|
June 29, 2007
In this issue:
X
Immigration bill fails in the Senate
X
Health Care
X
Iraqi refugees
X
Darfur
X
Events
X
Coming up
Millennium Development Goals:
1.
Eradicate extreme hunger and
poverty
2.
Achieve universal primary
education
3.
Promote gender equality and
empower women
4.
Reduce child mortality
5.
Improve maternal health
6.
Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and
other diseases
7.
Ensure environmental
sustainability
8.
Develop a global partnership for
development
Catholic Campaign Against Global
Poverty
Millennium Promise
|
Immigration
News:
This
week the Senate failed to pass cloture (46-53) which would end debate on the
bill and move it toward a final vote. That means for the time being,
the immigration reform bill has been pulled from the floor once again without
prospects of reintroduction at present time. It is very doubtful that the
House will pursue similar legislation at this time.
Both
senators from California
voted for cloture, essentially supporting the bill and moving it forward.
Please take a moment to thank Senators Boxer and Feinstein for their efforts
on this issue.
The
Church will continue to pursue comprehensive reform and will stand with the
immigrant community.
A
huge “thank you” to everyone who has written and called on this
issue.
Health Care
Crisis:
Currently
there are several proposals in Sacramento
to reform health care in our state. Social Justice has prepared a bulletin
insert or educational handout which discusses aspects of Catholic Social
Teaching on health care as well as questions and web resources for learning
more about the various proposals. This will be on the social justice web
page later this week http://www.oakdiocese.org/pastoral/SocialJustice/
or available by contacting the office at mdoyle@oakdiocese.org
Iraq
American
Friends Service Committee: Iraqi refugee crisis: http://www.afsc.org/iraq/symposium.htm
Global Poverty
Materials: Journey to Justice
The
Lenten materials have been reformatted for ordinary time use- thanks Melissa
Hyatt!
Please
review them and see if they are useful for your programs.
http://www.oakdiocese.org/pastoral/SocialJustice/
Save Darfur
They
need all six of these for an effective presence in Darfur:
1.
A strong mandate to protect civilians.
2.
United Nations command and control.
3.
No less than 17,500 troops and 4,000 police drawn from both African and
non-African contributors.
4.
Mobile resources for Darfur's challenging
physical terrain.
5.
Strong emphasis on civilian and humanitarian components to take advantage of
any opportunities to advance the political peace process created by the
peacekeeping force.
6.
Sufficient funding from the international community.
To
learn more: http://www.savedarfur.org/newsroom/policypapers/
enough_peacekeeping_for_protection_and_peace_in_darfur/
To
take action today:
http://ga6.org/campaign/enough_petition?rk=Ddw%2deqM1QAcnE
Events
Friday
June 29
KQED
is showing Immigration Calculations which
examines the effects of immigration on our economy. The film takes a look at
four Bay Area immigrants at different levels of the socioeconomic ladder -- a
Mexican single mother and entrepreneur, an African chemist, and an Indian
couple working in the high-tech sector -- through the eyes of economists and
experts. The program goes beyond the controversy to dispel misconceptions and
deliver insight into the economic impact of immigration.Friday night at
8:30pm on KQED Public Television or online at: http://www.kqed.org/topics/history/immigration/immigration-calculations.jsp
Friday
July 6
The
Fr. Bill O’Donnell Social Justice Committee of St.
Joseph
the Worker invites you to a screening of the documentary THE IRON WALL
featuring interviews with prominent Israeli and Palestinian peace activists,
farmers, soldiers and political analysts. Friday, July 6th 7pm, at St. Joseph
the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St., Berkeley
admission free info 510 499 0537.
August
6, 2007
7:30
am, Westgate & Vasco Road,
Livermore
Sixty-two
years after the United States
dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we find
ourselves still “In the Shadow of the Bomb.” Please join us on
August 6 for a rally and direct action at Livermore Nuclear Weapons
Laboratory, to commemorate the victims of nuclear bombs, from Hiroshima to the
present.
Initial
sponsors: Livermore
Conversion Project * Tri-Valley CAREs * Western States
Legal
Foundation *American Friends Service Committee * First Congregational Church
of Oakland
Coming up:
- Labor Day Speak Out on
worker’s issues
- Conference on the Middle
East: August 24-25 in Berkeley
http://www.fosna.org/conferences_and_trips/index.html
- October 27: Archdiocese of San Francisco is
hosting a day of action on Global Poverty, a regional follow up to last
year’s Point Seven Conference. If you would like to get more
information on this event, send your email to Mary ASAP and she will
forward it to SF. mdoyle@oakdiocese.org
- Faithful Citizenship will be
released this fall in a revised form. Watch for it!
|
