White Salmon resident David Duncombe has gone to our nation's capitol, Washington, D.C., to be a voice for starving people around the globe.
The cause Duncombe is championing is a noble one, and it deserves backing: He is hoping to convince Congress to pass a bill (HR 2634; the Jubilee Act) that would provide "expanded cancellation of debts owed to the United States and the international financial institutions" for poor countries -- because then they might have enough money to feed their starving people.
This cause is sponsored by the Jubilee USA Network, an international movement designed to eliminate global debt and the destructive impacts of that debt on human beings. According to statistics provided by the Jubilee Network, African nations have to pay out about $2.30 in debt service for every $1 of aid they receive. As a result, those nations have to spend much more on paying off debt then they can on health, education, or purchasing food.
Duncombe's role within the Jubilee organization is an amazing one. He will go without any food -- drinking only water and taking potassium supplements -- for a full 40 days. His fast began on Sept. 1.
In a recent interview, Duncombe a reverend and a member of Bethel Congregational United Church of Christ in White Salmon, explained that he does not believe he has a right to enjoy our nation's bounty when others less fortunate are dying.
"God has given us a world of great abundance to share with one another, and we have not shared," he explained in an interview published in the Aug. 30 issue of The Enterprise. "I have lost my desire to eat when others cannot."
Mr. Duncombe's views on world affairs are often visible on these pages. He sends a letter for the editorial page an average of once every month, generally in a bid to make the world a better place through actions of peace and understanding.
We don't always agree with his views -- his Aug. 16 letter in which he called on all of us to "give the suicide bombers of this world our simple respect, not for what they do, but for who they are as human beings loved by God" -- was way overboard, in our view. There is no way we can give respect to those who would blow up crowds of helpless and innocent civilians.
However, in general, and particularly with this courageous effort, Duncombe has our strong support. At his age -- 79 -- he is taking a real risk with his health by fasting for so long, but he has made it clear that he is willing to do so. He reasons that if there were no risk, his effort would have little impact on the legislators in Congress.
Duncombe explained that, by showing the effects of starvation on his own body, he can represent millions of "faceless, voiceless, and powerless" people -- thousands of whom are dying every day.
Duncombe's effort deserves support, and there is a way for members of the Bingen-White Salmon community to demonstrate that support. While Duncombe fasts for 40 days, others can join him in spirit by participating in what is termed a "rolling fast," a process in which citizens can sign up to go without food for a day or two or three as a way to show solidarity with this cause. By signing up for a specific date or dates on a Web site, Duncombe's sacrifice can demonstrate support across the nation -- hopefully guiding members of Congress to vote in support of the important bill.
It would be impressive if a large percentage of Duncombe's home community could sign up for a day or two of fasting. Not only would it lend support to a vital and humanistic cause, but it would provide an added insight to the struggles so many other people across the globe face on a constant basis. We are able to take so much for granted in this country, but going without any food -- even for a day -- brings the reality of what others suffer home.
Duncombe anticipates that approximately 30,000 people will sign up to share part in this rolling fast while he is in Washington, D.C. We here in his hometown can join with him in this effort, and show that we care for others across the globe.
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