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JUSTICE JOTTINGS
January 2012
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MSJC Steering Committee
Welcome New Steering Committee Members
MSJC welcomes Bro. Frank O'Donnell and Bro. Sean Downing to our steering committee. They replace outgoing members Fr. Ted Cassidy and Bro. Bob Donovan. Jessica Merugu is the other outgoing member. Thanks to Ted, Bob and Jessica for your service.
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 | | Frank O'Donnell, SM |
 | | Sean Downing, SM |
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MSJC Steering Committee Annual Meeting
Brenda Fitzpatrick, outgoing chair, hosted the MSJC Steering Committee in New Orleans last weekend. The meeting was a blend of planning, prayer, and education, all focused around social justice. We set priorities for the next 2-3 years (watch for details in the Feb. Justice Jottings), visited parts of the city hard hit by Katrina to learn about the successes and failures of recovery efforts, and installed a new chair, Ted Gorczyca. Thanks to Brenda for her service and to Ted for his willingness to take on this leadership position.
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MSJC Steering Com: Front row: Errol Christian, Brenda Fitspatrick, Cynthia Kaderli, Ted Cassidy SM
2nd row: Ted Gorczyca, Leanne Jablonski FMI, Beth Garascia, Jim Vogt
3rd row: Tara Poling, Pati Krasensky, Sean Downing SM, Top row: Grace Walle FMI, Paul Marshall SM
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ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
The Majestic Plastic Bag:
A Mockumentary
Watch the epic journey of a plastic bag from its release into the wild to its ultimate destination in the middle
of the Pacific Ocean.
Click the triangle at right:
Pope Urges Prayer for New Orleans Recovery
This month, Pope Benedict XVI urges us all to especially pray "that the victims of natural disasters may receive the spiritual and material comfort they need to rebuild their lives."
The MSJC Steering Committee experienced this prayer being put into action during our meeting in New Orleans. Our hosts, Marianist Family members Brenda and Kevin Fitzpatrick, lived through Hurricane Katrina and are engaged in recovery efforts. Our Saturday afternoon was devoted to a tour of Katrina's impacts - the human failures, the wetland ecosystems, and efforts to rebuild housing. These projects have engaged thousands of generous volunteers (including many members of our Marianist communities, schools, and universities) working with the people of New Orleans.
Tip for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint: Save Your Heat The Energy Star program has recommendations to help you heat your home and save up to 20% on a typical energy bill. |
 READER REACTIONS
Response to "Tax Me" - Your Thoughts?Last month Justice Jottings included a short video titled " Tax Me." We received a reply from Mark Koenig, one of our readers:
"I viewed the 'Tax Me' clip and reached the following conclusion. The millionaires who were featured feel that they achieved their status substantially from indirect and direct financial assistance from the government during their growth period, and in some cases accepted government assistance that they hadn't even requested. Now they are extremely wealthy and as a matter of conscience would really like to 'give back' to the government (in the form of higher taxes) more than the current system demands of them.
While this certainly appears to be an honorable position to take, what is preventing them from acting on their own accord and sending the government whatever they believe to be their 'fair share' above and beyond the amount they are required to pay by law? Absent that, it comes across (at least to me) as 'I won't pay what my conscience tells me I owe you until you force others to pay what I think they should be required to pay.'" What are your thoughts? Send them to Jim Vogt. |
GLOBAL ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Journey with Haiti - A Special Report from Catholic Relief Services
Read this one page overview of Catholic Church efforts at rebuilding in Haiti on the 2 year anniversary of the earthquake.
The Social Protection Floor Initiative The Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPFI) envisions that no one should live below a certain income level and everyone should be able to access at least basic health services, primary education, housing, water, sanitation and other essential services. The Initiative is a joint UN effort coordinated by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). There's still time to add your support by signing the SPFI petition. Click here to sign a petition adding your support to this effort. |
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GLBT INITIATIVE
GLBT News from 2011
As we begin a new year, it can be worthwhile to look back on 2011 and some of the positive events which took place in GLBT Catholic news. Here's a sampling:
- According to a Public Religion Research Institute report, the majority of U.S. Catholics support justice and equality initiatives for GLBT persons.
Click here to read six other milestones.
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 RACIAL & IMMIGRANT JUSTICE
Marianist Call to Action -
Just & Humane Immigration Reform
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DEATH PENALTY
Death Penalty Drop in 2011
In 2011 "the use of the death penalty continued to decline by almost every measure. Executions, death sentences, public support, the number of states with the death penalty all dropped from previous years," said Richard Dieter, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), in a press release announcing the publication of DPIC's year-end report. 2011 was the first year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 that the number of new death sentences fell below 100.
Of the 43 executions (down from 46 in 2010), 19 of them (44%) were in states targeted by the Issue Team: Texas (13), Ohio (5), and Missouri (1). The other two targeted states, California and Maryland, combined with the first three to account for 39% of the people on death rows across the country. California tops the list with 721. Read more of the report's findings on the Issue Team's Web page.
Why the Death Penalty Is Slowly Dying "There has long been an idea about how the death penalty would end in the United States," writes Adam Cohen for Time. "The Supreme Court would one day hand down a sweeping ruling saying that it is unconstitutional in all cases. But that is not what is happening. Instead of top-down abolition, we seem to be getting it from the bottom up - governors, state legislatures, judges and juries quietly deciding not to support capital punishment." Read some of the reasons why opposition is growing, and what Cohen concludes, on the Issue Team's Web page.
 Texas Readers - Take Note! |
 RESOURCES
The Smooch Project -
Whole Lot of Kissing Going On!
Social Security, Medicare & Pensions - Promoting the Common Good
Check out this helpful resource from Education for Justice on the importance of social insurance programs in light of Catholic Social Teaching.
Shane Claiborne's 12 Hopes for 2012
Some insightful words from a founding partner of The Simple Way community, a radical faith community that lives among and serves the homeless in Philadelphia.  Young Justice Seekers -
Video Contest NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobby, invites young people (18-25) to make a short video (less than 5 minutes) showing why wealth disparity in the US is an issue for all of us. Click here for details. Contest ends March 1.
Christian Simplicity - A Lenten Resource
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A THOUGHT TO PONDER
"Above all trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We would like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is made by passing through stages of instability and that may take a very long time. . .
Only God can say what this new spirit forming within you will be. Give the Lord the benefit of believing that His hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete."
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
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Questions, comments, or feedback for Justice Jottings can be sent to Jim Vogt.
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