Month: March 2006

How Poor is Poor?

Here’s an interesting article in the New Yorker about relative vs. absolute poverty. A number of people, self included, have pointed out that many poor people in America routinely own items once considered luxuries or are in some other ways better off than poor people, or even, to a certain extent, the middle class were a generation ago. The article takes this as a starting point but then makes the argument that relative poverty, not absolute poverty, is what actually counts, and that relative poverty has real effects. In other words, just because poor people are likely to own TVs now doesn’t mean that poverty isn’t still a bad thing. (Another way of looking at that would be to say that owning a TV or a dishwasher doesn’t really matter much when discussing “poverty” as a concept.)

The article doesn’t really go much into what sort of nutrition the poor in America are getting now vs. a generation ago, and it would be worth examining ways in which the poor might be worse off even in absolute terms than in years past.

And of course, we’re speaking of “the poor” as one large group that might include everyone from the absolutely destitute to those who might be better off but not exactly comfortable. Disaggregating the stories could make a more vivid picture of the situation.

Nine arrested, released in Darfur protest

Nine people were arrested in a protest against the Darfur genocide yesterday at the Sudanese embassy in Washington, DC.

Yesterday morning, several dozen people gathered at the statue of Gandhi at the nearby Indian Embassy, holding signs depicting the victims and survivors of the ethnic violence in Darfur.

They marched to the Sudanese Embassy, where they handed out leaflets to passersby. Several demonstrators spoke, including Holocaust survivor Helen Goldkind. Mrs. Goldkind said:

My name is Helen Goldkind. I am a survivor of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. The reason why I came here today is because when I was a little girl nobody spoke out for us. I want to speak up for others. Nobody should have to be punished or killed because they’re of any color or religion. Please, the world should hear us now. There was nothing done fifty, sixty years ago when Hitler did to the Jews what they [motions towards Sudanese embassy] are doing now.

Then three demonstrators stood blocking the bottom of the stairs. A uniformed Secret Service agent warned them that by blocking the stairs, they were breaking the law. Demonstrator Brenna Cussen invited him to join them on the stairs, and he replied, “I don’t wanna get arrested! I respect what y’all are doing. If I get arrested, I’ll lose my clearance.”

After two more warnings, the three were arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly. Six more demonstrators came forward to block the stairs, and they, too, were arrested.

The demonstrators had warned the Secret Service about the civil disobedience beforehand, and representatives of the two groups had informally discussed how things would play out. Plasticuffed in the police van, Ms. Cussen commented on the gentleness with which the police treated the demonstrators. “It feels weird. I guess it’s good. It takes the ego out of it. This is about making a statement about Darfur, not being heroes.”

Those arrested were Brenna Cussen, of the Catholic Worker in South Bend, Indiana; Al Guilmette, of Leominster, Massachusetts; David Maher, of West Brookfield, Massachusetts; Mike Benedetti, Ken Hannaford-Ricardi, and Scott Schaeffer-Duffy of Saints Francis & Therese Catholic Worker in Worcester, Massachusetts; and Clark University students Philip Loomis, Ryan Smith, and Lia Volat of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Several of the demonstrators were college students unable to miss more than one day of studies, so the demonstrators had decided beforehand to pay a $50 fine (without an admission of guilt) in exchange for a quick release. After a few hours in holding cells, they were free.

As the men exited the police station, one cop said to them, “You people are doing this for a good cause.”

Afterwards, Al Guilmette, a retiree from Leominster committing civil disobedience for the first time, said it was “quite an experience.” When asked if he’d recommend it to others, he said, “For this cause, yes.”
Continue reading “Nine arrested, released in Darfur protest”

March 29 Darfur demo: update

Update: “Nine arrested in Darfur protest”

At least ten people will risk arrest by blocking the entrance to the Sudanese Embassy at a demonstration this week.

Women in Dereig campAt 11:15 AM, Wednesday, March 29, 2006, we will meet at the statue of Gandhi outside the Indian Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, DC (map).

We will march to the nearby Sudanese Embassy (2210 Massachusetts Avenue, map), to hold a protest against genocide in the west Sudanese region of Darfur. This protest will continue until 1:30 PM.

Participants will carry enlarged photos of some of the more than 400,000 people killed in the genocide, as well as photos of some of the 2 million people who have been displaced there. Leaflets will be distributed.

Brenna Cussen and Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, who visited Darfur in December 2004, will speak. Seth Shames, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, will also speak.

Group spokesperson Brenna Cussen said:

Getting arrested is a small sacrifice to make to stop the enormous evil I witnessed in Darfur.

The event also involves many demonstrators who will not risk arrest.

For more information, contact Scott Schaeffer-Duffy: 508.753.3588 or theresecw@gmail.com.

If you can’t make this demonstration, don’t miss the big April 30 rally.
Continue reading “March 29 Darfur demo: update”

OKC Catholic Worker statement on proposed immigration laws

Ed. note: Spanish version follows English version.

On the 26th anniversary of the Martyrdom of Romero, March 24, 2006

The Oscar Romero Catholic Worker Community Opposes the Wicked Immigration Laws!

In recent months, laws have been introduced into the United States Congress and the Oklahoma Legislature that would treat immigrants and refugees with great harshness and cruelty. These laws would make it a crime to offer help to the poor if they are not legal residents.

The Oscar Romero Catholic Worker community condemns these laws. We call upon all people of goodwill to stand together in solidarity against these wicked and evil laws that are based in racism and hatred of other cultures. We encourage everybody to contact their representatives in Congress and the Oklahoma Legislature to show their opposition.

We welcome the migrant and the refugee to our city and state. Our city and state will be better places to live if we offer hope and hospitality to immigrants.

If these laws are passed by Congress and the Legislature, we will meet this culture of death evil with civil disobedience. We will continue to offer hospitality and help to immigrants, even if this becomes a crime. There is no moral obligation to obey an evil and wicked law. There is nothing in the Bible that commands us to obey the government when the government does evil. We will not damn our souls to hell to satisfy corrupt politicians. We will continue to feed the hungry at every opportunity we find. We will never ask anyone to prove that they are a legal resident before offering them help and hope.
Continue reading “OKC Catholic Worker statement on proposed immigration laws”

Various Articles

ImmigrationDemonstration
The L.A. Times today is chock-full of articles relevant to P&C.

  • The lead story is on the massive demonstrations against proposed draconian laws against illegal immigration. They say it’s the biggest demonstration of any kind in L.A.’s history.
  • Steve Lopez continues to write compelling columns about life on Skid Row and the issues surrounding it. Today he writes of single mother Elizabeth Brown and her two children and their struggle to find affordable housing. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of opposition to putting homeless shelters anywhere besides Skid Row.
  • A obituary of the remarkable Desmond Doss, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor in WWII as a conscientious objector.
  • A look at the controversy around erecting fields of crosses as war memorials/protests.
  • The Hospital Association of Southern California is urging its members to revamp their policies for dealing with homeless patients in the wake of allegations of “dumping” the homeless on Skid Row.

Some of those links may require you to register for free at their site.

HOWTO: Protest the Darfur Genocide

Tom Lewis being arrested at the Sudan embassyIf you’re subscribing to our video rss, you’ve noticed that the movie “Darfur Genocide on Trial” is now available on-line.

(Movie page, with links to versions in .wmv (55 MB) and .avi/DivX (685.5 MB).)

When we made the movie, I wasn’t sure what purpose it served, but it has turned out to be a great tool for introducing people to avenues of action on the Darfur issue.

Watching the movie, you learn:

  • a little about the situation in Darfur (from Eric Reeves);
  • a little about how you could travel to Darfur and what might happen when you get there (from the Catholic Worker Peace Team);
  • a little about what it would be like to demonstrate at the Sudanese embassy;
  • a little about civil disobedience at the embassy, and what the arrest would be like;
  • and a little about taking your case to court, and how you could mount a necessity defense.

So maybe you’ll want to check the movie out. If you have any trouble with the downloads, please post a comment and we’ll do our best to get things working smoothly.

Quicktime: We’ve had no luck in converting this movie to a small, viewable .mov file. If you think you could help us with this, e-mail pieandcoffee@gmail.com and we’ll try to get you the huge master .avi file. Or maybe you can work some magic with the DivX linked above.

Democracy: Internet TV

Items

Democracy Now!: Worcester’s mighty WCCA TV13 will begin broadcasting the independent news show Democracy Now starting April 3, weekday mornings from 8am-9am.

Keet: Don’t miss Steven McGarity’s comment.

InCity Times: this week tries to bring the muck with Steven Maher’s cover story “Long-time Central Massachusetts political operative Louis C. DiNatale faces possible probes by the State Ethics Commission and the State Auditor’s office.” It’s a great look at the world of Central Massachusetts political operatives.

Mr. Maher, of course, was responsible for the infamous cover story about Paul Giorgio, another sometime political operative.

Worcester Magazine: Scott Zoback interviews other local coaches who agree with Patrick Williams that there is bias in local high school sports.

Also, this week the disclaimer “swear words are not reprinted” reappeared in the Blog Log.

Telegram & Gazette: Did I mention that I’m among the “196,000 participants in Hewlett-Packard Co.’s pension and 401(k) plans” whose personal info was on a stolen Fidelity laptop? Got an express letter Wednesday morning about it. The T&G has a business reporter covering the fiasco, instead of relying on wire reports.

Homelessness on Skid Row in L.A.

The L.A. Times has had several articles in the past week about homelessness on Skid Row in L.A.

An alleged “dumping,” the practice of hospitals or law enforcement agencies taking patients or inmates and dropping them off on Skid Row, was captured on videotape.

The city attorney has filed lawsuits against two Skid Row hotels accused of practicing the “28-day shuffle,” in which people living in residence hotels are evicted after 28 days so that they don’t get legal rights as residents by living somewhere for a month.

Columnist Steve Lopez states what should be the obvious and says that the homeless need homes, not police harassment.

Lopez also pens a hopeful story about a homeless man named Ernest Adams who’s recently been able to get off the streets and into his own apartment.

The Mayor, businesses, and the ACLU find themselves in agreement over a plan to crack down on crime on Skid Row but not sweep up homeless people.

An editorial on this approach.

Letter writers express their opinions.

“Have we really become so heartless, materialistic and inhumane that we consider the problem of skid row to be one of cleaning up trash rather than finding a solution to a human tragedy? “

It’s quite shocking to visit the Skid Row neighborhood and see how many people live such a desperate existence. None of the police approaches to the problem address the core issues of mental illness and addiction that lead to chronic homelessness. The poor will always be with us, but the problem on Skid Row won’t be minimized until we can treat these mental and spiritual problems to help restore these men’s and women’s dignity.

NY Times accepts ad from Sudan Government

Felix Salmon reports that there was an 8-page advertising supplement in Tuesday’s NY Times extolling the virtues of the genocidal Sudanese government.

Some commentary here:

The supplement lauds Sudan for facing a “peaceful, prosperous and democratic future”…

Instapundit notes, against their defense that they keep the advertising, news, and editorial content independent of each other,

Well, if you only take ads from organizations that share your opinions, then people will accuse you of being bought off. That’s a good argument for taking a wide range of ads, but there ought to be some limits. My blogads policy has been pretty much anything but Nazis. But Sudan looks pretty close to that line.