Can we create ashram-like, self-reliant communities in Afghanistan?

Ahmedabad is the city where Gandhi began his India independence struggle, establishing 2 ashrams in 1917. It was from Ahmedabad that Gandhi initiated the Salt March in 1930. We spent time with the people of Demar village ( located 40 km from Ahmedabad city ), an agricultural and livestock village growing cotton and rearing cows for milk.

“If you want to be a global city, you’ve got to act like a global city and do what global cities do,” says Lori Healey who heads the host committee and who previously led the city’s unsuccessful bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

All indications, unfortunately, are that Chicago…appears to want to follow the lead of other “global cities” in dealing with mass demonstrations threatening to “steal the stage;” think Tehran, Beijing, Cairo, Moscow and Seattle, to name a few.

Demanding to Be Allowed to Sail

In the late spring of 2011, I was one of 37 passengers and 4 crewmembers on the Audacity of Hope, the U.S. boat to Gaza… on October 6th, I was in Afghanistan meeting with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers (AYPV) with members of Voices for Creative Nonviolence (VCNV) when Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL9) introduced HR 3131 in Congress. In summary, this bill “expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should take diplomatic steps to express gratitude to Greece for upholding the rule of law in preventing hostile forces from violating a legal naval blockade of Gaza by Israel and thereby advancing the security of its ally Israel… none of the 14 co-sponsors of HR 3131 have called for a resolution to condemn Israeli state-sponsored terrorism.

Dhafir was sentenced to 22 years for consciously violating the sanctions against the people of Iraq… Dhafir’s refusal to be silent in the face of genocide resulted in seven government agencies investigating [his charity] Help the Needy and intercepting his mail, email, faxes and telephone calls, bugging his office and hotel rooms, combing through his trash, and also conducting physical surveillance. They were unable to find any evidence of terrorism links, yet the stench of such alleged associations infused the trial…

I found it very instructive that, even though I was sitting right there in the room next to my attorney, the revenue officer referred to me often as, “The Taxpayer.” I had to bite almost clean through my tongue to ask him if he calls every person, “The Taxpayer.” Here in the good ol’ USA, we have been reduced to either, “Taxpayers,” or “consumers,” never, “citizens.” We are conditioned from birth to feed our masters, toil for them, and care about them before we care for our own flesh and blood.

The governor of Kunar province said that during a night raid on January 16, NATO forces killed 5 civilians during a “kill-and-capture” raid as coalition helicopters fired into a compound. Among the 5 were 1 woman and 2 children.

Train buddy Utkarsh

Dearest Abdulai

It was really great meeting you and clicking those pictures.

You have a tough task ahead. Stand brave against the odds and your genuine heart and crystal clear thoughts will take you to your dream.