NTodd's Collection of Solutions for the Bloggers Parliament.
NTodd's Main Blog
Ongoing Conflicts
Attacking The Roots Of Terror
Terrorism Is A Reaction, Not An Action
Stop Making The Middle East Blind
How To End Terrorism
Morality & Responsibility
A Peaceful World Wonât Happen By Itself
Categories
Members of the Bloggers Parliament (MBPs) post solutions to difficult social problems. The solutions fall into one of the following categories:
1. On-going conflicts, wars and post-war chaos.
2. Threats or dangers to individuals, countries or the planet.
3. Local issues specific to one country or area.
4. Race or religious conflicts.
5. Poverty, hunger, illiteracy.
6. Health & environment problems, local or global.
7. Economic imbalances / Money / Unemployment / Consumerism.
8. Lack of communication and/or reliable information.
9. Corruption and crime: on small or vast scale.
10. Individual and collective morality & responsibility.
11. Technology: problems it causes or which it could solve.
12. Psychological blocks and blind spots.
13. Spiritual issues.
14. Problems in Education, Arts or Culture.
MBPs
Members of Bloggers Parliament in order of their joining, starting Sept.29, 2003
Ongoing Conflicts
Attacking The Roots Of Terror
Terrorism Is A Reaction, Not An Action
Stop Making The Middle East Blind
How To End Terrorism
Morality & Responsibility
A Peaceful World Wonât Happen By Itself
Categories
Members of the Bloggers Parliament (MBPs) post solutions to difficult social problems. The solutions fall into one of the following categories:
1. On-going conflicts, wars and post-war chaos.
2. Threats or dangers to individuals, countries or the planet.
3. Local issues specific to one country or area.
4. Race or religious conflicts.
5. Poverty, hunger, illiteracy.
6. Health & environment problems, local or global.
7. Economic imbalances / Money / Unemployment / Consumerism.
8. Lack of communication and/or reliable information.
9. Corruption and crime: on small or vast scale.
10. Individual and collective morality & responsibility.
11. Technology: problems it causes or which it could solve.
12. Psychological blocks and blind spots.
13. Spiritual issues.
14. Problems in Education, Arts or Culture.
MBPs
Members of Bloggers Parliament in order of their joining, starting Sept.29, 2003
5. Robin Good
11. Lilith C. Devlin
13. Coup de Vent
14. Demian Stimson
15. Jan Darke
16.Tom Rogers
17. Dennis Patten
18. Roger Eaton
19. Deb Ramage
20. Frank Paynter
21. Charles Perez
23. Ryan Fugger
24. Mattis Manzel
NTodd's Collection of Solutions
Monday, December 15, 2003
Attacking The Roots Of Terror
File Under: Ongoing Conflicts - Terrorism
Cross-reference: Poverty; Health
By: Howard Dean
Excerpt:
Today, billions of people live on the knife’s edge of survival, trapped in a struggle against ignorance, poverty, and disease. Their misery is a breeding ground for the hatred peddled by bin Laden and other merchants of death.
As President, I will work to narrow the now-widening gap between rich and poor. Right now, the United States officially contributes a smaller percentage of its wealth to helping other nations develop than any other industrialized country.
That hurts America, because if we want the world's help in confronting the challenges that most concern us, we need to help others defeat the perils that most concern them. Targeted and effective expansion of investment, assistance, trade, and debt relief in developing nations can improve the climate for peace and democracy and undermine the recruiters for terrorist plots.
So will expansion of assistance to fight deadly disease around the world. Today, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in many places.
We still are moving too slowly to address the crisis. As President, I will provide $30 billion in the fight against AIDS by 2008 -- to help the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria meet its needs and to help developing nations meet theirs.
Fighting poverty and disease and bringing opportunity and hope is the right thing to do.
It is also, absolutely, the smart thing to do if we want children around the world to grow up admiring entrepreneurs, educators, and artists – rather than growing up with pictures of terrorists tacked to their walls.
We can advance the battle against terrorism and strengthen our national security by reclaiming our rightful place as a leader in global institutions. The current administration has made it almost a point of pride to dismiss and ridicule these bodies. That’s a mistake.
Like our country’s "Greatest Generation," I see international institutions like the United Nations as a way to leverage U.S. power, to summon warriors and peacekeepers, relief workers and democracy builders, to causes that advance America’s national interests. As President, I will work to make these institutions more accountable and more effective. That’s the only realistic approach.
Read more...
Monday, November 24, 2003
Terrorism Is A Reaction, Not An Action
File Under: Ongoing Conflicts - Terrorism
By: Dave Pollard (How to Save the World)
Excerpt:
There is no defense against terrorism, but there is a viable policy to deal with it. Problem is, it's a hot potato: no one really wants to adopt it, because it looks weak and it costs a lot. That policy is to stop attacking countries that don't espouse Western values, and leave them to evolve in their own way at their own rate. That policy is to invest the billions that the US is now spending on arms, to instead provide those countries with humanitarian aid -- money and supplies for education, infrastructure-building, medicines, and civilian technologies and training in how to use them. No strings attached except that we need to be able to audit to ensure the money and technologies are used for their intended purposes. Nothing to be paid back. In fact, for countries whose foreign debt to us is crushing them, making them economic slaves to us, we need to write that debt off. Goodwill is the only dividend we need.
If we did this, there would be nothing for terrorists to react to. And while there will always be a few deranged minds in the world who will blow up government buildings and commit other dreadful acts, and while under the auspices of the UN we may still need to intervene together to deal with leaders who inflict genocide or other massive cruelty on their own people or their neighbours, for the most part such a policy of incessant investment in nation-building will inevitably produce a world that is more peaceful, less harsh, and yes, safer and more secure for all of us than the one we live in today.
Read more...
Monday, November 03, 2003
How To End Terrorism
File Under: Ongoing Conflicts - Terrorism
By: William Blum (YellowTimes)
Excerpt:
If I were the president, I could stop terrorist attacks against the United States in a few days. Permanently. I would first apologize -- very publicly and very sincerely -- to all the widows and orphans, the impoverished and the tortured, and all the many millions of other victims of American imperialism. Then I would announce that America's global military interventions have come to an end. I would then inform Israel that it is no longer the 51st state of the union but -- oddly enough -- a foreign country. Then I would reduce the military budget by at least 90 percent and use the savings to pay reparations to the victims and repair the damage from the many American bombings, invasions and sanctions. There would be enough money. One year of our military budget is equal to more than $20,000 per hour for every hour since Jesus Christ was born. That's one year. That's what I'd do on my first three days in the White House.
Read more...
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
A Peaceful World Won’t Happen By Itself
File Under: Morality & Responsibility
Excerpt:
If we stop acting as though we are the sole owners of the truth, we will have greater opportunity to work constructively with other countries. Further, if we toss away our White Man's Burden attitude, quit fomenting coups and supporting the resulting dictators, we can avoid inevitable unintended consquences and our erstwhile puppets turning around and biting us.
Read more...
Stop Making The Middle East Blind
File Under: Ongoing Conflicts - Israel/Palestine
Excerpt:
The Israeli-Palestinian War has shown that each step of escalation leads to further asymmetries in tactics, weapons, and targeting. These asymmetries in turn convince the opposing side that the others' actions are not only immoral and illegitimate, but that it cannot be trusted to move back towards peace.
Can this cycle be stopped? I believe it can, but it requires us all to commit to changing our current approach. Certainly the onus for finding a new path is mainly on the parties to the conflict, but the United States can play a constructive role as well.
Read more...
