This announcement just arrived from the Friends Committee on National Legislation (an advisory body of the Religious Society of Friends, or as some call them, "the Quakers"):
Your representative can make an investment this year in building peace by supporting the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act (H.R. 1084). Instead of sending the military to countries teetering on the brink of war or emerging from conflict, the U.S. could send civilian experts who specialize in training police, running hospitals and schools, improving farm production, and other specialists. These trained civilians would help governments strengthen the public institutions that meet people's basic needs and give them confidence in their government's ability to protect and support them.

Your action is needed now. Although the bill has bipartisan backing, it has not garnered enough support or cosponsors to move toward a vote in the House. Your representative's support of this bill can help it advance this year.



The pictures below are from Flickr photographers Jerry Lee, who resides in Thailand, and TCDavis, founder of ITA. The Thailand pics are from a Buddhist festival in a small fishing town.



Also below you will find two recent posts from interfaith blogger, Doug Lynott, of Washington, DC. Doug is a Catholic married to a Jewish woman. He brings that experience into his blog posts, which pertain often to life in an ever more religiously pluralistic world. Give Doug a read and comment on his posts!



In my blog I mention worshipping with Quakers, who set a good example of interfaith respect.



--TCDavis