Caravan to Cuba
Pittsburgh Coffee Party Page 8
Nuclear News Pages 4, 5
THE
– Pages 1, 9
PITTSBURGH‘S PEACE AND JUSTICE NEWSPAPER Published by the Thomas Merton Center
VOL. 41, No. 6 August, 2011
CITIZENS DEMAND THEIR SHARE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM Rev. Richard Freeman of PIIN and Braddock‘s Resurrection Baptist Church, and Rick Adams of Western PA Black Political Assembly, took their seats on the stage at the front of the room. Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto (D-District 8) and a representative from Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl‘s office were also in attendance, but were not seated with the other leaders.
By Rob Conroy Storms of all stripes raged inside and outside of the Kingsley Association on July 18. Approximately 600 frustrated local citizens crammed into the packed East Liberty auditorium. They met with representatives from Pennsylvania legislators‘ offices to demand better jobs and better futures for themselves, their children and their grandchildren.
The representatives‘ message The ―town hall‖-styled event-was spelled out as part of a the latest in a series of fair PowerPoint slide: ―Every good economy actions at least American worker deserves a partially coordinated by the One good American job.‖ Ms. Pittsburgh coalition-- began with Erickson brought a more local a rally mixing old-fashioned angle from Senator Casey to the motivational preaching from the Photo by Frank Carr fold, saying, ―We need to get Reverend David Thornton of the Pennsylvania back to work.‖ Many of the hundreds gathered at the Kingsley Center to speak out for good jobs. Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Similarly, although the fired-up Network (PIIN) and the Hill citizens speakers ran the gamut of formed lines at two separate The message from the stage was a District‘s Grace Memorial microphones as the government and age, education and race, their stories simple one repeatedly exhorted by Presbyterian Church. Music was community leaders: Jackie Erickson affirmed, sometimes heartthe Reverend Thornton: ―We are provided by the Wesley Center wrenchingly, what everyone of Senator Robert Casey (D-PA)‘s sick and tired of being sick and AME Zionist Church choir, gathered at the Kingsley Center office, Corey O‘Connor of U.S. tired! God will keep us keeping on Pittsburgh‘s own heartland protest instinctively knew; a Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Swissvale)‘s for better jobs, justice, and one rocker Mike Stout and sociallydisproportionate share of office, Darcy Burner of Pittsburgh.‖ conscious rap/video artist Jasiri X. Pennsylvanians need jobs and many ProgressiveCongress.org and Continued on page 3 Progressive Congress Action Fund, Dozens of community members
END THE EMBARGO CAMPAIGN 2011 LEAVES BY BUS FOR MEXICO AND THE UNKNOWN ing humanitarian aid to the people of Cuba. The Embargo on Cuba has now been in force for over As of July 19, 2011, over 100 U.S. , Canadian and 50 years, an unprecedented attempt to punish the Cuban people for having the chutzpah to believe citizens of other countries are gathered in MacAllen, Texas readying themselves to cross the that the resources of Cuba should serve their own Mexican border and on to Cuba. The group is or- people and not foreigners. The Embargo is a crime against humanity but, alas, one that has beganized by the Interreligious Foundation for come normalized and accepted by the majority of Community Organizing (IFCO) and takes the form of a Caravan of buses, trucks and cars carry- the population. By Michael Drohan
In years past I took part in IFCO Caravans to Chiapas, Mexico in solidarity with the Zapatista uprising of 1994 against NAFTA and the unjust policies of the Mexican government vis-à-vis the Mayan population. This year, however, is my first one to Cuba even though it is the 22nd Peace Caravan to Cuba organized by IFCO. Continued on Page 9
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. August, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 1
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TMC HOURS of OPERATION IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE THOMAS MERTON CENTER 5129 PENN AVE., PITTSBURGH, PA 15224 Phone: 412-361-3022 — Fax: 412-361-0540 — Web: www.thomasmertoncenter.org Editorial Collective Mana Alibadi, Erica Augenstein, Frank Carr, Nicole Coast, Rob Conroy, Deyja Donohue, Michael Drohan, Russ Fedorka, Rory Henc, Steven Green, Charles McCollester, Kenneth Miller, Francine Porter, Jordana Rosenfeld, Molly Rush, Florence Wyand TMC Staff, Volunteers and Interns Viv Shaffer, Thomas Merton Center Coordinator Roslyn Maholland, Bookkeeper / Mig Cole, Assistant Bookkeeper Shirley Gleditsch, Manager, East End Community Thrift Store Shawna Hammond, Manager, East End Community Thrift Store Dolly Mason, Furniture Manager, East End Community Thrift Store Jordana Rosenfeld, Summer Intern TMC Board of Directors Casey Capitolo, Rob Conroy, Kathy Cunningham, Michael Drohan, Mary Jo Guercio, Wanda Guthrie, Edward Kinley, Shawna Hammond, Jonah McAllister-Erickson, Charles McCollester, Diane McMahon, Jibran Mushtaq, Francine Porter, Dominique Reed, Chadwick Rink, Molly Rush, Courtney Smith, Carole Wiedmann STANDING COMMITTEES Board Development Committee (Recruits board members, conducts board elections) Building Committee Oversees maintenance of 5123-5129 Penn Ave. Membership Committee Coordinates membership goals, activities, appeals, and communications Editorial Collective Plans, produces and distributes The NewPeople Finance Committee Ensures financial stability and accountability of TMC Personnel Committee Oversees staff needs, evaluation, and policies Technology Team Provides technical advice and assistance to TMC Special Event Committees Plan and oversee TMC fundraising events with board and staff (Events include the spring New Person Awards and the fall Thomas Merton Award Dinner) Anti-War Committee info@pittsburghendthewar.org www.pittsburghendthewar.org Book‘Em (books to prisoners) bookempgh@gmail.com www.thomasmertoncenter.org/bookem CodePink (Women for Peace) codepinkpgh@aol.com, 412-389-3216 www.codepink4peace.org
Demilitarize Pittsburgh: War-Profiteering Education & Action Network 412-361-3022, info@demilitarizepittsburgh.org www.demilitarizepittsburgh.org Diversity Footprint (art, justice, community) draw3rd@verizon.net
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In Sisterhood: The Women’s Movement in Pgh 412-621-3252, pmulbrich@yahoo.com Literacy for Ziguinchor 724-549-4933, elainekuhar@gmail.com
2 - NEWPEOPLE
August, 2011
Submissions .................................. newpeople@thomasmertoncenter.org Events & Calendar Items ............. www.bit.ly/tmcevents
In this Issue Page 4
Nuclear News
Page 6
International News: Haiti, Sudan, and India
Page 8
CODEPINK Protests Obama
Page 9
A message from the Cuba Caravan
Page 11
Jim Forest in PGH this fall
Page 12
How the U.S. has become a plutocracy
TMC AFFILIATES and FRIENDS The Africa Project 412-657-8513, peterokema@gmail.com www.africaproject.net Allegheny Defense Project, Pgh Office 412-559-1364 www.alleghenydefense.org
Association of Pittsburgh Priests Molly 412-343-3027 molly.rush@verizon.net
East End Community Thrift Shop 412-361-6010, shawnapgh@aol.com
Food Not Bombs pittsburgh_fnb@yahoo.com http://fnb-pgh.2ya.com
Or info@thomasmertoncenter.org
Pittsburgh Campaign for Democracy NOW! 412-422-5377, sleator@cs.cmu.edu www.pcdn.org
Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition jumphook@gmail.com; www.pittsburghdarfur.org
Fight for Lifers West 412-361-3022 to leave a message fightforliferswest@yahoo.com http://fightforliferswest.mysite.com
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Human Rights Coalition / Fed Up (prisoner support and advocacy) 412-802-8575, hrcfedup@gmail.com www.thomasmertoncenter.org/fedup
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Pittsburgh Progressive Notebook Call 412-301-3022 for more info The Palestine Film Festival Call 412-301-3022 for more info Murrysville Marcellus Community Group Wanda Guthrie 724-327-2767 murrysvillemarcellus@gmail.com The Pittsburgh Totebag Project Sue Kerr, 412-228-0216 P.O. Box 99204 Pittsburgh, Pa 15233 www.tote4pgh.org
The Big Idea Bookstore 412-OUR-HEAD, www.thebigideapgh.org Black Voices for Peace Gail Austin 412-606-1408 Citizens for Global Solutions 412-471-7852 amy@wfap.org Citizens for Social Responsibility of Greater Johnstown Larry Blalock, evolve@atlanticbb.net Haiti Solidarity Committee jrothermel@pittsburghfoodbank.org, 412-271-8414 www.thomasmertoncenter.org/hs
412-563-1519 lisacubasi@aol.com Pgh Independent Media Center info@indypgh.org www.indypgh.org Pgh North Anti-Racism Coalition 412-367-0383 Pgh North People for Peace 412-367-1049 Pgh Palestine Solidarity Committee info@pittsburgh-psc.org www.pittsburgh-psc.org Raging Grannies 412-963-7163, eva.havlicsek@gmail.com www.pittsburghraginggrannies.homestead.com Religion and Labor Coalition 412-361-4793 ojomal@aol.com School of the Americas Watch of W. PA 412-371-9722, soapittsburgh@gmail.com United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) 412-471-8919 www.ueunion.org Urban Bikers urbanbikes@yahoo.com
PA United for a Single-Payer Health Care (PUSH) www.healthcare4allPA.org Molly Rush molly.rush@verizon.net
Veterans for Peace Icwheaties@aol.com
Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi 412-761-4319
Voices for Animals voicesforanimals@gmail.com 1-877-321-4VFA
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Pittsburgh Cuba Coalition
TMC MEMBERSHIPS These are organizations or coalitions in which TMC has formal membership, including payment of dues to and fulfillment of other agreed-upon responsibilities as an organizational member Abolition 2000: W. Pa. Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons 724-339-2242 / danfine@igc.org Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty 412-384-4310, osterdm@earthlink.net
Town Hall Meeting on Better Jobs (cont from page 1) of those that have jobs need better ones. Terry Miale, 57, of Bridgeville, was a 30-year Verizon employee who lost her job to outsourcing and who has now exhausted all of her unemployment compensation. After exhaustively searching for a job in her field, she has lost both her home and custody of her daughter. Despite working a part-time $8-an-hour job at Macy‘s, she relies on food stamps for groceries and her boyfriend to pay her rent. ―This is not the American dream that I signed up for,‖ she said.
Michael Heller, a twenty-something South Side Slopes computer programmer, said that although approximately half of his friends are technically employed, only half of them have ―real‖ jobs about which they could be proud. With that in mind, he said, the unemployment rate puzzles him. ―Every job I‘ve ever had has been understaffed,‖ he said. ―There‘s no reason that people should be out of work.‖ Andrea Paganie of Economy Borough blamed corporate greed. ―People should not have to work until they‘re 70 to receive [Social Security] benefits‖, she said, when corporations continue to shirk their share of the tax burden. ―I get so outraged when I see these corporations have legal loopholes year after year after year,‖ she vented. ―They try to brainwash us, saying, ‗We have to keep the money to give good jobs‘, but they don‘t give good jobs--they keep it!‖ Others did not know whom to blame or how to solve the problem, but wanted to share their stories regardless.
Benita Johnson of the North Side left school when she was 14 to take care of her family. She eventually earned a Bachelor‘s degree, worked for more than 25 years, and volunteered with numerous community public-service organizations. Her last job was as a data collector with the Census Bureau. When that job ended, she attempted to enroll for her Master‘s degree but discovered that the program in question was cut; she had an opportunity to get another job serving the public, but the funding for the job was cut. She is now on Tier 3, the final stage of her federal unemployment compensation extension, and is facing homelessness if she does not acquire
a job soon. According to Ms. Johnson, she is at the end of her rope. ―I refuse to be a statistic,‖ she exclaimed. ―I am a human being!‖ ―I figured if my ancestors could survive slavery, I could survive this,‖ she continued. ―But this is a different kind of slavery—it takes the moral and the spiritual will of a human being.‖ Rob Conroy is a Pittsburgh lawyer, advocate, journalist, musician and activist.
FIRST THURSDAY FORUMS A MONTHLY FORUM SERIES OF IDEAS, POLITICS AND CULTURE sponsored by the International Socialist Organization <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< ><><><><><><><><><><>< ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Sept. 1, 7:30 pm: RESISTING ATTACKS ON PUBLIC EDUCATION, TEACHERS & STUDENTS
Documentary: ―The Inconvenient Truth Behind ‗Waiting for Superman‘‖ Brian Jones - New York City public school teacher, Huffington Post columnist Kipp Dawson – Pittsburgh public school teacher, union activist
There is a concerted and well-funded assault on public schools, on teachers, and on working-class communities by billionaires and politicians who want to run education like a business, advance privatization, and break teachers‘ unions. A documentary film, ―Waiting for Superman,‖ is part of this assault. A critical documentary response will kick off a discussion of the issues. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< ><><><><><><><><><><>< ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Oct. 6, 7:30 pm: WORKING-CLASS LITERATURE Nick Coles - Professor, University of Pittsburgh, co-editor of American Working-Class Literature Alicia Williamson - Graduate Student, University of Pittsburgh, researching socialist novels Robin Clarke - Lecturer, University of Pittsburgh & poet Paul Le Blanc – author/editor of Work and Struggle: Voices from U.S. Labor Radicalism
U.S. workers have been singing, reciting, performing, telling stories, writing, and publishing for more than three centuries. As diverse in race, gender, culture, and region as America's working class itself, working-class literature embraces genres that include fiction, poetry, drama, memoir, oratory, journalism, letters, oral history, and songs – reflecting varieties of work and struggle. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< ><><><><><><><><><><>< ><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
NO FORUM NOVEMBER 3 – Please attend MERTON AWARD TO VANDANA SHIVA 6:00-10:00 p.m. at Sheraton Station Square <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< ><><><>
Dec. 1, 7:30 pm: NOT JUST A GAME: POWER, POLITICS & AMERICAN SPORTS
Dave Zirin - sports commentator (CNN etc.), Nation columnist, author of A People’s History of Sport Documentary: ―Not Just a Game‖
Sports and Politics Don‘t Mix!‖ Dave Zirin, whom Howard Zinn called ―Most Valuable Sportswriter,‖ exposes, with this remarkable documentary film, the politics (militarism, racism, sexism, homophobia) actually dominating so much of sports – and highlights rebel athletes who have stood up for social justice. Zirin will be present for the discussion that follows. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
All Forums at FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE 4836 ELLSWORTH AVENUE $2.00 SUGGESTED DONATION FOR EACH FORUM
Check us out on: isopittsburgh.blogspot.com (and also find us on Facebook). E-mail: isopgh@gmail.com August, 2011
NEWPEOPLE - 3
Nuclear News
Just Ahead: Nuclear-armed Drones By Molly Rush For longstanding opponents of the nuclear arms race, it‘s déjà vu. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, when Rockwell International was still headquartered in Pittsburgh, they were prime contractors for the B-1 bomber. Many Thomas Merton Center members and other nuclear opponents were arrested for protesting at Rockwell. Now, despite the fact that the Pentagon still has 66 B-1s, 85 updated B-52 bombers and twenty B-2 ―Spirit‖ bombers (which cost between $283.1 million and $2.2 billion each during the 1990s), the Department of Defense and the Air Force are moving ahead on plans for a fleet of 80 to 100 nuclearcapable, long-range strike bombers that could operate with or without a pilot in the cockpit at a current estimated cost of $55 billion [preoverruns that is]. Despite the fact that our economy is at a complete standstill, $197 million is set aside in the 2012 budget, and $3.7 billion over the next five years.
As Rep. Barney Frank put it, ―The military budget is not on the table. The military is at the table, and it is eating everybody else‘s lunch.‖ On July 8th, in the midst of the most heated budget talks in recent memory, the House easily passed (336-87) a $649 billion defense bill that boosted the Pentagon budget by $17 billion. In fact, the Defense Department is the only agency that will see a double-digit increase in its budget beginning Oct. 1. Our ―cost-cutting‖ former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates defended the need for a new fleet of bombers and Howard McKeon, Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, is an enthusiastic supporter.
budgeted nuclear armed drone requires the manufacturing of new nuclear weapons, construction of new nuclear bomb manufacturing facilities is underway in Oakridge, TN, Los Alamos, CA, and Kansas City, KS.
Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM, 79, cofounder of the Nevada Desert Experience, which carries out resistance actions at the Nevada Test Site, was released in May after six months in prison for a School of Americas Watch protest.
There is also a strong possibility that additional funding for the new bomber program could already be approved through the Air Force's $12.6-billion classified, or "black," budget for weapons research and development. If that‘s the case, it would not be unprecedented: the B-2 program, one of the largest weapons development efforts since the Manhattan Project, was underway for ten years before it was made public.
―It‘s great to be out,‖ he said, ―but that isn‘t what‘s most important. Nonviolent actions are overthrowing militaries all over the world. Let‘s turn that inspiration into action here. The world‘s counting on us.‖
As Rep. Barney Frank put it, ―The military budget is not on the table. The military is at the table, and it is eating everybody else‘s lunch.‖
Because creation of this newly-
Can we meet that challenge? Sources: W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times, 5-22-11; Russ Wellen, Institute of Policy Studies blog, 6-3-11; Desert Voices, Summer 2011; Center for Defense Information.
The above developments should clearly energize longtime nuclear arms opponents.
Molly Rush is a member of the Thomas Merton Center‘s Board of Directors.
Remembering Hiroshima 2011 By Robin Alexander August 6th and August 9th of 1945 will always be remembered as the days when atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan -- the first and only time such weapons have been used in warfare. ―The people of Hiroshima live each day with the reminder of the bombing etched into the walls and streets of their city. We ask the people of Pittsburgh to take a moment from their day to just imagine walking amongst these shadows, and consider the consequences of allowing these weapons to continue to exist in our world,‖ said Gary Huck from ArtUp. Remembering Hiroshima, Imagining Peace has linked art and activism in the Pittsburgh community for several years. In addition to working to prevent nuclear proliferation, we will be expanding our focus this year in light of the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. We are concerned not only with the past, but also the future and seek to encourage activism and hope. 4 - NEWPEOPLE
A number of events are in the works! To encourage Pittsburghers to remember the devastating impact of nuclear weapons, Remembering Hiroshima, Imagining Peace is planning an art installation on August 5th in connection with Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn. Join us to participate in the shadow project, view projections of children‘s artwork and more! We are already planning a film series, an art exhibit and speakers at various venues along with peace art activities at the Children‘s Museum. We are also exploring the possibility of holding a town hall meeting on the question of nuclear power. Two exciting speakers are already confirmed for the Fall! On October 12th, Junko Kayashige, a Hibakusha (survivor) and artist,
unhealed pain in our minds and bodies. But we must tell the world what has happened and what we have gone through. Hibakusha are aged now, and there are fewer and fewer of us who can tell you stories of our experiences,‖ said Kayashige.
Robin Alexander is the Director of International Affairs at the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). For more information please contact Robin at international@ranknfile-ue.org
Lynnea Smith, a Navaho activist who was instrumental in winning a ban on uranium mining on the Navaho Nation will also be speaking at CMU in October. Remembering Hiroshima 2011 is a loose alliance of diverse labor, peace, educational and cultural organizations and individuals ―The lone pine, to me, symbolizes who have come together to the peace movement. With the US promote awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons and involved in four wars, the movement work for a more peaceful world. is exhausted. The drones bombing Check out: http:// rememberinghiroshima2010.org
Pakistan, the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the "humanitarian bombing" of Libya and now the revealing of new nuclear weapons production, to what end, for what enemy? ― ~Vincent Scotti Eirene
Photo by Ko Sasaki
will speak at Carnegie Mellon University. ―Many of us Hibakusha do not want to tell our stories of
August, 2011
A lone pine tree stands amid the wreckage in Hiroshima, Japan.
Nuclear News
Road Trip Through the Nuclear Era By Vincent Scotti Eirene It was January 1, 1986; the Cold War seemed ―City was blown to bits and the ruins all caught endless, and I had trespassed on our nation‘s only fire instantly everywhere, burning briskly. 70,000 nuclear bomb factory, the Pantex nuclear bomb people were factory in Amarillo, Texas. My punishment for this intrusion was a year in prison, but I served 10 Killed right away or died within a few hours. months. The cold war ended but a sense of futureThose who did not die at once suffered great pain. lessness did not... Few of them were soldiers.‖ 1986 to 2011 Decades would go by, anti-nuclear resisters mi-From "The Original Child Bomb," a poem by grated to anti-Iraq war and environmental activThomas Merton. ism. But nuclear weapons never sleep, nor do they need an enemy. So under the START treaty COLD WAR PILGRIMAGE 1986 I started my two mile trek through farmland with the "rehabbing" of aging nuclear weapons was a home made ladder spray painted black so as not allowed. Read: the making of new weapons. The to reflect the light. A herd of cows came racing up new Pantex, the new nuclear bomb factory in Kansas City, Missouri, did not come out of noto me, look at me with curiosity, I whispered to where. Today this new Pantex is secretly preparthem, "I am doing this for you, too.‖ Realizing I had no food for them, the cows ran away sound- ing the produce new nuclear weapons. It is part of decades of research about improving ing like thunder. I nervously looked up at the nuclear weapons and their delivguard tower and noticed the search light had ery systems. This includes unstopped strafing the field; the guard had fallen manned drones developed at asleep. I moved quickly now but steadily. I hit Carnegie Mellon University the first fence, leaned up the ladder gently, and here in Pittsburgh. felt like I flew up and over the fence and razor wire. Once I hit the ground, the motion detectors set off the alarms and the sleepy facility came to (As this goes to press several new nuclear resisters have been life. released. At their trial for crossOut of nowhere came 36 Marines screaming, "Do ing the line at hell's new kitchen the judge stated, ―I agree with not move, just give me an excuse, boy!" Out of the dark a voice ordered me to remove my coat, to you, go and do more.‖) kneel down, to put my hands behind my back and The Kansas City Plant is reto cross my legs behind me. The last, an odd orsponsible for the production and der, caused a painful cramp in my leg and I fell assembly of approximately 85 percent of the nonon my coat. The voice from the dark night screamed, "Away from your coat, away from your nuclear components of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The plant is due to be relocated starting in 2012. coat!" I scurried backwards like a hermit crab.
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, has said the new facility will carry an estimated price tag of $673 million for construction. The Kansas City Government has subsidized the facility‘s construction With $815 million in municipal bonds. Once completed, it is thought the new Kansas City Plant will be the first nuclear weapons complex in the world to be owned by a city government. The new Kansas City facility is one of several where nuclear weapons projects are underway. The new Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Project at Los Alamos, N.M., is also under construction, and a new uranium processing facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. is in the final stages before approval. Vincent Scotti Eirene is writing on behalf of the Pittsburgh Catholic Worker Movement.
The last building standing in Hiroshima after the atomic bombing, aptly named The Peace Dome.
A Nuclear Generation ―Palindrome‖ By Anabel Dwyer with thanks to and after Jonathan Reed‘s ―The Lost Generation‖ [Read from the top down and you’ll get the essence of the problem. Read from the bottom up and you’ll get the solution] We need nuclear weapons I refuse to believe that disarmament is possible I realize that this may be a shock but ―We live by the rule of law, nonviolently,‖ is a lie and ―Security comes from greater force‖ So we can tell our children they are not important in our lives Our military corps will know We have our priorities straight because Secrecy Is more important than Truth I will tell you this Once upon a time The judiciary was considered independent But this will not be true in this era This is a quick buck society Experts tell me 30 years from now Babcock & Wilcox will still make nuclear weapons I do not concede that I will live in a country where citizen whistleblowers can make a difference In the future Chemical and radioactive contamination will be the norm No longer can it be said that We can stop the destruction of life It will be evident that Our times are violent and fruitless It is foolish to presume that There is hope
Summit Against Racism January 21, 2012 The 14th Annual Summit Against Racism will be held on Saturday, January 21st, 2012 at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, the Saturday after Martin Luther King Jr.Day, as has become traditional. The Summit Against Racism was an important topic of conversation at the BBQ COOKOUT FUNraiser, hosted by the Black and White Reunion at Schenley Park on Saturday, July 9th 2011. The summit featured a magic show, food, politicians, a remembrance of Dennis Brutus, and a lot more. It was an integrated and intergenerational group of people, discussing how to end racism and stop police brutality. The Reunion also raised hundreds of dollars for the Alliance for Police Accountability and the Jonny Gammage Scholarship Fund. Visit www.justiceforjordanmiles.com for information on the Alliance for Police Accountability. Kenneth Miller, a member oif the editorial collective, reporting for Newpeople.
―And this will all come true unless we choose to reverse it.‖ Anabel Dwyer is an international lawyer dealing with the illegality of nuclear weapons. She is a member of the Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy and has defended individuals resisting nuclear weapons. anabeldwyer@yahoo.com August, 2011
NEWPEOPLE - 5
International
Deathtrap Haiti: Waiting for the Next Catastrophe By Carlana Rhoten
Whether civilian or military, the people who went to Haiti to rescue Haitians deserve the appreciation of the rest of us who merely watched reports on screen and donated a few dollars.
abandoned the subject until after the rainy season hits, when hurricane season is in full force bringing in great visuals reports.
THINK OF IT: If you are on any flat ground, it is a floodplain where you can drown. If you try to escape to higher ground, it is a mudslide to Although we know there is a continual pattern of fall and bury you. Where to go? There is noearthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, floods, mud- where safe to protect your family. This is Haiti slides, fires, tsunamis and tornadoes in the for the Haitians. world, we always act surprised. We are never fully prepared to deal with any of it. Major donors, governments, Red Cross, et al, plan for a Haitian future. But while they are sitThe first few days and weeks leave MOST sur- ting around their conference tables, people will vivors without significant assistance. And as the be drowning, will be buried by mud, or will be media‘s attention is diverted to other stories, blown away by hurricanes. victims are forgotten. Where are the boats and helicopters for rescue In the case of Haiti, much of the military has operations? Where is the shelter to keep people declared victory and moved out. The media has dry and protected from hurricanes? Where is the
military equipment capable of moving over mud and setting up temporary bridges to replace those washed out? The best plan of action would be to evacuate as many people as possible from Haiti. Some could come to the United States for education. Some could relocate to French speaking places. Many could be relocated to nearby countries, armed with generous subsidies to make them welcome as an economic plus. As this form of assistance is not in the works, we can expect a long list of tragedies as Haitians drown at sea, in a futile attempt to escape their deathtrap. Carlana Rhoten is the producer of Progressive Pittsburgh Notebook.
Crisis in Chhattisgarh By Jordana Rosenfeld Last month, I walked roughly a mile to the Crazy Mocha in Bloomfield to speak with Himanshu Kumar and Krishna Subramanian, two activists who have taken action on the human rights violation of the brutally persecuted residents of Chhattisgarh, India. Himanshu was visiting Pittsburgh as part of his broader travelling to educate his fellow citizens of the world about the plight of the indigenous people of Chhattisgarh, and Krishna is the coordinator of the Pittsburgh Chhattisgarh campaign. Upon listening to these two articulate and dedicated men, I was struck by the compelling and horrifying details of the situation in Central India. The tribal people of Chhattisgarh have come under attack by their own government in conjunction with several corporations bent on violating the human rights of Chhattisgarh natives so that the precious minerals on top of which they live can be extracted and sold. The tribal people of Chhattisgarh are among the poorest people in India. The state is home to 1,200 villages and only 50 medical centers; as a result, the life expectancy of an indigenous person living in Chhattisgarh is extremely low. However, despite being severely underserved by their government, the natives of Chhattisgarh survive, courageously maintaining their traditional tribal lifestyle. In stark contrast to the poverty of its inhabitants, Chhattisgarh, the province of Bastar in particular, is extremely rich in minerals – diamonds, tin, uranium, and coal comprise just a few of the valuable minerals buried in the Central Indian soil. Since Chhattisgarh gained statehood on November 1, 2000, its government has signed multitudes of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with corporations pertaining to these minerals. These MoUs function like contracts and have given corporations the right to extract Chhattisgarh‘s minerals and to use Chhattisgarh‘s land at the expense of the tribal people living on that land. After signing one such MOU with the Tata Steel Corporation, a private militia called Salwa Judum was raised to clear the lands which the Government had signed away for billions of dollars. The Chhattisgarh government violated the
constitution, as it did not consult the tribal people before signing the MoUs with Tata Steel. The private militia backed by the Chhattisgarh government burned 644 villages to the ground, displacing 300,000 people to the surrounding forest, states, or make-shift camps, and killing and raping thousands of innocent tribals and minor girls. This grave human rights abuse was met with no response from the government because acknowledging the attack‘s survivors would be tantamount to classifying them as refugees deserving of aid. Tribal people and peaceful Gandhian activists like Himanshu who have raised questions against this brutal eviction of tribals from their ancestral land were branded as Naxalites (anti-social elements) and their voices have been drowned by the government, which imprisons them under false charges. Himanshu set up the Vanavasi Chetna Ashram (VCA) in Chhattisgarh and worked there peacefully supporting tribals for 17 years before his ashram was destroyed. Tensions in Chhattisgarh province have been high ever since, with neither side backing down and the human rights of Chhattisgarh natives continuously being violated. This startling account of greed raises important questions about the emphasis societies place on development and the way they view both their natural resources and their indigenous peoples. Yes, development; yes, advancement... but at what cost? Those wishing for more information on the people of Chhattisgarh or the Pittsburgh Chhattisgarh campaign should contact Krishna Subramanian at krg28@pitt.edu. Jordana Rosenfeld is a human rights activist and a high school student who is a summer intern at The Thomas Merton Center. She formatted and helped to edit this edition of The NewPeople.
Staffer Released by Sudanese Government The members of the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition (PDEC) welcomed the news on July 13 that Hawaii Abdullah, a staff member of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) who worked in the Abu Shouk displaced persons camp in West Darfur, was released from detention by the Sudanese government. Ms. Abdullah had been arrested in May and held without contact from the outside; a picture of her in a government-associated publication showed evidence of mistreatment. Omar Ismail, a Pittsburgh area resident from Darfur, heard about her situation through his contacts and alerted PDEC members. PDEC coordinator David Rosenberg contacted Pittsburgh City Council members, Congressman Doyle, and Senator Casey, who expressed their concerns to the U.S. State Department and were informed when she was released. Niemat Ahmadi, Darfur coordinator at Save Darfur Coalition/Genocide Intervention Network, credited these efforts with helping to obtain Ms. Abdullah's release.
LOCAL SOUTH SUDANESE CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE By Mary Dawn Edwards While citizens celebrated the birth of their newly independent nation in South Sudan on July 9, 2011, the Pittsburgh area South Sudanese community hosted a celebration in the South Hills. A 6 - NEWPEOPLE
August, 2011
ceremony at the Whitehall Presbyterian Church was attended by over 150 people, including U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy and PA State Rep. Chelsea Wagner. Other attendees included representatives of the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition (PDEC), Pittsburgh area residents from
Darfur, representatives of the Pittsburgh Global Solutions Education Fund, and members of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church Peace Committee. Continued on page 7
International
South Sudan (cont. from Page 6) The ceremony began with the presentation of the new South Sudanese flag and the U.S. flag, carried by youngsters and placed in the front of the sanctuary. After the invocation by Rev. Lloyd Sweden, Benedict Killang, former Pittsburgh Sudanese Community President and current President of the Union of African Communities in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, presented a
history of South Sudan. There were welcomes in song by a girls‘ group and by Pach Bior. Congratulatory statements from U.S. Congressman Mike Doyle and PA Rep. Dan Frankel were read. Congressman Murphy spoke about the importance of continuing support for the new nation as it faces its many challenges and the importance of grassroots organizations like PDEC in advocating for all of the people of Sudan. Rep. Wagner stressed the importance of children to the future of the new nation. Angelo Farouk stressed the importance of preserving the culture of the country.
After the benediction, the group adjourned to the Royal Palace to enjoy Sudanese food prepared by community members. The members of PDEC continue to advocate for peace and freedom for the people of Sudan, especially as the Khartoum government continues attacks on civilians in Darfur and in the border regions of Abyei, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile. For further information, please visit our web site atwww.pittsburghdarfur.org. or contact our coordinator, David Rosenberg, at jumphook@gmail.com. Mary Dawn Edwards is a supporter and member of the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition.
Children (left) performing at the celebration of South Sudan‘s independence on July 9. Photo by Mary Dawn Edwards
Return to Haiti: March 27th to April 6, 2011 By Becky Newlin
Delson, who works at Hopital Sainte Croix in Leogane. Delson, his parents, and his uncle lost Four years had passed since I‘d spent my teaching their homes in the earthquake, so his family was sabbatical in Fondwa, Haiti. In March 2011, I had huddled in a little house on the edge of his earthan opportunity to travel to Haiti to view the pro- quake-torn property. Despite that, Delson was gress made by Partners in Progress on several busy taking care of his menagerie of animals. projects Deslandes and Fondwa. Partners in Progress is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fos- Early on Saturday, we traveled by tap-tap to tering sustainable community development in Fondwa, Haiti, near the epicenter of the earthrural Haiti. I arrived in Port au Prince on March quake. I had intended to stay in Fondwa for sev27th and traveled around the country until April eral days, but was advised to return to Port au 6th. Prince by Sunday evening because the results of the runoff elections were to be announced on Upon my arrival in Port au Prince, Osprival Monday. They did not know what to expect, but Descommes and Lord (the driver) showed up to thought there might be unrest on the streets. Thus, take me to Deslandes, located on the Artibonite my stay in Fondwa was a very brief two days. River. A word about Lord, our driver: His house was destroyed by the 2010 earthquake and his I was shocked by what I saw. All the building eight- year-old son was trapped under a huge pile structures that I was so familiar with were gone: of cement. Even though Lord is a very strong the guest house where I stayed while I was there man, he was unable to remove the cement. He four years ago, the school where I taught, the spoke with his son and tried to comfort him. clinic, the orphanage, were not there anymore. Upon request, Lord got him a glass of water and Over twenty years of development was destroyed held his hand as he died. Osprival is a Haitian in 35 seconds. The sisters there have so much Canadian and a member of Partners in Procourage. They have survived and are thriving in gress‘ (PIP) advisory board, who has helped to spite of the great loss. spearhead the projects in Deslandes. On our way to Deslandes we were stopped by UN soldiers It was raining so hard while I was in Fondwa that twice. This had never happened to me before but, I couldn‘t really get around much. I did see some because of the political unrest (election run-offs of the orphans and all of the sisters. The living were to be held about a week later) security was conditions there are not the best. They do have a at a peak. water purification system which was donated by the Little Brothers of St. Theresa. The sisters During our four-day stay in Deslandes, farmers share the clean water with many of their met to continue their work on their soil health neighbors in Fondwa. The orphans and sisters are project. They are planning their experimental living in temporary wooden structures. The Sisplots for planting this season. Parents of the ters were moving their beds around to escape the school children met to discuss how they might rain leaking through the roof. What I worried better help to pay the teachers by working toabout the most, was the absence of adequate sanigether on collecting excess grain and selling it tation. I also noticed that there was not much during the dry season, and construction workers food. met to learn how to run a diesel machine to be used for constructing the second phase of their In spite of everything, life goes on in Fondwa. new school in Deslandes. This little community is The sisters were playing card games in the evealive and working hard to make life more sustain- ning. (Sister Carmelle, their spiritual director, able. stated that since there are so many stresses, she now encourages the sisters to exercise in the On Friday we traveled to Leogane where Missy, a morning, and to relax in the evening.) woman with whom I volunteered in 2006-2007, The new orphanage is almost finished and lives. On the way, we delivered supplies to Dr. groundbreaking for the new school structure will
begin this fall. I left Fondwa feeling a bit more hopeful than when I first arrived. I traveled back to Port au Prince and stayed at Norwich Mission House for two days. There were two French women staying at Norwich. They were art therapists who came to work with the children in one of the tent cities. They said that they were not prepared to hear what they heard. The children had seen so much devastation and experienced so much loss through the earthquake and after, they live in fear and suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome. It is not safe living in the tent city. Many women and children have been raped and further traumatized. The children tried to express all of this through art work. The women thought that it helped the children to talk about what they drew. I admired these women for this important work. I wish that all of the children in Haiti could get this special attention and help. The election runoff announcement took place on Monday as expected, and the people were dancing in the streets because Michel Martelly, the popular favorite, won the election. It was time for me to leave Haiti on April 6th and I did so with a sad heart. It took me almost a month before I was able to begin to process the experience. I feel so grateful for my work with Partners in Progress because it allows me to participate in the projects of Deslandes and the rebuilding of Fondwa. Many of the readers of this newspaper are contributors to PIP. Our board of directors and our collaborators in Haiti are grateful for your generous donations. If any others wish to join in with PIP‘s mission: to promote and support sustainable community development in rural Haiti, please do so. Our web site is www.piphaiti.org . Becky Newlin is currently on the staff of Partners in Progress (PIP). She worked in education for over forty years. In the summer of 2005 Becky went on a reverse mission trip to Haiti with PIP. She returned to Haiti to work in the Fondwa Community as an English teacher at St. Antoine School in 2006-07. After serving as a board member of Partners in Progress, Becky took her current part-time position in PIP‘s office in Ligonier. August, 2011
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Local News
Local Coffee Party Brewing Ideas for ―Better Government‖ By Frank Kirkwood
The Coffee Party? Really? Sort of the opposite of the Tea Party? Well, not exactly. The Coffee Party, like the Tea Party, is a gathering of people who think that there is something seriously wrong with the way our government and our media work and that the people in Washington, left alone, will never fix it. We, the citizens, are going to have to fix it. But, Coffee Party members aren‘t against ―government‖, we think it‘s the way the government works that needs to be fixed.
reaching out to the community and organizing to do the hard work of making real change. We acknowledge the David vs. Goliath nature of our struggle. The ability of corporations and the super-wealthy to grant or withhold payments to our politicians‘ election campaigns had long ago created a situation where a tiny percentage of the population gained a dominance over the actions of our Congress. Since the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which gave corporations the right to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence the outcome of
We want to engage the country in a civil conversation about some very practical changes that will help us get our democracy to work for us again. Ideas like getting corporations out of our elections, breaking the dependant relationship that Congress has with those who buy influence by writing checks to politicians‘ campaigns and by getting the people and corporations, who used to pay the taxes to keep the country healthy and strong, to start paying their fair share again. The Coffee Party got its start when Annabel Park of Silver Spring, MD posted a comment on her Facebook page in early 2010: "let's start a coffee party... smoothie party. red bull party. anything but tea....Let's get together...and have real political dialogue with substance and compassion." Her rant hit a nerve. She created the Join the Coffee Party Movement fan page on Facebook which quickly went viral. The page now has over 384,000 ―fans‖. Park called for an end to the politics of obstructionism and a new recognition of the need for our government to work cooperatively toward solutions. The response to Annabel‘s call for a Coffee Party was strong, with over 500 meetings occurring across the country, including Pittsburgh. Lynda Park (sister of Annabel) and I co-chair the local meetings. We have been
right not to have fracking fluid in your drinking water, we need to recognize that the possibilities for these futures have been diminished. If our political system remains dominated by those who are indifferent or even opposed to the future we hope for, we may never get to those better futures. The Coffee Party Movement is working, in Pittsburgh and across the country, to fix the money-in-politics problem and to strengthen our democracy. It is the change that makes all others possible. Please join us. www.coffeepartypa.org http://www.facebook.com/coffeepartypgh or email us at coffeepartypa@gmail.com. See our made-in-Pittsburgh video, ―16 Corporations or We the People?‖, on YouTube. Frank Kirkwood is a member of the Coffee Party and a long-time Pittsburgh activist.
YOUR AD HERE! elections, the fragile health of our democracy has taken a serious turn for the worse. Today a lobbyist can walk into our Senator‘s office and say, ―My company is going to spend five million dollars in Pennsylvania‘s Senate race next year. I‘m here to discuss with you whether we‘re going to spend it for you or against you.‖ That‘s the situation we are in right now. Whatever our hopes are for a better future, be it a peaceful world, health care for everyone, an end to poverty and its sorrows, a planet that can continue to support human life or maybe just the
To inquire about advertising space in next month‘s issue, email newpeople@thomasmertoncenter.org
www.thomasmertoncenter.org
CODEPINK Protests Obama at Robotics Center By Francine Porter CODEPINK Women for Peace and The Women‘s International League for Peace and Freedom sent out a call to action for activists in the Pittsburgh area to come out and protest President Obama‘s visit to Carnegie Mellon‘s National Robotics Engineering Center on Friday, June 24th. Even though security was very tight, many activists from different groups lined the route from Oakland to the Robotics Center located in Lawrenceville at Butler Street and the 40th Street Bridge. Climate Justice, Anti War Activists, displaced workers, labor leaders and fair trade advocates protesting unemployment in communities across Pennsylvania should the Korea Free Trade Agreement and other pending trade deals championed by the President move forward, came out to give Obama a warm welcome.
gards them as effective in winning the war on terror.
Nobel Peace Prize has given us nothing but more war.
As the president‘s motorcade came down 40th Street, a large banner reading ―Bring Our War Dollars Home‖ was unfurled. While many are unemployed and under employed, are living without healthcare, are unable to feed their families, with social programs being cut, roads and bridges are crumbling, and education is getting harder for many to provide, our government is spending well over 54% of the federal budget on war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Libya. They provide Israel with 3 billion dollars a year in military aid to continue the slaughter of civilians in Gaza. Many progressives are still apprehensive to come out and oppose Obama‘s failed policies, or the continuation of George W. Bush‘s policies.
Why have so many abandoned the peace movement? Possibly due to the economic crunch so many middle class and lower class people are busy working not just one but two jobs, they don't have time to come out on the streets. If you live paycheck to paycheck, it is hard to find the funds for a trip to Washington DC for a national protest. War has also become part of the normal fabric of life here in the U.S. after almost a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many that once took to the streets now no longer see the power of protesting effective against the military -industrial complex.
The National Robotics Engineering Center has played a large role in robotic warfare. Riding on the heels of Obama‘s announcement that he will withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan next year, his visit conjures up the possibilities of We see, as time goes on, it wasn‘t enough to withdrawing human troops and escalating drone vote a Democratic "Hope and Change" agent warfare in the region since our government reinto the White House. The man awarded a 8 - NEWPEOPLE
August, 2011
If U.S. foreign policy is ever to change, it won't be due to the efforts of any elected politician, but to the efforts of direct action and organizing - the type that brought about civil rights, gay rights, and women‘s rights. Just as the recent uprising changed Egypt and inspired other Arab countries to rise up against their autocratic leaders, it's only from the power of the people that there is truly any hope for a peaceful future. Francine Porter is the Coordinator of CODEPINK Pittsburgh Women for Peace.
Local News
End the Embargo Campaign It takes a tremendous amount of logistics and coordination to bring off this event and it took over six months to organize. Different buses travelled through 13 routes visiting various cities and communities in the US and gathering 100 tons of humanitarian aid consisting of medicinal, mechanical and computer goods among others.
(continued from page 1)
a US bullet in Nicaragua as he visited the Meskite Indians on the Atlantic coast.. He became a symbol of solidarity with peoples around the world whom the US government was punishing either militarily, economically or politically. In addition to Tom Smith and myself from
Pittsburgh, Lisa Valanti is also a part of the Caravan, as she has been for every one of the 21 Caravans that have taken place so far. There are few militants to compare with Lisa in commitment to the people of Cuba and to the fight against the embargo. As we go to the US-Mexico border on July 20, it is a leap into the unknown. Officially the foreign policy towards Cuba has changed but little. The objective is still to destroy the Cuban economy and its social system.
The National leader of IFCO is now Rev. Tom Smith of Monumental Baptist Church, Pittsburgh. He replaces the former leader, Rev. Lucius Walker who died approximately one year ago. Lucius Walker had been leading these Caravans to Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Chiapas, Honduras and El Salvador since 1988 when he was wounded by
Michael Drohan is a political economist specializing in analysis of Third World economies and a member of The Thomas Merton Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s Board of Directors.
Photo by Pastors for Peace The Pastors for Peace Caravan, loaded with aid bound for Cuba, as it gets ready to depart
A Message from the Pastors for Peace Caravan Hi Everyone, Just got word from Michael Drohan who is with the Pastors for Peace Caravan with Humanitarian Aid to Cuba. The caravan just passed from McAllen, Texas across the border into Mexico. At the border, U.S. Customs arbitrarily confiscated seven computers that were meant to go to schools and hospitals in Cuba. Although the group of over 100 participants protested the confiscation, the computers were not returned. The Pastors for Peace Caravan is continuing on its journey, but asking all of us to contact our U.S. Representatives asking them to look into the situation with the demand for the return of the 7 computers to Pastors for Peace. Here are the numbers to call: Rep. Mike Doyle: 202-225-2135 Rep. Tim Murphy: 202-225-2301 Rep. Jason Altmire: 202-225-2565 Rep. Mark Critz: 202-225-2065 Rep. Mike Kelly: 202-225-5406
Photo by Pastors for Peace Seven computers meant for Cuban schools and hospitals were seized from the Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba. The Caravan asks that its supporters contact their Representatives and ask for an investigation.
Moshe Sherman
As you know, the Pastors are against the harmful embargo on Cuba that has lasted over 50 years bringing suffering and poverty to many of the Cuban people and crippling their ability to prosper. Despite that, however, their literacy rate is high and their health care universal. Please call today! It is our way to be in solidarity with those on the caravan. Gratefully, Joyce Rothmerel
August, 2011
NEWPEOPLE - 9
Local News
August Schedule for Progressive Pittsburgh Notebook TV Programs Pittsburgh Community Television seen on COMCAST Channel 21 and VERIZON FIOS Channel 47 inside the Pittsburgh city limits. ―POISONED BY MARCELLUS SHALE GAS WELL FRACKING ― Featuring Charles McCollester, author of THE POINT OF PITTSBURGH ; Senator Jim Ferlo, author of Marcellus Shale Moratorium Legislation; Alex Lotorto and James Bonner of Marcellus Protest.org; and music by Mike Stout ―The Tale of Marcellus Shale‖ 1st week: Monday the 1st at 9 PM Wed the 3rd at 7 PM Thur the 4th at 7 AM Friday the 5th at 5 PM 2nd week Mon the 8th at 9 PM Tues the 9th at 3 AM Wed the 10th at 10 PM Thur the 11th at 10 AM Fri the 12th at 4 PM 3rd week
Mon the 15th at 11 PM Thur the 18th at 7 AM Thur the 18th at 10 AM
Sometimes you can get it live stream at www.pctv21.org ................................................................................... Send listing information or corrections to: Carlana Rhoten 412-363-7472 tvnotebook@gmail.com \\
Fr. Roy Bourgeois of SOA Watch Honored Here By Molly Rush ―Who are we as men to say that the call of women is invalid?...At the core of the issue is sexism. Sexism, like racism, is a sin.‖ - Father Roy Bourgeois
He was in Pittsburgh on July 25th to receive the 21st Century Prophet Award from Call to Action -Pennsylvania. Three days earlier, in an unprecedented move, 157 Catholic priests, including some local priests, signed on to an open letter in support of their fellow embattled priest.
Fr. Roy noted that trying to stop it is ―like trying to stop women‘s suffrage or the abolitionist movement.‖
In March his superior ordered him to recant or he would be dismissed from Maryknoll. In April he replied in a letter that ―I believe that our Church‘s teaching that excludes women from the Fr. Roy Bourgeois, founder of School of the Americas Watch, has been jailed many times for The CTA event opened with a Mass on the Feast priesthood defies both faith and reason… [and] implies that men are superior to women.‖ of St. Mary of Magdala celebrated by Bishop protests at the School of the Americas in Fort Joan Houk, who was ordained on the Mon River Benning, Georgia. in 2006 by Roman Catholic Womenpriests. She He cited a 1976 report by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, the Vatican‘s top Scripture scholis not recognized by Rome and was declared But now he faces a life sentence. That is, the ars, who concluded that there is no valid case to automatically excommunicated. Vatican has declared the Maryknoll priest exbe made against the ordination of women from communicated from the Roman Catholic Church the Scriptures. Rather, ―There is neither male nor The Vatican has forbidden even discussion of because of his support for the ordination of women. He was celebrant and homilist at the or- women‘s ordination, claiming infallibility on the female. In Christ Jesus you are one.‖ –Galatians 3:28. dination of Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a longtime issue. Continued on page 14 peace activist. 10 - NEWPEOPLE
August, 2011
Local News
Dorothy Day Biographer Jim Forest Here October 14-15 "What we would like to do is change the world--make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, the poor, of the destitute--the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor, in other words--we can, to a certain extent, change the world — Dorothy Day The Thomas Merton Center, Pax Christi Pgh., the Association of Pgh Priests and co-sponsors CLC-Pgh (Ignatian Christian Life Community), FOCUS (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve), the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, Sisters of Divine Providence, St. James Wilkinsburg and St. Thomas More Peace & Justice Committees invite you to attend:
Public lecture: Dorothy Day: a Saint for Our Times Author Jim Forest will sign his new book, All is Grace Friday, October 14th — 7:30 p.m. St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral Boulevard of the Allies and Dawson St., Oakland Donation requested: $5/scholarships available Retreat Day: The Intersection of Spirituality and Social Justice Saturday the 15th — 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Holy Family of Nazareth Retreat Center Near Perrysville exit, Route 279 $30 includes lunch
Jim Forest, Dorothy Day Biographer
Arrangements are underway for a session with high school and college students on Friday afternoon. Jim Forest, secretary of the International Orthodox Peace Fellowship, is author of All is Grace, the widely acclaimed new and comprehensive biography of Dorothy Day who founded the Catholic Worker Hospitality House in New York City. Its publisher is Orbis Books www.orbisbooks.com . Jim worked closely with Dorothy Day for 20 years and was managing editor of The Catholic Worker. One of the Milwaukee 14, arrested in 1968 for burning draft files, he helped start the Catholic Peace Fellowship, Former Secretary General for the International Fellowship of Reconciliation he lives in Aalkmaar, the Netherlands. Jim had a long-term friendship with Thomas Merton, who dedicated a book to him. A journalist and writer, Jim‘s books include Praying with Icons, Ladder of the Beatitudes, The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life, & biographies of Merton and Day, to name a few. He met Dorothy Day (1897-1980) in 1960. His affection for and knowledge of her life and work inform All Is Grace, which significantly revises and expands his 1986 biography, Love Is the Measure. Jim writes of Dorothy: (She) was a person of contradictions: activist and contemplative, political radical and a theological conservative. Intending to found a newspaper, The Catholic Worker, she ended up founding a movement.. Today there are over 200 Catholic Worker communities. They provide shelter for the homeless, feed the hungry and participate in nonviolent acts of resistance to war, injustice and nuclear weapons. Space is limited for the Retreat Day, so sign up as soon as possible. Contact Carol Gonzalez Teacher41@aol.com; 412.322.2189, Mimi Darragh mimidarragh@aol.com, or Molly Rush molly.rush@verizon.net to reserve a space or for more information. If you are able to support Jim‘s visit with a donation for travel and honoraria or scholarships, we will be most grateful. Please write a check to ―The Thomas Merton Center‖ earmarked ―Jim Forest and send it to Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Thank you.
From reviews of All is Grace: Drawing from Day’s recently published letters and many other sources, this expanded edition with copious photos and illustrations chronicles in rich detail the life and mission of a social reformer, peace activist and ardent campaigner for social justice……a compelling window into the mind, heart and soul of a woman whose life was indeed grace-filled. – Catholic Book Club Selection, May 2011, America magazine With All Is Grace, Jim Forest has given us the real Dorothy Day, sensual, confused, hungering, intelligent, radical, and wonderfully graced. – Ed McCartan Forest is an accomplished writer and his fluent prose is a pleasure to read…. The accumulation of details and insights in All Is Grace that accrue from Forest’s carefully chosen and illustrative anecdotes weaves a seamless portrait of Day that mirrors her profound international sensibility. Excerpts from her writings reveal the almost palpable delight she took in the physical, sensual world, qualities that infused her distinctive prose style with warmth and clarity. - Rachelle Linnner, Catholic News Service
Building Change Film Festival October 13-15, 2011 The mission of the Building Change Film Festival is to open the viewer’s eyes to the injustices that we see in the world by screening films that will celebrate struggle, shed light on these injustices, and show us possibilities for a better future. We are looking for feature length, mid, and short films themed around social justice issues, preferably those relevant to southwestern Pennsylvania. This is open to a full range of issues including; environment, poverty, LGBTQ issues, racial and gender equality, food justice, and human rights issues. Ideal films will demonstrate the power of filmmaking as a vehicle for exploration of social justice issues and motivate viewers to promote change. Films will be screened at several venues across Pittsburgh during this 5-day film festival. It is a component of Building Change: A Convergence for Social Justice. For more information, visit www.buildingchangewpa.org. The Thomas Merton is a co-sponsor of this event. Late deadline: August 10th August, 2011
NEWPEOPLE - 11
Economic Justice
The U.S. Political Economy: the Trajectory From Democracy to Plutocracy By Michael Drohan Although the United States‘ history as a true democracy has been fraught with its share of difficulties, the U.S. arguably achieved its democratic apogee in the 1960s when it finally extended democratic rights to a large swathe of disenfranchised African-Americans in the South. Our nation began its life of independence as a slave-ocracy. At the time that our nation was founded, only property owners possessed the right to vote, and most of the leaders of the new Republic were not only property owners, but were slave owners. Women, slaves and non-property owning whites--i.e., the majority of the our fledgling nation‘s population--were excluded from voting and other democratic rights. Gradually, the exclusions from democratic rights were removed and in the 1960s--well nigh two hundred years after the birth of the nation--such rights became universal. As democratic rights were extended to most (if not all) citizens, so were economic rights, leading to the formation of what is now commonly called the ―middle class.‖ Principally through the reforms of the New Deal in the 1930s and the introduction of the Social Security and Medicare programs, income inequality was greatly reduced and the so-called middle class was firmly established by the 1960s. However, over the past 30 years, the U.S. government has determinedly rolled back the democratic achievements of the previous four to five decades. With the advent of Ronald Reagan‘s presidency, the U.S. system began its transition from a democracy to a plutocracy. At present, there appears to be a tacitly bipartisan agreement to steadily institutionalize the new plutocratic regime, although it should be added that the Republican Party provides most of the noteworthy warriors in the plutocratic army. In 2010, the conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the Citizens United vs Federal Elections Commission Act case (558 U.S. 08-205). In that case, the Supreme Court granted corporations and unions the right to
donate unlimited amounts of money to candidates for elected office. In a very real sense, this Act gives corporations an unprecedented level of control over the election of government officials and disenfranchises the population at large.
income of a shop floor employee. By contrast, the 1968 income of the General Motors CEO was 66 times that of an automobile production worker.
In this respect, the U.S. is more like a Third World nation than it has ever been, since a typical The most recent move toward a total U.S. Third World nation has a tiny elite siphoning plutocracy is the present battle over the raising of most of the income and wealth with the vast the U.S. federal debt ceiling. For the first time in majority of the remaining population hovering U.S. history, the raising of the debt limit is being around subsistence level. The present struggle used as a battering ram to demolish the final over the national debt limit is only the latest ramparts of the US safety net system for poorer manifestation of the Republican Party‘s plan to and working class Americans. All forms of social decimate what is left of our dwindling ―middle spending , including sacred institutions like the class‖ by removing nearly all of the safety nets aforementioned Social Security and Medicare available to lower income individuals. Social programs, are under attack. Such a craven use of Security and Medicare constitute the bulwark of the debt limit as a political tool is, of course, rank lower income security. hypocrisy. History has repeatedly shown that the Republican Party (or, to perhaps a lesser extent, Before the institution of those programs in 1936, the Democratic Party) cares not a whittle about poverty was rampant among the elderly the debt, as the raising of said debt ceiling five population; Social Security was established as a times under President George W. Bush with nary national trust fund with its own income stream a whimper from either party clearly shows. from which benefits are paid. Since its inception in 1936, the Social Security trust has accumulated Although there are many measures of equality or a $2.6 trillion surplus. Despite the fact that these inequality in the U.S. and other countries, one of funds are by law not part of the national budget the most common measures is the share of total (these surpluses cannot be used for any purposes national income that goes to successive fifths of other than Social Security payments), this does the population (called quintiles) from the lowest not deter Congressional plutocrats from asserting income receivers to the highest. The U.S. Census that benefits must be decreased in order to Bureau provides these figures and in 2009, the ―balance the budget.‖ Although there are a few most recent year for which figures are available, politicians (such as Bernie Sanders of Vermont ) the lowest fifth got 3.9% of total national income vocally defending Social Security and Medicare while the top fifth received 48.2%. The from those who would rob these entitlements in percentage of national income attributed to the order to grant more tax cuts to the already lowest fifth is the lowest percentage since the wealthy, signs are that President Obama is at least Great Depression. For the highest fifth, the record nominally giving in to the ―budget balancers‘‖ high was 48.5% in 2005, and this figure has been illegal demands. trending upward since the 1980s. In contrast, from the 1940s to the 1980s, the income It is beyond time to fight back against all of the percentage of the top quintile hovered around attacks aimed at the swath of the population that 40%. only too recently emerged from poverty and misery. Another measure of income inequality can be gleaned from a look at the change in income of Michael Drohan is a political economist top corporate officials as compared with specializing in analysis of Third World production workers. In that regard, the CEO of economies and a member of The Thomas Wal-Mart now earns approximately 900 times the Merton Center‘s Board of Directors.
Profit Isn‘t Everything, It‘s the Only Thing: the Secret Cannibals of Capitalism By Carlana Rhoten The Chinese may be crazy but they are not stupid. Their leaders were so astounded by the audacity of the Nixon/Kissinger team that they stopped their own furious self-destruction. Being good In 1972, when Richard Nixon and Henry communists, they would have remembered the Kissinger came up with their brilliant ―China pol- rope quote, and would have instantly recognized icy,‖ the Chinese people were busy destroying the opportunity being offered to them. their society and whatever culture they had left under communism. Knuckleheaded youths were One can only imagine with what difficulty the recruited into the Red Guard and set loose to tor- Chinese kept a straight face. They refrained from ture their teachers and to trash the homes and ca- rolling their eyes or laughing out loud as waves of reers of anyone they deemed ―counterAmerican politicians, diplomats (such as George revolutionary,‖ or ‖revisionists.‖ H.W. Bush) and businessmen came to kowtow before them. In the midst of this suicidal chaos came Nixon and Kissinger bearing gifts. These two Americans Prior to 1972, the Chinese nation was not projectchuckled at pulling a fast one over on the Soviet ing itself on the world stage. The leadership was Union, while at the same time opening up the obsessed with their own affairs and defending Chinese market to American made goods. They themselves against the American sponsored Taisalivated at the vision of increased American jobs wan traitors and any form of dissent or revisionat home and future American profits in Asia. ism. One of the more famous truisms: ―A capitalist will sell you the rope you need to hang him.‖
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Within four short years, the Chinese got over their shock at the Nixon/Kissinger initiative to declare that ―to grow rich is glorious.‖ For the past 35 years they have been buying every inch of rope any capitalist has brought to them. The peculiar thing about American capitalism is that we have legally codified the short-term profit motive. That is to say, the courts have declared that the first fiduciary obligation of a corporation is to maximize the profits paid to the shareholders in the next quarter. In effect, it transforms the drive for maximum profit into a juggernaut that cannot be stopped or diverted. It has no steering wheel or brake, putting decision-making in both business and government policies on automatic pilot. The brainlessness of this precludes any long range planning and prevents any investments based on Continued on page 13
Economic Justice
Profit (cont from page 12) humane considerations, the social good, environmental consequences or even patriotic nationalism.
In 1972, the United States was the world‘s biggest importer of raw materials, the biggest manufacturer of finished goods, and the creditor for nations needing a loan of capiThe energy factor provides several examples tal. The dollar was strong and we were a of how target fixation on short- term profits model of prosperity. Poverty was mainly led our own business and political leaders to the problem of African-Americans and other commit treason: minorities along with Appalachian whites. (1) Since the oil embargo of 1973, we have known that we are at the edge of an energy crisis of one type or another. And yet, all the efforts of our businesses and government policies have been to push for global trade that increases energy use exponentially. Genuine homeland security is to be able to survive and function with its own agriculture and manufacturing assets, should there be a loss of imports.
American foreign policy has become so incoherent that the world population has identified the ―world‘s only superpower‖ as potentially the greatest threat to their own freedoms, peace and security. Many also feel injured by our trade policies that have forced much of the world‘s economy to follow our slavish devotion to the short-term profit.
Today, after 35 years of American led global trade policies, the United States exports raw materials, imports practically every item we need to purchase, and has become the world‘s biggest debtor, with our dollar sinking fast to worthless. We have hocked our present and future to feed our addiction to short-term profit. Foreigners flock to the fire sale of whatever we have left of value.
Normally, when people feel sufficiently threatened by an armed lunatic, they will take action to put him down. At the international level, we are being perceived as the armed lunatic; rather than the vision we hold of ourselves as a stable leader who can be depended upon. America‘s role in the world since WWII has been a mixed bag of good deeds and horrendously bad actions scrambled together over Given our relative weakness and loss of the years. While we were prosperous, it was status, the Chinese no longer have to supeasier to be forgiven. But sooner or later, (2) The vast marketing effort to sell gas press their joy at their own preeminence, or chickens do come home to roost. The guzzlers to China has created a gi- their contempt and displeasure when Ameri- wealthiest capitalists among us are moving ant competitor in the oil market. By cans annoy them. On the world stage, our to Dubai. universities and military weaponry are about itself, this will raise the price of the only things left to attract foreign admira- Carlana Rhoten is the producer of Progasoline for every American and tion. Nations still send their students while gressive Pittsburgh Notebook. thereby the cost of doing business inside our own country. This conse- our own students drop out for lack of funds. We still enjoy (for the time being) a brisk quence is coming down the road business in selling military weapons and and soon to hit us. surveillance equipment to dictatorships and democracies alike.
Stand up for Dignity, Justice, Solidarity, and SelfDetermination! Another year goes by, and the crimes of graduates and instructors of the School of the Americas/ Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/WHINSEC) continue to strengthen our resolve to shut down the SOA, a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia. This December will mark the 30th anniversary of the massacre of close to 800 indigenous villagers in the El Mozote region of El Salvador. Still, graduates of the SOA are leading the repression, killing hundreds and displacing thousands of Hondurans. Mexicans and immigrants passing through Mexico are the target of drug cartels and death squads like the "Zetas" - another product of SOA training. In the midst of the continuing war in Colombia, fueled by SOA violence, union killings touched 51 in 2010. Visit www.soawatch.org for more information
2011 Thomas Merton Award Dinner Honoring Dr. Vandana Shiva
Commemorate the Martyrs, Celebrate the Resistance: Close the SOA! November 18-20, 2011: SOA Watch Vigil Gates of Fort Benning, Georgia
November 3, 2011 Sheraton Station Square Register at www.thomasmertoncenter.org
August, 2011
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Ending All Wars Book Review: To End All Wars by Adam Hochschild By Michael Drohan
There are few histories of wars that can match Adam Hochschild‘s history of World War I (1914 -1918) in terms of sheer readability. Unlike most books on this subject, Hochschild‘s tome not only provides an insightful account of this futile war‘s events but also covers the vibrant anti-war movements in each of the countries involved in the conflict. The fact that World War I stands as one of history‘s most senseless spasms of carnage— one which, quite frankly, defies rational explanation--is amply laid out by Hochschild. The toll of the war for that time was quite incredible, as somewhere between 8.5 and 10 million soldiers from the combatant countries lost their lives in the conflict and additional civilian deaths through shelling and air raids are estimated to be between the 12 and 13 million mark. However, according to Hochschild, the casualties do not end there, as he asserts that the world flu pandemic of 1918 was basically spread from the United States to the rest of the world through the war. The flu started at an army base in Kansas and war carried it to Europe that spring, leaving approximately 50 million dead in its wake. As Hoschschild notes, most of the pretexts offered by the participating countries do not bear examination, and Hochschild maintains that Britain‘s entry into the war was perhaps the most baseless. The British offered the ―defense of small countries‖ rationale for declaring war on Germany (using Germany‘s takeover of Belgium in its thrust against France as its case in point), conveniently ignoring the fact Britain itself was
then occupying many small countries around the globe. On the home front, the entry of the U.S. into the war in early 1917 was almost certainly based upon simple opportunism—a ploy to receive its share of the spoils of war. Perhaps the best explanation of the Allies motivation for the war is spelled out within the terms of the Versailles Agreement that concluded the war. In this ―agreement‖, the Allies gained the coveted colonies of the German and Ottoman Empires in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, thus exposing the blatant imperialism lay at the heart of the war for their side. But perhaps the most damning feature of World War I was that it laid the groundwork for the more ferocious war of World War II. At Versailles, the British and the French not only took over the former colonies of the vanquished, but the crippling indemnities and reparations the Allies imposed upon Germany undoubtedly laid the foundation for the rise of fascism fewer than 20 years later.
land led a tireless battle against the war. In Germany, Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg together with a very militant socialist cadre opposed the war tooth and nail. The story of the struggles and defeats of the war resistors is woven into Hochschild‘s account in a very creative and rewarding fashion.
For antiwar activists, Hochschild‘s book is truly worth studying and reading. The irrationality, lying and dissembling that characterized that war have changed little over the course of future military actions. The ability of the ruling classes to draft millions of working class and poor young men and women is as strong as ever, with a largely jingoistic press disseminating pro-war propaganda then and now. There are, however, significant differences. Today, at least, we have the alternative press in all of its incarnations (the Wikileaks phenomenon, for instance, helped to uncover the lies and horrors of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) and antiwar voices today have Hochschild‘s coverage of the anti-war movements not been silenced through imprisonment as they in each of the participating companies is also ex- were in the days of World War I. And so the prosemplary. Prior to the outbreak of war, the socialist pects and hope are on our side in a way that did movements in the European countries had made a not exist at the time that Hochschild covers in this resolution that they would not participate in any fine, fine book. ensuing military conflict. In their analysis, such a war would pit the working classes of the various Michael Drohan is a political economist specountries against one another in fighting the war cializing in analysis of Third World economies of the ruling classes. In Britain, one of the great- and a member of the Thomas Merton Center‘s est voices against the war was the future Nobel Board of Directors. Laureate Bertrand Russell, who was ultimately imprisoned for his efforts. Sylvia Pankhurst, the legendary suffragette, was also an ardent resistor. Keir Hardie, a Member of Parliament from Scot-
Honoring Fr. Roy Bourgeois (cont from page 10) Further, he wrote, that Vatican II, ―in The Church in the Modern World states: ‗Every type of discrimination… based on sex… is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God‘s intent.‘ ―The Church is in a crisis today because of the sexual abuse scandal and the closing of hundreds of churches because of a shortage of priests…we need the wisdom, experience and voices of women in the priesthood. ―As Catholics we believe in the primacy and sacredness of conscience…And it is my conscience that compels me to say that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is a grave injustice against women, against our Church and against our God who calls both men and women to the priesthood.‖ He noted a 1968 statement by the present Pope Benedict XVI: ―Over the Pope… there still stands one‘s own conscience before all else, if necessary, even against the requirement of ecclesiastical authority.‖ Roy‘s letter continues, ―What you are requiring of me is not possible without betraying my conscience. In essence, you are telling me to lie and say that I do not believe that God calls both men and women to the priesthood. This I cannot do, therefore I will not recant.‖ He has not as yet received a reply from the Maryknoll Superior General, Rev. Edward Dougherty, MM. Molly Rush is a member of the Thomas Merton Center‘s Board of Directors.
Photo by Linda
The most recent Peaceful Gathering of Hands. More than 500 people descended on Schenley Park to work for and celebrate peace. See calendar listings on page 16 for information about the next gathering. 14 - NEWPEOPLE
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SUBMIT! Your stories, letters, poems, essays, cartoon, photos to the NEWPEOPLE or they may never find an audience! Limit submission to 600 words. Photos or art should be sent as JPEG or TIFF. Postage may be mailed to The Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 Manuscripts will not be returned. All submissions become property of NEWPEOPLE, a publication of the Thomas Merton Center of Pittsburgh, and may be edited. ADVERTISING IS AVAILABLE. CONTACT NEWPEOPLE@THOMASMERTONCENTER.ORG DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION IS AUGUST 15TH THROUGH http://thomasmertoncenter.org/newpeople/submit-article/
East End Community Thrift Store 5123 Penn Avenue, Garfield (a few doors down from TMC)
Come in today Tuesday — Friday: 10 AM - 4 PM Saturday: Noon - 4 PM
What you donate, what you buy supports Garfield, supports the Merton Center.
~ TELEVISION ~ PCTV21 (COMCAST Channel 21/ VERIZON FIOS Channel 47) PROGRESSIVE PGH NOTEBOOK (check www.pctv21.org for schedule) Internet=( www.progressivepghnotebook.blip.tv ) DEMOCRACY NOW= 8 AM: AJ STREAM=9 AM ; FAULTLINES=9:30 AM CITY COUNCIL (COMCAST Channel 13 / Verizon FIOS Channel 44) Tuesdays Council Meetings; Wednesdays Standing Committees 10 AM Repeated at 7 PM / Repeated Sat & Sundays 10 AM and 7 PM (www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/council Legislative Info Center PA “SENATE JOURNAL” & HOUSE “ I ON PA” = Tuesdays 7 – 8 AM THOM HARTMANN.COM = LINK TV (DIRECT TV Channel 375/ DISH Channel 9415/ FREE SPEECH TV)
~ INTERNET RADIO ~ ITUNES click ―Radio‖, Double Click ―News/ Talk‖ , and Click ―KPTK 1090 PROGRESSIVE TALK= THOM HARTMANN NOON – 3 PM (Check other programs on KPTK and ITUNES) Information provided by Carlana Rhoten; graphics by Mana Aliabadi
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~ LOCAL RADIO ~
WRCT 88.3 FM DEMOCRACY NOW = 8 AM, MON – FRI RUST BELT RADIO = 6 PM on MON, and 9 AM on TUES FREE SPEECH RADIO = MON – FRI, 5:30 PM LAW AND DISORDER = 9 AM KDKA 1020 AM “CHRIS MOORE” = SUN, 4 – 9 PM. 412-353-1254
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August, 2011
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SOCIAL
ACTION
CALENDAR
Recurring Meetings and Meet Ups SUNDAYS __________________________ Anti-War Committee meeting Every other Sunday 2:00pm - 3:30pm Merton Center, 5129 Penn Ave., Garfield Book 'Em Packing Day Meets every Sunday 4:00pm - 7:00pm Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue Join others sending requested books to prisoners. Bring a group. For more info call the Thomas Merton Center, 412.361.3022 Human Rights Letter-writing Salon Meets every Sunday 4:00pm - 6:00pm Kiva Han, 420 S Craig St Write letters to combat human rights abuses! Meet local Amnesty International activists and other human rights enthusiasts, change the world, and have a grand old time. MONDAYS _______________________ Weekly North Hills Weekly Peace Vigil 4:30pm-5:00pm In front of the Divine Providence Motherhouse, 9000 Babcock Blvd., Allison Park Sponsored by the Pittsburgh North People for Peace & the Srs. of Divine Providence WEDNESDAYS ______________________ Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition Meets the 1st Wednesday of every month 5:30pm - 7:00pm Squirrel Hill Carnegie Library 5801 Forbes Avenue Meeting Room B Write On! Letters for Prisoner's rights Meets every Wednesday 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue, Garfield We need help answering our 60 letters a month from people in prison dealing with abuse and neglect. Come and meet new people, learn about people in prison while advocating for their rights from the outside! Please bring food to share! Info 412-361-3022 PUSH [Pennsylvanian United for Single Payer Healthcare] Meets monthly on the second Wednesday 6:15 pm Health Care 4 All PA office, 2101 Murray Av nue, Squirrel Hill All welcome Info: drdoneagain@yahoo.com Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (PADP) meeting Monthly on the first Wednesday 7:00pm - 8pm First Unitarian Church (Ellsworth/Morewood, Shadyside) For more information, call 412-384-4310. THURSDAYS _________________________ Green Party meeting First Thursday of the month 7:00pm - 9pm Citizen Power's offices, 2121 Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill, second floor FRIDAYS ____________________________ Peaceburgh Drumming Circle 7pm-8:00pm, Weekly Grandview Park in Mt. Washington Raise the Vibration for peace every Friday.... Consciously raise the vibration for peace!! FREE family friendly event. Bring drums, flutes, rattles, a didge (we REALLY need a didge) singing voices, dancing feet, and happy hearts!! Bring some food to share at
~ August ~ Friday, August 5th _____________ The TMC at Penn Avenue‘s Unblurred Gallery Crawl 6:00 to 9:00 PM Penn Avenue in Garfield Visit the Thomas Merton Center, Assemble, and The East End Community Thrift Shop as you browse art galleries on Penn Avenue at this monthly event. Saturday, August 6th Community Forum - What you should know about the war against Libya? 2:00 PM East Liberty Library 130 South Whitfield Street, 15206 Join the Party for Socialism and Liberation for a community forum to discuss : What the media isn't telling you about the war against Libya - U.S. imperialist objectives in Africa - What we can do to fight back against imperialism Event contact email: captgol2000@yahoo.com Saturday, August 6th Just Harvest Summer Family Picnic 3:00 to 8:00 PM West End-Elliot Overlook 599 Fairview Ave., 15220 off of Chartiers Ave. Games, Children's Activities, Prizes, Music: DJ Adam McGregor. 50/50 Raffle. Hot dogs, veggie burgers, beverages provided. Bring a covered dish. Great view of the City. Suggested donation $5/$15 family. Event contact email: kenr@justharvest.org Saturday, August 6th and 13th ______________________ Make Your Mark with Penn Avenue Pavers 12:00 to 4:00 PM Assemble 5125 Penn Ave, 15224 A mosaic making workshop: Create a mosaic tile that will be part of the Green + Screen sites on Penn Ave! For Kids of ALL ages; Snacks and Drinks! This is in part with the Eco- Designers Guild
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the potluck!! We need plates, ice, forks, cups, napkins, and drinks too. BRING A CAMERA — THE VIEW IS AWESOME!! SATURDAYS ________________________ Project to End Human Trafficking Volunteer signup 2nd Saturday of each month 10:00am - 12:00pm Campus of Carlow University Project to End Human Trafficking (PEHT) offers FREE public volunteer/information. Please pre-register by the Wednesday before via smohler@endhumantrafficking.org. For more information check out our website www.endhumantrafficking.org PEHT Information and Training Seminars Second Saturday of every month 12:00pm - 1:00pm Carlow University, Antonian Room #502, RSVP by the Wednesday before to smohler@endhumantrafficking.org Open to the public. Peace Vigils to End the War Every Saturday, following locations & times Regent Square Peace Vigil Corner of Forbes and Braddock 12:00pm - 1pm *Black Voices for Peace Anti-War Protest Corner of Penn & Highland in East Liberty 1:00pm - 2:00 pm Beaver County Peace Links Peace Vigil Beaver County Courthouse, 3rd Street (Beaver) 1:00pm - 2pm
Sunday, August 14th The 2nd Peaceful Gathering of Hands - Global Peace Day 2:00 to 7:00 PM Schenley Oval Meadow, next to the Skating Rink Approach from Blvd of the Allies, exit beside Schenley Swimming Pool 15217 The Peaceful Gathering of Hands is a free and collaborative event to unite diverse groups and individuals who are working for a peaceful and healthy Pittsburgh and Planet. A giant circle of holding hands every-hour-on-the-hour Bring instruments, outdoor games, food to share, items to share, a blanket or tent, eating implements, plus your talents and your visions for Peace (open mic!) Groups encouraged to bring their information for networking At least 500+ at the last event. Come join us! Wednesday, August 17th ___________________ Back2Books Party 4:00 to 7:00 pm Assemble 5125 Penn Ave, 15224 6 to 16-year olds welcome! Come make awesome things out of books!