LIFE-NET NEWS
by Ret Z.
Covering Poverty Widely in a Net of Many Voices
2004 October 27 No Profit; No Proceeds
Volume 8 Number 17 All-Volunteer

"Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal;  give them a Net, and they'll have fish for Life."

Climate Change to Send Development Gains 'Up In Smoke'
      Environment and development agencies have launched a joint statement of concern that climate change due to global warming is already happening and is hitting poor communities and vulnerable ecosystems. The agencies include ActionAid, Christian Aid, ITDG, Oxfam GB, Tearfund, WaterAid, World Vision, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Worldwide Fund for Nature, and the RSPB. The report, released October 20, says that global warming threatens to reverse human progress and make the international targets on halving global poverty by 2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals, unattainable.
      Severe weather events, like Hurricanes Jeanne and Ivan and the recent devastating flood in Bangladesh, are likely to grow in frequency and intensity. The coalition urged the following:
  • A global risk assessment of the likely costs of adaptation to climate change in poor countries.
  • Cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases by industrialized countries on the order of 60% to 80% (relative to 1990 levels) by the middle of this century -- far beyond the targets of the Kyoto Protocol. This is vital in order to keep climate change from running out of control.
  • Commensurate new funds and other resources made available by industrialized countries for poor country adaptation, bearing in mind that rich countries' subsidies to their domestic fossil fuel industries stood at $73 billion per year in the late 1990s.
  • Effective and efficient arrangements to respond to the increasing burden of climate-related disaster relief.
  • Development models based on risk reduction and incorporation of community-driven coping strategies (adaptation, disaster preparedness).
  • Small-scale renewable energy projects promoted by governments and community groups which can help to both tackle poverty and reduce climate change if they are replicated and scaled up. This will require political commitment and new funds from governments in all countries, and a major shift in priorities by the World Bank and other development bodies.
  • Coordinated plans, from local to international levels, for relocating threatened communities using appropriate political, legal, and financial resources.
      In summary: Act now on climate change, or human development gains will go, as the report's title says, "Up In Smoke".
      Source:  New Economics Foundation

America's Fateful Choice
      "By the Master, through Benjamin Creme":
      When American citizens go to the polls in November, they will have the opportunity to change the course of history. On their decision largely rests the style and structure of the immediate future. If they choose wisely, they will elect a president committed to fostering the well-being of all who long for peace and justice in our troubled world; who realize that peace and justice are the outcome of trust; and who are prepared to share the vast resources of their country to create that trust.
      The alternative is too terrible to contemplate: a mounting program of war and terror and counter-terror; a tightening grip on the traditional freedoms of the American people; a breakdown of relations with other countries; and a "pariah" reputation among the nations for the proud United States. Who would knowingly make such a choice?
      As the day of destiny approaches, the minds of many turn to the beleaguered people of America whom, now, so many despise and hate. They pray for the deliverance of its people from the cruel and crude exponents of illegal, usurped power. They call for every peace-loving American to raise their voice against the war-mongering of the present administration and to cast their vote in like fashion.
      Of course, America is not alone at fault for the inequalities of the world, the basic canker in our midst, the source of all our troubles. It shares the blame with all the developed countries who ride roughshod and cavalier over the poor and struggling. It must awaken to this main source of tension and terror.
      Therein lies the fault of the Western world: These "successful" countries owe their wealth and dominance largely to history and to their ability to manipulate the world’s economy to their own advantage through aggressive "market forces". The world’s poor and destitute now demand their share. If this simple right of justice is not addressed and remedied, the world will know no peace. Terrorism will fester and grow into war, which will threaten the future of the people of Earth.
      We, your Elder Brothers, cannot stand aside and watch while the very future of the world is under threat. America is a great nation with much of good to give the world. It must now awaken to its soul’s longing to serve, to live in peace and justice, and, together, in harmony and co-operation, to work with all nations to remake this world.
      This election can be a great turning point in the affairs of men. Cast your vote, We beg you, for justice, sharing and peace.
      Source:  Share International

'The Truth' About the Iraq Situation
      Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi addressed a joint meeting of Congress and delivered a message of thanks to America from the Iraqi people. He wanted Americans not to doubt the progress for freedom that was being made in Iraq. Allawi said, "It is a tough struggle with setbacks, but we are succeeding." Of course, much of the media simply passed off Allawi's remarks as those made by a puppet of the United States.
      It's truly disturbing that if we went entirely by the news provided by the mainstream media, we would be convinced the prognosis for success in Iraq is hopeless. But there are sources where the truth is getting out.
      For example, one source saying the media isn't giving us the straight scoop about what's happening in Iraq is Sgt Danielle Fritz of Middlesex, North Carolina. Sgt Fritz served in Iraq with the US Army Reserve between April 2003 and March 2004. The writer of the original version of this article, Rev Mark Creech, considers Fritz a very reliable source because he knows her well. At one time, she was a parishioner of his when he was a pastor.
      Recently, Sgt Fritz talked with Creech about her experiences and said her unit took on the task of helping several orphanages that were badly in need of repairs. Refrigerators, she said, needed replacing; holes in the ceiling needed fixing. So Fritz's unit got to work.
      Although the predominant religion in Iraq is Islam, Sgt Fritz and her unit celebrated Christmas last year anyway, by providing the Iraqi orphans with gifts during the holiday season. "We brought them whatever we could for Christmas," she said. "We brought them a bunch of toys and clothes."
      When asked about the news media's coverage of the war in Iraq, Sgt Fritz said the spin just isn't accurate. She agrees there are serious battles with insurgents attempting to keep Iraq from achieving democracy, but she strongly disagrees with any insinuation that the Iraqi people don't want the US there.
      "Everywhere we went, thousands of Iraqi people would come to see us," Sgt Fritz said. "All of the people I met and saw were so grateful we were there. They pretty much wanted to give us anything they could to thank us."
      Says a Christian missionary who has spent many months in Iraq, "This war in Iraq might have been over 10 months ago if those trying to bring freedom to Iraq had not had to overcome the efforts of the media as well as the terrorists. As it is, the media has encouraged the insurgents and has undermined the Coalition at every turn."
      Source:  AgapePress

Camden Sets Guarded Routes for Kids On Way to School
      Jameer Bailey, a fifth-grader at Parkside Elementary School, told everyone at Monday's kick-off for the school district's Safe Corridors/Safe Havens initiative that he dreams of a safer city. "Camden is at war, a mad war," he said. "I have a dream that one day our community will come together as one and fight as one."
      That is what organizers said their new initiative is about. "This is not a one-time shot where we come here with all the cameras and fanfare," said Superintendent Annette Knox. "This is now part of the city of Camden."
      Knox said the school district, the city, and law enforcement will work together to patrol the streets children use to walk to school and that they will create safe places, each marked by a sign in the window, for children to run to in case of an emergency. By making safer streets for children, she said, attendance at schools will increase. "School safety must be our Number One agenda item."
      Parents who attended said the idea was great. "I just hope everybody will stick with it," said Twanna Sims, a Parkside resident.
      The city's police department has mapped streets to 30 public schools. "We are studying whether we can designate those as special areas similar to drug-free school zones," said Camden County Prosecutor Vincent Sarubbi. Those zones carry stiffer penalties for crimes such as drug dealing.
      Knox said the program already has 100 parent volunteers. They, along with police, are on patrol as of Monday along the corridors. Residents are encouraged to report problems along the routes to a hotline. Students will be bringing copies of each schools' routes home with them.
      Source:  Courier-Post (Camden)

Bhopal Survivors Rally in Delhi
      Survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak in India have rallied near parliament in Delhi, demanding the authorities pay out more than $300 million in compensation. Hundreds of people, mainly widows, took part in Monday's demonstration.
      The American owners of the Bhopal pesticide plant, Union Carbide, agreed to a compensation settlement in 1989. But only part of the money was given to survivors and victims' relatives. In July India's Supreme Court ordered the government to hand the rest over.
      About 15 billion rupees ($327.5 million) is still being held by the Indian central bank. The Supreme Court did not say when the money must be paid out but told the government official in charge of disaster relief to report back within three months. "The commissioner in charge of relief has stalled everything by saying that it is impossible to make payouts unless 11,000 cases relating to the Bhopal gas leak are settled," disaster victim Balkrishna Namdeo told the AFP news agency.
      About 3,000 people died in the days immediately following the disaster in Bhopal, the capital of the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Campaigners say nearly 20,000 others have since died from the effects of the leak of methyl isocyanite gas at the plant owned by Union Carbide, now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical.
      Source:  BBC

Anti-Poverty Bus Tour Arrives Home Celebrating
      Call To Renewal deems its recently completed "Rolling to Overcome Poverty" Bus Tour a huge success. The tour team traveled more than 2,337 miles, traversing six states with an unwavering message that poverty is a religious and electoral issue. From Minneapolis to Philadelphia, the brightly colored Call to Renewal Bus rolled into 14 cities and towns to lift up the concerns of poor people as an important election-year issue for people of faith. The twelve-day tour included 36 events at churches, state capitol buildings, cathedrals, universities, and service provider locations, with combined attendance approaching 7,000 people.
      The tour was covered in numerous newspapers and radio shows -- including Life-Net Radio (listen November 24 and December 1). The New York Times gave national coverage on October 16.
      At each of the 36 events, CTR convener and President Jim Wallis delivered a rousing and inspirational message of hope and challenge, issuing to people of faith everywhere a clarion call to get involved in the growing movement to overcome poverty.
      In addition to Jim Wallis and members of the CTR staff, riders on the bus included filmmakers, reporters, activists, musicians, preachers, organizers, and five of CTR’s large group of "Emerging Leaders" (people 30 and under with a passion to work on behalf of the poor). At city after city, the team heard the heartbreaking stories and grim statistics of the ongoing labors of faith-based service providers overworked by the exhausting amount of human need that bad social policy has wrought. Housing, health care, education, child care, jobs, all seem to be in short supply in the neighborhoods the tour visited; "food insecurity" is a painful daily reality for many residents and their hungry children.
      The team saw many impressive models for effective ministry to those in need: well-run faith-based programs making excellent and efficient use of scarce resources to feed, clothe and house low-income people. These ministries and models are wonderful work, but they do not suffice for these troubled times. CTR's call for the faith community now is to move beyond ministry, beyond models, and on into a movement that can create the moral and political will to make poverty unacceptable and, over time, obsolete.
      Source:  Call to Renewal Bus Tour

#  LNN  #  Small  #  Hauls  #

  • Indigenous organizations from around the world have criticized the UK government's attempts to block the recognition of their rights. Recent negotiations to finalize a UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples were almost wrecked when the UK government attempted to remove all references to "collective rights". (Survival International)

  • The Jimmy Carter Work Project 2004 has the former President, First Lady Rosalynn, and thousands of other volunteers building houses with families in need of decent shelter in central Mexico (Puebla, Veracruz). Roughly one in three Mexican adults lives in poverty housing. Thanks to the huge group effort, concrete blocks are being set, and as the walls rise, selected families in these two communities are moving closer to their dreams of putting poverty housing behind them. (Habitat for Humanity)

  • After two months responding to four back-to-back major hurricanes that caused the deaths of more than 70 residents and damaged some 58,000 homes, many caregivers in Florida -- clergy, community leaders, outreach workers, and volunteers -- are now experiencing spiritual/emotional side effects. Some clergy and faith leaders there are feeling a desire to retire early or move out. Other common symptoms: depression, anxiety, and increased tensions within their congregations and families. In mid-October, Church World Service held "Caring for the Caregiver" workshops in central Florida. (Church World Service)

  • Islam has strict rules regarding money, including a sweeping prohibition on interest, known as riba. This puts everything from conventional savings accounts and credit cards to interest-bearing or fixed income investments like bonds and Treasuries off limits for faithful Muslims. Devout Muslims do not drink alcohol, eat pork, gamble, consume pornography, or accept profits from interest -- and any business that profits from these activities is haram, or forbidden. That cuts out the entire financial sector, many retailers, most hotel, restaurant and casino operators, businesses that are heavily leveraged, and companies that derive a significant portion of revenues from interest on large cash positions. Makers of weapons and defense products, marketers of tobacco, and polluters are also considered unacceptable. Islamic law does allow stock investing, however, and a small but growing number of equity mutual funds are targeting Muslims with portfolios that invest only in acceptable, or halal, companies. (Associated Press)

  • The Camden County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee was formed earlier this year after an incident, heavily covered in local press, in which retired stockbroker Joel Seidel was allegedly beaten to death by a fellow inmate, Marvin Lister, who had a history of violence. The committee's recommendations include: not issuing arrest warrants to low-level traffic offenders who have run afoul of municipal court; electronic monitoring to release, initially, up to 50 nonviolent offenders; stepping up mental-health screening and finding alternatives to jailing nonviolent mentally ill offenders. (Courier-Post)

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