Bush with Bono at The U.S. National Prayer Breakfast
AP Photo Credit: Ron Edmonds
I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays ... and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God.
For me, at least, it got in the way. Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land...and in this country, seeing God's second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash...in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment...
I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV.
Even though I was a believer.
Perhaps because I was a believer.
I was cynical...not about God, but about God's politics. (There you are, Jim.)
Then, in 1997, a couple of eccentric, septuagenarian British Christians went and ruined my shtick - my reproachfulness. They did it by describing the millennium, the year 2000, as a Jubilee year, as an opportunity to cancel the chronic debts of the world's poorest people. They had the audacity to renew the Lord's call - and were joined by Pope John Paul II, who, from an Irish half-Catholic's point of view, may have had a more direct line to the Almighty.
'Jubilee' - why 'Jubilee'?
What was this year of Jubilee, this year of our Lord's favor?
I'd always read the scriptures, even the obscure stuff. There it was in Leviticus (25:35)...
'If your brother becomes poor,' the scriptures say, 'and cannot maintain himself...you shall maintain him.... You shall not lend him your money at interest, not give him your food for profit.'
It is such an important idea, Jubilee, that Jesus begins his ministry with this. Jesus is a young man, he's met with the rabbis, impressed everyone, people are talking. The elders say, he's a clever guy, this Jesus, but he hasn't done much...yet. He hasn't spoken in public before...
When he does, his first words are from Isaiah: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,' he says, 'because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.' And Jesus proclaims the year of the Lord's favour, the year of Jubilee (Luke 4:18).
What he was really talking about was an era of grace - and we're still in it.
So fast-forward 2,000 years. That same thought, grace, was made incarnate - in a movement of all kinds of people. It wasn't a bless-me club... it wasn't a holy huddle. These religious guys were willing to get out in the streets, get their boots dirty, wave the placards, follow their convictions with actions...making it really hard for people like me to keep their distance. It was amazing. I almost started to like these church people.
But then my cynicism got another helping hand.
It was what Colin Powell, a five-star general, called the greatest W.M.D. of them all: a tiny little virus called AIDS. And the religious community, in large part, missed it. The ones that didn't miss it could only see it as divine retribution for bad behaviour. Even on children...even [though the] fastest growing group of HIV infections were married, faithful women.
Aha, there they go again! I thought to myself judgmentalism is back!
But in truth, I was wrong again. The church was slow but the church got busy on this the leprosy of our age.
Love was on the move.
Mercy was on the move.
God was on the move.
Moving people of all kinds to work with others they had never met, never would have cared to meet...conservative church groups hanging out with spokesmen for the gay community, all singing off the same hymn sheet on AIDS...soccer moms and quarterbacks...hip-hop stars and country stars. This is what happens when God gets on the move: crazy stuff happens!
Popes were seen wearing sunglasses!
Jesse Helms was seen with a ghetto blaster!
Crazy stuff. Evidence of the spirit.
It was breathtaking. Literally. It stopped the world in its tracks.
When churches started demonstrating on debt, governments listened - and acted. When churches starting organising, petitioning, and even - that most unholy of acts today, God forbid, lobbying ... on AIDS and global health, governments listened - and acted.
I'm here today in all humility to say: you changed minds; you changed policy; you changed the world.
Look, whatever thoughts you have about God, who He is or if He exists, most will agree that if there is a God, He has a special place for the poor. In fact, the poor are where God lives.
Check Judaism. Check Islam. Check pretty much anyone.
I mean, God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill. I hope so. He may well be with us as in all manner of controversial stuff. Maybe, maybe not. But the one thing we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor.
God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. "If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places."
It's not a coincidence that in the scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It's not an accident. That's a lot of air time, 2,100 mentions. (You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor.) 'As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me' (Matthew 25:40). As I say, good news to the poor.
Here's some good news for the president. After 9/11 we were told America would have no time for the world's poor. America would be taken up with its own problems of safety. And it's true these are dangerous times, but America has not drawn the blinds and double-locked the doors.
In fact, you have doubled aid to Africa. You have tripled funding for global health. Mr. President, your emergency plan for AIDS relief and support for the Global Fund - you and Congress - have put 700,000 people onto life-saving anti-retroviral drugs and provided 8 million bed nets to protect children from malaria.
Outstanding human achievements. Counterintuitive. Historic. Be very, very proud.
But here's the bad news.
From charity to justice, the good news is yet to come. There is much more to do.
There's a gigantic chasm between the scale of the emergency and the scale of the response.
And finally, it's not about charity after all, is it? It's about justice.
Let me repeat that: It's not about charity, it's about justice.
And that's too bad.
Because you're good at charity.
Americans, like the Irish, are good at it. We like to give, and we give a lot, even those who can't afford it.
But justice is a higher standard.
Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice; it makes a farce of our idea of equality.
It mocks our pieties, it doubts our concern, it questions our commitment.
Sixty-five hundred Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store.
This is not about charity, this is about justice and equality.
Because there's no way we can look at what's happening in Africa and, if we're honest, conclude that deep down, we really accept that Africans are equal to us.
Anywhere else in the world, we wouldn't accept it.
Look at what happened in South East Asia with the tsunami.
150,000 lives lost to that misnomer of all misnomers, "mother nature."
In Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month.
A tsunami every month.
And it's a completely avoidable catastrophe.
It's annoying but justice and equality are mates. Aren't they? Justice always wants to hang out with equality. And equality is a real pain.
You know, think of those Jewish sheep-herders going to meet the Pharaoh, mud on their shoes, and the Pharaoh says, "Equal?" A preposterous idea: rich and poor are equal? And they say, "Yeah, 'equal,' that's what it says here in this book. We're all made in the image of God."
And eventually the Pharaoh says, "OK, I can accept that. I can accept the Jews - but not the blacks."
"Not the women. Not the gays. Not the Irish. No way, man."
So on we go with our journey of equality.
On we go in the pursuit of justice.
We hear that call in The ONE Campaign, a growing movement of more than 2 million Americans...Left and Right together... united in the belief that where you live should no longer determine whether you live.
We hear that call even more powerfully today, as we mourn the loss of Coretta Scott King - mother of a movement for equality, one that changed the world but is only just getting started. These issues are as alive as they ever were; they just change shape and cross the seas.
Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market...that's a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents...that's a justice issue. Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents...that's a justice issue.
And while the law is what we say it is, God is not silent on the subject.
That's why I say there's the law of the land. And then there is a higher standard. There's the law of the land, and we can hire experts to write them so they benefit us, so the laws say it's OK to protect our agriculture but it's not OK for African farmers to do the same, to earn a living?
As the laws of man are written, that's what they say.
God will not accept that.
Mine won't, at least. Will yours?
[pause]
I close this morning on...very...thin...ice.
This is a dangerous idea I've put on the table: my God vs. your God, their God vs. our God...vs. no God. It is very easy, in these times, to see religion as a force for division rather than unity.
And this is a town - Washington - that knows something of division.
But the reason I am here, and the reason I keep coming back to Washington, is because this is a town that is proving it can come together on behalf of what the scriptures call the least of these.
This is not a Republican idea.
It is not a Democratic idea.
It is not even, with all due respect, an American idea.
Nor it is unique to any one faith.
'Do to others as you would have them do to you' (Luke 6:30). Jesus says that.
'Righteousness is this: that one should...give away wealth out of love for him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the emancipation of the captives.' The Koran says that (2.177).
Thus sayeth the Lord: 'Bring the homeless poor into the house, when you see the naked, cover him, then your light will break out like the dawn and your recovery will speedily spring fourth, then your Lord will be your rear guard.' The Jewish scripture says that. Isaiah 58 again.
That is a powerful incentive: 'The Lord will watch your back.' Sounds like a good deal to me, right now.
A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord's blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it. I have a family, please look after them. I have this crazy idea...
And this wise man said: Stop.
He said, stop asking God to bless what you're doing.
Get involved in what God is doing - because it's already blessed.
Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing.
And that is what he's calling us to do.
I was amazed when I first got to this country and I learned how much some churchgoers tithe. Up to 10% of the family budget. Well, how does that compare with the federal budget, the budget for the entire American family? How much of that goes to the poorest people in the world? Less than 1%.
Bono at The 2006 National Prayer Breakfast
Photo Credit: Dennis Brack
Mr. President, Congress, people of faith, people of America:
I want to suggest to you today that you see the flow of effective foreign assistance as tithing.... Which, to be truly meaningful, will mean an additional 1% of the federal budget tithed to the poor.
What is 1%? (One percent of last year's budget would have been about $26 billion.)
1% is not merely a number on a balance sheet.
1% is the girl in Africa who gets to go to school, thanks to you.
1% is the AIDS patient who gets her medicine, thanks to you.
1% is the African entrepreneur who can start a small family business thanks to you.
1% is not redecorating presidential palaces or money flowing down a rat hole. This 1% is digging waterholes to provide clean water.
1% is a new partnership with Africa, not paternalism toward Africa, where increased assistance flows toward improved governance and initiatives with proven track records and away from boondoggles and white elephants of every description.
America gives less than 1% now. We're asking for an extra 1% to change the world. to transform millions of lives - but not just that and I say this to the military men now - to transform the way that they see us.
1% is national security, enlightened economic self-interest, and a better, safer world rolled into one. Sounds to me that in this town of deals and compromises, 1% is the best bargain around.
These goals - clean water for all; school for every child; medicine for the afflicted, an end to extreme and senseless poverty - these are not just any goals; they are the Millennium Development goals, which this country supports. And they are more than that. They are the Beatitudes for a globalised world.
Now, I'm very lucky. I don't have to sit on any budget committees. And I certainly don't have to sit where you do, Mr. President. I don't have to make the tough choices.
But I can tell you this:
To give 1% more is right. It's smart. And it's blessed.
There is a continent - Africa - being consumed by flames.
I truly believe that when the history books are written, our age will be remembered for three things: the war on terror, the digital revolution, and what we did - or did not do - to put the fire out in Africa.
History, like God, is watching what we do.
Thank you. Thank you, America, and God bless you all.
Bono's audience of over 3,000 in Washington included President George W. Bush, the first lady, Senators Pryor, Coleman and Frist, Representatives Blunt and Pelosi, other leaders from Congress, the Cabinet, the military, the clergy and countries from around the world.
At every table, Bono had distributed white plastic bracelets from The ONE Campaign to fight AIDS and poverty. Senator Hillary Clinton was among those who wrapped it around her fingers while she listened.
On January 26th, Bono (U2 lead singer, DATA co-founder, Time magazine person of the year 2005) and Bobby Shriver (Chairman of DATA -- Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) used the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to launch RED.
RED is an economic initiative that aims to deliver a sustainable flow of private sector money to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
RED is not a charity or "campaign".
Bono said, "Philanthropy is like hippy music, holding hands. Red is more like punk rock, hip hop, this should feel like hard commerce."
RED was created to engage the private (or corporate) sector in the fight against AIDS in Africa.
Companies whose products take on the RED mark contribute a portion of profits from the sale of that product to the Global Fund to finance AIDS programs in Africa, with a focus on women and children.
Governments and activists have long been saying the private sector must get more involved in the fight against poverty in Africa.
A Worldwide Emergency
Every year 3 million people die from AIDS.
Of the 40 million people infected by HIV/AIDS, Africa (which has just over 10% of the world's population) is home to 60% (25 million). The disease is the leading cause of death in Africa.
Women comprise the fastest growing population group living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and the result of their illness on children is compelling.
Every time a man or woman is started on anti-retroviral drugs, the survival of children becomes less precarious.
An estimated 13 million children in Africa have been orphaned because of HIV/AIDS already and this number is growing. Almost 2000 children, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa, are infected with HIV each day.
RED allows the for-profit community to invest in a positive and profitable Africa-themed brand, the social consciousness and awareness of consumers around the world and, most importantly, in the promise of Africa's future.
Thus far, American Express, Converse, Gap and Giorgio Armani have signed up.
Product Red
American Express has created the RED card.
Nike-owned Converse is making a line of limited-edition Chuck Taylor All Star sports shoes made with African mud-cloth.
Gap is creating a new line of vintage-style T-shirts, in red and other colors.
And Emporio Armani is selling a pair of wraparound sunglasses embossed with a Red logo.
American Express Red Card
According to U2.com, "American Express will launch its no-fee RED Amex card in the UK promising that at least 1% of every pound spent will go to the global fund".
Converse Shoes -- Limited-Edition RED Collection
Converse Chuck Taylor African Mudcloth Shoe
The Chuck Taylor All Star African Mudcloth Shoe (available in March 2006) is designed with acclaimed UK designer Giles Deacon -- in neon orange, neon yellow or neon pink accents.
Converse was inspired by Nakunte Diarra, a renowned mudcloth artist and storyteller since the 1950's who originates from Mali, to fully understand the art, symbolism and technique of Bogolanfini, a mud-dyed cloth of the Bamana people of Mali.
Bogolanfini is a living art form, constantly changing, reflecting new inspirations, while paying homage to the past.
Artists use techniques passed down through generations and motifs, which express the individual style and creativity of the artist, are based on well-known geometric patterns.
Bogolanfini is an essential part of the Bamana people's lives, marking major life transitions, marriage, birth, excision and death.
The Converse RED mudcloth shoe is an original work of art created to combine fashion and social consciousness to celebrate and preserve African culture and creativity.
This shoe will "kick off" an entire series of Converse RED Collection shoes.
Converse RED will officially launch in the United States for Holiday 2006. The company states it will "continue to inspire originality and freedom of thought among Converse enthusiasts and beyond."
I'll take a dozen pair for me and my "rugged elegant" mates!
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani unveiled sunglasses with plans to expand into "Red" clothing, accessories, watches, perfumes and jewelry.
All four participating companies have signed up for five years.
The Product Red team hopes to sign up many more partners.
On average Product Red's partners have pledged to invest about 40% of their profits to the Global Fund.
For more information, please go to:
www.JoinRed.com
Very cool! Bono cool!!
Since Bono's speech in Washington, MSNBC has been conducting a poll to determine if people think the U.S. government should heed Bono's advice at last week's prayer breakfast.
At the time of publication, 39,019 people had responded.
Of those nearly 40,000 people, 95% said, "yes". 4% said, "no". And 1% responded, "I'm not sure".
To place your vote, please go to:
MSNBC.MSN.com
Better yet, go to DATA.org and put your money where your mouth is.
The ONE campaign (co-founded by DATA along with Bread for the World, CARE, DATA, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Oxfam America, Plan USA, Save the Children US, World Concern, and World Vision) asks that the U.S. allocate an additional 1% of the federal budget to fighting poverty -- an increase of $25 billion to be reached over 5 years, requiring a $5 billion increase annually.
A $5 billion increase above FY2006 passed levels for development and humanitarian assistance programs, focused on funding the fight against extreme poverty and global AIDS, core development and humanitarian accounts and meeting U.S. commitments on the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria will make the difference in keeping America's historic promises.
As a point of comparison, the U.S. Congress voted for $350 million for the Global Fund for AIDS TB and Malaria in their 2003 budget.
Bono's DATA team said:
2005 brought unprecedented public action on bolder measures to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty.
On a wave of support from over 1.6 million Americans and half a million letters to President Bush, the U.S. made historic commitments on international assistance and debt cancellation at the July G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.
2006 will be critical to the success of these efforts, with robust increases needed for effective development assistance efforts that fight global poverty and AIDS in the Fiscal Year 2007 budget, scheduled to be announced on February 6th.
On Monday, February 6th, President George W. Bush sent Congress a 2.77 trillion-dollar budget for the fiscal year of 2007.
The spending plan for the fiscal year beginning next October 1st would be up by 2.3 percent from projected spending of 2.71 trillion dollars this year.
Included in his fiscal 2007 budget proposal to Congress Bush asked for $2.9 billion for his Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, up from more than $1.9 billion approved for the current year.
Over the past year the United States has spent more than $8.2 billion to fight the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, providing anti-retroviral treatment for more than 400,000 people in 15 focus countries, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
The president's request for fiscal year 2007 seeks $4 billion for the AIDS fight, including the $2.9 billion for the Emergency Plan.
It also would include about $300 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, following on U.S. contributions of $2 billion to the Global Fund 2002-2006.
To learn more about the United States' effort to combat HIV/AIDS at home and abroad, please explore:
USInfo.State.gov
Thank you Bono for your tenacity and perseverance. Your influence is leading us to take our children on a three-week trip throughout Africa this summer -- a trip with a greater purpose.
Inspire & Be Inspired.
Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "reducing HIV/AIDS one child at a time" living!
~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC
fresh content posted
