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THE SPARROW SINGS August, 2011
Psychologist
and social scientist Dacher Kellner says the rich really are different,
and not in a good way. Their life experience makes them less
empathetic, less altruistic and general more selfish. It seems that
many people who become very rich tend to be less willing to share their
wealth. Maybe that is why Christ told the rich young man to get rid of
his possessions if he was to be His follower. He said, “it is easier for
a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the Kingdom.” Christ as telling the rich man that if he really
wanted happiness he needed to give his wealth to the poor. When people
have too much wealth they tend to be more concerned about protecting
their wealth than
helping those in need. They feel that they must arm themselves from
those who may try and take away what they have. They feel justified in
harming those who are believed to be trying to take away their wealth.
Thus they become fearful, and a fearful person is not a happy person.
Conversely, those who give of their wealth are less fearful, more secure
and quite happy. Part of being happy is the ability to give to others.
This, however, is the opposite of what society teaches people. It
teaches that more wealth leads to more happiness. For this reason most
corporations are only interested in making profits. They see workers
only as tools in becoming more wealthy. This is one of the reasons they
are opposed to unions. If workers cost them money they become their
enemy. Rather than looking at what is good for them as well as their
workers they see what is good only for them. To take any opportunity
to make more money, even if it hurts others, is considered a virtue.
They think nothing of asking the government for subsidies and will get
the U.S. military to protect their financial ventures abroad. The
biggest U.S. corporations have now become even wealthier at the expense
of the rest of the American people. They are given tax breaks by the
government so that they hire more people. However, as you know, many
corporations choose not to hire more people but invest their money saved
in taxes in other avenues or move their operations to other countries
where labor is cheaper and environmental standards are almost
non-existent. They enrich themselves. They enrich themselves with the
help of the American public which makes them even more fearful and
insecure. They become a very unhappy and make so many others unhappy in
the process. ---Don Timmerman
“Christians
no longer take up the sword against nations, nor do we learn war any
more, having become children of peace, for the sake of Jesus, who is our
leader.” ----Origen, major early African theologian (c.185-254)
“We
make a bargain with our governments. We pay taxes and expect a set off
government services in return. And in return for a guarantee of some
measure of security, we grant the government a monopoly on legitimate
violence. In theory. Then, we forswear mob rule and paramilitary
organizations, we occasionally accept death penalty as an appropriate
punishment, we delegate the responsibility to declare and prosecute war
to our legislative and executive branches, and we put guns into the
hands of the army and the police…..Governments, in other words, kill on
our behalf.” -----John Feffer, Foreign Power in Focus, Aug. 24, 2011
JOKES
Why did the football coach go to the bank? To get his quarterback!
Two
miners were arguing over who should get what part of their latest
claim. “Do you want the gold or the silver?” the first miner finally
asked. Shrugging his shoulders, his partner replied, “Either ore.”
Wife:
Do you want to renew our vows? Husband: I didn’t know they expired.
Why are coins made out of metal? Because change is hard.
After
an old man reached his 100th birthday, a local radio station
interviewed him. “What’s your secret to longevity?” the reporter asked.
“I never argue with anyone,” the man replied. “Surely that can’t be
it,” said the reporter. The man shrugged. “I suppose you’re right.”
A
farmer offers to help a driver get his car out of a mud hole for $20.
“Yours is the 10th car I’ve rescued today,” he says. “Wow,” says the
driver, “When do you work your land? At night?” “No, night is when I
fill the hole with water.”
What do you call a formal dance full of chickens? A fowl ball.
A paper bag in pain goes to see a doctor. “I’m afraid your condition
is incurable,” says the doctor. “Oh no!” the bag yelled. “How did I
catch this?” “It’s genetic,” the doctor said. “Your grandfather was a
carrier.”
How many sheep do you have? I don’t know. Every time I start to count them I fall asleep.
A man bought a new car and was so excited he called a priest, a
minister and a rabbi to bless it. The priest said some prayers over it.
The minister also said some prayers. The rabbi sang a psalm and cut
off the tip of the tailpipe. What’s the difference between a Jew and a
Christian? Jews get really angry. Christians just get a little cross.
A
couple came to the priest to ask to be married. The priest told them
that they have to abstain from sex until they get married. The couple
agreed. Two weeks later, the couple was called by the priest who wanted
to know if they were following the agreement on pre-marital sex. The
man sadly replied, “Well we were doing alright until my fiancé dropped a
light bulb and when she bent over to pick it up I just could not help
myself.” The priest told him that then he could not welcome them into
the church for the marriage. The man said, “Well, that’s alright. We
are not welcome at the grocery store anymore either.”
Why did the Amish wife divorce her husband. Because he was driving her buggy.
INTERESTING FACTS
In
2010 a dozen major companies, including G.E., Verizon, Boeing, Wells
Fargo and Fed Ex paid U.S. tax rates between -0.7% and -9.2%.
Production, employment, profits and taxes have all been outsourced.
None of these companies have hired more workers. Some have decreased
their workforce. The richest 400 Americans paid 30% of their income in
taxes in 1995. Now they pay only 18%. U.S. millionaire household have
at least $45.9 trillion in wealth (an estimated $6.3 trillion hidden in
offshore accounts), the majority of this wealth is held within the upper
one-tenth of one percent of the population. In fact, 1,470 Americans
earned over $1 million in 2009 and paid no taxes. The average
millionaire saves $135,000 a year
due to reduced tax rates. Corporate taxes accounted for 4.3% of
overall G.D.P. in 1955. In 2010 they accounted for only 1.3%.
-------Deloitte, financial advisory firm, United for a Fair Economy,
and Who Rules America? by William Domhoff
Hundreds
arrived in Washington D.C. to protest the proposed Keystone XF project a
1,661-mile pipeline that would carry oil form Canada’s tar sands to
refineries in Texas. If TransCanada gets permission from President
Obama the pipeline would carry as much as 900,000 barrels of oil each
day. The pipeline would disrupt rivers, lakes, woodlands; and if
ruptured, it would cause great environmental damage. There have been
about 500 arrests of those doing nonviolent civil disobedience in trying
to stop this pipeline.-----Mother Jones, Aug. 24
Scientists now believe that they are aware of less than 15% of the world’s species. ----Care2news, 8/24/11
Some 4.3% of the $46 billion allocated by TARP to help homeowners refinance has been used for another purpose.
Some 66% of Americans believe pornography is wrong while only 28% believe the death penalty is wrong.
Only 1 in 10 of Pakistanis approved of the raid on Osama bin Laden. -----Harper’s Index, Aug., 2011
There
are still 600,000 people in Haiti who are homeless and living in tents
in Haiti since the earthquake of January, 2010. Candles are used for
light. There is no running water and no substantial sanitation
facility. ----The International Organization for Migration
Since
9/11, the annual U.S. military budget has more than doubled to $700
billion, and annual military industry profits have nearly quadrupled
approaching $25 billion last year. The U.S. spent $1.3 trillion in the
10 years after 9/11. That was on top of baseline military spending in
excess of $4 trillion. ----Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/26/11
Since
the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq; veterans benefits, future
costs for treating the war-wounded and interest payments on war-related
borrowing cost $3.2 trillion to $4 trillion in war costs. ----The
National Priorities Project
Ten
different military contractors are now building robot drones. In the
U.S., drones are being tested and flown from the following bases:
Creech AFB, NV; Beale AFB, CA; Cannon AFB, NM; Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ;
Ellington Field TX, Ellsworth AFB, SD; Grand forks AFB, ND; Hancock
Airfield NY; Hector Int’l Airport, ND; Holloman AFB, NM; Langley AFB,
VA; March Joint Air Reserve Base, CA; Springfield ANG Base, OH; and
Whiteman AFB, MO. ----Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power
in Space
On
any given day, American commandos are carrying out secret missions in
70 countries. By the end of the year that number is likely to reach
120. -----U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman Colonel Tim Nye
The
U.S. C.I.A. is using a secret facility in Somalia for counterterrorism
as well as an underground prison (rendition) in Mogadishu. The C.I.A.
is training a Somali force to counter the military group, Shabab. The
C.I.A. does not run the prison, but it pays Somali agents $200 in cash
to run the secret prison. ----Jeremy Scahill in The Nation, 7/7/11
Area
51 is a secret U.S. military base located some 80 miles north of Las
Vegas built in the 1050’s to test hi-tech spy and war planes, including
the U-2, the stealth bomber and surveillance drones. It covers a vast
area of over 4,500 square miles. ----Area 51: An Uncensored History of
America’s Top Secret Military Base
Only
62% of Americans believe there is global warming, and 44% Republicans
believe in global warming. Some 93 corporations spent $282.7 million
lobbying for the American Jobs Creation Act off 2004, a year-long ”tax
holiday.” With this legislation, the corporations saved $62.5 billion in
taxes. ----Yes Magazine, Fall, 2011
Among all the countries in the world, the U.S. ranks 45th in equality of income. -----The Daily Show, 8/19/11
The
most socialistic states are: 1) West Virginia 2) Alaska 3) Alabama and
4) Vermont. The least is Nevada. ----Mainstreet.com
Last year alone the U.S. military spent $13 billion on fuel. ------N.P.R., 8/29/11
Spending
on weapons programs has long been dominated by contractors. They
receive a majority of all dollars spent on the military. The Commission
on Wartime Contracting recently found that $34 billion has been wasted
or misspent on service contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.
------Project on Government Oversight
Citizens
of Iceland, frustrated with corporate autocracy, have chosen not to
cooperate with it. They have refused to acquiesce to the demands of
global financial institutions by simply refusing to be taxed for the
mistakes of the financial elite that caused their nation’s recent
financial meltdown. In a March 2010 referendum in Iceland, 93% voted
against repayment of the debt, and Icelandic citizens have been drafting
a new constitution that would free their country from the power of
international finance. This constitution will be submitted to
parliament for approval after the next elections. Many acts of
cooperation have led to revolutions. -----“Iceland’s Ongoing
Revolution” in Daily Kos Community Site,
8/1/11
It
was recently found out that the U.S. Federal Reserve Board secretly
handed out $1.2 Trillion in virtually free loans to major American and
European banks at the height of the financial crisis between 2007 and
2010. This amount of money equals the $1.7 Trillion in unpaid principal
on 4.38 million U.S. homes whose owners are delinquent on mortgages
payments and the 2.16 properties that are already in foreclosure.
---Bloomberg and WSWS.org., 8/23/11
There
are about 46 million Americans on food stamps, roughly 15% of the
population, and 6% of the 72.9 million Americans paid by the hour
received wages at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour in
2010. -----Reuters, 8/23/11
As
many as 168 children were killed in drone strikes in Pakistan in the
past 7 years. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that 2,292
people have been killed by U.S. missiles, including as many as 775
civilians. ------The Telegraph UK, 8/23/11
In
the last 90 days as many as 28,000 children under the age of 5 have
died of starvation in Somalia. Out of a population of 3.2 million
Somalis the U.N. says 3.2 million need immediate lifesaving assistance.
----U.N.I.C.E.F., 8/3/11
NOTE:
Presente! Jackie Hudson (76), O.P. from Grand Rapids MI, spent
decades demonstrating in support of nuclear disarmament. She died after
having health problems while in prison for a nonviolent civil
disobedience action at the Oak Ridge TN nuclear plant in July. She,
along with 13 others, were charged with trespassing and were given
prison time. She was a faithful peacemaker, organizer, strong preacher
of truth, gentle and nonviolent woman, teacher, musician and plowshare
activist. ----The Nuclear Resister May she now have eternal peace.
WEDS.,
SEPT. 7 ----ANTI-GUN VIGIL FROM NOON TO 1 P.M. AT BADGER GUNS, 43RD
& LINCOLN AVE., MILWAUKEE. People who work where guns are allowed
are 5 to 7 times more likely to be murdered. ---WAVE
WEDS.,
SEPT 14 -------ANTI-ROTC VIGIL FROM NOON TO 1 P.M. ON 16TH &
WISCONSIN AVE., MILWAUKEE. We believe a Christian university like
Marquette U. should be teaching what Christ taught, love of one’s
enemies, continual forgiveness and nonviolence. Marquette continues to
host military training on campus. No more wars for oil AND No more oil
for wars! We cannot feed the people, but we can fund an armed invasion?
NOTES
FROM 21ST STREET: This August we were blessed with the gift of a
week on Butternut Lake from Gene and Nancy Nedilsky. The first morning
after arriving, while sitting on the deck, I heard much singing from the
Loons. I watched as six Loons gathered in a group on the lake. One
would perform a dance, by flapping its wings and rearing back on its
feet. Back and forth they sang and danced. It was hauntingly
beautiful. Adult parent Loons leave the lake they raised their young on
a month or so before they fly south. They do this to ensure that their
young, who remain on the lake, will have enough food to give them
strength for their migration. I wondered if what I witnessed was their
parting dance. I also wondered whether we, the people of the U.S.,
could restrain ourselves from over consumption so that all peoples of
the earth may have enough for their journey. I pray that it may be so.
I will close with a prayer from John Robbins from the book “Diet for a
New World”. “Let us bless the source of life that brings forth bread
from the earth. Let our lives be a blessing to the earth that sustains
us, and to all the creatures that, like us, call the planet home”.
Peace, Roberta
THE SPARROW SINGS
Don and Roberta
1120 N 21st St.
Milwaukee WI 53233
(414)342-0158
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