Published by the Thomas Merton Center
PITTSBURGH’S PEACE & JUSTICE NEWSPAPER
VOL. 43 No. 3, March 2013
IN THIS ISSUE - Pittsburgh’s Women’s Movement Celebrated - page 8 - Deconstructing Sequestration - page 5 - The Pope has Resigned, What Next? - page 13 - Full Table of Contents - page 2 (Story on page 11) Four dozen opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and environmental activist Bill McKibben (center, top row), were arrested after engaging in civil disobedience near the gates of the White House. The arrests preceded the Climate Rally on February 17, in Washington, D.C., which 40,000 protestors attended. McKibben, of 350.org, will receive the Thomas Merton Award on November 4th.
Martin Sheen an Activist for Peace
International Women's Day Call to Action
Correction to February Edition: The name of Ken Boas, author of “Planting Olive Trees in Our Hearts,” was incorrectly spelled in the first paragraph. Link to the full unedited article at: http://tinyurl.com/amjo8zm.
Keep Toxic Tires Out of Crawford County
by Michael Deckebach
by Edith Bell and Scilla Wahrhaftig
by Bob Concilus
Martin Sheen, an Emmy and Golden Globe award winner, is one of America’s best known actors. Celebrated for his role as President Josiah Bartlet in the TV series “The West Wing,” Sheen has a long filmography dating from 1960 to today that features prominent roles in television, cinema, Martin Sheen , from SOAW and documentaries. Sheen has used his fame in Hollywood to bring about change and to advocate for those who need it the most. In fact, as Craig Kielburger, founder Source Creative Commons of Free the Children, once put it, “[Sheen has] a rap sheet almost as long as his list of film credits.” His involvement includes First!, Free the Children, Help Darfur Now, and School of the Americas (SOA) Watch, among others.
“For women, the dangers of war go far beyond the violence of combat. In situations of armed conflict, women suffer some of the greatest health and social inequities in the world. They risk human rights violations, suffering and death that must be prevented. “When rape is used as a weapon of war, and lawlessness prevails, women become targets from all sides in a conflict. Sexual violence is systematically employed to harm and demoralize individuals, break apart families and terrorize communities. For women and girls, the threat of violence remains long after fighting ends.
A controversial electric power plant in rural Crawford County, Pennsylvania, is planned for construction. This plant will burn 900 tons of used car and truck tires to produce electricity, and it will be the largest facility of this type in the United States and possibly in the world. The combustion of tires to produce electricity results in the creation of very large amounts of toxins, especially dioxins and furans, which are among the most toxic chemicals on earth. They can cause cancer and endocrine imbalances in humans as well as congenital anomalies. The Love Canal in New York State is a well known site for dioxin contamination. Dioxins are long-lasting substances, and when they are found in humans they have a seven to twelve year elimination half life. In addition, tire combustion produces as much carbon dioxide per kilowatt as does coal combustion, making this form of energy production a significant contributor to climate change.
Continued on page 8 Stop the Violence! Watch & Take Action “The Invisible War”— March 8, 7-9 PM Friends Meeting Hours (Oakland)
Continued on page 11 Continued on page 15 TMC works to build a consciousness of values and to raise the moral questions involved in the issues of war, poverty, racism, classism, economic justice, oppression and environmental justice. 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. March 2013
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