Believe me, I’m no fan of Saddam and his regime, and I do believe he was a ruthless and suppressive man.  But I think it is a tragic mistake to have gone forward with his hanging.

It benefits no one.

And if he was "notorious for massacring thousands of his people," how many of his people have died since the U.S. led invasion of Iraq.  And how many more will die now?

This little sidebar tells the tale: "Through Friday, at least 2,186 Iraqis have been killed in war-related or sectarian violence in December, an average rate of about 75 people a day, by an AP count. That compares with at least 2,184 killed in November at an average of about 70 a day, the worst month for Iraqi civilian deaths since May 2005. In October, AP counted at least 1,216 civilians killed."

I can hardly believe that in the 21st Century, that we countenance execution.

This is a black day for human rights. 

I find it very hard to believe that the year is almost over.  It seems like it only began a few weeks ago.

Wishing everyone a totally killer 2007! 

Last night we saw the Scientology New Years Event in Los Angeles.

David Miscavige was master of ceremonies and his speech and his intention to handle this planet were and are so inspirational. 

What can I say!?

But the best part of the event, for me, was the release.  I’m not going to say what it was for another two days because the event is going to be shown in all the other Scientology churches and missions on New Years Eve, but I will say it’s all about L. Ron Hubbard, and I got 10 copies of it and I’m giving them out to everyone I know (yes I know more than 10 people but I’m just starting with 10.  I’ll get more too).

Having grown up as a Jew in a Christian society, I really didn’t have much to do with Christmas, until I married, and my husband and his parents celebrated Christmas.

His family were not very religious Christians.  Not church-goers.  But they made Christmas such a special time for us.  

Sure there were presents, and hat was always a treat.  But it was much more than that.  It was a time of love and peace.  A real respite in a pretty hectic world.

It wasn’t long after I married that I became a Scientology minister.  Part of one’s training as a Scientlogy minister is a study of the great religions of the world, and one gains a perspective on the relationship between Scientology and other religions.

I know that Christmas signifies a reconciliation between God and Man - a healing of the rift created when Man first disobeyed God. 

As a non Christian, to me this symbolizes Man’s chance to go free. 

There is also a message of prevailing despite prejudice, despite misfortune, despite betrayal.  It represents the ascendence of the decent qualities of Man over his evil tendancies.

As a Scientologist, having studied the book Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health I know the source of the evil that wrecks the lives of the individual, the group, the world — it is the Reactive Mind. 

And with Scientology I know I can accomplish true spiritual freedom.

It is not a belief.  It is a spiritual technology — something I am much more comfortable with than belief.  Plus, I’ve seen it work — right down the line, completely, exactly.  So ever parts of the tech I haven’t applied yet, I am confident it  will work too.

And back to the message of Christmas, and why I bring this up at all — to me, the spirit of Christmas is all of these things.

And, "It’s a Wonderful Life," of course

It was then that I realized that the true message of Christmas - at least o

I have a very different perspective of Chris 

I really admire the work of Mohammad Younus.  It makes so much sense, what he’s done.  I am very hopeful that other humanitarians will follow his lead, and bring prosperity to the entire developing world.

Here’s an article on his "hero’s welcome" when he returned from accepting the Nobel Peace Prize this week:

 

Mohammad Younus, banker to the poor and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, returned to a hero’s welcome in the Bangladesh capital yesterday after a visit to Norway to pick up the award.

Younus and the Grameen Bank he founded were cited for their work to lift millions out of poverty by giving loans to the desperately poor, especially women in rural Bangladesh.

The award, announced earlier in the year, was welcome news in the impoverished South Asian nation which gets regularly hit by nature’s fury - droughts, cyclones and floods.

Younus left an airport reception perched on the back of a lorry and waved to the thousands of cheering well-wishers, television showed.

Younus and Grameen Bank representative Mosammat Taslima Begum received gold medals and diplomas from the Nobel Committee at a ceremony in Oslo on December 10.>> continued