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Hope's avatar
Feb 8Edited

Dr. Berkely Fletcher, thanks for calling out evil with sharing your experiences. A substacker wrote of the importance of personalizing stories to counter the Regime's current coup. And I really resonate with your experiences as a former MK raised in white Christian Nationalism (wCN). For me, my 1st memories were overseas playing alongside my neighbor kids, which has shaped my views--even after moving back to the States. Perhaps playmate-experiences as peers contributed to my being the only one in my fam to exit this heresy of socio-political ideology with its permission structures for abuses with authoritarianism & misogyny. Personally, I've come to see Samaritan's Purse as marketing materialism & white Christian nationalism--including within the Museum of the Bible.

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Holly Berkley Fletcher's avatar

Hi hope! Please call me holly! SP definitely has problems. Also does some good work on the ground in some cases. Franklin Graham has definitely lost his way.

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Terry Mc Kenna's avatar

Funny about USAID. And I have heard many technical complaints - so once I heard someone describe a food program to a certain nation as catering the conflict. But matters like this can be discussed and solved. But where in your example the sacks of precious food were labelled as from the American people, now the American people are giving the finger to the world.

I have met a number of Catholic nuns and priests who served in overseas missions. They were dreamers who wanted to do good. And in the secular side - the effort pushed by George Bush to help in Africa gained us so much good will.

What inspires those who want to screw the world?

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Lori Z.'s avatar

Greed. Among other things, but greed.

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Sy's avatar

This is so brutally painful for everyone in USAID because it’s not just a sudden job loss. It’s the destruction of a huge place in their heart held by America. It’s a betrayal by America, personally, to each employee. My heart breaks for you.

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MARC JUHEL's avatar

Thanks for this very moving contribution, and for your Bulwark piece as well, because yes indeed, the future has an African horizon. I tried to make this case too in a memoir about my 23-plus years in the World Bank, remembering fondly the interactions with USAID colleagues when trying to complement each other in the field. I summed it up writing: And what if the South, hidden between serene tradition and youthful modernity, held the key to the future of the world? (unfortunately it is still in French only, but you can catch a glimpse of it here: www.sudiste.org). Thanks so much again !

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Karen Portin's avatar

As a fellow recovering evangelical, my heart also hurts. Thank you for your lyrical description of the evil we are seeing.

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Lori Z.'s avatar

Aww Holly. This made me a wee bit teary for you. I'm sorry for your pain. I know it's real, I get it.

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Robert C Culwell's avatar

In the 80’s, our merchant fleet 🚢⚓hauled thousands of tons 🌾🪝 of grain to Africa. LYKES and Delta Lines steamships carried huge quantities of grain from Milwaukee, Chicago and New Orleans to Alexandria, Monrovia, Conakry and Guinea Bissau. Still, there was always the feeling 👁️🕵🏻‍♂️ that the Spooks had their eyes on the piles and their hand$ in the till. 🇺🇲 Looking back, were the poor and starving stevadors, longshoremen and dock workers on the receiving end just part of a CIA conveyor-belt in the 🌍 Great Game: soviets then, Xi now? 🐻⚒️🐲🦅🇨🇳

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Alexandra Barcus's avatar

The world will regard us with contempt, and we will deserve every bit of it.

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