How do you measure a year?

Measure the New Year in Love Adam Russell Taylor I recently watched the Netflix film Tick, Tick… BOOM!, which captures the early career of the legendary musical playwright Jonathan Larson, who wrote the blockbuster Rent (which happens to be one of my favorite musicals of all time). I was moved to tears by his life story, a life cut tragically short at 35 due to an aortic aneurysm. While overcoming adversity in his pursuit of his call as a playwright, Larson realizes that his real-life experiences in New York City during the height of the AIDS epidemic served as his greatest muse. The experience of shared loss and heartache amid a pandemic can also serve as our muse to see our shared humanity more clearly and affirm human dignity more fiercely. The film inspired me to rediscover the Rent soundtrack and fall in love again with one my favorite songs “Seasons of Love,” which includes the refrain “Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes, Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear, Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes, How do you measure? Measure a year? How about in love?” The musical’s call to measure time through the lens of love echoes the words of Jesus, who made it plain that the greatest commandments are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). In a similar fashion, the apostle Paul offers his treatise on the centrality of love while writing to a deeply divided church in Corinth, saying, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). My greatest prayer for myself and for you in 2022 is that we measure our lives in love. While this prayer may sound overly sentimental in the face of great peril and challenge, love has the power to cast out fear and undergirds the very pursuit of justice and peace. READ THE FULL ARTICLE Forward Share

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Change.org - Team 11

While serving in Afghanistan, Tom and his fellow Green Berets relied on a unit of Afghan counter-IED specialists. These heroes, known as Team 11, detected and disabled explosive devices to keep US forces safe. Tom credits his own life, as well as the lives of many other American Special Operators, to Team 11. Over 100 members of Team 11 didn’t make it onto flights out of Kabul earlier this year and remain in critical danger in Afghanistan. Join Tom in his fight to fulfill our promise and bring these allies and their families safely to the US. Save Team 11 958 have signed Save Team 11’s petition. Let’s get to 1,000!

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A unit of Afghan counter-IED specialists, National Mine Reduction Group Team 11, quite literally cleared the way for the Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs they partnered with. Their technical expertise and familiarity with Taliban tactics was indispensable as they detected and disabled IEDs (usually by hand) in advance of US forces. Many American Special Operators, myself included, are alive today because of Team 11. The vast majority of Team 11 was not fortunate enough to be on the flights out of Kabul: Including their families, there are more than 100 of these allies of the US still in Afghanistan - and in the face of the Afghan winter, most will be out money and food in a very short time. ​As if their affiliation with the US military was not dangerous enough, Team 11 are Hazaras - an ethnic minority that has suffered extensive persecution at the hands of the Taliban. It’s difficult to imagine a higher-risk group in Afghanistan. It is a moral obligation to provide for the health and welfare of our Afghan allies and assist wherever necessary to see them through the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) application process. They volunteered to do the most dangerous job in Afghanistan to further the interests of a nation they’ve never known. And did so purely on faith: Faith that we would be there for them when times got hard. ​We must ensure that their faith in us, as Americans, was not misplaced and fulfill our moral obligation by providing Team 11 refuge in the United States. Sign to ask the State Department to fulfill our promise and get Team 11 safely to the US.

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Change.org - Native rights

The Duwamish are the original inhabitants of Seattle, Washington. But they have been waiting 165 years for federal recognition, which would give them many important rights as a tribe under US law. Instead, the US government pretends the Duwamish do not exist. Recently, however, they have met with US representatives, and the Department of Interior is considering their application — it seems like they might finally have a chance! Sign their petition to join over 74,000 people who support the Duwamish’s pursuit of equal rights. Federal Recognition for the Duwamish Tribe 76,683 have signed Stand with the Duwamish To Restore Federal Recognition’s petition. Let’s get to 150,000!

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WHO ARE THE DUWAMISH?  The Duwamish are the First People of present-day Seattle, and are the original stewards of this land. Since time immemorial, the Duwamish Tribe has maintained their ancestral home in traditional, sustainable ways for the benefit of all. Seattle is built upon and thrives on the lands of the Duwamish People, and the City still carries the name of the Tribe’s most well-known leader, Chief Si’ahl (Seattle).  Chief Si’ahl of the Duwamish and Suquamish Tribes of Indians was the lead signatory of the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, and that agreement has never been invalidated. Yet the U.S. Government has continually failed to give the Duwamish People their rightful recognition. This is an injustice that has persisted for far too long. The Duwamish Tribe’s leadership has fought long and hard to hold the U.S. Government accountable for the promises made in the Treaty more than 165 years ago. They are still waiting.  Federal recognition does not create a tribe, but honors the government-to-government relationship between tribes and the United States. It is also vital to protecting the cultural integrity of the Duwamish People. The Duwamish are the “People of the Inside”. They are rooted to this place and these waters. They demand accountability for their People today and for all the generations to come. Now is your chance to act: Take action today and sign the petition. The Duwamish are counting on you.  SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION TODAY! Duwamish Tribe’s Website Duwamish Tribe Fact Sheet Duwamish Tribe & Environmental Advocacy Promised Land Documentary Real Rent Duwamish Duwamish Tribe on Twitter

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This movement needs you.

Today’s story is from Irene Woodard, GreenFaith’s Board Vice Chair, who lives in the Hudson Valley of New York State, USA. Give today to support GreenFaith. My name is Irene Woodard, and I’m a Shambhala Buddhist living on Lenape Lands, also known as New York’s Hudson Valley. Years ago, I was the first Buddhist GreenFaith Fellow, and I helped launch the Touching the Earth Collective, a climate group in my global Buddhist community. Protecting the Earth and all living beings is very important to me. I want to tell you about how GreenFaith is helping people of different religions get out of the pews, off their meditation cushions, and bring their moral power into the public sphere. In August, GreenFaith needed to pilot-test a public targeting of national banks known for funding fossil fuels. One of our original GreenFaith Circles in Boulder, Colorado said yes. With support from GreenFaith, they jumped into action.   First, they prepared for the public action with an art build, where local faith communities gathered together and created large colorful banners and signs to make their demands big and bold. The Circle members targeted two banks that are pouring enormous sums into oil and gas projects: Chase and Wells-Fargo. With the help of a team of artist-activists sent by GreenFaith to help, they organized a traveling, multi-faith vigil, where faith leaders from multiple religious communities would make offerings from their traditions. Their beautiful signs made their message crystal clear. Their community was so energized that they decided to hold a second vigil again in October, as part of GreenFaith’s global Faiths 4 Climate Justice mobilization! The vigil received press coverage, and I’ve seen the Circle become more confident in taking public action. This is why local organizing is so valuable - it helps us accomplish bigger things than we can on our own. [Name], this movement needs you. Will you support GreenFaith with your year-end gift today? With Gratitude and Peace, Irene Woodard GreenFaith Vice Chair

Change.org - Rebecca was the victim

Content Warning: The following contains reference to murder and suicide. When Rebecca Hogue’s boyfriend murdered her child and committed suicide, the police said Rebecca shouldn’t be charged. But the DA ignored their advice. The prosecutors convinced the judge to block multiple witnesses from testifying that Rebecca couldn’t have known about the abuse. Without that crucial information, the jury found Rebecca guilty. She now faces a mandatory life sentence for a crime she didn’t commit. Join the movement to ring the alarm about Oklahoma’s dangerous attacks on victims of abuse. Free Rebecca Hogue 2,827 have signed Stacey Wright’s petition. Let’s get to 5,000!

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In November 2021, Rebecca Hogue was convicted of first degree murder for the death of her toddler son, Ryder, even though he was killed by Christopher Trent while she was at work. Now she is facing life in prison after two years of living a nightmare since her son’s death on January 1, 2020.  Following the actual murderer’s death by suicide, District Attorney Greg Mashburn and Assistant District Attorney Pattye High turned their attention to Rebecca— a single hardworking mother. They charged Rebecca with first degree murder under Oklahoma’s Failure to Protect law for allowing child abuse even though Rebecca did not abuse her child or know he was in harm’s way. The lead police investigator in the case called the charges against Rebecca “bullshit” and did not recommend her being charged. The DA and ADA’s entire case rested on whether Rebecca should have “reasonably known” about the abuse. But, the abuse unfolded over a very short period of time and Rebecca took Ryder to doctors who failed to see he was being abused while in Trent’s care. When Rebecca asked Trent about Ryder’s bruises, he gaslit her and lied and said the child had fallen down the stairs. If medical experts couldn’t diagnose abuse, how could a mother with a history of her own trauma see something was wrong?  During her trial, the lead investigator was not allowed to state his professional opinion that Rebecca should not have been charged. Nor was the jury told about Trent’s pre-suicide message stating Rebecca was innocent. And, they did not allow an expert in domestic violence to testify as to how Rebecca’s history of being a victim made her especially susceptible to Trent’s gaslighting. Without any of this key evidence, the jury convicted her.She now sits in solitary confinement awaiting her minimum life sentence in prison for murder, rather than spending these last two years healing from the unimaginable loss of precious Ryder who her friends called “her entire world.” Oklahoma has some of the worst statistics for abuse of women and children. Failure to Protect and Rebecca’s conviction will result in fewer victims receiving help now that the court has ruled seeking medical attention or sending photos of bruises to the perpetrator asking how they happened can be used against a person in court.The law has repeatedly and disproportionately been used against mothers for their abusers’ crimes. And, as seen in this case, DAs like Mashburn and High have no qualms with furthering harm against victims using state-sanctioned means. In fact, they claimed Rebecca was not a victim of abuse in spite of her child being abused and murdered by Trent, when there is no worse harm to a parent than their child’s murder at the hands of someone they entrusted.  We are demanding Rebecca’s full exoneration and release. We are demanding that lawmakers reverse Failure to Protect, so that those in power cannot use it to harm victims and those seeking help for abuse in Oklahoma. Justice for Rebecca is Justice for Ryder.

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