SAVE THE DATES:

Bradley Manning Rally/Vigil

July 27 in OKC & Crescent

More information p.12

50-Year Commemoration

1963 March on Washington & Dr. M.L.King’s Dream

August 24 DC & OKC

More information p. 2

“Peace is not jus t the

absence of v io lence,

but the presence

of jus t ice .”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Warren Henthorn (left) and John Scripsick speak

with Cindy Sheehan after her presentation at

Oklahoma City’s First Unitarian Church.

Cindy Sheehan Still Protesting America’s

Wars with Cross-Country Bike Tour.

Two Oklahoma Gold Star Fathers Speak Out.

City Sentinel, Darla Shelden, contributing writer

Remember Cindy Sheehan? She made

national news when she became an anti-war

activist after her son Casey was killed in Iraq

in 2004

Sheehan, a Gold Star mom, was in

Oklahoma City on Mother’s Day speaking to a

group of supporters at the First Unitarian

Church while on her cross country “Tour de

Peace” bike ride.

In 2005, Sheehan established Camp Casey

outside President George W. Bush’s ranch in

Crawford, Texas. Thousands made their way

there to protest the Iraq war.

Today Sheehan, 55, is an author who is

busy with her blog “Cindy Sheehan’s

Soapbox” while on her cycling tour.

In April, on the 9th anniversary of her son

Casey’s death, Sheehan launched her 3000-

mile bike ride across America starting at the

gravesite of her son in Vacaville, CA.

Sheehan ended the “Tour de Peace” with a

demonstration in Washington, DC, presenting

demands at the White House, and posted on

her website.

“Our goals include ending all the wars,

ending America’s dependence on fossils fuels,

and stopping subsidies to the oil companies,”

Sheehan said. “That would allow us to invest

in clean, renewable, sustainable forms of

energy.”

Sheehan has Oklahoma roots. Her father

was born in Sand Springs. “This is the first

time I’ve spoken as an activist in Oklahoma.

I’m very excited to be here,” she said.

Two other Oklahomans, both Gold Star

fathers and anti war activists were in

attendance.

John Scripsick, a farmer from Wayne, lost

his son Marine Cpl. Bryan Scripsick, on

September 6, 2007, while serving in Iraq.

“If it’s somebody else’s kid who gets

killed, nobody cares,” Scripsick said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet Cindy because she

knew the war was wrong before most

Americans knew it,” Scripsick said. “It’s a

shame that there are not more people

concerned about what the government is doing

with our kids.

“If your son or daughter is a freshman or

sophomore in high school and they might be

killed in four or five years, you’re going to pay

more attention to what our foreign policies are.

“Our government put a recruiter in a high

school to talk my son into joining the military,

which Bush turned into his own personal gun

club. Then they used him to get the oil.

(Continued on Page 7)

GOP Governors Accept Obamacare p. 2

Block US Intervention in Syria p. 5

Guatemala’s Rios Montt Guilty! p. 6

Global Warming Updates p. 8

PKC Pride 2013 Report p. 9

Low Taxes Hurt Entire Economy p. 14

UN Poverty Goals Progress p. 15

IN THIS ISSUE

Page 2, OPS, July-August 2013

Oklahoma Peace Strategy News is produced by The Peace House in Oklahoma City. It has been published since 1983. It is written, compiled, typeset, composed, labeled, and mailed by volunteers. Letters to the Editor and articles submitted for publication are welcome. They must be signed with a phone number and address for the author; however, requests for anonymous publication will be considered. OPS News reserves the right to edit for space and to refuse publication of statements that are libelous or unsubstantiated. Send to: The Peace House 2912 N. Robinson Okla. City, OK 73103

Or to phwebmail@cox.net Phone: 405-524-5577

Peace Education Institute 11404 N. Midwest Blvd.

Jones, OK 73049 405-204-6479

PeaceEducationInstitute.org

Republican Governors Accepting Obamacare

by Nathaniel Batchelder

Please don’t say

that to me again!

by Donna Compton

Most of us have heard it hundreds of

times: People need jobs; businesses have

to make money-Enough already!

Yes, it’s obvious that people must have

ways of earning a living and yes, it’s also

obvious that businesses must make a profit

to survive. However we also must remind

ourselves, and each other, that the ways in

which wages are made, the ways profits are

earned, and the limits on both define a

society.

Creating ‘jobs’ and making profits have

been with us since the dawn of history: ● The Pharaohs were creating jobs and

profits by enslaving others and building

monuments to themselves; ● European monarchies and church

hierarchies were creating jobs and wealth

by egregiously exploiting people and

resources at home and in the Americas; ● There were people making money

and creating jobs by manufacturing the

ovens of Auschwitz; ● Dictators and puppet presidents in the

‘banana republics’ of central and South

America did create, and continue to create,

jobs and make fortunes at the expense of

their people and the rape of their lands;

(Continued on page 15)

If there's a Republican governor more opposed to

Obamacare than our Mary Fallin, it's Arizona Gov. Jan

Brewer, notorious for wagging her finger at Obama on the

airport tarmack.

Yet Brewer is another GOP governor – like Rick Scott of

Florida and others, to finally embrace the benefits of Medicaid

expansion in their state under Obamacare – the Affordable

Health Care Act. They are two of nine Republican governors

supporting or accepting Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion.

"There comes a time when you have to look at reality,”

Brewer said. “It's not only a mathematical issue, but it's a

moral issue." Arizona will accept billions in federal aid to pay

for Medicaid expansion, and hundreds of thousands of people

without health care will come into the program.

Her statement applies to Mary Fallin and Oklahoma.

If Oklahoma commits a few hundreds of millions over the

next decade to expanded Medicaid, the feds will kick in $8 or

more billion. That's real money for unmet needs benefiting

every hospital and health clinic in Oklahoma qualifying to

provide Medicaid care. It would extend Medicaid to some 150

to 200 thousand needy Oklahomans.

Other aspects of Obamacare have already kicked in,

benefitting all Americans with insurance. Insurance companies

may no longer cap benefits to expensive care that you may

need, and children are now covered by parents’ insurance to age

26. Insurance may no longer cost more for women.

Mary Fallin still rejects the deal, standing her arch-

conservative ground. It's time for her to drop her opposition

and do what's right for Oklahoma, the Medicaid recipients, and

the doctors and hospitals in our state. Contact Governor Fallin

and tell her to expand Medicaid in Oklahoma.

CO

MM

EN

TA

RY

Save-the-Date! Historic Commemoration on August 24 State-wide march & rally to commemorate 50th Anniversary of 1963

March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom.

Fifty years after the massive march & rally in D.C. calling for jobs & voting

rights, the Supreme Court brutalized the 1965 Voting Rights Act! We must

respond; we must take action!

Gather at Stiles Circle Park, 8th & Stiles

March to Oklahoma State Capitol, 8:30 a.m.

Rally - Oklahoma State Capitol (North Plaza) 9:30 a.m.

Organizations, churches, businesses & individuals who would like to be

added to our email updates or obtain sponsoring information should visit

www.facebook.com/events/651291321567235/ or contact Susan McCann

(aa2475@cox.net).

Page 3, OPS, July-August 2013

Please Help The Peace House Send a gift in the enclosed envelope

Oklahoma City’s Peace House depends upon your contributions

— all sizes — to survive. Also send us your suggestions, and the

names and addresses of friends you’d like to receive our newspapers

and mailings, which we send free to everyone.

The Peace House networks with many groups and individuals to

bring about public events, peace walks, demonstrations, speakers,

editorials, educational events, peace camps … and a host of

activities relating to human rights, economic justice and

environmental sustainability. If you know us, you know it’s true.

The Peace House website — www.peacehouseok.org — is

updated frequently and regularly to share announcements, alerts,

photos, and essays about peace as well as events and links to other

organizations with whom we are aligned.

Thanks to all who can help!

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Support The Peace House, OKC

Your contributions to Peace House support our

publications, programs, rallies, marches, and

ongoing efforts for human rights, economic justice,

environmental sustainability, nonviolence, and

peace. As we are a political nonprofit, donations to

Peace House are not tax-deductible.

Send to:

PEACE HOUSE

2912 N. Robinson

Oklahoma City, OK 73103

Starting January 1, 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows

state Medicaid programs to expand coverage to all individuals with

incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). This

means that an individual making up to $15,856 or a family of four with

a household income of $32,499 would be eligible for Medicaid

coverage.

If Oklahoma creates a plan to expand health care coverage to low-

income working Oklahomans it will be taking advantage of a major

opportunity to strengthen our workforce and businesses.

Investing in Oklahoma’s Workforce

More than 400,000 adult Oklahomans in the workforce are

uninsured and lack access to affordable health insurance coverage.

As a result of the ACA, more than 140,000 working Oklahomans

who presently don’t have health insurance could qualify for health care

coverage.

Table 1 displays the top ten Oklahoma industries that employ

uninsured workers who make less than 138 percent of the FPL.

The top five industries with workers who fall into the newly eligible

Medicaid population are those we interact with on a daily basis. They

are restaurant and fast food workers, construction workers, those who

work with our children and assist our aging loved ones, as well as assist

us in retail shopping.

According to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission,

food services, elementary and secondary schools, nursing care facilities,

and employment services are among the industries projected to have the

largest employment growth from 2010-2020. Without a plan to extend

coverage to these individuals, these industries will continue to employ

large numbers of Oklahomans who don’t have access to affordable

health insurance options.

Table 2 identifies the average annual wage of some Oklahoma

occupations that would make a family of four eligible for health care

coverage. These occupations include

food service and child care workers, home health aides, cosmetologists

and other aestheticians, and retailers.

Evaluating these two tables together, it’s apparent that businesses

within the service sector would see the greatest benefit from expanding

health care coverage to working individuals with incomes up to 138

percent of the FPL. (Continued on Page 4)

Accepting Federal Health Care Funds Is Good For Oklahoma Business

by Tiece Dempsey, Policy Analyst, The Oklahoma Policy Institute

Table 1: Industries in Oklahoma With Workers who could gain access to

affordable health care coverage in 2013

Total Uninsured Workers in Oklahoma 143,150

Restaurants and other Food Service 23,080

Construction 14,410

Elementary and Secondary schools 6,580

Nursing Care Facilities 4,970

Department and Discount Stores 4,780

Employment Services (temp agencies) 3,510

Grocery Stores 3,430

Real Estate 2,740

Animal Production 2,660

Truck transportation 2,440

Source: Analysis of the 2011 American Community Survey. Adults are those aged 19

through 64. Workers are those who have worked within the past year. The ten

industries above are those with the largest number of uninsured workers in the

Medicaid expansion income-eligibility range in Oklahoma. All figures are rounded to

the nearest 10 workers.

Page 4, OPS, July-August 2013

The Oklahoma fast food industry will receive a great advantage

from covering this population. A recent report from the Robert Wood

Johnson Foundation showed that 51% of Oklahoma restaurants are fast

food chains, compared to 27% nationally.

Employers will have access to a healthier workforce

Benefits to employers and individuals alike from creating a plan to

cover these individuals include:

Fewer days off work without pay due to illness;

A sense of financial security in not having to worry about paying

for medical bills;

Reduced emergency room usage because of real access to primary

care physicians;

Illnesses can be treated at an acute stage to avoid the possibility of

it escalating to a chronic condition;

Reduction in uncompensated cost of treating individuals without

health insurance.

Realities of not creating a plan

to cover the newly eligible population

Low-income, working Oklahomans will be left in a hole - If

Oklahoma doesn’t come up with a plan to provide coverage to the

working Oklahomans eligible for expanded Medicaid coverage, there

will be a ‘coverage crater’ created, as depicted by the graphic below, in

which some 130,000 Oklahomans will be left without any assistance to

access affordable health insurance.

Employers may face penalties -If a plan is not created in Oklahoma to

cover the newly eligible population, Oklahoma employers may suffer

penalties. The ACA requires employers with 50 or more employees to

offer health insurance to their full time employees. If an employer

doesn’t offer health insurance or offers unaffordable health insurance,

that employer may be assessed tax penalties if an employee receives

subsidized premium insurance through the health insurance market

place.

A study by Jackson Hewitt Tax Service found that Oklahoma

businesses could be on the hook for providing health insurance to

approximately 42,000 Oklahomans who earn between 100 percent and

138 percent of the FPL, costing these businesses up to $52 million

dollars collectively.

TOO GOOD A DEAL TO PASS UP - The federal government has

agreed to fund 100 percent of the expanded coverage for the first three

years and then decrease spending incrementally until states are paying

10 percent of the cost by 2020. Oklahoma will have the chance to

access $8.6 billion in federal tax payer funds for health care services

over ten years.

Bottom line: Creating a plan to provide health insurance coverage to

low-income working Oklahomans will be an investment in Oklahoma’s

workforce and businesses. This will be a significant opportunity to

improve the well-being of Oklahoma’s working poor and their families.

Table 2: Occupations that would make a family of 4 eligible for Medicaid

Expansion.

OCCUPATION ANNUAL WAGE

Combined food preparation and serving workers $ 17,650

Including fast foods.

Bartenders $ 18,490

Cashiers $ 18,590

Childcare Workers $ 19,040

Farm Workers, Farm, Ranch and Aquacultural Animals $ 20,210

Cooks, Restaurant $ 20,730

Manicurists and Pedicurists $20,860

Farm workers and laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse $ 21,290

Home Health Aides $ 21,960

Gaming Service workers All Other $ 22,290

Hair Dressers, Hair Stylists and Cosmetologists $ 23,510

Retail Salespersons $ 25,020

Source: Dep. Of Labor and Industry, Occupational Employment Statistics, 2010

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Support The Peace Education Institute

The Peace Education Institute is committed to

educational and practical opportunities for people to

explore nonviolent living options. We need your

support.

Send your contributions to:

The Peace Education Institute

PO Box 58240

Oklahoma City, OK 73157 Contributions to “PEI” ARE tax-deductible.

VISIT THE PEACE HOUSE

ON THE WEB: www.peacehouseok.org

ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/peacehouseok

Page 5, OPS, July-August 2013

Contact

The White House Washington, DC 20500

202-456-1111 (comments)

202-456-1414 (switchboard)

FAX: 202-456-2461

Web: whitehouse.gov

Congressional Switchboard (202) 224-3121; (202) 225-3121

Mail: US Senate Washington, DC 20510

Senator Tom Coburn (OK) snipr.com/ecoburn

DC Tel: (202) 224-5754

DC Fax: (202) 224-6008

OKC Ofc: (405) 231-4941;

Tulsa Ofc: (918) 581-7651

Senator Jim Inhofe (OK) snipr.com/einhofe

DC Tel: (202) 224-4721

DC Fax: (202) 228-0380

OKC tel: (405) 608-4381;

Tulsa tel: (918) 748-5111

Mail: US House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

U.S. Representatives (OK)

Dist 1: Jim Bridenstine (Tulsa, etc.) snipr.com/ebridenstine

DC Tel: (202) 225-2211

DC Fax: (202) 225-9187

Tulsa ofc: (918) 935-3222

Dist 2: Markwayne Mullin (Musk) snipr.com/emullin

DC Tel: (202) 225-2701

DC Fax: (202) 225-3038

Muskogee: (918) 687-2533

Dist 3: Frank Lucas (W. OK) snipr.com/elucas

DC Tel: (202) 225-5565

DC Fax: (202) 225-8698

OKC Ofc: (405) 373-1958

Dist 4: Tom Cole (NOR& SW OK) snipr.com/etcole

DC Tel: (202) 225-6165

DC Fax: (202) 225-3512

Norman Ofc: (405) 329-6500

Block US Intervention in Syria!!

Support These Bills

A bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives — led by Sens. Tom Udall and Rand Paul in the Senate, and Reps. Peter Welch and Chris Gibson in the House — has introduced legislation to prohibit the Obama Administration intervening militarily in Syria's sectarian civil war without explicit Congressional authorization. Congressional cosponsors and supporters are needed. H. R. 2494, introduced by Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Gibson (R-NY), Rick Nolan (D-MN), and Walter Jones (R-NC) would block U.S. military intervention in Syria without an affirmative vote of Congress. S. 1201, identical legislation in the Senate, has been introduced by Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mike Lee (R-UT). Ask Oklahoma Congress Members to support this legislation (see contact info at left)

Peru: Don't Expose Indigenous

Tribes to Amazon Oil Drilling!

Online petition at Care2 make a difference: http://snipr.com/27eyp1p Target: Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines, Peruvian Ministry of Justice and Human Rights Sponsored by: Chris Wolverton Repsol, a large multinational oil and gas company, has

been given the green light to search for oil in the Amazon rainforest. Repsol plans to conduct 3D seismic tests across a 680 square feet area and drill at least 21 wells. All the planned tests and 20 of the wells are located within a proposed reserve for indigenous people who are vulnerable to contact with outsiders. In 2007, the indigenous organization AIDESEP appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to stop Repsol, but Peru's ministry of justice and human rights didn't take their pleas seriously, and questioned the very existence of indigenous tribes in the area. The actions of Repsol and the Peruvian government in this case are unconscionable. The proposed drilling could be fatal for indigenous tribes and will only benefit outside economic interests. Please sign the petition to convince the Peruvian government to halt Repsol's drilling plans!

Make a call to support diplomacy with Iran

The result of last month's president election in Iran gives President Obama a

potentially game-changing opportunity for diplomatic engagement to avoid an

unnecessary war. In response, a bipartisan pair of congressmen, Democrat

David Price and Republican Charles Dent, have come together to write a letter

urging President Obama to seize this opportunity by reinvigorating our

diplomatic efforts with Iran, and they have asked their colleagues to sign on.

Make a call to tell your member of Congress to co-sign the Price-Dent letter.

Script & more info: http://snipr.com/27fdtl7

Page 6, OPS, July-August 2013

“My attorney suggested that we try to work things out in mediation to avoid a litigation disaster”

Since 1988, Jim Stovall, founder and Director of the Mediation Institute, has worked with individuals,

families, and organizations to resolve difficult and complicated disputes that often threaten valuable

relationships. Jim works to assist those in conflict to retain control over the decision-making process and

prevent a matter from turning into a lengthy court battle or a painful grudge match.

Divorce and Custody Matters

Family & Interpersonal Disputes

Elder Care, Estate and Inheritance Issues

Training and Consultation

Call 405-607-8914 for more information and a free initial consultation.

The Mediation Institute, 133308 N. MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73142

Email j_stovall@site.net www.mediationinstitute.net

Guatemala's Former Leader Found Guilty of Genocide

Published in The Telegraph Tuesday 09 July 2013; Edited by Barney Henderson

Editors Note: Reprinted in OPS for all out wonderful readers who worked

so hard for peace with justice in Central America and particularly in

Guatemala. Most notable among them are our precious Sisters of

Benedict who played such a pivotal role in that struggle.

Rios Montt thus became the first Latin American ex-dictator

convicted of trying to exterminate an entire group of people, in a brief but

particularly gruesome stretch of a war that started in 1960, dragged on for

36 years and left around 200,000 people dead or missing.

The 86-year-old was sentenced to 80 years in prison, although he

vowed to appeal. He got 50 years for genocide and 30 years for war

crimes.

"The defendant is responsible for masterminding the crime of

genocide," Judge Jazmin Barrios said. "The corresponding punishment

must be imposed." She said he was also guilty of war crimes.

The court, filled with victims and their relatives, erupted in applause

and cheers.

Other Latin American countries, such as Chile, Brazil and

Argentina, were also ruled by cruel military despots in the 1970s and 80s

and some leaders and officers have been convicted for abuses. But this

was the first time an outright genocide conviction was handed down in the

region.

Activists say the verdict was also historic because it marked the first

time anywhere in the world that a court has found one of its country's

citizens guilty of genocide – a systematic attempt to eliminate an entire

group of people for racial, religious, political or other reasons.

Other genocide convictions, like those stemming from Rwanda's

ethnic violence in 1994, were handed down by international courts.

The aged retired general appeared in court during the trial in a dark

suit, with a neatly cropped moustache and gel holding down his thinning

grey hair. He wore glasses, and headphones to better hear the proceedings,

but otherwise appeared to be healthy.

Rios Montt remained stone-faced as the verdict was read. When the

judge said his house arrest was being revoked and he would be sent to jail,

he nodded.

Later, he told a

swarm of journalists

that his conscience

was clear, as he

derided the verdict.

"It is an

international political

show that is going to

hurt the soul of the

Guatemalan people,

but we are at peace

because we never

spilled, or stained our

hands with, the blood

of our brothers," Rios

Montt said.

"I am not upset because I abided by the law," he said, insisting he

did the right thing for his country by fighting the "national problem" of

rebels.

Rios Montt seized power in 1982 and ruled for 18 months in what is

widely considered one of the darkest periods of the country's agony of

civil war between the military and leftist rebels.

Under his rule, the army carried out a scorched earth policy against

indigenous peoples, accusing them of backing rebel forces.

In this trial, Rios Montt and his former intelligence chief Jose

Rodriguez were accused of ordering the army to carry out 15 massacres

that left 1,771 Maya Ixil Indians dead in Quiche in northern Guatemala.

Rodriguez was acquitted.

During the trial, which began in March, more than 100 survivors

testified, some of them Indian women covering their faces with colourful

blankets. Some said they had been gang-raped by dozens of soldiers,

assaulted over and over until they passed out.

Continued on Page 16

General Jose Efrain Rios Montt (Lt) sits with his

lawyers after listening to his sentence

Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Page 7, OPS, July-August 2013

Sheehan, Gold Star Dads (Continued from page 1)

“If a recruiter talks these kids into joining, then they better use them for

our freedom and not just for getting another countries’ natural resources to

benefit just a few.”

Warren Henthorn, from Choctaw, lost his son Army Spc. Jeffrey

Henthorn in Iraq on Feb. 8, 2005.

“Cindy Sheehan is a true American hero,” said Henthorn. “Cindy, John

and I have paid for these wars with the loss of a family member.

“Cindy has pointed these things out for many years. The people that

got us into this mess should be held accountable or history will repeat

itself.

“Who profits from these wars. The arms industry, oil industry, the

super rich – not the soldiers that fight the wars, and not regular folks.”

Along the way Sheehan stopped at the Arlington West Cemetery on

Santa Monica beach, at 29 Palms Military Base, and to protest the opening

of the Bush Library in Dallas.

“When you step outside your comfort zone, a huge ripple effect

happens that can make a positive change in society,” said Sheehan.

The bike tour is following Route 66 to Chicago with a quick detour to

Tulsa, holding public events organized by local groups along the way.

A support van carries Sheehan’s sister, Dede Miller and longtime

friends Malcolm Chaddock and Dan Levy from Portland, Oregon.

“We have the opportunity to be local activists on a global scale because

of technology,” Sheehan said. “People should get involved to make the

world that’s closest to you a better place.”

Sheehan made unsuccessful bids for Congress in 2008 and for vice

president in 2012. Her future plans include running for governor of

California.

“I think we have to rely on ourselves more than the politicians because

we have our own best interests at heart,” said Sheehan.

Also present were three-tour Afghanistan war veteran Jacob George,

coordinator of “A Ride Till the End”, a veteran-led perpetual bicycle ride

for recovery and healing.

This month, two more Oklahomans, 1st Lt. Brandon Landrum from

Lawton and Private 1st Class Charles P. McClure of Stratford, have been

killed in Afghanistan.

“They accomplished everything they wanted when they did away the

draft,” Scripsick said, “That took the public out of the war picture. “I’m

100 percent for the draft. That’s the only thing that’s going to stop these

eternal wars.”

For more information visit www.tourdepeace.org.

Oklahoma City residents Nancy Zorn and

Stefan Warner are among several members of

the Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance arrested

for nonviolently protesting construction of the

Keystone XL pipeline. Opposition to the

pipeline and development of the Canadian tar

sands is based on a long-range view of tar

sands development and its threat to

sustainability on earth.

A major concern is the huge contribution

tar sands oil is projected to make to global

warming and climate change. Ninety seven

percent of climate scientists agree that the

primary cause of global warming is the rising

atmospheric concentration of CO2 and methane

resulting from human activities. NASA’s

leading climate scientist Dr. James Hansen has

called the Keystone XL pipeline “a fuse to the

largest carbon bomb on the planet.”

Climate scientists tell us humanity must

reduce the level of CO2 in the atmosphere from

its current level over 390 parts per million to

below 350 ppm. Every species, every habitat,

all of earth’s life systems are threatened by

global warming and climate

change. Australia’s Great Barrier coral reefs

show signs of dying. Polar ice caps and

mountain glaciers around the world are

melting. Extreme weather is reported

regularly. Storms and rising seas flood

coastlines where billions live.

The Canadian tar sands region to be

deforested and mined is the size of

Florida. The tar sands product is a toxic

substance that must be mixed into a volatile

slurry to be piped through the U.S. to Texas.

Leaks and spills from the Keystone XL

pipeline will threaten water sources all along its

route. TransCanada’s existing tar sands

pipelines leaked 14 times in one year. In 2010,

another spill dumped a million gallons of crude

oil into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River. The

recent oil spill in Arkansas is yet another wake-

up call.

Unions supporting Keystone are eager for

jobs. But the pipeline crew is basically hired,

and, in any case, pipeline construction will be

temporary. By contrast, clean energy jobs will

be permanent, cannot be exported, and slow the

warming of earth’s atmosphere.

The implications of global warming got

attention with the 1989 publication of Bill

McKibben’s book “The End of Nature.” He

explained the heat-trapping quality of CO2 and

other “greenhouse” gases. He reported the

average car generates its own weight in CO2

every year. Burning coal for electricity is

another major source adding CO2 to the

atmosphere. Global warming reduces

worldwide food production and threatens

natural systems that support life.

President Obama’s “all of the above”

strategy supports all energy sources including

fossil fuel production. This must be replaced

with a “clean energy now” strategy favoring

development of non-polluting and eternal

energy sources, primarily wind and solar, to

help shift away from CO2-producing fossil

fuels.

Future generations call us to say “No” to

the Keystone XL pipeline.

Reprinted on these websites: CNN I-Report,

MichaelMoore.com, Commondreams.org,

Truthout.org/Buzzflash, Warisacrime.org,

Indybay.com, U.S. Government Portal,

Blueoklahoma.org, Inagist-Canada, and

Oklahoma Observer.

Protesting the Keystone XL Pipeline

by Nathaniel Batchelder (see below the list of websites where this has been published thanks to Darla Shelden.)

Originally published in the Oklahoma Gazette – May 22, 2013

Page 8, OPS, July-August 2013

Consensus Among Scientists: Global Warming is "Man-Made"

FROM: "Skeptical Science"

LINK: http://www.skepticalscience.com/global-warming-scientific-consensus.htm

Bill McKibben

Co-Founder, 350.org

"We're in new territory for human

beings--it's been millions of years

since there's been this much carbon

in the atmosphere. The only question

now is whether the relentless rise in

carbon can be matched by a

relentless rise in the activism

necessary to stop it."

Dr. James Hansen

Former NASA Climatologist

"If humanity wishes to preserve a

planet similar to that on which

civilization developed and to which

life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate

evidence and ongoing climate change

suggest that CO2 will need to be

reduced ... to at most 350 ppm."

In the scientific field of climate studies – informed by many different

disciplines – a consensus is demonstrated by the number of scientists

who have stopped arguing about what is causing climate change – and

that’s nearly all of them.

A survey of all peer-reviewed abstracts on the subject 'global climate

change' published between 1993 and 2003 revealed that not a single

paper rejected the consensus position that global warming is man caused.

75% of the papers agreed with the consensus position while 25% made

no comment either way, focusing on methods or climate analysis

(Oreskes 2004).

Several subsequent studies confirm that “...the debate on the

authenticity of global warming and the role played by human activity is

largely nonexistent among those who understand the nuances and

scientific basis of long-term climate processes”. (Doran 2009).

In other words, more than 95% of scientists working in the

disciplines contributing to studies of our climate, accept that climate

change is almost certainly being caused by human activities.

We should also consider official scientific bodies and what they think

about climate change. There are no national or major scientific

institutions anywhere in the world that dispute the theory of

anthropogenic climate change. Not one.

In the field of climate science, the consensus is unequivocal: human

activities are causing climate change.

If you care about the future of life on Earth, there's some Big News you should know.

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations

just passed 400 parts per million.

Already we're seeing the deadly effects of climate change in the form of rising seas, wildfires and extreme weather of all kinds, and passing 400 PPM is an ominous sign of what might come next. The safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmostphere is 350 parts per million, but the only way to get there is to immediately transition the global economy away from fossil fuels and into into renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable farming practices in all sectors (agriculture, transport, manufacturing, etc.). While the level fluctuates seasonally and varies across different latitudes, this is yet another sign that our dependence on fossil fuels is out of control. (from 350.org)

Page 9, OPS, July-August 2013

OKC Pride Brings Community Together

to Celebrate Diversity, Love and Equality

From the City Sentinel, by Darla Shelden, contributing writer

A weekend of festivities themed “The New Normal,” celebrated OKC

Pride by bringing the Oklahoma City community together to support

diversity, love and equality.

“OKC Pride is honored to organize the state’s largest diversity

celebration,” said Matt Harney, OKC Pride Board member & Education

Committee Chair. “We are thrilled by the success of our event this year

and are already excited about next year.”

“The planning for the Block Party,

Festival, and Parade were months in

the making. This year our Block Party

night wasn’t originally scheduled,”

said Harney. “However, after a series

of community-wide meetings, we felt

there was an earnest desire to extend

Pride’s festivities.”

Block Party headliner Vanity

Halston said, “This year Jeremy Crites

(OKC Pride President) really listened

to what everybody wanted in the

community. They brought the block

party back and I really wanted it to be

spectacular. Being the last act to go on,

it was a great kickoff to OKC Pride.”

New this year was the Love is

Love marriage equality rally and

commitment ceremony held at the

Myriad Gardens. Officiated by Pastor

Neill Spurgin of Expressions Church,

couples turned out to publicly

demonstrate their support and

solidarity for legalizing love.

Spurgin said, “The event gave these couples a way to commit their love

in front of their families and friends, and in front of their community,

meaning Oklahoma City, not just the gay community.”

Metro residents Alan Everley and Jeremy Cloud carried a photo of

Everley’s mother and father, both of whom have passed, along with a

wooden box.

“The box held my mom’s ashes,” said Everley. “Even if only in spirit, I

wanted them to be there for such a special day.”

“For Jeremy and I, attending the rally and ceremony was a way to stand

up before friends and family and declare our love,” said Everley. “A way

to join our lives and hearts publicly, despite the lack of legal standing for

LGBT couples in Oklahoma.”

Oklahoma City residents Kristen Perkins and Cheri Bolz also attended

the rally.

“To me it was one step closer to marriage equality for Gay

Oklahomans,” said Perkins. “We have been together 8 years and feel that

we deserve the same rights as all other Americans”.

Also attending were Jack Smith and his partner Dan John, who have

been together for 45 years.

“It really brought me to tears,” said Spurgin. “All the couples wanted to

do is show that they’re happy, they

love each other, and their relationships

are strong. They wanted the people to

see that their love is real.”

The daylong Pride Festival followed,

featuring artists, music, vendors, social

organizations, food booths and a

children’s area.

“The Pride Festival on Saturday is an

event that continues to grow,” said

Harney. “We had as many exhibitors as

ever. The combination of a surge in

community partners and the dynamic

venue along Film Row proved to be a

hit.”

Ominous skies and threatening

tornados loomed across the state as the

2013 Pride Parade stepped off on

Classen Boulevard.

Harney said, “I was incredibly

impressed at the size of the crowds

despite the severe weather. I think this

shows how much Pride means to so

many.”

Harold Watson’s familiar red ‘57 T-Bird convertible carried the

parade’s Grand Marshall, gay rights activist Bob Lemon. Accompanying

Bob, were his son Chrys, from Washington D.C. and daughter Robyn

Lemon Sellers from Oklahoma City.

“It was one of the biggest honors of my life to get to make some new

friends and get reacquainted with a lot of old ones,” said Lemon. “It was a

delightful event.”

Hard driving winds and light rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of parade

participants or those who turned out to watch the 26th annual event, which

included nearly 50 floats.

“Our ultimate goal was to extend acceptance, show love for each other,

and celebrate ourselves and our community,” Harney said. “I want to

express my deep appreciation for the many dedicated volunteers who spent

hours in the heat, wind, and rain to help OKC Pride.”

“The entire weekend was a thrill,” said Harney. “We simply could not

have done it without them.”

(L-R) Grand Marshall Bob Lemon, rides with his son Chrys Lemon,

and Harold Watson in the OKC Pride Parade while daughter

Robyn Lemon Sellers walks alongside waving a Pride flag.

Photo by Darla Shelden

Page 10, OPS, July-August 2013

The Syrian conflict is a sectarian war in a volatile region whose

potential to spread and directly threaten American interests would only

be increased by U.S. intervention.

The struggle is between forces funded and armed by outside

sponsors, notably Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran. Also participating are

foreign religious groups not directly controlled by the sponsors, namely

the Sunni Salafists and Iranian-aligned militias, not to mention intensely

anti-Western al-Qaeda fighters. American involvement would simply

mobilize the most extreme elements of these factions against the U.S.

and pose the danger that the conflict would spill over into the

neighborhood and set Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon on fire. (next column)

That risk has been compounded by the recent Israeli bombing of

weapons sites inside Syria. Whatever their justification, the attacks

convey to some Arabs the sense that there is an external plot against

them. That impression would be solidified if the U.S. were now to enter

the fight, suggesting a de facto American-Israeli-Saudi alliance, which

would play into the hands of the extremists.

Broader regional fighting could bring the U.S. and Iran into direct

conflict, a potentially major military undertaking for the U.S. A U.S.-

Iran confrontation linked to the Syrian crisis could spread the area of

conflict even to Afghanistan. Russia would benefit from America’s

being bogged down again in the Middle East. China would resent U.S.

destabilization of the region because Beijing needs stable access to

energy from the Middle East.

To minimize these potential consequences, U.S. military

intervention would have to achieve a decisive outcome relatively

quickly through the application of overwhelming force. That would

require direct Turkish involvement, which seems unlikely given

Turkey’s internal difficulties, particularly its tenuous relations with its

substantial Kurdish minority.

The various schemes that have been proposed for a kind of tiddlywinks

intervention from around the edges of the conflict—no-fly zones,

bombing Damascus and so forth—would simply make the situation

worse. None of the proposals would result in an outcome strategically

beneficial for the U.S. On the contrary, they would produce a more

complex, undefined slide into the worst-case scenario. The only solution

is to seek Russia’s and China’s support for U.N.-sponsored elections in

which, with luck, Assad might be “persuaded” not to participate.

Brzezinski was National Security Adviser from 1977 to 1981

See this article online: http://snipr.com/27ez3z5

TIME Magazine, May 20, 2013

Syria: US Intervention Will Only Make it Worse

by Zbigniew Brzezinski , Former National Security Advisor

Brzezinski rebuts Sen. John McCain, who argues in his article that Syrian intervention is in the U.S. interest.

Peace House Participates in CAIR Banquet

Anne Murray, Nathaniel Batchelder, and Lydia

Polley at the CAIR Banquet

The Peace House had a table at the CAIR banquet (Council on American-Islamic

Relations) in April. Seated with Batch, Anne, and Lydia (pictured) were Randall Smith,

Conna Wilkinson, and Teresa Rendon with two OCU students from Egypt living with

her.

The Peace House was noted in Executive Director Adam Soltani’s reflection on

the year. Peace House had organized a “Happy Eid/We love Muslims” Sunday morning

demonstration at the Mosque where vandals had shot paint balls the previous

weekend. Families entering the Mosque were touched by our interfaith sentiment.

Read back issues of Peace Strategy News online at PeaceHouseOK.org

Page 11, OPS, July-August 2013

In the wake of the Boston attack and manhunt, I've been getting a lot

of messages about how interfaith efforts matter more than ever, and I've

sent out a volley of tweets expressing the same sentiment myself. So, does

this view hold up to analysis, or is it just a surface salve for a really deep

wound?

At the risk of promoting a cause in which I'm deeply involved, I think

that there are several good reasons to strengthen and expand interfaith

efforts. These are true even during normal times; what the events in

Boston have done is highlight their importance. Before launching in, let

me state the obvious: Interfaith programs are not a miracle solution. Their

primary purpose is neither to root out potential terrorists nor solve every

social problem. But they do matter. Here are three reasons why:

1. Interfaith helps harmonize people's various identities.

In America, just about everyone is some sort of hyphenated hybrid of

race, religion and ethnicity/nationality. Irish-Catholic-American, African-

American Pentecostal, Jewish-American secular Humanist, and so on. As

Walt Whitman said, "I am large / I contain multitudes."

When interfaith cooperation is done well, it not only helps people from

different faith and philosophical backgrounds get along, it creates space

for the diverse identities within each of us to become mutually enriching

rather than mutually exclusive. When interfaith events raise the question,

what do I have in common with people of different religious and national

identities, the natural internal dialogue that ensues is: What do my own

diverse identities have in common with each other?

Religious extremists try to separate people's various identities and pit

them against each other. The extremists that got to the young London 7/7

bombers somehow convinced them that their Muslim identity was at war

with their British identity, and the former had to destroy the latter. While

the facts are still coming in, this may also have been the case for the

Tsarnaev brothers. It was a clash civilizations in their souls.

In a nation of hybrids, it's important to have loyalty to both sides of

the hyphen. What if the Tsarnaev brothers were involved in discussions

with people from other backgrounds about how their faith identity was

mutually enriching with their nationality and citizenship? Perhaps they

would have been less susceptible to the divide-and-destroy tactics of

extremists.

2. Interfaith efforts help us to separate the worst elements of

communities from the rest.

One of the most interesting findings in Robert Putnam and David

Campbell's "American Grace " is that Catholics are among the most

favorably viewed religious communities in America -- a stunning change

from just two generations ago. The study was done in the mid-2000s,

when the Catholic pedophilia crisis was frequently in the news. So not

only had people's views about Catholics

dramatically improved, but they had done so at a

time when the evening news was carrying stories of

Catholic priests being arrested for doing despicable

things, and some in the Catholic hierarchy hiding

them.

Why didn't more Americans associate all

Catholics with the actions of the handful of

pedophiles? The answer is simple: Most Americans

had positive, meaningful relationships with other Catholics, and associated

the broader Catholic community with those Catholic friends, neighbors

and colleagues.

This is a crucial social science insight that is applied in any good

interfaith program: Developing a positive meaningful relationship with

someone from another religious community improves your attitude toward

the entire community, making it less likely that you will view a whole

group of people through the actions of its worst elements. This becomes

especially important at a time like this, when the Muslim identity of the

two Boston Marathon terrorists has cast suspicion on Muslims as a whole.

3. Interfaith efforts remind us America is about welcoming the

contributions of all communities and nurturing cooperation between

them.

The interfaith ceremony that took place three days after the marathon

bombings in Boston was a reminder that not only is Boston a city of many

religions, but that a variety of faith and philosophical traditions are

sources of hope and healing at times of grief. At the ceremony, Catholic,

Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and Greek Orthodox leaders offered solace

from their traditions to their city and the country. (For the record, I think

groups like Humanists and Buddhists should have been invited as well.)

The Muslim who chairs the New England Interfaith Council, Nasser

Wedaddy, speaking on behalf of the city's Muslims, referenced both

Jewish and Muslim texts when he said. "Whoever kills a soul, it is as if he

killed mankind entirely. And whoever saves a life, it is as if he saved all of

mankind."

An interfaith prayer service is only one place to see multiple traditions

coming together to heal a community. Imagine how much interfaith

cooperation there was in the operating rooms of Boston hospitals last

week, where medical professionals of all faiths were working together to

save lives and limbs.

These times require all of us to be interfaith leaders, to signal clearly

that the worst elements of every tradition represent nobody. The

murderers of all communities belong only to one community: the

community of murderers. We have to expand our knowledge base of the

various contributions diverse communities make to our nation and world,

to bring into mutually enriching discussion not just people from different

backgrounds but diverse identities within individuals.

If you need some inspiration, check out how college students running

Interfaith Youth Core's Better Together campaign are making this a

reality.

After Boston, we all know just how much is at stake.

Three Reasons Interfaith Efforts Matter More Than Ever

by Eboo Patel

Eboo Patel to Speak in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City University’s “Distinguished Speakers”

series welcomes Eboo Patel on Wednesday, October

23rd

. Watch for detailed announcements.

Page 12, OPS, July-August 2013

Panoply Hippy

Store 2412 N Shartel OKC

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Hours are Mon thru Sat

Call 405.521.1010 2 PM to 6:00 PM

Featuring Clay Daze Tie Dye.

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interesting subjects.

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WE’RE STILL OPEN!! Monday thru Saturday

2 pm to 6 pm

Need a place to go to get centered again in creation?

Want support to make changes to live more sustainably?

Interested in alternative healing?

Consider A Retreat

at Turtle Rock Farm

http://www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com

Turtle Rock Farm is a retreat center in North Central Oklahoma – a little over an hour’s drive up I-35 from Oklahoma City.

Visit our website to see photos of the farm and read about the retreats and classes we have scheduled: www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com Here’s a sample:

To talk to us, call 580.725.3411 or email or pathoerth@gmail.com or visit our blog: http://turtlerockfarmretreat.blogspot.com

A Center for Sustainability, Spirituality & Healing

July 13 - Cooking for Earth July 27 - Non Violent Communicatins August 1 - Simpler Lliving August 17 - Gardening and Vermi-composting August 24 - Active Hope - Keeping Hope and Living Sustainably October 25-26 - Primitive Skills For Beginners

A new report suggests that adjusting our diet will significantly

slow global warming. Here’s the good news: According to data

compiled by former World Bank advisers Robert Goodland and Jeff

Anhang, it just requires everyone to eat fewer animal products.

In their report, they note that when you account for feed

production, deforestation and animal waste, the livestock industry

produces between 18 and 51 percent of all global greenhouse gas

emissions. Wow. Who knew?

Add to this the fact that producing animal protein involves some

eight times more fossil fuel than what’s needed to produce an

equivalent amount of non-animal protein, and you see that climate

change isn’t intensified only by transportation and electrical

production. It is also driven in large part by our food choices — in

America, by people’s desire to eat, on average, 200 pounds of meat

every year, to say nothing about milk, cheese, yogurt, etc..

Goodland and Anhang found that most of what we need to do to

mitigate the climate crisis can be achieved

“by replacing just one quarter of today’s

most eco-damaging food products” — read:

animal products — “with better

alternatives.” Essentially, if every fourth

time someone craved, say, beef, chicken or

cow milk they instead opted for a veggie

burger, a bean burrito, soy milk or water, we

move toward halting the emergency.

Cutting 25% or more of animal products from our diets would

benefit American ‘s health! It’s a win-win situation. Spread the

word and choose a healthier diet..

Shortened for space by Nathaniel Batchelder. David Sirota is author

of the new book "Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the

World We Live In Now."

Read full article: http://snipr.com/27feirm

Giving Up Hamburgers to Stop Climate Change

AlterNet / By David Sirota / May 3, 2013

Page 13, OPS, July-August 2013

My practice focuses on the following areas:

LGBT Legal Issues—More info at www.OklahomaLGBTLaw.com

Estate Planning (including wills and trusts)

Representing military conscientious objectors and war resisters

Please mention you saw this ad in OK Peace Strategy Newsletter for a discount.

James M. Branum

Attorney at Law

405-494-0562

www.JMBranum.com

On May 11, the Oklahoma Center for Conscience awarded its annual

Oklahoma Conscience Award to Lawrence Hart, a Cheyenne Peace

Chief and Mennonite pastor. The ceremony featured Chief Hart’s son

and son-in-law, who described his role in their Native traditions, and his

contributions to his people and to peace among the diverse communities

in Oklahoma. In addition to a certificate, a blanket was presented, as is

the tradition for important occasions. For more pictures, and additional

information about OCC, see centerforconscience.org. Pictured: (Back

row) Rena Guay, OCC Executive Director, Moses Mast and Sadie Mast,

OCC steering committee members, (front row) Betty Hart, Lawrence

Hart, and James Branum, OCC Legal Director.

International support action for Bradley Manning July 27 Rally in OKC, candlelight vigil in Crescent

Heeding the call from the

Bradley Manning Support

Network for local events on

July 27, the Oklahoma Center

for Conscience will sponsor a

brief rally in OKC and a

candlelight vigil in Crescent, Bradley Manning’s home town.

The Network described the coordinated events as likely “the last

internationally coordinated show of support for Bradley before military judge Col. Denise

Lind reads her final verdict – which we expect some time in August. The July

27 ”International Day of Action” coincides with the anticipated sentencing phase of

Bradley’s trial. The outcome of that phase of the trial will result in Bradley receiving any

outcome from time served to life in prison. ”

OCC Executive Director Rena Guay traveled to Ft. Meade for the start of the court

martial on June 3. For three days she sat in the courtroom not 10 feet from Manning, and

observed the proceedings wearing, like the other supporters present, a black T-shirt with

the simple word “truth” in white letters on the

front. For supporters, the shirt symbolizes

what they feel Manning provided to the world

about war crimes and the misdeeds of the US

government regarding events and policy in

Iraq and Afghanistan.

OCC is a member of the Support Network,

and has organized several events in Oklahoma

in support of Manning. For more information,

see centerforconscience.org.

For a page with links to the major resources

on the Manning case, see nlgmltf.org/bradley-

manning.

Gather in OKC for caravan/Rally, 7 PM

at Northeast Exp’way & Broadway Ext. (74)

Leave for Crescent: 7:30 PM

Candlelight vigil in Crescent: 8-9 PM

Page 14, OPS, July-August 2013

Alternet | April 15, 2013

World renowned Columbia University economist Joeseph Stiglitz

devoted a lengthy New York Times editorial to refuting the notion that our

income tax system, with its low tax burdens for the rich, is good for anyone

other than the rich. The U.S. stands out among advanced and wealthy

nations for its highly regressive tax code, beginning some 30 years ago,

and getting progressively more so over time.

Economists have increasingly noted that the US experiment in

lowering taxes produced the opposite of the outcomes that were claimed

for it. Promised were spurred growth and increasing incomes for everyone

(the notorious “trickle down” theory). That is not happening.

Comparisons with other advanced economies show that their higher

taxes on the rich are not a negative for growth. For example, Germany has

a higher economic growth rate than the U.S. but Germany taxes their

wealthy more than the U.S. Tax breaks to the rich have made the rich

richer, but force reduced spending on infrastructure that would stimulate

the economy and social programs that contribute to equity.

The low tax rates at the top were supposed to spur savings and hard

work, and thus economic growth. They didn’t. Indeed, the household

savings rate fell to a record level of near zero after President George W.

Bush’s two rounds of cuts, in 2001 and 2003, on taxes on dividends and

capital gains.

What low tax rates at the top did do was increase the return on rent-

seeking. It flourished, which meant that growth slowed and inequality

grew. This is a pattern that has now been observed across countries.

If greater wealth at the top were resulting in our entire economic

engine’s doing better, we would expect everyone to benefit. In fact,

incomes in the middle, and even the bottom, have been stagnating or

falling.

Stiglitz provides a compelling summary of how the rich get favored

treatment:

The richest 400 individual taxpayers, with an average income of more

than $200 million, pay less than 20 percent of their income in taxes — far

lower than mere millionaires, who pay about 25 percent of their income in

taxes. And in 2009, a third of the top 400 earners paid less than 15 percent

of their income in taxes.

With such low effective tax rates — and, importantly, the low tax rate

of 20 percent on capital gains — it’s not a huge surprise that the share of

income going to the top 1 percent has doubled since 1979, and that the

share going to the top 0.1 percent has almost tripled, according to

economists Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez. Recall that the

wealthiest 1% of Americans own about 40% of the nation’s wealth, and the

picture becomes even more disturbing.

Stiglitz points out that not only are our tax rates on top earners

strikingly low by OECD standards, but the income level at which they kick

in are also higher than in most other advanced economies. And that is

before you factor in that the rich for the most part don’t make their money

through income, but capital gains, which are taxed at lower rates. That

preferable treatment has been exploited flagrantly by the hedge fund and

private equity industries, which have been able to structure their funds so

that the overwhelming majority of the income they get from managing the

funds, which is labor income, is taxed at capital gains rates. And the worst

is that the Masters of the Universe act as if that is perfectly reasonable.

(Continued, page 15)

How Low Taxes on the Rich Hurt the Whole Economy

Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz Blasts America's Top 1-Percent-Coddling Tax System

TELEPHONE (405) 605-6547

FACSIMILE (405) 605-6577

dmurdock@resideslaw.com

DAN MURDOCK ATTORNEY AT LAW

Resides & Resides, PLLC

615 North Broadway

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

73102

www.resideslaw.com

Page 15, OPS, July-August 2013

Please Don’t Say That To Me Again … (from Page 2)

● Leaders of communist and socialist countries as well as

democracies around the globe, while professing the value and supremacy

of the people, have created jobs and fortunes by oppressing the very

workers they purport to value- ● First world companies are creating jobs and outrageous profits by

having their goods manufactured in countries where there are no health

and safety regulations and wages are pennies an hour- ● Manufacturers of all sorts of products from chemicals to nuclear

power stations create jobs and wealth-

And on, and on, and on…

And so we have Fukushima power plant disasters, monstrous oil spills,

substandard buildings that send trapped thousands to fiery deaths…

And on, and on, and on…

Every society with stated ideals of compassion and justice not only has

the right to, but the obligation to, set limits on how jobs are created, how

workers are treated, how the environment is impacted, and how fortunes

are be made in that society. For many years, we have witnessed the

systematic demonization of laws and regulations protecting humans,

resources, and the environment. We should never be apologetic for

insisting on limits of power on behalf of the people and the earth. It is,

indeed, our right and our obligation.

Low Taxes Hurt Everyone (from Page 14)

Stiglitz objects:

Some Wall Street financiers are able to pay taxes at lower capital gains

tax rates on income that comes from managing assets for private equity

funds or hedge funds. But why should managing financial assets be treated

any differently from managing people, or making discoveries? Of course,

those in finance say they are essential. But so are doctors, lawyers, teachers

and everyone else who contributes to making our complex society work.

They say they are necessary for job creation. But in fact, many of the

private equity firms that have excelled in exploiting the carried interest

loophole are actually job destroyers; they excel in restructuring firms to

“save” on labor costs, often by moving jobs abroad.

And then Stiglitz turns to corporate tax breaks, citing poster child GE,

which has paid on average less than 2% of its income in taxes since 2002.

The picture is likely even worse than these figures suggest since

corporations and wealthy individuals can hide income tax havens.

Stiglitz closes by reminding us:

It doesn’t have to be this way. We could have a much simpler tax

system without all the distortions — a society where those who clip

coupons for a living pay the same taxes as someone with the same income

who works in a factory; where someone who earns his income from saving

companies pays the same tax as a doctor who makes the income by saving

lives; where someone who earns his income from financial innovations

pays the same taxes as a someone who does research to create real

innovations that transform our economy and society. We could have a tax

system that encourages good things like hard work and thrift and

discourages bad things, like excessive rent-seeking, gambling, financial

speculation and pollution.

It’s time ordinary citizens look hard at who is peddling “go easy on the

rich” advice and discount the source.

Yves Smith is the founder of Naked Capitalism and the author of

'ECONned: How Unenlightened Self Interest Undermined Democracy and

Corrupted Capitalism.'

Edited for space and clarity by Nathaniel Batchelder

Find original: http://snipr.com/27eyre4

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) –

Established by all 189 countries in the U.N. in the year

2000-which range from halving extreme poverty rates

to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing

universal primary education, all by the target date of

2015 – form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the

world’s leading development institutions. They have galvanized

unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest. The goals

are:

1. Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,

2. Achieving

universal primary education,

3. Promoting gender equality and

empowering women,

4. Reducing child mortality rates,

5. Improving maternal health,

6. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and

other diseases,

7. Ensuring environmental

sustainability, and

8. Developing a global partnership for

development.

Child mortality (MDG 4) has been

reduced, but not quickly enough to

reach the target. Maternal mortality

(MDG 5) remains high in much of the

developing world. (UN Photo: Guinea)

United Nations Millennium Development Goals Galvanize Global Efforts

Some very real progress is being made to meet the U.N.’s UMD goals

but much more needs to be done.

Thank you to all who contributed to

the support of The Peace House.

Contributions received from

January 1, 2013 through June 25,

2013:

Lee Agnew & Lonnie Corder

David Alexander

Deborah Allen

Doris Anderson

Mohammed And Becky Atiyeh

Mona Baird

Marie Ballmann Osb

Pamela Barrymore

Harry & Janice Benham

Thomas H Benton

Robert & Sharon Bish

Melanie Bittman

Patricia Black

Fred & Sue Blackmon

David Blatt

Anthony Boeckman

David Brinker Md

Terry & Kay Britton

Phyllis Byerly

Richard Cates & Jeanene Davidson

Denise Caudill Phd

D. L. Cetrangolo

Marvin Chiles

Lois Clark

Ernestine Clark

Rev Anne Clement

Orra G. Compton

Barb & Mike Conder

Linda Connelly

Margaret Cox

David & Betty Craighead

Carolyn K Craven

Lois & Ray Crooks

Marilyn & Lawrence Curtis

Elizabeth Determan Asc

Pamela Brown Dizikes

R.L. Doyle

Sally Duran

Ozie, Kay And Anthony Edwards

Robert & Harriette Elliot

Al Engel

Chuks Enerprises

Thurma Fiegel

Millie Fightmaster

Dorothy Foster

Mary Francis

Kalyn Free

Naomi French

Gus W Friedrich

Oklahoma City Friends Meeting

Jane & Bill Garthoeffner

Alice Gehrke

Veva Gibbard Rivermont

Rev. Don & Saramay Gibson

Susan A Gonzalez

Sharilyn Edlund & Marilyn

Goodban

Jerry A Myrna Gowman

Marjorie Greer

Denise Hall

Dennie Hall

Jeff & Wanda Fisher

Jim Hankins

Frances Harbert

Diane Hardersen

Ed Cunliff & April Haulman

Don Helberg

Lois & R. E. Hilbert

Barbara G Hillyer

Jim & Carolyn Holloran

Dr. Leigh Holmes

Jill Holmes

Sarah Iselin

Pat James

Barbara Hagen & Bruce Johnson

Barbara Johnson

Julianna & Josh Kershen

Edwin Kessler

Martha & Bill King

Beryl & Ester Kingsbury

Joan & Michael Korenblit

Bernadette & Michael Krawczyk

Linda & Tim Larason

Jim Lazalier

Connie Leahy

Bob Lemon

Robin Sellers Lemon

Alice M Leonard

Bettie Lewis

Tupper Lienke

Janis Love

Joyce & David Markes

Doug Matheny

Ginger McGovern

Ray McGovern

James McUsic

Mary menges Myers

Marianne Mertens

Dorothy Messenger

Jerry Messick

Bernice Mitchell

Bill & Helen Moorer

Lynn Moroney

Fran Morris

Anne Murray

Hermine & Norman Naugle

Dick Neptune

Bill Nerin

Clayton & Sandra Ness

Peter J Neufeld

David Nickell

Mary Ann O’Kane IMH

Tony Oate

Kathryn Olsen, IMH

John Orr

Thelma R Parks

Laura Elia Woods Schaller &

Allen Parleir

Margaret Phipps

Ruth Podolin

Lydia Polley

Denns & Carol Preston

Robert Puckett

Ghislaine Rabin

Forest Redwood

Judith Appleton & Stan Reynolds

Karin Ringler

Sister Stephanie Sanchez

Jan Sanders

Peter K. Schaffer

Kathy Scheirman

Floyd Bish Schoenhals

Andy & Kathy Scurlock

Gail Seton

Fr. Clark Schakleford

Sondra Shehab

Susie Shields &

Mark Derichsweiler

Frank Silovsky

Phil Simpson

Judy Sing

Martha Skeeters

Randy Smith

Jo Hill Snyder

Marie Soleil

Jerry Sommerseth

Barbara Stanfield

Nance Cunningham &

Howard Stein

Mary Ann Surges

Mrs. Eugene Tate

Lois Taylor

Patti Tepper-Rassmussen

Sheila Tiarks

Susan Tordella-Williams

Sammy Towner

Marti Troy

Becky & Will Uraneck

Saundra Vallejo-Delgado

Glenna Voegle

John & Rosie Walters

Susan & Jim Warram

Gifts in Memory of Stan Reynolds:

Frances Dechant

Bill & Martha King

Anne Murray

Nancy L Roth

Shelia Tiarks

Gift in Celebration of their

Marriage:

Mrs. Christy Finsel & Mr. Daniel

Boyle

If you have donated in 2013, but

your name does not appear, call us.

Peace House Donors 2013

Rios Montt Found Guilty

(Continued from Page 6)

Rios Montt took the stand on

Thursday and denied ordering any

massacres, saying he was too busy

being president to micromanage the

army or know what each and every

military unit was doing.

The intelligence chief had

also insisted there was no evidence

linking him to any atrocity.

Rios Montt seized power in

March 1982 but was overthrown in

August of the following year.

In 1994, he returned to active

politics by winning a seat in

congress and eventually went on to

become its speaker.

In 2001, relatives of war

victims accused Rios Montt of

genocide and a decade later, upon

losing the immunity that came with

being a lawmaker, legal

proceedings against him finally

began.

Source: http://snipr.com/27eyyu9

Thank you!