In The Eyes of God: Mother's Day Sermon 2010

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! I'm not posting my sermon here, but you can read the text by clicking the link here.

A request to sign a petition to free the detained health workers in the Philippines.

Below is the text of a request to sign on to a letter of support for the 43 Health Workers. This letter will be published in the Philippines and perhaps other international newspapers.

A scanned copy or PDF may be emailed to kuusela (at) gmail.com, and is needed by Monday March 1, 2010 at noon.

Below the letter are two resources for your information.

--One is a list of links to legal documents in the case, news reports, and to the GBGM and GBCS websites.

-- The other is my initial report of our advocacy team's 8-day immersion trip, Feb. 14-21, 2010.

Grace and Peace!

Sandie Richards

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Free the 43 health workers

We, undersigned, express our condemnation of the illegal raid on the house of Philippine General Hospital consultant Dr . Melecia Velmonte on February 6 which resulted in the illegal mass arrest of 43 health workers and volunteers, including 2 doctors, a nurse and a midwife.

The arrests were made based on a patently defective search warrant and were done with brazen disregard for the rule of law and due process.

We condemn the violations of the rights of the 43 as attested to by no less than the Commission on Human Rights. We deplore the psychological and physical torture inflicted on them, including: being blindfolded and handcuffed for 36 hours, subjected to continuing and prolonged tactical interrogation with death threats, harassment and intimidation, deprived of sleep and urgent medication, manhandled and beaten, denied legal counsel and medical treatment for days, coerced to wrongly make admissions and implicate others, and subjected to various indignities during their captivity. Some were held incommunicado or remain in solitary confinement up to now. Others face continuing threats and harassment.

We deplore the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) initial defiance of a Supreme Court order to produce the 43 before a hearing on their petition for habeas corpus. We decry the vilification heaped against 62-year-old Dr. Alexis Montes, Dr. Merry Mia-Clamor and their fellow participants in the health training. The AFP continues to make the sweeping and baseless allegation that all 43 are members of the New People's Army (NPA) in order justify their illegal arrest and detention.

The arrest of the 43 puts to risk health professionals and community health workers who serve the poor and disadvantaged especially in remote areas of the country. Many are already being accused as members of the NPA, subjected to military and police harassment and worse, have become victims of outright human rights violations.

The incident underscores the fact that grievous human rights violations not seen since the martial law regime of Marcos continue with impunity under the Arroyo administration.

Justice demands that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo order the immediate and unconditional release of the 43 health workers detained by the AFP.

We call on political and religious leaders, colleagues in the various professions, and all freedom-loving Filipinos to make a stand for human rights. Let us unite to FREE THE 43 health workers!

Signed:

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Important Links:

Legal Documents in the case on behalf of the 43 health workers

"Military Accused of Torturing Detained Health Workers", Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2/9/2010

"Health Workers Tortured-CHR", Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2/10/2010

"International Outrage Growing over 'Morong 43' Case", Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2/18/2010

"Mission Board Expresses Concern for Detained Health Workers", United Methodist Global Ministries, 2/11/2010

"Military Denies Health Workers Rights", Faith in Action Newsletter, UM Church & Society 2/19/2010

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Rev. Sandie Richards

Chair, Cal-Pac Board of Church & Society

February 21, 2010

National Council of Churches of the Philippines

Manila

Dear Friends:

Tonight (Sunday) I leave for home! Right now it's almost 10am Sunday morning here, almost 6pm (Saturday) in Los Angeles. I wanted to write to say thanks to the team that has stepped up to

lead while I'm away-- I know everything is being taken care of there.

I look forward to coming home today-- we've only been here 8 days, but it has been a very full trip!

We learned about the excellent work of the National Council of Churches of the Philippines, a convening body for several non-Roman Catholic churches; we met with some who were forcibly detained by the military, and some whose family members are either missing or killed because they chose to speak up for the rights of the poor and marginalized. Still others are under threat.

We met the Chair of the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines, Chair Leila DeLima. She is scrupulous in her fair, 'facts-only' approach, and because of that, when she states a fact one may be sure of its truth.

We spent a day at the gates of Camp Capinpin, home of the Philippine 2nd Infantry Jungle Fighters. This is where the 43 health workers are being detained. A bit of background:

There are several organizations that are working on training health workers in the under-served poor, rural areas of the Philippines. The trainings have been ongoing, teaching first basic skills such as CPR, and basic information-gathering such as taking blood pressure and testing for diabetes. The training that was ongoing when the 43 were rounded up and detained was an advanced training, particularly meant to equip folks for disaster response. The flooding last fall was one event which prompted the need for such a training. Hospitals were flooded, and people died for lack of even the most basic medical care.

Among the 43 is a long-time church layman and respected surgeon, Dr. Alex Montes, and Dr. Merry Mia, a well-respected health professional.

I will say more about the 43 health workers in my full report, but for now suffice it to say that they are being accused of being a part of the NPA (New People's Army), an uprising that has been warring with the Philippine government for about forty years. It's outrageous that helping the poor and working on improving community health have been made into a crime.

Speaking of the NPA, there has been a peace process slowing inching forward between a coalition of so-called, 'people's groups', called the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.

It is this peace process which most interests me.

Currently it's being financed and supported by the Norwegian Government, and an agreement between the two parties has been formed on the first of four items. This agreement, called the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. (CARHRIHL). I hope to become an advocate for this process to continue-- there have been difficulties as for instance, some of the negotiators on the NDFP side have been labeled 'terrorists' and therefore are on international watch lists. One such person has successfully challenged this label and had it removed by the Europeans, but the USA and the Philippine Government have not obliged. As the negotiations take place in Oslo, and as this negotiator is needed there in order for talks to continue, his presence on watch lists effectively stops the negotiation.

It is my initial assessment that the peace process is key to ending the warring between the NPA and the Philippine military. At our meeting we learned that the Philippine military has about 200,000 troops; the NPA is estimated at 5,000 or fewer. If the terms of peace could be agreed upon, there could be a laying down of arms and the beginning of a time of healing.

We also had a presentation on the environment here in the Philippines. Rich in biodiversity and gold/oil/minerals, the

Philippines

is in danger of becoming a plaything of the multinational corporations who wish to extract the treasures but not share the wealth with the people. US corporations are among those. The environment is in danger because of relentless mining practices to name one thing. (A few years ago mine tailings got into a river, polluting the water and killing all the fish.) The people of the

Philippines

wish to make their own, balanced determinations about how much industry should be allowed, and how much to protect the pristine parts of their islands. They wish to enable the natural resources of the

Philippines

to be used to improve the economy, allowing for living wage jobs to be available in the

Philippines

. This will stop the need for Philippine workers to head overseas. Currently, 60+percent of the Philippine economy are remittances from overseas Philippino workers. As many as 4,000 people PER DAY head overseas to jobs ranging from nurses to housekeepers. Many are exploited in the countries to which they go. There is also a social cost at home. For instance, we met a man who had just returned from Dubai; his wife is still there. Their child is now 12 years old, living in the

Philippines

with his aunt. He does not remember ever seeing his mother.

As you can see, our trip has been jam-packed with important information, but the most important thing remains to be said:

The

Philippines

is a beautiful country, and her people are smart, hard-working, and fully engaged in the restoration of their land and people. The church is alive here, full of people with strong faith and strong morals; those who truly believe in and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. We were able to get out of metro Manila and visit the Union Theological Seminary. There, men and women are equipped for service to the church. It's also the home of UMCOR in the

Philippines

. We traveled about 30 minutes away from the seminary to see the volcanos at Tagaytay; there is a beautiful Roman Catholic retreat center that overlooks the volcano and lake surrounding. I also got to go to Batanga, a province where we visited a beautiful little resort and take a relaxing night and day floating in the warm, clear ocean and marvelling at the natural beauty of the coastline.

I love and miss you all, and look forward to seeing you shortly!

I especially thank the United Methodist Women of FUMCLA and the Cal-Pac Board of Church and Society, who sponsored my trip.

Our advocacy team will be hosting a briefing and report; in the meanwhile, the situation of the 43 health workers grows ever more dire. Urgent action is needed. Please consider signing on to a letter demanding the release of the 43 health workers.

Sandie

Someone cut out our rainbow.

Today as I was leaving my office I noticed that our sign was
vandalized. The neatly cut out spot on the lower right-hand corner of
the sign had a small version of the rainbow flag.

This small act of vandalism is a heart-breaking act of hate.

When we make our new sign, we'll place the rainbow up higher, out of
reach of passers-by with scissors.

APOLOGIES

Apologies are much in the news this week— from Congressman Joe Wilson’s apology-to-the-Congress-but-not-to-the-President, to Venus Williams’s regret at yelling at the line judge, to Kanye West’s heartfelt apology to Taylor Swift, there are lots of people on deck to say they are sorry.

But, what does it mean to apologize? The word ‘apology’ has a Greek origin: apo, meaning “from/off”, and logos, meaning “speech.” But the word itself is a bit ambivalent in meaning. It can mean, to express regret. It can also mean to justify. When the same word has come to mean two nearly opposite things, we might be in for a bit of trouble.

Not many know that at the General Conference of United Methodists in 2008, the denomination voted to prepare a formal apology to Native Americans for presentation at the 2012 General Conference. However, no funds were allocated to this effort, and those who are seeking both to illuminate the history of our denomination in relationship to the Native Americans and to prepare a meaningful act of confession and repentance, have almost no resources with which to do so.

I’m hopeful that United Methodist churchs and organizations from around the United States will help fund this effort, and we won’t reach 2010, merely say, “Sorry!” and move on. I hope we’ll take a hard look at the modern consequences of our history, and take concrete, effective steps to address those consequences.

After all, unless we take steps to address the damage our actions cause, our apology becomes a justification of our actions, not an expression of regret. Better, I think, to take the time for a thorough look at what went wrong, and why— then, take steps to address the damage. Then, and only then, can an apology truly mean we are sorry for what happened and don’t want it to happen again.

(For further reading on the issue of apologies and reparations, check out When Sorry Isn’t Enough: The Controversy over Apologies and Reparations for Human Injustice, edited by Roy L. Brooks.)

Friday morning at Santa Monica beach

My friend Anne and I finally got in the water, after our brisk Friday walk. It was like heaven! The water was warmer than usual, calmer and clearer as well. It was a joy and a pleasure. It begs the age-old question-- why don't I do this more often?

Some reflections on the life of Senator Edward Kennedy

Senator Edward Kennedy died last night, from an aggressive brain cancer called, Glioblastoma. I have lost two dear friends to this disease. I knew the moment I heard, that Senator Kennedy didn’t have very long.

I think lots of folks didn’t know that he had only a short time left, because Senator Kennedy kept his Senate seat, and people spoke as if he would return at some point. Now we all know that Senator Kennedy’s time in the Senate is through, and as we say in church, he rests from his labors.

Senator Kennedy embodied great contradictions. It puzzles me how someone with so great a capacity for soaring rhetoric and effective legislation could fail to translate the ideals represented in public to his private life. Authoring ground-breaking legislation on behalf of women, Senator Kennedy was a notorious womanizer. As an advocate of public health, he failed for many years of his life to care for his own health.

This puzzles me, that is, until I take a good look at myself, and see all the small and large ways in which I betray my own ideals. I suppose it’s a part of being human, to say one thing and do another; to wish and strive for something higher while sabotaging the efforts to attain the higher way.

That is why I am grateful for God’s grace. Grace, God’s unmerited favor, is God’s way of giving us another chance to try. And, by trying again and again, we get a bit further along the road toward that place where our ideals and our actions match.

Rest in Peace, Senator Kennedy. And to the rest of us, for now, Rest in Grace.