Ryan Rodrick Beiler was the Sojourners web editor from 1999 to 2010. He currently works as a freelance photojournalist based in Oslo, Norway.
Posts By This Author
Yet Another Ill-Conceived Episode of Star Wars
Mounting criticism of national missile defense by scientific and military experts has corporations such as Boeing on the defensive as they try to secure multibillion dollar contracts
Chiapas' New Bishop
As Bishop Samuel Ruiz, liberation theologian and champion of Chiapas’ indigenous peoples, faced mandatory retirement at age 75, many feared what would come next.
World Bank Says 'Oops' on Past Projects, Okays New Pipeline
It’s not just civil wars, AIDS, or other diseases that have brought suffering to sub-Saharan Africa in recent decades.
A New Branch of Government?
Protesting campaign finance corruption and the "dumb or dumber" choices of many current elections, activist filmmaker Michael Moore is asking Americans to vote for potted plants...
In the Interest of Other Cuban Children
One outcome of the circus surrounding the Elian Gonzalez case has been increased scrutiny of U.S.-Cuba policy and renewed hopes for a better relationship with the island nation.
Groups Claim Amoco Fuels Sudan War
Christian groups in the United States and Sudan have called for the boycott of BP-Amoco...
Pat Robertson Calls for Death Penalty Moratorium
Finding himself in agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union and at odds with Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson said "a moratorium [on executions] would indeed be very appropriate..."
Briefly Noted
A Baltimore County judge exceeded sentencing guidelines and gave Philip Berrigan, 30 months in prison for damaging an A-10 Warthog aircraft, such as those used to fire depleted uranium ammunition in Iraq and Kosovo.
Navy Resumes Bombing of Puerto Rico
After a year of encampments that successfully halted bombing exercises by the U.S.
New Friends of the Earth?
A coalition of conservative Christian and Jewish leaders known as the Interfaith Council for Stewardship and the Environment has released "The Cornwall Declaration"...
Jamming the Giants
For around $2,500 you too can be a DJ in the micro-radio revolution.
Iraq Sanctions: 'The slaughter of innocents'
While the U.S.-backed sanctions against Iraq continue to devastate that country, a growing clamor of voices is rising up in opposition
Cutting Classes for Christ
Ariel, the son-in-law of the Guatemalan couple that hosted me when I traveled to Central America in 1997, spoke nostalgically of his days in the student movement—even though it had gotten him roughed up and shot at by security forces. He left such dangers behind when commitments to wife, children, and church became his highest priorities.
Though most U.S. activists risk far less than Ariel, often the same kinds of commitments push justice work to the back burner—or off the stove entirely. These commitments don't excuse "grown-ups" from doing activism, but awareness of them points out the importance of encouraging the radical impulses of those who often are without such pressing responsibilities—such as, for example, students.
Compared to Ariel's risks, getting arrested for protesting the U.S. Army's School of the Americas (SOA) in Georgia—the school that trains the soldiers who've caused so much suffering in Latin America—was the very least I could do. Last November, students from more than 232 colleges and universities made the same choice and did civil disobedience to protest the School of the Americas. Interrupting my "busy" academic schedule for such events was not only possible but, in the big picture, an even higher priority than classes.
SOA Watch and other emerging student movements are impressive for their "love thy neighbor" attitude. Many of the most popular causes—sweatshop labor, a living wage, and freeing Tibet—defend the rights of others. And though passions may wane after graduation, youthful idealism can grow into life-long commitment to justice.
Prosperity Doesn't Equal Generosity
A new report shows that the current economic boom is not finding its way to the collection plate.
Kosovar Religious Leaders Appeal for Peace
Defying the assumption that Serbs and ethnic Albanians are incapable of peaceful coexistence, leaders of the religious communities of Kosovo issued a common statement for reconciliation.