| LIFE-NET NEWS |
| by Ret Z. |
| Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices |
| 2003 October 1 | No Profit; No Proceeds |
| Volume 7 Number 15 | All-Volunteer |
| "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life." |
| Underreported: Good News From Iraq |
|
This week on Life-Net Radio, you hear an article from the
People's Weekly World that denounces the US occupation of
Iraq as a quagmire. That view does not necessarily
represent the view of Life-Net News & Radio. I've
covered countless charitable events and political protests,
newsworthy to me, that received little or no play in the
regular news media, so I'm not surprised when conservatives
accuse the media of ignoring the good news. On the
commercial scale of news value, a shooting trumps a school
opening. The following September quotes--not necessarily
representing our view--show some of the bright side:
"When we were in prison we could only think of survival. But now Saddam has gone, we have democracy in place of dictatorship and I am proud to be playing my part. Like a new school term, it's a fresh start for all of us," said Khairiya Hatim, an Iraqi town councilor who was imprisoned at the age of six because her family belonged to a banned opposition party. (Sunday Telegraph) "The cascade of bad news from Iraq leaves a returning visitor unprepared for a small surprise here: Compared to six months ago when the war ended, the Iraqi capital is cleaner and more orderly. Electricity in the city remains spotty, but it is now on more than off. There are still lines at gas stations, but they are shorter. Stores are stocked with goods, and restaurants that used to close at dusk for fear of bandits now stay open until 9. The US military is less visible than six months ago. ... This looks less like a city under occupation," wrote Mary Beth Sheridan. (Washington Post) "The US-led coalition has rushed to introduce changes in the education system, with the idea that it will help create democracy in post-war Iraq. Teachers' salaries were increased almost immediately after the war to about $160 a month--a small fortune for those used to earning $15," wrote Vivienne Walt. (Toronto Star) "Since Baghdad collapsed you see so many young men out playing soccer. When Saddam Hussein was in power, the young men were forced into the army or into other state things. He imposed himself on even the tiniest things in our lives," said Ibrahim Khalil, an Iraqi soccer coach. (Los Angeles Times) "I tried to play soccer under Saddam's regime. But if you didn't have the right relatives or friends you were kicked out of the soccer clubs. That's how it worked," said Mohammed Abdul Amir, a youth soccer player. (Los Angeles Times) "If it wasn't for the American Army, Iraq would be very bad. The strong would eat the weak," said Rakad Mijbil Rakad, staff sergeant in the new Iraqi Army. (Christian Science Monitor) "For security and peace, I want the coalition army to stay. There will be even more chaos if they leave," said Tahsin Sady, an artist and factory worker. (Los Angeles Times) Many More Quotes: White House |
| Poverty Grows in US for 2nd Year |
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Poverty in the United States increased for a second
straight year in 2002 with 1.7 million more people dropping
below the poverty line, the Census Bureau said Friday.
The poverty rate was 12.1% last year, up from 11.7% in
2001. That meant nearly 34.6 million people were living
in poverty.
About 9.5% of Pennsylvania residents were living in poverty last year, up from 9.1% the previous year. In New Jersey, 8% were living in poverty, up from 7.7%, while in Delaware, the figure was 7.9%, up from 7.6%. In each of the three states, the poverty rate worsened faster than it did in the country as a whole. Before the two years of increase, poverty had fallen for nearly a decade to 11.3% in 2000, its lowest level in more than 25 years. Bureau estimates showed poverty increased significantly for several segments of the population that could be crucial in the 2004 presidential election: black people, married couples, suburbanites, and people in the Midwest. Daniel Weinberg, who oversees the bureau's housing and household economic statistics, said trends in 2001 and 2002 were consistent with changes following past recessions. Many experts had predicted that rising unemployment and the still-unsettled economy last year would increase poverty and lower income for most people, though the recession ended in November 2001. Bill Spriggs, director of research and public policy at the National Urban League, said the numbers were frightening. "We see that people are digging themselves deeper into poverty because the economy is not generating jobs." Source: Associated Press |
| Private Foundations Give A Lot--To Trustees |
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Too many private foundations are payings tens of thousands
of dollars to trustees instead of to the charities they are
intended to support, a study released late in August says.
Some foundations pay more than $100,000 per trustee,
according to the study by the Georgetown Public Policy
Institute in Washington. The study, which looked at the
1998 tax returns of 238 private foundations, suggests that
the practice of paying trustees is common in the foundation
world.
The report was being released just as Congress was considering legislation that would toughen the rules on how much private foundations must give to charities each year. Currently, private foundations must pay out 5% of their assets each year. This can include payments for administrative costs and trustee fees. "Hundreds of millions are being paid out to trustees at a time when nonprofits are hurting for revenue," a coauthor of the study, Pablo Eisenberg, said. For the 1998 tax year, the 238 foundations spent $45 million on trustee fees, the vast majority of which went to boards of directors. The rest went to bank trustees. Dot Ridings, president of the Council on Foundation, said in a statement that "there is a long tradition of voluntary service by members of the governing boards of charitable institutions, including many foundations. The Council is firmly opposed to excessive or unreasonable compensation of any kind. Even the public perception of excessive compensation can be damaging to the whole field of philanthropy." But, she said, "Compensation can facilitate participation by persons with different skill levels and those with different economic circumstances." The study's researchers recommended that Washington limit trustee fees to $8,000 per trustee annually and prohibit private foundations from counting trustee fees as part of their annual minimum required charitable spending. It also recommended that the IRS and state attorneys general beef up their oversight of the nonprofit sector. Source: Philadelphia Inquirer |
| Neglected Voices on Abortion |
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I was astonished when I found out that one of my greatest
earthly heroes, Mother Teresa, opposed abortion. She
worked under a daily, intimate acquaintance with the
crushing burden of overpopulation in Calcutta, so I would
have thought her likely to take a permissive stance on the
subject. Yet she didn't.
I recalled Mother Teresa's position while reading ancient Christian quotes. Her voice echoes ancient ones, writers of the early Christian church, back in the days before Christianity got into bed with the Roman state. I haven't heard these voices in the modern debate. The following are typical: "There are some women who, by drinking medical preparations, extinguish the source of the future man in their very bowels. So they commit murder before they bring forth. And these things assuredly come down from the teaching of your gods," wrote Mark Minucius Felix (c.200 AD), a Christian apologist. "In our case, murder is once for all forbidden. Therefore, we may not destroy even the fetus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from other parts of the body for its sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a speedier way to kill a human," wrote Tertullian (c.197), the fiery Christian writer of Carthage. "Among surgeon's tools there is a certain instrument that is formed with a nicely adjusted flexible frame for first of all opening the uterus and then keeping it open. It also has a circular blade, by means of which the limbs within the womb are dissected with careful, but unflinching care. Its last appendage is a blunted or covered hook, by which the entire fetus is extracted by a violent delivery. There is also a copper needle or spike, by which the actual death is brought about in this treacherous robbery of life," wrote Tertullian. "We say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder. And we also say they will have to give an account to God for the abortion," wrote Athenagoras (c.175), a Christian apologist. "You shall not murder a child by abortion," said the Didache (c.80-140), a nearly canonical work. "You shall not kill the child by obtaining an abortion," said the Epistle of Barnabas (c.70-130), an anonymous work widely circulated among the early Christians. You may, of course, choose any position you like on this vital issue and take Life-Net Radio airtime to present it. But to me, the proper Christian view now seems clear. Source: Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs |
| Web Site Connects Camden Residents to Services |
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City residents often spend many frustrating hours on the
phone trying to find needed services. But now the search
has gotten easier, thanks to a new Web site created by the
nonprofit Hopeworks 'N Camden. The site lists more than
400 community organizations and groups and a detailed
description of the services each provides, including
contact information and a link to that group's site.
"I didn't know there were so many different programs here in Camden," said Marcus Williams, 22, who helped design the site. "I think a lot of people will also notice that." Williams, a Camden County College student, was one of many Camden residents to take advantage of Hopeworks, a program that teaches low-income residents ages 13 to 23 computer skills like Web design and programming. He joined the Hopeworks staff as a trainer about a year ago. He and another Hopeworks staff member, Jeremy Proffitt, designed the site, but the young adults currently going through the program are the ones who will keep it running. "A central resource like that is great," said Dr. Lawrence Ragone of the Camden Eye Center, one of the organizations listed on the site. "The only drawback is that not many people have access to the Internet," Ragone said. On the other hand, the city's library branches have public Web terminals. And some folks may benefit indirectly. For example, Skipper Grant, a case manager for PATH, a day center for homeless men, said the staff there could use the site to find organizations that provide services for people who frequent the center. Anyone can add organizations to the site--from nonprofits and church groups to parent-teacher organizations and neighborhood social clubs. The site also displays Camden demographics and maps--information that makes even the most detailed Census Bureau statistics look like Cliffs Notes. Source: Courier-Post The Site: Camden Resources |
| EU Resolves to Support Indigenous African Rights |
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The European Parliament in September adopted strong new
resolutions supporting indigenous peoples' rights in
Africa. The parliament announced it "strongly" supports
the demands of the Pygmies, "Bushmen" and others to be
recognised as indigenous peoples.
Indigenous and tribal peoples' rights to communal ownership of their land are guaranteed under international law, but many African countries fail to recognise this. In Botswana, the Gana and Gwi Bushmen (locally known as "Basarwa") have been evicted from their land and forced into resettlement camps, while in Tanzania more than 200 Maasai families face eviction from the Ngorongoro Crater. The parliament also resolved that its agreements must contain "specific clauses and mechanisms to assess respect for and the protection of the fundamental rights of indigenous peoples, who are all too often the victims of extremely serious and systematic violations." Source: Survival International |
| Labor Liberties Erode |
|
If we worry disproportionately about what the government
might do to the liberties of a few thousand people, we
worry not at all about what everyday workplaces are doing
to the liberties of 110 million working Americans: If it's
privacy we cherish, or free expression, or personal rights,
or even the right to have erred in the past, paid for it
and moved on, the USA Patriot Act has nothing on how the
corporate culture has eroded those rights in the workplace.
There are a few headline examples, but it's the routine incursions in everyday workplaces that reflect the pernicious surveillance mentality on employers' part--and, more dangerously, acceptance on employees' part. In enterprises large or small, employers snoop into their employees' credit histories, their driving records, their criminal records. They scour sex-offender convictions and bankruptcy filings. They check into whether employees have been party to civil lawsuits. They read employees' e-mail and eavesdrop on their phone conversations. The pretext on employers' end is always something like security, or liability, or the dubious notion that employees are "agents" of a company whose words and deeds even away from work reflect on the company. It's a curious extension of the 40-hour business week into a 24/7 claim on an individual's identity. You're always free to go if you object. But work is a necessity for most, and the sameness of the corporate environment is such that changing jobs is only a change of locks. A century ago, Henry Ford had a Sociological Department staffed with inspectors who visited workers' homes and kept tabs on people's family lives, their mortgage payments, their debts, what money immigrants sent back to the home country. Immigrants who didn't enroll in Americanization classes were fired. Those who led lives he considered loose outside of work were encouraged to change or were fired. He didn't want kinks in his assembly lines, whether mechanical or human. In the 1950s corporate presumptions were so overt that they were easily satirized by the likes of Sloan Wilson and William Whyte in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit and The Organization Man (workplace versions of Orwell, Kafka, and the rest). The methods have changed. Today, "human resources" is every company's Total Information Awareness department. For-your-own-good scientific management still ionizes the air you breathe. In an atmosphere like that, the USA Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security look like nothing more than extensions of what we're used to. Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal |
| Life-Net News Extras |
| Church Sign: 'Islam--America's No. 1 Enemy' |
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From an article on Sermonaudio.com:
An Indiana Baptist pastor has been accused of spewing "hate speech" after he posted the following message on his church's marquee: "Sunday sermon 10:30 a.m. 'Islam: America's No. 1 Enemy.'" Marc Monte has been pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Avon, Ind., for five years, according to a report in the Indianapolis Star. He said his sermon would include important information the pubic is not getting from the media. "I want to stir interest, not alarm, but Islam is a false religion, dangerous and hate-promoting," Monte told the paper. From the reader comments (including mine) posted on the same page: Benjamin from Indiana: Do not hold common ground with the Apostate religion of Islam! Islam denies the deity of Christ, The Atonement of Christ, and the resurrection of Christ, just to name a few differences. Eph 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Sgt. Curtman from Missouri: This pastor is right! As a police officer and a corrections officer I can assure you that Islam is the #1 enemy of America! The goal of the Muslim is to remove all non-Muslims from the face of the earth! Folks, let's wake up! They would kill all of us with the push of a button if they could. Even the Muslim next door! Don't let them tell you otherwise! Jim from Lincoln, Nebraska: The congregation should know the evils of Islam. The minister could even have sermons on the topic. I would assume that he would have books by the Caner brothers or Dave Hunt on the topic available for anyone to read. However, bringing Christianity to Muslims means behaving like a Christian. Shawn from West Virginia: I too would take a different approach. I would call this false religion and its leaders names something like ... "generation of vipers" or "blind guides" or "fools" or maybe something "touchy feely" like "you hellbound serpents" {Matt 23 & Luke 11}. Of course this wouldn't be very inclusive would it? Find the PBS movie Jihad in America and watch it. Lance from Australia: Secular humanism is a far bigger threat than Islam. Secular humanism leaves a religious void, and Islam merely takes the opportunity to fill that void. A truly Christian country has nothing to fear from Islam. The problem is: Where in the world can one find a truly Christian country? Ret Z. from New Jersey: A favorite hymn says, "They'll know we are Christians by our love." Jesus said, "Love your enemies." Paul wrote, "he agape ... ouk aschemonei"--"love ... is not rude". The charity that should characterize us does not permit us to violate rules commonly accepted by the communities in which we live. Love is polite, tactful, kind. That sign was not. Moreover, when a church posts such a sign, the world gets the impression that we hate. Just the opposite of the impression Jesus told us to make. "Love your enemies." A true love-er does good to those who persecute them, so even if the whole of Islam really were the enemy, it would be our Christian duty to make peace with them. We must keep doctrinal distinctions clear, work against persecution, etc., of course, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, gentleness, ... So while we explore and, yes, maintain the differences, we also look for common ground: In the case of Islam there's plenty. Source: Sermonaudio.com |
| Radio Station Rises from Bottom of Sea |
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After a decade of silence, the Voice of Peace is about to
make itself heard again in a joint Israeli-Palestinian
venture to put peace back on Middle Eastern airwaves.
For 20 years music and peace-orientated programs were beamed throughout the region from a pirate ship anchored 3 miles offshore belonging to veteran Israeli peace activist, Abie Nathan. Broadcasts began in l973 and ceased when Nathan, broke and bitterly disappointed at not being able to carry out pumping peace over the air, scuttled the Peace Ship 'somewhere in the Mediterranean.' The popular station is remembered fondly by Israelis, hundreds of thousands of kibbutz volunteers from different countries and foreign journalists who spent time in Israel during the '70s '80s. The jingles from the peace ship became so much part of the local lingo that many still today associate the Voice of Peace with Sadat's saying, "no more war, no more bloodshed," beamed out many times a day, and Nathan's station ID, "We are the Voice of Peace, broadcasting from somewhere in the Mediterranean." The ship's crew, broadcasting technicians and DJs were a multi-ethnic mix who worked for nothing more than a narrow bunk, food, and the opportunity to calm the stormy waters of conflict in the region. Although the new Voice of Peace will be sending out the same messages as did the nowadays physically ailing pioneer peacenik Abie Nathan from l973 to l993, the new station will be manned by landlubbers and the studios operated by both Israelis and Palestinians. The main station will be physically situated in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Relay stations in both Israel, West Bank and Gaza will carry the beat of peace to a very wide and diverse audience, especially targeting the 20-to-40 demographic. Unlike the Peace Ship's English-only broadcasts, the new Voice of Peace--a joint venture between Israel's Givat Haviva Jewish-Arab Center for Peace and the Palestinian English language Jerusalem Times publisher and businessman Hanna Siniora--will broadcast in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The format will center on popular and classical music, as well as music from the region's various cultures, in a quest to create a break stereotypes and promote understanding. Interviews with personalities from the peace camp on either side and updates on activities of Israeli and Palestinian NGOs also take time slots in the planned format. This radio resurrection, set to go on the air November 4, has the backing of 600,000 euros from the EU and a substantial amount from the Japanese government. The Israeli and Palestinian coordinators of the project, Shimon Malka and Maisa Baransi, have spent a great deal of time over the past year studying the needs of the people on either side of the divide. Source: SocialAction.com |
| Housing Scandal Involves Top Afghan Officials |
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Afghan state radio said last Thursday that Kabul's security
chief Basir Salangi, an ethnic Tajik, has been fired, but
residents of the neighbourhood he allegedly ordered
bulldozed to make way for luxury homes say the issue is
still unresolved. The housing scandal involving senior
Afghan officials has pitted factions of the interim
government against each other.
Mr. Karzai promised tough action and ordered a formal investigation into the matter, which has divided ethnic Tajiks in his government against Pashtuns. Mr. Karzai is a Pashtun. Predominantly Tajik ministers, from the northern alliance that spearheaded battles against the ousted Taliban regime, have been accused of grabbing prime land from the poor to build luxury homes for themselves, their followers, and for profit. Post-war land prices are soaring. Mr. Salangi's firing is "a very good step," said long-time Sher Poor resident Rehmat Ullah, whose adobe house lies partially in ruins with one room missing an entire wall and ceiling. He said five men, three children and a woman suffered injuries, including broken bones, in the morning raid late last month. "The government should give us this land, a place to live. They should co-operate with us to rebuild these houses. Salangi should pay for the destruction here." The issue is a sensitive one in Afghanistan, where tens of thousands are homeless after more than two decades of war. Refugees who returned from Pakistan and Iran have to live in tents on the fringes of the city because their former homes have been occupied by commanders and their cronies. Human-rights groups have called the Sher Poor incident a blatant abuse of the residents' rights and urged the government to provide alternative shelter for those facing eviction. The Sher Poor area is serviced by water and electricity, valued commodities in the war-torn capital, and lies adjacent to the embassy district, close to shopping and restaurants. Already, in adjoining neighbourhoods, new homes are rising up where long-time residents once lived. Others have received eviction notices. Marwus Waheedi, who says his family has lived in the Wajeer Akbar Khan neighbourhood for close to 100 years, says he has been given formal notification that he must vacate without compensation. "By force, they say they will bulldoze these houses," said Mr. Waheedi, pointing out ministers serving in Mr. Karzai's government. "It isn't fair," he said. "This land belongs to the whole nation of Afghanistan. It should be built, step by step--but for the people, not the leaders. "All those people who are building houses here, they already have many houses besides those they are building here." Source: Globe and Mail |
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