The Cry of the Poor

The wages you withheld from the worker who mowed your fields cry out, and the cries of the worker reach the ears of the Lord of hosts. (James 5: 4)

Consider the case of Pedro Zapeta, a dishwasher from Guatamala who worked in the U.S. for 11 years and saved $59,000 so he could buy land in his native country and build a home for his mother and sisters. Mr. Zapeta, who speaks no English, earned barely more than minimum wage, but he lived frugally and often worked two jobs to save up his money.

When he had earned enough, he packed the money in a duffel bag and prepared to take a flight home to Guatamala. But what happened at a Florida airport and afterwards is hard to believe. Because he failed to fill out the proper form declaring the $59,000, customs officials arrested him and seized his money. And now after two years of government harrassment, an immigration judge has ordered him to leave the country by the end of January 2008. He is unlikely to see a penny of his money.

Mr. Zapeta is all but powerless against the government officials who have taken everything he worked for. He will return home no better off than when he left it. But those who have swallowed up Pedro Zapeta should keep in mind that God hears the cries of the poor man against his oppressors. God sees everything. And God never forgets.

Read more about Mr. Zapeta's case...

How Long Will They Suffer?

Dr. Said Hakki, a physician who is president of the Red Crescent, asked the question that many ask but no one has an answer to.

"How could a human let human beings suffer so much for so long?"

He was discussing a report about to be released by the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization on the massive displacement of Iraqis brought about by military operations and sectarian violence in their country.

The report will show that nearly two million Iraqis, a million of them in Baghdad alone, have fled their homes and moved to other neighborhoods or regions, sometimes two or three times, in search of safety and security. This number is in addition to the estimated two million Iraqis who have fled the country entirely.

But whether they are internally displaced or have fled the country, most have left everything behind and are struggling to survive day to day.

How long will they suffer?

Perhaps the best solution to the Iraq crisis would be for all the outsiders to just leave, starting with the Americans, and let Iraqis put their country back together on their own. Consider this...

"Just last week within Baghdad itself, a Sunni tribe of 250 families that lived in Dora, one of the most violent neighborhoods, was forced to flee. Rather than going to an area where they would be with others of their sect, they went to their neighbors to the south, in Abu Dshir, a Shiite area. They were welcomed by the local tribe and given places to stay in people's homes."

Read more from the New York Times...

Baghdad Burning

Since the beginning of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, an anonymous blogger from Iraq has written Baghdad Burning, a candid and uncensored commentary on everyday life in "liberated" Baghdad. Her posts have given countless readers around the world a rare look at the hardships of life for ordinary Iraqis in this hopelessly failed state.

Now she has joined the estimated two million Iraqis who have fled their country. In what might be her last post on the blog she writes,

"As we crossed the border and saw the last of the Iraqi flags, the tears began again. The car was silent except for the prattling of the driver who was telling us stories of escapades he had while crossing the border. I sneaked a look at my mother sitting beside me and her tears were flowing as well. There was simply nothing to say as we left Iraq. I wanted to sob, but I didn’t want to seem like a baby. I didn’t want the driver to think I was ungrateful for the chance to leave what had become a hellish place over the last four and a half years."

Read the full post...

Remembering September 11

Contrary to what most Americans think, the world did not stand still that day. For much of the world it was a day like every other. Here are some of the things that happened on September 11, 2001:

24,000 people died of starvation;

8,000 died of AIDS, leaving 6,000 children orphaned;

7,000 died of malaria;

5,000 died of tuberculosis;

1,400 women in Africa died giving birth without adequate medical care (many were children themselves);

12,000 children in the poorest regions of the world died of treatable chronic diarrhea;

2,000 children died of measles, a disease almost eradicated except in poor countries;

120,000 unborn children died from abortions;

5,000 people died violent deaths from causes such as homicide and acts of war, including 3,000 in terrorist attacks in the United States.

Their names will never be known, but they were all children of God. They were precious in the eyes of their Creator. They were our brothers and sisters. May we remember all of them.


And may we never forget those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. More...