Thomas Merton Center Pittsburgh’s Peace and Social Justice Center
PITTSBURGH’S PEACE & JUSTICE NEWSPAPER VOL. 47 No. 6 July/August 2017
Letter from the New TMC Director Hello, my name is Gabriel McMorland and I’ve just become Executive Director of the Thomas Merton Center after several years working as our staff organizer. I’m grateful to join a multigenerational community of activists in an organization with such a long history of building peace through justice. Every month, I will write a short letter in the NewPeople with updates on our work and observations on our current political context. In our work at TMC, I hope we can challenge racism, militarism, and capitalism through both specific strategic campaigns and bold, creative witnessing for justice. I hope we remain open to lifelong learning and resolve to understand our own role in systems of oppression. I hope we can move in Continued on Page 3...
Carl Redwood is the New Person Awardee of 2017
New Executive Director of the Thomas Merton Center Gabriel McMorland speaking at an action in Pittsburgh. Photo taken by Mark Dixon.
In This Issue… Pittsburgh = Paris ?
Page 4
The People United…
Page 7
The Ideology of War…
Page 9
Hellish Budget Cuts…
Page 11
Bahrain: Dissecting the Tiniest Country of the Anti-Qatar Group By Fatema Juma
Carl Redwood receives the New Person Award from Thomas Merton Center Board President Rob Conroy. More pictures of the New Person Dinner, Anti-war March & more in this issue! More on Page 8...
As a former resident of Bahrain, allow me to begin my observations by reflecting on 2011, the year, in the media’s eyes, when the Arabs were awakened from their long slumber of oppression. The reality is that the activists and protests in various countries had occurred long before this media attention. What catapulted this triumphant presence into international media outlets is the timing of certain events, the domino effect that ensued, and the successful integration of social media. You see, before this media attention in Bahrain, people had been taking to the streets every year since February 14, 2001 to protest measures taken by the current king. As per the Charter of the GCC, the Gulf Cooperation Council integrates and coordinates economics, financial affairs, customs, education and culture of member states. Established in 1981 in Riyadh, to secure unity amongst the Gulf states and with the focus on a combined identity, the GCC centered around Islam and Arab identity. As an intergovernmental union, this body brings Continued on Page 6... several countries together, uniting their wealth, power and
The Thomas Merton Center 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. 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.
PITTSBURGH, PA PERMIT NO. 458
PAID
THOMAS MERTON CENTER, 5129 PENN AVE. PITTSBURGH, PA 15224
July/August 2017
NEWPEOPLE - 1
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
TMC Projects
(TMC projects follow TMC guidelines and receive financial and ongoing resources and support from the Thomas Merton Center.)
Human Rights IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE THOMAS MERTON CENTER 5129 PENN AVENUE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15224
Thomas Merton Center
East End Community Thrift Store
Monday—Friday: 10 am to 4 pm
Tuesday—Friday: 10 am to 4 pm Saturday: Noon to 4 pm
Office Phone: 412-361-3022 — Fax: 412-361-0540 Website: www.thomasmertoncenter.org
Cities for CEDAW
School of the Americas Watch W. PA 412-271-8414 rothermeljoyce@gmail.com
Fight for Lifers West fightforliferswest@gmail.com 412-607-1804 Fightforliferswest.org
Environmental Justice
The NewPeople Editorial Collective
Greater Pittsburgh Interfaith Coalition Anne Wirth 412-716-9750
TMC Staff, Volunteers & Interns
Human Rights Coalition / Fed Up (prisoner support and advocacy) 412-802-8575, hrcfedup@gmail.com www.prisonerstories.blogspot.com
Neil Cosgrove, Michael Calhoun, Michael Drohan, Russ Fedorka, Nijah Glenn, Ishita Madan, Fatema Juma, Bette McDevitt, Calvin Pollack, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush, Jacqueline Souza, and Jo Tavener.
Executive Director: Gabriel McMorland Finance Director / Project Liaison: Roslyn Maholland Support Staff: Sr. Mary Clare Donnelly Activist & Office Volunteers: Raphael Cardamone, Christina Castillo, Monique Dietz, Nancy Gippert, Lois Goldstein, Jordan Malloy, Joyce Rothermel, Judy Starr NewPeople Coordinator: Fatema Juma East End Community Thrift Store Managers: Shirley Gleditsch, Shawna Hammond, & Sr. Mary Clare Donnelly NewPeople Newspaper Interns: Michael Calhoun, Ishita Madan Thomas Merton Center Interns: Lucy Cheung, Eric Neff
Shalefield Stories (Friends of the Harmed) 412-422-0272 brigetshields@gmail.com Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens Group 724-837-0540 lfpochet@verizon.net
Steel Smiling info@steelsmilingpgh.org Www.steelsmilingpgh.org 412-251-7793
2017 TMC Board of Directors
The East End Community Thrift (Thrifty) is an all volunteer-run thrift shop which provides quality, low-cost, used clothing and household goods to the surrounding community. Thrifty needs volunteers and shoppers! Please contact us at (412) 361-6010 and ask for Shirley or Shawna, or stop in at 5123 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Email shawnapgh@aol.com. We are mission driven volunteers who look to build love and community by serving others in times of need. Follow @getthriftypgh on Instagram
Economic Justice
Stop Sexual Assault in the Military 412-361-3022 hildebrew@aol.com
Harambee Ujima/Diversity Footprint Twitter @HomewoodNation Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance
Anti-War/Anti-Imperialism
412-512-1709
Anti-War Committee awc@thomasmertoncenter.org Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition
TMC Affiliates
Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi 412-761-4319 Pittsburgh Cuba Coalition 412-303-1247 lisacubasi@aol.com
(Affiliates are independent partner organizations who support the nonviolent peace and justice mission of TMC. - Articles may not necessarily represent the views of Affiliates)
Pittsburgh BDS Coalition bdspittsburgh@gmail.com Pittsburgh North People for Peace 412-760-9390 info@pnpp.northpgh.org www.pnpp.northpgh.org
Abolitionist Law Center 412-654-9070 abolitionistlawcenter.org Amnesty International info@amnestypgh.org - www.amnestypgh.org
Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee info@pittsburgh-psc.org www.pittsburgh-psc.org Raging Grannies 412-963-7163 eva.havlicsek@gmail.com
Association of Pittsburgh Priests Sr. Barbara Finch 412-716-9750
www.associationofpittsburghpriests.com
Publish in The NewPeople
www.pittsburghraginggrannies.homestead.com
Religion and Labor Coalition 412-361-4793 ojomal@aol.com SWPA Bread for the World Joyce Rothermel 412-780-5118 rothermeljoyce@gmail.com
Battle of Homestead Foundation
The New People is distributed each month to 3,000 people who belong to diverse organizations, businesses and groups. The deadline for all submissions is the 13th of the month for the following month’s issue. To Submit Articles, Photos, or Poems: Visit www.thomasmertoncenter.org/ newpeople/submit. To Submit an Event to the TMC Calendar: Visit www.thomasmertoncenter.org/calendar/submit-event To Advertise: Visit www.thomasmertoncenter.org/newpeople/ad Advertising prices range from $15 for a business card size to $250 for a full page. There is a 10% discount when purchasing 6 months of ad space at a time, and a 20% discount when purchasing a year of ad space at a time. An additional 10% discount is available for non-profit organizations and faith-based groups. For more information: Call 412-361-3022 or email newpeople@thomasmertoncenter.org.
412-848-3079
The Big Idea Bookstore 412-OUR-HEAD www.thebigideapgh.org The Black Political Empowerment Project Tim Stevens 412-758-7898 CeaseFire PA www.ceasefirepa.org—info@ceasefirepa.org Citizens for Social Responsibility of Greater Johnstown Larry Blalock, evolve@atlanticbb.net
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) 412-471-8919 www.ueunion.org Veterans for Peace Paul Dordal 412-999-6913 vfp47wp@yahoo.com Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Edith Bell 412-661-7149 granbell412@gmail.com
Global Solutions Pittsburgh 412-471-7852 dan@globalsolutionspgh.org www.globalsolutionspgh.org North Hills Anti-Racism Coalition 412-369-3961 email: info@arc.northpgh.org www.arc.northpgh.org PA United for Single-Payer Health Care www.healthcare4allPA.org www.PUSH-HC4allPa.blogspot.com 412-421-4242
Table of Contents Page 1
Marcellus Shale Protest Group melpacker@aol.com 412-243-4545 marcellusprotest.org Pittsburgh 350 350pittsburgh@gmail.com World.350.org/Pittsburgh
Pittsburghers for Public Transit 412-216-9659 info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org
Ed Brett, Rob Conroy (President), Neil Cosgrove, Bill Chrisner, Mark Dixon, Antonia Dominga, Michael Drohan, Patrick Fenton, Nijah Glenn, Wanda Guthrie, anupama jain, Ken Joseph, Anne Kuhn, Jonah McAllister-Erickson, Jim McCarville, Jordan Malloy, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush (co-founder), Tyrone Scales, M. Shernell Smith.
jumphook@gmail.com; www.pittsburghdarfur.org
Book‘Em: Books to Prisoners Project bookempgh@gmail.com www.bookempgh.org
TMC is a Member of Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network 412-621-9230 office@piin.org Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Martha Conley 412-361-7872, osterdm@earthlink.net TMC supports these organizations’ missions.
Page 7 Letter from the New TMC Director Carl Redwood is the New Person Awardee Bahrain: Dissecting the Tiniest Country of the Gulf Cooperation Council
Page 8
Letter from the New TMC Director Cont’d TMC Transitions Interview With Antonio Lodico
Page 9
Merton Center Goes Solar Will Pittsburgh Truly Support the Paris Climate Agreement?
Page 10
Page 4
Page 5 Cannibalizing the Planet The Crisis of Energy Poverty
Page 11
Palestinian, Israeli, and Diaspora Jewish Partners Defy Occupation/Take Back the Land
Page 12
APP Social/Membership To Consider Organizational Revisions 2017 Association of Pittsburgh Priests’ Fall Speakers’ Series Announced
The Common Sense of War & Militarism Historical Implications of Science and Society
Page 14
Maps Matter! Let’s End Gerrymandering Another Defense of Planned Parenthood Single Payer Documentaries Available
Page 15
Die, Billionaire, Die: How Pittsburgh's Oligarchs Still Control Us Hoover vs. Baldwin: The FBI File Rejoice, Americans, We Have A Great President Draft Treaty Bans Nuclear Weapons Nuclear War Averted! (cartoon)
Bread for the World Lobby Day Review A Budget from Hell
Page 6
July/August 2017
Page 13 Anti-war Rally (photos) New Person Award (photos)
Page 3
2 - NEWPEOPLE
On Tyranny, Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century The Masters (poem)
El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido… Trump and Russia
Page 16 Cooperative Principle 7: Commitment to Community
Calendar of Events Merton Quote
Merton Center News Letter from the New TMC Director Cont’d solidarity with others, and I hope we can connect local struggles with a global vision for peace and justice. In our work, I’m often reminded that we cannot separate social justice issues as though dissecting them for a museum display or solving an algebraic equation. Economic justice demands we confront white supremacy. Capitalism drives the chaos of climate change. Endless wars find justification in a culture that casually accepts the violence of patriarchy and homophobia. In all this, we must support each other moving towards freedom, peace, and justice. Let’s ask each other what solidarity looks like. Please feel free to contact me anytime at Gabriel@thomasmertoncenter.org. I’d love to hear about your own past work with TMC, or talk to you about ways to get involved in the future. I also hope every reader of the NewPeople will consider donating to support our work. Remaining a member-funded organization gives us the flexibility we need in the fight for justice. Gabriel McMorland Executive Director Thomas Merton Center
Transitions The Thomas Merton Center is going through several transitions this summer.:
TMC ED Search: At the end of June, Gabriel McMorland became the new Executive Director of the Thomas Merton Center, leaving his role as TMC Organizer.
PPT Directors: Pittsburghers for Public Transit, a project of TMC, has also gained new leadership in June. Molly Nichols left her position and is moving from Pittsburgh after 11 years of advocacy and organizing. The new Executive Director of PPT is Laura Weins, who has been a longtime member of PPT’s Coordinating Committee. Welcome onboard, Laura!
Technology & Operations: Marni Fritz who was the Merton Center ‘ Communications Director for 2 years, has left to complete her education. So, TMC is currently reviewing applications to fill her position. Friday July 7th was the deadline to receive applications for this opening.
TMC Organizer: Another opening is ED McMorland’s old position, Thomas Merton Center Organizer. Similarly, the center is currently reviewing applications received by the July 7th deadline.
Spotlight: An Interview With Antonio Lodico By Michael Calhoun
The United States is currently in the midst of arguably the most polarizing, life-changing transition in US history. While not directly influenced by this exchange of power in Trump’s newfound government, the Thomas Merton Center (TMC) is no exception to transition. Antonio Lodico, the previous Executive Director of the center, stepped down after a year and a half of guiding the center towards taking on the trials and obstacles that the nation currently faces. These past years have been busy for the center; there is a pledge on its mission page to support “the right to educate and raise awareness” on topical issues to “ensure a safe and just world.” TMC has committed to that pledge by vastly expanding their social media presence. The number of Facebook-publicized events increased from just 6 between 2012 and 2014, to 58 once Mr. Lodico started his position. Additionally, paying a visit to the center’s Facebook page will provide a torrent of relevant news surrounding social justice issues and movements. This is indicative of one of the major changes that Mr. Lodico has noticed in the TMC and Pittsburgh at large, a “generational shift” of which the TMC was a “microcosm.” Mr. Lodico is proud
to have helped foster this change within the organization, and he hopes to see this shift continue, as more engaged youths take leadership positions within TMC and in organizations throughout Pittsburgh. Lodico is also pleased with his role in cementing TMC’s stability during his tenure. The organization was well-known in the community, but there was still work to be done to ensure future success through pursuing “more financial stability, more active membership, more devoted leaders, and more financial security.” The active membership and extension of the leadership roles is something that ties directly into the generational turnover, as the TMC has seen more and more students from local universities and colleges take on responsibilities for campaigns like Pittsburghers for Public Transit and Fight For Lifers West. Mr. Lodico saw his work in facilitating the center’s financial stability and involvement in the growth of the young activists as a continuation of the progress made by the former Executive Director, Dr. Diane McMahon. Mr. Lodico has taken on his new position as an adviser and mentor to Gabriel McMorland, a veteran organizer and activist in the TMC and the new Executive Director, with pride.
As a mentor, his most important piece of advice to impart was, ironically, to “never let any one person tell you how to run the organization,” (not even former executive directors). Since the center is a member-based organization, equality and impartiality are paramount to the core values of the organization’s structure, and Lodico stresses that listening to everyone is the only way to act responsibly. Being an executive director is “something you can never train for; you learn by doing,” and Lodico sees the center embracing the values it has always cherished through the work of good people. For the future of the center, Mr. Lodico hopes and believes that it will continue to be a force for social justice and peace in the region. And as for Mr. Lodico himself, he still holds social justice as one of the driving forces behind his life and career, as something he’s “still willing to keep working for,” and the future will see him persisting in his campaigns for the greater good. Michael Calhoun is a junior Urban Studies and English Writing double major at the University of Pittsburgh. He writes for the Pittiful News and is a Browne Leadership Fellow for the summer.
Become A Member Today! Subscribe to The NewPeople by becoming a member of the Thomas Merton Center today! As a member, The NewPeople newspaper will be mailed to your home or sent to your email account. You will also receive weekly e-blasts focusing on peace and justice events in Pittsburgh, and special invitations to membership activities. Now is the time to stand for peace and justice!
Join online at www.thomasmertoncenter.org/ join-donate or fill out this form, cut out, and mail in. Select your membership level:
____$15 ____$15
Low Income Membership Youth / Student Membership
____$25 Introductory / Lapsed Membership ____$50 Individual Membership ____$100 Family Membership ____$500+ Cornerstone Sustainer Membership ____Donation $____________________________ ____ Monthly Donation– Become a TMC Peacemaker $____________________________ Or Become an Organizational Member:
____$75 Organization (below 25 members) ____$125 Organization (above 25 members) ____ I would like to receive the weekly activist Eblast _____ I would like to receive The NewPeople newspaper mailed to my house
Please complete and return to TMC. Thank you! Name(s):__________________________________ Organization (if any): ________________________________ Address:___________________________________
______________________________________
City:_________________ State:______ Zip Code:________ Home Phone:____________________________ Cell Phone: ______________________________ Email:__________________________________
Mail to TMC, 5129 Penn Ave. Pgh. PA 15224 Call (412) 361-3022 for more information.
July/August 2017
NEWPEOPLE - 3
Environmental Activism Merton Center Goes Solar; Donor Seeks Other Recipients By Neil Cosgrove
In mid-May, the Thomas Merton Center became a direct participant in the renewable energy revolution. That’s when TMC began drawing more than 60% of its electricity from 16 solar panels installed on the roof of the building where the Center is located. The building itself is owned by the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, but the panels are the result of a $23,500 donation made directly to the
Merton Center. The donor, who wishes only to be known as “Joy,” said she was motivated to make the donation by the Center’s role in “hosting, promoting, and listing so many social justice events and group meetings.” “I’m generally pro-solar,” she continued, “and … I’ve been working with a couple of private individuals on solarizing a few houses. Eventually, I realized that solar on the Merton Center would be a particularly great combination.” Former TMC Director Tony Lodico was surprised in mid-November when he received a phone call asking if the Center would be interested in having solar panels installed. “Initially,” he recalled, “I thought it was a solicitation, but it turned out to be a donation.” Lodico estimated that the panels have already cut the Center’s electric bill in half. That result is in keeping with the solar industry’s claims that most panel installations pay for themselves within seven to ten years. Perhaps the biggest incentive for private individuals, rather than nonBrightening up the neighborhood, a bird’s eye view of the center's new profits like the Merton Center, solar panels.
is the 30% residential renewable energy tax credit offered by the federal government on the initial investment, for the year when the panels are installed. As for Joy, our donor, she is interested in providing further funding for solar installations and car charging stations to “other non-profits, municipal buildings or socially minded individuals located 25 to 45 miles outside of Pittsburgh.” Joy’s reasoning is that there are already “plenty of organizations” that could fund such installations and charging stations in the “middle of the web,” meaning downtown Pittsburgh and the city itself. To her, “the distance and geometry matters—you can’t have a web without radiating arms.” Joy has struggled to find recipients for her generosity, “cold-calling business associations and municipal offices. It’s been like pulling teeth, to potentially find locations in places like Kitanning, Clairton, Export. Never knew it could be so hard to give money away.” She is hoping the Thomas Merton Center can function as a “clearinghouse for anyone who’d have a lead on a likely location.” Given the support she has provided the Center, that role seems doable. Our phone number is 412-361-3022. Neil Cosgrove is a member of the NewPeople Editorial Collective and the Merton Center board.
Will Pittsburgh Truly Support the Paris Climate Agreement? By Mark Dixon
When President Trump announced that he represented “the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,” while declaring his withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, he sparked outrage from the global community and strong words from Pittsburgh’s Mayor Bill Peduto. Peduto’s position of strong support for the Paris Agreement was echoed by 23 regional elected officials in the form of a full-page ad taken out in the Pittsburgh PostGazette, declaring, “President Trump, you are not ‘representing’ Pittsburgh… by stalling action to solve climate change by abandoning the Paris Climate Agreement.” Global media reveled in the moment, as did our political leaders, but a critical question remains: are our region’s leaders willing to make the tough decisions necessary to actually support the goals of Paris Climate Agreement? Let’s take a look… Much of the Pittsburgh region’s economic history has been deeply tied to fossil fuels. The land was flush with coal, natural gas, and oil resources that enabled Pittsburghers to churn out mountains of iron, steel, glass, and other products essential to the industrial revolution. This production, however, came at a cost of intolerable pollution, and so local leadership developed and executed plans to clean up and revitalize this smoky city -- slowly weaning our economic livelihood off of fossil-fueled industries. Over the last decade, however, the petrochemical wealth of our region has re-emerged with new vigor due to fracking technology. Building on that production boom, local politicians have recently celebrated the construction of a “world-class” Shell petrochemical facility that will turn some of that gas into plastic and other byproducts -- once again investing in our people’s pollutability instead of our innovative spirit and brainpower. The plant will also generate new CO2 emissions equivalent to about 200,000 homes, not to mention volatile organic com4 - NEWPEOPLE
July/August 2017
Photo taken by Mark Dixon at a climate action.
2° C. With current emissions of 41 gigatonnes/year, it is clear that our time to shift to a renewable economy is extremely short. Any city, state, or nation that bets their economic future on fossil fuel infrastructure is asking for economic and moral trouble down the road. We can and must create cleaner and more reliable jobs in other ways. The first thing we must do is decouple our economic well-being from all fossil fuels. As noted by Upton Sinclair, “it is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!” We cannot become leaders in a global, renewable, regenerative economy if our region’s livelihood is dependent upon industries like fracking and petrochemical manufacturing. We must not only work to develop clean energy jobs, but also actively and publicly discourage the development of dirty ones. We should electrify our transportation and factories, then modernize and decarbonize the grid. Once we add a healthy dose of energy conservation and green chemistry by looking to nature for creative and system-changing product ideas (biomimicry), I believe that most of the cultural and technical obstacles to a clean and green future will fall away. We will no longer need to put up with “sacrifice zones” filled with personal environmental justice tragedies caused by polluted air, water, and soil. The benefits are there for the taking, and all we have to do is actively choose them. Insist that your political leaders support the Paris agreement, NOT the petrochemical industry. We can’t have both. (Please see Paul Hawken’s book, Drawdown, for additional insight into rapid global economic decarbonization.)
pounds exceeding those emitted by Clairton Coke Works. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald (listed on the aforementioned climate advertisement) called the news of the new plant “thrilling.” Senator Jay Costa (also listed on the advertisement) called the facility “an excellent step forward.” While it is certainly rhetorically possible to support both the fracking/petrochemical industry and bold climate action, my research into climate change tells me that the two positions tend to work against each other. I attended the Paris Climate Summit in December 2015, and emerged with a somber sense of the challenges facing civilization. The dramatic final days of the Summit featured a flurry of meetings among scientists, citizens, and governments struggling with the monumental scale of decarbonization necessary to “limit the temperature increase to 1.5° C.” More recently, Christiana Figueres (a critical shepherd of the Paris Agreement) and a host of notable colleagues revealed an ambitious global plan to Mark Dixon is an award-winning filmmaker, activ“bend the greenhouse-gas emissions curve downwards by 2020,” entitled “Mission 2020.” Figueres ist, and public speaker exploring the frontiers of social change on a finite planet. et al. set a global CO2 emissions “budget” of 1501050 gigatonnes, after which we will likely exceed
Victims of Fossil Fuels
Cannibalizing the Planet In 2014 a tragic event took place off the coast of Newfoundland, when nine rare blue whales became trapped in ice and died. Surprisingly, two of these whales were washed ashore in Trout River and Rocky Harbor, in Newfoundland and Labrador respectively. Normally blue whales sink to the bottom of the ocean when they die but for unknown reasons these two were washed ashore. Blue whales are the earth’s largest mammal, weighing up to 200 tons and 100 feet in length. The 2014 whale deaths could be directly attributed to global warming, and specifically to a portion of the Arctic ice shelf breaking off and preventing the whales from rising to the surface to breathe. This tragedy of the blue whales is, however, but a potent symbol of the deleterious effects of human-caused climate change on all forms of life, including human, on planet earth. This latest blue whale tragedy followed more than a century of whale fishing, which had already drastically reduced the number of blue whales in the oceans. When the Norwegian Svend Foyn invented a special harpoon fitted on a steamboat for killing blue whales, it is estimated that 350,000 of these magnificent creatures inhabited the oceans. But after a century of whaling, their numbers have been reduced to an estimated 10,000. Clearly, blue whales are highly endangered, even though whaling is outlawed since 1966. Climate change is the new threat to their survival. In a recent interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, Noam Chomsky made the claim that “the Republican Party is the most dangerous organization in human history.”. To substantiate his apparently outrageous statement, Chomsky asked,
By Michael Drohan
“has there ever been an organization in human history that is dedicated , with such commitment, to the destruction of organized human life on earth?” Chomsky further bolstered his case by observing that all the Republican candidates for President in the 2016 elections were climate change deniers. Moreover, nearly 100 percent of Republican House members and Senators are also climate change deniers and opponents of any control on fossil fuel consumption and pollution. This allegation of Chomsky and others, however, does not alter the truth that the Democrats and Democratic Party are also no great shakes in the climate change stakes. In the Paris Climate Change Accords of 2016, at the behest of the US and President Obama, the agreement was whittled down to voluntary standards and commitments that each country designed for itself. With the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016 and his accession to office, it seems fair to say that climate change denial is now the official policy of the US. The go ahead has been given to the Dakota Access Pipeline. Trump’s proposed budget greatly reduces funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, and a man who argued for the abolition of the organization, Scott Pruitt, has been named its Secretary. The new Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is a former CEO of Exxon Mobil. So it is hardly an exaggeration to say that access to and control of oil resources will be at the center of foreign and domestic policy. Case in point is the choice of Saudi Arabia as the country chosen for the first foreign visit of President Trump. His visit glows with symbolism and spells danger to Mother Earth and all forms of life on earth. The latest development in this descent into the abyss is the decision of President Trump to with-
draw from the Paris Accords on June 1, 2017. “In order to fulfill my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens, the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord… but begin negotiations to reenter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States, its businesses, its workers, its people, its taxpayers,” Trump stated. It is difficult not to be shocked by the cognitive dissonance of this pronouncement and its overtones of George Orwell’s 1984: “War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength”. In Trump’s world, to protect America and its citizens is to ensure that the earth will not be able to sustain life. In the age of Trump we might add to Orwell’s 1984 dictum: Life is Death and Death is Life. It would be dishonest to allege that the calamity that is upon us and the planet was an invention of Trump and his associates, enablers and sycophants. Nor is it true to say that the US is the only culprit for the present predicament. It is fair to say, however, that the US and the other developed countries have been the principal polluters and consumers of fossil fuels and should therefore be the leaders in undoing the wrongs done. Our task at this juncture in history is to fight back in every way possible to preserve the planet and its wonderful diversity of life. Michael Drohan is a member of the Editorial Collective and the Board of the Thomas Merton Center.
The Crisis of Energy Poverty Energy poverty is defined as the phenomena in which someone spends over 10% of their annual income on energy related expenses, as opposed to middle and upper class homes who may spend 5%, or even as low as 1%. This is not merely because low income households possess lower salaries, but also because they must pay more per square foot due to the lack of functionality of their homes. Despite being among the wealthiest nations in the world, the United States’ does not have accessible resources for all. The lack of access to consistent electricity has led to a lack of hot water, a lack of general heating, going without light, forgoing meals and medicine, and having to resort to unreliable alternatives, such as unventilated stoves that can be health hazards. Additionally, in the United States, not being able to afford utility bills is the second most common reason for homelessness among children, after domestic violence. There have been multiple community and government driven initiatives to provide relief for areas suffering from energy poverty. The Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance program contributed over $3 billion in relief money but only 22% of families who needed assistance received it, due to oversight issues. As aid has become more inconsistent, and the neighborhoods suffering from energy poverty are drastically underserved and often do not receive the resources they need, communities have begun searching for alternatives to electricity. One such alternative is solar power, which is increasingly being implemented by NGOs in third world nations. Swapan Kumar, an energy accessibility advocate who has worked with UN affiliated NGOs to
provide energy to rural South Asians, commented that solar power is the most effective solution to energy poverty as of now. “Solar power isn't as expensive as many believe it to be, and is far less harmful to the environment,” he commented. “With solar panels, villagers who were previously unable to access energy can now have a solar energy system in their house free of charge, and then pay through a subscription.” This system is similar to satellites in the West, and is less expensive than the current energy system. “Many people in rural areas are not even aware of their options. It's necessary to at least increase awareness.” Solar energy has been used in countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Kenya to combat energy poverty. In these regions, oftentimes even hospitals suffer blackouts regularly. It often takes so much effort to accumulate resources for day to day living that any higher aspirations become impossible to fulfill. It is necessary to expand the reach of solar energy initiatives, for the health, safety, and overall quality of life all over the world. The pro-
By Ishita Madan
grams in the third world may be implemented in poor neighborhoods in the United States as well, because although the regions in question are different, the underlying causes of their poverty remain the same. Ishita Madan is a student at the University of Pittsburgh, and a writer for the NewPeople Newspaper.
July/August 2017
NEWPEOPLE - 5
Standing Up for Peace Palestinian, Israeli, and Jewish Diaspora Partners Defy Occupation By Bob Mason
Saturday night, May 22nd, canopied by a starencrusted sky, I joined 90 activists (approximately 60 American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European Jews, 20 Palestinians, and 10 Israelis) in celebrating the re-establishment of the Palestinian agricultural village of Sapura in the South Hebron Hills. Between 1980 and 1998 the people of Sarura and other nearby villages were expelled from their land by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in an act of ethnic cleansing. Even before the IDF applied military pressure, the families of Sarura were frequently harassed by the residents of the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma'on. Located only one fourth of a mile from the village, Ma'on's settlers vandalized Palestinian property and contaminated the village wells. The IDF and police protected the settlers, not Palestinians. This May, twenty years after leaving their homes, one family from Sarura decided to return. In support we established Sumud Freedom Camp--a Standing Rock-inspired encampment where we could use the privilege of international and Israeli Jews to provide some protection from harassment by settlers and the military. Sumud means "steadfastness" in Arabic and is a term Palestinian resistance activists use to describe their Sisyphean struggle to maintain their livelihoods and culture under Occupation. Four of the international Jewish activists at Sumud Freedom Camp were from Pittsburgh. One of them was Moriah Ella Mason, my daughter, a trip leader who had participated in last year's delegation. She had inspired me to join this year's trip. Shortly before midnight, as we were celebrating two days of hard work rehabilitating one of the traditional homes in Sarura, twenty-five IDF soldiers rolled into camp. We were barbecuing, dancing to dubke (traditional Palestinian music) around the fire, and preparing to screen a movie. It was a sudden
change of plans, but we had prepared and trained for this moment. When the soldiers advanced we formed a human barrier to protect the camp and our Palestinian partners, who faced a much greater risk of assault, arrest, and imprisonment. Despite not producing an order for us to evacuate the area, the IDF commander demanded that we leave and threatened to unleash pepper spray. True to the name of the camp, we remained steadfast as the soldiers pushed us and roughed up several activists. Despite our discipline, the scene became chaotic once the soldiers cut the power from the generator that provided illumination. The landscape was rocky, difficult to walk even in daylight. For me the dramatic transformation from celebration to civil disobedience was surreal. As I witnessed my friends being abused I was frightened for them and worried about potential escalation by the IDF. The soldiers succeeded in vandalizing the camp, destroying three tents, tossing our food on the sandy ground, and confiscating our generator, film projector, and screen. They didn't succeed in evicting us. We vowed to sleep under the stars for what remained of a chilly night, guarded from potential settler reprisals by our hastily assembled Night's Watch. I kept thinking about the Jewish value of welcoming the stranger as I and my partner, wearing t- shirts emblazoned with the statement "Occupation is not my Judaism", circled the camp every twenty minutes. Earlier that night we'd been inspired by one of the Palestinian leaders, internationally recognized human rights activist, Issa Amro. He invoked the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s persistent struggle for human rights at our Havdallah service marking the end of Shabbat. On Sunday morning we rebuilt Sumud Freedom Camp in Sarura. As of June 13th, when this
article was submitted, the camp remains in defiance of displacement and occupation. Smaller contingents of international activists for social justice continue to use their privilege to protect the courageous Palestinians. You can support their work by following the Sumud Freedom Camp Facebook page and the #WeAreSumud hashtag on social media. You can also donate much needed funds to "Sumud Freedom Camp: A Right to Remain" on generosity.com. Late Sunday afternoon we arrived at our hotel in Bethlehem and were greeted by other delegation members with cheers, hugs, and a song from the South African anti-apartheid movement, “Courage my friends, you do not walk alone.” My daughter, who was responsible for media and worried about my safety, embraced me. Later that evening, those who engaged in the nonviolent direct action, shared the thoughts and feelings that had begun surfacing-anger, fear, worry, especially for the Palestinians still at the camp, and a mixture of relief and gratitude for our solidarity. I wept as I thought about the close and caring community of Palestinians, Israelis, and Diaspora Jews that we had formed. We had created, in microcosm, the world we longed for. I helped in the establishment of Sumud Freedom Camp as a participant of the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, a Jewish Diaspora anti-occupation group that girds its work with 3 principles": 1) Active support for an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza; 2) Commitment to nonviolent action; 3) Belief in the shared humanity and full equality of Palestinians and Israelis alike. Bob Mason is a member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, which opposes antiJewish, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab bigotry & oppression.
Bahrain: Dissecting the Tiniest Country of the Anti-Qatar Group Cont’d By Fatema Juma
resources. In 2001, Hamad Al-Khalifa, who is now Bahrain’s king, promised democratic reform and restoration of constitutional rule, the main demands of the opposition movement. At first glance, these are ideal measures to end decadeslong unrest. But, looking closely, the then-proposed National Action Charter didn’t promise progress from the threats to freedom of expression that had been present since the early 1970s, under the previous Emir. Instead, human rights violations including torture and suppression of freedom of expression didn’t stop under the new leadership, according to international human rights group like Human Rights Watch and Human Rights First. The measures Hamad introduced to attempt reform and revive political life in Bahrain were met with skepticism. People in the Arabian Gulf have seen many similar ‘gestures’ in the past, where rulers call public attention to an attempt to change that doesn’t materialize or come to life. To no one’s surprise, this time was no different. As soon as the National Action Charter passed, the 2002 Constitution was written and the local media glorified these efforts, the 1990s unrest returned and protests continued. Now, how do these events connect to the current situation and pertain to Gulf Corporation Council tensions? Some of you may have noticed that GCC was very successful at dismantling the opposition movement with their international PR campaigns. I had my share of encounters lobbying on DC’s Capitol Hill in 2011, after the Congressional staff members had been invited to allexpense paid trips to Bahrain. On those trips they were carefully escorted, limiting the trip to certain areas to advertise the narrative that things are in order and unrest is in the past. You may have also noticed how quickly the GCC acted to quell ‘violent’ protests in Bahrain by importing troops from GCC member states into Bahrain. This quick response and unified action of the GCC was challenged by 6 - NEWPEOPLE
July/August 2017
Qatar, a welcomed member of GCC at the time. According to an Al Jazeera timeline of Qatar-GCC tensions, the relationship has been unstable since 1990s border disputes with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. These tensions continue into the 21st century, with Qatar’s role in backing rebels in Libya and supplying troops to quell protest in Bahrain. It was not very clear what role Qatar was playing and how it could justify such inconsistency. In my opinion, its GCC membership was the main motivator to support oppression in Bahrain despite its stance on Libya. Regardless, today’s tensions highlight a new shift in GCC dynamics. House of Saud in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the leader of the ‘Oil Oligarchy’ is no longer willing to allow Qatar’s defiance to continue and it is alarming that these tensions broke out after Trump’s visit. The GCC has always been driven by wealth and power, ever since the wars over land and territory between the now-friendly royal families, who are the driving force in bringing these powers together and securing the future of these systems. This sudden shift in attitude towards Qatar is an interesting turn of events. I do not anticipate much changing, since the GCC is controlled by the Saudis and it is in their best interest to keep Qatar in line and in subordination. But, if I am wrong, this will be the greatest upset to the GCC’s Charter and may give hope to people seeking change in the region. I doubt change will because of two main factors: 1) the GCC is one of the wealthiest powers in the world and to dismantle this system, we need to drain its resources, and 2) the United States’ interest lies in stability in the region, and even Trump will not gain from an unstable region that would undermine the US presence in that part of the world, which keeps a close eye on neighboring Iran. Fatema Juma is the NewPeople Coordinator. She is originally from Bahrain and is dedicated to equity and inclusion.
Foreign Policy Follies El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido… By Jim Ferlo
Once again, Donald Trump has positioned himself and his appointees in the federal government on the wrong side of history. This is the harsh and unacceptable reality of reactionary policy changes pushed by the Trump administration in regards to the environment, military spending, health care, our democratic rights, relations with our allies; and now turning the clock back on normalization efforts with Cuba begun under the Obama Presidency. Despite the fact that a clear majority of CubanAmericans living in Florida want the Obama era opening of relations with Cuba to continue, our vituperative and arrogant President chose to deliver his Cuba policy change to the most right wing handpicked “made for television” audience of dissidents in Miami. Notwithstanding President Trump’s vitriol his executive actions still must work through the regulation process of the Commerce and Treasury Departments and are not effective immediately. We will continue to mobilize and fight. It was clear during his campaign and subsequent meetings with Florida’s Senator Marco Rubio and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart that together they were demanding an end to diplomatic relations as well as closure of our Embassy in Havana. Thanks to the broad-based solidarity movement in our country and around the globe over the last several decades demanding an end to the illegal blockade and the unfettered right to travel to Cuba, Mr. Trump had to temper his reactionary stance. In typical campaign mode, Trump’s minions organized a reactionary and receptive audience in Miami’s “Little Havana” to hear his falsehoods and attacks on the people and government of Cuba. The effect of his orders is tempered because leadership in his own Republican Party, countless U.S. corporations, hundreds of elected officials, and thousands of U.S. tourists representing
broad sectors of the American public have travelled to Cuba. They have returned with the documented common sense conviction that we must end the U.S. imposed blockade and travel ban completely. In fact, in both the U.S. House and Senate there is significant bi-partisan support for numerous pieces of legislation that will implement these long over due changes. This Trump-Rubio soap opera is interesting politics since “little Rubio” now has become a perceived kingpin, dictating to the Trump Administration what our policy should be on Cuba. Could it be that our legally endangered President found out that Senator Rubio sits on the important Senate Intelligence Committee and all but excused Donald Trump during previous hearings when fired FBI Director Comey was being interviewed? A review of the actual changes announced by Trump that will occur and take effect a few months from now will be a tightening of the 12 Office of Assets Control (OFAC) categories of travel for U.S. citizens, replacing President Obama’s “good faith” obligations. U.S. citizens will now have to “prove it and travel as part of a formal group”. This can only be enforced by intrusive and repressive actions by the U.S. Treasury Department and may provide future opportunities for legal and political challenges. U.S. citizens will no longer be allowed to spend money in hotels or businesses that are owned by the government of Cuba. Employees at these job centers are every day Cubans who earn wages to support their children and families and contribute to society. Revenue that is generated by government owned hotels and businesses supports a social system of free health care, public education and free housing. And yes, Cuba needs a military because the U.S. wolf at its door has been omnipresent since
the 1959 Revolution! In reality, fewer Americans visiting Cuba will hurt the greatly expanding privately owned businesses such as AirBnB opportunities (casa particulares), newly established private restaurants (paladares), private taxis, small retail shops and service businesses too numerous to list. The National Assembly of Cuba created and adopted policies encouraging entrepreneurial privatization to develop aspects of a market economy long before Trump decided to run for President. In my opinion, fewer U.S. tourists travelling to Cuba results in reduced support for these newly created private small businesses. This is a completely contradictory and counter productive policy that makes little sense. So is the requirement that disallows U.S. travelers and travel agents to register in the growing number of hotels that are joint ventures between the Cuban government (51 %) and U.S. corporations (49%). Hurting the bottom line of corporations in our own country conducting profitable business in Cuba is not likely to be tolerated. Our organization will continue the fight to (1) repeal all laws prohibiting travel to Cuba, (2) lift the immoral and illegal blockade (3) get the U.S. off of Cuban soil in Guantanamo and (4) adopt a foreign policy respecting Cuba’s sovereignty. It is outrageous that citizens of the world can travel to Cuba unimpeded—except for “free citizens” of our own country! Join our efforts. Please visit cubasipgh.org and get involved. Jim Ferlo is a retired State Senator and past City Council President who serves as President of the Pittsburgh-Matanzas Sister Cities Partnership.
Trump and Russia: A Bright Spot in an Incoherent Foreign Policy? By Michael Drohan
One of the most baffling aspects of the present political moment in the US is that President Trump is being grilled and baked over the one thing in his policy platform that deserves credit, if not praise. I speak of détente and rapprochement with the Russian Federation and its leaders. The case built against Trump is that the Russians interfered with the US presidential electoral process and swung it in his favor. It is ironic that the US accuses another country, in this case Russia, of interfering in US elections when it is normal practice for the US to interfere in and determine the outcome of elections, as in more than fifty countries since the end of World War 2. The principal entity behind the demonization of Trump for cozying up to Russia and President Putin is the “Deep State.” This entity is variously defined but in its most expansive expression it includes the security agencies (CIA, FBI and NSA), congressional parties, major corporations, the universities and the liberal press. Many of these institutions are steeped in a Cold War mindset and a Russo phobia which has not been affected by the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, or the fact that Russia today is a rabidly capitalist country with which they would normally be in cahoots. The fact that Trump has shown an affinity towards Russia and its leaders is not to suggest that this is out of any altruistic or high-principled motivation. Perhaps there are links to mafia-esque elements in the Russian oligarchy and banks. At its face value, however, détente between the former Cold War powers, both armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons of mass destruction, has to be deemed a healthy development no matter
how one feels about Trump on other matters. Lest we be carried away by this bright spot of Trump’s foreign policy, it behooves us to put it in the context of his other foreign policy positions. His recent visit to Saudi Arabia tells us much of what is important to know about his policy orientation in general. His very first visit to a foreign country is to the most autocratic, dictatorial and savage nation in the world. There are absolutely no democratic institutions allowed in Saudi Arabia, such as Congresses or voting, and misogyny is the law of the land. It practices a form of Sunni Islam, Wahhabism, which it has exported to many other Islamic countries and is the inspiration for Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Saudi Arabia is involved in instigating many conflicts in the region, most especially its brutal assault on Yemen, destroying much of that country. Saudi Arabia is the standard-bearer for Sunni Islam and the demonization of Shia Islam, especially in Iran. When Trump visited Saudi Arabia, he and his hosts declared joint hostility to the Tehran regime. None of this bodes well for the nuclear deal hammered out between the US and Iran in the last year of the Obama regime. At base, it seems that the principal thrust of the Trump visit to Saudi Arabia was to prop up the Saudi princes and deliver to them $110 billion worth of lethal weapons to visit death and mayhem on the region. If one takes Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia as symbolic of the administration’s Middle East policy, one cannot but lament for the afflicted peoples of the Middle East, with their hopes for peace dashed. Another aspect of the developing foreign policy of the Trump regime that presents some am-
biguities is the relationship to Europe and NATO. On his recent visit to Europe, Trump berated the European powers for not paying their fair share of the cost of their defense by NATO and the cost it imposes on US taxpayers. There is much irony in this entire situation. NATO, of course, is an obsolete organization. It was formed during the Cold War as a bulwark of defense against Communism and the Soviet Union. The extension of NATO to include most of the USSR’s former member states was a clear violation of the agreement between President Gorbachev and then President of the US, George H.W. Bush . In a word, its purpose was to encircle and choke the Russian Federation. Little did Trump realize that the Europeans could easily come back at him by abolishing NATO, as they might prefer to ally themselves with the Russian Federation against an unreliable ally, the USA. This might be the unintended positive consequence of Trump’s bashing the Europeans. And then there is Trump’s Far East foreign policy to consider. It seems bedeviled with contradictions. On the one hand, he has engaged in demonizing the Chinese for inventing the myth of global warming and taking away US jobs. On the other hand, he demands that China rein in North Korea and its nuclear ambitions. He also seems to be challenging China’s claim to artificial islands in the South China Sea in the name of freedom of the seas. All in all, a disturbing foreign policy. Michael Drohan is a member of the Editorial Collective and the Board of the Thomas Merton Center. July/August 2017
NEWPEOPLE - 7
A Call To Action Anti-war Rally
Every year, the Thomas Merton Center presents a New Person Award. The New Person Awards honor those local activists who work in our community as leaders of our peace and justice mission. Together they have helped transform Pittsburgh’s social justice presence on the local and national scenes. This Photos by Neil Cosgrove year’s recipient was Carl Redwood, whose dedication to standing up for racial economic equality and commitment to empowering people of color in Pittsburgh was evident in his speech after receiving the award on Monday June 26, 2017 at the Letter Carriers Building. The event brought together hundreds of community activists and lifelong social justice advocates in Pittsburgh to listen to Mr. Redwood’s call to action.
Jacquea May Banks and Black Rap Madusa of Pittsburgh's Hip-Hop Collective declare "spiritual war" on the presence of violence in America's communities and overseas actions. The two were taking part in the Anti-War Rally and March, July 1st in Schenley Plaza, sponsored by the Merton Center. The Raging Grannies capped the evening with rousing songs.
Shortly after being receiving the New Person Award, Carl Redwood spoke on an action plan for Pittsburgh in the midst of growing racism and inequity in the country. Redwood discussed a proposal being put together for “a radical alternative for Pittsburgh and everyone in the room needs to be part of it.” he urged. Forces to address, as they have combined to create a historic moment for people today: Marchers displayed dozens of signs as they proceeded down Forbes Avenue in Oakland.
• The rise of Trump in the United States and the proto-fascist movements in Europe and elsewhere. • The failure of the Democratic Party in the US & the social democratic parties in Europe to address the economic and social problems created by neo-liberal capitalism. • The demise of the historic left and progressive movements. The solution that Redwood mentions in his speech is to capitalize on this moment, create a transformational movement in the midst of this historic moment in politics, and demand a fundamental change in our political and economic environments. To watch Carl Redwood’s speech, you can find it on YouTube on Rich Images of the audience including Carl Redwood and his famiFishkin’s page at: https:// ly and friends listening to the series of speakers from this www.youtube.com/user/richfishpgh
year’s event.
Nick Posey, who enlisted in the Marines at age 17, described America's "volunteer army" as an "economic draft of the poor" because "crushing debt or possible death are the only ways to finance your education." He spoke in front of the Carnegie Mellon University building that houses its ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp).
New Person Award Dinner program covers that the Merton Center held over the years from the years 1986, 1999 and 2005.
8 - NEWPEOPLE
July/August 2017
The Ideology of War The Common Sense of War and Militarism One of the keys to maintaining a militarized society is managing the people’s political common sense, or ideology: the stories, values, and concepts we take for granted. In the US, ideology conditions us to view our government’s military interventions as necessary, useful, and just. Even when we do not directly state our support, our reactions to events often reveal this ideology. Consider the video broadcast of Trump’s first address to Congress in February, when cameras focused on the widow of slain Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, Carryn Owens, for nearly four minutes. Ryan Owens died in January in a night raid in rural Yemen that went horribly awry; in addition to Owens, three US service members were injured and nine Yemeni children were killed. During Trump’s address to Congress, after he praised Owens and the great boons to national security resulting from the raid, the images of Carryn Owens sobbing and wiping away tears emphasized her pain and grief. They also revealed her devout Christian faith; she repeatedly looked upwards, appealing to God for comfort. Trump said nothing about the pain and suffering of the civilians in Yemen. Afterwards, CNN commentator Van Jones proclaimed: “he became President of the United States in that moment.” In April, Trump approved the bombing of a Syrian military airstrip, purportedly in response to a sarin gas attack that Syrian President, Bashar alAssad, had conducted against Syrian civilians. The US bombing killed and wounded Syrian civilians while doing little to diminish the capacities of Assad’s forces. Commentator Fareed Zarakia reacted – again on CNN: “I think Donald Trump became President of the United States.” In May, Trump visited US ally Saudi Arabia, whose ruling regime regularly abuses the human rights of dissidents, foreign workers, and LGBTQ people, among others. The country’s military has been bombing Yemen indiscriminately since 2015 with US weaponry and tactical support. Moreover, the regime regularly looks the other way as wealthy oligarchs in their jurisdiction send cash and weapons
By Calvin Pollak
to terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaeda in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere. During his visit, Trump approved an arms deal with the regime worth $350 billion. He also gave a speech ostensibly directed toward the “Muslim world,” despite the fact that this one nation can hardly represent a religion with 1.3 billion adherents worldwide. CBS’s longtime anchor Bob Schieffer called it a “dignified speech,” asserting that Trump “actually sounded presidential.” Why do our media figures praise Trump as “presidential” at the very moments when he is reveling in instability and civilian death? That’s simple -it’s ideology. In the US, it is common sense that
covert intervention. When protests against President Assad began in 2011, the US eagerly gave arms to opposition groups, giving Assad a readymade justification for increasing the brutality of his repression, ushering in a bona fide civil war. And the presence of ISIS in Syria, another justification for US intervention, is a direct, traceable result of the catastrophic and failed occupation of Iraq -- not to mention outside funding for the group from the US and its allies. In reporting on US drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, ideology colors the narratives presented to readers, viewers, and listeners. The vast majority of sources quoted in such stories are either US, Pakistani, or Yemeni officials; at other times, reporters leave significant assertions unsourced. Consider this standard headline: “US Drone Strike in Pakistan Kills Five Suspected Militants” (Reuters, 11/26/2014). There, the adjective “suspected” conceals that this is actually an assertion: somebody (we aren’t told who) suspects that the five people killed were militants. As readers, we’re asked not to question this assertion, or even who asserted it or their motivations. But we ought to. For instance, how do we know that those five dead weren’t children -- like the nine innocent kids killed by the SEALS in YemIn US culture, it is considered common sense to be en, utterly ignored while Trump exploited Carryn constantly at war. Owens’ grief for media praise? maintaining and even accelerating military conflict If we want a less militaristic society, we must is the primary role of the president. reflect on how we write, read, and think about war. In countless other ways, too, our media cover- We should question our leaders’ decisions, claims, age bespeaks a pro-war ideology. As Adam Johnson and motivations. In addition, we should support, deof FAIR.org notes, US reporting regularly omits mand, and create independent media that doesn’t context for foreign policy decisions, noting the equate violence with nobility and power with credi“security” benefits of arms agreements with Saudi bility. Arabia but failing to mention the country’s ongoing Calvin Pollak is a PhD student in Rhetoric at Cardestabilization of Yemen or its support for terror groups. In a separate piece, Johnson points out that negie Mellon University. He teaches first-year writing and professional writing. US reporting often removes agency from the US government or military, referring to it as “stumbling into” or “getting sucked into” war, e.g. with Syria. More accurate would be to say the US has actively fomented war in Syria through years of overt and
Past in Present: Historical Implications of Science and Society By Nijah Glenn
Dr. Jotham Parsons is an historian and a faculty member in the Duquesne University History Department. He is also my former professor for History of Science. We sat down together to discuss science, society, and modern politics. What period(s) in history do you think this current period mirrors with regards to social policy, social climate, and scientific advancement? And how? In a lot of ways the period we're in now looks a lot like that period at the end of the 19th/ beginning of the 20th century, when technological progress and social change were actually very rapid. One thing that kind of struck me is what's happening in Britain right now in politics, with the sort of party system breaking down, with the Labour Party [led by Jeremy Corbyn] being replaced by a pretty dominant Conservative Party [led by Theresa May] and then a bunch of regional parties. That's the system they had at the end of the 19th century! Do you think people are as politically engaged now as the time period you are describing? I'd say maybe less engaged, and part of it has to do with technology. In particular, what you don't see is party building. Going back, for example, to the British Labour party, where it was built up very painstakingly from the labor movement in Britain, from the factory floor up; it was around the union halls, it was around the communities, and everything was deeply organized and I think people have a hard time doing that today. I think that part of that is that the technology distracts; it connects us to people who are far away, but at the same time, it leaves less available for local communities and what may be effective and long-term political organization. If previous scientists like Boyle or Darwin were to be resurrected, what would they think of the ways in which their theories have been applied? A lot of them would think that a lot of scientists have gotten far too narrow. These greats were people who were knowledgeable about not only many areas of science, but deeply interested in the arts, the humanities, society and the world around them. I think that Aristotle, Newton, and Einstein would back me up in saying that that [narrow] approach is not just bad for society, but bad
for science, and scientists would work better if as individuals and a group [they] thought bigger, and thought about stuff beyond their own discipline. This is a fill in the blank: a society can hardly call itself a society if it lacks _____ and why? Art. I think it's almost true by definition that a society is a group of people that come together, not just like a group of ants in a mechanical way, but at a conscious and symbolic level. Art is simply the way that happens. Anthropologists, when they try to think about "where does human society truly begin," the things that they tend to look for are signs of artistic and religious expression. It simply is what being a civilization is. But I also personally think it's one of the things that makes life worth living. My other answer to that question, by the way, is tax collectors. There's a famous saying: "the only thing that separates us from animals is taxes," which is a shorthand for having the willingness and ability to make sacrifices and contributions to collective ends. Taxes get a bad rap, but they're really important. Lastly, your work extensively covers the political and social thought in 17th-century Europe. In what ways can we still see the influences of that time period in our current society? I would certainly say the development of modern science is a large part of that. The other thing is taxation. This is a period of state-building when a lot of the elements of state-building take place. There are definitely elements of them that are very helpful: the ability to bring large groups of people together frequently, to bring about law and order, and to negotiate disputes internally and externally. From my own research, what people wanted with these strong monarchies in countries like Spain and France were institutions that would act in the public interest, and had specific ideas. One example is the money supply, and providing a reliable coinage. Even absolutist governments were responsive to public opinion, pressure, and ideas about the public good. Nijah Glenn is a biology major and a youth activist. She is a TMC board & NewPeople Editorial Collective member, literature/film/music critic, and is dedicated to making both the scientific field & world more equitable. July/August 2017
NEWPEOPLE - 9
Mapping Democracy Maps Matter! Let’s End Gerrymandering By Suzanne M Broughton
Gerrymandering is not new. It started in 1812 when Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry approved a bill that drew districts favoring his party. A political cartoonist thought the map looked like a salamander, hence the term Gerrymander. Both parties do it. Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin are Gerrymandered by Republicans. Maryland and Illinois are Gerrymandered by Democrats. There are several ways to Gerrymander. If a state loses a Congressional seat, district boundaries can be drawn to set up a primary contest between two incumbents, as was done in Congressional District 12 here in Western Pennsylvania in both 2001 and 2011. Districts can be drawn to pack voters of the minority party into one district, leaving several other districts to the majority party. Or a group of minority party voters can be stranded in a majority party district. Gerrymandering was made much more precise in the 2011 redistricting by recently developed computer methods. Data mining showed the mapmakers past election patterns, and the party registration plus many personal characteristics of individual voters. Very precise computer mapping techniques allowed them to draw districts – often having grotesque shapes – that would group voters according to this data to produce the desired election outcome. Republicans have been the most adept at this process. To be able to do so, they have spent a lot of money to control the state legislatures that do the redistricting. Between the 2001 and the 2011 redistricting, Republicans developed REDistricting MAjority Project 2010 (REDMAP2010) – a scheme
to gain control of many state legislatures that the Democrats had controlled by a small margin of seats. By targeting a few, carefully selected districts in a state’s legislature with intense, well-financed campaigns before the 2010 state elections, Republicans were able to flip enough of those seats to gain control. REDMAP2010 is described in detail in David Daley’s recent book Ratf**ked. In Pennsylvania, redistricting is done by two different processes. Ordinary legislative procedure is used to redistrict for the U.S. House of Representatives. Maps are developed by the majority party and attached to a bill that is passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. The Pennsylvania Constitution specifies a different process for redistricting the state legislature. A five-person commission is formed, containing four senate and house majority and minority leaders plus a fifth person that the four agree on, or he or she may be chosen by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Pennsylvania Constitution specifies that districts must be compact, contiguous and split as few municipalities as possible – conditions that are rarely honored by the commission. Both systems produce Gerrymandered maps. Fair Districts PA, a project of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and Common Cause, supported by 26 additional organizations, would like to scrap both those systems. A new system would have all the maps drawn by an independent commission of 11 voters: 4 registered with each major party and 3 registered as independents or with other parties. The commission could not include
Another Defense of Planned Parenthood By Jacqueline Souza
The constant legislative attack on women in the U.S. is not and never was about protecting family values, nor an attempt to shrink our national deficit and save taxpayer money. It’s always been about keeping women down and placing systematic holds on our autonomy as individuals. In recent years, Planned Parenthood has served as a symbol for the very things that women stand to lose under a Republican administration. The Senate’s newly-drafted Better Care Reconciliation of 2017 (H.R. 1628) does a number of dangerous things. The bill, which was secretly drafted by a small group of exclusively male senators, allocates less taxpayer money towards combatting the urgent and national opioid crisis. Individuals with preexisting conditions may be unable to receive the care they need due to states’ being given rights to opt out of certain parts of different plan “requirements.” Medicaid will be slashed, and low-income customers will see their premium rates rise while the pharmaceutical industry continues to reap ungodly profits, even as over twenty million U.S. citizens would lose their health insurance. As if the bill isn’t already catastrophic, H.R. 1628 also defunds Planned Parenthood by way of the extensive cuts to Medicaid. The talk about defunding the nonprofit group isn’t anything new, of course, but the threat of it actually occurring is as real as ever. In the last fiscal year, Planned Parenthood comprised six hundred facilities across the U.S. and provided care and education for nearly five million Americans. Three quarters of their patients are classified as low-income earners who live at or below the federal poverty level; in 2016, one beneficiary would see only $12,060. Defunding Planned Parenthood would mean that the healthcare the group provides, 10 - NEWPEOPLE
July/August 2017
would become largely inaccessible for millions of patients across the country. Most Republican congressmen and politicians seek to defund Planned Parenthood because they provide legal abortion. To push for public approval of the defunding, these individuals lie to voters by declaring that citizens’ tax dollars directly fund the nonprofit, even though the only public funding Planned Parenthood receives occurs when Medicaid is used by patients to cover any small outstanding service costs. Additionally, the overwhelming majority of provided services- including early cancer screenings, pap tests, and breast examinations- do not involve abortion, which is a fact that many in Congress refuse to acknowledge. Though, even if abortions were the only service that Planned Parenthood provided, that should not make a difference in public or political support of access to healthcare for women. When abortion is not accessible, it becomes a dangerous and physically unsafe act that a woman might feel the need to perform on herself. We cannot allow this to be a cultural norm as it once was. The bottom line: H.R. 1628 is an attack on women everywhere and we cannot stand for it. It’s time to end the delegitimization of Planned Parenthood by men in power and start acknowledging it for what it really is- an absolute necessity. We will not know true equality until our basic rights are no longer under attack.
office holders, their spouses, lobbyists, or paid staff & officers of political parties. The commission could not use the address of any individual, political affiliation of voters, or previous election results. It would hold public hearings, make publicly available the information being used to draft the maps – probably on the Internet – and require at least one vote from each of the three groups to approve the maps. This proposal has been introduced in the legislature as Senate Bill 22 and (identical) House Bill 722. The House bill has 95 co-sponsors. Since these bills will amend the Pennsylvania Constitution, one must pass in both the 2017-18 and 2019-20 legislative sessions and be approved by voters in a referendum. You can find more information at www.fairdistrictspa.com. Fair Districts PA urges readers to join the organization at the website, by clicking on the JOIN US button, and to contact their legislators to support these bills. Suzanne M Broughton is a past president of the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh and is currently a member of the Fair Districts PA speakers team.
Single Payer Documentaries Available By Wien Norman
Health Care is back in the headlines again. With the Republicans attempting to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the news will be dominated for the foreseeable future by this contentious issue. There are four excellent documentaries which advocate single payer health care for the US. “The Health Care Movie” compares the history and politics of the Canadian and US health care systems. “Fx It: Health Care at the Tipping Point” is the story of MCS Industries in Easton PA, struggles to compete with foreign corporations because many foreign governments pay the cost of health insurance for their citizens. “The Time is Now” advocates Universal Single Payer Health Care without further delay.. “Sick Around the World” a PBS Frontline Documentary which profiles the health systems of the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Japan, Germany and Switzerland and what we can learn from each.. Call 412 242 3481 or email nhwien@comcast.net to arrange a free showing for your club or group.
Wien Norman is a retired Senior Vice President of the Children's Hospital and a member of Grassroots Pittsburgh, HealthCare4AllPA, and Jacqueline Souza is a former intern for the NewWestern PA Coalitions for Single Payer Health People who currently studies sociology and journal- Care ism at the University of Pittsburgh. She is interested in racial justice, social movements, and U.S. politics.
Battling Budget Cuts Bread for the World Lobby Day Review By Joyce Rothermel
Currently in Washington, D.C, it’s budget season and the Trump administration has made it loud and clear they want to cut and structurally change SNAP (formerly food stamps), while stripping foreign aid spending to focus on what they consider greater priorities - military spending and border security. Also looming is the issue of health care for the country. Given the critical state of our country, Bread for the World members asked lawmakers to: • Oppose any budget cuts that would increase hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. • Fully fund domestic safety-net and international development programs that end hunger and poverty. • Oppose harmful structural changes to SNAP, Medicaid, and international development assistance. Representatives from our SW PA Bread Team (Myra Mann, Marianne Novy, Marjorie James, and I) traveled to Washington, DC June 13 and brought this message to Sen. Pat Toomey, Sen. Bob Casey, Rep. Mike Doyle, Rep. Tim Murphy and Rep. Keith Rothfus. We met face to face with Sen. Casey and Rep. Doyle, both strong allies in the work for a more food secure planet. Bread for the World President David Beckman presented an award to Sen. Casey for his leadership in the passage of the
Global Food Security Act. We met with aides in the offices of Sen. Toomey, Rep. Murphy and Rep. Rothfus. We informed lawmakers that budget cuts that reduce access to basic nutrition and health programs will increase hunger. Currently, one in eight households faces food insecurity in the U.S. while 800 million people in the world are hungry. We highlighted the need for safety-net programs in the U.S. such as SNAP, Medicaid, and refundable tax credits which help reduce hunger. Internationally, we urged them to provide no less than 60 billion in the fiscal year 2018 budget to the international affairs budget. Lastly, we highly opposed structural changes to these necessary programs, such as block grant or per capita caps, because programs like SNAP are working in their current form. The Administration’s budget takes an isolationist approach by proposing to reduce the scope the U.S. has on international aid. Bread policy analysts have pointed out if we are not there, other nations will be there, like China or Russia, which could be detrimental to our national security. Therefore, food security is a national security issue. Lobby Day was powerful in multiple ways. It revealed how much faith leaders from all across the U.S. are willing to do in challenging times. We have the ability to serve and advocate for underserved communities. We work with those who do
Bread For the World SWPA Team visiting with Senator Bob Casey in Washington, DC. Photo courtesy of Noelle from Sen Casey’s office.
not share our views or religion, and find common ground, such as hunger relief, to unite us. Bread's lobby day was a great example on how to mobilize and unify people from different backgrounds and faiths to join together on the mission to end hunger. We encourage our readers to become a part of these important efforts. The next meeting of the SW PA Bread Team is on Wednesday, July 19 at 1 PM at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, in a meeting room near the cafeteria. For more information, please contact me at rothermeljoyce@gmail.com. Joyce Rothermel serves as Co-Convener of the SW PA Bread for the World Team.
A Budget from Hell By Michael Drohan
On May 22, Donald Trump produced his Budget Proposal for 2018. If ever there was a statement that government is at the service of the 0.1 percent, of the richest sector of the US population, this is it. Both Democratic and Republican Administrations past ruled in the interests of the corporate and rich elite with a veneer of appeal to the poor and the working middle classes. With Trump, however, there seems to be little ambiguity. It is government by the rich, for the rich, and of the rich. How he can still pull off the Wizard of Oz act and enthrall a significant sector of the struggling classes must be among one of the wonders of the world. Here are some of the horrors of this proposed budget, on the cutting side of the budget: Medicaid is in for a cut of $800 billion; nutritional assistance programs such as Meals on Wheels and Food Stamps are marked for a cut of $200 billion, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is in for a $72 billion cut. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is earmarked for a 31% decrease in its allocation, impacting clean air and water in the years to come. Additionally, student loan programs that benefit students who cannot presently afford to go to College will suffer, and cuts are also earmarked for scientific and medical Research and Development, an engine for economic growth and development over the decades. If one were to categorize all these budgetary cuts under one rubric, it would be to ensure that the poor become poorer,
sicker, and hungrier, with no possibility for emerging from desperation, need, and poverty. Its inhumanity is scarcely imaginable and its heartlessness is beyond words. When one puts this budgetary scenario side by side with the conspicuous consumption of a $51,500 jacket displayed by Melania Trump in Riyadh recently, all one can say is obscene. On the increase list of the ledger, the picture is equally obscene. Military spending, already bloated, is to be increased by $54 billion or 10%. For the militarization of the Mexican border, he budgets $2.6 billion and for building the crazy wall there is earmarked $1.6 billion. Infrastructure is to receive an increase in funding, which is one of the very few bright spots in the proposed bill. However, even that item is blighted, as it seems to be largely an underhanded way of giving welfare to corporations. How it works is that corporations will receive “loans” or grants at very low interest rates to build bridges, roads, and tunnels, which they will then own in perpetuity collecting tolls from their operation. It is very likely that this increase in military hardware and personnel will entail more military adventures abroad and more misery visited on many parts of the world. As if punishing the poor to enrich the already rich were not enough, there was yet another sweetener for the billionaires: elimination of the estate tax. The proposal is for its entire elimination something which will benefit the richest 0.2% of the
population. To add insult to injury, the elimination of this source of revenue for the Federal Government is by some sleight of hand presented as a source of increased revenues. As a case study of voodoo economics, it takes beating. Perhaps the real kicker of the budget is that it bases its revenue figures on a growth rate of 3% in the US economy over the year 2018. The US has not seen this kind of economic growth since the 1960s, and such growth rates are beyond any reasonable predictions for the foreseeable future. Added to that, none of the measures outlined in the budget could be categorized as growth promoters. The opposite is the truth. To add to all this, the proposed budget breaks the most fundamental rules in any budgeting, which is double accounting. Specifically, the budget maintains that in 10 years the budget will be balanced due to the high rate of economic growth that it predicts (3%). But this same economic growth is also supposed to deliver an increase in revenues despite the proposed tax cuts. That makes it voodoo economics squared. This budget presents a great challenge to all who are working for peace and justice. Our great task is how we can resist and push back against this monstrous budget proposal. Michael Drohan is a member of the Editorial Collective and the Board of the Thomas Merton Center.
The NewPeople Editorial Collective is Looking for New Members & Volunteers! We are looking for you to join The Editorial Collective & volunteers for delivery! Writers, Editors, Photographers, Rout Runner & Web Editors all welcome! Contact newpeople@thomasmertoncenter.org for more details! July/August 2017
NEWPEOPLE - 11
Community Commitments Cooperative Principle 7: Commitment to Community By Ron Gaydos and Jeff Jaeger
Our economy is a story that we tell each other and ourselves every day. It encompasses many of our expectations, ambitions, challenges, and our wellness. All aspects of our communities are part of that story, from the art that is created, goods that are made, services performed, and food that is grown and eaten by all of us. The seventh principle balances business and social welfare, adding two other “bottom lines” to the business equation. From the Rochdale Principles of the 1840’s comes the acknowledgement that a business is only as healthy as the community where it does business. The updated version of this principle describes a partnership between the cooperative and the community: "While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies and programs accepted by the members." In the mainstream economy that is unfortunately less cooperative and more extractive, how much of that story can each one of us claim responsibility for? How much control do we have over how the work we do affects our community? Many well-meaning charitable efforts respond to the damage done during conventional business activities during the work day, rather than creating shared wealth and well-being every day. Cooperatives write a different story. It is a story about applying principles through businesses that are designed to work for and by the people who are members in them: “doing good while doing well” in business. In Pittsburgh’s Hill District, the Ujamaa Collective arose from the members’ desire to improve their community. Part of their mission is “… developing models of sustainable cooperative economics for Pittsburgh’s Black communities, with an emphasis on the Historic Hill District.” That is a story we want to be in and continually be “writing”. Cooperatives put a high value on democratic decision-making processes, open and voluntary participation, independence and autonomy. This happens in balance with contribution back into the community that supports them, and ongoing collaboration with other businesses. The focus of the coop story is more centered on the overall growth and sustainability of a community, not one of financial gain for the benefit of a few. Fourth River Workers Guild, a Pittsburgh design-build cooperative, puts it this way: “We are a Pittsburgh based worker-owned design build cooperative focusing on natural building, construction, ecological design and permaculture. We utilize a dynamic governance as a means to create a more democratic and inclusive working environment for our members and clients. Our work is guided by the ethos of promoting and improving our local community and ecology.”
The Masters By Crystal Faldalen
You tell my story without turning my page My race, my body, my income, my age become your headline, hashtag no apology Posting principles and tweeting theology Smug in refusal, you judge and you label You'll never sit down at this dinner table It's a million miles from what you know, from who you are and where you'll go where people are numbers, and clips, and sound bytes where privilege alone earns you power and rights I watched you as you white-and-blacked it I saw them laughing as they backed it I stand in awe as you enact it, then wonder why we all attacked it Crystal Faldalen is a writer currently living, loving and learning in San Antonio, TX.
12 - NEWPEOPLE
July/August 2017
This is a story that is not always easy to tell, however, above the noise of the corporate dominated economy. That narrative, the more accessible, friendlier, frugal yet generous, less frantic narrative, is why cooperatives have been around for a long time and will continue to be an authentic business option. It is why there is a renewed interest in cooperative businesses in Pittsburgh and many other places now. This interest is reflected in the East End Food Co-op’s community vision and values: “The East End Food Co-op exists Image from EF Schumacher Center to enhance physical and social health to for a New Economy our community. To these ends, we will create: • A sustainable member-owned business open to everyone; • An ethical and resilient food infrastructure; • A vibrant, dynamic community of happy, healthy people; and • A creative vision to transform the future.” In the Work Hard Pittsburgh (workhardpgh.com) member owned coworking space, members agree to perform 50 hours of community service each year that the cooperative’s members approve as meaningful and appropriate. The cooperative economy is a story more and more want to join, and have their friends and loved ones join with them. These seven cooperative principles make up a story that gives all of us a common purpose for our livelihoods and hope in our community. Now, after reading all about the seven cooperative principles, aren’t you inspired to learn more? We’re offering “C-School” - A Think-Outside-the-Boss Workshop Series beginning in September. It’s free of charge, supported by our sponsors. All details for that series are at www.PittsburghChamber.coop. Jeff Jaeger is a founding member of the Steel City Soils Cooperative and a Master of Sustainability from Slippery Rock University. Ron Gaydos is a consultant in inclusive economic development, entrepreneurship, and organizational strategy, and a member of the Thomas Merton Center’s New Economy Campaign. Jeff and Ron are Co-Founders of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Cooperatives.
On Tyranny, Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century By Bette McDevitt Timothy Snyder, who wrote this primer of 130 pages, a guide for these times, is a history scholar. His areas of expertise are Nazi Germany and communism in the Stalin era. His books are multiple and his awards numerous and prestigious. The first words of the prologue in this book are “History doesn't repeat, but it does instruct.” The statesmen who formed our country, he tells us, took instruction from the history they knew, a world of democracies and republics that collapsed into oligarchies and empires. Our founders built a system of checks and balances to avoid these failures and the evil they knew and called tyranny. Snyder suggests that we- when our political order is in peril, and that would be now- can learn from both ancient and more recent history. He reminds us that we are no smarter than the German citizenry who found themselves living in a fascist state; “The European history of the twentieth century shows that societies can break, democracies can fall, ethics can collapse, and ordinary men can find themselves standing over death pits with guns in their hands.” Grim picture, isn’t it? Snyder gives us twenty lessons from the 20th century to avoid this scenario. He never mentions the current president, but he doesn’t have to. He provides comments and background on each “lesson,” that give us the history we missed or glossed over, that which is relevant today. The comments and the background are the reason you have to get the book, rather than just hang these 20 lessons on the refrigerator. They provoke thought
and ask more of you than a letter to your senators. One lesson, for example, tells us to “defend our institutions.” He warns of their fragility; “They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning.” He urges us to choose one you care about, a newspaper, a law, a labor union, and take its side. In another lesson, he warns us to “Beware the one-party state.” This would involve defending rules of democratic elections, voting in local and state elections, and running for office. In another lesson, he warns us to “be wary of paramilitaries.” Remember Trump’s security forces during the campaign? “Throw ‘em out!” he told his handlers, referring to some hecklers. In the epilogue, he quotes some verse from Hamlet, which seem most timely. “The time is out of joint. O cursed spite/That ever I was born to set it right!” Mark Rylance, the Shakespearean actor with social justice in his heart, used that same quote during his recent visit here to mark the 125th Anniversary of the Battle of Homestead. We can take those words as a call to action. If we don’t “set it right,” woe to us. You can get the book in paperback, hardback, on Kindle, in audible or readable form or both at once, at a very affordable price. I’m thinking of multiple copies, for family and friends. It would also work for a book group or discussion group. Bette McDevitt is a member of the Editorial Collective and a Raging Granny.
Pittsburgh Priests APP Social/Membership To Consider Organizational Revisions By Jim McCarville
The Association of Pittsburgh Priests (APP) will consider a significant re-statement of its constitution at its Membership/Social, at 2 PM, August 6, 2017. (A short, single-issue business meeting to consider the new constitution will precede the socializing.) According to John Pillar, an attorney and treasurer of the APP, “The new constitution will bring the organization into line with actual practices, clearly allowing for equal organizational roles for ordained priests, lay people and women religious. It will also allow the organization to file as a NonProfit going forward, which may open other doors for other involvement in the community.” Long-time member Marcia Snowden, working on the APP history project, says “APP has a remarkable 50-year history, from its formation by ordained priests after the Second Vatican Council and its role in the early struggles against the Vietnam War, to the creation of the Thomas Merton Center, and the fights for racial equality, civil rights and labor justice -- right up to the present time. It is a story that needs to be told,” she said. “But as time went on,” added Pillar, “lay and non-ordained members assumed greater roles in response to what the Catholic Church refers to as ‘our baptismal call to be priests’– ‘priests’ with a small ‘p’, that is. Initially it may sound intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. This doesn’t supplant the or-
dained role, but given the shortage of ordained priests, it just finds innovative ways to help spread the good news”, he said. There is a long-standing Catholic tradition, derived from the Letters of Peter (I Peter, 2:9) and Paul (Romans,15:16), and the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 28:19) that all share in the priestly ministry - and obligation - to spread the joy of the Gospel. This tradition has been restated by the last three Popes. Most recently, Pope Francis summed it up in Evangelii Gaudium, by saying, “In virtue of their baptism, all members of the People of God … are agents of APP members celebrating 50 years of the Association of Pittsburgh Priests. Photo courtesy of APP. evangelization.” The APP supports issues consistent with sons concerned about crime, sentencing and healing, the Social Gospel, like non-violence and immigration reform, and sponsors a very popular Speaker in order to build support in the community as well. Anyone interested in attending the MemberSeries. “The first speaker this fall will be Karen ship/Social may contact me by email at asClifton, President of the Catholic Mobilizing Netsocpghpriests@gmail.com. General Information on work to End the Use of the Death Penalty and Prothe APP and the Speakers’ Series can be found at mote Restorative Justice. She will speak at 7 PM on www.associationofpittsburghpriests.com. September 11, 2017, at the Kearns Spirituality CenJim McCarville is on the Steering Committee for ter,” said Fr. John Oesterle. (See article below on the Association of Pittsburgh Priests and is a memthis year’s Fall Speakers’ Series). Restorative Justice supports the true healing ber of the TMC Board of Directors. of the victims of crime as well as the healing of the perpetrator. The APP is reaching out to groups and per-
2017 Association of Pittsburgh Priests’ Fall Speakers’ Series Announced By Joyce Rothermel
This year’s Fall Speakers’ Series of the Association of Pittsburgh Priests will address several contemporary issues, from restorative justice, evolution and the environment, faith and violence, and finally, to the relevance of nonviolence. We encourage you to check them out, mark your calendars, and help spread the word to others who may share these interests. All talks will be presented at the Kearns Spirituality Center, 9000 Babcock Blvd. in Allison Park at 7 PM. Donations of $20 are requested for each talk in the series. Reservations are not necessary. Here is the list of speakers: Thursday September 22nd: Ending the Death Penalty; Promoting Restorative Justice. Karen Clifton, the Executive Director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, will update us on efforts to end the death penalty in Pennsylvania. She will also address the concept of restorative justice, an approach that views crime as a violation of people who are the victims of criminal acts, rather than a simple violation of the law. Ms. Clifton’s perspectives are enhanced by a wide breadth of experience: advocacy for the Catholic Worker, Campaign for Human Development, and AIDS ministry, as well as by coordinating the Ignatian Spirituality Project. A mother of five and grandmother of seven, she received the Servitor Pacis Award from the 4 Paths to Freedom Foundation, a peace promoting Mission of the Vatican to the UN. Thursday October 27th: Evolution and Faith: What is at Stake? by John Haught. A Georgetown University Distinguished Professor, John Haught ‘s extensive research in theology and science provides a platform from which he views various scientific theories from a faith perspective. He laments the “modern project of desacralizing the natural world,” as well as biblical fundamentalists who remain closed to scientific truths. Haught’s research has also involved aspects of cosmology, evolution, and ecology, leading to the publication of 20 books, hailed for bridging the divide between faith and science. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the “Friend of Darwin Award” from the National Center for Scientific Education. Monday November 7th: Faith and Violence: Is Religion Killing Us? by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. A nationally recognized teacher, writer, speaker and activist committed to nonviolent social change, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, a Lutheran, will examine the “violence of God” traditions in the Bible and the Quran, often embraced by ancient writers and some modern ones who emphasize “divinely sanctioned violence.” A peace and justice studies professor at St. Thomas University, Nelson-Pallmeyer notes that both ISIS and U.S. foreign
policy rooted in American Exceptionalism share the dynamic of using religion to justify violence. The author of 13 books, he will also describe constructive pathways forward, and visions of a more just, peaceful society, encouraging us to be “people willing to seek out and embody authentic hope.” Monday December 5th: Nonviolence or Nonexistence: Christian Moral Relevance Today by Bishop John Michael Botean. “Has the church lost its voice by ignoring Jesus’ teaching on nonviolent, active love of friend and enemy? “asks Bishop Botean of the Romanian Catholic Diocese in Canton, Ohio. His talk will explore how, in the pastoral activity of the church, the salvation of souls must take precedence over preserving and promoting a political order. In 2003, Bishop Botean forthrightly condemned the U.S. war with Iraq, terming it “an objectively grave evil, a matter of mortal sin.” The most outspoken critic of the war among his brethren, Bishop Botean previously worked at the Pax Christi USA Center on Conscience and War, headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, contact Fr. John Oesterle at 412-232-7512 or a johnoesterle2@gmail.com. Joyce Rothermel is Chair of the Church Renewal Committee of the Association of Pittsburgh Priests.
July/August 2017
NEWPEOPLE - 13
Tyrannies of the Dead Die, Billionaire, Die: How Pittsburgh's Oligarchs Still Control Us From the Grave By Ron Read
Pittsburgh’s history is fraught with Romerolike oligarchs who have done terrible, unspeakable acts, but who are nonetheless still treated with reverence here in Pittsburgh. They have done things that only the lowest of the low would do! Damnable acts such as: Wage Theft, Cruelty To Workers, Embezzlement, Insider Trading, War Profiteering, Spreading Falsehoods, Monopolization of Markets, Debauchery, Speculation, Union Busting, Securities Fraud, Murder(!), and Financing Climate Destruction are also acts these evil doers and their companies have taken delight in. And worst of all… they won’t die! The cold, dead hands of people like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, Thomas Mellon, Charles M. Schwab, Richard Mellon Scaife, and countless other oligarchs still cling to the levers of power even as their bodies and souls fester in the ‘Great Void of Death’. While alive men like Carnegie, Frick, and Schwab made life hell for workers with their union-busting and deplorable working conditions. Other men like Richard Mellon Scaife, publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, spread propaganda to lead people down a false path of racism and paranoia. And Scaife’s grandfather, Thomas Mellon, started Mellon Bank, which helped provide money for companies like Exxon, Gulf Oil, Westinghouse, Alcoa and countless other organizations that exploit the environment and monopolize markets. However, while these men fit the 20th century bill of the 1%, their memorials and buildings are not defamed and their legacies live on in Pittsburgh. Like undead creatures from a nightmare, these oligarchs still influence and encourage reactionary thoughts and unsavory businesses while the media
sings their praises as philanthropists who saved the city. Thomas Mellon left us Mellon Bank, which later became BNY Mellon, a financial institution tied to numerous banking scandals and war profiteering. Andrew Carnegie and Andrew W. Mellon’s University became a chief researcher and recruiter for the U.S. military-industrial complex. Richard Scaife’s foundations continue to finance right-wing media and leadership organizations to encourage America’s best and brightest to become capitalist ghouls. And Henry Frick may have left Pittsburgh with parks, buildings, and a foundation named after him, but the public forgets his penchant for killing union men in the name of preventing collective bargaining. So, why is it that these men still haunt the living? Why do they live on? Perhaps it’s because the public is not well-educated about the evils of these men’s deeds, and people in general are scarcely imbued with class consciousness at all. Meanwhile, many who would oppose the legacy of the oligarchs are pacified by the billions of dollars they have poured into charities, foundations, and non-profits. Their generosity can be summed up with the old phrase: “They steal in the morning, and they give half of it back in the afternoon.” Had the oligarchs not taken so much from their workers, consumers, and the environment to enrich themselves, we may not have need of their foundations and charity. Following the previous line of scoundrels, a new batch of billionaires has taken control of our
lives. Men like Mark Zuckerberg, Eric Schmidt, Peter Thiel, and Craig Mundie control our tech industry. Others such as Lloyd Blankfein, Larry Summers, Jaime Diamond, and James Moynihan honor the Wall Street mantra, “greed is good.” And to make sure our political system does as it’s told, the likes of Sheldon Adelson, the Koch Brothers, and Robert Mercer finance the politicians who harm us most. The answer to this question, “how do we send these demons back to hell?”, is not a simple one. We must begin an important conversation about historical memory and honoring the true heroes of Pittsburgh. We could start by requiring that schools teach students the wicked ways of the Scaifes and Carnegies, while having them read of the many labor, social, and environmentalist groups that fought against them. These groups’ stories are about history as much as they are about class war, and we should sing their songs before we even mention someone like Mellon. Buildings and institutions could also be renamed for the workers and victims of the oligarchs’ greed, with plaques indicating what the landmark used to be named and why it was changed. We shouldn’t forget our history, but we shouldn’t be forced to honor the wicked either. Ron Read is a 2017 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh Law School & a member of the Thomas Merton Center’s Anti-War Committee.
Hoover vs. Baldwin: The FBI File During the 1950s and ‘60s FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was something of a folk hero for millions of Americans, a crime-fighting protector of the “American Way,” relentless in his pursuit of both internal and external threats. As a hyper-literate, gay African-American male who was characteristically blunt yet eloquent in his assessments of where Blacks stood in his country’s past and present, James Baldwin looked to Hoover like the embodiment of an internal threat. Fifty years later, Hoover is a vaguely remembered historical embarrassment, a representative of the repressive fear of dissent and of the marginalized that formed him during and immediately following World War I. Baldwin’s reputation, on the other hand, is definitely ascending. He has captured the awareness and imagination of this moment’s young activists because of his scathing assessments of white fear, guilt and denial, the intersectionality inherent in his position as both black and gay, and the analytical astuteness of his lengthy yet perfectly constructed sentences. The Oscar-nominated feature-length documentary I Am Not Your Negro, with its screenplay composed entirely of Baldwin’s words as spoken by the actor Samuel L. Jackson, was a surprising boxoffice hit in Pittsburgh this past winter, with runs in Pittsburgh Filmmakers theatres that lasted for weeks. At the weeknight showing I attended, a line formed outside the theater a half-hour before the box office opened, and the auditorium was standingroom-only when the film began. Now, St. Louis-based academic William J. Maxwell has published a condensation of Baldwin’s 1,884-page FBI file, including about 100 documents, along with an introduction and explanatory notes that create useful contexts for those documents. James Baldwin: The FBI File was released in late spring and reveals much more about the mindset 14 - NEWPEOPLE
July/August 2017
and methods of J. Edgar Hoover and his bureau than it does about the work and personality of Baldwin himself. The book answers a reader’s most obvious question: why would our tax-funded Federal Bureau of Investigation expend so much money and manpower monitoring a frail, heavy-smoking and harddrinking writer, eventually placing Baldwin on its Security Index as someone who would have to be placed in custody in case of a national emergency? Being both black and outspoken appeared to be reason number one. The bureau’s hounding of Martin Luther King, Jr. has been well-documented, but it also kept extensive files on other African-American writers, such as Raisin in the Sun author Lorraine Hansberry and poet Amiri Baraka. Like many another person of color who came of age during the Great Depression and World War II, Baldwin had socialist leanings, although he was much too intellectually independent to ever be characterized as a Marxist ideologue. Perhaps of greater importance to Hoover was Baldwin’s publicly expressed animosity towards the bureau itself. He complained about its failures to solve the Birmingham church bombing and other cases of violence against the Civil Rights movement in the South. On several occasions he pointed out that the country’s 22 million African-Americans were no longer in a docile mood, and that he himself would not fight for the United States, especially when it came to “liberating” Cuba. He threatened but never produced a long-form critique of the bureau and referred to Hoover after his death as “history’s most highly paid (and most utterly useless) voyeur.” Besides his penchant for self-promotion, Hoover was highly protective of the government agency he saw as his creation. And then there was the crossdressing Hoover’s troubled relationship with homosexuality. He once wrote on an internal memo,
By Neil Cosgrove
“Isn’t Baldwin a well-known pervert,” even though, as Maxwell observes, Hoover himself was a partner in “the worst-hidden gay marriage in Washington.” Working one’s way through the documents is an experience both fascinating and tedious. Tedious because FBI memos tend to be cumulative, incrementally adding information as it was gathered by the bureaucrats involved. Fascinating because the echo chamber of cold-war “threat” awareness is on full display. The bureau partly seemed interested in Baldwin because of his affiliations with people and organizations identified as dangerous to the country (that is, the white establishment part of the country) through a process of aggregated group-think. If some organization was once identified by the House Committee on Un-American Affairs as a “communist front,” then it would be so identified in subsequent FBI memos, no matter what iterations the group had since experienced. And if Hoover or one of his immediate underlings had decided a particular activity was “subversive,” then it would be so characterized in all future correspondence. Such plodding repetition can be mindnumbing, especially since it represents a mentality that sees no need to reexamine the assumptions behind the labels or to reconsider whether the characterizations were accurate in the first place. FBI files made public through Freedom of Information Act requests are reminders of how intellectually bereft and anti-democratic a stagnant law enforcement apparatus can be. In Baldwin’s case, we are also reminded of the durability of certain historical truths. Incidentally, Baldwin’s complete file, the nearly 1900 pages of it, is now available at the Internet Archive web site. Neil Cosgrove is a member of the NewPeople Editorial Collective and the Merton Center board.
Commander-in-Chief Rejoice, Americans, We Have A Great President By Matias Aranda
All praise Trump, for He is great. Let’s face it: Our president has told an occasional fib or two, but to say that He lies 70% of the time is just harsh and unfair. Also, His wonderful self-esteem may sometimes shine too much for some people, but to call Him a narcissist is plain mean. And to call Him a psychopath only because He sometimes attacks and ridicules those who are below Him and can’t fight back is also unfair. We must realize that all that is within His plan to make America Great Again. Instead of demonizing Him we should celebrate and bask in His wisdom and foresight. Thanks to Him, many people in foreign countries show less desire to come to the USA. Many are tourists, which makes our tourist industry unhappy, but that is not important: in the Great-Trump America we do not need foreign money. During His campaign Mr. Trump brought up an obscure but important fact. In addition to pointing out that Mexico sends its criminals to the USA, He made comments on the “fact” that Mexico has taken advantage of the USA “...for long enough.” He is so right: Mexico has abused the noble spirit of the USA from day one. Once upon a time the newly born USA was in the midst of a divine mandate to expand all across North America and create a new heaven (Manifest Destiny). With that in mind, American leaders made attempts to buy some Mexican territory but Mexi-
cans, being of selfish nature, were not much believers in the war of independence. After several failed offers President Polk, a true believer in Manifest Destiny and under pressure from the divine (and not -too-divine) expansionists, decided to make a dramatic move. He went to Congress with a tale that Mexico had invaded American territory, which was a big lie. One can imagine Mr. Polk, a man of great integrity, having to sacrifice his noble upbringing and being forced to tell a lie of such gravity. But it worked: Congress declared war on Mexico. It must have been heart-wrenching for a Christian, God-fearing nation to see its mighty military forces invade and sow bloodshed, destruction and death upon a weak nation, but that was necessary and well worth it. After two years of that, the bad Mexican hombres came to their senses and agreed to sell. In the deal the Mexicans made out like fat rats: The USA gave them 15 million dollars. And what did we get? All we got was California with a little gold, Texas with a few barrels of oil, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and part of New Mexico So yes, Mr. Trump, you are right, Mexico has taken advantage of the USA for way too long and only you can put an end to it. Why only you? Allow me to go through some important events. On July 16, 2015 you rightfully said “...I’ll be the best president God ever created.” On July 6, 2016 you were anointed in the name of God by some important spiritual leaders. In
addition, most of our more important spiritual leaders (Jerry Falwell, Franklin Graham, etc.) have identified you as the long awaited, God-send president. At this point someone may be asking: How about the wall? OK let’s talk about the wall. Me. President, you have an important prophecy to fulfill. Lance Wallnau, a spiritual leader, and great supporter of yours, has pointed out an astounding connection between you and Proverbs 25:28. He quotes the Bible to justify your commitment to build it. Another political and spiritual leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has supported you, saying that the Israeli wall has been great for stopping immigrants and “wild beasts.” So Mr. President, do build the wall, and if those bad hombres refuse to pay for it, maybe you can consider taking the other half of their territory. Your Congress for sure will support you and God will look upon you with proud eyes. When you see your “good friends” Luciano Pavarotti and Frederick Douglass, please say hello from me. May God keep blessing on you. Your humble American subject and admirer, Matias Aranda Matias Aranda is a retired Machinist who has been involved in the National Farm Workers Associations and the work of Cesar Chavez in California.
Draft Treaty Bans Nuclear Weapons By Molly Rush
Good news! Final negotiations on the Draft Convention on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons recently took place in New York City, beginning on June 15 and concluding on July 7th. Despite coercion by the U.S. and other nuclear-armed nations to defund and derail the campaign, 130 nations support the effort, and the draft treaty was delivered to the UN on May 22. The draft convention’s Preamble says in part: “Deeply concerned about the catastrophic consequences that would result from any use of nuclear weapons and the consequent need to make every effort to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again under any circumstance to: Develop, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; Transfer to any recipient whatsoever nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or control over such devices; Receive the transfer or control over nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosives directly or indirectly; Use nuclear weapons” or test nuclear weapons. Back in 1998, former head of the US Strategic Air Command General George Butler publicly stated, “The likely consequences of nuclear weapons have no politically, militarily or morally acceptable justification.” Regarding hydrogen bombs, Butler noted, “The unbounded wantonness of their effects…transcend
time and space, poisoning the earth and deforming its inhabitants for generation upon generation. They leave us wholly without defense, expunge all hope for meaningful survival. They hold in their sway not just the fate of nations but the very meaning of civilizations.” In addition, their use is illegal according to U.S. Service Manuals that, of course, were issued years after the U.S. was the only nation that has used atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945. The media -- focused on the perpetual circus in Washington and the numerous investigations of the current administration -- have decided to ignore or obscure this important and historic development. North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons, and its current tests of missiles that can reach the U.S., have added further agency to a successful negotiation of the convention, despite North Korea’s history of breaking its word. Stay tuned. Molly Rush is a co-founder board member of the Thomas Merton Center and a member of the NewPeople Editorial Collective.
July/August 2017
NEWPEOPLE - 15
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
17
18
19
20
21
22
June TransPride Gender Queer Meet Up 6-9pm @ Persad Center
Public Hearing: Funding Affordable Housing 68pm @ City
In Defense of Revolutionary Struggle 7-9pm @ The Big Idea
Bystander Intervention Training 7-9pm @ Union
Struggle Committee Study Group 6:15-9pm @ The Big Idea
Working Through Resistance: Living with Adolescents with Needs 10a-12pm @ Au-
Cranberry: End PA Gerrymandering 6-8pm @
Council BuildBookstore 4812 ing—Downtown Liberty Ave 414 Grant St 15224
Cranberry Public Library in Butler County
24
Project 801 N Negley Ave 15206
Bookstore 4812 Liberty Ave 15224
Bread for the World 1pm @ Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
26
27
28
Girls Write Pittsburgh 7-8pm @
Pittsburgh Disability March 123pm @ Down-
‘What You Can Say, Paint, Wear and Display and Not’ by ACLU 710pm @ North-
Out In The Night Mission of Mercy Film Screening 5- PGH Dental Care 8 pm @ The Event! 7a-4pm Glitter Box Thea- until July 30th @
town
ter 460 Melland Public Liwood Ave 15213 brary 300 Cumberland Rd 15237 Protect Your Civil Rights Listening Session 6-8pm @ 1319
23
29 1304 Forbes Ave
1
Beaver CountyLearn How to Make Your Vote Count! 6-8pm @
Mondays:
30 Pittsburgh Black Pride's 22nd Annual BBQ 128pm @ Shenley
Park Prospect Grove
One Pennsylvania PGH Community Cookouts 123p, @ Ridge &
100 College Ave 15009
Brighton Avenue
3
4
5
6
ACLU 101 6:308:30pm @ Wigle
Hill District Community Meeting August 2017 68pm @ Grayson
Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn 6-10pm @ 48005500 block on
“The Day the Sun Fell” Movie Screening 6pm @ Harris Theater
Association of Pittsburgh Priests Membership/Social 2p
Community Cen- penn ave ter 1852 Enoch St 15219
Only in Pittsburgh - Local Queer Short Films 12:30-1:45 @ Melwood
See page 13 for article
8
9
10
The Moth Story Slam 7pm @ The
GASP's Air Fair 68pm @ Assem-
Rex Theater 1602 E Carson St 15203
ble 4824 penn ave 15224
11
Wednesdays:
Thursdays: International Socialist Organization Every Thursday, 7:30-9:30 pm at the Thomas Merton Center Global Pittsburgh Happy Hour 1st Thursday, 5:30 to 8 pm, Roland's Seafood Grill, 1904 Penn Ave, Strip District Green Party Meeting 1st Thursday, 7 to 9 pm, 2121 Murray, 2nd floor, Squirrel Hill Black Political Empowerment Project 2nd Thursday, 6 pm: Planning Council Meeting, Hill House, Conference Room B
Fridays:
Screening Room
7
SW Healthcare 4 All PA /PUSH Meeting 3rd Monday, 6:30 —8 pm Squirrel Hill Library Contact: bmason@gmail.com Association of Pittsburgh Priests 2nd Monday, 7—9 pm, St. Pamphilus Parish 1000 Tropical Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216 Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILP) 2nd Monday, 7:00 PM Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Ave Amnesty International #39 2nd Wednesday, 7—9 pm First Unitarian Church, Morewood Ave. 15219
Darfur Coalition Meeting 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Meeting Room C Carnegie Library, Squirrel Hill 412-784-0256 Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (PADP) 1st Wednesdays, 7-8pm, First Unitarian Church, Ellsworth & Morewood Avenues, Shadyside Pittsburghers for Public Transit 2nd Wednesday, 7pm, 1 Smithfield St., lower level
2 Whiskey Bar Northside 1055 Spring Garden Ave 15212
Regular Meetings Sundays:
Allegheny Ave, Pittsburgh 15233
31
July/August 2017
Book’Em: Books to Prisoners Project First three Sundays of the month at TMC, 46pm Contact: bookempgh@gmail.com
tism Connection of Pennsylvania in Etna 35 Wilson St 15223
25 Assemble 4824 pen n ave 15224
Sunday
12
13
Trump in the Parris of Appalachia 1-3pm @
Self Advocacy Training 2-6pm @ Rode Shalon
Thomas Merton Center
Congregation
Unblurred Gallery Crawl 1st Friday after 6 pm, Penn Avenue Arts District, 4800-5500 Penn Ave., Friendship and Garfield 15224 Hill District Consensus Group 2nd Friday, 10 am — 12 pm, Elsie Hillman Auditorium, Kaufmann Center 1825 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 People of Prisoners in Need of Support 3rd Friday, 7:00pm New Hope Methodist Church, 114 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh 15212
Saturdays:
14
15
16
17
Anonymous
Animal Protection for all 6:307:30pm @ Ani-
Open Mic: Community Narratives Around Mental Illness 79pm @ The Glit-
Anonymous
mal Friends 562 Camp Horne Rd 15237
21
22
18
burgh Theological Seminary
24
25
How to Run for Democratic Committee 6-8:30pm @ The Shop—
Homewood
28
29
30
Legal Ethics 1 hour CLE 1-2pm @ Allegheny
County Law Library—ACLL 414 Grant St 15219
16 - NEWPEOPLE
July/August 2017
20
Building Commu- Anonymous nities to Protect & Empower Youth & Families 10a-3pm @ Pitts-
terbox Theatre
23
19
31
1 Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn 6-10pm @ 48005500 block on
penn ave
26
27
2nd Somali Bantu Community Education Day 2pm @ Somali Bantu Community Association of PGH 305 34th St 15201
Anonymous
2
3
Project to End Human Trafficking 2nd Sat., Carlow University, Antonian Room #502 Fight for Lifers West 1st & 3rd Saturday, 1 pm, East Liberty Presbyterian Church Anti-War and Anti-Drone Warfare Coalition 3rd Saturday at 11:00 am at TMC, 5129 Penn Ave., Garfield, PA 15224
Thomas Merton Quote of the Month On the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima, Japan – August 6, 1945 The bomb exploded within 100 feet of the aiming point. The fireball was 18,000 feet across. The temperature at the center…was 100,000,000 degrees. The people who were near the center became nothing. The whole city was blown to bits and the ruins all caught fire instantly everywhere, burning briskly. 70,000 people were killed right away or died within a few hours. Those who did not die at once suffered great pain. Few of them were soldiers.