PITTSBURGH’S PEACE & JUSTICE NEWSPAPER The Syrian Uprising, the Environment, and Climate Change
VOL. 43 No. 9, October 2013
IN THIS ISSUE McKibben in Pgh., page 1&4
by Michael Drohan
Facts about Drones, page 4
The Syrian Uprising began in February 2011 in the small town of Daraa in Southern Syria near the Jordanian border. Its beginnings bore many resemblances to the uprising in Tunisia in December 2010 when the young Tunisian, Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor, torched himself. In Syria the spark that inflamed the country in 2011 was the arrest of school children who had dared to write graffiti on the walls of their school PITTSBURGH—September 6 rally to prevent bombing of denouncing Photo by Philomena O’Dea Syria at Schenley Plaza President Bashar al unrest and resistance to the for decades. But another factor Assad and his policies. The regime. that has not received much Uprising bore many resemblances attention is the environmental to Egypt as well, and was factor and associated agricultural The Environmental Factor heralded as the coming of the policies of the regime. From 2006 The uprising in Syria had Arab Spring to Syria. The brutality to 2010 before the uprising took of the response of al Assad to this many causal factors such as the repression and persecution of the event only served to spread the (continued on page 11) Muslim Brotherhood going back
Pacem in Terris, page 7 Powershift , page 11 Table of Contents, page 2
New Economy ‘Un-conference’ Rescheduled for October 26th 10 a.m.-4 p.m. At 1st United Methodist Church
“The coming painful decades may be the prehistory of the next American revolution – and an evolutionary process that transforms the American system, making it both morally meaningful and ecologically sustainable.” —Gar Alperovitz, board member, New Economics Institute and author, What Then Must We Do?
Bill McKibben on the Road to Pittsburgh for Nov. 4 Award Dinner at Sheraton Station Square by Raechelle Landers
the road this September promoting his latest book, Oil and Honey: The Bill McKibben, journalist, environmentalist, and educator, is on Education of an Unlikely Activist. Most recently, Bill was in Cambridge, Register Massachusetts, where Now at he spoke at Harvard www.thomas University discussing mertoncenter climate change and his .org new book. Oil and Honey is a memoir describing McKibben’s time as an activist and a personal account of the protest against the Keystone XL pipeline and his experiences with a
(continued on page 11)
Vermont beekeeper. The Keystone XL Pipeline is a 1700 mile-long pipe that will become an avenue for transporting tar sands oil from Canada to Texas. This project is controversial because it will be detrimental to the environment by increasing greenhouse emissions as well as endangering everything in its path. The first Keystone protest took place last summer and resulted in the arrest of McKibben along with other protesters. McKibben spent an unexpected three days in jail making the issue of the pipeline one of national concern. The project requires the president’s permission. During the initial protest, McKibben emphasized
that the decision has been left to President Obama and he alone can decide whether to allow the construction of the pipeline or prevent it. McKibben is also a leader of the Divestment from Fossil Fuels Campaign. The Divestment from Fossil Fuels Campaign was initiated by 350.org, an organization founded by McKibben and students concerned about the environment. The campaign encourages institutions such as schools and local governments to stop investing in companies that use fossil fuels. (continued on page 14)
Photo by Steve Liptay TMC works to build a consciousness of values and to raise the moral questions involved in the issues of war, poverty, racism, classism, economic justice, oppression and environmental justice. PERMIT NO. 458
TMC engages people of diverse philosophies and faiths who find common ground in the nonviolent struggle to bring about a more peaceful and just world.
October 2013
NEWPEOPLE - 1
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Page 1 Syrian Uprising Bill McKibben on Road Unconference Page 3 Green Laundry Public Transit Activism Page 4 About Drones Bangladesh Tragedies 2 - NEWPEOPLE
This is a big year for Thrifty, twenty years strong and still growing and dedicated to service in the community! Stop by to say happy birthday and shop, volunteer, or donate from Tuesday to Friday 10-4, or Saturday from 12-4. Help us spread the love around at the East End Community Thrift Store! 412-361-6010
Page 5 A Trillion Dollars TPP Injustice
www.ceasefirepa.org
Environmental Justice Committee
Global Solutions Pittsburgh 412-471-7852 dan@globalsolutionspgh.org www.globalsolutionspgh.org
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Fight for Lifers West
info@ceasefirepa.org
fightforliferswest@yahoo.com
Citizens for Social Responsibility of Greater Johnstown Larry Blalock, evolve@atlanticbb.net
www.fightforliferswestinc.com Formerly Convicted Citizens Dean Williams (412) 295-8606
PA United for a Single-Payer Health Care www.healthcare4allPA.org www.PUSH-HC4allPa.blogspot.com 2102 Murray Avenue Pgh, Pa 15217 412-421-4242 Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi 412-761-4319
Marcellus Shale Protest Group melpacker@aol.com 412-243-4545
marcellusprotest.org
Pittsburgh Committee to Free Mumia 412-361-3022 pghfreemumia@gmail.com
New Economy Working Group Molly.Rush@verizon.net
Pittsburgh Cuba Coalition 412-303-1247 lisacubasi@aol.com
Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop
Pittsburgh Independent Media Center info@indypgh.org www.indypgh.org
Community Alliance 412-512-1709
North Hills Anti-Racism Coalition 412-369-3961 www.northhillscoalition.com
Pittsburgh Campaign for Democracy NOW! 412-422-5377, sleator@cs.cmu.edu www.pcdn.org
Pittsburgh North People for Peace 412-367-0383 pnpp@verizon.net
Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition jumphook@gmail.com; www.pittsburghdarfur.org
Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee info@pittsburgh-psc.org www.pittsburgh-psc.org
Pittsburgh Haiti Solidarity Committee jrothermel@gpcfb.org 412-780-5118 www.thomasmertoncenter.org/hs
Raging Grannies 412-963-7163 eva.havlicsek@gmail.com
www.pittsburghraginggrannies.homestead.com
Religion and Labor Coalition 412-361-4793 ojomal@aol.com
Progressive Pittsburgh Notebook Call 412-363-7472 tvnotebook@gmail.com Roots of Promise 724-327-2767, 412-596-0066 rootsofpromise@gmail.com spiritualprogressives.pgh@gmail.com
SW PA Bread for the World Donna Hansen 412-812-1553 United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) 412-471-8919 www.ueunion.org
School of the Americas Watch W. PA 267-980-4878 nobler@thomasmertonccenter.org Stop Sexual Abuse in the Military 412-361-1581 swahrhaftig@@afsc.org Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens Group/ Roots of Promise 724-327-2767 murrysvillemarcellus@gmail.com Who’s Your Brother? 412-928-3947 www.whosyourbrother.com Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network 412-621-9230 office@piin.org
Table of Contents
Page 6 Command and Control Humanitarian Dilemma Page 7 Same Sex Marriage Pacem in Terris
October 2013
CeaseFirePA
Economic Justice Committee drohanmichael@yahoo.com
Human Rights Coalition / Fed Up (prisoner support and advocacy) 412-802-8575, hrcfedup@gmail.com www.thomasmertoncenter.org/fedup
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Xiaoyuan Ze, Samantha Wechsler, Kathleen DiPrinzio, Meagan McGill, Junwei Shen, Raechelle Landers, Chao Pan, Alathia Joy Campbell, Shawna Porter, Qing Li Ed Brett, Rob Conroy, Kitoko Chargois, Kathy Cunningham, Michael Drohan, Patrick Fenton, Carol Gonzalez, Mary Jo Guercio (President), Wanda Guthrie, Shawna Hammond, Ken Joseph, Chris Mason, Jonah McAllister-Erickson, Francine Porter, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush, Tyrone Scales, and M. Shernell Smith
Association of Pittsburgh Priests Sr. Barbara Finch 412-716-9750 B.a.finch@att.net
Book‘Em: Books to Prisoners Project bookempgh@gmail.com www.thomasmertoncenter.org/bookem
PPT in Neighborhoods
Page 8 Cuts to Food Stamps Voters Power Over Police
Page 11 Prisoner Abuse Nations that Incarcerate Powershift
Page 9 Juveniles in Prison Thrive-ability Petition
Page 12 Healthcare for All Unions/Single-Payer
Page 10 Indiana Pride Event
Page 13 Mike Stout—New CD
Urban Bikers urbanbikes@yahoo.com Veterans for Peace kevinbharless@yahoo.com 252-646-4810 Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Eva 412-963-7163 edith.bell4@verizon.net
TMC is a Member of: Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Martha Connelly 412-361-7872,
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Page 14 40 under 40 Activists Just Harvest (Oct. 22) Page 15 TMC Board Nominees Day of Giving—Oct. 3 Page 16 TMC October Calendar Membership Form
Local Activism A Clean & Green Worker-Owned Laundry Comes to Pittsburgh A Conversation with USW Rob Witherall, Part 2 by Jo Tavener Rob: US Coops have taken some steps recently. Six or seven years ago they created the U.S. Federation of Worker Coops www.USworker.coop is their website. They are creating alliances among worker co-ops, overcoming that American streak of independence, of “wanting to do your own thing.” They started creating regional alliances like the Eastern Conference of Workplace Democracy to work more closely together and pool resources! In Amherst, Massachusetts, where I went to college, they formed the Valley Alliance of Worker Cooperatives. Initially it helped people share information about coops but now they are starting to pool resources to incubate new businesses and create a new economy. Jo: Why did you decide to start here in Pittsburgh with a green laundry?
Rob: Our Mondragon connection created a lot of interest. One of the projects that came our way was a laundry in the Hill District. SEIU and Operating Engineers Local 66 were both involved. Conditions were so poor and equipment so out of date that at first the venture was looking for someone to buy the business and move it, improve it and employ the workers. The idea of a workerowned coop only arose, once a buyer didn’t materialize. They talked to the Evergreen Laundries in Cleveland, a green laundry cooperative, which connected us with the Hill project. Evergreen, originally started by the Cleveland Foundation, was implemented by two groups: the Democracy Collaborative with Gar Alperovitz and Ted Howard, and the Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC). With the help of Jim Anderson from OEOC, we were able connect the various pieces: what was being done in Cleveland with what we had in Pittsburgh to make funding and markets possible.
Jo: What is the role of the Steelworkers? Rob: Our role is more advisory for the start-up. The Operating Engineers took a leading role, making it possible. Jo: How about the previous owners? Rob: One group owned the business and another the equipment and they just walked away from it. The old business has tried to start up as an entirely new start-up. We have a broad base of support: foundations for a feasibility study, a business plan as well as outreach funding to create a customer base. It has all been administered through the Steel Valley Authority, another great resource. So we have this working group that has been putting this together. Jo: Would you mind getting into difficulties that have put off the opening date? Rob: We started off with this idea for a worker-owned green laundry. We wanted to provide a model of success for a business where
Giant Eagle Workers Must Be Ready To Strike
workers retain their jobs and grow with the enterprise. One of the biggest bumps in the road is start-up financing. Most coops are service oriented. They need less capital to get going but are less able to provide good wages and benefits. Any small increase in overall labor costs increases overall costs unlike the manufacturing, capital intensive sector where an increase in labor costs is more marginal. So with the laundry, there are more start-up costs, millions of dollars for new equipment and early operating costs. It took Cleveland 2 to 3 years to break even. Here in Pittsburgh we’re looking to build something 2 to 4 times the size of Cleveland’s laundry, with 25 worker-owners. We’re looking at over 100 worker-owners - with a capacity to expand.
(continued on page 11)
Make Public Transportation a Priority
by Kenneth Miller
by Joyce Rothermel
The Giant Eagle Grocery and Meat Contracts, negotiated by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 23, will expire on June 28, 2014. The part-time workers expect big gains in a new contract. Too many full-time workers are not even getting by. I think we should not take whatever the company decides to offer. We cannot bargain selfishly. We are bargaining for all Giant Eagle employees, in the union stores and nonunion stores, and retail workers as well. Giant Eagle operates both union and nonunion stores. The current contract covers approximately 5,800 employees at 36 Giant Eagle Stores in Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia. Giant Eagle operates 175 corporate and 54 independently owned and operated supermarkets in addition to 178 fuel and convenience stores throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, north central West Virginia and Maryland. Since there are so many more non-union stores than union stores, the company may use its huge nonunion footprint to bargain against higher pay and greater benefits. A map of the UFCW Local 23 Giant Eagles is available online at www.ufcw23.org/ index.php/resources/shop-union/. I think everyone should support just the union stores. The UFCW Local 23’s has many options as they negotiate their new contract with Giant Eagle. I will explain these options in the next New People. But please keep in mind what this means for Giant Eagle workers. We want their deal to be as fair as it can be.
An interview with Helen Gerhardt, Pittsburghers for Public Transit Community Organizer
Kenneth Miller is a member of the New People Editorial Collective, a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (the Wobblies) since 2002, and the UFCW Local 23 since February 2013. He works at Market District 40/Shadyside (Grocery Night Crew) and Market District 47/Robinson (Bakery).
TMC Annual Membership Meeting Rescheduled To Saturday, October 12 1:00—3:00 pm
Due to the developments around possible U.S. military action in Syria and local protests in response to it, the Merton Center’s annual picnic and membership meeting were cancelled last month. The Membership meeting was rescheduled for Saturday, October 12, from 1 – 3 pm in the Social Hall at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. We look forward to being together to present an update of the Center and to discuss future plans. Your input is valued! We will also be seeking nominations for the 2014 New Person and Thomas Merton Awards as well as suggestions for outreach to new members. This year, a special door prize will be given to one of our members of a one night luxury stay at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel. The winner of the drawing must be present. Please join us! For more information, contact the Center at (412)361-3022.
Even though the Pennsylvania House of Representatives failed to adopt Senate-passed Transportation Bill Senate Bill 1 before June 30, Pittsburghers for Public Transit and their coalition partners are not giving up. Last month, on September 24th, unions, business leaders, faith groups, and public transit advocates gathered for a press conference to make the following demands of the Governor and the PA House of Representatives: • Make transportation a top priority! • Pass Senate Bill 1 as proposed by PA Senate 45-5 • Safe bridges. • Better roads. • Reliable mass transit. • Save 12,000 construction jobs. Add tens of thousands of new jobs Some House Leaders want to remove public transit from the bill. This is not acceptable. What Can We Do? They are asking all of us to support these demands by contacting our elected officials. To contact your PA Representative go to http://www.legis.state.pa.us/. You can contact Governor Corbett at (717) 787-2500 or through email Governor@pa.gov. Also, please contact PA House leaders: Majority Leader Mike Turzai at (412)3692230, or mturzai@pahousegop.com and Minority Leader Frank Dermody (724)274-4770 or email fdermody@pahouse.net. In the meantime, two new Pittsburghers for Public Transit neighborhood chapters are developing action plans to advocate for public transit that benefits ALL communities.. In Troy Hill, they are preparing for a community meeting with their City Council member and their Pennsylvania legislators to discuss their public transit needs. In the Hill District, they are preparing to give testimony at the upcoming Southwest Pennsylvania Commission board meeting calling for more community input on the Transportation Improvement Plan, demanding that the Penguins show respect for the Hill District Community Benefits Agreement.. Finally, Transit Tales, multi-media interviews and stories from transit riders and drivers, will be appearing in the City Paper and their blog, WESA – 90.5 FM. You can also view them at www.transittalespgh.org All are welcome to the next meeting of Pittsburghers for Public Transit on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 10 – 11:30 am at the County Human Services Building, One Smithfield Street. Joyce Rothermel is a TMC board member and a member of the editorial collective.
October 2013
NEWPEOPLE - 3
International Insecurity What We Need to Know About Drones THIS INFORMATION WAS COMPILED BY THE TMC ANTI-DRONE WARFARE COALITION In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the United States government has increasingly deployed drones in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. While the U.S. military and the CIA initially used drones primarily for surveillance, these remotely controlled aerial vehicles are currently routinely used to launch missiles against human targets in countries where the U.S. is not at war, including Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. As many as 3,000 people, including hundreds of noncombatants and even American citizens, have been killed in covert missions. Our nation is leading the way toward a new form of warfare where pilots stationed on the ground thousands of miles away command drone strikes, where targets are, in military jargon, “neutralized,” and where unintended victims are dismissed as “collateral damage.” Close observers, both inside and outside the U.S. military, call this “videogame warfare.” These drone operations, directed largely by the CIA, lack necessary transparency and accountability. Drones are also being deployed domestically by border security and law enforcement agencies. Predator drones deployed by Customs and Border Protection search for immigrants and drugs on the northern and southern borders, while metropolitan police and county sheriffs are acquiring smaller drones to assist their SWAT operations. Congress recently mandated that the Federal Aviation Administration open up domestic airspace to private and commercial drones by 2015 and that it immediately speed up the licensing process to permit the deployment of government drones (military, homeland security, and law enforcement) in commercial U.S. airways. As drones become an increasingly preferred form of warfare and as their presence expands at home, it is time to educate ourselves, the U.S. public, and our policymakers about drone proliferation. As remotely controlled warfare and spying race forward, it is also time to organize to end current abuses and to
prevent the potentially widespread misuse both overseas and here at home. U.S. drone strikes have killed and harmed too many civilians. The Bureau of Investigative Creative Commons Journalism has reported 474 to 884 law which limits selfcivilian deaths caused by U.S. defense against prospective threats drone strikes in Pakistan since to ones which are "imminent." 2004, including 176 children. And international law experts say Moreover, as a recent study from that attacks on civilian rescuers researchers at NYU and Stanford are clearly illegal, regardless of law schools notes, "U.S. drone whether they take place in a legal strike policies cause considerable conflict or not. and under-accounted for harm to U.S. drone strikes violate U.S. the daily lives of ordinary law. The Administration claims civilians, beyond death and the drone strikes in Pakistan were physical injury," as civilians live authorized by the 2001 in a state of constant fear, since authorization of military force drones could strike at any time. after the 9/11 attacks. The 2001 Families are afraid to attend Authorization for Use of Military weddings or funerals, which in the Force authorized attacks on those past have been attacked by drones. who carried out the 9/11 attacks U.S. drone strikes aren't and those who harbored them. making America safer. The Judge Katherine Forrest has held Stanford/NYU study notes, that the 2001 AUMF did not cover "Publicly available evidence that mere "supporters" of such groups, the strikes have made the U.S. and she questioned whether it safer overall is ambiguous at covered "associated forces." best ... The number of 'high-level' Under this ruling "signature militants killed as a percentage of strikes" and "secondary strikes" total casualties is extremely low, would be illegal under U.S. law. estimated at just 2%. Evidence U.S. drone strikes undermine suggests that U.S. strikes have democracy. U.S. officials claim facilitated recruitment to violent that the Pakistani government has non-state armed groups, and secretly approved the strikes by motivated further violent attacks." not opposing them in private. But U.S. drone strikes have helped in public, Pakistani officials turn public opinion in the Middle vigorously oppose the strikes. The East against the U.S. Three Pakistani parliament has quarters of Pakistanis now unanimously demanded that the consider the U.S. to be an enemy. drone strikes stop. Meanwhile, the Only 13% of Pakistanis think U.S. government refused to give relations with the U.S. have the U.S. public, Congress, or U.S. improved in recent years; four-in- media basic information about the ten believe that U.S. economic and drone strike policy, claiming the military aid is having a negative policy is "secret" even as U.S. impact on Pakistan, while only officials publicly boast of the about one-in-ten think the impact policy's claimed successes. This is positive. Only 17% back U.S. lack of transparency undermines drone strikes, even if they are Americans' ability to conducted in conjunction with the democratically control U.S. Pakistani government. foreign policy in the public U.S. drone strikes violate interest. international law. Christof Heyns, the U.N. special rapporteur on THE TMC ANTIWAR extrajudicial killings, has said that COALITION MEETS ON THE U.S. drone strikes threaten fifty THIRD SUNDAY OF EACH years of international law, and that MONTH AT 1:30 PM AT THE some drone strikes may constitute THOMAS MERTON CENTER. war crimes. A recent Congressional Research Service Committee Contacts: Francine report noted that the U.S. claims Porter francineporter@aol.com; that drone strikes are in "selfor Pete Shell defense" run afoul of international shell1@earthlink.net.
Converge on Fort Benning! November 22-24 Mark your calendars! War No More! The Pittsburgh Chapter of the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) is organizing to go to Fort Benning, GA to to keep up the pressure to close the School. (aka WHINSEC). We carry with us the strength of social movements in Latin America who are turning their back on the SOA. Thousands will gather at the gates, with speakers, music, street theater, workshops and networking with people from across the Americas. We come together at the gates of Fort Benning - where the killers are trained - to demand an end to US militarization and to impunity. Email Pittsburgh chapter president Russ Noble— russellwn@gmail.com to register for the trip. Or make a donation at: http://thomasmertoncenter.org/additional-projects/
4 - NEWPEOPLE
October 2013
We won't stop!
When Will Garment Workers in Bangladesh Be Free from Tragedy? What Can We Do? by Kenneth Miller “We did a nice action in Pittsburgh, in a little upscale fashion district called Shadyside. There were no media and no cops, a bunch of Wobblies and other anti sweatshop activists protesting in front of Benetton. We talked to a lot of customers and the retail workers about sweatshops. We had copies of the May 13 Bangladesh Safety Agreement to discuss. We tried to envision how we would process a grievance of the National Garment Workers Federation of Bangladesh (NGWF) Safety Committee at the Benetton in Shadyside .” That is the first paragraph of an article I submitted to The New People for the July-August issue with details of an action which took place in June. Now there is much more to report about the impact of the tragedies in Bangladesh, about the world’s response, and about the response of shoppers in the United States. In 2012 a factory fire in Tazreen killed 112 garment workers. In April 2013, Rana Plaza in Dhaka collapsed, killing 1,127. There are organizations working now to 1) gain compensation for families of workers who were killed in these tragedies and to 2) gain support from American consumers for fair and safe conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers. Among these groups are labor unions, the Industrial Labor Rights Forum, and the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. Liana Foxvog, Director, SweatFree Communities of the International Labor Rights Forum, reports that her organization is asking Benetton, Children’s Place and Walmart to pay compensation to the victims of the Rana Plaza building collapse. “... meetings (were held) in Geneva (in September) on compensation for the victims of the Tazreen and Rana Plaza disasters….To our great disappointment all U.S. brands … failed to show up, including Walmart, Children’s Place, Disney, Sears, and Benetton. “Some people were burnt completely to ash in the Tazreen fire to the extent that no remnant of the body could be found for DNA match….even the the limited payments made so far following Tazreen haven’t reached the families who were unable to recover a body to prove that their family member was killed in the fire. The goal of the compensation process underway that is facilitated by IndustriALL aims to ensure that all families receive the full and fair payments due to them. There are survivors who risk losing their homes and who can’t afford the necessary medical treatment that they need. “It is particularly disappointing that Walmart has refused to offer any compensation. I fear that workers injured at Tazreen and Rana Plaza and the families of the deceased will never receive the full payments owed to them if Walmart continues to refuse to provide their fair share of funds.” One wonders if those responsible for these tragedies should be fined or should the perpetrators face criminal charges? Kalpona Akter is Director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. She is a former garment worker. “The time for empty promises is over” she told a meeting of Walmart Shareholders in Bentonville, Arkansas, recently. Walmart has denied any responsibility in the deaths of the garment workers. Scot Nova, Executive Director of the Worker’s Rights Consortium (WRC), has noted that Walmart has produced clothes in Bangladesh for 25 years, and that Walmart and The Gap are trying to assume (continued on page 5)
Global Economics (continued from page 4)
Bangladesh “higher ground” by claiming that they can reform safety standards faster by their own efforts even though they refuse to sign the most recent agreement to allow independent safety inspections. Kalpona Akter emphasizes that garment workers do not have to struggle alone. She suggests that consumers can play a significant role in the picture in Bangladesh. About brands like The Gap and Walmart she says, “Ask them to make powerful changes on the ground. ” The International Labor Rights Forum has actions targeting Walmart and Children’s Place on its agenda. Maybe it’s time for another visit to Benetton. As Ms. Akter says, “a really, really vital role can be played by those who buy the clothes. Consumers are the most powerful link in the supply chain.” Kenneth Miller is a member of The New People editorial collective.
What Would You Do With a Trillion Dollars? by Scilla Wahrhaftig The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Pennsylvania Racial Justice Through Human Rights youth group has spent a great deal of time considering this issue. Why a trillion dollars? That is how much was spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Money that was not available to us for domestic needs. For the last four years AFSC together with National Priorities has held a video competition for youth called, “If I Had a Trillion Dollars” (IHTD). Youth around the country are invited to create a video reflecting their priorities and what they would spend their trillion on. The winning videos are shown at the IHTD film festival in Washington D.C., and about 60 youth have gone to D.C. each year for the event. (See below.) While there, they have the opportunity to talk with their Congressional representative about their concerns. For two years in a row now our local AFSC youth have focused their concerns on education and the lack of decent funding for our public schools. In fact, well over half of the videos at the IHTD film festival in Washington reflected an education theme. Our youth know our education system is broken; many of them live it every day. Here in Pittsburgh our diverse group of youth from around the city has explored human rights. What are they? Do they apply to everyone? What are the
impediments to getting our human rights, such as racism, economic injustice, violence? What do we need to do to achieve human rights for all? We are now embarking on the fourth year of our local AFSC PA youth program, and it will be exciting to see what human rights issues these youth feel are crucial in their community and how they would like to bring change. Our group has been instrumental in getting Pittsburgh City Council to declare Pittsburgh the 5th Human Rights City in the country; has initiated and participated in creating an excellent video on our education system and schools; has twice been one of the award winning videos at the AFSC “If I Had a Trillion Dollars” film festival; has gone to D.C. to lobby our Congressmen; and has won the Steeltown Entertainment “Take a Shot at Changing the World” film festival for 10-12 grades. Being part of the group has opened up other opportunities for the youth participants. Some have become interns with the program
or with other youth programs run by AFSC. An article written by one of the youth was published in The New People, and there have been opportunities to be interviewed by the press. A number of our youth have spoken at rallies and forums on education; two of our youth were sponsored to the March on Washington; and in October, one of our youth members will be going to the Nobel Peace Summit in Warsaw, Poland. We are always looking for new youth between the ages of 14 to 18 to join this exciting dynamic group. We meet every two weeks on Sunday afternoons at the Friends Meeting House in Oakland. Anyone interested in learning more about the program can contact Scilla Wahrhaftig at swahrhftig@afsc.org or (412) 315-7423. Scilla Wahrhaftig is the program coordinator of the American Friends Service Committee Pennsylvania.
photo by Bryan Vana
Associated Press
make in the future. These cases would be judged in foreign tribunals composed of three individuals, all intimately by Stephanie Low and Tom Keough •undo all labor laws in at least 11 connected to the corporations that nations, helped write the TPP texts in the first Twelve governments—the U.S, •ban Buy America policies needed place! TPP policy would overrule the Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, to create green jobs and rebuild our domestic policies of participating Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, economy, nations. America would no longer Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and •decrease access to medicine, function as a sovereign nation. Vietnam—are in secret talks •flood countries like the U.S., Most people don’t know negotiating the Trans Pacific Canada, and Peru with unsafe food anything about the TPP because it’s Partnership free trade agreement. and products, been deliberately hidden from public China is talking about joining the •empower corporations to abolish view. Normally the U.S. Senate partnership. Six hundred corporate our environmental, safety, and health adjudicates trade agreements, but advisors have access to the text, protection laws. Obama has said he will ask Congress while the public, members of The leaked investment for Fast Track Authority. If Congress Congress or Parliaments, journalists, chapter of the TPP makes it plain votes to grant him that, he could sign and civil society are excluded. And that the TPP would expand it before most of Congress reads it. so far what we know about it is privileges for foreign corporations Moreover, it would force them to frightening. by guaranteeing them special rights vote yes/no without being able to The Trans-Pacific Partnership not provided to domestic firms. Even change a word of it. To make matters (TPP) “free trade” agreement is a more outrageous, the TPP would even more urgent, President Obama stealthy policy being pressed by empower any corporation operating has said he hopes to finalize the TPP corporate America, a dream of the in TPP-member countries to bypass as early as this month. 1% that in one blow could: domestic laws and courts, Unfortunately, all recent •offshore millions of American demanding taxpayer compensation agreements under Fast Track have and Canadian jobs, for corporate profits they hope to been passed by the U.S. Congress. •free the banksters from oversight,
TPP: Corporate Power Tool of the 1%
The key to stopping TPP is to lobby our representatives to make sure they agree to vote AGAINST Fast Track. Activists consider this to be a winning strategy but much work needs to be done, and it must be done soon. To find out what YOU can do, check out this website: exposethetpp.org. You can also join the action via Sierra Club at http:// bit.ly/ZGNKQY (Scroll almost to the very bottom to sign up.) Stephanie Low is a volunteer with the Sierra Club, working since 2007 on the Gas Drilling Task Force to oppose fracking in New York State, currently as Chair of two TPP Task Forces, one in the Sierra Club's Atlantic (NY) Chapter, the other in the NYC Work Group. Tom Keough is an activist and artist . His cartoons have appeared in many sites and periodicals including The New People.
October 2013
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Considering War By Eric Schlosser — Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety book review by Molly Rush “Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles…The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.” –President John F. Kennedy
It was September 19, 1980. I was in jail, having been arrested nine days earlier for taking a hammer to two Mark 12-A nuclear missile warheads, unarmed. Little did I know that a Titan II nuclear missile had just exploded in Damascus, Arkansas. Armed with a nine megaton nuclear warhead, it was equal in explosive power to all of the bombs dropped in World War II, including the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Miraculously, it fell to the ground 200 feet from its silo and did not detonate. A detailed, very human account of this near-catastrophic accident is the centerpiece of a gripping new book on nuclear bombs and how we have “narrowly avoided a long series of
nuclear disasters,” accidents that could have wiped out a city or, in Arkansas, a state. Command and Control by Eric Schlosser, author of the acclaimed Fast Food Nation, is required reading for anyone concerned for our future and that of our children. He describes the thousands of missiles, “Every one of them is an accident waiting to happen – a potential act of mass murder, hidden away, a death wish barely suppressed. They are out there waiting, soulless, mechanical, sustained by our denial—and they work.” In Damascus, AR, a nine pound socket fell off a socket wrench and ricocheted 70 feet below off out. Despite heroic efforts over a number of hours, one airman died in the explosion and 21 more were injured. The socket
punctured the Titan II missile, from which highly ignitable rocket fuel sprayed. The U.S. and Russia currently have Molly Rush is a board member and coa total of 900 missiles and 2581 strategic founder of the Thomas Merton Center. nuclear warheads on high-alert, launchready status. The total explosive power of these weapons is about 1185 Mt (megatons, or 1.185 billion tons of TNT equivalent explosive power). These can be launched within 15 minutes’ —by Maria Lisella notice. Over six years ago, Henry Sloping mounds in Kissinger and three old Cold playgrounds disguised Warriors, Schultz, Perry and Nunn, ventilation systems, called for an end to nuclear network of shelters weapons. below ground Despite the winding down of "We were always ready the Cold War and the end of the for attacks." Soviet Union. The U.S. and Russia "We rushed below maintain thousands of missiles. until it was clear, then The U.S. plans to spend $180 I sent my sons out billion over the next 20 years – not to play -- it wasn't including inevitable cost overruns good for them to be indoors so much."
UNTIL IT WAS SAFE, CROATIA
The Humanitarian Dilemma by James Clarke
could indicate that Assad is capable of committing mass extermination (and On the threshold of potential that he's willing to try it). military action against the regime of In an ideal situation, attempting to Syrian autocrat Bashar al-Assad, use diplomacy, humanitarian aid, or humanitarians find themselves faced sanctions would be an ideal course of with a conundrum: to what extent are we action. However, is it safe to assume that willing to support human rights? Sure, a man who seems willing to murder we're all willing to help advance human children with sarin gas is going to have a dignity, security, and agency by sending genuine interest in diplomacy or aid in the form of clothing, education, humanitarian aid? Sanctions haven't food, and medical resources or even by done much to unseat other autocratic going to needy countries ourselves as regimes; is it reasonable to assume they volunteers. But what if military will have a desirable effect against the intervention is the only or perhaps least autocratic regime in Syria? unreasonable way of preventing or Some might be tempted to suggest stopping a humanitarian disaster such as that we wait the situation out and see a mass extermination? what happens. As Daniel Goldhagen, Yes, nobody likes militarism. author of Worse Than War: Genocide, Military action almost always Eliminationism, and the Ongoing guarantees residual harm to innocent Assault on Humanity, points out, civilians and/or bystanders. Certainly, hesitance to act when it was clear that George W. Bush's disastrous crusade mass-exterminations were possible can (his words) against terrorists and Iraq (as result in human catastrophes, such as those in Rwanda and hu·man·i·tar·i·an Cambodia. Could the n. One who is devoted to the promotion of Holocaust have been human welfare and the advancement of social prevented if the reforms. United States had adj. Showing concern for the welfare of humanity, especially in acting to improve the living not waited until 1942 conditions of impoverished people. to intervene in Europe? —The American Heritage Dictionary Could it have been prevented if the Global Community had well as the ensuing quagmires) turned intervened in 1938, at the beginning of people off from military action, the Nazi's anti-Jewish pogroms (or even especially military action in the Middle earlier)? East. Likewise, pro-military There is, of course, the factor that conservatives are untrustworthy when it we're unsure of. Who, exactly, we would comes to championing the values of probe supporting in trying to stop Assad. peace progressives. While the Arab Spring revolutions were As humanitarians, we all like to inspiring, dubiously moral agents have remind ourselves that "war is not the infiltrated the Syrian revolution within answer.” But what IS the answer when a the last two years. Some have opined mass-extermination is possible? At the that the Syrian revolutionaries accepted risk of being hyperbolic, it seems help wherever they could find it, even if unreasonable to ignore the possibility that help came from terrorists. The that the seemingly callous gassing (to United States has, apparently, been death) of more than 1,400 people arming the Syrian revolutionaries. Some (including more than 400 children) 6 - NEWPEOPLE
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– to maintain them, run labs, upgrade the uranium enrichment process, etc. Can we blithely continue to trust in miracles to keep us safe? Or might Command and Control serve as a catalyst to reawaken the worldwide movement toward disarmament?
At 15:03, two shots rang out. "My heart stopped. Government buildings shelled, killing two of my neighbors; Tuchman and Mesic left the building 10 minutes before.”
have opined that, given its moral uncertainty, we should consider cutting off arms to these revolutionaries, or even trying to disarm them. This would entail II admitting, in essence, that we cut “The shelters were equipped off military help to the one force with beds, blankets, TVs. that is actively trying to stop Tunnels made it easy for us to Assad, in short, to the Syrian escape our homes in 1995. resistance. We'd enter and start to eat If the United States does not as if there was no tomorrow; we ate. help the Syrian people, what are Eating, eating, all the time, the possible outcomes? One has eating until it was safe to leave. already been suggested: Assad's successful crushing of the Syrian One night it was declared resistance, which would, Safe to go home, to our own beds. presumably, shore up Iran's power I was so comfortable; it was so in the Middle East. A seeming dark, I stayed in the shelter all alternative outcome is that the through the night." Syrian Revolution somehow topples Assad without the United Maria Lisella's Pushcart Poetry PrizeStates' help (but with Al-Qaeda's). nominated work appears in Amore on Given the comparably maleficent Hope Street, Two Naked Feet and ethics of Al-Qaeda and Assad, her forthcoming collection, Thieves in does the United States or the world the Family. She is a charter member community, in fact, want the of the online poetry circle, Brevitas. possibility of there being a country As a travel writer, she visited former who, feeling betrayed by the Yugoslavia in 1988 before the civil world, feels more indebted to Alwar. She has since revisited individual Qaeda for its liberation from Assad regions that have now achieved than it does to the international nationhood. community? I am certainly not pro-war, I have to ask myself: can I in good "right" answer, but there is a right conscience consider myself a question that, as humanitarians, we humanitarian if, in the name of pacifism, should ask ourselves: how far will we go I oppose what may be the only option to protect humanity from atrocity, and (however unpleasant) that has a how much can we forgive ourselves for reasonable chance of stopping a massive not doing more? crime against humanity? Yes, war is often not the answer, as its residual James Clarke is an English teacher effects create many more problems than and the founder of The Why? anticipated. And certainly, war is neither Movement, a nascent critical thinking an easy nor a pleasant one. But as and civic engagement advocacy humanitarians, we ought to ask organization. ourselves: if war isn't the answer, what is? I don't believe there is necessarily a
Faith in Humanity A Friend Responds to Bishop Zubik on Same-sex Marriage by Eileen Reutzel Colianni It’s no secret to many within the Catholic community that Bishop David Zubik and I have been friends since 1977 when my family worshipped at Sacred Heart Church in Shadyside, Father Dave’s (as we called him) first assignment. In fact, I chronicled our friendship and celebrated his elevation to the episcopacy in a lengthy article in the very space where he recently detailed his “inherent disagreement” with his friend Rabbi Aaron Bisno on the issue of same -sex marriage. (Pittsburgh PostGazette’s Forum Section.) When I read that our Bishop believes that “marriage, separated from procreation, loses its meaning,” my jaw dropped in disbelief. I felt a visceral surge of sorrow for the infertile married couples I know. My sorrow deepened as I called to mind couples who make their marriages meaningful without physically reproducing. Many of them, having grieved the ongoing loss of childlessness, go on to create all manner of “new life” (a phrase oft-used by the Bishop vis a vis the union of a man and a woman). Some generously adopt children who otherwise might well have languished, unloved, in foster care. Others choose to become “pillars” of their church, serving on councils, as cantors, Eucharistic ministers, visiting the sick, among other ministries. In fact, one such childless couple has created a marriage so shining, so full of meaning, that their pastor asks them, year after year, to participate in his preCana conferences for engaged couples. He showcases their marriage as a role model of the kind of union to be aspired to.
Other couples channel their longings to nurture into service projects, desiring to make a difference in the lives of others, even though these lives have not been “procreated” by them. Clearly, life choices abound which can render childless marriages meaningful indeed. In fact, procreating offspring does not automatically guarantee a meaningful marriage, as the Bishop seems to imply. We all know couples who have not provided their children with enough loving attention, as well as parents who are abusive – verbally, physically, sexually, emotionally. As a former counselor in private practice, I own a warehouse of tragic examples garnered over decades of counseling people whose parents scarred them. One man raised in a Catholic home was told at age 6, “Your Dad and I were fine until you came along.” Bishop Zubik’s primary focus, however, was not on meaningless marriages per se, but on countering his friend, the Rabbi, who had made the “Jewish Case for Marriage Equality.” In mounting his case, the Bishop names the “selfless love of husband and wife” as an “essential pillar of marriage.” Alas, many (most?) couples who wed are not capable of such love and certainly the physical capacity to “procreate” does not confer such selflessness. If anything, caring for a child often puts selflessness to a test, one that many do not pass, as indicated above. In presenting his rationale against same-sex marriage, Bishop Zubik refers to many hallmarks of a good marriage with which I agree. However, I do inherently disagree with his contention that these values are somehow contingent upon gender. If that were the
“Pacem in Terris” Fifty Years Later by Joyce Rothermel Fifty years ago this year, Pope John XXIII issued what was his last encyclical (papal letter), “Pacem in Terris” (Peace on Earth). Its message is as relevant today as it was then. At that time it came as an urgent response to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Its audience was for all people of good will (including us today) and not just Catholics as his previous encyclicals had been. Listen to this counsel: Conflict among nations “should not be resolved by recourse to arms, but rather by negotiation.” Thankfully this advice is now being heeded by Russia, Syria, and the United States concerning the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The foundation for the papal encyclical is the importance of respect of human rights as an essential consequence of the understanding of people. The Pope establishes that every person has the right to life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are suitable for the proper development of life. The document includes four parts. The first establishes the relationship between individuals and humankind, encompassing the issues of
human rights and moral duties. The second addresses the relationship between the individual and the state, dwelling on the collective authority of government. The third establishes the need for equality amongst nations and the need for the state to be subject to rights and duties that the individual must abide by. The final section presents the need for greater relations between nations, thus resulting in collective states assisting other states. Pope John XXIII’s teaching rightfully recognizes that peace is based on the rights of persons rather than on state power and that peace must be founded on the works of justice. These two principles have been embraced by the Merton Center throughout its 41 year history. He observed three historical developments that can assist and help bring about peace: 1. The Rights of
case, what are we to make of St. Paul’s pronouncement, “There is neither male nor female. In Christ, you are all one.” (Galations 3:28) I believe that other than physical procreation, samesex couples capable of “selfless love” thereby also possess the potential to live out all other aspects of marriage extolled by the Bishop. Here he lists four: “Marriage has always been understood as two becoming one to create life, to create family, to create society, to create goodness through the generations.” Not only are two men or two women able to actualize this quartet of creative possibilities through a committed union, they are also just as capable of making the “pledge of selfsacrifice to the present and the future,” the Bishop refers to near the conclusion of his article. The concept of self-sacrifice is inherently challenging. One’s gender in aspiring to it (solo or married) is far less significant than whether or not a person is grounded in a solid sense of their own self-worth, a belief in their own value as beloved children of God. Two such people are then free to come together as a couple whose marriage is not needbased, but love-based – a truly free choice, not one made from dependency, from the rather common yearning to be made whole via another. Despite my inherent disagreement with his article’s salient contention, the Bishop and I (and Rabbi Bisno as well) do stand on common ground on one foundational point: “All human beings are equal, unique and of infinite worth,” Workers: “workers all over the world refuse to be treated as if they were irrational objects without freedom.” 2. The Dignity of Women: “women… demand rights befitting a human person
both in domestic and political life.” 3. Independent Nations: “there will soon no longer exist a world divided into nations that rule others and nations that are subject to others.” (taken from “Pacem in Terris,” 40-42) “Pacem in Terris” lists the rights and duties that individuals, groups, and governments must observe to promote
Bishop David Zubik photo by Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette
according to the Rabbi. To which, the Bishop adds, “And central to Catholic understanding is that each of us is created in the image of God.” So, surely when two people, made in God’s image and grounded in that identity… two human beings with enough maturity to understand that love does not equal romance…that love is not essentially a feeling, but actually hard work… when two such vibrantly alive individuals choose to ‘become one,” then all sorts of “procreation” may issue forth from their union. When my longtime mentor, a celibate woman who co-created new life in me, was dying, Sister Rita Flaherty, RSM whispered, “St. John was right, you know. Only love lasts.” I believe that the potentialities inherent in authentic love transcend gender. Every time. Eileen Reutzel Colianni, a former TMC board member, is a retired mental health counselor living in Oakmont.
what John XXIII calls “universal common good.” He calls for a primary focus on the poor since they are less able to defend their rights. It also gives special attention to the arms race. “Justice, then, right reason and consideration for human dignity and life demand that the arms race should cease…that nuclear weapons be banned….and finally that all come to an agreement on a fitting program of disarmament, employing mutual and effective controls.” (112) Pope John signaled a return to the nonviolent tradition in Christianity when he stated: “It is contrary to reason to hold that war is now a suitable way to restore rights which have been violated.” (127) Pope John then made a call for a global “public authority”: “Today the universal common good poses problems of worldwide dimensions, which cannot be adequately tackled or solved except by the efforts of public authority endowed with a wideness of powers, structure and means of the same proportions: that is, of public authority which is in a position to operate in an effective manner on a worldwide basis.” (137)
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Civic Engagement may be less likely to be voters decide whether the residency seen as an occupation requirement will be written into force.” Pittsburgh’s Home Rule Charter, a by K. Briar Somerville As it stands, only 18% of According to Harvard’s document allowing the city to Pittsburgh police officers are female, CityLaw, “Until recently, police independently specify its powers so On November 5, election polls and only 15% of Pittsburgh police residency was required under long as it complies with state and will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 officers are black. Compare this Pennsylvania state law. However, federal law. p.m. On the ballot, Pittsburgh voters demographic to the roughly 25% the state mandate was repealed last The residency requirement is will be asked if City employees and black general population of the year, making the issue of residency a supported by members of the Black officials should be required to live city. This means that black matter to be decided through contract Political Empowerment Project, the within city limits. neighborhoods are already being negotiations between the police force Alliance for Police Accountability, Notably, “City employees” policed by disproportionately white and the city.” the Black and White Reunion, and includes the Bureau of Police, who officers. Now imagine what happens The police force contract is the Community Empowerment want to be able to those numbers when the police being negotiated by their trade Association, among other groups. to move to and start recruiting the suburbs, where union, the Fraternal Order of Police recruit from the blacks make up even less of the Lodge No. 1 (now nationwide, the The last day to register to vote is suburbs. This population. FOP was founded in Pittsburgh). In October 7. has drawn Dr. Victor Kappeler, a scholar of response to the FOP’s move to take concern from justice studies, explains, “If a police advantage of the change in state law, K. Briar Somerville is a member of community department recruits strictly within City Councilman Ricky Burgess the editorial collective and lives in leaders who the confines of its community, the proposed the ballot question. the Borough of Wilkinsburg. believe that an demographic composition of the Burgess’s referendum will let accountable police officer should force is more likely to reflect share an interest in the well-being of that of the community. . . . If Wilkinsburg Non-Partisan Meet and Greet the neighborhoods she patrols. officers live in the communities they police, they with Allegheny Candidates on November 3
Pittsburgh Voters Have Power Over Police
Community groups, social groups and organizations are All candidates appearing on the encouraged to participate. The November 5 ballot in the Allegheny Thomas Merton Center will have a County are invited to a Business/ table to conduct voter registration, Political Networking Mixer at the St recruit volunteers, and share our James AME Church at 444 Lincoln newspaper, The New People. Avenue in East Liberty on Please RSVP to confirm November 3, just 2 days before the your attendance and participation by General Election. We have space for calling Ralph Watson vendors. at 412-723-2414.
by Ralph P. Watson
Ralph P. Watson is political advocate for Wilkinsburg. He has been a school board and city council elected official in Wilkinsburg, and currently serves on the Wilkinsburg Planning Commission. He gets The New People at the Wilkinsburg Public Library and recently joined the
Thomas Merton Center.
Ralph P. Watson photo by Kenneth Miller
“SOLIDARITY IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT” Lecture by Jules Lobel Jules Lobel, a Thomas Merton Cornerstone Sustainer, Pitt Law Professor, and Center for Constitutional Rights lawyer for Pelican Bay prisoners in California will relate the inspiring story of inmates overcoming gang violence and racism to fight for their human rights. Their struggle has included a hunger strike against California's arbitrary system of solitary confinement, which frequently locks down prisoners in isolation for decades.
Creative Commons
For more information call: (412) 361-3022
Sponsors: Thomas Merton Center, American Friends Service Committee PA, Center for Constitutional Right MONDAY: November 11, 2013 7:00 pm Pittsburgh, Lawyers Build (University University of Pittsburgh Law School of Pittsburgh). Room 113.
House Votes to Drastically Cut Food Stamp Program by Alathia Joy Campbell
the ages of 18 and 50 with no minor dependents who have not yet found work or enrolled in a job On September 19, the U.S. House of placement program. Representatives voted 217-210 in favor of a bill Congressman Mike Doyle was the only that would reduce the food stamp program by 39 representative from southwestern PA to vote billion dollars over 10 years. This would reduce against the bill. Fortunately, the bill will likely be the size of the program by 5%, forcing America’s modified by the conference committee, and food banks to grow by 50% in order to make up President Obama has promised to veto it. the difference, an entirely implausible proposition. Please, if you haven’t already, do your part to The measures proposed in the bill to facilitate protect the food stamp program by writing to your these cuts include implementing drug testing for congressperson quickly and easily using the online potential food stamp recipients and cutting off postcard form found at benefits after three months for recipients between www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/postcard/form.html
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or you can get involved with Bread for the World, an organization that urges our nation’s leaders to vote against bills like this one in order to end hunger both at home and abroad. The southwestern PA Bread for the World team is set to meet on Tuesday, October 15th at 1:30 pm at Christian Associates, 204 37th Street, Suite 201, Pittsburgh, PA 15201. Please join us! Alathia Joy Campbell is an intern with the Thomas Merton Center working with the SWPA Bread for the World Team.
Life In Prison Pennsylvania Sentences the Most Juveniles to Life in Prison in the World by Donna Hill Life without the possibility of parole violates the 8 Amendment of the Constitution of the United States: “cruel and unusual punishments [shall not be] inflicted.” It is ‘the other death penalty.’ Fight for Lifers West wants you to get involved in changing Pennsylvania’s archaic sentencing laws. th
Who is serving life in Pennsylvania? Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, grandmothers, grandfathers and friends. Real human beings with feelings, who may or may not be guilty of the crime for which they were convicted. It can be any one of us or any family member or loved one. Many times people are convicted of the crime of homicide in the first or second degree because they lack the necessary resources to procure proper representation in a court of law. Many are coerced into taking plea bargains that carry a life sentence when faced with the threat of the death penalty. Then too, many aren’t aware that life means life in Pennsylvania.
Life Without The Possibility of Parole
the age of 50 and most lifers die while incarcerated. We lead the nation and also the world in the number of juvenile life sentences. At present, the commutation process, known as one way for a convicted lifer to be released, is ineffective as it is set up. The Board of Pardons has five members, and all five members must vote affirmatively for a lifer to be recommended for a pardon. Then, the governor has to agree and sign the pardon. There is also what is called a Post Conviction Relief Act, a type of appeal that can be made when a new law or ruling is handed down from the Supreme Court which applies to a lifer’s case. However, this special appeal is also flawed because prisoners only have 60 days from the date of the ruling to file their case, and they are often hindered by limited access to legal knowledge and the law library, lack of funds to file the appeal, and other obstacles. Almost all of these types of appeals end up being “time barred” and are dismissed.
If a person is found guilty of first or second degree murder (also known as the Felony Murder Rule), Changes for Juvenile they are sentenced to life without Lifers in PA the possibility of parole. Juveniles, who have not yet There are over 5,000 lifers in acquired the emotional maturity to Pennsylvania prisons, and of those, make rational decisions, were over 500 were sentenced as sentenced to mandatory life without juveniles. Many lifers are now over parole, the same as
Prisoner Pen Pals Needed! Please write to these individuals: Paul Helmick #AP-6829 P.O. Box 99991 Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Dennis Solo McKettkan #BB-2253 1111 Altamont Boulevard Frackville, PA 17931
Justin Barnett #HC-6401 P.O. Box 999 1120 Pike Street Huntington, PA 16652
Jabbar Wilkerson #FJ-2132 1000 Follies Road Dallas, PA 18612
Steven Wilkinson #AK-7133 1 Kelley Drive Coal Township, PA 17866 Richard Phipps #KA-8464 301 Morea Road Frackville, PA 17932
Bernie Perry #KU-5607 P.O. Box 1000 Houtzdale, PA 16698 Yumil Perez #JG-2234 1600 Walters Mill Road Somerset, PA 15510
Corey Crawfort Robert Bach #65605066 #350663 P.O. Box 33 13800 McMullen Hwy, S.W. Terre Haute, IN 47808 Cumberland, MD 21502 Jeremy Hottel Raleen Stevenson #GQ-5894 #HR-1605 301 Morea Road P.O. Box 9999 Frackville, PA 17932 Labelle, PA 15450 Gregory Middleton #JX-0365 P.O. Box A Bellefonte, PA 16823
Fight For Lifers West We extend an open invitation to all readers to join us every third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. until 12 noon at Crossroads United Methodist Church: 325 North Highland Avenue, East Liberty, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
“dedicated to giving lifers and their loved ones hope” 2 degree murders. Pennsylvania passed Senate Bill 850 which allows sentencing for juveniles aged 15-17 convicted of 1 degree murder a mandatory sentence of 35 years to life. Those juveniles aged 14 and under will still be sentenced to 25 years to life. For second degree murder, which in PA is the Felony Murder Rule, for 15-17 year olds there is a minimum sentence of 30 years to life and for those 14 and under, 20 years to life. These new laws do not affect current juvenile lifers; they do not have a retroactivity clause. Our organization as well as the Juvenile Law Center and the Philly Defender’s Association don’t believe that these new sentencing guidelines uphold the spirit of the Roper, Graham or Miller decisions as were intended by the United States Supreme Court. We feel that families and activists should mobilize around this issue and try to get this law repealed and to get the 500+ juveniles re-sentenced. nd
st
Elderly Lifers in PA
Statistics show that lifers their adult counterparts, until that are aged 50 and above have June of 2012 when less than a 0.01% recidivism the U.S. Supreme risk. Not only are they at low Court ruled in the risk to re-offend as violent offenders; this also holds true in cases of Jackson and Miller that it is any criminal category. The un-constitutional. older a lifer gets while Now, life without incarcerated, the less of a risk they pose and the more of a tax parole can no longer be given to burden they become on society. Many are stricken with common juveniles as a illnesses that most elderly mandatory sentence for 1 and people incur and even do so at a
higher rate because of the increased levels of stress they endure behind bars. They also fall prey to younger inmates who use extortion, while prison guards look the other way. Some of these older prisoners are in wheelchairs, on walkers, have oxygen tanks and are just waiting to die. Many try to take their own lives out of desperation. Fight For Lifers West is dedicated to giving lifers and their loved ones hope, and we will continue our efforts until they are given the justice and mercy that all human beings deserve. Donna Hill is the president of Fight for Lifers West. P.O. Box 4683 Pittsburgh, PA 15206 fightforliferswest@yahoo.com www.fightforliferswestinc.com
IN MY ROOM —by Juicy, AKA William Coward Here I am once again sitting in my room thinking about the ones I left behind 'cause of my mistakes being judged because of who I am and what I believe in once again sitting in my room
st
FedUp! Letters to Prisoners
To report abuse or request resources, write to: HRC/ FedUp! Thomas Merton Center 5129 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224
FedUp! is the Pittsburgh chapter of the Human Rights Coalition dedicated to upholding the rights of prisoners through providing resources and support, exposing injustices, and building relationships with people in prison and their advocates. We are an organization of concerned citizens, To volunteer, come to people in prison and their the Thomas Merton loved ones. Our focus is Center on Wednesdays on high level security at 7:00 p.m. facilities in Pennsylvania.
wishing I never took a plea now I’m suffering abuse by those who are supposed to watch over me, protect me here I am sitting in my room once again thinking about my loved ones thinking they are suffering because of me William Coward goes by the nickname Juicy and is an inmate at State Correctional Institution— Huntingdon .
October 2013
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The War on Ecosystems have the exclusive rights to the 153square mile radius in the southern part of the Golan Heights. Israel “annexed” this part of Syria in 1967 and its administration of this area is not recognized by international law. This area had been mostly peaceful until the Syrian civil war broke out 23 months ago. This is one of those times when “seize the moment” takes on a truly dark side. The fact that the Syrian government is dealing with chaos and violence means they will not be dealing with this problem of exploitation of this illegally captured area. Meanwhile, Israel is securing a 10-mile buffer zone along the 47-mile border with Syria and there are about 20,000 Israeli settlers in the Golan Heights. The finding of natural gas off Israel’s coast in the Mediterranean, coupled with all the gas and oil exploration may mean Israel could become a significant energy exporter. The people of Palestine and the Golan Heights are indigenous farmers and they know that they face a bigger existential threat. No past occupation has caused as much damage to the soil, no former empire has inflicted this much pain on this ancient landscape. No past invaders have acted with so much impunity as to uproot thousands of trees, poison water wells and replace agricultural land with so much concrete and barbed wire. How familiar this is to the toxic effects of fracturing compounds. Of course, here in Western PA, an article like Mazin’s would give us a chance to present these findings everywhere possible. We might make a video, organize a rally or take other action. When we speak of “occupying” we mean “let’s collectively occupy our sovereignty as people free to make choices.” What is it like to be an Occupied Territory? Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights is a story about stolen land, exploitation of labor and theft of resources. A people, mostly stateless refugees, is sequestered
Palestine: Toxic Occupation by Wanda Guthrie Last month, I received a new post from Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh. I was fortunate to hear him speak when we visited Bethlehem, in the Occupied Territory of Palestine. Mazin teaches and does research at both Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities and previously served on the faculties of the University of Tennessee, Duke and Yale. He is a dedicated scholar and peacemaker and serves on the board of Peace Action. This latest missive from Mazin is entitled “Genotoxic Effects of Israeli Industrial Pollutants on Residents of Bruqeen village (Salfit district, Palestine),” the main interest of the International Journal of Environmental Studies. The abstract of the article states that “many industrial byproducts are genotoxic agents that induce cytogenetic changes and DNA damage.” Bruqeen, a Palestinian village in Salfit district in the northern West bank, is subject to industrial waste products coming from the Barqan Israeli industrial settlement. Evaluating the extent of chromosomal breaks (Csb) and DNA damage induced to human cells using whole blood samples from both test and control sites, showed an average of 4.08% chromosomal aberrations (CA) and 3.81% cells with CA in Bruqeen. I also recently received a news brief with a banner that read “Israel Grants First Golan Heights Oil Drilling License To Dick CheneyLinked Company.” This first license to explore for oil and gas in the occupied Golan Heights was granted to Genie Energy, a local subsidiary of the New York company of the same name. The company is advised by former vice president Dick Cheney and shareholders include Jacob Rothschild and Rupert Murdoch. They will now
air pollution in Palestine—Creative Commons
behind high walls, and then forced to be captive consumers as well as a source of cheap labor. More than half of the West Bank, which forms most of what is to be the future Palestine state has been annexed by Israel for its ever expanding Jewish only colonies, industrial zones, Israelionly roads, checkpoints and security buffer zones. Desperate for work Palestinians were willing to work on Israeli settlements and industrial zones in poor conditions, in low-paying jobs, most of them earning 30-50% less than Israelis working in the same occupation and sector. The Occupied Territories became home to large Israeli industrial zones with corporations eager to escape Israel’s environmental regulations by taking advantage of the occupied territories and further making use of its captive and desperate Palestinian workers there. Although building and running Israeli industrial zones in the Occupied Territories is considered illegal under international law, still many Israeli businesses choose to build there and qualify for the generous tax reductions offered by the government. An extra bonus for these businesses is the fact that once they set up in the Occupied Territories, they don’t have to deal with the strict environmental and labor regulations that are imposed inside of Israel’s 1948 borders. This is one reason why they tend to house a large number of industries that deal with toxic materials and harmful waste. Currently, it is estimated that there are more than 18 industrial zones in the Occupied Territories. What new toxins will be spewed forth on this “occupied” land? What more hazards to air, land and water will we witness? The prospects are ominous. Keep tuned. Wanda Guthrie is a member of the board of the Thomas Merton Center and convener of the Environmental Justice Committee.
Willful Waste and the Environment by Jim McCue Look at all that biodegradable waste we send to the trash. I was in the Strip shopping the other day and noticed in an alley a grocery's trash just overflowing with organic matter waiting to be picked up by the garbage crew. Knowing as I do how dysfunctional our waste management has become, with organic matter going to some distant landfill - at great cost for both labor and transportation and burning huge amounts of gasoline to get there- only to ferment to put methane and carbon dioxide greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, I couldn't help but feel hurt that we're still doing that. Years ago I queried Strip retailers about pre-sorting cardboard and other biodegradables to be composted nearby, but gave up finally when I found out that BFI had become interested in contracting to own that waste stream and had no interest in sharing the details with little old me. So, one more time, the The Thomas Merton Center is a proud consumer of TriEagle Energy. 10 - NEWPEOPLE
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profit motive gets in the way of good sense. Composting nearby, I knew, could be done without either smell or health hazard, saving transportation costs for a material that degrades into something with 80% less volume and so much easier to transport. It is a continuing pattern with human relations that those with the vision to see the long-term wide-angle good (including financial) for the most people are the ones who are thought by the decision-makers with the most wherewithal to be financially unwise. So here we are all these years later still wasting our organic waste. It leads me to conclude that in many ways we humans only learn, only are willing to change, when we are forced by crisis. Jim McCue is an urban farmer and soil expert with a mission to educate as to the value of all scales of composting for bioremediation, soil fertility, and public health.
Local to Global Power Shift Brings America’s Environmentalist Youth to Pittsburgh by Kitoko Chargois
convention centers in the world. According to Wearepowershift.org, Young people are worried about the the change in location will shift the environment, and they’re going to do conference’s focus to grassroots something about it. On October 18, strategies and allow Power Shifters to more than 10,000 people, many of them learn from the city’s experience with the students, will descend on Pittsburgh for coal and gas industry and their Power Shift. Organized by the Energy movement towards a clean energy Action Coalition, Power Shift is a economy. conference that addresses environmental Seth Bush, a campus organizer for issues across the nation and gives a the Sierra Student Coalition, oversaw diverse group of participants the skills much of the recruitment in Western necessary to find and implement Pennsylvania for Power Shift and solutions. believes it will be instrumental in getting This is the first time Power Shift young people excited about the will be held outside Washington, D.C. movement. The four day conference will be held in “[It’s] not just an event that I’m the LEED certified David H. Lawrence trying to turn people out to, but Convention Center, one of the greenest ultimately a springboard that will VOLUNTEER FOR launch campaigns as Housing Needed for Powershift POWER SHIFT! part of a broader, Conference attendees, if you are national youth movement and able to assist, email Seth Bush at opportunity to get seth.bush@sierraclub.org. people excited and motivated and skilled
Witherall Interview, Continued from page 3
Jo Tavener is a member of the editorial collective.
and speaking to underrepresented communities about the challenges they need to overcome. On October 21, the last day of the conference, Power Shifters will channel their newfound knowledge and skills into a day of action. At the conclusion of Power Shift, participants will be ready to launch campaigns and actions in their communities. Bush predicts that campaigns in Western Pennsylvania will focus on fracking or drilling on or near campuses and fuel divestment. “I think it’s important to recognize that Power Shift isn’t just some conference that’s coming into Pittsburgh,” Bush said. “It’s been as best as possible, working with local organizations to make this happen and including local voices in the discussion.” Late registration for Power Shift ends October 5. For more information, visit www.wearepowershift.org Kitoko Chargois is a senior at Chatham University and a board member of the Thomas Merton Center.
The Syrian Uprising, the Environment, and Climate Change, Continued
The biggest challenge now is the location, so there will be the ability to expand. We’ll lease the building. Jo: Are there developers in the city that would support that? Rob: The non-profit Regional Development Industrial Corporation [RIDC] builds and operates industrial parks throughout Western Pennsylvania, providing upfront capital. It’s working on a much bigger plan. That’s taking time. Would it be quicker to build it ourselves? Yes, but it takes huge amounts of capital to buy land and create the building. We want to limit upfront capital requirements to something doable. Jo: When do the doors open? Rob: Ground breaking should be within a year and another to complete. Jo: Would you speak about the larger framework in which you see the laundry? Rob: If we only focus on a single project, even if it succeeds, it could be written off as unique, something that you couldn’t replicate. So we want to de-emphasize the single project and emphasize the idea and the concepts. We want people to take the idea and run with it and do their own thing. The more projects that sprout up, the more likely some will succeed and the more that succeed, the more likelihood folks will see the benefit of taking this route. Jo: Then they start to form alliances and create opportunities for new start-ups, in effect building on itself.
in what they need to push the movement forward and demand some clear plans for our future because we’re going to be the ones affected by climate change within our lifetime,” he said. Throughout the conference, there will be over 200 workshops and panels. Participants will also receive training that will teach them skills such as meeting facilitations and effectively structuring campaigns. Keynote speakers on October 18 and 19 will offer more insight. The speakers include prominent leaders in the movement such as Bill McKibbens founder of 350.org; Josh Fox, “Gasland” writer and director; and Kimberly Wasserman, winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize for organizing to shut down harmful coal plants in her community and efforts to create a clean environment. On October 20, students will break into groups by state to figure out how to advance the movement on a regional level. The conference will also address intersectionality with identity caucuses
(continued from page 1)
place Syria experienced one of the worst droughts in its history. The drought’s results were devastating to farmers and herders in many parts of Syria but especially in the north. It is estimated that due to this drought, some 60% of Syria was turned into a desert and 80% of its cattle died of drought. Penniless farmers were forced to move from the countryside into the cities, aggravating pressure on resources. One and a half million Syrian peasants and farmers fled towards the cities. In all, between two and three million Syrians were affected by dislocations as a result of environmental deterioration in the countryside. In
New Economy ‘Un-conference’ Rescheduled for October 26th (continued from page 1)
The New Economy movement in Western PA is growing, diverse, and largely unrecognized as such, even to many participants. The neighborhood group with a community garden may not realize that nearby is a worker-owned cooperative or a small company designing green products or services. That’s why NEWG, the New Economy Working Group, wants to introduce this growing grassroots response to a profit-driven system for the few – to ourselves, to one another and to the larger community. So we’ve invited participants to come together on October 26th to share their stories and learn about what others are doing. We hope it will enlarge visions, create some synergy and inspire even more cooperative efforts. This event was re-scheduled from September 28th due to an unforeseen conflict on that date. For details, go to www.facebook.com/NEWGatTMC or contact Ron Gaydos, NEWG Events chair at rgaydos@city-net.com. The New Economy working group’s regular meeting is on Thursday, October 17th, 6 pm, at the Merton Center. All are welcome! For more information, contact molly.rush@verizon.net.
response to the drought, some of the farmers responded by digging wells, often in a haphazard fashion. The response of the government was repression and persecution of those affected by the drought. Yet another aggravating factor was the agricultural policies of the government itself. The emphasis in agricultural policy is on the production of wheat and cotton which stresses an already challenged environmental situation.
percent from 2010 to 2050. These studies suggest at least a strong connection between the drastic environmental events in Syria and climate change. This is not to say that that climate change
Photo by Philomena O’Dea
is the only factor that led to the uprising. Rather, environmental change induced Climate Change and Syria by climate change is one of A study by the National many factors in the mix. Oceanic and Atmospheric Looking forward to Administration (NOAA), perhaps more drastic published in October 2011, environmental deterioration, showed that there was strong the Syrian experience sends a evidence that the recent cautious message. Droughts, prolonged period of drought in famines, social dislocation and the Mediterranean land close forced migration impose great to the shore, including the stresses on affected societies. Middle East, is linked to Under such circumstances climate change. It was one of rebellions and uprisings are the the first studies linking climate order of the day. When one to observable changes as puts this together with the opposed to looking at repressive, authoritarian and projected changes. In dictatorial regime of Bashar al addition, a recent model of Assad, an explosive mix climate impact for the future comes about. conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute Michael Drohan is a member predicted that if current rates of the board of the Thomas of greenhouse gas emissions Merton Center and co-chair continue, yields of rain fed of the editorial collective. crops in Syria will likely decline between 29 and 57 October 2013
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Healthcare For All Healthcare for All PA Board Plans Education and Advocacy
Featured—Russ Fedorka Cartoon
by Carolyn Barber, Bob Mason and Paul Ricci On August 10 and 11 the Erie chapter of Healthcare for All PA hosted the State C3 (Education) and C4 (Political Advocacy) quarterly board meetings. Saturday’s six-hour information session opened with a presentation by Cindy Purvis of spreadsheets of all State House and Senate members up for reelection in 2014 and a list of potential gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial candidates. We discussed which candidates would be most likely to support our single payer legislation, PA. Senate Bill 400, and how best to present the economic impact study of the bill by Professor Gerald Friedman, who concluded that it would yield an annual savings of $17 billion while providing full coverage to all. Jerry Policoff gave an update on the Affordable Care Act’s (AKA Obamacare’s) progress in implementation. The employer mandate requirement has been delayed until 2015. There are also problems with data security in the insurance exchanges and budget cuts in fraud oversight. Governor Corbett’s decision to refuse funds for Medicaid expansion leaves many near poor in limbo with the individual mandate. Funding for non-profit co-op insurance companies (a compromise for public option supporters) is gone. Shop exchanges that allow small businesses to buy insurance for employees are, like the employer mandate, delayed until 2015. Smokers will be charged more for insurance than nonsmokers. We also discussed the newly designed state website www.healthcare4allpa.org, administrative details and how to promote it widely. On Sunday the formal board meetings of the C3 and C4 addressed the need for fundraising and for recruiting new board members with more diversity and a wider age range. Health Care for All PA State President Dave Steil will be stepping down this fall and Vice President Bob Mason was nominated to replace him. An advisory committee Dr. Gerald Friedman of was created to include UMASS Amherst will visit board members like Mike Pennsylvania this fall to give Stout who could no presentations in Lancaster and longer participate but Pittsburgh on November 19th on his could still provide a Economic impact studies of single LOS ANGELES—On September payer legislation. valuable contribution to 11, 2013, the American Federation of While Pennsylvania alone the organization. Labor and Congress of Industrial could save $17 billion annually in overhead, Friedman’s analysis Organizations (AFL-CIO) National shows that a nonprofit single-payer Convention debated and passed two health system based on the principles of care resolutions—both calling for a the Expanded and Improved universal, single payer health care system. Medicare for All Act, H.R. 676, introduced by Rep. John Conyers They are Resolution 15, Protecting and Jr., D-Mich., and co-sponsored by Expanding Medicare Benefits, and Carolyn Barber, 44 other lawmakers, would save an Resolution 54, the Affordable Care Act. estimated $592 billion in 2014. That Bob Mason and would be more than enough to Paul Ricci are cover all 44 million people the board members of the Excerpts from Resolution 15, government estimates will be SW chapter of Health Protecting and Expanding uninsured in that year and to Care for All PA. upgrade benefits for everyone else.
russellfedorka@gmail.com
America’s Unions Endorse Single Payer Healthcare
Medicare Benefits:
AFL-CIO 2013 National Convention, Los Angeles from www.indybay.org
“Instead of cuts and cost shifting, we call for improvements to Medicare. Doing so is an essential prerequisite to establishing it as a model for a universal, single-payer system.”
Contact: All Unions Committee for Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 c/o Nurses Professional Organization 1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218 Louisville, KY 40217 “Instead of looking for ways to (502)636-1551 destroy Medicare, which has been a nursenpo@aol.com leader in improving our www.unionsforsinglepayer.org dysfunctional health care system, we must build on its experience as a single-payer program, NEW! You can donate now to TMC, using demonstrating that single payer is your Amazon account! the most cost-effective and Go to: http://thomasmertoncenter.org/donate/ equitable way to provide quality health care.” Visit www.AFLCIO.org to read the full texts of Resolutions 15 and 54. 12 - NEWPEOPLE
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And follow the directions.
Peace and thanks for your support!
Arts and Culture Local Activist-Musicians Mike Stout and the Human Union Band Release New Album:
Where is the Soul of America?
review by Charles McCollester I can’t claim objectivity when it comes to evaluating the latest example of Mike Stout’s astonishing body of work. Friend and comrade in struggle, our relationship was forged in the plant closing fight from Youngstown to Pittsburgh and beyond; efforts to save the South Side electric furnaces, George Westinghouse’s Union Switch & Signal, the historic Homestead Steel Works. The weight of my prejudice notwithstanding, I believe that Mike will someday be recognized as one of the most important songwriters of this era of economic and environmental crisis. While most commercial music stays within the safe confines of individual experience or expresses the particularity of a peculiar tribal viewpoint (country music and hip-hop come to mind) asserting a separate identity or reality, Mike uses clear explicit verses concerning political threats, corporate corruption and environmental degradation that are universal and global in scope. While his musicality and composition is sophisticated and the musicians who back him are among the finest in Pittsburgh, it is the message that is central. The world is in an existential crisis and the only hope lies in a working-class and people’s resistance rooted in solidarity, nonviolence and love. The twelve songs on this CD have an overall structure and balance. The first two songs define the challenge and present the vision. The challenge is in the form of a question: Where is the Soul of America? “Where are the shores that opened their doors, to the melting pot for the working world’s poor?...Where’s the will that brought the Bill of Rights to play, the forces that fought and won the eight-hour day? Where’s the guts and the glory that freed the chattel slave?” He calls us to resurrect the spirit that won economic and social justice for the working masses and poorest of the poor throughout American history, because “…we need it now more than ever today.” The response to the challenge follows in “Time to Build a New World.” Protest and resistance is the place to start and Mike has given it a powerful voice: “I’ve been fightin’ and
resistin’ and protested all the parasites of greed and fear and hate…I’ve been defyin’ all the lyin’ memorandas, the brainwashing by the ruling class elite. All the dog-eat-dog propaganda, that justifies the exploitation of the weak.” But if like I believe, environmental preservation is no longer sufficient in a collapsing ecosystem and massive global restoration is essential if we are to survive, so too simple resistance is not enough. “In the world without, in the heart within, let love and solidarity in. It’s chaos or community; let true democracy unfurl – Time to build a brand new world.” The ten songs that constitute the remainder of the album are equally divided between those defining the problem (war, greed, oppression and alienation) and those providing an answer (comradeship, organizing and solidarity). It has long been a characteristic of Stout’s compositions that they are divided between songs that rail against greed, waste and exploitation with others that sing the praises of people who struggle for peace and justice, and the ideals that inspire them. Mike’s vitriol and insight are sharply focused and include some of the most lacerating songs he has ever written. “Giant malls, ghost town suburban sprawls, mountains of garbage and waste. Dust and rust bowls, homeless shiver in the cold, the desert heat reclaims its space. Endless resource wars, tribes living by the sword, the dollar not worth the paper it’s on…It’s not the rapture or some prophecy unfurled, end of days or the end of the world. It’s not the beast unleashed, or a curse upon the land. IT’S JUST THE END OF FOSSIL FUEL MAN.”
Every Monday at 9:00 PM
Progressive Pgh Notebook TV Series airs within city limits:
Comcast Channel 21 + Verizon FiOS Channel 47
Watch live at
www.pctv21.org
October: FRACKENSTEIN: An Environmental
See more at Nightmare from Wisconsin Sand www.youtube.com/ November: richfishpgh Rich Fishkin: Camera and Editor C.S. Rhoten: Community Producer for PCTV21
Drones vs. Just Wars
Pittsburgh Community Television Corporation
Two high-spirited rockers, “Alien Nation” and “Complacency City,” deal with complacency and the individual’s isolation by a culture accustomed to “instant gratification and cybersensation in the palm of your hand, you’re always in command.” “Never eye-to-eye, toe to toe or skin to skin, no need to socialize with your electronic friend. Wars are fought remote, the screen’s your scope…It’s all remote in AlienNation.” Killing at a distance where your hands remain clean is the subject of the most chilling song on the record, “I was killed by a drone. In a place you’ve never heard of, some place you’ll never go…I was no terrorist, no militant, no friend of the Taliban; just a Pakistani working man, doing some chores and then, a Predator, a Reaper, some robot killing plane murdered innocent people in your name.” It is unlikely to ever make the easy listening channels of your local FM station. In a similar vein, Mike updates an earlier song with the latest developments in cyber and satellite snooping: “Big Brother’s watching; he’s lurking in the wing. Big Brother’s watching; he ain’t missin’ a thing.” Several of these social protest songs have a spooky, techno sound suited to their spooky, techno subject. As always the band behind Mike is skilled and in sync, as he utilizes five of the best guitarists in the Burgh, as well as his standard Human Union entourage. The final five songs sing of love, comradeship and solidarity. One is a tribute to the great working class artist, Bill Yund. Another is: “Travelin Man, Family Man,” which he wrote as a tribute to me for my 70th birthday. It ends with a rocking pair of upbeat songs on organizing and solidarity. The final ballad, “Sweet Paradise,” assures us that a better world can be achieved. Charles McCollester is a friend of musician Mike Stout and a labor historian and activist associated with the Battle of Homestead Foundation. October 2013
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Thomas Merton Center News Bill McKibben on the Road to Pittsburgh The goal is to stop the financial dependence of institutions on fossil fuel companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp., a top oil and gas company, and Severstal JSC, a top coal company. The campaign is also requesting that the fossil
fuel companies retain 80 percent of their current reserves underground indefinitely. McKibben has written several books since his first, The End of Nature, was published in 1989. After several books on climate change and its influence on nature Bill and people as well as McKibben genetic engineering, Oil and Honey provides unique insight to the self-described “unlikely activist.” Dan Bayer/Courtesy of the McKibben will be in Aspen Institute Pittsburgh on November 4
to receive the Thomas Merton Award at the Sheraton Station Square on the South Side. Registration for the dinner is open - and we expect a sell-out crowd. Please register at: www.thomasmertoncenter.org
Raechelle Landers is from Cambridge Springs, PA. She is currently studying nonfiction writing at the University of Pittsburgh, and she is a contributing writer to the Pitt News.
TMC Activists Among Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Honorees Congratulations to TMC Board member Shernell Smith and Healthy Artists videographer Julie Sokolow, who will be recognized by Pittsburgh Magazine on October 25th as 2013 “40 Under 40” Honorees. Winners are chosen based on Julie Sokolow their passion, commitment, visibility, diversity and overall impact on the region. An event will be held that evening at the Wyndham Grand Hotel. For a list of the other honorees, a bit about the program, and how to get tickets to the event: Photo by Molly Rush
M. Shernell Smith
Photo by Mary Jo Guercio
www.pittsburghmagazine.com/2013-40-Under-40-Honorees/ Shernell is Assistant Director, Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, Multicultural & Diversity Initiatives, Carnegie Mellon University. Julie is an independent filmmaker, writer and musician; and director of the documentary Aspie Seeks Love. See www.healthyartists.org. 40 Under 40 Honorees will be published in the magazine’s November issue.
“Pacem in Terris” Fifty Years Later, continued from 7 Thomas Merton wrote about the encyclical saying: "Pope John realized that his main job was one of 'clearing the air' morally, psychologically, and spiritually. To a world lost in a pea-soup fog of exhausting and intricate technicalities about law, economics, politics, weaponry, technology, etc., the Pope did not offer a series of casuistic solutions to complex and detailed questions. He recalled the minds of men to the fundamental ideas on which peace among nations and races must always depend. In other words, he tried to recreate for them the climate of thought in which they could see their objectives in a human and even a hopeful light, and invited them at least for a moment to emerge from the obscurity and smog of arguments that are without issue."
“Pacem in Terris” was greeted by worldwide praise. One of the direct results of “Pacem in Terris” was the foundation of the B.A. in Peace Studies at Manhattan College, the first Catholic College in the nation to offer this degree. Vatican Council II also marking its 50th anniversary this year signaled the change from a Church that accepted and even supported war to a Church that called for peacemaking through nonviolence and international law. Twenty years after the issuing of this landmark encyclical, the U.S. Catholic Bishops published a pastoral letter, “The Challenge of Peace” that reiterated many of the most important counsels of “Pacem in Terris”. I encourage all of us to read or reread these writings as we are continually challenged in the building of a more peaceful and just world. Tragically, Pope John's appeal to justice, right reason, and consideration for human dignity and life is largely ignored when it comes to banning nuclear weapons and moving toward verifiable multilateral disarmament of all weapons. There is still more work for us to do. For this report Joyce Rothermel consulted an article by Joseph Fahey posted by Pax Christi USA on May 17, 2013, Pacem in Terris: Peace in “Pacem in Terris,” and Vatican II.
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In Memory Marlene Boyle
During Marlene’s life she was a member of the Merton Center and in her passing donations were directed to continue the work of the Thomas Merton Center. Thank you to Marlene and her family. Rachel Freund Rachel A. Freund had a tenacity for organizing and a passion for the underdog. She promoted the causes of people with mental illness in ways few others envisioned or tried in recent years. Through advocacy and educational work with a variety of organizations,
Just Harvest Celebrates 25 Years by Joyce Rothermel The history of Just Harvest and its parent organization Hunger Action Coalition is tied into that of the Thomas Merton Center. So we invite all of our members to join in the 25th annual Harvest Celebration Dinner that will be held on Tuesday, October 22 from 5:30 – 8:30 PM at the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. In 1986, Just Harvest was formed to continue the legacy of Hunger Action Coalition in working to eliminate hunger in our community through public policy advocacy and community education. And for over 25 years, it’s been a leader in the fight to end hunger and poverty in Allegheny County. A special treat this year is the keynote address which will be given by Sr. Simone Campbell. She has dedicated her life to social justice, serving as a religious leader, an attorney, and a poet with extensive experience in public policy and advocacy for systemic change. In Washington, she lobbies on issues of peace-building, immigration reform, healthcare and economic justice. Around the country, she is a noted speaker and educator on these public policy issues. During the 2010 congressional debate about healthcare reform, she wrote the famous “nuns’ letter” supporting the reform bill. This action was cited by many as critically important in passing the Affordable Care Act. In 2012, she was instrumental in organizing the “Nuns on the Bus” tour of nine states to oppose the “Ryan Budget” approved by the House of Representatives and designed to decimate programs for people in need. “Nuns on the Bus” received an avalanche of attention across the nation from religious communities, elected officials and the media. This summer she led a new cross-country Nuns on the Bus focused on comprehensive immigration reform. Sister Simone Campbell has dedicated her life to social justice, serving as a religious leader, an attorney, and a poet with extensive experience in public policy and advocacy for systemic
including the Mental Health Association of Allegheny County, the Disability Voting Coalition and Let Our Voices Be Heard, Ms. Freund ensured that more people with disabilities were registered to vote, were able to speak up for themselves and could have more optimism about their futures. In Rachel’s memory we encourage all The New People readers to vote in next month’s election. change. In Washington, she lobbies on issues of peace-building, immigration reform, healthcare and economic justice. Around the country, she is a noted speaker and educator on these public policy issues. The Seeds of Justice Award will be presented at the event. It is presented annually to individuals or organizations that make extraordinary contributions in advancing Just Harvest’s mission to eliminate hunger and poverty. This year’s awardee is Just Harvest’s Founding Board of Directors: Patrick Cleary-Burns, Fr. Garrett Dorsey, Brigid Lund, Tom Menk, Ginnie Mertz, Sr. Jean Murin, Dolores Patrick, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush and Rob Shepherd. Thanks to their visionary leadership, Just Harvest continues to be guided by its mission and founding principles. To register for this year’s dinner, go to www.justharvest.org or call 412-431-8960. Joyce Rothermel is a member of Just Harvest, a Center for Action Against Hunger. World Advocate for Palestinian/ Israeli Peace Speaks in Pittsburgh Dr. Jeff Halper, an Americanborn Jew who has lived in West Jerusalem for forty years and is co-founder and director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD.org) will be in Pittsburgh soon. On Saturday, November 2, Dr. Halper will present a workshop on how we can best direct our energy to advocate for Palestinian -Israeli peace from 1 to 5 pm at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh (Ellsworth and Morewood Aves. in Shadyside). On Monday, November 4, Dr. Halper will speak at the University of Pittsburgh in the Pitt Student Union Ballroom from noon to 1:30 pm. His presentation is entitled: Israel/Palestine: Towards Peace, Apartheid or Warehousing in which he will talk about options for resolving the conflict. You will also have an opportunity to meet Dr. Halper at the Merton Award Dinner later that evening.
Thomas Merton Center Community Nominees for TMC Board, 2014-2017 Thom Baggerman I’m originally from Pittsburgh, PA and have lived in two different cities in Ohio and one in Massachusetts before returning to Pittsburgh in 2011. My BA is in Telecommunications (Radio and Television) from Kent State U in 1991. In College I worked at the campus radio and television stations as well as KSU Teleproductions. After graduation I worked in local television, first at WTOV-TV in Steubenville, OH. Then I worked as producer/director for WGGB-TV in Springfield, MA from 1995 to 96 as well as being a newscaster. In 1999 I returned to Pittsburgh and became station coordinator at RMU-TV at Robert Morris University. While at RMU television, I completed my MS in Communications and Information Systems, graduating in 2001. I then pursued my Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1996. Since graduating with a Ph.D. I worked for 5 years at Capital University in Columbus, OH after which I returned to Pittsburgh at Point Park University where I presently teach. In addition to my teaching responsibilities, I spend part of my time engaged in research, principally in the areas of pedagogy, new media journalism, communication technology, and media policy. I generally present new work in these areas at several conferences each year, and my first publication appeared in the October 2010 issue of the Journal of Media Education. Finally, I serve as Vice-Chair for the research division of the Broadcast Education Association.
Valley depended on the steel industry. The survey showed inadequate access to and insufficient availability of care. In response I founded a free primary care clinic, the Rainbow Health Center, on Homestead’s main street. I recruited volunteer nurses, nurse practitioners, and doctors as I secured more and more services along with developing educational programs. In order to maintain the Health Center I conducted fundraising campaigns. In 1998 The Rainbow Health Center became a Federally Qualified Health Center with guaranteed providers and primary care services. This Center operates to this day. I also actively engage in voting registration and most importantly, turnout. I am a member of the Larimer Green Team and garden in Larimer Commons.
Have your donation matched by the Pittsburgh Foundation and HELP TMC GROW STRONGER! With the support of the Pittsburgh Foundation, your donation to TMC will grow! Mark your calendar now and make an online donation to TMC at Pittsburghgives.org on Thursday, October 3. Your donation will help TMC and its projects create a more peaceful and just world!
has worked at CCAC for the past 25+ years. She is currently the Director of Community Training and Development and the Chair of the CCAC Women’s Council. She has a B.A. in Psychology/ Special Education, B.S.Ed.. Counselor Rob Conroy Education, MS Human Resource Rob Conroy is the chair of the TMC Management and an Ed.D. in Higher Project Committee and has successfully Education. Mary Jo grew up in the revised the project guidelines, Greenfield section of the City. She is definitions, and provided strategic also a member of the city of Pittsburgh oversight of project implementation. Citizen Police Review Board. Mary Jo is Rob is a Pittsburgh lawyer, freelance a self-described political junkie. She journalist, former union representative closely monitors local/national and (PSEA), and former political press international affairs. secretary. He is currently working as the Western PA Field Coordinator for Pat Fenton CeaseFire PA. He received a B.A. in I have been an active supporter of Journalism (with an English minor) TMC since it was founded. I have from Penn State University in 1993 and served on the Board two times in the a J.D. from Widener University School past—in the 1970's and again in the of Law in 1996. Rob is active in the early 1990's. I have always found the Pittsburgh arts/cultural scene and is an Merton Center to be the heart of the ardent supporter of/advocate for many peace and justice community in the City progressive causes, including the of Pittsburgh. I have also been active Greater Pittsburgh Community Food with the Association of Pittsburgh Bank’s HEAT (Hunger Education Priests, the Tri-State Conference on Advocacy Team) program, One Steel, and a wide range of other peace Pittsburgh, and CASA (Court-appointed and justice organizations. I am presently Theresa Chalich I am a Registered Nurse with years Special Advocates for children placed employed at Action-Housing, a nonof community and mental health nursing within the child welfare system) profit organization that provides a program. In addition to current positions variety of housing programs and experience. In conjunction with my on both the Board of the Thomas nursing career, I have been an active services targeted to low income and proponent of a Medicare for All system Merton Center and its Editorial special needs populations. I live in the of care. My background in working for Collective, he serves on the Boards of Morningside area of the city with my both the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh comprehensive care dates back to the wife, Ginny Cunningham. I am 1980s. During this time when the steel and Spectrum Charter School currently serving on the executive mills were disappearing in the Pittsburgh committee at TMC and am the treasurer Mary Jo Guercio area, I organized the Mon Valley of the organization. Mary Jo is the current board Unemployed Committee’s Health Care president of the Thomas Merton Center, Anne Kuhn Committee. During this period of I have been a member of the advocating and organizing activities for with oversight of the executive and personnel committees. In the past three Pittsburgh Society of Friends since the uninsured, I secured a Master’s years Mary Jo has successfully led the 1976. There I served on the Peace and Degree in Public Health in 1990. My center in creating and implementing a Social Concerns Committee, the thesis was a health care household 5-year strategic plan to strengthen the Nominating Committee, Personnel, survey of Homestead, PA. This town’s mission of the Center. Mary Jo Guercio Building Use, and Draft economy in the Pittsburgh area’s Mon Counseling. I was also the Internship and Friends' representative to the volunteer organization called W. PA opportunities are Campaign for a Comprehensive available at the Test Ban (CTB), in 1990. Thomas Merton Welcome to our new membership Center. Help assist In 1991 I attended the Greenpeace intern, Samantha Wechsler! Pittsburgh’s Conference at the Nuclear Test Samantha is a senior at the leading peace and Site in Las Vegas. I attended a University of Pittsburgh in the social justice second time at the 500th efforts by School of Social Work. Originally Anniversary of Columbus's supporting the from New York, she enjoys work of the center voyage to America, hosted by exploring all that Pittsburgh has to and its dedicated Native Americans, especially the offer. In her spare time, she enjoys projects (more info Shoshoni Tribe, whose land had kayaking, reading, and cooking on page 2). Call Photo by Alexandria Grant (412) 361-3022 or been taken for the Nuclear Test new recipes. She is passionate Site. On that visit I was arrested email about social justice, particularly on matters related to office@thomasmer as a protestor, along with about education, women’s rights, and economics. Samantha is toncenter.org. 600 others (and a dozen excited to be spending the year at the Merton Center!
TMC Welcomes New Intern
Pittsburghers) who recognized the evil of nuclear weapons. In 1996, President Clinton signed the CTB and the group became the W.PA Campaign for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons. In 1987, I became President of Freeport Peace Links and our major activity involved a summer Lantern Float Festival in Freeport Park, PA. In that position I joined the delegation to China, sponsored by the All China Women's Federation and Peace Links in 1993. I soon became involved with Pennsylvania Peace Links, which later became the main Peace Links organization and had representatives at the UN, originally set up by Betty Bumpers. We visited China again, hosted by the Chinese People Association for Peace and Disarmament in 1997. We also hosted this group for visits to Pittsburgh and Washington, DC peace groups. I served twice as President. I am a volunteer and supporter at the East End Community Thrift. I also make the Peace and Justice Awards that we give every year to our honorees at the Merton Award dinner. Jonah McAllister-Erickson I am a member of Pittsburghers for Public Transit, and have worked on logistics for several of our demonstrations from the very large Peoples March, to the more modest demonstration this year. In the last two years as a member of the board of directors I helped establish the Cornerstone Sustainers program, helping bring the TMC back to financial stability. I also helped in the establishment of the Economic Justice Committee, a project that focuses on supporting the struggles of working peoples as well as doing some modest educational work around the inequalities in our society.
TMC Board nomination ballots will be mailed to our membership this month. Ballots must be returned by November 4th, the day of the Thomas Merton Center annual award dinner. Each board member serves a three year term focusing on the accomplishment of the strategic goals of the Center.
October 2013
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October Activist Events This fall 10,000+ youth leaders will converge in Pittsburgh, PA to fight for our future and to build the movement to fight fracking, divest from fossil fuels, build a clean energy future, and stop the climate crisis . Find out more at http://www.wearepowershift.org
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Bill McKibben THOMAS MERTON 1 2013 AWARD Stop Sexual WINNER Assault in the Register to hear Bill McKibben, environmental activist, and founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org, speak on Monday, Nov. 4, beginning at 6 pm at the Sheraton Station Square at www.thomasmertoncenter.org
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Mahatma Gandhi Birthday Celebration 2pm5pm Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
Course on History of Israel with the Relationship to 10—11:50 am Cathedral of Learning
Powerzone Smithton UU Church
Military Planning Mtg. 5:30 pm Friends Meeting House Ellsworth Avenue (Oakland)
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Town Hall Forum 9am-12pm The University Club 123 University Place (Oakland) (Ball room B)
Day of Giving PittsburghGives
.org Please donate to TMC Building Urban Insurgencies 7:30-9:00 pm Friends Meeting House
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4th floor Cathedral of Learning 10 am
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Youth Leading Change 8 am-2 pm Heinz History Center Smallman Street
Race& Social Problems 12 pm-1:30 pm 2017 Cathedral of Learning
SWPA Bread for the World Meeting 1:30 pm Christian Associates, Lawrenceville
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TMC Board Meeting 7 pm TMC
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TMC / Pax Christi Potluck 6:30 pm @ TMC Learn about the lives of local Merton activists.
2013 Powershift Conference
6:30 pm http://j.mp/ WildScenicPgh
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24 APP 2013 Fall Speaker 7-9 pm Keams Spirituality Center Allison Park
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Become a Member of TMC Today! Low Income Membership Student Membership Individual Membership Family Membership Organization (below 25 members) Organization (above 25 members)
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Join at thomasmertoncenter.org/join-donate or fill out this box and mail it in. TMC membership benefits include monthly mailings of The New People to your home or email account, weekly eblasts focusing on peace and justice events in Pittsburgh, and special invitations to membership activities. Become an active member of our community! 16 - NEWPEOPLE
October 2013
The Man in the White Suit 7:30 -8:30 pm The Pump HouseWaterfront Drive
Guest Speaker: Immaculee IIibagiza 7-8 pm St. Ferdinand Church -Cranberry
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TMC Potlucks! Thursday evenings. Interested in having one on an issue that’s important to you or your organization? Contact: mcmahond@thomasmertoncenter.org
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Climate of Change Phipps Conservatory
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“The coming painful decades may be the prehistory of the next American revolution – and an evolutionary process that transforms the American system, making it both morally meaningful and ecologically sustainable.” --Gar Alperovitz, New Economics Institute Author of “What Then Must We Do? “
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Black Voices for Peace Vigil to End War, 1 p.m., Penn Ave. and Highland Ave., East Liberty Citizens for Peace Vigil noon to 1 p.m., Forbes Ave. and Braddock Ave.
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Just Harvest Celebration Dinner 5-9pm Omni William Penn hotel
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International Socialist Organization Meets weekly at the Thomas Merton Center 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Drones and endless war information table 2100 Smallman Street 10 -3 pm
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The Powershift Conference Is at the Convention Center. 25th Anniversary TMC AntiDrone Coalition Mtg at TMC 1:30 pm
Pittsburgh Labor Notes Troublemakers School Human Service Bldg 11 am-5 pm
TMC Annual Meeting of the Membership Join Us! East Liberty Presbyterian Church 1 to 3 pm
History Course
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First Friday Action 1:30 pm-3 pm Post Office Grant St and 7th Ave
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Fed-Up! Write letters for prisoner’s rights at the Thomas Merton Center, 7 p.m.
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Weekly Meetings
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The Un-conference (Oct. 26) Building a New Economy 1st United Methodist Church Shadyside 10 am—4 pm Email: rgaydos@city-net.com. Leaders, staff, volunteers, and collective members working to create and build a new, sustainable, democratic, and cooperative economy and society in the Pittsburgh area (and for the planet) will be meeting to discuss how we can build a healthy and enriching economic movement that is for and by the people. Please email Ron Gaydos rgaydos@city-net.com if you are interested in attending.
Name(s):________________________________ Organization (if applicable):__________________________ Address:________________________________ City: __________________ State: __________ Zip Code:_______________________________ Home Phone:____________________________ Cell Phone: _____________________________ Email:_________________________________ Mail form and donation to: Thomas Merton Center 5129 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224 Join online at: http://thomasmertoncenter.org/become-a-member/
Anti-War Committee on Drones Third Sunday of the Month Book’Em: Books to Prisoners Project Meets the first three Sunday’s of the month Contact: kurbaga@comcast.net
Monthly Meetings Second Mondays Association of Pittsburgh Priests Meeting 7 to 9 p.m., Epiphany Administration Center Second Tuesdays W.O.M.I.N., 7:30-8:30pm, St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, 18 Schubert St. on the North Side First and Third Wednesdays Darfur Coalition Meeting 7 to 9 p.m., 2121 Murray Avenue, Second Floor, Squirrel Hill, Contact: 412-784-0256 Second Sundays Women In Black Monthly Peace Vigil, 10 to 11 a.m., Ginger Hill Unitarian Universalist Church, Slippery Rock First Thursdays Green Party Meeting 7 to 9 p.m., 2121 Murray, 2nd floor, Squirrel Hill Second Saturdays Project to End Human Trafficking (PEHT) Carlow University, Antonian Rm #502 Third Saturdays Fight for Lifers West 10 a.m. to noon, Crossroads United Methodist 325 N. Highland Ave., East Liberty
Pittsburgh Holds October Fundraisers for Haiti Sunday, October 13, 11 am – 3:30 pm The Sisters of the Humility of Mary minister in Haiti. They are hosting a second annual fundraiser for Sr. Judy HM and her work in Haiti. The Humility of Mary community partners with the Sisters of Fondwa, Haiti. There will be an 11 am Mass at Villa Maria followed by brunch and presentations from 11:45 am - 3:30 pm. Cost is $50. To register, go to www.humilityofmary.org Saturday, October 19, 6 – 10 pm The Functional Literacy Ministry is holding their annual fundraiser celebrating 30 years of ministry in Haiti at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 N. Highland Avenue in East Liberty. Cost is $50. For more information and reservations, call 412-784-0342 or visit www.flmhaiti.org Sunday, October 22, 1 – pm Artists for Haiti are holding a benefit gallery show and art sale to aid Partners in Progress (founded by the Pgh. Haiti Solidarity Committee and focused on rural sustainable development in Haiti) at the Fr. Ryan Art Center of Focus on Renewal, 420 Chartiers Avenue in McKees Rocks.