[Buddha-l] Scarcity of resources and Us v Them

[Richard Hayes]

On Jul 29, 2010, at 4:54 PM, donna Bair-Mundy wrote:

>   I remember taking a course in my undergraduate days back in the 1960s in 
> which it was pointed out that the world (at that time) produced enough 
> food to feed the entire human population.  What was lacking was the 
> political will to feed the entire human population.

Alas, we have just witnessed another example of a failure of political will among the powerful nations. Bolivia brought a resolution before the UN that to make access to clean potable water a universal human right. The resolution passed by a vote of 122 in favor, 0 against and 41 abstentions. It is interesting to note the abstentions. The United States, Canada and Australia all abstained. In all those three countries there has been an enormous push on the part of interested parties to make water a commodity that can be owned, transported, distributed and sold. One eloquent speaker after another made the plea that the necessities of life, such as air and water, must never be commodified. (This, I dare say, would probably be a Buddhist position.)

In the United States, the history of treaties with indigenous people has been scandalous in so many ways that one hardly knows where to begin. An issue in the arid part of the country where I live is that conquered indigenous people were given land (mostly land that no one else wanted very much) but were not given water rights. Rivers flow through Navajo land, but the Navajo are not allowed to use it for irrigation or even daily household use. So people in this country are among the billions of people on this planet who have to haul water, sometimes fairly long distances, for use in their homes. The water from the rivers that flow through Indian lands eventually flows downstream and is used to supply water to cities and agricultural operations. People in Albuquerque water their lawns with water flowing through Navajo country that the Navajo cannot legally use. Stands to reason a country that allows such policies as that would never sign a UN resolution making access to water a universal human right.

(http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/ga10967.doc.htm)

I apologize in advance to those who have grown allergic to my trash-talking America. Here's the deal. I'll stop trash-talking my government when the government stops trash-acting against its own citizens (and those who aspire to become bona fide residents) and against those in other nations who aspire to improve the conditions of everyone in the world rather than for a handful of billionaires.

Richard