostitutes. I am hoping Jesus would have come up with some clever one-liner to deter the angry mobs from stoning us to death.

I am relieved to realize that I don’t have to boycott the Masters over my feminist views, because very soon we feminists will get revenge on Hootie and the Masters. Her name is Michelle Wie. Hootie, you male chauvinist pig, you had better find out Michelle Wie’s size quickly and have a green burqa ready for her!

Baseball is Back--Minus the Curse

I have always been crazy about baseball. From the first day of the regular season to the last out of the World Series, I feel that I am living real life. From the day after the World Series to the last day of spring training—no matter how well the Steelers do, no matter how good the golf is, no matter whether there is hockey or no hockey—I feel as if I am living in some type of twilight half-dream existence that is not quite real. Sunday night, when the television proved to me that my Red Sox and the hated Yankees were engaged in a major league game that counts, I knew baseball was back, and I was really alive! However, I entered this baseball season with an uneasy serenity to which I am unaccustomed. After 37 years—for me, at least—the Curse of the Bambino is gone.

I became a Red Sox fan in 1967. I was in high school, and everyone thought I was nuts. I lived near Pittsburgh, and the Pirates were pretty good. Why would I root for the Red Sox? Who knows, but I went around chanting, "Carl Yaztrzemski, Tony Conigliaro, Rico Petrocelli, and GEORGE SCOTT!" I was heartbroken when the Cardinals beat the Red Sox in the World Series in 1967. The next few years, I bugged my dad into taking us on vacation to Boston, where the whole family got to enjoy our first game at Fenway. I ran away to Boston and Cleveland to see the Red Sox. I talked my parents into letting me go alone to Boston. Finally, I even got into Boston University and lived a block from Fenway! Everyone in college also thought I was nuts!

I feel old when I think of this, but the weekend after I started at BU, I walked over to Fenway and bought a bleacher ticket. I sat down and struck up a conversation with a high school girl from Rhode Island who became one of my best friends. She and her buddy had come up from Rhode Island to see a rookie who had just been called up from Pawtucket—Carlton Fisk. See, I am OLD!

One thing about all of this that was good for me was that I went straight from Forbes Field to Fenway Park. It was 1970, and I didn’t have to endure a new stadium for long, i.e. Three Rivers. In 1971, when the Pirates were in the World Series, a student from Steve Blass’ hometown took pity on me and lent me a TV to watch the Bucs. I was still dirt poor and without a TV in 1975. I was living about a block from Fenway and was asleep when Carlton Fisk hit his historic home run in the 75 World Series. The crowd’s noise woke me up. The next night, I watched the final game at the BU Student Union, knowing if the Red Sox won I would not be able to walk the few blocks home all night long. But the Red Sox lost, and I’ll never forget walking by Fenway Park. It was like a funeral procession watching the disappointed fans filing out of Fenway.

After I moved to California, I often saw the Red Sox at the Oakland Coliseum. They often contended for the World Series, but it almost always ended in disappointment. In 1986, when they lost to the Mets in a very bizarre fashion, I truly believed in the Curse of the Bambino. After I moved back to Pennsylvania, I made several trips to see the Red Sox: to Cleveland, to Philadelphia, to Toronto.

During the playoffs in 2004, I believed so firmly in the curse and I was so nervous, that I often couldn’t watch and had to turn the TV off. I could not believe it when the Red Sox actually came back from a 0-3 deficit to beat the Yanks. Even during the last game of the World Series, as late as the 8th inning, I couldn’t watch. I didn’t believe it until that last out, until the ball was in Mankiewicz’ hand, that the Red Sox had done it. Finally, they were the World Champs! The curse was over.

So, I am thrilled that baseball is back. I feel alive. I can’t wait to go to PNC Park, which is absolutely a fantastic place to watch a game. And yet there is this uneasy feeling. There is no drama, no suffering, no curse. Wouldn’t you know it? Just when the Pope grows old and sick and shows us how to suffer over a long period of time with grace and dignity, the Red Sox win the World Series, and now we don’t have anything to suffer about!

Forward Township Fly Ash Slide

Palm Sunday was my first day at the Sixth Presbyterian Church in Squirrel Hill. When I told people where I was from, several of them immediately remarked, "That’s where they have the landslides!" I then told them that the landslide had occurred along my favorite jogging route.

I have a few jogging routes I really like, but Rostosky Ridge Road is my favorite. For one thing, I can get to the Monongahela River and back home in six miles only by jogging the length of Rostosky Ridge Road. In addition, Rostosky Ridge Road has the steepest, longest hill you can imagine in this part of the country. I think I’m the only person in Forward Township brave enough to jog up it. It was one of my great achievements in jogging when I could jog clear up it without stopping.

This winter, the small neighborhood at the very bottom of Rostosky Ridge Road was inundated by a toxic fly ash slide. It was the main news story in Pittsburgh for several days. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal processing. At some point in the past, this byproduct was dumped in a landfill at the top of the hill. It broke loose this winter, burying the small neighborhood in several inches of the black, poisonous muck. The Department of Environmental Protection did a so-called "cleanup." The first time I jogged down to see it, I couldn’t get through, because the cleanup was in progress. I talked to one of the residents who was shoveling the muck out of his driveway. He was very sick from it. It apparently contains cadmium and arsenic. Residents were warned that it was even more toxic to breathe it in once the weather warms up and it turns to dust. I was used to these friendly people, their children, and their dogs. They greeted me and encouraged me when they saw me out jogging. I brought treats to their dogs. I felt very concerned for them. It pained me to think of adults, children, and pets living in these conditions.

Another advantage of Rostosky Ridge Road is that it is the shortest way to Monongahela—4 ½ miles for me. If I take my car to the garage, this is the shortest walking route for me to retrieve my car. Shortly after the "cleanup," I had to walk through the area on the way to Monongahela to get my car. As I walked through this quarter-mile stretch, just by breathing the air, my mouth had a metallic taste in it. I couldn’t imagine what it must be like for people and animals to have to breathe this in 24/7! What terrible health problems will people have years from now after living in the midst of this fly ash slide?

Yesterday, I left the car in Monongahela and jogged up River Hill, where the slide started. It’s still roped off with police tape. There is a big black gouge in the hillside where the slide broke off and tumbled down the hill. Today, I walked through the affected neighborhood on the way to get my car. The yards are still covered in black, toxic muck. It has been 60-70 degrees and sunny. Kids come home from school and can’t play in their yards, can’t wade in the creek. They can’t use their swing sets because they are covered in fly ash. Some cleanup!

Let There be Light and More Light!

This morning I took my car into Monongahela to the garage. It’s a beautiful morning, and I jogged five miles home back up the hill. At least it isn’t SNOWING like it was yesterday morning on the way to church! After going to church in the snow, I was very happy to have the extra light at the end of the day. The snow had ended, it had warmed up, and when I turned on the TV and my Red Sox were playing the first game that counts this year, I knew spring was finally here.

This weekend I settled into my routine of going to two very different Presbyterian churches. Saturday night I went to the service at Round Hill with the rock band. I was baptized in this church and went to it throughout my youth. My mother is a member, and they visit her in the nursing home and bring her gifts. Saturday night, they baptized a nine-year-old boy during the service. It was very cute, and they had a party for him after the service. I was telling two members of the band that I had mentioned their band and their lead singer Stella in my blog. They didn’t know what a blog was, so I had the opportunity to explain it. I love going to this service, but don’t see it as a great source of fellowship for me. When the anti-liberal, homophobic literature was distributed at the service, God used my anger at this to my benefit. If this had not happened, I wouldn’t have searched for an alternative church. I am so grateful to Erin and Myra for helping me find the Sixth Presbyterian Church. I would never have found it if God had not worked through them to find this church for me.

As a youngster, I sang often at Round Hill. So it’s fitting that music brought me back to it. I also really enjoy Rev. Meek’s sermon at the service, even though he and I have very different views on things. This week, he talked about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, from the lowliest to the greatest. This sermon helped me to see things very differently. I know that Rev. Meek was referring to the gifts one receives by accepting Christ. But the sermon got me to thinking that perhaps when I don’t like someone or think particularly highly of them, maybe the reason is that they have been given different gifts by God. They may not have the gifts I most appreciate, but God has given them gifts which are just as important—to God. I have to respect that God has created this person too and given them valuable gifts of His choosing.

Sunday was the first sermon of Rev. Mary Louise McCullough, the minister who is a candidate for pastor of the Sixth Presbyterian Church. She seems like a very nice person. She would be replacing a minister who retired and was their minister for many years. Since his retirement, Rev. Beverly James has been the interim minister. From reading Rev. McCullough’s biography on Sixth Presbyterian’s web site, I learned that she served a two-year internship at another More Light church, in San Francisco, I believe. She based her sermon on the scripture about Thomas’ doubts when Jesus arose from the dead. Her view is that doubt is not necessarily a bad thing. She believes that the church is still in a time of rearrangement after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Instead of putting up walls and excluding people, the church should welcome people in. She says that she is very happy to be considered for the job of pastor of a church like Sixth that welcomes diversity. After the service, we got to shake hands with her and greet her as we left and also meet her husband, who is also a minister.

Since they were voting on the new pastor, I did not want to hang around. I’m not a member, and I wasn’t sure they would be having a social hour. Still, I was bombarded with warmth and friendliness! The church is so friendly. People who had seen me there for the first time two weeks ago remembered my name. I hadn’t met anyone who was sitting around me, and they all introduced themselves and made me feel very welcome. I am very happy that the Lord has solved my problems by making it possible for me to attend these two wonderful but very different churches.

The Pope

In my life I have gone to see a number of great holy people from various traditions. I never got to see the Pope in person. The Pope did what he thought was right according to his religious beliefs. He did what he thought was God’s will. The Pope reached out to many people. He reached out to people of other faiths, such as Jews and Muslims. He had great compassion for people suffering from AIDS. The Pope really cared about the poor. He cared about peace, and he stood up against the war in Iraq. Above all, he cared about the most despised of people—just as Jesus would have—those on death row. He was against the death penalty. He even forgave and blessed the man who shot him and tried to kill him. He also served as a great example for accepting suffering with grace and for continuing on in one’s work despite of physical suffering and great obstacles. He was a very great human being.

The Pope also disappointed many people. He did not provide answers to issues of sexual equality and sexuality. He did not move to make it possible for women to be priests. He did not really have an answer to the issue of human sexuality. He was against artificial birth control and abortion. He didn’t really have the answer to how people are supposed to control their sexual desires or to how our society is supposed to support all the unwanted children that could be born if people followed his advice. He didn’t have an answer for gay men and lesbians. He didn’t have an answer for straight and bisexual people who do not find that one special person of the opposite sex who is the right person to marry. I am single and I know how hard it is to have no one to come home to, no one to help me. My life is very hard. I don’t think the Pope had an answer for people who are totally homosexual and need a mate or for heterosexual and bisexual people who are unmarried but also need someone to love. I don’t think he had an answer for people young, middle aged, and old who can’t completely control their sexual desires. Allowing married people to have all the sex, love, and support they need but denying this to anyone who doesn’t fit the married, heterosexual model does not seem fair or realistic. Celibacy is a gift, and the Catholic religion, as well as many other religions, expects far too many people to have that rare gift. The Pope didn’t have an adequate answer for priests who are expected to be celibate--obviously. And I think he disappointed the many victims of sexual abuse by priests to some extent.

I can’t even begin to hope that the next Pope will address all these issues. But for a start, I do hope the next Pope realizes the gift from God that Roman Catholics are wasting by not allowing women to be priests. There are so many women who would be happy to be priests and to be celibate if they could be priests. If there is a solution to the sexual abuse problem, women priests is the best one. There would be so much less risk of sexual abuse if there were women priests. My hope is that at least this issue will be moved forward by the next Pope.

God was merciful to not allow the Pope to lie in a bed suffering for an extended period of time. The Pope is now safe and joyful, in Heaven with God, Jesus, Mary, Mother Teresa, all the saints and the angels.

Jogaholism and Walkaholism

A couple nights ago, I had the most serious talk ever with myself about my jogging. I have had plenty of serious talks with myself about it, so this one was really serious. At last, I was completely honest with myself about it: I am a jogaholic. It’s early spring and I’m still somewhat aerobically challenged after the recent cold spell. So when a 52-year-old, partially out of shape female jogs six miles over extremely steep, long hills, her feet don’t hurt, and she feels like she hasn’t done much of anything, it starts to sound like an addiction. I jogged 4 ½ miles on Wednesday, 6 on Thursday, and 5 ½ on Friday. There are other signs that this is an addiction. For example, I WANT to lift weights. My excuse for not lifting weights usually comes down to jogging instead of lifting weights. I do need to lose a few pounds. I try to diet. I usually end up jogging instead of dieting! Another sign that I’m just an addicted jogger is that I can’t control my jogging. For example, I would like to become a certified personal trainer. So I’d like my jogging to be part of a fitness program I’ve designed to achieve optimal aerobic fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility in conjunction with a healthy diet designed to maintain an ideal weight. That’s what I’d do for my clients if I were a personal trainer. All this, of course, is impossible for me. I just want to go out and jog at my own pace, conquer the steep hills around here, give out treats to my favorite dogs, and enjoy the scenery. In addition to this, I would like to be able to enter certain races and finish them in a reasonable amount of time: 10K, 15K, half-marathons. I’m completely unable to maintain any kind of training regime. I’m just an out of control jogger!

I realized after my talk with myself that I’m just going to have to accept my addiction to a certain degree. I’m going to have to try to get in some weight lifting. But I’ve decided I’m going to just have to give up dieting and try to jog it off. I’m still going to try to avoid certain high-fat foods and stick to the lower calorie ones. I have learned a lot these last few months by lurking around the various Biggest Loser boards, which are populated by fans of NBC’s hit show. I’m not going to think about entering races and will just let it take care of itself. I’m going to give into my jogging addiction to some extent and just see where it takes me. I’m going to have to do it my way, since that’s all I can do, apparently.

You may wonder where I’d even get the idea this is an addiction. Well, if you’ve read some of the other posts on my blog, you’ve learned I had a bout with anorexia. I eat enough now and really am a bit overweight, so I’m no longer anorexic. I had thought I’d completely beat this, but at the time, I learned you never recover from an eating disorder, you just learn to deal with it. So I’m sure the jogging addiction is another manifestation of it. I’m not jogging enough to really interfere with my health, so it’s nothing to worry about right now. When I used to attend the large support group for people with eating disorders, I learned that anorexics are often walkaholics. I was certainly a walkaholic when I was anorexic. I would walk till my feet were so sore I couldn’t walk another step. I heard many tales at that group of anorexics who walked for hours upon hours for many many miles.

There is a school of thought that exercisaholics can actually be classified as bulimic. I would not consider myself anywhere near this group of people. To me, this would mean that a person binges on food and then exercises for many hours at an extreme pace in order to rid him or herself of the calories; i.e., he or she would do extreme exercise rather than vomiting or using laxatives. I don’t binge and I don’t consider myself to be jogging to the extreme. A person who did not binge but who exercised way too much to get rid of the calories would probably be classified as exercise-addicted or anorexic. But in any case, I’m just obsessed enough with it to admit that: My name is Theodosia and I am a jogaholic!

Just Takin' Another Gang Rape for the Team!

Cassandra Nelson, in her Field Journal: Darfur, of November 4, 2004, posted on the Mercy Corps web site, explains why providing stoves, and the gas and kerosene to use them, is such a high priority when it comes to women’s safety and security. In her article, Ms. Nelson interviewed five refugee women from Godaba Villiage, who had to flee to a camp. While they are relatively safe in the camp, women must leave the camps for hours to collect firewood. Why? "Collecting firewood is an essential chore in the camps," explains Nelson. "It is used to cook all their meals and is sold for money to buy food items, such as meat, and medicines that are not available in their aid rations. The women must go out into the countryside several times a week so they can feed their families. They walk up to two hours away from camp into unprotected territory to search for wood. In the coming months, they will have to walk even further as the amount of wood is rapidly being depleted by the densely populated camp."

While out searching for wood, the women are vulnerable to gang rape by the Janjaweed militia. In the past week alone, the women told Nelson, they had heard about five attacks on women from their camp.

Well, where are the men? Why don’t the men go for firewood? Why don’t the men go along to protect the women? "Our men cannot come with us to protect us," one of the women told Nelson. "If they are caught outside the camp by the Janjaweed they will be killed. We will only be raped, so we must go alone."

What a choice! You send your male family members out and risk their murder, or you go yourself because you will "only" be raped! How would you gals out there like to have a life like this, where you had to risk gang rape every day to secure the supplies your family needed to live! And how would you guys like sitting around a refugee camp worrying about your wife, mother, daughter, or sister out there getting raped in order to collect firewood! I’ll bet you never realized a gas or kerosene stove could be this important.

"This will not completely solve the problem," Susan Romanski, Global Emergency Response Officer for Mercy Corps in Darfur told Nelson. "But it can significantly reduce the risk these women face. It is a difficult problem to solve. The tradition here is to cook with wood, no one knows how to use kerosene or gas stoves and the fuel is not available here. Trucking fuel in regularly is not a viable solution due to the poor road conditions and the need to use the limited trucks available to transport critically needed food."