September 11, 2007

I began my work day examining and preparing to read papers from the European Union on building a health care system that works. Then I listened to this video interview by Laurence Allen of Tim Wirth, who heads the UN Foundation.

According to Wirth, the US spends 16 times more than all other countries combined on defense and by not staying current with its debt to the UN Security Council it does not pay it’s full contribution to support UN Peace Keeping Forces, risking a loss of the US seat in the general assembly. Ted Turner established the foundation to pay off the $1B debt the US owed the UN. We are now $5M behind in paying our total $1.8B share for this activity.

I have to ask myself how I explain to children today that in the US we value defense and don’t value education, peace, and more.

Recently we signed a Congressional act called the American Competes Act. Imagine that we had to politicize and sign an act in Congress that responds to how the US’s power is eroding because we are not educating and providing funds to today’s young adults to participate in a world that has gotten so complex that jobs cannot be obtained with an expertise in medicine, science and math.

This state is now considered a state of emergency, as the debt for Iraq climbed to $450,579,747,000 plus this morning.

I used to be a quiet person who would never speak out or protest, yet I marveled at people who do. Now I don’t view protest useful. I simply go to the Internet and learn from real knowledge: why Bush is not doing his job and wonder what it will take for Congress and other infrastructure to organize for peace, education and sustainability. I share what I have learned and navigate out of a sea of protest into communities of action and change.