Carol Bragg
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On the article Seekonk Memorial Day Parade Canceled
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On the article Seekonk Veterans Agent Named to Advisory Board
Carol Bragg
10:17 am on Saturday, May 25, 2013
Replypaul, deb of see-attleboro: This idea won't work immediately, but needs to be part of our commitment when we go to war. When Congress authorizes funds for war, they need to plan for returning combat veterans. The unemployment rate and suicide rate among our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is a national tragedy. Being a roofer or a factory worker or a fisherman may be sometimes dangerous but is not comparable to going into a hostile nation where people all around you are trying to kill you with IEDs or by other means. Nor is it like witnessing comrades slain or torn apart. It's more than a job and we have a responsibility to the human beings we send to war to try to restore them to wholeness. They are our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, and we need to treat them with all the tenderness and care we can muster. Have a reflective Memorial Day Weekend.
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On the article Seekonk Veterans Agent Named to Advisory Board
Carol Bragg
7:53 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013
ReplyCongratulations, Seth. Remember to push for national policy changes! Combat duty needs to come with 2 years guaranteed employment stateside in addition to other veterans' benefits. The unemployment rate among returning vets is a national shame.
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On the Blog Post Awakening the Seeds of Change in the Enemy
Carol Bragg
11:55 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Replypaul: Apparently nobody has all the answers, or we wouldn't be going through this again. We'd be pretty stupid not to be searching for new ways of looking at the problem, to see if there's something we've missed. Your suggestions are part of the solution, but we still have the problem of enormous violence overseas that we keep getting sucked into and then it boomerangs back here. If we can reduce the violence overseas by teaching less violent means of social transformation, they benefit and we benefit. That doesn't replace current strategies but supplements them. I think everyone can agree that we can't allow this violence to continue.
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On the Blog Post Faith is a Gift
Carol Bragg
8:30 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
ReplyBeautiful! Thank you. Names are so-o-o important.
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On the Blog Post Awakening the Seeds of Change in the Enemy
Carol Bragg
8:56 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Replydeb of see-attleboro: Now we're getting back to the "good old days." My sisters and I weren't allowed to wear shorts when we went into downtown Attleboro. In college, the "girls" had to wear skirts to the dining hall in the evening and the "boys" had to wear sport jackets. It actually did seem to induce politeness. And the dorm mother frowned on holding hands, because that led to babies.
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On the Blog Post Awakening the Seeds of Change in the Enemy
Carol Bragg
5:44 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Replydeb of see-attleboro: What a thoughtful comment! I know Muslim women who no longer wear head coverings. I also know Muslim women who don't want to shed them because they prefer not to be ogled by men. I don't know for sure, but I'm sure there's less bulimia and anorexia in predominantly Muslim countries than here in the U.S. There are positives and negatives. I know Catholic nuns who are relieved not to be required to wear habits. Others long for the days of greater modesty. Your statement about freedom to choose to leave a faith tradition hits the mark. The alternative is to accept the rules or to wage a struggle within the faith tradition to bring about change. It doesn't seem productive to criticize across religious lines.
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On the Blog Post Awakening the Seeds of Change in the Enemy
Carol Bragg
11:44 am on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
ReplyPeople choose violence when they haven't been taught other ways. We have a rich history in this country to share with the rest of the world -- the abolition movement, women's rights, labor, and the civil rights movement. These were not easy struggles, but they were largely nonviolent. We have wisdom to share about how to create change. We have wisdom to share about establishing a country based on democratic principles and freedoms. We have wisdom to share about mediation and consensus building. This is part of our national treasure. The more we can share this with people in countries awash with violence, the more likely it is that they will pursue new ways and accomplish lasting, beneficial goals. We'll be safer for it.
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On the Blog Post Awakening the Seeds of Change in the Enemy
Carol Bragg
10:52 am on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
ReplyWe need only to look at our own history to know that change is possible. The slaughter of Native Americans in the battle to control this land, the cruelty of buying, selling and enslaving people, the refusal to allow women to own property or to vote -- fortunately, we have evolved over time. Christianity, the dominant faith tradition in this country, has also evolved from the days of bloody crusades, hanging people for their religious beliefs as we did in Massachusetts, and other practices we no longer see as acceptable. Islam is not a monolith any more than Judaism and Christianity are monoliths. There are wide ranging differences in all religions. While we can't force anything on people in other parts of the world, there is no reason not to offer them more peaceful ways of resolving conflicts and pursuing social change from our own history. It's in our enlightened self-interest to do so. Do we weakly resign ourselves to a world rife with violence and terrorism, or do we have the courage to keep probing for possible solutions? We are determined to find a cure for cancer. Can't we be similarly determined to find a cure for terrorism and horrendous acts of violence like Newtown, Connecticut? If there's a chance in a million that we can succeed, that keeps me motivated to continue searching. Our country, our faith tradition has changed. Others can, too. Please don't give in to despair, Paul. You have the intellect to help forge solutions.
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On the Blog Post Awakening the Seeds of Change in the Enemy
Carol Bragg
5:09 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
ReplyIn fact, this country has a relatively recent piece of history that we could proudly embrace and export. The nonviolent civil rights movement led by Dr. King produced dramatic change without ever taking the life of anyone in power or innocent bystanders. Maybe we should be teaching people in unstable parts of the world techniques that work better than terrorism in accomplishing goals. Terrorism only creates carnage. What kind of lousy goal is that?
Call it an American product if you will. In the 1860s, we had a bloody Civil War. One hundred years later, in the 1960s, segregation was dismantled through nonviolent action. People in other parts of the world can learn something from American history about choices and consequences. This might even be part of our national security strategy. We would benefit enormously if nonviolence were perceived as a more effective form of action than terrorism.
Carol Bragg
1:41 pm on Saturday, May 25, 2013
If not a rain date, there should at least be an indoor observance at the high school in lieu of the parade. It would perhaps need to be scaled back, but the planning could include the "what if rain" option. The parade is nice, but even more important is the community taking time to honor those who served. I wish we could go back to the original Memorial Day on May 30 and remove it from the 3-day holiday weekend that's considered the start of the summer and a time of great festivity. Those who have died deserve a special Memorial Day that's not diminished by holiday sales, cookouts, setting up summer cottages, or other distractions. Memorial Day was originally intended as a sacred time. Is it too much to ask that we take an entire day to remember? We seem to have lost our sense of the sacred. Veterans' Day was for a time the last Monday in October and was then returned to November 11. September 11 will always be observed on September 11. Memorial Day rightly belongs on May 30 or relocated to another earlier day in the year that doesn't conflict with summer plans and celebrations. Perhaps our veterans and Veterans' Agent can discuss this with Congressman Kennedy.