| |
|
|
Justice
Jottings June 2007 |
|
How are Farming and Hunger Related to Justice?
Education
for Justice offers a resource to learn more about the Farm (and
Food) Bill. Find out which state ranks 1st in production of corn and
soybeans and other food and farm related quiz questions by clicking here. Bread for the
World offers a sample letter you can send to your Congressperson. Click here to act now for a just
Farm (and Food) Bill.
|
|
|
New On Our Website
|
New Social
Justice Online Course
Marianist
International Volunteers
Read the latest newsletter from the
Marianist volunteers around the world by
clicking here
Remember - Our website is interactive. We'd like to
hear from you! Just get a password and you can enter into current
discussions with other MSJC members or start a new discussion. NOTE -
if you are using the AOL browser, you can view the website but may not
be able to enter any of the discussions with that browser.
|
|
| Everyday Justice
June's Reflection comes from Fr. Ted Cassidy, SM.
"When trying to describe justice in my daily life, I thought
of two joyful little children who were running around and around the
Word of God resting on the podium in the middle of the chapel on the
great Solemnity of Pentecost."
|
|
 Anti-Racism
Pledge to Eliminate Racism
The Anti-Racism Issue Team is calling for those who have
taken the Pledge to evaluate where they are at and where they want to
go. They are also calling for new Pledge signers. To take the Pledge
to Eliminate Racism and to review the Pledge resources click here.
|
 Alternatives to Violence
We invite you and your community to participate in the People's
Peace Initiative. Get involved today! For more information click here.
|
|
 Death Penalty
MSJC
Sponsors Starvin' for Justice 2007 - The Annual Fast
and Vigil Against the Death Penalty at the Supreme Court (June
29 - July 2)
Bro. Brian Halderman
SM shares, "Having attended two previous Fast and Vigil's I can attest
that it is an experience you will not soon forget. I would encourage
all members of the Marianist Family to stand in solidarity with victims
of violent crime and those on death row at the steps of the US Supreme
Court. This is a wonderful opportunity to TAKE ACTION." Be in solidarity
with the vigilers - fast from a meal during the vigil! For other
solidarity ideas click here. For more information
click here.
Be an advocate for those facing execution in June by clicking
the links below.
US
juries are increasingly reluctant to deliver death sentences
According
to the International Herald Tribune: "In the mid-1990s, juries
sentenced about 315 people to death every year. The number has been
dropping ever since, and last year the number of death sentences barely
broke 100." Read more by clicking here.
College-level Curriculum Resource on the
Death Penalty
Capital Punishment in Context is designed to
supplement a variety of college courses. Each case, with its related
materials, opens a path through the criminal justice system. For
additional information and for free registration for supplementary
resources click here.
|
Ecology & Environment 
Focus on
climate change - Summer Travel
A third of US emissions come from the transportation sector, mostly
from individual travel. The availability and use of alternative
transportation, land use, and the efficiency of cars we drive directly
impacts our individual emissions. At the Travel Matters website, you can calculate
your monthly greenhouse gas emissions, view PowerPoint presentations,
and much more. Travel Matters even contains a section for teachers.
Spend some time at the site as you consider summer plans, because travel matters.
What
you can do - Tips from the Earth Day Network:
- Drive less. Every
year, Americans as a whole drive more miles than they did the year
before. Stop this trend. Telecommuting and public transportation are
great options. Leaving your car at home two days a week will reduce
your CO2 emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. Even piling multiple errands
into one trip helps and if you can walk or bike instead of drive, even
better.
- Get your car tuned
up. Just a simple tune-up often improves fuel efficiency. Studies have
shown that a poorly tuned engine can increase fuel consumption by as
much as 10-20 percent.
- Slow down, don't race
your car's engine, and watch your idling. All of these save on gas
(saving you money) and have a big impact on burning gasoline. You can
save gas by turning the engine off and restarting it again if you
expect to idle for more than 30 seconds.
|
|
Sweatshop
Labor
|
| MSJC Steering Committee
Endorsed Catholic Charities "Campaign to Reduce
Poverty in America"
Last month Justice Jottings reported MSJC's
endorsement of Catholic Charities new campaign. In response to this
endorsement, each month MSJC will share new resources and actions to
take to reduce poverty. This month join us - Take the Food
Stamp Challenge! Start by taking one week and buy your
groceries using the average food stamp benefit of $3.00 per person per
day. Find out more information and share your experience by clicking here.
Justice Issues Facing
Gays and Lesbians
A group of people
concerned about justice issues affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered (GLBT) persons, plus three MSJC Steering Committee
members, met for the first time in Dayton on May 20-21. This new
project of MSJC, called the GLBT Initiative, will focus initially on
inviting and encouraging education and dialog in Marianist communities
about their understanding of and attitudes toward GLBT persons and
their concerns. The process will be piloted this fall in two Marianist
lay communities. Beth Garascia, lay Marianist from So. Bend, is
chairing the group, with help from Bro. Jim Vorndran SM. For more
information, contact Beth at bgarascia@sbcglobal.net or Jim at jimvorndran@gmail.com.
|
 Act
Now! Be an Advocate for Justice
Immigration Update: Senate Begins Debate
Last
week, the U.S. Senate began debate on "The Secure Borders, Economic
Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007" (S.1348). This week
the Senate will consider this piece of legislation. Call your Senators
today and ask them to support family amendments and oppose restrictive
amendments. To contact your Senator and for more information click here. To read MSJC's
statement on Immigration click here.
Thank You! - Minimum Wage Increases
Your efforts
on behalf of poor people have paid off. On May 25, President Bush
signed into law the first increase in minimum wage in over a decade.
The Iraq war
spending bill included an amendment increasing the federal minimum wage
from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour in three steps over a two year period.
The first wage increase of $.70 comes 60 days after enactment,
increasing the minimum wage to $5.85 hourly. One year later, the
minimum hourly wage will increase to $6.55 per hour and the final
increase to $7.25 per hour a year after that (2 years after enactment).
|
 Events
Spotlight
on Torture
The
National Religious Campaign Against Torture is organizing FREE viewings
of "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" in congregations during the week of Jun 10-17
and Oct. 21-28. To learn more and to sign up click here.
Peacemaker
Training Institute
June
14-21 in Mt. Storm, WV for youth 17-25 years old. For more information
click here.
Day
of Action to Restore Law and Justice June 26 in Washington,
DC. Take action to stand against torture and stand for freedom. For
more information click here.
|
| Resources - Know any good ones? Share them
with us.
Nuclear Weapons
MSJC
member Roger Bau SM sent some troubling information about nuclear
weapons material getting into our landfills. To
read more click here.
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
If you are looking for some good reading on the Death
Penalty, check out this new John Grisham book. To read more about it click here.
What Does God Look Like in an Expanding Universe?
This book, edited by Jim Schenk of ImagoEarth, "stirs your
imagination and refreshes your faith with an exploration of the
intersection of ecology and religion." To read more about the book
including reviews and excerpts click here.
|
| A Thought to Ponder
The one who
attempts to act and do things for others or for the world without
deepening his own self-understanding, freedom, integrity and capacity
to love will not have anything to give to others. He will communicate
to them the contagion of his own obsessions, his aggressiveness, his
ego-centered ambitions, his delusions about ends and means, and his
doctrinaire prejudices and ideas.
Thomas
Merton - Contemplation in a World
of Action
|
|
|
|
|
| | |