“When You’re Poor, Money is Expensive”
From Tim Schrag
This article in The Atlantic by Derek Thompson provides insight and points the way to some interesting ways forward, to those of us who wish to address the plight of the poor. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/07/its-expensive-to-be-poor-money/374361/
The author at least hints at actual alternatives to predatory lending such as payday loans, rigid bank credit standards for lending, etc. Issues of justice (or injustice) which create poverty are sometimes tiny but powerful. This article helped illustrate some of these problems.
A valuable bonus in the article is the embedded link found at the end, a 40 minute mini-documentary entitled “Spent: Looking for Change”. Here’s an ‘appetizer’ from this documentary (and article) which might pique your interest in viewing the entire piece. “Turning to pawn shops, check cashing services, and using payday loans to meet basic financial needs can be costly for many of us, with $89 billion a year going to fees and interest for using these types of alternative financial services,” they write. Unbanked families spend 10 percent of their money replacing traditional banking services. That’s as much as most families spend on food.
Our committee, staffed by pacifists mostly, reflected on this statement that was published by Veterans for Peace on Monday, November 11, 2013. Being an army veteran and a member of Veterans for Peace, I have appreciated this perspective on the holiday as most of us know it, since I first realized the history and historical meaning of the holiday.
The original post here:
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/pressroom/news/2013/11/08/veterans-peace-armistice-day-2013
_____________________________
Veterans For Peace calls for the observance of Veterans Day to be in keeping with the holiday’s original intent. Congressional Act (52 Stat.351: 5U.S. Code, Sec.87a) approved May 13, 1938, made November 11th of each year a legal Federal Holiday,“A day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.”
The ceasefire on the, “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 along the European Western Front was such a relief to all those involved as the world had never seen such horror and carnage as World War I. The horrible conflict that had come to be known as the “War to End War” brought the bulk of humanity to contemplate abolishing war.
Veterans For Peace calls on its members and allies to observe Veterans Day by rejecting militarism and the glorification of war. We call on the nation to honor veterans and all those who have died in war by working for peace and the prevention of war. There is no better way to honor the dead than to protect the living from the fear, terror and moral deprivation of war.
VFP Resolution Submitted by Bob Heberle, VFP Chapter 27, (Endorsed by VFP Chapter 27)
Whereas bells worldwide were rung on November 11, 1918 to celebrate and recognize the ending of WWI, “The war to end all wars” and
Whereas to commemorate that peaceful pledge, bells were rung November 11 for over 35 years, and
Whereas, legislation making November 11 a holiday passed in 1938, ” Shall be a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” and
Whereas the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars, and
Whereas the substitution of the word “Armistice” to “Veterans” changes the focus from peace to war by celebrating and honoring warriors and war, and
Whereas that November date symbolized the nation’s desire to hold to a peaceful future and away from war, and
Whereas, too often rhetoric and patriotic symbols are used instead of genuine compensation for the extraordinary sacrifices and services of military personnel, and
Whereas 90% of victims of wars are now civilians and by honoring only veterans, the public is distracted from the awful price paid by those other than military members, and
Whereas Chapter #27 has for over 17 years promoted the ringing of a bell eleven times at its ceremonies on November 11 and at other solemn occasions such as funerals to remind the public of that Armistice Day peace pledge, and
Whereas the ringing of bells is so much more fitting and peaceful than the often practiced gun salutes and fighter plane flyovers.
Therefore Be It Resolved that Veterans For Peace, Inc. urges its membership to adopt the procedure of honoring peace by focusing on bell ringing on Armistice Day, November 11 and other solemn occasions.
Approved at the 2008 VFP national convention
Forwarded from our friends at Illinois People Action.
Dear Members and Friends of Illinois People’s Action,
IDNR has published the Fracking Rules. This starts the clock ticking. We will have 14 days to formally request hearings and until January 3 to make comments. We will need your help in the following ways:
- Send IDNR a postcard or letter or call them requesting a hearing in Central Illinois after January 3. IPA will be sending a formal letter but we need each of you to back us up. Two hearings have been scheduled so far: One in Chicago on November 26 and one in Southern IL (Rend Lake College) on December 3. Both are 2 hour hearings that run from 6:30 – 8:30. This leaves out any person in central Illinois who works a day job. Send a letter or postcard requesting a hearing to:
- Robert G. Mool
Department of Natural Resources
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield IL 62702-1271
217/782-1809
- Robert G. Mool
- Send comments on the drafted rules. Send one today! Please see the attached document for the suggested topic of today’s comments. Feel free to cut and paste the italicized comment BUT please add your own sentence or two to personalize the comment. Make your comment by going to:
- http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/OilandGas/Pages/OnlineCommentSubmittalForm.aspx Fill out the information required, click on the Section B radial button and then submit the comments we have attached (or write your own). Make sure if you submit your own comments on a different section of the rules that you click the correct radial button associated with the section of the rules you are addressing.
- NOTE: New Yorkers sent in 200,000 comments on their proposed rules. There were so many, it put a cog in the wheel. We want EVERYONE receiving this email to to make comments.
Now is when the rubber meets the road. We told IDNR and our legislators that the public is not happy about the weak regulations. We need to act now and demonstrate we are not going away!
Please stay tuned to upcoming emails from IPA and be ready to take action!
In solidarity for our health and environment,
Your IPA staff
Jeffrey Kovac, Refusing War, Affirming Peace: A History of Civilian Public Service Camp No. 21 at Cascade Locks. Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-87071-575-4.
Reviewed by Gerlof D. Homan
Some 12,000 men served as conscientious objectors during World War II. For religious/and or philosophical reasons they refused to be part of the American military machine. Proportionally, that number was relatively small as compared to the total number of British conscientious objectors. Among the 12,000 were 4,665 Mennonites. During the First World War conscientious objectors were often brutally treated. It was only in 1918 that many were allowed to do farm work. During the Second World War they were permitted to perform civilian work of “national importance.” They were housed in 151 so-called Civilian Public Service (CPS) Camps, that had once been used by the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. Most of the CPS camps were run, financed, and organized by the three so-called Historic Peace Churches: Church of the Brethren, Quakers, and Mennonites. Sixty-three of the camps were run by the Mennonite Central Committee.
The story of World War II conscientious objectors has been told, but little has been written about individual CPS camps. This reviewer can think of only one other study of a CPS camp: Gordon Zahn’s Another Side of War: The Camp Simon Story.* However, this is only an account of a short-lived and failed Roman Catholic camp. The story of Cascade Locks, Camp #21, is the most complete of any CPS camp. It is written by the son-in-law of one of the CPS’ers in the camp, Charles Davis, and is based on a great variety of sources, interviews, diaries, the camp’s newspaper, The Columbian, etc.
The men in CPS camps performed a variety of tasks many of which were related to forestry, soil conservation, etc. Later many were permitted to work as “smoke jumpers,” ward attendants in mental or regular hospitals, and serve as “guinea pigs” for medical and dietary experiments.
CPS Camp #21 at Cascade Locks, OR, was located near the Columbia River about twenty miles northeast Portland. The name Cascade Locks is derived from the locks in the Cascade Rapids of the Columbia River. The camp itself was actually located in Wyeth about eight miles east of Cascade Locks. A small side camp was established on nearby Larch Mountain to place a crew closer to areas of potential forest fires. The location of Cascade Locks had been chosen because of its easy access to roads and rail and offered a variety of U.S. Forest Service Projects in Mount Hood National Forest. From a scenic standpoint the camp was a spectacular site, but it also received a large amount of rain and had very cold winters. Cascade Locks was started on November 27,1941, and closed in June 1946. An average of some 200 men stayed in the camp and a total of at least 560 spent some time there making it the largest CPS camp.
*Amherst, MA: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1979.
The camp consisted of four dormitories, a dining hall, an infirmary, a laundry and latrines. The men turned one of the buildings into a library and renovated the old CCC chapel. Initially, Cascade Locks was administered jointly by the Brethren Service Committee and Mennonite Central Committee. This joint sponsorship soon proved to be unsatisfactory , and in May 1942 it became a Brethren camp. Some forty-seven Mennonites did serve in the camp at one time or other in addition to many other denominations. Among the latter were, of course, many Brethren and Methodists, some Quakers, a few Jews, and one Moslem.
Until February 1944 Brethren Rev. Mark Schrock served as the camp’s director. The author has much praise for his very able leadership and shows how much the men appreciated his important contributions. It was Schrock who placed his personal collection of some 2,000 books in the camp library. Unfortunately, the library and all the books were lost in a fire in February 1943. After his resignation a committee assumed leadership of the camp.
Few CPS camps had many able and committed pacifists many of whom had lively and varied interests. Like most CPS camps, Cascade Locks had its own newspaper the The Columbian but also a literary magazine, The Illiterati . The men also showed much interest in thespian activities and engaged in book discussions. Furthermore, they organized, what they called, the School of Pacifist Living.
Among its most famous residents was the well-known actor Lewis [Lew] Ayers who had starred in the famous 1930 film “All Quiet on the Western Front. But Ayers did not stay very long. He preferred to serve a non-combatant medic and left in May 1942.
Another resident at Camp 21 who drew much attention was George Kiyoshi Yamada. Yamada was of Japanese ancestry and arrived at Camp 21 in December 1941. However, like all Japanese living along the west coast, he was instructed to leave Cascade Locks to go to a War Relocation Camp for Japanese internees. Director Schrock and the men in camp as well as other CPS camps protested against the transfer. As result Yamada was transferred to a CPS camp in Colorado Springs, CO.
The men of Camp 21 also protested in 1942 when they were asked to build logging roads for a new camp called Three Lynx. The men, led by Schrock, concluded that this project was in some way war-related. Their protests were successful and the U.S. Forest Service agreed to drop the project.
Not everyone in Cascade Locks and other camps was content. The men were often bored because the work offered few challenges. Also their meager pay of $2.50 per month, caused financial hardship for their families. Others were disillusioned with CPS. A number of men at Cascade Locks but also in other camps walked out. These men were arrested and sentenced. One person at Cascade Locks decided to join the army most likely for financial reasons. The same happened in other CPS camps.
The author concludes that CPS Cascade Locks created a community where justice was a guiding principle, the arts and learning flourished, and individual differences respected. Perhaps to some extend the same can be said about many other CPS camps. They were avenues of peace.
Refusing War, Affirming Peace may inspire you to become a peacemaker and strengthen your Mennonite peace commitment.
– Re-posted from our friends at Mennonite World Conference
Click here to see a pdf version of this letter.
Conflict in Syria
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
We greet you today in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Today we lament the horrendous and inhumane atrocities – reports of which fill our newspapers and dominate our television screens – as the world is again rightfully concerned about actual violence in Syria and a potentially expanded conflict.
As he [Jesus] came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:41-42).
It is not difficult to imagine Jesus still weeping today: over Damascus, Washington, D.C., Moscow, Paris, London, Jerusalem, Cairo, New York, Beijing, and many other places. The world is not the way it was meant to be. At Jesus’ birth the angels proclaim “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14). Through him God hoped to “reconcile the world,” calling the church to be God’s co-workers in the ministry of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18-19).
The Body of Christ weeps with Jesus today. We weep not only for Syria, but also for other situations affecting our brothers and sisters: the poisoning of crops and water supply in the Choco, Colombia; the land stolen by huge multi-national corporations in Panama; the historic and ongoing strife and war in Congo; the alienation and suffering in Egypt; and the millions of refugees displaced by human strife. We weep because the dominant patterns of confronting violence, protecting the vulnerable, and working for peace continue to be strategies of increased militarization, trust in revenge, and confidence in punishment. Our world continues to hope for peace by preparing for war.
The weeping Jesus chose a different path. He decided to trust in God’s sovereignty over the nations. He affirms the prophet Isaiah’s conviction that: “The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but God will rebuke them…” (Isaiah 17:13).
Above all, Jesus chooses suffering love to the point of death on the cross, rather than military options of terror, revolution, or the protection of national self-interest. God transforms this suffering love into Gospel. Through the power of the resurrection, God converts the weapon of Roman state-terror (the cross) into the “power of God to save” (I Corinthians 1:18).
The Gospel is God’s response to the sin of the world, and is given to a world not yet redeemed. The Gospel is Good News because of sin, not in spite of it. As followers of Jesus, the church too “seeks peace and pursues it” (Psalm 34:14). The Apostle James has a timely reminder for us about the inseparable bond between the pursuit of peace and the hope for justice:
For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who make peace (James 3:16-18).
We invite you to express this vocation of peace through justice by:
1) Praying: Pray for all those who understand themselves and others as enemies. Pray for each other as sisters and brothers in Christ – in our Communion and beyond – as we seek to live out our vocation of suffering love amid the roar of the nations. (Please note that the World Council of Churches has also designated September 21 as the “International Day of Prayer for Peace” http://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/events/international-day-of-prayer-for-peace).
2) Worshipping: Mennonite World Conference has set aside the International Day of Peace (Sept. 22) as our time to express our vocation of peace in worship. Please do participate in this shared opportunity. Materials for this service can be found at http://www.mwc-cmm.org/sites/default/files/website_files/peace_sunday_2013_en.pdf
3) Witnessing: Please feel free to pass on this letter, as appropriate, to others: family, friends, other Christians, other denominations, government leaders, and media outlets.
4) Sharing: Please go to http://www.mwc-cmm.org/article/peace-syria, https://www.facebook.com/MennoniteWorldConference or email to rjsuderman@mwc-cmm.org and share actions of worship, prayers, and witness that you have done or are planning to do. This will be a source of encouragement and inspiration for others to become involved.
Multiple loyalties are calling for our commitment. We face a time of weeping, testing, and choosing. Our prayer is that:
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you (II Corinthians 13:14).
César García Paulus Widjaja Robert J. Suderman
General Secretary Peace Commission Chair Peace Commission Secretary
Urge your Members of Congress to oppose U.S. military action against Syria.
Background: The U.S. government appears to be preparing for a military attack against Syria, in response to last week’s alleged chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus.
U.S. missile strikes could well lead the U.S. into an ever-deepening military conflict and will certainly cause even more suffering for the people of Syria who have already suffered so much. The MCC representative for Syria and Lebanon reports on her numerous conversations with Syrians in the last few days: “Without fail they are all saying the same thing. ‘We are all very worried. We hope the U.S. won’t do anything.’” Read MCC’s call to end the violence.
While allegations of chemical weapons attacks are extremely serious, the U.S. and others in the international community must allow U.N. investigations to proceed to determine the facts of what happened, and then respond through appropriate diplomatic and legal channels, not militarily.
It is urgent that Members of Congress hear today that their constituents are opposed to U.S. military action in Syria, including U.S. missile strikes and sending weapons to opposition groups.
Faith reflection: Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Action: Please call or email your Members of Congress today, urging them to oppose U.S. military action against Syria. The Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121.
Alert prepared August 29, 2013 by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, director, rals@mcc.org.
Related articles
– By Meredith Schroeer
The Illinois legislature could vote at any time on the controversial bill to regulate fracking in Illinois, SB 1715. It is true that the Sierra Club and other environmental groups had input on this bill. But that does not at all mean that they support fracking. They do not want fracking in Illinois. What they support is a two-year moratorium on fracking, until the experience of other states with fracking can be adequately studied. But if there is no moratorium, they did want the best regulations they could get for fracking, because at the present time there are absolutely no regulations on fracking in Illinois, and fracking is coming. For a personal statement on the Illinois Sierra Club‘s position, visit their president’s blog: http://sierraclubillinois.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/illinois-fracking-update/
The experience of other states with fracking is worth considering. In Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wyoming, people have been forced from their homes because their water became undrinkable (flammable, in some cases). Families have become ill, property values have plummeted, and precious woodland, farmland, and ranchland have been sacrificed to drilling rigs and pipelines.
Right now there is a glut of natural gas, so there is no compelling need for fracking to begin in Illinois. As for the much-touted jobs, Bureau of Labor Statistics data show, not the 125 jobs per well which the industry promises, but instead 1.7 jobs per well.
Last summer we learned how precious ample, clean water is. If you would prefer that we not risk this irreplaceable resource, please ask your representatives to vote for a moratorium on fracking in Illinois: HB 3086 and SB 1418. Thank you for caring!
Anti-fracking advocate Sandra Steingraber opposes fracking before IL House committee
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) today gave his first ever speech on the floor of the United States Senate. Murphy called on his colleagues to put partisan politics aside and act now to pass the common sense gun reform legislation currently being considered by the U.S. Senate.
By Gerlof Homan
Originally Published: November 23, 2010
In a previous Menno Notes essay, I discussed possible ways in which history may or may not move: some feel that history is a record of progress. Therefore, history is a process of linear progression, and change is equated with progress, if not perfection. This belief is rather deeply embedded in the American psyche. We traditionally believe that our world is constantly getting better, although there are many among us today who view the present and future with much concern, if not skepticism.
Others assume that history moves like a biological organism: a nation or civilization is born, then flourishes but eventually or inevitably declines or withers.
Then there are also those who see history as a spiral: civilizations flourish and decline, but after some time they may come back and reach a higher stage of development.
This time we will ask, who makes history? The answer may not be as simple as we think. There are many who feel that history is the gradual unfolding of God’s plan and all change can be attributed to a higher power. But especially in the western world with its emphasis on the importance of human reason and individualism, it is generally assumed that all history is made in the minds and hearts of humankind. It is human beings who instigate change, wage wars, stage revolutions, invent mechanical and scientific devices, and pollute and destroy the environment. For better or for worse, they are the agents of change. Such thinking does not seem to make much room for God’s role in this human drama. It is assumed that God was the creator and sustainer of this world, but was and is not actively involved in the historical process. God was the great clock winder, but no amount of prayer and supplication would move God to intervene or interfere.
This kind of belief is known as Deism, and some of our founding fathers subscribed to it in one form or another.
But this kind of do-nothing God does not satisfy our desire to know or understand. If our God is a kind and loving being, as exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ, God cares, worries, and takes pride in creation. In so doing, God becomes part of our human historical process. Most likely God would also like to see history move in a certain direction, perhaps toward a perfect, or more perfect world?
How then does God interfere in human events? God does so in a mysterious and subtle way. Somehow God touches the lives of men and women, and moves them to action. However, we cannot prove or document that God actually stirs and moves. That is a matter of faith in an inscrutable but loving God. We as humans also rebel, resist and choose evil paths of destruction and hatred. Thus eventually history is often the outcome of a struggle between a persistent and patient God, and stubborn and sinful, but sometimes compassionate and creative, humankind.
I like to think that some time in this long historical process of interaction between God and us, our Creator will prevail.
By Meredith Schroeer
Originally Published: December 09, 2010
In her article Far from Home in the May 2010 MCC Women’s Report, Linda Gehman Peachey reminds us that many notable persons in the Biblical narrative were forced to leave their homes in search of food. Among them were Abram and Sarai, and later Jacob and his family, who went to Egypt during a time of famine at home. Elimilech and Naomi and their two sons went to Moab to search for food also.
Peachey argues that many immigrants from Mexico are fleeing to the U.S. for the same reason: they can no longer feed their families. “While natural disasters such as drought, earthquakes and hurricanes sometimes play a role, economic policies can also have a devastating effect. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), for example, has been very harmful to Mexican farm families. It forced them to compete with cheaper imports from Canada and the U.S., and required Mexico to end many of its agricultural programs. Over the past fifteen years, two million farming jobs have disappeared, and another eight million farmers abandoned their land because they no longer had access to credit, government subsidies, or a guaranteed price for their products.”
The majority of Mexican farmers affected by NAFA were traditional corn farmers. After NAFTA took effect in 1994, these farmers were no longer eligible for Mexican government subsidies. Additionally, they were now required to compete in the marketplace with heavily-subsidized U.S. and Canadian agribusiness products. Between 1995 and 2006, U.S. government subsidies to American agribusiness for corn production ranged from $1.8 billion in 1996 to $9.3 billion in 2005.
“For the farmers who managed to hold on, monthly income fell from about 2000 pesos a month in 1991, to 230 pesos in 2003. Meanwhile, food prices increased nearly 600 percent from 1994-2000. It should not be surprising, therefore, that the number of Mexicans migrating to the U.S. increased dramatically since NAFTA came into force in 1994. Two-thirds of undocumented Mexicans currently in the U.S. have come since 1994” (Peachey).
In public debates over illegal immigration, one hears very little about the U.S. trade and agricultural policies which have driven millions of Mexican corn farmers off their land. Perhaps if these policies were more widely known Americans would have a different perspective on the many issues surrounding illegal immigration.
Heath J. Brandon
pastorschrag