| JUSTICE
JOTTINGS
August
2011 |
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| Social Justice Weekend for Young Adults
in Cincinnati
October 21-23
The next Adele
Social Justice Project immersion/reflection
weekend for young adults (20's and 30's) is coming to
the Ozanam Center in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of
Cincinnati. The weekend will especially emphasize the
theme of racial reconciliation, including immigration
issues.
The Adele Social Justice Project challenges young adults
to live the call to do works of justice. Evening pre-
and post- gatherings are on Wednesday Oct 12th and Nov
2nd, from 7:30-9pm. The Immersion Weekend is Oct 21-23.
For details and to sign up, see the registration form and send it in. Questions? Contact
Marv
Nieport or Amy
Pendergast.
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| Planning Committee: Marv Nieport, Dan Breetz, Amy Pendergast |
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| Racial
& Immigrant Justice
Marianist
Call to Action for Just & Humane Immigration Reform
Have you made your commitment yet? It's a Marianist priority
for 2011. Click to see the pledges already made and how you can be involved.
Parishes
and Marianist Communities - Support the "DREAM Sabbath"
To
continue building support for the DREAM Act, communities of faith around the country will
participate in DREAM
Sabbath 2011, Sept. 16 to Oct. 9, and
particularly on Sunday, Sept.25, "Pray
for the DREAM Sunday." Communities
of faith are encouraged to lift up the lives of DREAM
students in the prayers, readings, reflection and education
during at least one Sabbath service as a way to help educate
and spread awareness of DREAM students and their hopes
to attain full recognition of their contributions to our
communities. Sign up to participate by going to the Interfaith Immigration Coalition website.
Pray
for the DREAM Sunday resources for parishes
are available from Justice for Immigrants.
Reflections
on the Border Witness Experience
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| Linda Flores-Tober
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"Last week, I took my daughter
to the mall to buy her a dress. When I looked at
the label to check the cleaning instructions, I saw that
it was made in El Salvador. El Salvador was where
the young man I met at the (US/Mexico) border was from.
He had just left his wife, children and farm to come to
the United States to work. His farm was not enough
to sustain his family because the United States was selling
food in El Salvador for less than what he could sell at
a marginal profit.... So many people had moved to the
cities to work in the factories that produced goods (like
this dress) for the United States, that there were few
people left in the local villages to buy his produce..."
Read more.
News
of Immigrant Rights Campaigns
Change.org features stories about immigrant rights efforts.
This is a great way to stay informed and to act.
Immigration
Reform with a Humorous Twist - Watch Colbert
Watch this clip from a recent Colbert Report as Jose
Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer prize winning journalist who
recently revealed that he is an undocumented immigrant,
banters with Stephen Colbert and his satirical anti-immigrant
attacks.
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| Death
Penalty
Ohio
and the Death Penalty
"Gov. John Kasich of Ohio postponed for a month the
state's next execution. The decision is an admission that
Ohio's management of the death penalty is broken and further
proof that the machinery of death cannot be operated responsibly
anywhere." Thus began a recent New York Times editorial calling on "every state
with the penalty on the books to outlaw this barbaric punishment."
Read more, including what a federal district judge had to
say about Ohio (one of the states targeted by the Team),
on the Issue Team's page.
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| Death Penalty Information Center |
"An
Embarrassment of Hitches"
Because of recent court challenges and a shortage of certain
drugs, states across the country have been scrambling to
revise their lethal injection protocols. But as Amnesty
International says in a recent report, "While the USA's use of lethal injection
may spare its politicians from having to defend more visually
gruesome execution methods, the country's continuing pursuit
of judicial killing by any method deals a serious if not
fatal blow to its claims to be a progressive force for human
rights." Read more about Amnesty's report, entitled
"An Embarrassment of Hitches: Reflections on the Death Penalty,
35 Years After Gregg v. Georgia, As States Scramble for
Lethal Injection Drugs," from the Death Penalty
Information Center and on the Issue Team's page. |
| Environment
& Ecology
Visit
the "Climate Hot Map"
The Union of Concerned Scientists has launched a new interactive
web feature called the Climate Hot Map. This map allows you to travel the globe
and explore "hot spots" where scientists have
documented changes caused by climate change.
Need
Your Input - Religious Attitudes About Climate Change
The National Religious Partnership for the Environment
is seeking to gauge how religious Americans think about
the issue of climate change. They believe that without
the voice of the religious community in the US, little
headway will be made in curtailing greenhouse gases or
adapting to climate impacts. Would you like to help?
If so, complete their online questionnaire. It will take about 15 minutes
and your responses will be kept completely confidential.
Moving
Planet - Sept. 24 -
A
Day to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels
On Sat. Sept. 24, people all around the world are joining
together for Moving Planet - a worldwide rally to demand
solutions to the climate crisis. We'll use this one day
to help move beyond fossil fuels, and we'll rally together
on bikes, on skateboards, and on foot. Click here and get involved.
Parishes
and Schools -
Take
the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation
The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change has prepared
a Catholic Parish and School Planning Guide to help
introduce the St. Francis Pledge. It's a great resource to help
celebrate the feast day of St. Francis on Oct. 4.
Tip for Reducing Your Carbon
Footprint - Turn on the Fan First
Fans don't use as much energy
as AC, so turn on the fan first. Moving air may be
enough to keep you cool without the AC.
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| GLBT
Initiative
Being
Catholic and Gay - How is it Possible?
Although being gay and Catholic is something not often
discussed in public, there are many discussion groups, blogs
and other forums to explore various perspectives on this
issue. How does one fully integrate their identity as a
GLBT person with their identity as a Catholic? Check
these out:
· New York Times article about a gay Catholic blogger
against gay marriage;
· The Gay Catholic Forum, an online discussion group for
all things gay and Catholic;
· Gay + Catholic - the story of one man's journey as a
gay Catholic;
· MSJC - GLBT Initiative Facebook Group Page Please join
our online discussion.
Bringing
A Message of Equality to World Youth Day
Two young members of Equally Blessed, a coalition of faithful Catholics who
support full equality for GLBT people, will attend World
Youth Day to remind their peers that GLBT people deserve
justice and respect. |
| Action
for Advocates
End Prolonged Solitary Confinement
Now
Add your voice to the chorus of people of faith who are
calling for a change in the treatment of prisoners. The
National Religious Campaign Against Torture has produced
a new statement asking federal and state governments to
end the use of prolonged solitary confinement. They will
deliver the list of signees to governors, state legislators,
and prison officials as an appeal to improve the treatment
of prisoners in all 50 states. Please sign the statement today!
Help
Stop the Starving - and its Causes
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| Crisis in the Horn of Africa |
You may have seen
the pictures of starving people in the Horn of Africa
on your TV screens. We're all asking: how can this be
happening again? Parts of Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia
are facing one of the worst droughts in 60 years, and
more than 12 million people are desperately in need of
food, clean water, and basic sanitation. Despite the urgency
of the situation, most world leaders are responding too
slowly. Immediate aid is essential. Yet at the same time
we must not let them drop the ball on long term solutions
as has too often happened in the past. Join in calling on world leaders to save millions of lives
- today and tomorrow.
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Resources
2011-12
Justice and Peace Calendar Education for Justice
has compiled a Justice and Peace Calendar for Aug. 2011-July
2012. Click here to get a copy.
Ending
Global Poverty - UN Millennium Development Goals Update
How are we doing in ending
extreme poverty? Read this brief update to find out.
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| Events
25th
Anniversary Celebration of the Prairie at Mt. St. John
Dayton area folks, come celebrate both:
- Marianist World Day of Prayer
- 25th Anniversary of the
Prairie at Mt. St. John.
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 9, 10:30 am - 4:00 pm.
WHERE: Mount St. John, Dayton, OH
Details available soon from the Marianist Environmental Education Center. |
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A Thought to Ponder
"Only
those who risk going too far
can
possibly find out how far one can go."
T. S. Eliot |
Questions, comments, or feedback for Justice Jottings
can be sent to Jim
Vogt.
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