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Video on the Doctrine of Discovery

• Authored by:
• Kitty Mizuno

Dear Editor: I read the July/August issue of Western Friend, “On Difference,” with great interest, especially the pieces concerning the history of Native peoples in the U.S. I would like to recommend to your readers a video of apresentation given by Steve Newcomb of the Indigenous Law Institute in Arizona, In it, he explains very powerfully and clearly “The Doctrine of Discovery,” which was declared by the Popes in the 15th and 16th centuries to legitimize the domination of non-Christian people.

On Play (September 2015)

On Play (letter)

• Authored by:
• Elspeth Benton

Dear Editor:  It was wonderful to see an entire issue of Western Friend devoted to play! (Sept/Oct 2015) As a retired childcare director who believes in the value of play for young children, I am thrilled.

On Money (November 2015)

Easily Amused

• Authored by:
• Dan Kane

Dear Editor: I just yesterday received my printed copy of the September/October issue of Western Friend. Being newer to the Society of Friends, I wonder occasionally if my self-confident, nearly unrelenting sole-proprietor personality – an anti-violent celebration of life in friendship, healthier living, and occasional long streams of profanity – is contradictory to the seemingly tranquil serenity of the Society of Friends! I am inspired by your “From the Editor’s Desk” statements, especially, “Let’s play the Massively Multiplayer Offline Game called The Valley of the Shadow of Death.” Your statement appeals to both my sense of humor and spirituality. I suppose I need not explain your appeal to my sense of spirituality. In terms of humor, I am imagining the juxtaposition of your statement with a speaker in high places (such as major media, financial, or political spokesperson), offering a public suggestion – with the enthusiasm of a pre-teen cartoon character – to play a multiplayer offline game. Perhaps I am easily amused!

On Money (November 2015)

Children as Soldiers

• Authored by:
• Shelley Blank

Dear Friends:  Please consider this article I wrote for Epoch Times, September 10, 2015 on “children as soldiers.” UNICEF estimates that about 300,000 children under 18 are currently involved in more than thirty conflicts across the globe. Although there are no exact figures, the average age is 16 in government forces, younger in armed rebel groups. Some soldiers are as young as eight years old. Please consider this issue, and let your conscience be your guide. Read the article here.

On Money (November 2015)

Dangerous Tipping Point

• Authored by:
• Carin Pacifico

Dear Editor: I just finished reading the latest issue of Western Friend [Nov/Dec 2015]. The subject of Quakers and economics is something I have thought about a great deal. I often think, “Well, you don’t get bonus points for good intentions and bad outcomes.” The Quakers, at least in the past, were better than others at linking good intentions to good outcomes.

On Countries (January 2016)

Surmounting Limits in Quakerism

• Authored by:
• Anthony Manousos

When I asked Mary Klein if she would publish an article about the 2016 meeting of Friends World Committee on Consultation, she suggested that I write one for the issue on “Limits.” My initial response was: “Is she kidding?” I was grateful for her offer, but something in me bristles at the word “limits.”

On Limits (May 2016)

Limited Facts

• Authored by:
• Gary Miller

Dear Editor: I was disappointed in Ms. Enoch’s article in the March/April issue of Western Friend, “My Quest to Change the Education System.” I am a Quaker, who has served on local public school boards for over twenty-five years. Some of what she reported is misleading at best.

On Limits (May 2016)

No Tengas Miedo

• Authored by:
• Sister Confianza del Señor

Dear Editor: We just received the March-April issue of Western Friend, “On Beginnings.” Thanks for including my “recipe” for peanut butter cookies! One clarification: Multnomah Meeting does not “support” Amigas del Señor in any financial or legal way. Rather, we “spiritually share in a Covenant of Caring.” It is a promise to stay in touch and hold one another in the Light.

On Limits (May 2016)

Information on Public Education: Ask the Students

• Authored by:
• Eli Enochs

Dear Editor: I was not surprised to find that my article in the March/ April issue of Western Friend, “My Quest to Change the Education System,” was controversial to some Friends. Regarding Gary Miller’s letter to the editor, I would like to write my own response in my defense.

On Heritage (July 2016)

Simple Foods

• Authored by:
• Kate McClellan

Dear Editor: I appreciate Jane Snyder’s article about simplicity (“Rich People Won’t Eat It,” May/June 2016), and I’m sure living in Portlandia would make anyone suspicious of foodies.  However, I don’t think she is very knowledgeable about the health effects.  Gluten intolerance is a very serious health issue for many people who do not have celiac disease.  And there are people who are lactose intolerant.  If you’re looking to meet the needs of a diverse group, you don’t have to buy gluten-free bread or dairy substitutes.  These tend to be overly processed foods, which is the big problem with our corporate-sponsored food supply.  Plant-based meals such as lentil soup, pea soup, salad with oil and vinegar dressing, potatoes and rice are all options for a meal that feeds a large group while also being healthy and meeting most dietary limitations.  You can put cheeses or other dressings on the side for those who want them.  Buying organic and local may be a little more expensive but has some environmental value.  Just because poor people don’t have as many options and are lured by cheap processed foods (or as Michael Pollan calls them, “edible food-like substances”) doesn’t make it a better diet.

On Heritage (July 2016)