Alternate Veterans Day, 11/11

Posted by: Simple Living Works! on: November 8, 2014

• In: Others' resources | Personal | SLW! resource
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I received an offer from DAV – Disabled American Veterans – for a wall calendar in exchange for a donation. I receive many such offers. You probably do too.

In checking through the calendar I noticed that besides standard holidays it includes many military commemorations. One problem. It only included “victories.” It didn’t include important other military events, such as the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on Japan – the only use in history. This date is commemorated by many as Hiroshima Day, but not by the DAV. I declined to donate.

I find it annoying that we are expected, even pressured, to help take care of veterans when the bloated ”Defense” Dept. budget consumes almost half of the discretionary spending of the annual U.S. federal budget. Yes, veterans deserve care – medical and educational, for examples – but not at additional citizen expense. The Bible directs us the care for orphans and widows and visit prisoners. Soldiers are not specifically mentioned.

Having lived in Iowa for 35 years, I am greatly disappointed with one of our US senators, Chuck Grassley, who at one time worked to identify and reduce overspending in the “Defense” Dept., such as the $400 hammer. During the past six years, however, he has abandoned that worthy effort and has worked lockstep with his fellow GOP obstructionists.

This Veterans Day I plan to wear my “Adopt-A-MineField” t-shirt to remind folks that we still need to clean up all the landmines in Southeast Asia (and elsewhere) that continue to kill and maim, especially children. The t-shirt was produced by the Johnson County, Iowa, United Nations Association.

And I will continue to urge our church council not to place the pictures of our military members in the lobby of our church. I feel sorry that so many patriotic men and women have been deceived to put their lives and the lives of others at risk in violent conflicts to protect the egos of some blood-thirsty politicians. Let’s also put up pictures of our teachers and medical workers as people who make important contributions to our society. Those jobs are not without serious risks too.

How might you celebrate an alternate Veterans Day?

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• Legacy WHOSE Birthday Is It, Anyway?Reflections by author Marjorie J. Thompson, including Services and Activities by Larry J. Peacock and Kathleen Connolly. Enjoy them now. Share them later with your family or congregation through your website, newsletter, study group. . . .
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• Alternate End Times Before the new church year starts with Advent on Sunday, Nov. 30, we struggle with the End Times in the final Sundays of Ordinary Time, i.e., the Sundays after Pentecost. I offer a variety of resources that present a different view of the end of civilization as we know it. You may or may not find these helpful. As a devout progressive Christian, I have. Read my blog Vision of the Future. The resources offer a variety of ways to deal with Creation Crisis spiritually and psychologically, since so many of our wealth-and-power-obsessed corporate and government “leaders” refuse to deal with it actually. And gullible Americans persist in electing them and buying their products. |My recent blog Murder and Resurrection
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• Simpler Living Alternative Daily Calendar – November

• Check out a few of these thought-provoking, timely resources that might meet your personal, family or congregational/group needs. They’re all FREE.
  • Treasury of Celebrations*: Create Celebrations That Reflect Your Values and Don’t Cost the Earth Earth – Sept.-Dec. | ADVENT | CHRISTMAS
  • Worship Alternatives: Pentecost/Ordinary Time | Advent/Christmas/Epiphany
  • Spirit of Simplicity: ART | QUOTES
  • 10 Tips for Simpler, More Meaningful Celebrations | Spanish: 10 puntas
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• Nov.-Dec. – new “WHOSE Birthday?” SLW! Podcast series. Podcast Index, including “WHOSE Birthday?” 2013.

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• What Might a Prophet Look Like?  BOB SITZE on SLW! Podcast #31 | RELATED: What Might a Christian Life Look Like?
• Recent Responses to all SLW! media with links

What Others Are Doing

• The Common Good Podcast Episode 53 :: Dan Swanson: How U.S. Policies in Latin America Drive Immigrants North for Survival 
• Seeing Systems: Peace, Justice and Sustainability – New Course from Northwest Earth Institute
• Conversation about The OneEarth Project and the book, Blinded by Progress: Breaking Out of the Illusion That Holds Us, by Lee Van Ham. | TheCommonGoodPodcast.com, episode 42 | Lee’s new Slide Show

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Tags: 10 Tips for Simpler More Meaningful Celebrations, Advent, Alternative Gift Fair, Betsy Taylor, Blinded by Progress, Bob Sitze' Simple Enough blog, Christmas, Chuck Grassley, climate change, Creation Crisis, Daniel Berrigan, Defense Department, Disabled American Veterans, ELCA Archives, Extending the Table, Herald Press, Hiroshima, Institute for Peace and Justice, Jim McGinnis, Joy Is Like the Rain, Justo Gonzalez, lee van ham, Linda-Marie Delloff, Living More with Less, Marjorie J. Thompson, Meg Cox, MennoMedia, Milo Thornberry, Miriam Therese Winter, Northwest Earth Institute, Pentecost/Ordinary Time, Simpler Living Alternative Daily Calendar, Spanish, Spirit of Simplicity: Quotes & Art, Susan Briehl, Thanksgiving, The Common Good Podcast, The One Earth Project, Treasury of Celebrations, United Nations Association, UNPLUG the Christmas Machine, Whose Birthday Is It Anyway?, William Sloane Coffin, World Community Cookbooks, Worship Alternatives