May/June 2011 - Newpeople

April, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 1

THOMAS MERTON CENTER, 5129 PENN AVE.

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PITTSBURGH’S PEACE AND JUSTICE NEWSPAPER

Published by the Thomas Merton Center VOL. 41, No. 4 May & June, 2011

NRA

– Page 3

IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WARS

– Page 5

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.

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.

The Sad Toll of Gun Violence in Pittsburgh

~ Michael Drohan

On Saturday April 30, 2011, Pittsburgh Interfaith

Impact Network (PIIN), The Black Political

Empowerment Project (B-PEP), the National

Council for Urban Peace and Justice, and

CeaseFirePA organized a Rally and March

against the proliferation of guns and gun

violence in the city of Pittsburgh and beyond.

The event began at Freedom Corner in the Hill

District opposite St. Benedict the Moor Catholic

Church with upwards of 150 people in

attendance. The event took place just as the

National Rifle Association was holding its

annual meeting with 65,000 people in attendance

at the Convention Center Downtown. This latter

event reflects the extraordinary adulation of

guns bordering on idolatry with the motto of

their event being ―Acres of Guns and Gear.‖ It

makes it hard to escape the conclusion that the

US is a country deeply in love with guns the

consequences be damned.

The anti gun violence rally and

march advertised their event

under the banner ―Acres of Illegal

Guns =Acres of Death‖. The

organizers were very careful to

underline that they were not

against guns or gun possession

per se but against the illegal

possession of guns and its

consequences. The NRA sees any

restrictions on gun possession,

background checks or denying

possession of guns to people with

criminal records as an

infringement of the Second

Amendment of the Constitution.

Furthermore, despite the enormous power of the

gun lobby and the NRA in particular, they

portray themselves as a persecuted minority

under threat. They also turned down any

dialogue or conversation with the organizers of

the rally and march. In fact, the event took place

precisely because of the outright refusal of the

NRA to talk about curbing illegal possession of

guns.

continued on page 7

The New Persons Award 2011

~ Bette McDevitt

What can you say about an event

that draws about 100 people to the

lower cavern of the very gracious

East Liberty Presbyterian Church,

on a Tuesday night, offers them

good food and excellent ―activated‖

company, an event that leads off

with the Raging Grannies

clambering up onto the stage to sing

their original fracking song,

followed by Mike Stout and his

band with their original fracking

song, with Mike jumping in the air

on the downbeat? It has to be great,

and so it was.

The event was the Thomas Merton

Center 2011 New Persons Award,

April 26, and the awaardee was the

Marcellus Shale Protest Group, a

coalition of western Pennsylvania

groups who confront what several

speakers called the greatest risk to

our public health in our history.

In concise presentations, Jessica

McPherson of the Protest Group,

and Peter Wray of the Sierra Club,

spoke of the risks and the dangers

of this type of drilling. Loretta

Weir of Munhall, a member of the

group, recalled how she became an

activist for this cause. ―I went to

one meeting, heard about the

'Halliburton Loophole' created by

Dick Cheney and I was hooked. I

went home and couldn‘t sleep. I

drank coffee all night.‖ The

Loophole she refers to dates back to

2004. Remember when Cheney

wouldn‘t reveal who was invited to

the ―energy‖ meeting at the White

House? That was when they

devised the plan that removed the

rights of the EPA to regulate

hydraulic fracturing under the Safe

Drinking Water Act, the Clean

Water Act and the Superfund Act.

―I always told my kids that my

yelling and screaming would come

in handy one day.‖ She credits

Alex Lotorto, of East Liberty, with

setting up a meeting at the local

Elks Club that gave birth to that

local group.

Brigit Shields, chosen along with

Loretta Weir, to accept the award

on behalf of the group, said they

have all taken on a full time job.

―This is an amazing group of

people, gaining recognition on a

national and international scale.‖

She pointed out, with a nod to her

husband, Councilman Doug

Shields, that Pittsburgh is the first

city in the country to prohibit

fracking, a story that has gone

global.

Doug Shields, to great applause,

presented the Merton Center with a

proclamation, praising both the

Merton Center and the Protest

group, that named April 27

Marcellus Shale Protest Group day

in Pittsburgh. It is not often that the

Merton Center finds itself on the

same side of the issue as local, state

or any government.

Courtney Smith, Diane McMahon

and Wanda Guthrie spoke on behalf

of the Merton Center, and Guthrie

presented the group with a Peace

Pole, with wise sayings imprinted

on it. Guthrie pointed out one that

comes from the Quakers ―Let Your

Life Speak.‖

Marty O‘Malley wound up the

evening with a fund raising appeal

that started in the usual manner. He

told about the founding of the

Center, in the 1960‘s, a story we all

know. Then he threw in a few

zingers, with his own dry wit.

―Those people who founded the

Center are now old, sick, and dying.

Some of them are dead already.

That‘s why we need YOU, you

young people in the audience, to

join the Merton Center, and take

over the responsibility!!‖ He told

them to pick up the envelope on the

table, put in fifty bucks and drops it

off at the Merton Center. ―I

guarantee you, that if you do that,

you‘ll be accepted as a member of

the Merton Center.‖ So who will

replace Marty? No frackin‘ way, as

they say in the movement.

Photo by Philomeana Day

Families confront the NRA convention in Pittsburgh on

May 7-8th.

Dr. Vandana Shiva

– Page 5

2 - NEWPEOPLE April, 2011

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Phone: 412-361-3022 — Fax: 412-361-0540 — Web: www.thomasmertoncenter.org

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TMC Board of Directors Casey Capitolo, Kathy Cunningham, Michael Drohan,

Mary Jo Guercio, Wanda Guthrie, Edward Kinley, Shawna Hammond, Jonah McAllister-Erickson, Charles McCollester, Diane McMahon,

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STANDING COMMITTEES

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Technology Team Provides technical advice and assistance to TMC

Special Event Committees Plan major TMC events in a collaborative manner and within the current budget. Events include The New Person Awards in May, and the Thomas Merton Award

Dinner in November.

These committees also report regularly to the TMC Board.

TMC PROJECTS and CAMPAIGNS

Anti-War Committee [email protected] www.pittsburghendthewar.org

Book‘Em (books to prisoners)

[email protected] www.thomasmertoncenter.org/bookem

CodePink (Women for Peace) [email protected], 412-389-3216

www.codepink4peace.org

Conscience 412-231-1581

www.consciencepgh.blogspot.com

Demilitarize Pittsburgh: War-Profiteering Edu-cation & Action Network

412-361-3022, [email protected] www.demilitarizepittsburgh.org

Diversity Footprint (art, justice, community)

[email protected]

East End Community Thrift Shop 412-361-6010, [email protected]

Economic Justice Committee [email protected]

Human Rights Coalition / Fed Up

(prisoner support and advocacy) 412-802-8575, [email protected] www.thomasmertoncenter.org/fedup

Fight for Lifers West 412-361-3022 to leave a message

[email protected] http://fightforliferswest.mysite.com

Food Not Bombs

[email protected] http://fnb-pgh.2ya.com

In Sisterhood: The Women’s Movement in Pgh 412-621-3252, [email protected]

Literacy for Ziguinchor 724-549-4933, [email protected]

Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance

412-867-9213

Pittsburgh Campaign for Democracy NOW!

412-422-5377, [email protected] www.pcdn.org

Pittsburgh Works! (labor history documentaries) [email protected]

Roots of Promise 724-327-2767, 412-596-0066 [email protected]

(Network of Spiritual Progressives) [email protected]

Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition [email protected]; www.pittsburghdarfur.org

Sustainable Living Project [email protected], 412-551-6957

Three Rivers Area Medics (TRAM) 412-641-9191 or [email protected]

Urban Arts Project

[email protected]

Pittsburgh Progressive Notebook

Call 412-301-3022 for more info

The Palestine Film Festival

Call 412-301-3022 for more info

Murrysville Marcellus Community Group

Wanda Guthrie

724-327-2767

[email protected]

The Africa Project 412-657-8513, [email protected]

www.africaproject.net

Allegheny Defense Project, Pgh Office 412-559-1364 www.alleghenydefense.org

Amnesty International [email protected] www.amnestypgh.org

Association of Pittsburgh Priests Molly 412-343-3027 [email protected]

The Big Idea Bookstore 412-OUR-HEAD, www.thebigideapgh.org

Black Voices for Peace Gail Austin 412-606-1408

Citizens for Global Solutions 412-471-7852 [email protected]

Citizens for Social Responsibility of Greater Johnstown

Larry Blalock, [email protected]

Haiti Solidarity Committee [email protected],

412-271-8414 www.thomasmertoncenter.org/hs

PA United for a Single-Payer Health Care (PUSH) www.healthcare4allPA.org Molly Rush [email protected]

Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi 412-761-4319

Pittsburgh Committee to Free Mumia 412-361-3022, [email protected]

Pittsburgh Cuba Coalition

412-563-1519 [email protected]

Pgh Independent Media Center [email protected] www.indypgh.org

Pgh North Anti-Racism Coalition 412-367-0383

Pgh North People for Peace 412-367-1049

Pgh Palestine Solidarity Committee [email protected] www.pittsburgh-psc.org

Raging Grannies 412-963-7163, [email protected]

www.pittsburghraginggrannies.homestead.com

Religion and Labor Coalition 412-361-4793 [email protected]

School of the Americas Watch of W. PA 412-371-9722, [email protected]

United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE)

412-471-8919 www.ueunion.org

Urban Bikers [email protected]

Veterans for Peace [email protected]

Voices for Animals [email protected]

1-877-321-4VFA

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)

Karen 412-521-7187 [email protected]

TMC AFFILIATES and FRIENDS

TMC MEMBERSHIPS These are organizations or coalitions in which TMC has formal membership, including payment of dues to and fulfillment of other agreed-upon responsibilities as an organizational member

Abolition 2000: W. Pa. Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons 724-339-2242 / [email protected]

Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

412-384-4310, [email protected]

TMC

HOURS of OPERATION

10 am — 3 pm

Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday, Friday

In this Issue Page 4 Book ‗Em Pittsburgh declared 5th Human Rights City

Page 5 Vandana Shiva and the Rights of Mother Earth War Protests

Page 6 Cultural Recyclists Torture and Abuse In PA State Prison

Page 7 Labor in the 1960s and 1970s

Page 8 Tax Day Rally Citizen Action Is Winning Some Battles

Page 9 Are Progressives Too Stupid To Win American Dream Has Gotta Go

Page 10 Schenley Oval Gathering The Tribune-Review‘s Environmental Editorials

Page 11 TMC Corner

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~ Molly Rush, Thomas Merton Center Board

Member

The National Rifle Association, which held its

national convention in Pittsburgh was greeted

with cries of ‖Let‘s Talk‖ from marchers

carrying 100 signs with the names and ages of

person killed by guns last year and this year.

The NRA, which speaks loudly in the halls of

Congress, turned a deaf ear to appeals from

families of Americans killed or injured by

gunfire.

A full page ad in the Post-Gazette, signed by

families of victims from thirteen states,

invited NRA‘s head, Wayne LaPierre, to meet

with Tom Mauser of Littleton CO, Omar

Samaha, whose sister Reema was one of the

Virginia Tech victims, Randy Garner who

survived the Tucson shooting and Rev. Glenn

Grayson of Pittsburgh whose son Jeron was

shot in California PA.

―We are not politicians,‖ the ad read. ―And we

are not interested in a debate on the Second

Amendment. In fact, some of us are longtime

gun owners ourselves.

We are the families of Americans who were

murdered or injured by killers who should

not have had guns….

We have a simple goal we want to make sure

the instant gun background check system,

which the NRA has supported, is effective.

Unfortunately, right now it‘s not….

These checks take about two minutes. Two

minutes to save a life – thousands of lives –

is well worth it.”

As Pittsburgh police chief Nate Harper put it,

―It‘s not about the Second Amendment, it‘s

about common sense.‖

At a tear-filled service and rally at Freedom

Corner, the historic gathering place for

hundreds of civil rights, peace, and justice

marches, blacks and whites prayed together

for an end to gun violence. Then they marched

to the Convention Center. ―Let‘s Talk‖ they

shouted. Mr. LaPierre.

The events were organized by PIIN, the

Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network and

CeaseFirePA.

NRA Turns A Deaf Ear To Families Of Gun Victims

The family of Rev. Glenn Grayson, pastor of

Wesley Center AME Zion Church and past

president of PIIN, continues to mourn the loss of

their son, uncle and brother Jeron, who was shot

and killed on October 17, 2010

Valerie Dixon whose son Robert was shot to death in

2001. She continues to work with other families of

shooting victims.



~ Martha Conley, Attorney

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals

found on April 26, 2011, for the second

time, that Mumia Abu-Jamal is entitled

to a resentencing hearing because of

flawed jury instructions during the pen-

alty phase of his trial for the murder of

police officer Daniel Faulkner, in Phila-

delphia in 1981. The current Philadel-

phia District Attorney, Seth Williams,

has reportedly decided in consultation

with the widow of the slain officer to

petition the U.S. Supreme Court to re-

instate the death penalty.

If the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to

hear the case, the Philadelphia D.A.

will have 180 days to schedule a resen-

tencing hearing or the sentence will

remain a life sentence without the pos-

sibility of parole. Although Federal

District Judge Yohn technically vacated

his death sentence in 2001, Abu-Jamal

has remained in solitary confinement

on death row.

Abu-Jamal is currently represented by

Attorney Judith Ritter of the Widener

Law School and the NAACP Legal

Defense Fund. In responding to this

most recent court ruling Ritter said,

―Each of the four federal judges that

has reviewed Mr. Abu-Jamal‘s case has

found his death sentence to be uncon-

stitutional. The Third Circuit‘s most

recent opinion reflects a detailed analy-

sis demonstrating that their unanimous

decision is well-supported by Supreme

Court precedent. We believe this care-

fully reasoned analysis will stand.‖

Unfortunately, the Pennsylvania and

Federal Courts have steadfastly refused

to revisit the guilt phase of the trial

despite ample evidence of judicial bias,

police misconduct, and prosecutorial

misconduct including improperly elimi-

nating blacks from the jury. Contrary to

statements by the Philadelphia Frater-

nal Order of Police, Abu-Jamal has

steadfastly maintained his innocence.

It is unfair to evaluate this case out of

context. Abu-Jamal‘s ordeal began at

the age of 15. As he describes it, he

was ―…kicked into the Black Panther

Party‖ by the Philadelphia Police. He

was named Minister of Information for

the chapter and wrote articles for the

newspaper, The Black Panther. As a

result, he became the target of the

Counter Intelligence Program

(Cointelpro) of the Federal Bureau of

Investigation (FBI) and The Philadel-

phia Police Department‘s Civil Defense

Bureau, which worked closely with the

FBI. He remained under surveillance

until at least the time of his incarcera-

tion for the murder of Philadelphia Po-

lice Officer, Daniel Faulkner. His FBI

file released to date under the Freedom

of Information Act amounts to over 800

pages. Despite years of constant sur-

veillance Abu-Jamal had no criminal

record or hint of violence in his back-

ground at the time of his arrest in 1981.

Abu-Jamal left the Black Panther Party

after two years in 1970 and began pre-

paring himself for a career in radio

journalism. He worked for various

radio stations in the Philadelphia area,

became known as ―the voice of the

voiceless‖ and was eventually elected

president of Philadelphia‘s Association

of Black Journalists.

Abu-Jamal was a constant critic of the

vicious tactics of Mayor Frank Rizzo

and gained the enmity of the Philadel-

phia Police Department because he

wrote articles sympathetic to the com-

mune, MOVE which had taken up resi-

dence in Philadelphia.

Amnesty International in its 2000 re-

port A Life in the Balance The Case of

Mumia Abu-Jamal pointed out that in

1979 the U.S. Justice Department filed

a lawsuit against Mayor Rizzo for con-

doning police brutality. The report

stated: ―During Frank Rizzo‘s eight

years as mayor, fatal shootings by

Philadelphia police officers increased

by 20 per cent annually. In the year he

left office, 1980, fatal shootings de-

clined 67 per cent.‖

Because of his support of MOVE, Abu-

Jamal lost work at local radio stations

and began driving a cab to support his

family. He was in possession of a gun

because he had been robbed twice

while driving his cab. Significantly,

the police failed to conduct very basic,

routine tests which, if positive would

have directly linked him to the

crime. Thus, the police never con-

nected Abu-Jamal‘s gun to the crime

(perhaps because they knew it had not

been fired). Fully one third of the po-

lice officers who were involved in the

investigation of the Faulkner murder

were later indicted, served time or re-

signed under a cloud of suspicion for

manufacturing evidence, extorting

money, intimidating legitimate wit-

nesses, paying witnesses to testify

falsely and testifying falsely in

court. Most significantly, the prosecu-

tor never informed the jury that there

was a third person at the scene of the

crime who had been identified as the

shooter in a lineup by one of the wit-

nesses.

Numerous other instances of police

misconduct, prosecutorial misconduct,

clear judicial racial bias and poor legal

representation infect this

case. Precedents applied in other cases

however, are inexplicably not applied

by the Pennsylvania and Federal Courts

in Abu-Jamal‘s case.

The Fraternal Order of Police in Phila-

delphia has vigorously opposed a new

trial for Abu-Jamal and has supported a

―Kill Mumia‖ campaign in Philadelphia

to counter the large ―Free Mumia‖

campaign around the world. Given the

evident corruption and misconduct in

this case it is not surprising that the

F.O.P. would oppose reopening the

case as it threatens to expose, yet again,

the dysfunction of the criminal justice

system in Pennsylvania. A system

which Pierre Sane, Secretary General

of Amnesty International in 1997 stated

was worse than Georgia, worse than

Alabama and worse than Missis-

sippi…‖one of the most racist and un-

fair in the United States.‖

Abu-Jamal‟s Death Sentence Ruled Unconstitutional Further Appeal May Delay Re-sentencing Hearing


Book „Em Confronts the Unimaginable, Book by Book

~ Suzanne Powell

A friend recently said, ―Hell for me

would be a day without a book.‖ I

couldn‘t agree more, as I can‘t even

wait for a bus without pulling out

something to read. All of us who

work with Book ‗Em do so because

we love books and can‘t imagine

being locked in a cell, for year after

year, without anything to read. The

United States has nearly 24% of the

world‘s prison population and

spends over $68 billion a year on

incarceration, yet little of that

money goes towards libraries or

education. It is left to groups like

Book ‗Em to provide as many men

and women as possible with reading

material, as most facilities prohibit

inmates from receiving books from

family or friends. Using volunteer

labor and private donations of books

and money, we are usually able to

mail about 160 packages per month.

On Martin Luther King Day we

teamed up with Amachi, the

mentoring program for youth with

incarcerated parents, to choose and

wrap books for prisoners in

Pennsylvania. It took an entire van

to transport dozens of boxes of

books from our workspace in the

basement of the Merton Center to

the conference center in the Strip

District. Close to 100 volunteers

poured in from across Pittsburgh:

symphony musicians and their

families, young adults with

Pittsburgh Cares and Americorps,

and most importantly, the children

and mentors from the Amachi

program, who reminded us all why

we were supporting the neglected

population locked away in prison.

The initial chaos of confusion,

questions, and conversation settled

into an efficient process of invoiced

books being passed to wrappers

who then passed the packages to

addressers. Meanwhile, new letters

were sorted and marked with the

restrictions required by individual

prisons. Steadily the piles of books

diminished, and four hours later we

were left with 40 postal hods

containing over 1500 books

wrapped in 600 packages. The

finances and logistics of mailing

that many hods created a challenge

for our small Book ‗Em team, but

finally, three months after the event,

the last packages were mailed to a

group of grateful prisoners.

We are now back to our routine of

reading letters, packing books,

rechecking addresses, and mailing 3

or 4 hods a week. There are always

several hundred requests waiting to

be filled, but we know that the

books will be welcomed whenever

they arrive, and will be read and

passed on to other inmates in the

facility. This handwritten letter from

Thomas, an inmate in Houtzdale,

Pennsylvania, says it all: “Hello. I

hope this letter finds all my dear

friends at Book „Em happy and

healthy. I received my 1st five

books about 6 months ago. I read

them all cover to cover. They were

like a miracle to me, see I am

indigent, with no family. As a result

I have no TV. But that‟s OK

because I love to read. I have since

passed those books on to friends

and they promised me they would

do the same. The work you guys/

gals do really does enrich the daily

lives of prisoners. Keep up the good

work. If you have any more books

they would be cherished by my

friends and me.”

Letters like this one keep us going

at Book ‗Em, knowing that we

make a difference in the lives of

incarcerated men and women.

Contributions of time, books and -

most importantly - money are

always welcome. Please join us!

Book ‗Em packs books from 3-7pm

on Sundays at the Thomas Merton

Center, located at 5129 Penn

Avenue.

by Scilla Wahrhaftig , AFSC Pennsylvania Program Director

Through the work of the American

Friends Service Committee‘s Racial

Justice Through Human Rights

(RJTHR) youth group, Pittsburgh

City Council passed a resolution

declaring Pittsburgh the 5th Human

Rights City in the country. Pittsburgh

will be joining cities around the world

who are actively working to protect

the human rights of their citizens.

The RJTHR youth group was initiated

by the AFSC PA Program and has

been partnering with Pittsburgh

Cares, Pittsburgh Young Leaders

Academy. The 13 youths in the

program were racially, culturally and

geographically diverse. They

included people from small towns,

from suburbia, from the Northside,

the Southside, the West and the East.

They came from suburban schools,

inner city schools, schools that were

majority African American and

schools that were majority white. One

student was homeschooled. We had

Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Unitarian

and other main line denominations in

the group.

The idea of calling on Pittsburgh City

Council to commit to respecting the

human rights of all the citizens came

out of the learning experiences the

youth have been getting, on

understanding racial inequality and

human rights. The first step in this

process was to have Pittsburgh

declared a Human Rights City.

A Human Rights City is one in which

the human rights of all it‘s citizens

are respected and where the citizens

as well as the City Council work

towards the betterment of living

conditions in that city. Pittsburgh

would be joining U.S. cities such as

Washington DC, but also cities

around the world, in this effort.

The RJTHR youth wrote letters, made

calls and met with their City Council

representatives. Maya Rosen, one of

the youths, wrote to her

Councilman, ―I am writing to

propose making Pittsburgh a Human

Rights City. A Human Rights City is

one whose residents and local

authorities participate in ongoing

discussions and creative exchange of

ideas in order to more fully

understand human rights. When these

ideas are incorporated as a way of

life, they assist in identifying the

issues and informing the actions in

our local government, for meaningful,

positive economic and social change.

Pittsburgh would become the fifth

Human Rights City in the United

States, joining other Human Rights

Cities around the world where

inhabitants have undertaken ongoing

learning with the understanding that

human rights are central in bringing

forth a viable vision and mission for

the 21st Century.‖

Around 40 high school youth from

the Pittsburgh Young Leaders

Academy joined the Racial Justice

Through human rights youth on April

19th at City Council to be part of the

proclamation ceremony. Five of the

RJTHR youth accepted the

Proclamation and spoke about their

hope and concerns for the future of

Pittsburgh. One young woman spoke

of Pittsburgh being like a train

station. People come from all over the

world to visit and live, and how

important it is

for us to be an

example to the

world and live

up to our

morals. One of

the youth spoke

about the bus

cuts. She has to

take two city

buses to school

and is

concerned that

she may not be

able to get there

on time. Jobs

were another

concern as these

young folk look

at their future in

Pittsburgh.

Finally one

spoke for the

need for safe

communities.

He talked about

a time he

attended a sports event

that ended in a riot.

After the proclamation ceremony, the

youth gathered on the steps of the

City Council building and all 30 of

the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights were read. Then the youth

scattered out in groups and

interviewed people on the streets to

find out what they knew about human

rights. One of the people interviewed

was a Holocaust survivor who

stressed the importance of protecting

everyone‘s rights. She spoke of the

slow whittling away of people‘s

rights in Germany that led to the

Holocaust. It really brought home

why we were doing this.

In presenting the Proclamation

Councilman Patrick Dowd, who had

met with two of the youths,

commented that he was impressed

that they were not content with just

getting the proclamation passed but

already thinking of the next steps to

implementing human rights in

Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh declared 5th Human Rights City in the US

Students from the Pittsburgh Young Leaders

Academy celebrate City Council‘s human right‘s

resolution.



~ Michael Drohan and Pete Shell

The Thomas Merton Center Anti-War

Committee (AWC) and allies have

been busy organizing protests around

the anniversaries of these seemingly

endless wars. On Saturday March 26,

the Committee held a march and rally

in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh called

―Make Jobs Not Wars!‖ On Saturday

April 9 it took a bus to New York

City to take part in a national protest

against the wars. On March 19, 2003

the U.S. commenced hostilities

against Iraq, so this year‘s march and

rally marked the eighth anniversary.

The Afghanistan war began in

October 2001, making it the eleventh

year and the longest war ever

undertaken in US history. The toll of

these wars is growing more

horrendous: cost of both: $1.183

trillion; Iraqi casualties: 1.421

million; U.S. service personnel

casualties in Iraq: 4,766 and NATO

casualties in Afghanistan: 2,416.

The rally and march in Pittsburgh on

March 26 brought out about 250

people in front of the Teamsters Hall

on Butler St. in Lawrenceville. The

rally at the beginning heard words

lamenting the diversion of massive

funds towards war while social

services such as public transit,

education, and health care are

neglected. It was pointed out that

recently the city had lost 35 of its bus

routes. The crowd listened intently as

TMC board president Diane

McMahon articulated the board‘s

opposition to the just-beginning air

attacks on Libya. Peace and Justice

rock troubadour Mike Stout as well as

the Raging Grannies animated the

participants with their raging anti-war

songs.

A march followed the rally along

Butler St. where businesses and

residents showed their support. It

ended up at the Dough Boy

Monument

at Butler

and Penn

Avenues

with

inspiring

wrap-up

speeches.

As an

active

member of

the UNAC

(United

National

Antiwar

Committee), the AWC

felt it important to participate in the

national rally and march in NYC on

April 9, which called for and end to

wars, occupations, and Islamophobia.

Although not as large as the Bush era

marches, it was an important part of

rebuilding a democratic,

multicultural, and principled antiwar

movement. Organizers estimated that

approximately 10,000 people

attended, making it the largest

antiwar rally in years. There was a

significant turnout of Muslim and

Arab Americans thanks to the effort

of the newly formed Muslim Peace

Coalition. And youth were well

represented. There was also a march

in San Francisco, and sympathy

protests in Canada, Pakistan,

Afghanistan, and Iraq. Several

activists from the Pittsburgh area

helped out with set up and

volunteering to be peace marshals, for

which we are grateful.

There were some challenges in

organizing the march in NYC. The

mainstream media almost completely

refused to cover the story, despite

giving prominent coverage to Tea

Party rallies of 200 people. Many

who participated in the antiwar

marches in earlier years are hesitant

to criticize Obama and the

Democrats. The Thomas Merton

Center and the Anti-War Committee

have important roles to play in

helping to build coalitions against the

wars and campaigns to bring the war

dollars home.

This year‘s protests of the wars in

Iraq and Afghanistan took place in

the historical context of grass-roots,

democratic movements struggling for

and winning regime change in

Tunisia and Egypt, both of which had

been non-violent and in the space of a

mere few months had succeeded in

overthrowing dictatorial governments

comparable to Saddam Hussein and

the Taliban in Afghanistan. The

contrast could not be greater. The

violent mode of change imposed by

the US in the countries mentioned has

entailed enormous social and

financial costs. But worse still, these

wars have brought little but havoc,

misery, and unending violence to

these unfortunate peoples.

The AWC will be actively

organizing additional campaigns and

protests in the upcoming period,

emphasizing the impact that these

horrendous wars and occupations

have on people‘s lives, both abroad

and at home:

We are launching a campaign to

get a City Council resolution

passed to Bring the War Dollars

Home. Our goal is to get it

introduced in October.

We will support and participate

in the Other Wars actions that are

being called by the national group

Black Is Back for August 20. They

are calling for local actions

throughout the country to emphasize

the other wars in African (such as

Pakistan and Yemen) that the U.S. is

involved in, as well as the war on

people of color and the poor and

working class.

We are planning to organize an

antiwar action on October 15, the

date of the attack on Afghanistan,

called by UNAC, USLAW (US Labor

Against the World), and other groups.

We urge you to get involved and help

in the critical task of bringing the war

dollars home. For more info and to

get involved with these campaigns,

please visit

www.PittsburghEndTheWar.org

Protests On The Anniversary Of Iraq And Afghanistan Wars

~ Michael Drohan

The recipient of the Thomas Merton

Award for 2011 on November 3 is

Vandana Shiva, a well-known

promoter and advocate for what has

come to be called the Rights of

Mother Earth or Pachamama. On

Earth Day April 22, 2011, she was in

at the United Nations in New York

City as a central figure in the

campaign to get the United Nations to

make a declaration entitled The

Universal Declaration of the Rights

of Mother Earth. This declaration is

modeled on the 1948 declaration of

the UN entitled The Universal

Declaration of Human Rights.

According to Ms. Shiva, the UN is

still far from unanimity on this issue

and to have it declared by the body as

a whole will take some time. The

movement to have this new

declaration of the rights of Mother

Earth marks a revolutionary transition

in regard to human consciousness and

our relationship with other sentient

creatures and with the earth itself.

The genesis of the movement to have

this new declaration ratified and

passed has a fairly long prehistory but

its most recent development traces

itself to a meeting in Cochabamba,

Bolivia in April 2010 of the World

Peoples‘ Congress on the

Environment. This Congress was, if

one wishes, a Peoples‘ version of the

United Nations Conference on

Climate Change which took place in

Copenhagen a year prior to the

Bolivian one. The inspiration for this

initiative came from the Bolivian

people and other peoples of the Third

World who historically have had a

more wholesome relationship with

the rest of nature than have Western

cultures. According to Shiva and her

collaborators, it is not just a metaphor

to speak of nature as having rights.

She maintains that the earth and all

the creatures of the earth have

inherent rights and are not dependent

on humans to grant them those rights.

We simply have to recognize them

and respect them. This approach goes

against a long history of domination

of nature and a

philosophy that

looked on the rest

of nature as

something just put

there for human

use and

domination. It

goes back to the

Old Testament

creation myths

according to which

God created all the

creatures of the

earth to be

dominated over and

used by ‗man‘.

Shiva also speaks of ―earth

democracy‖ according to which the

earth and all that is in it has to be

recognized as partners in the

decisions made. The effects of human

action on the environment and nature

cannot be considered as mere

―externalities‖ that humans do not

take into account in calculating the

costs of the things they produce and

their effect on the environment.

From this what she calls the

commodification of nature or the

claim to ownership by patenting of

the other species, seeds, plants and so

on, is repugnant. The earth and all

that inhabits it cannot be bought and

sold as they do not belong to any

human or group of humans. We are

part of nature in a condition of co-

dependency and inter-dependency.

We abuse other creatures and the

earth at our peril and eventually a

price has to be paid for our actions

and abuse. We have to cease thinking

of ourselves as above nature, she

declares, and have to recognize that

we are a mere part of nature with

rights coequal to that of other

creatures.

A related cause that Shiva is involved

in is the defense of Dr. Binayuk Sen,

a pediatrician in the Chhattaisgarh

State, who is accused of sedition.

The supposed sedition consists of

collaboration with the Naxalite

Maoist movement in that state.

According to Shiva, however, the real

problem of the State is the defense of

the tribals by Sen and their resistance

to international capital inroads on the

rich agricultural and mineral

resources. He was imprisoned for

several years but received bail on

April 15, 2011.

Vandana Shiva‘s presentation in

Pittsburgh will be of interest to all of

us interested in social justice and the

environment, as she makes the

connections between the political,

economic and industrial actions

which have reaped havoc on the

planet.

Vandana Shiva And The Rights Of Mother Earth

Dr. Vandana Shiva will receive the Thomas Merton

Award on Nov. 3rd at the Sheraton Station Square

Pittsburghers mark 8 years of war in Asia.

Photo credit unavailable

http://www.PittsburghEndTheWar.org


~ Kevin May

Our journey began after

we met each other at Penn State

University. Through shared dreams

and aspirations, we: Amanda,

Charlie, Kevin, Tina,

and Will united to form the Cultural

Recyclists. We began to

conceptualize our bike tour, guided

by a common vision of a

"sustainable future."

We set out from the East Coast

(Delaware Bay) on June 7th,

2010. We left our skeptical parents

behind as we road our loaded bikes

through Delaware, Maryland, and

Pennsylvania. Recycling cultural

objects, several of us attached bright

yellow Kitty Litter buckets to our

bikes, to store our gear in. Our

vision was to learn, explore, and

share transitions towards a more

sustainable, beautiful, and healthy

world.

We visited all varieties of

sustainability projects as we

traversed North America, averaging

about 50 miles a day. We believe

that sustainability is not a spectator

sport, so we volunteered as much as

possible when we visited. We also

shared pictures, videos, and blogs

throughout our journey, so that

more people could learn about the

cutting edge of this paradigm shift.

We held semi-spontaneous

gatherings to share food, books, and

music in Oberlin, Ohio. We

harvested apples at a Permaculture

village in Stelle, Illinois. We wished

essentially everyone we

encountered a ―Happy (day of the

week)‖. We layed mulch at an Eco-

village in Fairfield, Iowa. We

moved a treadmill for an old man in

Nebraska. We were met with

kindness from diverse people all

across the country. We realized that

99 out of 100 people are

kindhearted and the 1 who‘s not

makes the ―news‖.

We biked all the way through

Yellowstone National Park where it

was snowing on September 1st!

Portland was our next big stop as

we neared the Pacific Ocean. We

stayed in Portland for more than a

week, seeing as it is abounding with

Permaculture. We met a woman

who teaches Permaculture, who had

over 50 fruit and nut trees growing

in her tiny front and backyard.

Permaculture is a philosophy for

meshing human life with the

principles of nature, and thus allows

for us to grow tons of food, use

resources efficiently, and be happy!

We then cruised down the Coastal

Highway through Oregon and

California, finally accomplishing

our goal of reaching San Francisco.

It took us six months to complete

the quest, but it felt like several

lifetimes. Every day we met new,

exciting people who inspired us,

and sometimes cooked us food or

let us stay in their living room. I can

barely scratch the surface of our

adventures in this essay, so if you

want to SEE what we did and are

doing, check out

www.CulturalRecyclists.typepad.co

m. We have the bulk of our pictures

on www.Facebook.com/

CulturalRecyclists.

We learned a wide range of skills

on this trip and many valuable life

lessons. We learned how to co-

operate as a bikemadic family,

using non-violent communication

and having a non-hierarchical

structure. We realized that most of

the solutions to the world‘s

problems already exist! Practices

like permaculture, Transition

Towns, alternative energy, natural

building, holistic healing are setting

the stage for an entirely new era in

human existence. What will actually

make this shift occur is a personal

change. We believe that changing

one‘s mindset and perspective on

the world is a key first step to

creating a better one. We feel that

we must question our cultural

assumptions and belief system in

order to get to the root of the

problem.

Throughout our journey we talked

the talked and biked the bike. We

believe that a more beautiful world

is possible. In these times of crisis,

we are hoping to inspire and learn

from others to make a transition

towards a more sane and happy

world. We feel that the most

efficient way to do this is at a

community level. If you were

inspired by our story, please take

action in your own community, and

engage your personal gifts and

skills.

Peace!

- The Cultural Recyclists.

Kevin May of the Cultural

Recyclists is living in Pittsburgh

now and doing community work

with Transition Pittsburgh as well

as various other groups. If you want

to connect with the Cultural

Recyclists in Pittsburgh, please

email him at [email protected]

Cultural “Recyclists” put their vision on the road

SUBMIT! Your stories, letters, poems, essays, cartoon, photos to the

NEWPEOPLE or they may never find an audience!

Texts of six hundred words or less may be sent as a Word or RTF attachments to [email protected] Photos or art

should be sent as JPEG or TIFF attachments.

Postage may be mailed to The Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Manuscripts will not be returned.

All submissions become property of NEWPEOPLE, a publication of the Thomas Merton Center of Pittsburgh, and may be edited.

ADVERTISING IS AVAILABLE. CONTACT [email protected]

Abraham House Transitional Living Mens & Womens Facilities

Home Plans Thru Sober Living

Contact: Christine Lannak 1590 Rt. 502

Springbrook Twp., PA 18444

Telephone: 570-906-5833.

~ From the Human Rights Committee/ Fed Up

Chapter

After a year-long investigation, the Human Rights

Coalition has issued a report on the conditions of

incarceration for people in the solitary confine-

ment units at the State Correctional Institution in

Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. The report, Unity and

Courage, examines discriminatory practices of the

PA Department of Corrections and portrays the

efforts of a group of prisoners engaging in non-

violent and peaceful protest to demand their basic

human rights.

Unity and Courage documents a culture of abuse

fostered by prison staff, characterized by the ex-

cessive use of force, assaults by officers, use of

racial slurs, forced cell extractions, chemical gas-

sing, destruction of legal paperwork, torture de-

vices, and deprivation of food and water. The Hu-

man Rights Coalition began its investigation of

the use of solitary confinement at Huntingdon in

December 2009, when a prisoner committed sui-

cide after being denied mental health treatment by

prison staff.

Prisoners began an organized campaign of resis-

tance in September of 2010, by refusing to come

in from the exercise yard until they could speak

with public officials about their treatment. Cor-

rectional officers wheeled out canisters of chemi-

cal spray, hosing the prisoners down until they

would comply with orders to be handcuffed and

returned to their cells. The prisoners were denied

showers and medical attention for days. Some

were put in isolation cells and had to sleep naked

on concrete slabs.

Approximately 2,500 men and women are housed

in solitary confinement units across the

state. They are in small, brightly lit cells 23 hours

a day, with little or no ability to communicate

with family, and no access to educational and re-

habilitative programming. At Huntingdon, soli-

tary confinement prisoners are dependent on cor-

rectional officers to receive food, have access to

showers, exercise and law library, and to ex-

change ingoing and outgoing mail. With severe

restrictions on outside contact and a Department

of Corrections abuse monitoring system that is

shielded from external scrutiny, policies and prac-

tices of systemic abuse at the prison go unchecked

at the cost of prisoners' health and lives.

―Their goal is to stop us from speaking out

against them,‖ wrote Kyle Klein, ―but it will

never work, not a chance in hell, or the hell we

are in. Even when winning is impossible, quitting

is far from optional.‖

Contact:

Amanda Johnson

[email protected]

(716) 238-4089

New report details systematic torture and abuse in Pennsylvania State Prison

http://www.culturalrecyclists.typepad.com

http://www.culturalrecyclists.typepad.com

http://www.facebook.com/CulturalRecyclists

http://www.facebook.com/CulturalRecyclists

mailto:[email protected]

http://hrcoalition.org/sites/default/files/Unity%20and%20Courage-SCI%20Huntingdon%20Report.pdf

http://hrcoalition.org/sites/default/files/Unity%20and%20Courage-SCI%20Huntingdon%20Report.pdf

http://us.mc1206.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]


~ Nathan Eckstrand

Anti-war protests. Strikes and sit-ins. Charged

legislative sessions. The labor movement in the

sixties and seventies is by varying degrees beloved or

despised according to one‘s personal relationship with

the era‘s social and political advancements or – take

your pick – affronts to common sense. George

Meany, head of the AFL-CIO during the decade,

described the purpose of the movement as ―to better

the standards of life for all who work for wages and to

seek decency and justice and dignity for all

Americans.‖ Nixon, on the other hand, believed the

workers were moving the country towards atheism

and communism.

Was the labor movement of the sixties and seventies

an era of achievement in regulation, legislation, and

benefits, or was it a period of anti-Americanism,

where the emblematic ideals of free market capitalism

were abandoned in favor of bureaucratic leviathan?

Does either option really capture the reality of what

was going on throughout the decade?

Before we can grasp the significance of the labor

movement in the 1960s and 1970s, one must

understand the labor movement of the previous

decades, since the context of those decades helps to

explain the explosion of labor activity later on.

Throughout the twentieth century up until that point,

with a slight profit reversal during World War II, the

gap between the wages of workers and those of

owners had increased regularly. From 1940-1946,

profits from textile mills grew 600%, while wages

only went up 36%. By the 1950s, the top 1% of

individuals in the country held 31.2% of its entire

wealth.

Unfortunately, during that same period, while unions

made some substantial gains, for the most part ever

since the early 1920s unions had been having a

difficult time. The International Workers of the

World (IWW) had been destroyed and its leadership

locked up. Federal troops and strikebreakers were

regularly brought in by the government and

employers to break up strikes, boycotts, and protests.

The National Labor Relations Board was stocked with

business friendly politicians who made decisions

contrary to the interests of the workers. Local

governments were passing rules to hamper strikes and

other forms of protest. And the Supreme Court

passed a decision declaring sit-ins to be illegal.

Despite the significant number of protests and labor

activism during this period, the status of unions by the

end of the 1950s was grim.

The amazing levels of organization and political

activism in the 1960s and 1970s changed the fortunes

of labor immensely. Because of actions taken by the

newly formed AFL-CIO and its affiliates, many of the

benefits and safety regulations we now take for

granted were finally passed. A few examples:

The gnarled maze of wheels, gears, pulleys,

and levers were a hazard to the young and

inexperienced, who had to bear the brunt of

bills for accidents incurred while working

within it. Not until the landmark

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970

did the government finally develop the

regulations necessary to set and enforce

minimal health and safety laws for workers.

In the first half of the twentieth century,

women faced severe economic

discrimination in the workplace. During the

1950s, for example, women working full

time jobs earned on average 62 cents for

every dollar men earned. The classifieds

were filled with listings identifying certain

jobs as only for men, and even jobs that

women were allowed to work held different

pay scales for each gender. The Equal Pay

Act of 1963 for the first time made it illegal

to pay women a different amount for the

same job.

Postal workers in the late 1960s were

severely underpaid, some qualifying for food

stamps on their meager salary. In 1970,

Congress – which just the year before had

voted themselves a 41% salary hike – stalled

in passing a bill to give the postal workers a

5% pay raise, leading to one of the largest

strikes in US history. So effective was the

strike, not only did the postal workers get an

8% pay raise the next year, but they won the

ability to bargain collectively and resolve

conflicts through a binding arbitration

process. One wonders if Scott Walker knows

his history…

The Civil Rights Act, the formation of the United

Farm Workers Organizing Committee, the formation

of the Coalition of Labor Union Women…add it all

up and the picture of what society would look like

without the labor movement of the 60s and 70s

becomes grotesque.

A look at all of this reveals why the pro-business

forces in Wisconsin and elsewhere are rushing to get

new legislation passed. History shows us that the

labor movement, properly motivated and organized, is

powerful, and when workers live without health care,

living wages, collective bargaining rights, or any of

the myriad of other policies the labor movement has

fought for, they do not easily forget the individuals

who opposed them or took them away. My guess is,

come the next election, those who supported these

policies will have difficulty holding on to their jobs.

Labor in the 1960s and 1970s Opinion

East End Community

Thrift Store

5123 Penn Avenue

(a few doors down from TMC) Garfield

Come in today

Tuesday — Friday

10 AM - 4 PM

Saturday Noon - 4 PM

~ ~ ~ ~

what you donate, what you buy

supports Garfield,

supports the Merton Center.

The Sad Toll of Gun Violence in Pittsburgh continued from Page 1

At the rally at Freedom Corner, the

testimonies of many people who had lost

loved ones due to the illegal possession and

use of guns was harrowing and heart-

breaking. The first testimony came from Lori

Hass who travelled all the way from

Richmond, VA for the event. Her daughter

was shot in Virginia Tech in 2007 when 32

students were killed and 17 shot and injured.

Fortunately her daughter survived though

she suffered shot wounds. Another testimony

came from a High School Physical

Education Teacher, John Rivers. He lost his

younger brother in Garfield neighborhood of

Pittsburgh a few years ago simply because

an assailant wanted a neck chain which he

was wearing. And so testimonies followed

one after the other from bereaved mothers,

fathers, brothers and sisters. The pain is still

with each of them as if it was only yesterday

that they had lost their son, daughter,

husband, wife or cousin.

The march following the rally wound its way

to downtown Convention Center demanding

a talk with Wayne La Pierre, the National

President of the NRA. Their demand was not

to ban guns or in any way deny gun rights,

but simply to help put in place laws or

restrictions that would prevent guns getting

into the hands of people with mental

problems or a known history of violence.

Even this simple demand was completely

dismissed by the organizers of the gun fiesta.

One of the saddest dimensions of the entire

event was that in response to the simple

request to ―lets talk‖ participants in the NRA

Conference responded ―Let‘s give them a

group (middle) finger‖ and that they did do.

The behavior of these NRA participants

seemed to suggest that they are not simply

defenders of Second Amendment rights, but

also in a strange way advocates of gun

violence.

Students mark Workers‘ Memorial Day on April 28th in Market Square, in honor of those who have

died on the job in the past year.

Photo by Butch Burgoon


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TAX DAY Rally a Success in Squirrel Hill ~ Edith Bell

The April 18th Tax Rally, organized by The

Women‘ s International League for Peace and

Freedom and the American Friends Service

Committee, was very successful this year,

bringing in plenty of people to the Squirrel Hill

post office. The organizers displayed posters that

showed how our tax dollars are spent, the

disproportionate amount that goes to pay

for past and current wars, and other

disturbing facts and figures.

There were signs that showed what the

money could be spent on, instead. Close to

400 flyers were handed out, detailing in a

pie chart the allocations for the proposed

2012 Federal Budget, showing 30% for

current military, 18% for past military

(together $1,372 billion), 38% for human

resources, 8% for general government, and

6% for physical resources.

People had the opportunity to demonstrate

how they would like to spend their tax

dollars, if they were permitted to

decide. Participants were given 10 pennies, and

they distributed them as they wanted into jars,

marked with different categories. These were the

people‘s most popular choices: Military

Industrial Complex brought in 13 cents (they

specified it was for the veterans); Food, 58 cents;

Housing, 71 cents; Mass Transit, 94 cents;

Health Care, 99 cents; and Education brought in

a whopping 128 cents.

It is interesting that the average person gives

education the highest priority, while our

government plans to cut money for schools and

universities. The Raging Grannies sang event-

appropriate songs about the waste of unending

taxes for bombs. ―Reinstate some sanity and turn

it to humanity…where does our money go…

weapons, missiles and wars,‖ were some of their

lyrics.

Local News

Citizen Action Is Winning Some Battles ~ Molly Rush, Board Member, Thomas Merton

Center

With all the bad news coming down it‘s very easy

to get depressed.

I know I often wake up to what feels like a living

nightmare: another young person killed by a gun;

endless war in Afghanistan; the loss of our democracy

to the forces of greed; attacks on programs that

sustain the poor, handicapped, elderly, minorities; you

name it.

But then I think about how determined action has

fought off or slowed down:

Privatization of Medicare – even Tea Party

members opposed that by huge margins;

Marcellus Shale drilling: The Corbett

administration has had to back off from

restrictions placed on regulators and is on the

defensive regarding a tax on drilling;

Churches‘ changing policies re gay marriage;

Don‘t Ask Don‘t Tell revoked;

Strong and growing opposition to the Afghan

War;

Democracy movements in the Middle East.

All of these have one thing in common: ordinary

people who refused to go along with the program and

educated themselves, spoke out, joined with others,

took action and refused to quit in the face of

overwhelming odds.

In the nearly forty years of the Merton Center‘s

life – we opened our doors on March 12, 1972 – I

have been privileged to get to know hundreds – no,

thousands – of people who‘ve done just that.

Yes, we‘ve lost a lot of battles, but even then

we‘ve gained adherents who, over time, open new

space by changing the discussion and over time,

making significant change..

Center members speak to their friends, write

letters, meet with legislators, donate and raise funds,

go to endless meetings, organize events, prayer

services, retreats and protests, initiate or join

coalitions and campaigns, get resolutions passed, send

out e-mails, put out messages on Facebook, Twitter

and websites; promote membership in groups, write

or edit articles, volunteer at the office, do trainings,

speak to groups, hand out fliers, do street protests,

civil disobedience or act in support, and more.

In our history we‘ve seen people, issues and

campaigns come and go, but it‘s the stick-to-itiveness

that has really made the difference. Most people have

come to the Center with a particular cause. Often

they‘ve made friends, learned about another issue, and

then just stayed around, doing what they can.

The Center is our members. Without the wide

diversity of people who join and remain members,

we‘d have long ago gone the way of so many other

organizations.

So, dear members, take a moment to congratulate

yourself and celebrate the movements for change that

make peace and justice come alive in our hearts and

our homes. Please share your own story with us so

that we can tell a more complete story of the Merton

Center‘s 40 years of life and inspiration.

If you are not currently a member, remember that

moving from caring to action makes all the difference.

Check our website www.thomasmertoncenter.org and

consider joining our very special company of doers.

The Raging Grannies sing at the Tax Day Rally in

Squirrel Hill.

Photo by Molly Rush

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/council

http://www.thomasmertoncenter.org/


Opinion

~ Carlana Rhoten

If I were a right-winger and took a look at the

Progressive Movement, I would have a good

laugh and say, ―Nothing to worry about there.‖

Progressives are working tirelessly, every

day. We feel overwhelmed, inside a blizzard of

issues, each demanding our attention, our time

and effort and our donations. We are working

VERY hard, but are we working smartly? How

do we spend our time? How do we communicate

with the public? Most importantly, how do we

communicate with the poor folks who vote

conservatively, without realizing that they have

voted to damage their future for themselves, their

families and their friends? The answers to these

questions are not pretty; indeed, they are pitiful.

We keep ourselves busy attending each other‘s

meetings, talking to each other and preaching to

the converted.

We are letting the main media get away with

ignoring our issues and our demonstrations.

Speaking of demonstrations, we are so badly

organized that anyone who happens to drive by is

probably mystified. The March 15th

demonstration outside the Steelworkers Building

is a good example of how NOT to do it. Most of

the people there were hidden on the steps or

clumped together so tightly that the crowds

appeared smaller than it really was. Over two-

thirds of the signs were NOT visible to passers-by

because they were pointed inward, or well behind

the people who were standing on the

curb. Finally, people were making speeches,

wasting their breath preaching to the already

converted. Big deal. These people are not the

ones that need to hear these messages.

The best demonstration I have seen in Pittsburgh

was by an anti- abortion group a few years ago

when they stood along the curb of Fifth Avenue

before it runs through Oakland. They stood

between 5 and 10 feet apart, which made the

crowd look much larger. Their signs were well

made, with high contrast and pointed TOWARD

the street, where people in cars could see them. I

still remember it several years later.

In contrast, Liberals clump together in small

social groups, and most of their signs are pointed

inward and never seen by the public. Ideally, a

demonstration should be strategically designed

and organized to present strength. So, even if the

number of the demonstration is small, it should be

as impressive as possible. People should be

spread out along the curb, directly facing the

street. Or, if the police insist we keep moving,

likewise put space between the folks walking in a

circle. Large or high-contrast signs should be

easily read and designed to photograph well, in

case we do get media coverage. People in

costume are attractive for media photographers.

Musicians playing loud, attractive music is a nice

touch and could be provided by a boom box. At

the very least, we should all come with noise

makers. Chants should be well chosen so they

will be heard and understood by anyone who

hears them. (Half the time I see demonstrations,

I can‘t tell what the chanters are yelling).

MORE IMPORTANT than the demonstrations

will be our success in communicating and

educating the people who have been bamboozled

into supporting the corporate sponsored

conservatives. Governors and legislators are hell-

bent on taking us back to the period of 1880 to

1933, when the only REALLY important citizens

were the fabulously wealthy. So far, we

Progressives have tended to be self-indulgent,

amusing ourselves with ridiculing the folks

attracted to the Tea Party message. These people

and the huge percentage of Independents are

victims of an educational system that does not

teach the history of middle class progress in the

United States. And we are all victims of a main

media that does not report the facts of our

backslide into economic degeneration. We need

to seriously confront

the public with the true

facts they need in order

to think about the

issues of our day, and

in order to decide what

policies will enhance

or doom their future.

Are Progressives Too Stupid To Win???

The American Dream Has Gotta Go ~ Michael Pastorkovich

There is no "kinder and gentler" way of

putting it.

Right now the USA is home to around 5% of

the earth's population. And we consume

about 25% of the world's energy.

Do the math. If the rest of the world tried to

live like us, by the time 20% of the earth's

population had achieved that distinction, our

planet would be completely depleted of

energy resources.

The problem is that, thanks to the

propaganda Hollywood sends all over

creation in the form of movies and TV

programs, much of the rest of the world

DOES want to live like us.

To describe the American Dream as

"unsustainable" has to be the understatement

of the last 4.5 billion years or so.

That's the bad news. But it's not all bad

news.

The good news is that the desire for what is

usually called "The American Dream"--you

know, three cars and four plasma-screen TV

sets and house in the'burbs--is not a desire

set in the stone of some unalterable "human

nature". Indeed, for the most part, the desire

for more and more expensive toys, gadgets

and novelties is the product of the

Advertising Industry, which can perhaps best

be described as the brainwashing division of

the capitalist system. Karl Marx called it the

system's "creation of artificial needs". This

is often accomplished by confiscation or

destruction of something that folks have

been getting for free, or for a very low cost

and then substituting in its place something

far more expensive. Like polluting

municipal water supplies and then selling

people bottled water for a buck and a half or

two bucks a pop. Or by implanting within us

fear and suspicion of our fellow human

beings through the "if it bleeds, it leads"

news media, and then

offering us spectral internet

"friendships" in place of real

intimacy.

The desire for endless

diversion which the high-tech

"toys" that the system cranks

out promise to satisfy is in

reality a "consolation" prize

for the mind-deadening,

poorly compensated alienated

labor into which most

Americans are forced to sell

their souls so that they can

put a "mess of pottage" on

their tables, filled, of

course, with high-fructose

corn syrup and sodium. It is

mighty poor "consolation"

indeed.

It is time to bid "bye, bye" to

the plastic, planet-destroying

"American Dream" and to put

in its stead the far better

dream of living a real,

fulfilling Human Life. This

means, among other things,

refusing to accept the crumbs

which the Plutocracy

contemptuously throws at us

and insisting upon dignified

work adquately compensated

and with benefits like

healthcare and enough free

time during which we can pursue the truly

important things in human existence such as

family, friendship, the beauty and wonder of

nature, and love. In pursuing this authentic

Human Dream, we just might be able to save

the earth by saving ourselves.

Paola and Renata show solidarity at the Dream Rally

on April 18th at the Steelworker‘s Headquarters.

Photo by Molly Rush


~ Susan Richter

On Saturday, May 21, 2011, from 12 noon until

5 PM, a Peaceful Gathering of Hands (PGH) will

occur on the big hill at Schenley Oval next to the

ice rink. Organizers envision this as a gathering

of all the many peace-oriented groups in our

area—hopefully the largest such gathering ever.

The idea for the event grew out of regular meet-

ings of Transition Pittsburgh, often led by Kevin

May, aka, Phil Osophical. Transition Pittsburgh

is part of a world-wide movement aiming to open

up people‘s minds to ideas of permaculture and

sustainability.

At a recent meeting they pondered the question:

how many individuals are hoping and working

for the same thing - a peaceful, equitable, healthy

and abundant world, where we are connected to

the Earth and treat it respectfully? They began

making lists of groups working toward these

aims, and it seemed never-ending. So, as one

Transition Pittsburgh member explains, ―Phil

Osophical — in his usual gentle and modest

way—described his vision for ―the biggest Peace

Gathering in the history of Pittsburgh‖. We all

instantly loved the idea, and being hip to the

power of intention, we began exchanging para-

digm-blasting ways to merge this concept with

the People of Peaceburgh.‖

The organizers of the event hope to link all these

environmental, political, and religious groups

with the many ―healers, artists and creative be-

ings in our surprisingly magical city. Holding

hands in a giant circle throughout the day is sym-

bolic of the linking of hearts and minds and the

creation of connection and community,‖ a group

spokesperson added.

Participants are encouraged to bring food, instru-

ments, art, outdoor games, and any information

they wish to share, as well as their vision for a

better life. There will be no tables provided, but

blankets and ―easy-ups‖ are encouraged to attract

others to your creative presentation. Visualize a

sunny day!

Regina Rivers, of SITE (Spiritual, Intuitive &

Telepathic Expansion) Night, one of the first

groups to sign on, describes the event in this

way: ―We're asking each group to paint a banner

- or any signage of their choosing - that demon-

strates how they are creating a more peaceful

city. During the time between each circle we

have the golden opportunity to network, getting

to know others in service we haven't yet met, and

sharing how we are serving the Peaceburgh com-

munity.

The intention is to unite a diverse range of

groups and people from all over the city where

every hour on the hour everyone stands in a cir-

cle holding hands. From this circle will emerge a

true realization of how many people are working

for a more healthy, sustainable, peaceful Pitts-

burgh.

At the Peaceful Gathering of Hands, the vision is

for all of us to come together to declare our

united vision of PEACE and abundance for all. If

this is your vision as well, you are invited to join

in by helping to plan or participate in your own

way. Volunteers to help run the event are, of

course, welcome, and please, let your favorite

friends and groups know about this!

As one organizer reminds us, ―This brilliant and

ever-evolving journey of ideas lives on, and is

open to anyone who wishes to join the process.‖

If you wish to join the discussion, please contact

the author at [email protected].

Huge Gathering of Hands planned at Schenley Oval

~ Nathan Eckstrand

The editorial board of the Pittsburgh Tribune-

Review seems to have found a novel way to

celebrate the spirit of Earth Day. Instead of

considering what they could do to help solve

the various environmental crises and changing

their behavior accordingly, the Tribune-Review

continued full speed ahead, publishing 2

editorials in the 8 days following Earth Day

which castigate the government, the EPA, and

environmentalists. Sadly, yet hardly

unexpectedly, each of the editorials fails to

reasonably consider their subject, leaving

readers with a distorted picture of the facts. A

quick excursion into reality easily reveals their

faults.

Their first editorial fantasy revolves

around an issue that has been working its way

through conservative blogosphere claiming that

in 2005 the United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP) ―provided a convenient

map‖ which said there would be 50 million

climate refugees by 2010, and that when this

claim was proven false, the UNEP ―botched an

attempt to obscure the matter‖ by removing the

map containing the prediction from their

website. Fancifully named ―Chicken Little

Exposed,‖ the editorial implies that climate

change advocates can now be easily dismissed,

as everyone knows that the conviction that the

globe is warming depends upon the accuracy of

future predictions of human migration patterns,

not on present day measurements of carbon

dioxide emissions and global temperatures.

Completely unmentioned in the

editorial is that the UNEP addressed the matter

of the missing map and prediction on their

website, announcing that both items were never

official predictions of the UNEP but rather

were produced for the French newspaper Le

Monde Diplomatique, a claim easily confirmed

if one looks at the map itself, which is

copyrighted not by the UN but by the French

newspaper. The map containing and prediction

were removed not because of a conspiracy, but

because they were being confused as belonging

to the UNEP. You would think an editorial

board of a newspaper would know enough to

check its sources before making such egregious

claims...

More important than the Tribune-

Review‘s false attribution, however, is whether

the claim of 50 million refugees is that far off.

Perhaps the exact numbers of people and areas

affected were incorrect in this one estimate, but

there is no question that climate change has

affected millions of people across the globe.

According to the Environmental Justice

Foundation, climate change related disasters are

responsible for the 1.5 million homes destroyed

in Bangladesh by Cyclone Sidr, 20,000 people

left homeless in Brazil due to mudslides in

early 2011, and the evacuation of 800,000

people from New Orleans after Hurricane

Katrina. In 2008, the UN Office for the

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found

that over 20 million people had been affected

by climate-related natural hazards, a number

that has certainly increased within the last

couple of years. To use the Tribune-Review‘s

metaphor, the only thing proven by this so-

called ―controversy‖ is that climate change

experts were a bit off about where the sky will

fall. There is still no question, even among

those who question the possibility of predicting

climate-related human migration, that the sky is

falling.

Yet the absurdity of this editorial is

dwarfed by that of the one published April 30,

which argues that the EPA‘s ―behemoth‖-like

regulatory powers are being misused, as

evidenced by EPA administrator Mathy

Stanislaus‘s claim that the EPA did not directly

look at the effect regulating carbon dioxide

emissions would have on American jobs. Not

only is the EPA using powers it was never

intended to have, claims the editorial, but it is

going against one of its primary directives – to

―promote…job creation.‖

The description of the EPA as a

―behemoth‖ is particularly curious in this

editorial given that its $10 billion budget is

1/70th the size of the Pentagon‘s budget, 1/3rd

the size of the Department of Energy, and is in

fact a fraction of the annual income of many of

the corporations it is charged with regulating.

Yet, hyperbole aside, the editorial makes two

major mistakes in its ―analysis‖ of the situation.

First, it charges that the EPA is going beyond

its bounds in regulating carbon dioxide, as

carbon dioxide is never explicitly mentioned in

the Clean Air Act. True enough, but the Clean

Air Act does call for the EPA to ―[prevent] and

control…air pollution resulting from the

combustion of fuels‖ and makes allowances for

new pollutants to be added to the tentative list

found in the law. Any rational reading of the

law would have to conclude that the writers did

intend for pollutants like carbon dioxide to be

controlled.

The second mistake is that the EPA is at

fault for not considering the effect on jobs.

Unmentioned in the editorial is that the EPA

did do an economic analysis of the law – just

not one specifically on jobs. While it may be

true that regulating carbon dioxide will lose

some jobs, Congress could ameliorate the

effects of such a loss by investing in sustainable

alternative energy sources, perhaps in the end

creating more jobs than were lost. The

technology is there – all that is needed is the

will.

But this whole debate raises a different

question. Namely, how many lawmakers do an

environmental analysis every time they pass a

new law? How many corporations consider the

long term effect of their product upon the

ecosystem? It seems that if we are going to

hold the EPA accountable for their effect upon

the job market, Congress and corporations

should be held accountable for their effects

upon the environment.

Obviously, the Pittsburgh Tribune-

Review does not agree. But who knows, maybe

World Environmental Day (June 5) will bring

them the epiphany that Earth Day failed to

deliver.

Lying while Rome burns: The Tribune-Review‟s Environmental Editorials


Health Care 4 All PA presents its newly formed

STREET ACTIVISM GROUP * First general meeting at 6 PM on Sunday, May 8th *

Street theatre and performance, general spectacle, and boldness.

REQUIRED to bring light to the current unjust health system and the need for single-payer legislation to be passed ASAP.

Bring your most inspired, creative, and outlandish ideas for this casual and impassioned meeting of the minds.

For more information and the meeting location contact Julie Sokolow at [email protected]

TMC Corner

~ Edward L. Kinley, TMC Treasurer

The early months of 2010 found the Thomas

Merton Center in dire financial straits forcing the

Board of Directors to make some difficult

decisions regarding the structure of the Center to

insure its survival. With the 2010 year now

behind us it is time for an update on the current

fiscal condition of the Center.

The Center finished 2010 in a much more

viable financial position with sufficient funds in

reserve to carry the Center through the early

months of 2011. There were many factors

contributing to this outcome. The difficult

decisions the board made to eliminate staff and

to move from 5125 Penn Avenue to rental space

at 5129 were major factors in stabilizing the

finances. They alone, however, did not account

for all the success. Another major component to

this stabilization of finances has been the

Sustainers Program where individuals can pledge

a dedicated amount of funds per month or year to

the Center. These donations have been critical in

meeting the Center‘s monthly expenses.

Additionally in 2010, generous TMC donors and

friends of Thrifty stepped forward to replace the

deteriorating roof on Thrifty, contributing a total

of $13,000 at a time when the resources offered

by the store (donated clothing, coats, shoes,

furniture and small appliances) are needed more

than ever.

The Finance Committee and our new bookkeeper

have spent many hours analyzing the Center‘s

financial documents and have made some

changes to our monthly statements to make it

easier to track more precisely where revenue is

being received from and what expenses that

revenue is being used to cover. All projects are

now receiving regular statements regarding their

funds; procedures to insure funds are distributed

only to authorized representatives of the projects

have been instituted. Checks, and all receipts,

are being deposited in a very timely manner.

Routine matters such as annual renewal of our

501(c)3 status and submission of all required

government forms have been completed and the

annual review of TMC finances by an outside

agency is in progress.

In March of 2011 the sale of 5125 was

completed resulting in an influx of funds to the

Center. The Board and the Finance Committee

have insured these funds are safely deposited

while appropriate uses for them are defined.

Some funds have been spent on an upgrade of

computer equipment in the office which will also

benefit the projects. The expenditure of any

major component of these funds will not occur

until the current visioning process is completed.

With the leadership of Mary Jo Guercio, the

Board has completed an update of its Mission

and Vision Statements. The Board is now

completing the guiding principles and value

statements. Once these are completed strategic

goals will be set. These goals will be utilized to

guide the future expenditure of funds.

The financial standing of The Thomas Merton

Center is secure at this time due in no small

measure to our Sustainers, contributors and

members. Although we are not flush with funds

we will be able to meet our expenses for the

foreseeable future. The continued support and

involvement of all members, friends, and

associates of the TMC is critical for its long-term

survival. We have made huge steps in the

revitalization of the TMC to ensure our shared

mission of building a consciousness of values

that raise the moral questions involved in the

issues of war, poverty, racism, classism,

economic justice, oppression and environmental

justice. 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.

TMC Financial Condition Stabilizes in 2011

~ Michael Drohan

On March 14, 2011 the Thomas Merton Center finally

divested itself of the 5125 Penn Ave property that had

been its home since 1981. The buyer of the building is

Ben Saks, originally from Cleveland, Ohio and the

following interview tells of his plans and hopes for the

space

MD: Tell us a little about yourself and how you

discovered Pittsburgh BEN: I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio. As a

young person I was fascinated with making things,

especially building airplanes. With this interest I came

to CMU to study architecture. While studying

architecture, I came to know the city of Pittsburgh and

I fell in love with the city and its surroundings. The

topography of the city, its neighborhoods, the quality

of life and the people of Pittsburgh captured my heart.

Pittsburgh is special to me and always will be. I have

lived in Cleveland, Los Angeles and other American

cities but Pittsburgh stands out among all these as a

very special place. I moved back here in 2009 after

helping my father start a business called Green Paper

Products which distributes bio-degradable food-

service products such as cups, plates and so on ( The

cups used at the New Person Award were provided by

Green Paper Products for the event). I still work with

Green Paper Products as the Sustainability Director.

MD: What are your plans for the 5125 Penn Ave

space? BEN: The first floor of the building is already in use

as a non-profit organization named ―Assemble‖. They

can be found at www.assemblepgh.org This is an

organization that puts on programs in arts and

technology and is headed up by Nina Barbuto, who is

also an architect. As it says in its Mission, Assemble

is ―a place where one can engage one‘s intrigue

through hands on activities about art and technology

while making physical and nonphysical, community

connections‖. Essentially Assemble has created a

community space for arts and technology out of the

first floor. (In next issue of The New People an

interview with Nina and her endeavor will have more

details on this initiative) For the second and third floor of 5125, it is a work

in progress. I will be living in part of this space and I

am also using part of it for an office of my digital film

production company called FloatFilms. We are

working on a documentary about flying machines

which can be seen at www.floatdocumentary.com

There are many possibilities for the space.

MD: How do you see your relationship with the

neighborhood and your contribution to it? BEN: The neighborhood is critical. We want to

embrace the neighborhood and we hope that it will

embrace us. I enjoy the neighborhood and it is a great

place to live. Already, I have established relationships

with people and businesses in the neighborhood and it

is developing slowly.

MD: How do you see your relationship with the

Thomas Merton Center? BEN: For starters, it is unusual to have the former

owner of your property located right next door and that

the relationships between the Center and us is so good.

We feel lucky to be in this relationship of mutual

friendship and acceptance. We would love to be

invited to your events and to meet people involved

with the Center. Prior to buying the property, I did not

have much contact with peace and justice centers or

institutions but we would be happy to learn more about

what you do and what you are.

MEET THE NEW NEIGHBOR! The NewPeople Interview With BEN SAKS


http://www.assemblepgh.org

http://www.floatdocumentary.com


S O C I A L A C T I O N C A L E N D A R

SUNDAYS __________________________ Anti-War Committee meeting

Every other Sunday 2:00pm - 3:30 Merton Center, 5129 Penn Ave., Garfield

Book 'Em Packing Day

Meets every Sunday 4:00pm - 7pm Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue Join others sending requested books to prison-

ers. Bring a group. For more info call the Thomas Merton Center, 412.361.3022

MONDAYS __________________________ Weekly North Hills Weekly Peace Vigil

4:30pm-5:00pm In front of the Divine Providence Motherhouse,

9000 Babcock Blvd., Allison Park Sponsored by the Pittsburgh North People for

Peace & the Srs. of Divine Providence WEDNESDAYS ______________________ Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition

Monthly Meeting Meets the 1st Wednesday of every month 5:30pm - 7:00pm Squirrel Hill Carnegie Library 5801 Forbes Avenue Meeting Room B

Write On! Letters for Prisoner's rights

Meets weekly on Wednesday 6:30pm – 9:00pm Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue, Garfield Write On! Letters for Prisoner's rights We need

help answering our 60 letters a month from people in prison dealing with abuse and ne-

glect. Come and meet new people, learn about people in prison while advocating for their rights from the outside! Please bring food to share! Info 412-361-3022

PUSH [Pennsylvanian United for Single-

Payer Healthcare] Meets monthly on the second Wednesday 6:15 pm

Health Care 4 All PA office, 2101 Murray Avenue,

Squirrel Hill

All welcome Info: [email protected]

Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (PADP) meeting

Monthly on the first Wednesday 7:00pm - 8pm

First Unitarian Church (Ellsworth/Morewood,

Shadyside)

For more information, call 412-384-4310.

THURSDAYS _________________________

Green Party meeting First Thursday of the month 7:00pm - 9pm Citizen Power's offices, 2121 Murray Avenue

in Squirrel Hill, second floor FRIDAYS ____________________________

Peaceburgh Drumming Circle 7pm-8:00pm, Weekly Grandview Park in Mt. Washington Raise the Vibration for peace every Friday....

Consciously raise the vibration for peace!! FREE-Family friendly event Bring a drum,flutes,rattles, didge( we REALLY need a didge) singing voices -dancing feet- happy hearts!! Bring some food to share at the potluck!!( we need plates, ice, forks, cups,

napkins and drinks too..) BRING A CAMERA — THE VIEW IS AWESOME!!

SATURDAYS ________________________

Project to End Human Trafficking Volunteer signup 2nd Saturday of each month 10:00am - 12:00pm Campus of Carlow University Project to End Human Trafficking (PEHT) of-

fers FREE public volunteer/information. Please pre-register by the Wednesday be-fore via [email protected].

For more information check out our website www.endhumantrafficking.org

PEHT Information and Training Seminars

Second Saturday of every month 12:00pm - 1:00pm Carlow University, Antonian Room #502, RSVP by the Wednesday before to smoh-

[email protected] Open to the public.

Peace Vigils to End the War Every Saturday, following locations & times

Regent Square Peace Vigil Corner of Forbes and Braddock 12:00pm - 1pm

*Black Voices for Peace Anti-War Protest Corner of Penn & Highland in East Liberty 1:00pm - 2:00 pm

Beaver County Peace Links Peace Vigil Beaver County Courthouse, 3rd Street

(Beaver) 1:00pm - 2pm

Recurring Meetings and Meet Ups

~ MAY ~

Tuesday, May 24

Forum: Capitalism Hits the Fan -- Understanding the Global Economic Meltdown

7:30 to 9:00 PM William Pitt Union, Dining Room B University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh,PA 15260

"CAPITALISM HITS THE FAN -- The Global Economic Meltdown and What to Do About It" Filmed lecture by noted Economist Richard Wolff followed by open discussion

For more information please email: [email protected]

Saturday May 28

Justice for Jordan Miles 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Allegheny County Courthouse 436 Grant St. Pittsburgh,PA Join the Alliance for Police

Accountability in These Crucial Protests to Demand:

Prosecute Richard Ewing, David Sisak, and Michael Saldutte!

Fire the Three Officers! Release the OMI report on the

beating to the public! For more information:

www.justiceforjordanmiles.com [email protected] or 412-628-5849

Saturday, June 4

Defeating racism & building class unity 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM Schenley Park Ice Rink Lodge 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM 130 S. Whitfield Street (East Liberty

Library) Pittsburgh,PA 15206

Join the Party for Socialism and Liberation for a monthly class series on socialism. We will discuss the basics of socialist theory and what we can do to fight for a better world.

Saturday, June 11

Project To End Human Trafficking Volunteer Sign-Up 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Campus of Carlow University Project to End Human Trafficking

(PEHT) offers FREE public volunteer/information. Please pre-register by the Wednesday before via [email protected]. For more information check out our website www.endhumantrafficking.org

Sunday, June 12

Women In Back Vigil 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Ginger Hill Unitarian Universalist

Congregation

Women, Men, Children Welcome, Wear black if possible

For More Events and Information Visit:

http://thomasmertoncenter.org/calendar/

To Submit An Event Visit:

http://thomasmertoncenter.org/calendar/

submit-event/

To Become A Member Visit:

http://thomasmertoncenter.org/join-donate/


http://www.endhumantrafficking.org/



May/June 2011 - Newpeople

Documents

Transcript of May/June 2011 - Newpeople