Catholic Community of Pleasanton

Social Justice Newsletter

March 13, 2014

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This issue of the newsletter has

information about three issues that deserve our attention
Domestic Violence
Palm Oil production practices that are causing alarming deforestation
U.S. needs for armed forces in the 21st century 

 

There is an abundance of sources of information in Brief Links

 

If you would like to watch the closing liturgy of last year's Religious Education Congress, click here

 

Parts of this year's Religious Education Congress can be seen live today (Youth Day, Thursday, March 13) beginning at 8:00 AM and Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 6:00 PM Sunday at live broadcast

 

 

 

Violence

   

 Violence in the home is quietly killing American women -- it's time to start talking about it

 

Nicholas Kristof has described a horrendous problem.  He has also explained some steps that are working well to solve the problem and what else needs to be done.

 
Domestic violence strikes one American woman in four and claims a life in the United States every six hours, yet it is so stigmatizing that most victims never seek help.

 
"Domestic violence deserves far more attention and resources, and far more police understanding of the complexities involved. This is not a fringe concern. It is vast, it is outrageous, and it should be a national priority." says Kristof.

 
Yet real progress has been made.  First, attitudes have changed.  In 1987 only half of Americans said that it was wrong for a man to beat his wife with a stick or a belt.  Ten years later, 87% said it was always wrong.  Second, police practices have changed.  Whereas a generation ago, police avoided involvement, today they routinely arrest the aggressor.

 
Kristof says, "Three steps are still needed. First, we must end the silence. Second, we must ensure that police departments everywhere take the issue seriously before a victim becomes a corpse. Third, offenders should be required to attend training programs like the one run by Men Stopping Violence."

 
Kristof's complete article is available at link 

  

Resources

 
Violence Prevention, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, link 

 
Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Office of Justice, http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/  

  

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Upcoming Events
  
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, March 14, 15 & 16,
Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, CA, http://recongress.org/ 

See more info

    

Saturday, March 15, 9:00 A.M. to Noon
MedShare   more info 

  

Saturday & Sunday, March 29 & 30, All Masses
Fair Trade Easter Sale
Both churches

 

Saturday & Sunday, April 5 & 6, All Masses
Fair Trade Easter Sale
Both churches

 

Friday, April 18, 4:30 P.M.
Good Friday Cross Walk
The Cross Walk will begin at 4:30 P.M. on Good Friday at St. Augustine's Church Parking Lot.  We will process from St. Augustine's to St. Elizabeth Seton Church, a distance of 3.3 miles, stopping for prayer and reflection.  All members of the CCOP community are encouraged to attend. The walk will take place rain or shine.  

  

Tuesday, April 22
3rd annual Transportation Choices Summit  more info
Embassy Suites, 100 Capitol Mall - Sacramento, California 95814

   

Wednesday, April 23
Optional Advocacy Day
Capitol Bldg, Sacramento

 

 

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Action Alert

Tell America's Biggest Brands to Use Deforestation-Free Palm Oil

 

Click here

 

 

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Brief Links part 2 

  

Can young black men feel safe? (from Al Jazeera America newsletter, Feb. 26), link 

 

Keynote Remarks at the Launch of the World Bank's Gender at Work Report (February 20), link 

 

PalmOilStop Deforestation from Palm Oil operations, link 

 

Palm Oil-related news: Think Progress link, Huffington Post link, UCS link 

 

ArmyInvitation to a Dialogue: A Smaller Army (New York Times opinion piece by William D. Hartung), link 

 

Sunday Dialogue: Reshaping the Military  (New York Times Opinion Section, March 7: Readers discuss what kind of armed forces we need to face the threats of the 21st century), link 

 

Russia Has Already Lost the War (New York Times Opinion Piece, March 9), link  

      

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**** Newsletter Contents **** (titles are clickable)
:: Violence in the home is quietly killing American women -- It's time to start talking about it
:: Upcoming Events
:: Action Alert
:: Brief Links part 2
:: California Legislature: Trends and Bills to Watch this Year
:: Creating the Peace Corps and Finding a Saint
:: Brief Links

 

 California Legislature: Trends and Bills to Watch this Year

 

Copied from the California Catholic website's Public Policy Insights for March 7, link. 

  

Now that the deadline for introduction of new bills has passed, the important trends and initiatives can be better mapped. Slightly more than 1,900 bills were introduced and the California Catholic Conference will track about 100 of them. Hearings will begin in earnest later in the month. Details of all these bills are available on our Legislative Reports page, but in the meantime, below is an overview of some of the issues we will face in 2014: Read on

 

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 Creating the Peace Corps and Finding a Saint

 

Sargent Shriver

Sargent Shriver

Reflection written by Jason Welle, SJ, copied from the March 1 Jesuit Post, link

 

Fifty-three years ago today, on March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps when he signed a simple, two page executive order, and through what emerged he may have revealed a saint among us.

  
Almost a quarter million Peace Corps Volunteers have served in 139 countries since 1961, making differences - sometimes small, sometimes large - in the lives of people in developing countries, but most of all coming back as changed people and citizens of the world. I certainly came back from my own Peace Corps service a changed person. I went to Malawi in 2001 with fantastical ideas about life in the bush and the revolutionary difference I would make, but I came to realize very soon that my Discovery Channel impressions of Africa were far from reality, and the real riches of that place lay in her people.

  
And it was in Malawi that I first heard the stirrings of a new vocation, where I realized that I would only be most deeply satisfied with a life that was spent in dedicated service to others, especially the poor. Read on.  

 

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Brief Links

  

$1 Million Grant for Restorative Justice Programs, link 

 

Restore Justice website, http://www.restorejustice.com/

 

Ukraine Decries Crimea Separatist Referendum as Unfair (Bloomberg News via Yahoo Finance, March 9), link 

 

Russia makes plans for Crimea, ahead of referendum (UPI, March 9), link 

 

Ukraine standoff intensifies, Russia says sanctions will 'boomerang'

(Reuters via Yahoo News, March 7), link 

 

Reviewing U.S. options for responding to Russia's intervention in Ukraine (PBS Newshour, March 4, video and transcript), link 

 

Venezuelan protest overrun by government forces (Al Jazeera website news item, March 8), link 

 

Much of Latin America behind Venezuela's Maduro, few critical (AFP via Yahoo News, March 7), link 

 

Venezuela Gets More Than $7 Billion From China and Russia (Bloomberg News, March 7), link

Venezuelan President Calls for Meeting of South American Countries (Wall Street Journal website, March 6), link 

 

Farm Bill Reflects Shifting American Menu and a Senator's Persistent Tilling (New York Times news article, March 8), link 

 

YES! This Week - March 7, 2014, link 

 

America Magazine's website, http://americamagazine.org/ 

 

Commonweal Magazine's website, link 

 

Prized national park in D R Congo a target for oil companies (from Al Jazeera America newsletter, Feb. 24), link 

 

The shocking numbers behind corporate welfare (from Al Jazeera America newsletter, Feb. 25), link 

 

 

 


  

 

 

 

      

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Social Justice Committee