August 2006

Pablo Ros did a great job in today’s South Bend Tribune, collecting questions that people planned to ask the politicians at South Bend’s immigration “forum”. As it turned out, audience questions and comments were not allowed.

Here’s one from Neris Gonzalez, a friend of the South Bend Catholic Worker:

Why, if people who work the fields and in factories are willing to work so hard, aren’t you willing to give them a livable minimum wage?

Here’s one from Rev. Christopher Cox, St. Adalbert Catholic Church:

[US Rep Chris] Chocola owns up to half a million dollars worth of Wal-Mart stock, according to a financial disclosure published in the Washington Post. Wal-Mart was fined $11 million last year for employing hundreds of illegal workers. Mr. Chocola, wouldn’t it be socially responsible of you to sell your Wal-Mart stock?

Chocola gave the Tribune a response that doesn’t answer the question:

“I voted for the U.S. House Immigration Reform bill that included an employer verification program that will give employers no excuse for hiring illegal immigrants,” Chocola replied Friday. “It also includes tough punishment for those that employ illegal immigrants.”

The followup question would be: Given that Wal-Mart has broken laws about employing illegals “hundreds” of times, why do you think they’ll follow new ones? Wouldn’t it be more ethical to divest yourself from a corporation that thumbs its nose at these laws? Shouldn’t you be putting your money where your mouth and votes are?

Recently there has been some discussion about scientists who are religious here, after Mike “outed” the secret Caltech-alumni organizing principle behind this blog. I have also recently read Richard Hamming’s depressing macho-macho speech on research. It is then perhaps opportune that, this Saturday, I went to the National Theatre to see Bertolt Brecht’s The Life of Galileo (in a version by David Hare). Read the rest of this entry »

Well, I’ve made my podcasting debut as part of the team on Saint Kermit #36. Haven’t listened to it yet, but I believe that my contribution was to ramble about needle exchange and the modified WoMag cover.

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I heartily invite you to subscribe to Saint Kermit and catch all the action.

Podcasting from the Catholic Peace Fellowship office.

I had all sorts of technical difficulties, and couldn’t stay connected for more than a couple minutes at a time. Interesting to hear how they stitched these bits together into a coherent conversation.

The main sanctuary at Mission San Miguel (est. 1797) in Central California was severely damaged by the San Simeon Earthquake in 2003 and has been closed ever since. The Diocese of Monterey says it doesn’t have the money to repair it and it can’t get public funds, despite being a California Historic Landmark, since it’s an active place of worship. So volunteers have been doing their part by, among other things, casting 5,000 adobe bricks just like they used to back in the old days. The L.A. Times has the story.

Saint Kermit: Jim Henderson and I are interviewing Maine Senatorial candidate Jean Hay Bright next week for the podcast Saint Kermit. If you’d like to suggest a question for her, post a comment here or e-mail pieandcoffee@gmail.com.

Silk Hope Catholic Worker: Long article about them, with plenty of quotes from South Bend’s Mike Baxter.

Lechner on “Z”: Tom Lechner (who recently gave me a place to crash in Portland–thanks again) had a cartoon on the cover of June’s Z Magazine. (Here’s a great cartoon he drew while I was out there.)

Genius on genius: Vern reviews THEY LIVE.

Brandon is a Zombie: Out debut performance was not our best effort, but it was fun and we’re hoping to do another open mic before I leave South Bend. Dawn took some photos from the back of the bar.