Cluster Bombs

Try Not to Cry

OUTLANDISH AND SAMI YUSUF FOR ALL OPPRESSED CHILDREN

Remember the Men

Since the emergence of the Feminist Movement in the twentieth century, much focus has been placed, and rightfully so, on remedying the conditions that contributed to the mistreatment and neglect of women. National and international laws, including affirmative action, have attempted to narrow the gap between the genders.

Society imposes certain roles on men as it does on women. The negative effects of such roles on the men have usually gone unrecognized. While men, as a gender, have generally not been oppressed by women or by society, they have been socialized into roles that have added to their burden and compromised their physical and emotional health.

The primary responsibility of providing for the family and the socio-economic pressures that ensued have led, over time, to an identity stereotype that is based on a strong work ethic, long work hours, and degree of financial success. There are cultural differences, of course, across groups, nations, and families. Traditionally, farming communities relied on the labor of both men and women. In modern times, and in an industrialized and market economy, the “traditional” breadwinning roles between men and women have become more defined, with the men making most of the money and controlling it and the women staying at home and working on the domestic front.

Gender roles began shifting in the 1960s in a post-industrialized world where the structure and definition of family were changing. Two-parent, male and female, households and extended families are no longer the norm. With such changes, some of the economic burdens have shifted to women, leading many women with small children into the mainstream work force, therefore increasing their level of stress. Most women have, however, entered the work force as a means of independence and self-reliance. Despite that fact, the self esteem of men is still centered on the work place. In a way, the burdens of both have increased in a market economy.

Men have traditionally encountered emotional and physical issues that are peculiar to their gender due to society’s expectations and due to their work burdens. Society tends to be more accepting of less economic achievement and less physical, mental, or emotional “courage” from women than from men. In situations where men have been emotionally, mentally, or even physically, abused by women or other men, society is very harsh in the way it treats the male victim. Men are usually laughed at or asked to just deal with it, actions we would never even contemplate repeating if the woman were the victim.

Some of the jobs that have been held mostly by men include the following: the military (with certain branches being solely theirs), construction and other physically demanding jobs, contractor jobs in war torn areas, rescue workers, presidents, heads of corporations, mining, and critical medicine. Men sometimes bury their sorrows in alcohol or work; they become alcoholics or workaholics. When anger builds up without proper family or community support, they lash out and, sometimes very violently. Suicide is a real issue among men. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

- Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death for all U.S. men;

- Males are four times as likely to die from suicide than females although three times as many women as men attempt suicide (CDC 2004);

- In 2001, suicide took the lives of 30, 622 people, 24, 672 of whom were men (CDC 2004);

- Of the 24,672 male suicide deaths reported in 2001, 60% involved the use of a firearm;

- In 2005, 4 people out of 100,000 in the United States died of injuries at work. Males accounted for 93% of those deaths at a rate 12 times that of women;

- The leading causes of death of men of all races in the United States in 2002 are the following in descending order: heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, suicide, kidney disease, and chronic liver disease.

There is evidence to suggest that more women than men suffer from depression. Men, however, are more reluctant to seek help due to the social stigma of mental difficulties. Men do not report such difficulties because they are afraid of losing their jobs or because of self-esteem considerations. That is one reason why men can feel trapped in a society that does not encourage verbal or emotional expression to release tension and why they are more successful in their suicide attempts.

Suffering in silence is the burden that we, as a society, have encouraged by our neglect of the issues that face men in a world that values appearances and materialism over holistic well-being and in a world that emphasizes our differences versus our commonalities.

Men may have historically had the upper hand as a group in most spheres in life. As individuals, however, they have faced horrendous circumstances in addition to their daily responsibilities with the “understanding” that they should “tough it out” because they are men. This is an inhuman and very detrimental outlook and it devalues the other 48% of our species.

People returning from the war zones of the Middle East are mostly men. They are in need of much emotional and financial support. Are we astute enough to notice what they are going through or do we continue to live by the motto “don’t show and don’t tell?”

June is International Men's Month. This is a good website for resources on men's issues. http://www.menstuff.org/frameindex.html.

Occupation, Walls of Segregation, and Fuelling Sectarian Conflict: the Crimes of the Powerful Psychopaths

The talk of "escalating" sectarian conflict in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East has become the arguing point between the two criminally minded parties in the U.S., Republicans and Democrats. The newly discovered and extensively exploited phrase is laying the burden of responsibility for the disastrous outcome of the war on the Iraqis instead of at the feet of those who started the war, mainly the criminal Neo-Conservatives and their military-corporate-government complexes, the spineless Democrats, the mainstream media, the religious establishment, and all the enlightened citizens of the strongest and supposedly wealthiest democracy in the world who supported and continue to support this genocide.

In the midst of the obscenity that continues to be the occupation of Iraq, Military Channel, and other reality style entertainment, we have become accustomed to actual violence. We are desensitized to the humiliation that is inflicted on the Iraqi people on a daily basis.

The people of Iraq are struggling on more the one level. The refugee problem of 4 million Iraqis has reached crisis proportions and those fleeing the economic, physical, and psychological effects of this war are trapped with little help in the present and no hope for the future.

Now, a new "Wall of Segregation" is being built to protect a Sunni sector of Baghdad. What may be forgotten here is: that which prevents you from going in also prevents you from coming out. The unfolding Orwellian surrealism of the situation in Palestine and, now, Iraq, reminds me of a movie I saw a few months ago, CHILDREN OF MEN.

Riverbend is an Iraqi blogger who has been on the blogsphere since the beginning of the war. She has articulated what many Iraqis have felt for years and, in this piece, she shares what many who are caught in prolonged war go through and the dilemmas they face.

Maybe, one day, we can all meet that courageous girl around the bend where "hearts can heal and souls can mend."

International Earth Day

"The Earth Flag is my symbol of the task before us all. Only in the last quarter of my life have we come to know what it means to be custodians of the future of the Earth - to know that unless we care, unless we check the rapacious exploitations of our Earth and protect it, we are endangering the future of our children and our children's children. We did not know this before, except in little pieces. People knew that they had to take care of their own ... but it was not until we saw the picture of the Earth, from the Moon, that we realized how small and how helpless this planet is - something that we must hold in our arms and care for."

Margaret Mead, March 21, 1977

April 22nd marks International Earth Day. It is celebrated every year across the globe. San Luis Obispo had its Earth Day gathering yesterday at the Mission Plaza downtown. A well-participated in and attended event, it had a somber and urgent message: ---we are running out of time but these are the ways in which individuals can help.

The main giveaway items were reusable grocery bags and spiral energy efficient bulbs. Electric, hybrid, bio-diesel, and other alternative modes of transportation were on display. Participating local businesses and groups with environmentally conscious philosophies and practices were thrilled to be there: computer businesses, skin and make-up sales representatives and local producers, the California Conservation Corps, Code Pink, The Green Party, ECOSLO, Health food vendors, water treating businesses, Air America, and many other participants, helped educate visitors, including children, on the necessity of individual responsibility in initiating the reversal of environmental degradation.

The people absent were, of course, the war mongers, the big corporations, and the greedy of society.

Earthday Network has put out an urgent call for action globally. Their website is a good resource for ways to implement change.

Clowns Without Borders

Along the lines of Doctors Without Borders and Artists Without Border, Clowns Without Borders (CWB) offer children around the world the opportunity to maintain a sense of childhood and laughter in the middle of conflict and violence. CWB organizations can be found in the United States, Canada, France, Belgium, Spain, and Sweden. They visit different areas of conflict around the world.

Their motto: No Child Without a Smile

Is America Ready for the Troops When They Come Home?

Sergeant Kevin and Monica Benderman, Benderman's Bridge.

There are many in the United States who say they “support the troops.” There are many more who yell that phrase in others’ faces to make a point.

What does supporting the troops really look like and does troop support imply constant sloganeering? There are those who live their beliefs through thought and action with little talk. Then there are those who are quick to remind others how much they care and how staunchly they support the soldiers. Most troop support I have personally encountered has been sporadic, thoughtless, and with little long-term solutions whether on the local or on the political levels.

Surely, sending lollypops and video games to homesick, young and not so young individuals can give some relief. But really, how do we, as citizens, as friends, as parents, as politicians, and as a Commander in Chief, ensure that these people and their affected families get the support they need during deployment and after their return home? Are we ready to deal with the impact of 200,000 returning soldiers, many of whom will have needs that will require extensive community and national support?

At least one town has had a tradition of supporting its troops and their families in many wars. The town of Hinesville, Georgia, is an example of what good and moral citizenship is about. They have been the glue that bound all the generations at Fort Stewart together and eased the burdens of many families and soldiers. They have stepped in, willingly and with compassion, in all needed areas, and they have been doing it with humility and restraint. It does not matter if a soldier is for or against the war.

Their efforts, however, have been thwarted by power hungry and unwise garrison commanders, profiteers and developers. Veterans, families, peace activists, and community members protested to advocate for returning soldiers. Two of those protesters were Sergeant Kevin Benderman and his wife, Monica. Kevin, who spent ten years in the military and one tour in Iraq, was imprisoned for over a year for protesting the war and for asking for better treatment of soldiers and veterans. Kevin and Monica have launched a new organization called "Benderman's Bridge," which will develop projects designed to restore peace at home by reaching out to connect the small towns and communities of America with the veterans who fought to defend them. They also have their own website with information for citizens and ways people can help.

We can learn a thing or two from the people of Hinesville and the Bendermans.

Gag the Soldiers

Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are now barred from talking to the media. New measures implemented at the facility are punitive, according to the soldiers, in retaliation for exposing the deplorable conditions inside the Medical Hold Unit. I guess complaining about mold and mice violates national security laws and compromises the "War on Terror."

Wouldn't fumigation and a little bit of paint have fixed the problem?

Maybe the military cannot afford to fight its war on pests that pose a health hazard to our soldiers, but they have plenty of money (two billion dollars a week) to play war games in Iraq.

Let's support our troops some more, shall we?

Time to Dump the Republican and Democratic Parties

President Bush's proposed 2008 budget is characteristic of what is ailing this expanding empire. With permanent tax cuts to the wealthy, increasing military spending, and cuts in social programs, the prospect looks dismal for the working people of this nation.

The Democrats have enabled this administration and the ones before to slash benefits to those who need it the most. The recent minimum wage increase does little to alleviate the struggle of the poor. The purchasing power of our wages is not what it used to be 30 years ago. Forty-seven million people and rising continue to be without health insurance and, neither the Republicans not the Democrats seem to be in a hurry to change the status quo.

It is with the help of the Democrats that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were started. It is with their help that our civil liberties are being eroded. It is with their help that the people of the Middle East continue to face brutal occupations and murder.

Nothing tangible has yet emerged from this new government. Maybe it is time to think in new paradigms that move us away from forms of labor that support mega corporations, mass slaughter, and poverty.

Our population is getting older. There will be fewer younger people who will be able to finance the social and military burdens of this empire. The bipartisan system has proven to be nothing more than politically appealing and misleading. It would be wise to look inside the imperial budget and get a glimpse of where our children are headed.

Is it time for something different?

Children's Wellbeing: How the Richest Nations Care for Their Most Vulnerable

The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends to its children – their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialization, and their sense of being loved, valued, and included in the families and societies into which they are born.

The recent Innocenti Report Card published in 2007 by UNICEF on the status of children in the wealthiest countries has shown one stark fact; that wealth is not an indicator of the well-being of children.

Twenty-one of the wealthiest nations were studied using 6 measurable dimensions: 1) material well-being, 2) health and safety, 3) educational well-being, 4) family and peer relationships, 5) behaviors and risks, and 6) subjective well-being.

1) Material well-being: three components were measured under this one; relative income poverty, households without jobs, and reported deprivation. US rank=15/21, well below the average.

2) Health and safety: 3 components were measured; health at age 0-1, preventative health services, and safety. US rank=21/21, the worst with high accidental death rates for children and infants.

3) Educational wellbeing: 3 components were measured; school achievement at age 15, beyond basics, and the transition to employment. 11/21.

4) Relationships: 3 components were measured: family structure, family relationships, and peer relationships. US rank=20/21.

5) Behaviors and risks: 3 components were measured: health behaviors, risk behaviors, and experience of violence. US rank 20/21.

6) Subjective wellbeing: 3 components; health, school life, and personal wellbeing. Information for overall US ranking is not available.

The study highlights the fact that there is serious child neglect in the richest countries. In a decade where we are spending billions of dollars every month to finance wars and to give tax breaks to large corporations, it is apparent that children are not benefiting from the wealth we have.

Do we need to change our moral framework of thinking to place the rights of the most vulnerable human beings above the bottom line? Should we advocate for the welfare of our children along human rights lines by making it illegal and immoral to neglect their overall wellbeing because we are too busy working, not parenting, and fighting wars that serve no constructive purpose? Can we make access to proper education, health care, and fulfilling life opportunities available in a well-planned and future oriented manner?

Children are the future. They are our collective investment as a humanity. How well we treat them and nurture their best qualities will determine our fate as a species.

For the full report: Child Poverty in Perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries. A comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and adolescents in the economically advanced nations

UNICEF