JPIC Office Blog October 26, 2007 Dear Friends, Peace and all good! The JPIC Office continues to be engaged in many advocacy efforts both in the congressional and corporate arenas.
We tract issues that we have been working on together.
We hope that you find the blog interesting and informative. December 1, 2007 is World AIDS Day. Please read the attach letters that will be used during this time of rememberance from the JPIC Office. Welcome speech from WAD Service and letter from fellow Franciscan priest on HIV/AIDS.
Speaking from his place of honor at the breakfast table set up at the House of Representatives Rayburn Building, Duncombe said he was glad that his personal fast was over. However, he pointed out that he remains committed to the issue. Reflecting on the fact that people all over the world starve to death each and every day, the reverend said his demonstration to attract attention to the cause was not a difficult one. Throughout the fast, Duncombe drank only water. His final visits on Capitol Hill were spent in a wheelchair. Among the group on-hand to break the fast with Duncombe were faith and political leaders, constituents and political allies. Click here to view Rev. Duncombe with friends. During his fast, Duncombe visited 200 congressional offices. Since the fast began new co-sponsors had signed onto the legislation. The bill was introduced into the Senate with Illinois Senators Barack Obama and Richard Durbin as co-sponsors. Jubilee is seriously pursuing a bi-partisan effort. Two proposed version—House Resolution (HR) 2634 and Senate (S) 2166—are considered companion pieces of legislation. The aim is to gain support from all of Congress to extend the opportunity for debt cancellation to a total of 67 countries. So far, nearly 20 countries, including Zambia, have benefited from debt cancellation. To find out whether or not your U.S. representative or senator supports the bill, please long onto www.thomas.gov, indicate the bill number and click-on the bill summary & status. Standing-up against poverty campaign urges local, national, global response Catholic social teachings have generated a united action in support of the world’s impoverished nations. During one three-day period, Oct. 16-18, activists and humanitarians organized a variety of events that together depict a commitment to putting an end to global poverty. A range of demonstrations and the details of success stories from ongoing efforts are described from a local, national and international perspective. FULL STORY International ROMEOVILLE— At an Oct. 18 meeting of the Council for Global Solidarity for the Diocese of Joliet, Katie Ryan, a representative of Catholic Relief Services, reported on recent progress made in Zambia due to a concerted effort to thwart the consequence of entrenched poverty. While conditions are indeed dire when compared to American standards, she revealed details evidencing the effect of a divine-driven kairos, a time designated to fulfill the purpose of God. Having returned from visiting Zambian health clinics, Ryan’s story was inspired by successful projects operated by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Funding made available from PEPFAR is distributed to a consortium of nonprofit organizations and agencies dealing with healthcare. CRS is responsible for a significant portion of Zambia’s healthcare funding, which is largely directed toward HIV/AIDS. In the past five years, Ryan said, a reliable source of anti-retroviral medication has stirred what she called “the Lazarus effect.” In 2002, a fresh HIV/AIDS diagnosis was an automatic “death sentence.” Today, with the help or anti-retroviral therapy, these people are working, tending to their families and contributing, said Ryan. What threatens this kind of success is the upcoming request in Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR without scaling back on funds designated for other forms of development, such as improved nutritional programs and education, she said. Visit http://www.pepfarwatch.org/ to express support of PEPFAR reauthorization. Other CRS programs facilitated in collaboration with local organizations in Zambia, including churches and community centers, have worked to establish a foster program for orphaned children. The foster program provides extended family members who welcome their orphaned relatives with basic assistance. Meanwhile, said Ryan, agricultural assistance programs have been established throughout the country to train farmers about sustainable practices. The focus at present is training farmers to grow draught-resistant crops, such as sweet potatoes and cassava plants. Future CRS programming involves a plan to raise traditional royalties for outsiders mining Zambia’s copper resources from .06 percent to at least 3 percent, Ryan said. World Bank and United Nations hammer out plans to alleviate extreme poverty WHEATON—An October meeting of World Bank officials in Washington served to reinforce a commitment among the leaders of wealthy countries to come to the aid of emerging nations. Public pressure has demanded concrete solutions to alleviating obstacles that hamper progress. Plans to develop agricultural projects grounded in the ideal of sustainable, environmentally-safe economies grew out of an Oct. 19 meeting headed by World Bank President Robert Zoellick and the authors of a report touting a philosophy that calls for streamlining foreign aid for agriculture programs in poverty-stricken regions of the world. U.N. ministers meeting a few days later in New York made moves to mobilize financial development projects aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Support for MDGs can be expressed by visiting http://www.undp.org/mdg/basics.shtml. FULL STORY Wheaton Franciscans strive to bring clean water to Iraq Earlier this year the Franciscan Federation adopted the Water Resolution. We realize that when we care for all creation on Earth, we care for each other. This resolution reminds the members of the Federation of our call to care for and preserve Sister Water. Caring for and relating to water as “Sister” requires us to take action individually, collectively and in solidarity with people throughout the planet to address water scarcity and water quality. In conjunction with the “International Decade for Action: Water for Life”, we need to respond through prayer, education and advocacy in order to preserve, protect, and use wisely the gift of water. As Franciscans we need to be mindful that water is a precious gift that must be given freely and equally since water belongs to all living beings. We are responsible for preserving water and passing it onto future generations. The current war in Iraq reminds us that water is essential to all, even during conflicting times. Currently Region 3 is researching ways to establish a water project together with the Dominican Sisters in Iraq. Multiple clean water efforts are available. Opportunities to get involved in projects can be viewed at http://www.cleanwatercampaign.com/html/609.htm. Situation in Darfur deteriorates WHEATON—Despite a commitment last month by the United Nations to send NATO troops to Sudan to help settle conflict between Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir and the leader of the Lord’s Resistant Army, the situation remains grim. Ten African Union troops from Nigeria, Botswana, Senegal and Mali have been killed in the recent flare up of violence in which three humanitarian workers affiliated with the joint Action by Churches Together (ACT)-Caritas Darfur Emergency Response Operation have been arrested and are being detain in western Sudan. Attacks also continue on African Union peacekeeping forces along with humanitarian workers bringing urgently needed food and medical supplies. Three drivers were killed in a six-day shooting spree, beginning Oct. 12 as they attempted to deliver cargo from the World Food Programme (WFP). More than 3 million people rely on the cargo for survival, according to an Oct. 17 UN News Service report. FULL STORY DGAAN focuses on Northern Uganda WHEATON—Sandra Joireman, professor of politics and international relations at Wheaton College, is one of the founding members of DuPage Glocal AIDS Action Network (DGAAN) offered updates on her research concerning the hurdles facing children forced to become soldiers in Northern Uganda. In a 2004 venture with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Sr. Sheila had visited that same region and returned with a report to the Wheaton Franciscans that ultimately assisted in the passage of federal emergency aid legislation. The congregation’s pattern of staunch advocacy is made evident by a Wheaton Franciscan resolution to press for aid to Northern Uganda and through a consistent push to seek authorization of a healthy peacekeeping program. Currently, the Wheaton Franciscans are petitioning in favor of the Resolve Uganda Campaign. To express support for continuation of aid to Uganda, visit http://www.resolveuganda.org/taxonomy/term/9. During an Oct. 13 presentation at the DGAAN meeting held at Our Lady of Angels (OLA) motherhouse on the campus of the Wheaton Franciscans, Joireman described in brief the hardships faced by some 20,000 children turned soldiers after they were kidnapped and forced to battle with rebel groups against their own communities. In the aftermath of a civil war, these children are unable to make the transition home, she said. Despite the fact that they were kidnapped and forced to fight, community members perceive them as the enemy. They are unwelcome intruders, said Joireman. The effect of rejection from sometimes their own family members serves only to complicate the emotional trauma they experienced from the kidnapping and the crimes they committed during their abduction. Dream Act fails in the Senate, immigration reform put on back burner WASHINGTON, D.C.—Uplifted and enthusiastic after an Oct. 18 meeting with Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin on Capitol Hill, Sr. Sheila was among many Catholic social justice lobbyists pressing for support of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. However, Durbin’s Oct. 24 move to end debate on the bill so it could proceed to the floor for an official hearing failed. It fell eight votes short of the 60-vote requirement, meaning the DREAM Act lacked a bipartisan majority to end debate over the issue. Speaking from the Senate floor, the senator vowed to continue the fight to allow illegal immigrant students who completed high school if they either attended college or served in the military for two years. FULL STORY. Compromise causes resurrection of CHIP bill WHEATON—After suffering defeat of an attempted override of the president’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) on Oct. 18, the House moved Oct. 24 with a proposed revamp bill. With only minor changes made to the healthcare program, it became more palatable to republican opponents and passed by a vote of 265-142. As proposed, the new compromise version of the bill, referred to as Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), calls for improvements that would provide coverage to a total of 10 million children. At the moment, SCHIP is in the hands of the Senate. Please follow the link to their Action Alert site, http://capwiz.com/catholiccharitiesusa/issues/alert/?alertid=10477126&PROCESS=Take+Action. A toxic ideological dispute between the White House and Congress is blamed for the downfall of the earlier version; political analysts predict that President Bush would likely veto the latest attempt. The measure that passed the House lacks a two-thirds majority to override the president’s anticipated veto. In the meantime, Senate democrats are evaluating suggested amendments in the hope that it would eventually gain the president’s signature of approval. The House version already tightened eligibility requirements specified in the previous proposal, according to an Oct. 25 story in the New York Times. It also generally bars “the use of federal money to cover illegal immigrants, childless adults” and children of families with sufficient income. Catholic Charities USA urges support for the newest version. The popularity of increasing children’s access to healthcare continues to drive the matter. The topic of enhanced access to healthcare was lauded by the Kaiser Foundation, an independent research institute, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, and Network, a Catholic lobby organization, to name a few. Sr. Marie Lucey, OSF, of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in an e-mail statement urged support for the bill as well. Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA announced Oct. 25 his full backing of the CHIP proposal. Having earlier characterized SCHIP as a move that “goes too far toward federalizing health care,” Bush is expected to stand firm on his opinion. Affordable housing trust fund gains House support WHEATON—Having languished under the pressure of committee reviews, rewrites and language evaluations for more than seven years, the House authorized the establishment of the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The landmark proposal sponsored by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla, establishes a national pool of funds to assist low-income families in the purchase of a home. More than 1.5 million new affordable homes would be made available under the measure. The bipartisan bill focuses on construction, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable housing according to an Oct. 10 e-mail by Bob Palmer of Housing Matters Illinois. The proposal, HR 2895, received accolades from affordable housing proponents nationwide. If authorized, the measure would begin with an $800 million annual budget, and the funds would be distributed via Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reserves. “A 1.2 percent charge on the value of would of mortgages” would be issued, explained David Broder in an Oct. 18 story in the Washington Post. In consideration of the ailing sub-prime market, affordable housing efforts in Illinois are moving ahead slowly. The DuPage Homeownership Center is planning a breakfast on Nov. 5. Legislative representatives and their aides have been invited to discuss the issue as it stands in Illinois and particularly in DuPage County. To support affordable housing options in Illinois, visit http://www.housingmatters.net/alertlist.asp. Farm bill reform bid gets little help in U.S. Senate WHEATON—Two days before the start of the National Summit on Agriculture and Rural Life in Ames, Iowa, family farmers and rural advocates have little to cheer about. Despite a full-throttle push by their own senator, Tom Harkin, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, the prospect for real change in the system of subsidies failed Oct. 25 to gain major strides. Leaders in the agribusiness industry with ties to mega-farming have likely outstripped the popular plan to revamp the farm bill in a way that favors family farms rather than acreage-hefty mega-farms. Even a push by conservations enthusiasts and organic produce lovers had thus far failed to generate enough steam to bury the status quo. The proposal has not yet been voted on, but skeptics agree that Harkin lacks the support of Congress. The bill, which at the outset, was expected to support individual farm families while establishing the foundation for a system of sustainable rural communities, hit a familiar snarl. Lawmakers, even those from agriculture-rich states, feared the loss of the next election if they rose up against big business. However, Harkin has managed some changes that benefit the rural community. In a press release only hours after the voted, Harkin said he worked within tight budget constraints. Nevertheless, he touted the benefits of a bill that “makes major investments for the future and is still fiscally responsible. This is a forward-looking farm bill with greatly strengthened initiatives to support renewable energy, conservation, nutrition, rural development and to promote better diets and health for all Americans.” The bill includes a revenue plan to help farmers manage risk, extends by 13 million acres the Conservation Stewardship Program, funds a farm-energy investment program for biotechnology and renewable energy initiatives, expands provisions for fresh fruit and vegetables in schools and increases Food Stamp benefit levels, mandates animal health protection enforcement and designates $400 million for rural development.
Thanks for all you do to make the world a better place. Sr. Sheila Kinsey, OSF
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