Looking at trends and the recent meeting between US and China leaders it’s not crazy to think this.
In
the 1990s George W. Bush said, “Free trade with China will promote freedom.” Many policymakers then favored cheaper products for US consumers (for
easy votes?) and more profits for US businesses working with China. Many believed that by integrating China into
the global economy it could benefit China and the Western nations - while also advancing
economic growth and personal freedoms within China. Growth happened! But not more freedom. Facial recognition of its citizens linked to government
privileges or punishments, China’s theft of intellectual
property, its wise investment in microprocessors, as well as the production of sustainable
energy technology (Solar, wind...) has made advances in US industries in these
areas difficult. And now US national
security is dependent on Taiwan. The real
question is not if China will take Taiwan, but when. Persistently, China’s intention has been to bring
Taiwan back under its control. This was clearly
voiced again in the recent meeting.
Since
Russia’s invasion and persistent avoidance of defeat in claiming Ukrainian
territory, Israel’s relatively unstoppable mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza in
reaction to Hamas’s unacceptable brutal slaughter of over 1,200 Jews, mounting
economic problems in China, current wars nearly exhausted US military supplies,
our nation’s defense contractors capacity to build new and sufficient supplies
not being in the best shape to crank them out, and the likelihood of other flair
ups at any time - it seems like prime time for China to act.
Don’t
forget Iran’s possible possession of nuclear weapons and its hatred of Israel,
North Korea’s launching of new test missiles, and other nations increasingly upset
with US support for Israel bouncing the rubble in Gaza with US support...many other
nations are appearing to take sides.
Now throw in the increased polling in the US regarding nearly
50% of our own citizens justifying the use of violence in our own nation to
achieve political ends. And populist leaders’ comments about waging a war
against democrats, or progressives’ persistent warnings about conservatives
destroying our democracy. And some pundits warning of another civil war. Not between states. But between states of political
cognition.
Remember
that most people in the prelude to the first World War believed that nations
were too civil - to start a war or it wouldn’t last long if it did, history continues
to prove that the only thing we learn from war is that we don’t learn much - beyond
a short-term memory of where nations are geographically on the map.
Combine all of this with seemingly irreversible political polarization,
the evolution of weaponry (bio, cyber, nano, robotics, drones, IEDs, unprecedented
gun ownership, and easy access to almost any soft targets at any time or place),
and the increasing affordability, accessibility, anonymity, and ease of use - for
most of these means of destruction, a spark is almost inevitable.
Most of us had so much to be thankful for yesterday. But we live in a world where many didn’t. And still don’t. And most have no hope of anything good happening,
or anything changing anytime soon. We all
need to start being thankful for every single moment and day that our world is
NOT at war. And do whatever we can - to invest
the unprecedented wealth our world does have in all the solutions that already
exist. Those solutions can be found within the 169 measurable and affordable goals
within the larger 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approved back in 2015
at the United Nations - for the year 2030.
Humanity is only seven years away from that date. That’s a lot of seconds, minutes, and days that
we still have to act.
This December 10th is the 75th anniversary
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was intended after the horrors
of the last World War to prevent the very conditions we have today. Disrupting conditions now (conflict, contagion,
climate change, costs, corruption, and flawed constitutions) because the UN was
never given the power to enforce human rights.
And most nations and corporations resisted doing it with charities unable
to afford it. Fortunately, humanity can now
purchase the most basic human rights (water, sanitation, adequate nutrition,
primary health care, education...). But
only if private entries like the oil industry and other businesses with multibillion
dollar profits are willing to make a wise investment in the communities that
need it. Instead of just investing to
make more profit.
If you have an entity that agrees with this global endeavor,
send an email to 435campaign@earthlink.net
so your entity can be listed under your US state. We will deliver an ‘Open Letter” to the media
and all 435 Members of Congress on December 10th. Time is not on our side. Wisdom needs to be.
Below is text of the letter with entities invited and
already confirmed listed under it.
Please join with
others on this ‘Open Letter’ to the media and our policy leaders to educate and
inspire action in protecting human rights and our environment. The
letter will be released Dec. 10th - the 75th anniversary
of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Resources, solutions, and a
plan already exists. The only missing ingredient is the common will to
take care of one another and nature.
‘Open Letter’
to the media and US policy makers. (Draft 11-23-23)
With mounting conflicts,
superpower tensions, political polarization, environmental damage, refugee
flows, health threats, hate, violent extremism¸ supply chain vulnerabilities,
and lapses of the rule-of-law globally -- we are compelled to advocate for global
unity in protecting the inalienable rights of people and the sustainable health
of our planet’s life support systems.
This non-partisan appeal from
businesses and other peace, environment, health, education, trade, or religious
entities assert that the protection of inalienable human rights are the
foundation of humanity’s sustainable freedom, security, and prosperity. December 10 is the 75th anniversary
of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This was unanimously approved by nations
after the horrors of World War II. Their
intention was resolving the conditions potentially leading to another world
war, genocide, or use of WMD. Unwisely,
many governments never made the protection of human rights or the environment a
high priority. Thus, the growing chaos we have now.
Fortunately, in 2015 humanity came
together again. This collaboration
involved political and public entities from all 193 UN member nations and they finalized
an agreement on a comprehensive global plan to assist governments in protecting
their citizens’ health, security, and prosperity, as well as protecting and
restoring the environment. This
blueprint, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (https://sdgs.un.org/goals), are to
be achieved by 2030. We’re over
halfway there in time- but falling behind on progress. There are 17 primary SDGs consisting of 169
measurable and affordable goals within them.
Each are interlocking with progress toward one contributing to progress
in all others.
COVID19’s effects reminded us of the
fundamental truths that “everything is connected, everything is interdependent, so
everything is vulnerable.” That is why, as Jen Easterly, Director of Cyber and
Infrastructure Security Agency said next, “this has to be a more than whole of
government, a more than whole of nation [effort]. It really has to be a global
effort.” And our greatest threat is not knowing which
of the dozens of unsustainable trends (war, debt, violent weather patterns, the
evolution of infectious diseases or weaponry) will first end catastrophically –
then almost certainly cascade into other damaging events that will
further diminish our hope for a free, secure, and prosperous future. Urgently reducing any existing harms now will
be humanities wisest investment.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of money. Only a lack of will to invest it wisely in
preventing increasingly costly crisis.
Last
June, Bank of America Chair & CEO, Brian Moynihan spoke about the state of the economy, the U.S. financial
system, and capitalism. * He
said, ‘the SDGs will cost approximately’ “$6 trillion annually”. “Governments
are too debt burdened” and “charity is insufficient”. “Business leaders”
“like the oil companies” and others need to step up and prioritize a balancing
of ‘short-term gains’ with ‘long term interests’. ‘Profits must be good
for business and society down to the community level’. “Capitalism”
“requires a greater purpose than making more profit. *
Interview hosted by the City Club of Cleveland. Posted on C-span. Program
ID: 529044-1 https://www.c-span.org/video/?529044-1/bank-america-ceo-remarks-city-club-cleveland
To join this list, send
your affiliation info to 435campaign@earthlink.net
UDHR/SDGs Open letter
Supporters: (as of 11-23-23)
(A more detailed organizational affiliation invite is
below this list)
To join this list please send your affiliated information to 435campaign@earthlink.net
CALIFORNIA:
Cascade Capital Corporation,
President, Fairfax
(Hoover Institute, Palo Alto...?)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
(United
Nations Foundation...?)
(Stimson
Center...?)
(World
Justice Project...?)
(Modernizing
Foreign Assistance Network...?)
(RESULTS....?)
(Friends
Committee on National Legislation...?)
(US Global
Leadership Coalition....?
(US
Institute of Peace....?)
(United
Nations Council of Organizations, Chair...?)
(Open
Society Institute....?)
(Center for American Progress...?)
FLORIDA:
Mobilized News.com, Creative Director, West Palm Beach
MARYLAND
Rotary Club of
Rockville, President & former Presidents.
United
Nations Association, Former Chair. Rockville
Maryland
United for Peace and Justice, Catonsville, President.
Baltimore Nonviolence
Center, Director
Alliance for
Child Survival, Director. Rockville
435
Campaign, Editor. Rockville
American
Public Health Association, former Action Board member. Rockville.
(Friends of
Redgate, Board. Rockville...?)
(Rockville
Chamber of Commerce...?)
(Progressive
Maryland, Largo...?)
VIRGINIA:
Genocide
Watch, Founding President. McLean.
(Presidential Commission on World Hunger (1980) Executive
Director. Purcellville...?)
(World Hunger
Education Service, Executive Director...?)
NEW YORK:
(Bank of America, Chair and CEO...?)
Dear
organization leader
(draft invite 11-22-23)
Most Americans have never heard of the UN “17 Sustainable
Development Goals” (SDGs). And few remember the wise intent of nations
approving of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to prevent
some important conditions leading to war.
We can change these laps of
knowledge on December 10th as our nation approaches the 2024
election.
Two global entities recently informed millions of Americans
in the news by advocating for their important cause using an ‘Open Letter’ or
paid advertisement (both detailed below).
If you are a current or former leader of any US entity
(business, NGO, religious establishment, educational institution, civic or
service group, city council, or government official) this is an invitation to
join on our ‘Open Letter’ regarding the urgency of protecting human rights
globally. Sufficient resources are
needed to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
Indebted governments and charities are insufficient and large businesses
must step up. We invite you to join others by adding your entity,
title, and the city in which your entity exists - to the ‘Open Letter’ below.
It will be given to the media and US policy makers on December 10th. We ask for nothing more than your moral
support for the protection of human rights and the environment - as the most
fundamental means of achieving peace - and sustainably maximizing human
freedoms, security, and prosperity.
If you agree, please
respond to this invitation by email to 435campaign@earthlink.net with your
entity’s name, your position (current or former), and its
city/state. These three elements only
will be listed in the ‘Open Letter’.
[Some entities are already listed on Open Letter below]. Your entity will be entered under your US
state - in the order it’s received.
We do require your
personal name, phone, email, and the entity website so we can privately verify
its approval for being on this ‘Open Letter’.
Your contact information will NOT be shared. And only used for confirming your entity’s
current or former existence if it is challenged. We may do this again July 4, 2024 to remind
Americans of our irreversible global interdependence.
TWO RECENT examples of Open
List advocacy campaigns.
November 10, 2023 the Washington Post news article “Hundreds
of journalists sign letter protesting coverage of Israel“ started with the sentence
“More than 750 journalists from dozens of news organizations have signed an open letter published
Thursday condemning Israel’s killing of reporters in Gaza and criticizing
Western media’s coverage of the war.”
Monday Nov 13th,
2023, a Washington Post paid advertisement covered two full pages in fine print
over 1,300 businesses and organizations “that together employ millions of
Americans across every state.” All
were organized by the state. And just
above the fold in bold letters “IT’S TIME TO SUPPORT AMERICAN JOBS” with
“RESTORE PRO-GROWTH TAX PROVISIONS”. At
the bottom of both pages “PAID FOR BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
MANUFACTUREING AND BUISNEES ROUNDTABLE”, NAM.ORG / BRT.ORG”. The website states it “represents 14,000
member [US] companies, in every industrial sector.”
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