Published by the Thomas Merton Center
PITTSBURGH’S PEACE & JUSTICE NEWSPAPER
VOL. 43 No. 6, June 2013
Activists Banner Bridge Against Corporate Personhood by Edith Bell Did you read the huge banner on the Greenfield Bridge on Friday, May 10? It was part of a National Action Day sponsored by Move To Amend to commemorate the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to give corporations the same rights as human persons have. This decision (Santa Clara County vs. the Southern Pacific Railroad) was a simple tax case that the Supreme Court in 1886 used to first impose the theory of "Corporate Personhood," granting corporations the Constitutional rights of human persons for the first time. Corporations (mostly railroads) had been working towards this victory since the passage of the 14th Amendment in 1868, which was meant to give constitutional rights to former slaves.
In this Issue “Gasland 2” Coming pg. 1&11
Transform Now Plowshare Members Imprisoned pg. 14
Limiting Corporate Power pg. 5
Daemons of Cultural Revolution pg.6
Move to Amend protests on the Greenfield Bridge, May 10. —Photo by Dan Schlegel
For nearly 20 years they brought case after artificial persons these human rights. But they case, seeking to win rights meant for living finally STOLE 'personhood' in Santa Clara. persons. And for all those years they failed How did they win? because there was no 'legal rationale' for awarding (continued on page 5)
Sweatshops: Why the Worker Rights Consortium?
May Day: Solidarity with Immigrants
by Joel Woller
by Martin Marinos
The recent Rana Plaza sweatshop disaster is only the largest and most publicized of a long, continuous seam of factory fires and other workplace atrocities in the garment industry. As the dust clears, a seemingly irrelevant but very important fact finally lies exposed to the light of day: garment workers in Bangladesh, the vast majority being girls and young women, produce more apparel for colleges and universities in the U.S. than for Walmart. But what if students organized?
This year’s May Day festivities drew more than 500 demonstrators to Pittsburgh’s South Side. The event began at 5 p.m. outside the office of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers. After an hour of speeches, demonstrators marched through Carson Street to the IBEW Local 5 Hall on Hot Metal Street. (continued on page 7)
Josh Fox’s
Gasland 2 Coming by Wanda Guthrie Josh Fox, director of the 2011 Academy Award-nominated documentary Gasland, will be in Pittsburgh on Thursday, June 20, at Soldiers and Sailors, to introduce the free screening of his upcoming film Gasland 2. The first time screenings will be seen in quite a few cities prior to the nationwide HBO premiere and will be an event that will invigorate community conversation. (continued on page 11)
(continued on page 8)
TMC works to build a consciousness of values and to raise the moral questions involved in the issues of war, poverty, racism, classism, economic justice, oppression and environmental justice. PERMIT NO. 458
TMC engages people of diverse philosophies and faiths who find common ground in the nonviolent struggle to bring about a more peaceful and just world.
June 2013
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East End Community Thrift
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New People Editorial Collective Robin Clarke, Rob Conroy, Paola Corso, Ginny Cunningham, Michael Drohan, Jona Dudley, Russ Fedorka, Martha Garvey, Carol Gonzalez, Bette McDevitt, Charles McCollester, Diane McMahon, Kenneth Miller, Jonathan Reyes, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush, Marcia Snowden, K. Briar Somerville, Jo Tavener
TMC Staff, Volunteers, & Interns Managing Director: Diane McMahon Office Coordinator: Marcia Snowden Office Volunteers: Kathy Cunningham, Monique Dietz, Mary Clare Donnelly, RSM Jasmine Khan, James Lucius, Melissa Morelli, Sarah Ney Finance Manager: Roslyn Maholland Assistant Bookkeeper: Mig Cole East End Community Thrift Store Managers: Shirley Gleditsch, Shawna Hammond, Dolly Mason Interns from local colleges and universities: Qing Li, Sarah Kuethe, Maddy Weiss, Gabby Toborg, Wes Davis, Evan Schindler, Sarah Ney
2013 TMC Board of Directors Ed Brett, Rob Conroy, Kitoko Chargois, Kathy Cunningham, Michael Drohan, Patrick Fenton, Carol Gonzalez, Mary Jo Guercio (President), Wanda Guthrie, Shawna Hammond, Ken Joseph, Edward Kinley, Chris Mason, Jonah McAllister-Erickson, Francine Porter, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush, Tyrone Scales, & M. Shernell Smith
TMC Standing Committees Board Development Committee Recruits board members, conducts board elections Building Committee Oversees maintenance of 5123-5129 Penn Avenue sites Development Committee Guides the strategic growth and expansion of the Center Membership Committee Coordinates membership goals, activities, appeals, and communications Editorial Collective Plans, produces and distributes The NewPeople newspaper Finance Committee Ensures financial stability and accountability of TMC Personnel Committee Oversees staff needs, evaluation, and policies Project Committee Oversees project applications, guidelines, and policies Special Event Committees Plans and oversees TMC fundraising events with members and friends Youth and Student Outreach Committee Coordinates outreach efforts with younger members of TMC
East End Community Thrift Celebrating 20 Years! This is a big year for Thrifty, twenty years strong and still growing and dedicated to service in the community! Stop by to say happy birthday and shop, volunteer, or donate from Tuesday to Friday 10-4, or Saturday from 12-4. Help us spread the love around at the East End Community Thrift Store! 412-361-6010
For General Information about the Thomas Merton Center: www.thomasmertoncenter.org
TMC Projects:
TMC Affiliates:
Anti-War Committee info@pittsburghendthewar.org www.pittsburghendthewar.org
Allegheny Defense Project, Pgh Office 412-559-1364 www.alleghenydefense.org
Book‘Em: Books to Prisoners Project bookempgh@gmail.com www.thomasmertoncenter.org/bookem
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Medicaid Expansion Wins Current Gun Legislation Page 5 Austerity: Class Warfare Limiting Corporations Cartoon by Russ Fedorka Page 6 Mike Stout Tours Germany Darfur Coalition Update Privatizing Liquor Page 7
June 2013
Amnesty International info@amnestypgh.org www.amnestypgh.org
Capital’s End 724-388-6258, iamholtz@iup.edu
The Big Idea Bookstore 412-OUR-HEAD www.thebigideapgh.org
CodePink: Women for Peace codepinkpgh@aol.com, 412-389-3216 www.codepink4peace.org
Black Voices for Peace Gail Austin 412-606-1408
East End Community Thrift Shop 412-361-6010, shawnapgh@aol.com
CeaseFirePA
Economic Justice Committee drohanmichael@yahoo.com
www.ceasefirepa.org
Environmental Justice Committee
Global Solutions Pittsburgh 412-471-7852 dan@globalsolutionspgh.org www.globalsolutionspgh.org
environmentaljustice@thomasmertoncenter.org
Fight for Lifers West fightforliferswest@yahoo.com
http://fightforliferswest.mysite.com Formerly Convicted Citiznes Dean Williams (412) 295-8606 Harambee Ujima/Diversity Footprint Twitter @HomewoodNation Human Rights Coalition / Fed Up (prisoner support and advocacy) 412-802-8575, hrcfedup@gmail.com www.thomasmertoncenter.org/fedup Marcellus Shale Protest Group melpacker@aol.com 412-243-4545
marcellusprotest.org
info@ceasefirepa.org
Citizens for Social Responsibility of Greater Johnstown Larry Blalock, evolve@atlanticbb.net PA United for a Single-Payer Health Care www.healthcare4allPA.org www.PUSH-HC4allPa.blogspot.com 2102 Murray Avenue Pgh, Pa 15217 412-421-4242 Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi 412-761-4319 Pittsburgh Committee to Free Mumia 412-361-3022 pghfreemumia@gmail.com
New Economy Working Group MollyRush@verizon.net
Pittsburgh Cuba Coalition 412-303-1247 lisacubasi@aol.com
Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance 412-867-9213
Pittsburgh Independent Media Center info@indypgh.org www.indypgh.org North Hills Anti-Racism Coalition 412-369-3961 www.northhillscoalition.com
Pittsburgh Campaign for Democracy NOW! 412-422-5377, sleator@cs.cmu.edu www.pcdn.org
Pittsburgh North People for Peace 412-367-0383 pnpp@verizon.net
Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition jumphook@gmail.com; www.pittsburghdarfur.org
Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee info@pittsburgh-psc.org www.pittsburgh-psc.org Raging Grannies 412-963-7163 eva.havlicsek@gmail.com
Pittsburgh Haiti Solidarity Committee jrothermel@gpcfb.org 412-780-5118 www.thomasmertoncenter.org/hs
www.pittsburghraginggrannies.homestead.com
Progressive Pittsburgh Notebook Call 412-363-7472 tvnotebook@gmail.com www.progressivepghnotebook.blip.tv
SW PA Bread for the World Donna Hansen 412-812-1553
Roots of Promise 724-327-2767, 412-596-0066 rootsofpromise@gmail.com spiritualprogressives.pgh@gmail.com
Religion and Labor Coalition 412-361-4793 ojomal@aol.com
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) 412-471-8919 www.ueunion.org Urban Bikers urbanbikes@yahoo.com
School of the Americas Watch W. PA 267-980-4878 nobler@thomasmertonccenter.org
Veterans for Peace kevinbharless@yahoo.com 252-646-4810
Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens Group/ Roots of Promise 724-327-2767 murrysvillemarcellus@gmail.com
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Eva 412-963-7163 edith.bell4@verizon.net
Whose Your Brother? 412-928-3947 www.whoseyourbrother.com
TMC is a Member of:
Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network 412-621-9230 office@piin.org
Table of Contents Page 1 Limiting Corporations Worker Rights Consortium May Day Immigration March Page 3 New Economy Latin American Solidarity Teens 4 Change Grantees Page 4 Comprehensive Health Care Bill
Association of Pittsburgh Priests Sr. Barbara Finch 412-716-9750 B.a.finch@att.net
May Day & Immigration Solidarity with Haiti Page 8 Sweatshops and Rights Rana Plaza, Bangladesh Page 9 Detroit— Fast Food Workers Strike Battle of Homestead Foundation Page 10 Grassroots Summer
Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Martha Connelly 412-361-7872 osterdm@earthlink.net
Summit Fracking Pennsylvania Page 11 Gasland 2 in Pittsburgh YERT in Indiana, PA Page 12 Accountable Police Chief Needed for Pittsburgh Black and White Reunion “Sestina:” a poem on race Page 13 Solitary Confinement
No More Prisons Celebrating Prisoners’ Rights Advocacy Page 14 Transform Now Plowshares Found Guilty Cardinal Dolan Comes Out as a Pharisee Page 15 New Board Member Tyrone Scales Prayer by Martin Sheen
Community Organizing New Economy Working Group Transforming Pittsburgh by Molly Rush Every meeting we learn something new and discuss ideas as we seek ways to identify, educate, support and involve more people in creating a diverse community. This community of people is one devoted to building an economy that is local, democratic, sustainable, and owned/controlled by the people. We have begun two projects that we hope will provide concrete support and inspiration to the many thousands of people who are already [whether they describe it in these terms or not] engaged in the growing movement for a New Economy. Mark Dixon, with the assistance of several interns, has initially identified 700 groups/projects and hundreds of websites that fit the general description of New Economy in seven categories: farm, food, arts, crafts, health, co-ops and ecology. These raw data need to be refined and followed up on with interviews to develop an accessible as well as useful resource. If you are interested in getting involved, contact mark@yert.org. Additionally, a planning committee has begun to develop plans for an early fall Community Conversation. A
diverse variety of people will be invited to celebrate, describe their work and experiences, discuss needs and explore ideas on how to share resources and increase our effectiveness as a community of changeseekers. We are also beginning to plan a major celebratory event in early Spring 2014. Contact convenor Ron Gaydos rgaydos@city-net.com to get involved. The events committee will meet on Monday, June 3rd at 3:30 pm at the Thomas Merton Center. Want to know more? Check out our local Facebook page and the national NEW Group www.neweconomyworkinggr oup.org . The next NEWG meeting will be on Wednesday, June 5th, at the Merton Center. We will be discussing the May Pump House forums on the Spanish Mondragon model of workerowned cooperatives and Western Pennsylvania initiatives. Contact me for more details at molly.rush@verizon.net . Molly Rush is co-founder of the Thomas Merton Center and a member of the editorial collective.
Radio-Active Resources Rich Fishkin’s Top Picks for Activist Radio Online
ALJAZEERA.COM – International news and public affairs, access to international radio and TV in English and native language DEMOCRACYNOW.ORG Live at 8:00 am: Pacifica Radio’s Democracy NOW! FSRN.ORG – Free Speech Radio News: national and international FREESPEECH.ORG – Free Speech TV: progressive news and public affairs RADIOPROJECT.ORG – Making Contact: 30-minute programs on a wide range of peace and justice issues WMNF.ORG – Community Radio from Tampa Bay, Florida RDWOLFF.COM—Tuesday at 11:00 am: Economic Update with Richard Wolff ALTERNATIVERADIO.ORG-Thursday at 11:00 am: Alternative Radio with David Barsamian TRUE TALK—Friday 11:00 am: current events in the Middle East COUNTERSPIN- Friday at 5:00 pm produced by FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) FAIR.ORG YOUTHRADIO.ORG – Youth Media International, a great model of radio journalism
Latin American Solidarity, Anyone? by Isaac Beachy
who may be interested to an exploratory meeting to see if there is a quorum of people who would have the energy to form such a committee. We’ll be meeting at 7 PM on Thursday, June 13 at the Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue in Garfield. If you have any questions or are interested but cannot make it at that time, please contact Isaac at (540) 209-0064 or at isaacbeachy@gmail.com.
There are a number of people in the Pittsburgh area who have a connection to or are simply interested in nonviolent movements for peace and justice in Latin America. We would like to see what possibility there is for the creation of a Pittsburgh Latin American Solidarity Committee to organmize in the Pittsburgh area in support of people’s movements in Latin America and educate locally about Latin American peoples and their struggles. Isaac Beachy recently returned from two The committee would focus on a specific years in Colombia, where he worked with country on a year to year basis. We’d like Fellowship of Reconciliation. to invite you and other people you know
Teens 4 Change Grantees Announced by Anne E. Lynch
allow us to cover everything we wanted, or go on the many possible field trips we could have, after reflecting on their final slate of grantees, I couldn’t be more proud of this group of young men and women. They are all true change-makers: Nijah Glenn, Madi McIntyre, Molly Morabito, Kendal Nasiadka, Zach Robinson, and Tahmina Tursonzadah. And now, the grantees chosen by the Teens 4 Change program participants: Alliance for Refugee Youth Support and Education - $1,000 to go to their PRYSE Academy, a pilot three-week summer program designed and run by college students to help refugee youth build confidence and knowledge to succeed in school and beyond. E’Racism at Shaler Area High School $1,000 to host a Celebration of Diversity conference in October 2013 where students in Allegheny County can come together to discuss issues of race, gender, ability, economic status, sexual orientation, and more. Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS, Inc. - $1,000 to grow their Youth Board of Directors by having a formal board orientation/training for them, and having funds to implement some of their recommendations for projects. Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Pittsburgh - $1,000 for their Peer Advocates for Safe Schools (PASS) program, which trains participants in youth leadership and supports monthly meetings covering skill building and advocacy planning geared toward creating safe schools for all. M-Powerment at Shaler Area High School - $500 to assist in their campaigns “Love Is the Movement” (raising awareness of depression and self-mutilation in teen girls), “Praise Leis” (promoting high selfesteem), and “Self Defense Self Esteem” (a confidence boost for young women). Seeds of Hope at Shaler Area High School - $500 to assist in the production and distribution of “Our Way Home,” a documentary about nine veterans and their transition home after various wars, addressing issues of mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder, and economic justice.
For the second year, Three Rivers Community Foundation (TRCF) ran its Teens 4 Change program. During the spring semester, a group of teens (six this year) were trained in social justice, philanthropy, and proposal review. At the end of the program, the teens were given a pot of money to grant out to youth-led social change projects taking place in southwestern Pennsylvania. Many people think that making grants is easy. After all, you’re just giving money away! As a seasoned grant reviewer, I can assure you that “easy” is not even close to how I’d describe grantmaking. At TRCF, our Grantmaking Committee puts in hours upon hours reading proposals, discussing them, rating them, and finally coming up with a slate to present to the Board for approval. Our teens did much the same, on a smaller scale. They met with us weekly to learn about what comprises social justice, how to evaluate projects, and, finally, how to come to the very difficult decision of who gets funded and who gets cut. The maturity shown in the teenage participants this year was amazing. We had freshmen through seniors, from both Oakland Catholic High School and Shaler Area High School. They researched and presented on philanthropists and social justice movements. They devised a mock project to better acquaint themselves with how to do project planning and evaluation. They listened intently to grant applicants and guest speakers who were invited to make presentations, and asked thoughtful questions. When the time came to decide, they carefully examined the budgets of projects, whether they had any outside support, and if they could still complete their project with a partial grant. To hear them say, “But is this really social change, or just helping individuals?” when first discussing the applicants, was heartwarming. They knew what to look for! As much as the other facilitator and I were “teachers,” we were also students. I can’t speak for the other facilitator (Abby Mundell), but I learned just as much from them as I hope they did from us. There were discussions about inequitable distribution of resources in schools, safety in schools, bullying, environmental justice, Anne E. Lynch is the Manager of and more. The teens felt safe enough to Operations at Three Rivers Community open up about issues they saw and how Foundation. frustrated they were about inequality. While time and funding restraints didn’t June 2013
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Health and Safety in Pennsylvania Senator Ferlo Reintroduces Comprehensive Health Care Bill by Molly Rush Even though young adults can now stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26, a new Commonwealth Fund report found that last year half of American adults between 19 and 64 had no health insurance for at least part of 2012 or were underinsured. Pennsylvania hospitals report shrinking profits due to uncompensated care and lower reimbursements from government programs such as Medicare. Furthermore, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office, 31 million Americans will still be without health insurance in 2023 under Obamacare. The answer to this problem is right here in Pennsylvania. Senate Bill 400, reintroduced by Sen. Jim Ferlo, would provide comprehensive care for all and still save $17 billion a year. Go to www.healthcare4allpa.org for details. Who would benefit from this bill? You. Even if you have insurance it is likely you are already facing higher premiums and copayments, or limits on coverage. With SB 400, workers would pay 3% of their pay and no premiums or co-pays. Businesses, educational and non-profit organizations would benefit as well. Instead of paying exorbitant rates to cover employees, employers would only have to pay 10% of payroll and have a healthier workforce and student body. Furthermore, providers would no longer have wasteful, time-consuming and
costly paperwork. Reimbursements would be paid for every patient. Labor unions would not have to battle over benefits. Instead wages and working conditions are on the table. Finally, the government would benefit as taxes would go into one pot and medical bills would be paid through a single program. Too good to be true? Only if you sit back and do nothing. Instead, you can call, write or meet with your state Senator and Representative to urge them to be a co-sponsor if they are not already on board. www.votesmart.org is an easy way to make that contact. Also, tell your friends, family, co -workers, neighbors, church and community groups about it. Invite organizations to endorse the bill. Share our literature: www.healthcare4allpa.org. Join HealthCare4AllPA/PUSH whose next meeting will be on June 6 at 7:30 pm in the office at 2012 Murray Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Send a donation and/or volunteer to staff the office. We need more active members to do outreach, lobbying, and to promote the EIS. Contact mjkuenzig@yahoo.com or molly.rush@verizon.net and check out www.push-hc4allpa.blogspot.com for updates. Molly Rush is co-founder of the Thomas Merton Center and a member of the editorial collective.
Win! Win! Win! Medicaid Expansion for Pennsylvania by Theresa Chalich, R.N. The Affordable Care Act offers Pennsylvania $43 billion over the next ten years to expand health care coverage to 700,000 working people. To date Governor Tom Corbett has refused to sign on to this lifesaving health insurance program. In the past month, there is irrefutable evidence from reports and the print media that this would be a winwin for our Commonwealth residents. WIN – My hometown of Johnstown’s newspaper The Tribune Democrat had a front page article on March 30th that read “Medicaid changes may mean new jobs: Up to 1,200 could be added in AltoonaJohnstown region.” The article presented the findings of a report commissioned by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. It found that expanding Medicaid would not only create 35,000 to 39,000 new jobs; it would generate $3.2 billion in economic activity in the state. And a good selling point would be that increased tax revenue would surpass any increased costs to our state 4 - NEWPEOPLE
government. The report’s researchers found that between 2014 and 2020, Medicaid expansion would lead to $1.6 billion in gross receipts from taxes and another $270 million in personal income taxes. Pennsylvania levies a 5.9% gross receipts taxes on Medicaid managed care organizations. Please note that for new job creation, the Altoona/Johnstown region includes Cambria, Somerset, Bedford, Blair and Indiana counties. WIN – As reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on April 24, the Independent Fiscal Office data indicate that Pennsylvania would gain federal money and reduce state expenditures if Governor Corbett agreed to expand the state’s Medicaid eligibility rules to cover our working uninsured residents. This office’s analysis found that by expanding Medicaid there would be an average annual effect increasing federal expenditures by $3.2 billion and decreasing net state expenditures by $190 million. The savings would result from moving people currently covered by a state-
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funded Medicaid to a federally funded Medicaid. WIN – The Pittsburgh PostGazette’s editorial “Growing Evidence: Corbett should heed the Pa. reports on Medicaid” on April 26 succinctly presented the body of reports that are evidence that Medicaid expansion would be good for Pennsylvania. Not only would the expansion benefit the state economically; it would provide a health coverage lifeline to uninsured adults. The newspaper editorialized that Governor Corbett should follow the advice of these reports and do what is best for our state. Healthy people and a healthy economy is a WIN-WIN for Pennsylvania! Contact Governor Tom Corbett!
Email: governor@pa.gov Main Office: 717-787-2500 SW PA Office: 412-565-5700 Theresa Chalich is an active advocate for a statewide/ federal Medicare For All single payer system. As a registered nurse, she has provided community and mental health nursing for people who are without homes.
CeaseFirePA Takes Stances on Current Gun Legislation by Rob Conroy CeaseFirePA was disgusted (but not discouraged) by our U.S. Senate's inability to even cast a VOTE on the merits of universal background checks (an issue that, it must be added, has long been a CeaseFirePA campaign). We applaud Senators Manchin and Toomey for reaching across the aisle to forge a compromise that, while not perfect, would certainly have worked to close many gun show loopholes. We're continuing to work with local partners like the Thomas Merton Center, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) and B-PEP/Coalition Against Violence to push for common-sense gun legislation on both a federal and local level. We're asking NewPeople readers to stand up and continually contact legislators about these two forms of pending legislation; the first being that which can keep our communities safer, and the second which threatens to permanently harm our communities. On the federal level, there's the aforementioned Toomey-Manchin Bill and its companion Bill in the U.S. House, HR 1565. These need to pass as soon as humanly possible. However, on the state level, even more things are happening, both positive and negative. First, there's HB 1010--our state House's Bill to enact universal background checks on all gun purchases. This Bill is stronger than ToomeyManchin and needs to get some much-needed support from our state representatives. Secondly, there is a Bill (as yet unnumbered) proposed by Representative Madeline Dean that would require gun owners across the state to report the loss or theft of any of their guns to the local police department, thus allowing the police to search for the gun before it inevitably winds up at a crime scene and thus giving police another tool in their arsenal to determine just who is illegally transferring guns to our communities. (This also ties in with CeaseFirePA's "Where Did the Gun Come From?" campaign that we have launched, building relationships with both the local media and the local police department to make sure that such a question is asked every time a shooting occurs and that information is provided throughout the investigation of each crime involving a firearm.) And lastly, there are Bills in the state House (HB 805) and state Senate (HB 876) that, if passed, will automatically grant--for the first time in history-automatic legal standing to a special-interest group (in this case, the NRA) and all of its members to sue municipalities who have passed local lost or stolen handgun reporting ordinances. The goal of HB 805 and SB 876 is to bully local legislative bodies into repealing their laws even before they reach a courtroom. Please contact your legislators to urge them to OPPOSE those Bills. If you have any questions about any of these legislative pieces, please do not hesitate to e-mail rob.conroy@ceasefirepa.org. Rob Conroy is the Western PA Coordinator of CeaseFirePA.
Money Ruling Politics Austerity: Class Warfare, Pennsylvania Style by Jo Tavener Austerity has come to our shores with a vengeance. Unwilling to learn from the disaster austerity bestowed upon Europe, the American investment class has pushed its beltway representatives to raise the payroll tax from 4.2 to 6.2 percent. Then, Congress allowed the sequester to take effect, cutting into the much needed safety net of social spending. Finally, Obama has offered cuts in social security with chained Consumer Price Index, another regressive measure and a double whammy. First Congress demands that we pay more into Social Security through the payroll tax only to syphon it off for the general budget. There was another way. Congress could have lifted the cap on the amount of Social Security income to be taxed. At present that cap is $113,700. That such a proposal is rarely mentioned let alone considered leads me to conclude that the beltway deficit hawks in both parties don’t care about the deficit. Rather, it’s a way to shred the safety net and end any possibility of economic opportunity. As Glen Greenwald, Guardian newspaper correspondent, argues, the growing income gap undermines democracy and the rule of law by creating two Americas in which every institution is bifurcated: the top 20% receiving one standard of care while the remaining 80% receive another. There are no credible arguments left justifying the rich having such tax benefits while the rest of us struggle with the effects of austerity. Many commentators begin with 2008 to tell the story of today’s economic woes. However, the only possible conclusion to draw from today’s austerity mania is to acknowledge that 2008 was only the latest moment of class war waged by the very rich against the rest of us. Actually we need to begin in the late 1970s, even before Reagan, when the falling rate of profit sparked a concerted business offensive to destroy the unions that were winning higher salaries and eroding their profits. Such organizations as the Chamber of Commerce, the Council for Growth and the Business Roundtable waged three decades of class war to lower worker salaries, rewrite the tax code to favor capital over labor, shred the social safety net and generally
undermine the progress made through Roosevelt’s New Deal and Johnson’s War On Poverty. One large part of the tax rewrite were the loopholes allowing corporations to move their offices offshore to protect their profits from being taxed. Trillions of dollars that could have spurred growth and undercut poverty as well as the deficit were out of reach, offshored by the very government that languished from lack of funds. Then came 2008. No longer able to use their homes as private ATMs, the middle class began its slide into near poverty as their children, swamped with college debt, headed towards the few low paying jobs available. The consequences of such a situation are well known: anger, cynicism and a growing political instability. Occupy Wall Street was only an opening salvo. There will be even more strident responses from both right and left, pulling the society further apart. It is in this context that we need to consider Pennsylvania’s House Bill 440, recently passed by the House 129 to 65. Governor Corbett’s central goal of his 2013 budget is to make Pennsylvania even more “business friendly” by cutting corporate taxes and providing even more tax breaks. (There will be no dedicated tax on natural gas extraction.) Enter HR44. It lowers the Corporate Net Income Tax (CNI) to 6.9% while appearing to make up for the cut by undoing the scandalous Delaware loophole, a tax-dodge that enabled 85% of all corporations to evade 450 million dollars of Pennsylvania taxes simply by registering in Delaware. According to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, HR 440‘s limited add -back provision won’t close the Delaware loophole, thereby enlarging the already 4.2 billion state deficit. Corbett is also set on phasing out such corporate taxes as the capital stock and franchise tax. To pay for such corporate largess, Corbett will make deep cuts to basic education funding of
more than a billion dollars along with pay and benefit cuts for public employees, a pay freeze for teachers and even more job layoffs. In effect, Corbett’s budget, along with its ongoing rollback of government oversight (see the new powers for the Secretary of Community and Economic Development) turns Pennsylvania into little more than a third-world, corporatecolonized territory: little investment in its people or its sustainable industries along with resource extraction and land depletion by corporations from which little is demanded financially or environmentally. How long are Pennsylvanians going to stand for such shabby treatment? Are we willing to watch our way of life just disappear into a sink hole of corporate profits? Taking a stand against Corbett and his 2013 budget is about regaining our power to fight against a corporate coup d’etat facilitated by political hacks in Harrisburg and Washington. Jo Tavener is a member of the editorial collective and a retired assistant professor of critical media and cultural studies with previous experience working in the NYC film industry and teaching at New York University School of the Arts. Cartoon by Russ Fedorka
Limiting Corporate Power (continued from front page)
Edith Bell (right) protests corporations on the Greenfield Bridge at the May 10 Move to Amend banner action.
What changed in 1886? For one thing they had an insider. The court reporter, John Chandler Davis, was a retired railroad executive. He penned a 'headnote' which was illegitimately used as a precedent to cement the concept of 'corporate personhood'. For another thing, the justices finally succumbed in 1886 to years of outright bribery and graft to go along with this theft of personhood. The 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission added icing to the cake of corporate power, confirming Corporate Personhood and declaring money as equal to free speech. Now we deal with the consequences of these decisions in all segments of our society. Just to give a few examples of corporate influence; surely you can think of dozens more. Environment: Oil, gas and coal industries get more governmental subsidies than renewable energies. Governor Corbett is beholden to the fracking industry. Climate change is not addressed, because of pressure by the polluters. Employment: Union organizing is suppressed. Manufacturing jobs are sent oversees.
Finance: Still no bank regulations, even after the bailout. Healthcare: Single Payer will not even be discussed, because it would cut out the profit-making insurance companies. War and peace: War profiteers keep pushing for military interventions to justify the making of more weapons. Taxes on corporations have been cut to the point where many do not pay any taxes. Corporate money can dictate to Congress what laws to pass or defeat. A lobbyist can go to a congressman with a bag of money demanding the passage of a specific bill, with this threat: "This money is yours, if you introduce this bill and get it passed; but if you won't, it's okay too, because Mr.X will do it, and we will use this money to defeat you in the next election and put X in your place." Elected officials have become dependent on corporate money for their campaigns, which carries more weight in their actions than public opinion. We must change the rules, which is only possible through an amendment to the Constitution. Judging by the reaction to our recent demonstration, people appear to understand the influence of corporations. Stuck in traffic on the parkway under the bridge, they could see our banner, and they honked in agreement. Driving slowly in rush hour traffic over the bridge, they reacted to our signs "Corporations are not Persons" and "Money is not Free Speech" by honking and giving us thumbs up. Even though the corporate media did not deem our effort worth mentioning, thousands of people saw our signs and lots of them agreed. Let's mobilize this sentiment into action. For more information and how to get involved, visit www.MoveToAmend.org or contact Marcia Bandes at mbandes@c9n.com Edith Bell is coordinator of WILPF/Pittsburgh (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom) and co-founder and member of Move To Amend.
June 2013
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Community Pittsburgh for News Justice "Privatizing" Liquor vs. the Good of Pennsylvania
Mike Stout Sings in Germany to Children Victimized by War by Bette McDevitt Photo by Bette McDevitt
Pittsburgh-based activist and musician Mike Stout's first audience on his 2013 European tour was 200 children who are victims of war. They have been carried to Germany for free medical care and rehabilitation at Friedensdorf, in Oberhausen. The children kept time to Mike's strong rhythmic beat, with their hands, their feet and their crutches . These resilient children, from Afghanistan, Angola and all
countries who suffer from wars, are, according to Wolfgang Mertens, psychology professor, the unfortunate ones. "These are the ones we can help. Think of the ones we had to leave behind." It isn't often that we Americans face war up close. There is nothing quite like seeing it on the face or limbs of an innocent child. Mike, his wife Steffie, his accompanist, Thomas Rische, and his agent Annette Schling and I, with my friends Freyja and Bjorn, hope we brought them some happiness. I cannot put into words easily what the children gave us. Bette McDevitt is a member of the New People editorial collective.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was established by an act of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and signed into law by liberal Republican Governor Gifford Pinchot in 1933, only days before the repeal of the failed Prohibition of alcohol in the U.S. Rank and file employees, clerks, and store supervisors are hired on the merit system and must complete a Civil Service exam before they can be considered for employment in any of the Commonwealth's more than 600 Wine and Spirits Stores. Areas of demonstrated competency include product knowledge, consumer math (i.e.: how to run a cash register) and basic computer skills (for conducting online product searches for customers). In addition, all employees must be physically able to lift full cases of wine and liquor (weighing 40-60 lbs.) Aside from supervisors, who have plenty of desk work, most clerks spend virtually all day on their feet. Most stores are open 9AM to 9PM daily, Mon.-Sat. Some stores are also open Noon-5PM on Sundays. Most full-time employees work five eight-hour days each week, less a half hour for meals. Full time employees usually are only given one Saturday off each month except for Nov./ Dec. A normal two-day weekend is a rarity for PLCB joined several national circular letter store employees. As Civil Service and lobbying campaigns to keep the focus on solutions in Sudan and South workers we are charged with Sudan. We maintained close ties with enforcing Commonwealth Laws concerning the sale of the Sudanese diaspora in Pittsburgh, interested citizens and religious alcohol to customers. We are forbidden to sell anything, organizations. For next year we are planning a new even so much as a corkscrew, special project to highlight the plight of to persons who are visibly intoxicated, to minors, or even internally displaced persons and refugees from Darfur and other areas of to persons who appear to us to be minors. If a group of Sudan. We will be creating more than 215 professionally printed waterproof customers come into our store signs to add to our existing 600+ signs and even one of them appears to be underage and cannot of destroyed villages in Darfur and South Sudan. These new signs will provide a valid photographic form of verifiable each bear the name of an internal displacement camp in Darfur or refugee identification when camps for Darfur refugees in Chad. We challenged, we must deny service to all members of that will also be documenting village destructions and refugee camps in group--unless that individual border areas of North and South Sudan is a minor child of one of the and we will invite refugee speakers to other customers. As enforcers of PA comment and bear witness in a daylong statutes regarding alcohol event here in Spring 2014. For this project and to continue our purchases we are liable to termination from work, we will need your financial support. . Tax deductible donations employment, loss of our individual homes and should be sent to: property in the event of a civil PDEC, c/o Thomas Merton Center liability case, and even arrest 5129 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh and, potentially, 15224 imprisonment, if we Write PDEC on the memo knowingly sell so much as a miniature bottle of whiskey to line. Donors will be recognized in connection with the new sign project. a customer who is either visibly intoxicated or a legal Please check out our website at http://www.pittsburghdarfur.org David minor. Each year, PLCB employees issue more than Rosenberg is the coordinator of the one million ID "challenges" to Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency customers who appear to us to Coalition. be underage. In any typical week I deny service to at least one or more customers who
Darfur Coalition Update by David Rosenberg The Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition (PDEC) wishes all of our friends and supporters an enjoyable summer vacation. Our last two meetings before the summer break took place on Wednesday May 1, and Wednesday, May 15, at 5:30 p.m. at the Squirrel Hill Library. We will resume meeting in August. In August PDEC will mark its ninth year anniversary. I wish to acknowledge the special contribution of my colleague Mary Dawn Edwards, who has been with PDEC since the beginning. Here are a few highlights from the past year. We were privileged to host a visit to Pittsburgh by the Retiring U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan Ambassador Princeton Lyman. Ambassador Lyman attended a dinner hosted by PDEC and the Sudanese Community and spoke at the University of Pittsburgh with support from the Ford Institute for Human Security. In connection with this visit, Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto sponsored a ceremony honoring Ambassador Lyman's service. Councilman Peduto has been a stalwart champion for Darfur and Sudan and has worked closely with us for the past seven years including traveling with PDEC in March 2006 for the big Darfur rally in Washington D.C., and taking the lead in advocating for the release of detained human rights leader Hawa Salih. We worked with students at the University of Pittsburgh's refugee organization (FORGE), a refugee support group, on a recent program at the university. We
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by Fred Gustafson
either appear to me to be intoxicated or who lack proper ID. This is one reason why Pennsylvania is in the lowest third of states nationally in per capita drunk driving deaths, and I am proud of that. Our salaries as PLCB employees come directly from profits generated by sales. Not a cent of taxpayer money is spent on the upkeep and operation of the stores. The PLCB turns over a half-billion dollars in revenue to the Commonwealth annually. Taxes to fund local government from PLCB revenues exceed another $100 million. Out of that comes money for roads, schools and programs to educate kids on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. The Governor and now the PA House that passed legislation in May wants to sell off the entire system to private special interests--the Wal-Marts, other "box-stores" and liquor companies. We clerks get along well with our customers. But occasionally one of them will come up to the counter and grumble something like, "Y'know, I can get this cheaper in Florida." I stifle the urge to say, "Take the PA Turnpike east to I-95 and just head south, you should be there in about 12 hours," and instead imagine saying something like, "Right: And two-thirds of all Florida high school seniors can't locate Florida on a map. You want schools like that in Pennsylvania?" I point out that getting rid of the state store system will permanently blast a half-billion dollar crater in the Commonwealth's annual revenues, which will most likely be made up, if it is made up at all, by increasing one or more of the following: 1. State and local property taxes, 2. Raising the state sales tax, already one of the highest in the nation, or 3. Raising the state income tax. All of these alternatives are regressive and will fall hardest on the poor and the working class. If you're like me you've probably heard people talk about overpaid state employees. I've worked for the PLCB for 11 years: I belong to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and make a living wage. I put in a good day's work and earn every penny that lands in my pay envelope. As of this year, I have been employed somewhere almost without interruption for over 40 years, since the day I started as a dishwasher at age 16. I'd be remiss not to mention my personal stake--a stake which nearly 6,000 Pennsylvania LCB workers share--in this issue. I honestly don't know what we'll do if the PLCB is abolished and I lose my job. I have no wish to be a burden and the statistics for re-employment, to say nothing of those for longevity, are not encouraging for unemployed guys my age. Senate hearings on liquor-store privatization are being held now. I urge every reader to call their State Senator and tell them to vote down this legislation when it comes to the Senate floor. If you could do that, you'd have my thanks and God's blessings. Fred Gustafson, winner of the Western Pennsylvania Press Association Golden Quill Award, received an M.A. in History and Political Science from Edinboro University in 1990 and a B.A. in Political Science from Allegheny College in 1979.
Latin America Solidarity May Day Solidarity with Immigrant Workers (continued from page 1) A diverse group of organizations participated in the demonstration including OnePittsburgh, Fight Back Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh United, The Latino Graduate Student Association and The Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network. Union representatives including members of the United Steel Workers (USW) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) also celebrated International Workers’ Day. Many bystanders demonstrated their support by raising their fists to express solidarity with the marchers. The May Day rally joined its traditional focus on labor history with the pressing contemporary issue of immigrant workers’ rights. Sam Williamson, an organizer with the SEIU, skillfully connected the radical history of May Day with the plight of undocumented workers. Ana, an immigrant woman, spoke about the constant threat of deportation and the constant fears that she and her hard-working family face every day. This International Workers’ Day rally highlighted at least two encouraging developments in the struggle for workers’ rights. First, it appears that large demonstrations are becoming more common in the United States on May Day, a holiday deeply rooted in workers’ struggle and the global history of the Left. Second, the event showed that U.S. labor unions recognize the importance of organizing undocumented workers. In the last two decades the Right in the U.S. and Europe, have successfully
created and sustained a negative image of immigrants by highlighting terms like, “illegals.” This negative name created a divide between native-born workers, and immigrant and migrant workers. During this May Day march, labor unions in Pittsburgh countered this artificial separation by resisting the term “illegal,” building solidarity with immigrants and reclaiming their shared identity as “workers.” Martin Marinos is a graduate student from Bulgaria at the University of Pittsburgh.
Photos by Tom Jefferson
Fredler and Chedlin—Homeward Bound to Haiti called CLM, which (in management classes. I think I This whole experience Creole), stands for pathway am a much better public not only enlightens the to a better life. We train speaker now. Before I was students, but all those families and teach them to shy; now I just want to talk. involved in the project. write their names.I’d like to Q: Why should When I asked a few hosts go back to this job because why they would recommend someone sponsor a it’s pretty neat to see the hosting a student, the student to support answers were heartwarming. change in peoples’ lives. the Fonkoze – Chedlin’s host, Ginny, says, Q: What Haiti Solidarity “I just believe in helping for would you project? the cause. The primary say to reason is that we are retired someone from and not physically capable of Fonkoze who is going to Haiti, but we can thinking about still help. Hosts Haitian students and Fonkoze employees Fredler Jean-Louis and applying for this H a i t are i Solidar Chedlin Gerve. Photo by Joyce Rothermel program? ity Comm ittee them a bit about their by Allie Makosky A: Chedlin: I would tell Sunda y experiences here in the U.S.. them to just do it. It’s a great , making Just two weeks ago, I sat 6:00— June 2 opportunity to learn. Do it. Q: What was your role at a difference in 9 down to lunch with Fredler :00 pm 1 2 Fonkoze when you came 6 Q: From your studies at the student’s life so that S. High and Chedlin, two Haitians land A here and what do you hope to Duquesne, what did they can make a employed at Haiti’s ve. difference do when you go back? at home. It was alternative bank for the you find most an extremely rewarding organized poor, Fonkoze. A: Fredler: I used to work helpful? experience, personally. They arrived in Pittsburgh for the transfer department A: Fredler: In A: Chedlin: And having someone last August on a Duquesne where we take care of money my accounting class When you finance this from another culture and scholarship to study in transfers from the U.S. to and looking at income project, you are helping getting to show them Pittsburgh for a year, Haiti. We also had a call statements, I can see how Haitians to come here and around…it’s nice.” improving their business center where members could companies are doing well to go back to Haiti and help, A host the first skills to take back with them. report issues and we could and not. Before, I had no not just Fonkoze but the semester, Janet, found Their English skills were act on them. I’d like to idea how to do that. Also my whole country. I encourage that, “It is fascinating to phenomenal by the time I become head of the transfer management and business it. learn from a person from a met them, making it a department. classes gave me team skills. smooth and entertaining Q: Why was this experience non-European country. A: Chedlin: I was working A: Chedlin: I’d say my Fonkoze is a very conversation. So I asked important to you as a manager at a program communications and worthwhile cause and I think professionally and more people should learn personally? it. It is enriching and I Needed: Room and Board for Haitian Students A: Fredler: Before I came about don’t have children at home The Pittsburgh Haiti Solidarity Committee (HSC) seeks two host families to provide to Fonkoze, I majored in now, but I’d recommend a room and board for a student from Haiti’s Bank for the Organized Poor (Fonkoze) who Computer Science. Working family with children as well. has received a scholarship to study at Duquesne University from mid-August 2013 to there and coming here, I was If you have something to early May 2014. Host families provide a room for sleeping and studying to the student given another perspective on offer, offer it.” and food (not necessarily prepared meals). Fonkoze funds cover the costs for air travel how to set a framework to do and initial costs. . HSC pays for books, health insurance/medical care and a monthly my job even better. I made a Allie Makosky is a summer stipend for incidentals transportation costs (monthly bus passes), gives guidance with lot of friends here, and intern with the Pittsburgh signing up for courses, keeps in communication with the host family, acts as a liaison specifically my host family is Haiti Solidarity Committee with Fonkoze, and provides a cell phone and social support. The commitment from a like an extension of my and a student at the host family can be for the full year or for one semester only. For more information, actual family. I will keep in University of Pittsburgh. contact Joyce Rothermel at 412-271-8414. contact.
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Bangladeshi Beat Why the Worker Rights Consortium Matters (from page 1) So, what if a large number of American academic institutions, led by undergraduate students, came together to support workers’ rights, women’s rights, and human rights for the people who make the sweatshirts and other items which sport our beloved college and university logos? What if academic communities formed an organization to stand in solidarity with garment workers’ demands for workplace dignity and safety; living wages; an end to slavery, sexual abuse, and child labor; and the right to organize unions to secure and extend all of these rights? What if college and university faculty, staff, and especially students, took responsibility for ensuring that the apparel factories with which we do business are inspected by monitors trusted by apparel workers and their communities, and that apparel brands and the factories which supply them are held to enforceable, legally binding standards? What if? What if, indeed. We’re finding out “what if,” because the organization described above—the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) —already exists. Pitt is not yet affiliated with the WRC, but no less than 25 campus student organizations have called on its administration to join Carlow, Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, and at least 177 other colleges and universities which are already members. The WRC is taking a leading role in addressing the implications and deeply-rooted causes of catastrophes such as Rana Plaza. The WRC is not calling for consumer boycotts, because that is not what Bangladeshi garment workers want. Instead, the WRC uses contracts and licensing agreements, along with the power of public disclosure of workplace conditions and public outrage when employers are indifferent to workers’ dignity, to help workers to enforce their legal and moral rights and prevent further atrocities. Of course, this is no easy task, and many details remain to be worked out. Nevertheless, the overall direction is clear. The WRC was established in 2000, mainly by members of United Students Against Sweatshops, who were unwilling to accept the inherent limitations of monitors such as the Fair Labor Association (FLA). Unlike the FLA, the WRC is independent from the influence of apparel brands. In other words, unlike the FLA, and much like the New York State Factory Investigating Commission, which rose from the ashes of the infamous Shirtwaist Triangle Factory fire of 1911, the WRC exercises what liberation theologians might call “the preferential option for the poor.” It’s an advocate, not a judge. Instead of trying to say what is “fair” for 8 - NEWPEOPLE
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someone else, we who are working with the WRC try to hear the voices of the workers as they demand their rights—and to “accompany” those workers, side by side, as they pursue those rights while we pursue our own. The message of Bangladeshi garment workers is consistent; it is not complicated, and you don’t need to go far to “take it personally.” In 2009, Kalpona Akter, the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS) and a former child laborer herself, advised Pittsburgh City Council that the WRC provides Pittsburgh and Allegheny County with a model for enforcing our existing antisweatshop laws. Her speech echoed the one delivered by Sk Nazma, President of the BCWS and another former child worker, who spoke at Freedom Corner in the fall of 2004. She said, “We demand that the workers be treated as human beings, with their rights respected, and paid a fair wage. And we want the right to organize more than anything else.” The statements of Kalpona Akter and Sk Nazma harmonized with that of Maksuda, a Bangladeshi factory worker who also spoke in 2004 at Freedom Corner. Maksuda started in the garment factories at the age of 11. She describes being kicked in the stomach, by a supervisor, while pregnant and the effects this violent act still was having on her daughter, two years old when Maksuda visited Pittsburgh. She goes on to describe being cheated out of her legally mandated maternity leave. She said: “We need these jobs. But we want the companies to stop abusing us.” The WRC amplifies these challenging voices, and helps us to take up their call to action. Joel Woller has participated in United Students Against Sweatshops at Carnegie Mellon and Carlow Universities and in the Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance.
Rana Plaza Collapse, Sweatshops, and Us by Michael Drohan Walmart advertises its products with the slogan “Everyday lowest prices.” It proves to be a winner, attracting customers in the millions. Through their slogan, they and countless other retail outlets have seduced us into thinking only of the price tag when we go about shopping for our needs. Other factors such as a fair wage for the workers who produced our food, clothes, appliances, automobiles, cell phones and computers do not come into the equation. Environmental damage caused in their production is still further removed from our consciousness. When a calamity such as the collapse of Rana Plaza in Dhaka, Bangladesh, occurs with casualties well in excess of 1,000 young women and men, we are all shocked by the sweatshop conditions in Bangladesh and the inhumanity of the owner, Sobel Rana, but we do not make the connections to ourselves and our purchasing choices. In a very real sense, we are all implicated in the tragedy of the collapse of Rana Plaza and the exploitation of those victims. It is far too easy to just blame Walmart, J.C.Penney, Benneton and Gap and claim that we are just victims of their seductive pricing practices. No matter where we are in the chain between the sweatshops of the world and the final consumer, we are implicated and have responsibilities. Even if we purchase in the secondary clothing market such as our own Thrifty Store, we can scarcely claim immunity and innocence. The collapse of Rana Plaza in far away Bangladesh and the explosion of the fertilizer plant in West, Texas, within days of each other have many traits in common and a long prehistory. Both these tragedies occurred because of poor standards, cost-cutting in materials and construction costs and poor if any state regulations. It is no secret that corporations get their goods manufactured in places like Bangladesh because of low wages, low regulation requirements and overall low costs of production. That is what makes the “everyday lowest prices” possible, but Walmart does not want us to think about why their prices are lowest. The lowest prices do not come about because Walmart and its like are satisfied with the lowest profits. No, their profits are in
fact the highest and the cost of the lowest prices is borne by the exploited workers of the Rana Plazas of the world. Texas and the southern states of the U.S. generally are known for their lax regulations, right-to-work labor conditions and consequent low wages. These are the characteristics that connect these two manufacturing tragedies. The prehistory of Rana Plaza can be traced back to the beginnings of the industrial revolution and the “satanic mills” of England and the United States. To name just a few similar disasters of that period, there was the Washburn mill explosion in Minneapolis in 1878, the 1905 Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts, the 1911 Shirtwaist factory fire in Manhattan. Poor building standards and regulations, together with cost-cutting, characterized all these enterprises. In all these cases, the victims, just as in Rana Plaza, were young exploited women. In one sense then, there is nothing new with Rana Plaza as it fits into a long list of similar tragedies. The only facet of this tragedy that is novel is its location in Bangladesh. Industrial production has now, by and large, abandoned the old industrial heartland of Europe and Japan for the cheap labor capitals of the world. The race to the bottom in wages and working conditions has discovered Bangladesh and is in search of even lower wage havens. Rana Plaza tells us more about globalization than we may wish to know. It certainly reveals the underside of globalization and casts serious doubts about the wonders of the global marketplace and production platform. In the wake of the Rana Plaza collapse, many prestigious brand name clothing enterprises have been showing some contrition and commitment to higher standards. Many more are in denial of having any hand, act or part in sweatshop labor conditions. Much more, however, is demanded of us all. A revolution of consciousness is called for in all of us in that we have to wean ourselves from the sticker price label as the criterion of purchase-ability. But more than that, solidarity has to be built between the workers and the consumers of the world. The injury produced in the exploitation of poor female Bangladeshi textile workers is an injury to all. It cannot stand.
Michael Drohan is a member of the editorial collective and the board of the Thomas Merton Center.
Rana Plaza, Bangladesh
- The Daily Star
Labor Justice Detroit Fast Food Workers on Strike by Martin Marinos On May 10 fast food restaurant workers in Detroit walked out of their workplaces in protest. Prior to this demonstration similar strikes took place in Chicago, New York, St. Louis and other cities. The Detroit strike was called, “the largest fast food strike in American history.” Approximately 400 workers from 60 franchises participated, causing major disruptions and even closures of some restaurants. Detroit fast food workers are demanding a compensation rate of $15 per hour and the right to unionize without interference. The fast food industry in Detroit employs more than 50,000 workers, making it the third largest employer in the city. Working conditions are often poor and wages are very low. While the corporations that operate fast food restaurants pocket billions of dollars in profit, most fast food workers are paid minimum wage. Chanting slogans like, “Can’t survive on $7.45,” and “If they don’t hear us, we’ll shut them down!” workers forcefully expressed their discontent with the low wages and standard of living in one of the most economically depressed cities in America. One of the most memorable protests took place in front of a McDonald’s located at the corner of Gratiot Avenue and Knodell Street. This location exemplifies Detroit’s current state of affairs. The
was accompanied by motivational speeches by Rev. Charles Williams II, president of the National Action Network. A large number of striking workers and demonstrators from all parts of the city convened in front of the Detroit Federation of Teachers building in downtown Detroit. From there more than 500 people restaurant faces a row of boardedmarched towards a McDonald’s up houses, one of which was smoldering. Demonstrators began to located in downtown Detroit. gather at this eerie location at 5 a.m. Singing chants like, “They can’t in spite of heavy rain. More than ten bring us down, Detroit is a union restaurant employees walked out to town” and, “I am hungry, I’m broke, I can’t pay the rent, I must be join the raucous crowd. a part of the 99%,” the marchers McDonald’s responded by closed a major intersection in attempting to bring in replacement downtown Detroit. workers. To the dismay of the The May 10 protests were restaurant’s managers, the successful because of the courage of replacement workers were persuaded by their fellow workers Photo by Martin Marinos to join the strike. The twenty Taken in Detroit workers protesting in front of the restaurant halted the franchise’s operations. At another site more than 100 people disrupted the opening of a Long John Silver’s located on the famous 8 Mile Road. The restaurant did not open because its entire staff joined the strike. Four police cars made sure that the driveway remained open so that patrons could continue to enter the restaurant. After realizing the restaurant wouldn’t be able to open most of the police left. The demonstration Photo by Martin Marinos
Celebrating Charlie McCollestor
Martin Marinos is a graduate student from Bulgaria at the University of Pittsburgh.
Battle of Homestead Foundation 2013 PUMP HOUSE EVENTS Waterfront Drive, Munhall, PA JUNE 8, 2013, Saturday, 1:30 P.M. THE CHALLENGE OF ORGANIZING THE SERVICE AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRIES IN PITTSBURGH.
YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND A SPIRITED CELEBRATION AND ROAST TO HONOR AND THANK CHARLIE MCCOLLESTER.
JUNE 27, 2013, Thursday, 7:30 P.M. WITH BABIES AND BANNERS: THE STORY OF THE WOMEN’S EMERGENCY BRIGADE. Directed by Lorraine Gray, New Day Films, 1978. 45 mins. JULY 6, 2013, Saturday, 1:30 P.M. CRITICAL MEMORIES: LABOR HISTORY AND THE IMAGINATION OF A BETTER WORLD. Charles Mccollester, guest of honor and speaker USW annual Bernie Kleiman Lecture, Carnegie Library of Homestead– 111th Anniversary of the Battle of Homestead.
Saturday, July 6th
JULY 25, 2013, Thursday, 7:30 P.M. THE CRISIS IN THE CONGO: UNCOVERING THE TRUTH. (2011). 30 mins. Followed by a discussion with Friends of the Congo.
1:30pm—5:00pm
AUGUST 24, 2013, Saturday, 1:30 P.M. AVELLA: A HOMETOWN STRUGGLE. and THE LILLY STORY: A SMALL TOWN TAKES A STAND.
Roast starts at 5:00pm
AUGUST 29, 2013, Thursday, 7:30 P.M. NOTHING BUT A MAN! (1964). 95 mins. And GOP ‘CHANGING THE RULES’ TO SUPPRESS THE VOTE (2012) 7 1/2 mins.
Carnegie Library of Homestead 510 E 10th Ave
SEPTEMBER 21, 2013, Saturday, 1:30 P.M. THE CONTINUING FIGHT FOR VOTING RIGHTS IN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE UNITED STATES.
by Millie Beik Charlie will have to work for this honor! He will deliver the annual Bernard Kleiman Lecture, “Critical Memories: Labor History and the Imagination of a Better World.” Testimonials and a reception
Detroit’s fast food workers paired with the guidance and support of the Service Employee International Union (SEIU). Since the city’s auto industry is no longer among Detroit’s top five employers, it is important that workers in the “new economy” organize sustainably on a large scale. SEIU ensured that the strike was effective and free from injunction. Their tactics included bringing in supportive demonstrators to encourage workers to walkout. Demonstrators did not block driveways, entrances and pedestrian traffic to avoid legal infringement. The audacity Detroit fast food workers demonstrated in their fight for unionization serves as an inspiration to workers globally. In addition, the support they received from the SEIU highlights the ongoing importance of unions in the struggle against corporate greed.
will follow. For more information, call Millie Beik at 412-831-3871. If you can’t come, please send a short message for the program book. Email your message to steel.printers@verizon.net, with Charlie as the subject. Come and join us!!!
SEPTEMBER 26, 2013, Saturday, 7:30 P.M. BRIDGE TO FREEDOM (1965) 55 mins. And GOP ‘CHANGING THE RULES’ TO SUPPRESS THE VOTE OCTOBER 5, 2013, Saturday, 1:30 P.M. POETRY at the PUMP HOUSE: Peter Oresick and Jan Beatty. OCTOBER 31, 2013, Thursday, 7:30 P.M. THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick. Eating Studios, England. 1951. 85 mins.
June 2013
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Fracktivism Environmentalists Host Grassroots Summer Summit by Wanda Guthrie The Mountain Watershed Association (MWA), will be hosting a Grassroots Summer Summit Friday and Saturday, June 21 and 22, 2013. Learn new skills in the woods -- the best way to reconnect with who you are and why you continue this crucial work to protect and preserve our rights, resources, and future. We’re hoping fractivist
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attendees will return to their communities with more tools, stamina, and inspiration. The featured speakers will be: Lois Gibbs, best known for organizing her community of Love Canal and founding Center for Health Environment and Justice, (CHEJ), and Dr. Simona Perry, founder of the Community Awareness and Solutions for Empowerment (C.A.S.E.) Cooperative. Lois’s workshop will focus on reaching hardto-reach community members by shaping the message of our struggles to be relevant to a wider audience. Simona’s workshop will cover strategies and messaging for non-violent communication. The Environmental Justice Committee has invited Elliot Adams, former President of Veterans for Peace and Facilitator for Creating a Culture of Peace, to present a workshop on the 8 Stages of a Movement Action Plan for Social Change and the importance of community for each step. We are grateful to the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds
and the Heinz Endowments whose funding makes this Grassroots Summit possible. This has helped us keep registration for this two-day event very low. For $30, participant registration includes overnight bunk accommodations in renovated lodges onsite at McKeever Environmental Center, Sandy Lake, PA. Additionally, this all-access pass to the Summit will include materials. A meal option is available for an addition $12-18 per day; however participants may bring their own food if they wish.
It is possible to arrange for travel scholarships which will be offered to registrants who otherwise cannot afford to attend due to costs for travel/childcare/etc. Call Melissa at 724-3880464 ext. 6# or email <melissa@mtwatershed.com> if you're interested in attending. Wanda Guthrie is chair of the Thomas Merton Center Environmental Justice Committee and a member of the board.
Environmental Films Josh Fox’s Gasland 2 Comes to Pittsburgh Continued from front page “Gasland 2 features ordinary Americans whose lives have been upended by the dirty and dangerous process of fracking,” Fox said. “That’s why I’m working with environmental leaders and advocates across the country to protect our health, water, climate and landscapes and to prevent state and federal governments from allowing a path to destruction. We need to educate ourselves and our elected leaders in order to ban this toxic practice and move vigorously toward renewable energy.” Gasland 2 demonstrates how the stakes have been raised in the controversial fracking method of natural gas and oil extraction since the release of Gasland in 2010. At the Gasland 2 film screening, Fox will answer questions about the film and the misinformation about fracking that is distributed by the oil and gas industry. Fox invites the public to, “Watch the film, listen to the folks who tell their stories and open your eyes. Question how oil and gas industries have influenced our elected officials and government agencies. Fossil fuels not only pollute the climate; Their moneyed supporters can contaminate our democracy if we let them.” Supporters and partners of the screening include The Thomas
Merton Center, our focus group Marcellus Citizens Group, Clean Environmental Justice Committee, Water Action, Penn Environment, Marcellus Protest, Roots of and Sierra Club. Promise (CURE), Westmoreland
Wanda Guthrie is the chair of the Environmental Justice Committee at the Thomas Merton Center.
YERT at Indiana County Center for Community Growth Film by Colleen Donovan and Lindsey Quakenbush The evening of April 26 began early in the lobby of the Indiana Theater. Members of organizations such as the IUP E.C.O. club, the Indiana Solid Waste Authority, Coalition for a Healthy County, and more gathered for the Center’s April film, YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip), a docu-comedy that provides some welcome relief in the face of daunting environmental challenges confronting today’s world. YERT documents a year-long road trip around the U.S. during which the three members of the YERT crew visited all 50 states with only their camera bags, backpacks and their entire year’s worth of trash to learn about the people making progress in the struggle for a sustainable future. The film poses the question: “Are we doomed?” Not yet, we hope, because
instead of dwelling on the negative, YERT asserts that we have the “license to thrive” (YERT.com., 2013). And thrive we do with the film’s producer Mark Dixon and his fellow filmmakers, Ben and Julie Evans. Their light-hearted approach represents an effective contrast to many environmental documentaries while still putting forth serious dedication and passion. The audience is taken to visit sites where creative people have constructed environmentally-friendly projects like Earth Ships, Cave villages and junk metal sculpture; introduced to influential people like climate activist Bill McKibben, holistic healer Deepak Chopra and grass farmer Joel Salatin; and learn about current research and important movements in sustainability such as solar roadways. The film also immortalizes West Virginia activist Larry Gibson who worked to raise awareness about
mountaintop removal. Following the film the producer, Mark Dixon, discussed the year-long experience of making the road trip as well as the tedious and lengthy process of editing the film for its final version. As Mark explained, all of this hard work paid off with accolades at a number of film festivals, including one in Siberia! In this respect, YERT may represent that film which has the capacity to influence more people to take action for the planet’s future. After his discussion, the audience had all sorts of questions about the film and a renewed sense of hope for the future of a sustainable economy-based on local needs. All over the globe, many ask a similar question: How do we engage people from many different beliefs in productive discussions about working on solutions for environmental problems? The central message expounded in YERT demonstrates that
we can engage others by motivating change. By presenting real, tangible solutions, we can engage others in the movement for sustainability. All are welcome to join The Center for Community Growth. Please join the steering committee meetings held usually twice a month before and after the featured film. For more information, go to: theindianacenter.wordpress.com/. YERT.com (2013). http:// www.yert.com/. Colleen is a member of the Center for Community Growth, a grassroots organization in Indiana, PA committed to sustainability and social justice. Lindsey, originally from Boulder, CO, is an intern from Indiana University of PA for The Center for Community Growth.
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Racial Justice Accountable Police Chief Needed to Tear Down “The Blue Wall” by Kenneth Miller
not sent to jail as he should have been. This kind of behavior needs to be called out by the Federal The ACLU and the Black Political government. Empowerment Project (BPEP) organized a public Most of the news in the media about corrupt hearing to express their opinions about the next police in recent months, and there is a lot of it, is police chief. They all agreed that Ravenstahl should about police officers with not appoint anyone and that the decision should be long records of complaints left up to the next mayor — an opinion with which and discipline. Ravenstahl concurred. They seemed to agree that There is no reason why we should conduct a search to find someone from the police should be allowed outside the department. Bill Peduto seems to agree to work private details at all. with this as well (Jack Wagner did not). Cops do get paid a living The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1, which wage and 40 hours a week endorsed Jack Wagner, is presenting itself as a and departmental overtime whistle blower in the current shake-up, which is is enough. preposterous. What we need and should ask for in The police department the next Fraternal Order of Police contract is said, at City Council, that a whistle blower protections for cops. This contract search was not a search if expires on December 31, 2014, and will be they did not find anything during their stop and renegotiated and signed by the next mayor. With frisk procedures. Amazingly, police in NYC and this protection, honest cops will come forward and throughout the country seem to agree. stand up against police brutality to tear down the The police are acting in concert with private blue wall. Everything positive that was said about security to violate free speech protections on the Nate Harper goes against this principle. He’s sidewalks downtown and at sporting events. portrayed as protecting this wall while what we Several years ago, many of our community need is a cop who will tell the truth and step leaders sat on a special "taser committee" set up forward no matter what. Since former Chief of after the killing of Andre Thomas in Swissvale. the Pittsburgh Police Nate Harper lied in court The president of the NAACP and Board members when he testified about Jordan Miles, it comes as of the ACLU were on this committee which turned no surprise that he was only indicted for theft and out to be ineffective.. Many of the taser complaints and lawsuits we see today
Black and White Reunion Updates
by Kenneth Miller, Etta Cetera, and Bob Maddock
2013 Jonny Gammage Scholarships Awarded The Black and White reunion is delighted to award Kaasha Benjamin and Todd Hightower with this year’s Jonny Gammage Scholarship. This is the 11th year of the Johnny Gammage Scholarship, an annual award to first year law students to encourage young lawyers to focus on Justice. Partnering with the Negro Emergency Education Drive (NEED) who match the money raised at the Summit Against Racism, we were able to offer two $3,000 scholarships. We had six terrific applicants from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law. Special thank-you to previous Jonny Gammage Scholarship winner Chris Carter for proposing this year's essay question and Bob Maddock and Ann Mason for their administrative persistence. Congratulations to Kaasha and Todd!
Save the Date! Summer BBQ for Racial Justice August 10th The Black and White Reunion's Summer BBQ for Racial Justice will be at Westinghouse Shelter in Schenley Park on Saturday, August 10, coincidentally falling on Prisoner Awareness Day. We need new members to help organize the 16th Summit Against Racism. This year we are seeking to expand our coordinating council. We need people who are committed to racial justice and desire to build bridges to end racism. Please join us for a casual strategy session on how we can use the 16th Summit to build stronger bridges to dismantle racism in Pittsburgh. We will be BBQin’ and hanging out from 1 - 4pm. At 2pm we will be having Sarah Cambell honored at the 15th Annual Summit Against Racism— a more focused conversation on the Summit Against Racism Photo by Tom Jefferson and trying to recruit YOU!
The 16th Annual Summit Against Racism will be on the Saturday after Martin Luther King Day in January 2014 at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. The Black and White Reunion came together more than 15 years ago after Jonny Gammage was murdered by Pittsburgh Police. It is in his memory and from this injustice that we gather to reconnect, share information and strategize for justice in the coming year. Kenneth Miller, Etta Cetera, and Bob Maddock are members of the Black and White Reunion. 12 - NEWPEOPLE
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should have been resolved at that time. The nonbinding recommendations of this committee are still being ignored by District Attorney Zappala. The Alliance for Police Accountability continues to meet regularly and is planning action and outreach in conjunction with the second Jordan Miles Civil Trial set to begin on November 4. Nate Harper’s testimony helped get the cops off the hook for the Office of Municipal Investigations review and the first Civil Trial. With his credibility gone this trial should end differently. In an article in the City Paper, the Citizens’ Police Review Board (CPRB) Director Elizabeth Pittinger asked which mayoral candidates would “endorse the work of the CPRB?” Bill Peduto is the only one who said that he would and spoke enthusiastically about the CPRB’s work and promised not to be a hindrance. In mid-May, City Council voted unanimously on a motion to give the CPRB two weeks to review any new police policies before they are implemented. Theresa Kail Smith is still the head of Council’s Public Safety Committee and has complained of a history of leaks from the CPRB. Kenneth Miller is a member of the Black and White Reunion, the Industrial Workers of the World, and the editorial collective.
Sestina —Jhavon Craighead On my mantel stood two black angels. My dad watched a movie. At seven years old I didn’t know my race, so I asked my dad. “African American” he said to me. I looked at the movie: a man was being beat because of his skin. I wondered if I would be beaten because of my skin. I turned my head to look at the black angels. My mom stared at me, her worried eyebrows rising. As we turned back to the movie my brother walked in and asked my dad, “Is he being beat because of his race?” Does every African American get judged because of their race? Are we separated because of our skin? “How can they treat people like garbage, dad?” I thought about the black angels and if all the African Americans in the movie would go to heaven. As my dad stared at me I tried to guess what my dad was thinking. Was he having the same thought as me? My brother bumped the mantel and one of the black angels fell; some of its skin peeled off. I picked it up and finished watching the movie. When the movie credits glided on the screen my mom, brother, and dad began to talk about people’s skin color and my brother asked me, “Why did our race get beat? What’s wrong with people?” While I stared at the black angels I went to grab the black angels and thought why is my race judged by our skin? I couldn’t answer the question my brother asked me. I thought of the things that my dad wanted to say and later that day I watched the movie. Jhavon Craighead is a Neighborhood Academy student in the 9th grade.
Prisoners’ Rights 30-Year Solitary Confinement Survivor Speaks for Torture Awareness by Scilla Wahrhaftig The Angola Three have been incarcerated in solitary confinement for almost 110 years cumulatively. Robert Hillary King: in solitary confinement for more than 29 years - released Albert Woodfox: in solitary confinement for more than 40 years – still in prison Herman Wallace: in solitary confinement for more than 40 years – still in prison The Angola Three, Robert King, Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox were members of the only prison-recognized chapter of the Black Panther Party. They organized against the deplorable conditions at Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana. As a result of their activism, they were falsely accused of killing a prison guard in 1972 and have been incarcerated in solitary off and on ever since. "Robert King survived over 30 years in prison, most of them in a solitary segregated cell… In 2001 he emerged from prison a vital, socially conscious and very caring leader… He could have emerged a bitter man, his every thought colored by a need to seek revenge for
the horrible and only be horribly unfair accepted years of under incarceration. Or he exceptional could have shrunk circumstances, and from the social should only be arena…Instead applied as a last Robert Hillary resort measure in King came out of which its length prison after years must be as short as June 22 — 10:30am to 2:00 pm with a political possible...He also vision, the vision called for the that kept him going absolute prohibition during those years of solitary of the Angola Three in solitary…But it confinement for comes to is not just his juveniles and political persons with mental East Liberty consciousness that disabilities and for Presbyterian makes him a hero, an equally absolute Church it is how he has put prohibition on his political indefinite or consciousness into prolonged solitary Please RSVP: practice as he “… confinement lasting Contact Scilla Wahrhaftig at continues to longer than 15 campaign days.” swahrhaftig@afsc.org passionately In spite of or (412) 315 7423 for the this warning, many rights of all of the more than prisoners." 81,000 confined in From Terry Kupers’ others except guards will solitary in the United States Introduction to From the be impacted have been in for much longer Bottom of the Heap by psychologically.” than 15 days, many like the Robert King: Angola Three for decades. “While Robert King has Juan E. Méndez, Special Solitary confinement is managed to come out of United Nations Rapporteur still being used on juveniles 29 years in solitary as a on torture, in a warning to and those mentally ill. leader in the struggle for the U.S. on its use of solitary According to the ACLU and prisoner rights, the fact is confinement said the Human Rights Watch, that anyone confined to following: 95,000 youth are held in our long periods in a small “The use of solitary prisons and jails and many of cell with no contact with confinement can these facilities use solitary
Prolonged Solitary Confinement: A Form of Torture
Robert King
Tell Harrisburg: No More Prisons by Donna Hill Pennsylvania is already spending $400 million to build two new prisons in Montgomery County. The PA Department of Corrections is asking for an additional: $68 million in the 20132014 budget even while the prison population is decreasing. We need you to write to your state lawmakers to ask them to put tax dollars into EDUCATION and Communities rather than into building more prisons. There will be upcoming events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; a march from Philly to Harrisburg at the end of May, then a statewide rally at Harrisburg on June 3rd. Contact De-Carcerate PA to find out how you can get involved. DE-CARCERATE PA P.O BOX 40764 Philadelphia, PA 19107 decarceratepa@gmail.com 267-217-3572 Donna Hill is the president of Fight For Lifers West.
confinement, sometimes for as long as six months, to discipline and protect them. The Disabilities Rights Network recently filed a lawsuit against the PA Department of Corrections claiming that locking up those with mental illness in segregation amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment,” in other words, torture. On June 22nd Robert King will be in Pittsburgh to speak about his experiences and to advocate against the use of prolonged solitary confinement. The event, cosponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and East Liberty Presbyterian Church, will be from 10:30am to 2:00 pm at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. It will be an opportunity to hear Robert and others speak on the impact of solitary confinement and to get information on actions that people can take. Scilla Wahrhaftig is the Program Director of the American Friends Service Committee PA Program.
Congratulations, Prisoners’ Rights Advocate Bret Grote! by Sarah Kuethe
unlike the HRC, provides needed legal services to prisoners and seeks to educate the public on the unjust climate of the penal system. The ALC is intended to act as the legal arm of the HRC and is already working in tandem on the Shultz case to ensure that proper legal action is taken to rectify the violation of rights endured. If anyone is interested in aiding this organization’s efforts, the ALC is accepting donations. Between his work with the Human Rights Coalition and now the Abolitionist Law Center, Bret Grote has provided boundless assistance and offers this advice to those with legal questions: “Find someone on the inside who is well-versed in navigating the legal databases and can help you pick up skills to understand these resources.” Services like these are often overlooked, so it’s important to recognize the efforts of Bret Grote as well as the other volunteer members of the HRC for helping those in need.
After years of advocating against violations that occur within the prison system, Bret Grote has earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh. What first began as work in the anti-war field turned into a passion for prisoners’ rights advocacy, and Bret joined the Human Rights Coalition (HRC). In 2007 he started attending the weekly HRC meetings; the HRC is a prisoner rights coalition group that keeps vigorous correspondence with prisoners, organizes public and educational events, provides media coverage and covers stories they receive. Bret Grote has been an integral part of this organization since and continues to offer his services on their biggest current case concerning Russel “Maroon” Shultz. Grote’s work on such cases allows him to fuse his political organization efforts and legal work together. Along with his work for the HRC, Bret Grote recently formed a non-profit organization along with Sarah Kuethe is a summer intern at the 2012 Pitt Law graduate Dustin Thomas Merton Center and is a student McDaniel called the Abolitionist at the University of Pittsburgh. Law Center (ALC). The ALC, not June 2013
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Religious Activism Transform Now Plowshares Guilty, Imprisoned Until Sentencing by Art Laffin Sister Megan Rice, Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed, Transform Now Plowshares, were found guilty of damaging federal property in excess of $1000 at the Oakridge, Tennessee, Y-12 plant, and of intentionally injuring national defense, commonly known as sabotage. The charges carry a combined sentence of 30 years. They’ll remain in prison until sentencing on September 23. The Y12 facility developed and processed uranium for the first atomic bomb and continues to be involved in the production of nuclear weapons. Excerpts from Post-Trial Reflections by Art Laffin: Each day the main courtroom and a nearby overflow courtroom were filled to capacity. The defendants were not alone in their desire to see the swords of our time hammered into plowshares. Prosecutors argued that to merely go on the Y-12 site was obstructing national defense. Defendants cut through three fences to get to the Highly Enriched Uranium Facility. Steve Erhart, Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration manager at Y-12 testified that this negatively affected the credibility of Y-12 and the U.S. nuclear deterrent. He admitted that use of U.S. nuclear weapons would be "devastating," similar to destruction from U.S. nuclear
weapons used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Erhart also acknowledged that the action exposed numerous security failures. A DOE inspector general’s report identified Y-12 security failures: broken detection equipment, poor response by security guards and insufficient federal oversight of private contractors managing Y-12. Testimony by Kirk Garland, the first security guard on the scene was illuminating. Upon encountering the protestors, he said "I knew what I had." Despite their being in a deadly force zone, he knew from his experience at Rocky Flats and Pantex nuclear weapons facilities that they were peace activists so didn’t feel compelled to use deadly force. His superiors faulted him for this and subsequently fired him. It was pointed out several times during the trial that Garland was really the scapegoat for this embarrassing security breach. Sr. Megan, Mike and Greg spoke movingly on why they acted, taking full responsibility. Sr. Megan said she went to Y-12 because all life is imperiled by nuclear weapons. She sought to bring healing, forgiveness and transformation there. "My regret was I waited 70 years. Y-12 is manufacturing that which can only cause death." Mike shared that he was complicit in war crimes as a soldier during the war in Vietnam and Cambodia and felt compelled to emulate the example of Jesus,
Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dorothy Day. His intent was “to do God's will." Greg, too, was a veteran, trained to fight and win a nuclear war. Nuclear weapons provide an illusion of security, he said, and the U.S. was in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He characterized their action as a "miracle” and that real security comes "when we have justice for all the nations." Ann Wright, former career military officer and diplomat and now a peace activist, testified as an expert witness on national security. Referring to her experience in helping to oversee the transfer of enriched uranium from Kazakhstan to Y-12 , she underscored how dangerous nuclear material is and expressed shock at the flawed internal security at Y-12. Retired General Rodney Johnson who oversees maintenance at Y-12 itemized expenses for "decontaminating" the exterior of the HEUF building from blood being poured and messages spray-painted on it, but made no mention of the highly enriched uranium contained inside the building and how it could destroy life and cause irreversible environmental contamination, as if this lethal material was invisible and the storage building was like any other. Psychic numbing--the utter failure to come to terms with the truth-- was operative throughout the trial.
Cardinal Dolan Comes Out As Pharisee
International law and elements of the necessity defense, previously ruled inadmissible evidence, were not deemed relevant. Thus, the TNP were really convicted for rejecting the sinful policy of deterrence and for exposing and nonviolently resisting an empire whose centerpiece is the nuclear idol The detention hearing was a legal squabble about whether Sr. Megan, Mike and Greg would be treated under the violent crimes act, thus deemed ineligible for presentencing release. Judge Thapar said he felt "boxed in" by Congress because no differentiation was made between peace activists and terrorists in applying this new statute concerning the destruction of national defense materials. On May 10 Judge Thapar ruled that defendants will be detained until sentencing. The offense falls under the "federal crime of terrorism," a blatant misuse of the law and an attempt to mischaracterize and distort the nonviolent intent of the Transform Now Plowshares. The truth of their action stands on its own. Art Laffin is a member of the DC Catholic Worker and can be reached at artlaffin@hotmail.com
are concerned with appearances. Jesus was not by R/B Mertz to Mass.” teaching as doctrines human concerned with purifying On April 25, Cardinal When Amodeo read the precepts.'” Then Jesus says, himself for the sake of the Timothy Dolan, archbishop letter he organized a group of “You disregard God's law: his project was the of New York, blogged a ten LGBT Catholics and commandment but cling to opposite, to liberate human “welcome letter” in which he allies to attend Mass with human tradition." beings from law for law’s compares welcoming LGBT ashes on their hands to The human tradition in sake. people to Mass to welcoming symbolize that, according to our American and Western Cardinal Dolan’s children in for dinner: We Cardinal Dolan, they were culture is to villify, cathedral seems to have are welcome to sit at the not clean. Amodeo calls this persecute, and stamp-out taken the side of the table if we wash our hands. action “a silent witness” to homosexuals. Homophobia Pharisees rather than the Dolan makes it clear that the the profound lack of is not a Christian tradition; disciples. In this respect, Church has certain welcome these Catholics felt it’s a patriarchal one. Later Cardinal Dolan and St. behavioral expectations, and regarding Dolan’s on in Mark, Jesus tells the Patrick’s are highlighting the that all are welcome to Mass blogpost. On May 5, Pharisees that “Nothing that real problem. While Church who have confessed sinful Amodeo and nine others enters one from outside can teaching and Jesus Christ behavior in Confession. So, were met by four NYPD defile that person; but the would condemn preventing gays are welcome as long as squad cars and Kevin things that come out from anyone from entering a we confess any same-sex Donohue, the managing within are what defile." This church, the history of “behavior” before we come director of the cathedral. seems to defeat the entire prejudice in our culture and to Communion. Donohue told the group that argument against legalizing many of the people who do Joseph Amodeo is a they would not be admitted gay marriage or gay feel welcome in churches young Catholic writer and to Mass unless they washed adoption. The gay family would support the course professional, active in many their hands. If they entered down the street will not taken by cathedral staff and Catholic organizations and the building with unclean defile you; you defile police. Conservative charities throughout New hands, they would be yourself all by yourself. websites are applauding York City. He is an arrested for trespassing. We have to assume that Cardinal Dolan as “heroic” outspoken Catholic writer, In the Gospel of Mark, Cardinal Dolan is familiar and ridiculing Amodeo as and he is gay. Shortly before Jesus has an argument with with the seventh chapter of “whiny”. he published his “welcome the Pharisees about the Mark. It seems likely, then, What defiles you is what letter,” Dolan met privately tradition of washing hands that Cardinal Dolan is comes out of you, not what with Amodeo to discuss gays before eating bread. Jesus’s drawing a parallel between goes in. and lesbians in the Church. disciples don’t do it. The the Church’s teachings and What came out of St. Cardinal Dolan said that he’d Pharisees are scandalized. the arguments of the Patrick’s last month was not like to reach out to gays and Jesus puts them in their Pharisees. Rather than being Christian love; it was lesbians. Amodeo said, place. He quotes Isaiah: “In concerned with cleanliness of hostility and rejection. “Write a letter welcoming us vain do they worship me, heart or spirit, the Pharisees Cardinal Dolan seems to 14 - NEWPEOPLE
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purposefully play the Pharisee. Jesus embraces the prostitutes and the tax collectors and the Samaritans; the ones who didn’t fit into the Jewish moral schema. The Pharisees and Cardinal Dolan and Western culture perpetually move to exclude rather than to include those whom we do not know or understand. Jesus wanted us to be guided by Christian love and purity of heart, not the ignorance and prejudice inherent in every culture. So, what would Jesus do? After turning over the tables of the St. Patrick’s gift shop, he’d open the doors to those who hadn’t washed their hands, and he’d welcome everyone to the table: tax collectors, prostitutes, abortion doctors, investment bankers, terrorists, moms, dads, dirty kids, and queers. R/B Mertz has a degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. She teaches writing at Duquesne University and Penn State New Kensington.
Community News Peace Be With You Prayer of St. Francis and Rabindranath Tagore —read by Martin Sheen April 13,3013
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Militarism, nationalism and materialism have become gods of our idolatry at the expense of our humanity. We are left empty and trembling at the level of confidence placed in the power of violent and nuclear weapons and at the level of arrogance that they have inspirited in our leaders. But you have taught us, Lord, that arrogance is ignorance matured that “they who live by the sword shall perish by it.” Descend with us into the depths of our powerlessness and fear. Awaken there the power of nonviolent transformation as we discover your fire a second time. Let its light and heat sustain our purpose and make every thought, every word and deed a reflection of loving nonviolent resistance as we strive for the courage to do justice, oppose evil, and to be made worthy of your long-promised blessings reserved for peacemakers and for those who show mercy. Yes, Lord, make us instruments of your peace so that we may lift up the world and all its people to a place where the heart is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free, where the world is not broken into fragments by narrow domestic walls, where words come out from the depths of truth and tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection, where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sands of dead habit where the mind is led forward by thee into thought and action, into that heaven of freedom. My Father, let every nation awake.
Welcome New TMC Board Member Tyrone Scales by Joyce Rothermel New Thomas Merton Center Board Member Tyrone Scales just received his undergraduate degree from the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is enrolled to begin work on his masters this fall in Community Organizing and Service Administration. Tyrone believes his higher education path in social work will prepare him to affect social and public policy including budget priorities. One may wonder how Tyrone has time to serve on a non-profit working board such as the Board of the Thomas Merton Center! Service is an integral part of Tyrone’s life, not an “add on”! When you learn about his background, you will understand why serving on the Board of the Merton Center was such a logical choice for Tyrone. Born in “New Homestead,” now North Braddock, Tyrone was inspired by his mother throughout his growing up years. She worked at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), and through her, Tyrone met Al Condolence, the Executive Director of UCP, who became another role model to him. In 2006 following Hurricane Katrina, Tyrone went to Alabama under the auspices of Habitat for Humanity. There, a team of five volunteers renovated three houses for hurricane
victims. Tyrone experienced the hope that comes from people working together! With his interest in economic justice and his skill in writing, Tyrone chose an internship at the Merton Center in the spring of 2012. Later last fall, he was asked to serve on the Center’s board and Tyrone agreed. His goal in board service is to work on expanding the membership base of the Center and involve more young people in its mission. Many current Merton Center members know how important that is. Let’s work with Tyrone and bring another fellow peace and justice seeker into our efforts to build a better world. Joyce Rothermel is a member of the board and chair of the membership committee of the Thomas Merton Center.
Thanks Again, Friends and Members! The Thomas Merton Center is deeply grateful to Martin Sheen for coming to Pittsburgh to receive the Thomas Merton Award; to Senator Jim Ferlo for his very generous support and participation; to musical guests Mike Stout and the Human Union Band, Anne Feeney, and Moko; to Anne Kuhn and the Thomas Merton Award Reception Planning Committee; and to all of our sponsors, patrons, scholarship providers, TMC members, and the hundreds of attendees who made it possible for us to celebrate together.
Martin Sheen with Thomas Merton Center Board, April 13
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June Activist Events Sunday
Monday
Wednesday
Tuesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday 1
TMC South Hills Membership Gathering 3-5pm at Sunnydale UU Church on Washington Rd, Mt. Lebanon
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Capital’s End: Haiti Solidarity 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., 126 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty
Strategy Meeting, Ending Sexual Abuse in the Military 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Friends Meeting House, 4836 Ellsworth Ave.
New Economy Group Meeting 3:30 pm at TMC
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4 Rally for Public Transit— Harrisburg 7:00 am-7:00 pm TMC West Membership Gathering 7- 8:30 pm FOR Center, McKees Rocks
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A Rabbinic View of Human Rights in Israel 7 to 9 p.m., Thomas Merton Center
Women of Men Incarcerated Network Meeting 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., 18 Schubert St, for information contact Toni 412969-2015
5 Ceasefire PA’s Day of Action Common Sense Gun Laws 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. call Rob Conroy 412-965-0383 New Economy Group Meeting 6:30 pm at TMC
6 See TMC’s 2012 Banquet on PCTV21 1 to 2 p.m., Comcast ch. 21, Verizon Fios ch.47
PUSH Meeting 7:30p.m., 2101 Murray Ave.
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7 Unblurred Gallery Crawl 6- 10pm TMC and Penn Avenue in Garfield
8 Project to End Human Trafficking (PEHT) 10 a.m. to noon, Carlow University Campus Organizing Pgh’s Service Industry 1:30 pm Pump House
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Exploratory Meeting for Latin American Solidarity 7 to 9 p.m., Thomas Merton Center
Weekly Recurring Meetings:
Weekly Meetings: Tuesday International Socialist Organization Meets weekly at the Thomas Merton Center 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday Fed-Up! Write letters for prisoner’s rights at the Thomas Merton Center, 7 p.m.
Thursday TMC Potluck! Thursday evenings. Interested in having one on an issue that’s important to you or your organization? Contact: jrothermel@tgpcfb.org
Saturday Black Voices for Peace Vigil to End War, 1 p.m., Penn Ave. and Highland Ave., East Liberty Citizens for Peace Vigil noon to 1 p.m., Forbes Ave. and Braddock Ave.
Sunday Anti-War Committee Meets every other week. Environmental Justice Committee Meets at various times. Contact: wanda.guthrie@gmail.com
Recurring Meetings: 16
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Thomas Merton Center Board Meeting 7 p.m.
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19 North Hills International Day of Peace Festival meeting, Kearns Spirituality Center, 3:30 p.m. SW PA Bread For The World at Christian Associates, 10:00am
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TMC Anti-War Committee Anti-Drone Strategy meeting 1:30 pm @ TMC
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21 Grassroots Summer Summit environmentalist gathering, continues June 22, contact Melissa 724388-0464 ext. 6
Gasland 2 Screening with Josh Fox 6—10 pm Soldiers and Sailors Hall in Oakland
27 Film With Babies and Banners: the Women’s Emergency Brigade 7:30 pm Pump House
22 Prolonged Solitary Confinement: A form of torture With Robert K of Angola 3, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 116 S. Highland Ave.
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29 Community Peace Aware Day 400 N. Shore Dr. at Stage AE, noon to 4 p.m., contact stoptheviolencepgh@gmail.com Haiti Solidarity Committee Meeting 11am—TMC
Monthly Recurring Meetings: First and Third Wednesdays Darfur Coalition Meeting 7 to 9 p.m., 2121 Murray Avenue, Second Floor, Squirrel Hill, Contact: 412-784-0256
Second Mondays Assn. of Pgh. Priests Meeting 7 to 9 p.m., Epiphany Administration Center
Second Sundays Women In Black Monthly Peace Vigil, 10 to 11 a.m., Ginger Hill Unitarian Universalist Church, Slippery Rock
First Thursdays Green Party Meeting 7 to 9 p.m., 2121 Murray Ave, 2nd floor, Squirrel Hill
Third Sundays Fight for Lifers West
Environmental activist, author and founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org, is considered “one of the most important environmentalists of the century” and will receive the Thomas Merton Award: DATE: November 4, 2013 @ 6:00 PM LOCATION: Sheraton Station Square Hotel, Southside REGISTER NOW: www.thomasmertoncenter.org
Become a Member of TMC Today!
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__$15: Low Income __$15: Student Membership __$50: Individual Membership __$100: Family Membership __$75: Organization (below 25 members) __$125: Organization (above 25 members)
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Join at thomasmertoncenter.org/join-donate or fill out the box and mail it in.
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ONCE YOU BECOME A MEMBER, YOU WILL RECEIVE THE NEW PEOPLE IN THE MAIL! TMC membership benefits include monthly mailings of The New People to your home or email account, weekly eblasts focusing on peace and justice events in Pittsburgh, and special invitations to membership activities.
16 - NEWPEOPLE
June 2013
Organization (if applicable):__________________________ Address:________________________________
Zip Code:_______________________________ Home Phone:____________________________ Cell Phone: _____________________________ Email:_________________________________ Be sure to choose your membership level. Mail to: Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224. You can also join online at www.thomasmertoncenter.org.
Internships and volunteer opportunities are available at the Thomas Merton Center. Help assist Pittsburgh’s leading peace and social justice efforts by supporting the work of the center and its dedicated projects in this way. (more info on page 2). Call (412) 3613022 or office@thomasmertoncenter.org.