september 2011 - newpeople
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The NewPeople is the peace and justice newspaper of Pittsburgh and the Tri-State area and fills the voids left by the mainstream by providing a media outlet reflecting the reality of progressive, alternative politics locally, nationally and globally.TRANSCRIPT
September, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 1
THOMAS MERTON CENTER, 5129 PENN AVE.
PITTSBURGH, PA 15224
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PITTSBURGH, PA
PERMIT NO. 458
TH
E
PITTSBURGH‘S PEACE AND JUSTICE NEWSPAPER
Published by the Thomas Merton Center VOL. 41, No. 7 September, 2011
A TASTE FOR FRACKINADE
By Viv Shaffer
The August 5 ―Unblurred―
gallery crawl on Penn
Ave. featured an ―Iced
Frackin‘ Tea Party‖ at the
Thomas Merton Center.
TMC was joined by
representatives of the
Marcellus Protest Group
and the Westmoreland
County Marcellus
Community Group. A
highlight of the event was
the Pittsburgh Student
Environmental Coalition
and their fabulous
―frackinade stand.‖
Passersby were invited to
sample a ―delicious‖
concoction which they
described as sweet. When
they asked what the solids
were in the brew they were
informed that the
ingredients could not be
disclosed because of the
―Halliburton Loophole.‖
The ―Halliburton Loophole‖
exempts hydrofracturing companies
(the complete name for the fracking
process) from having to disclose the
specific chemicals used in the shale
gas extraction process, effectively
barring enforcement of the Clean
Water Act. The
―loophole‖ was
inserted into
legislation during
the administration of
President George W.
Bush, whose vice-
president, Dick
Cheney, is the
former Chief
Executive Officer of
Halliburton Corp. a
major oil and gas
field supply and
private security
corporation.
At the other end of
the same table
members of PSEC
had glasses filled
with some of the
actual chemicals
used in the
―fracking‖ process,
which were isolated
and identified
through laboratory
analysis. (More fracking pg.3)
Viv Shaffer is the Office Coordinator
of the Thomas Merton Center
Fracking
Pages 1, 3
Medicare Action
– Pages 8, 10
The Embargo on Cuba Page 6
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.
HUNGER PLAGUES ALLEGHENY COUNTY By Adam MacGregor, Communications Coordi-
nator of Just Harvest
A newly released report shows that this region‘s
rate of hunger follows the national trend. Across
the four congressional districts in Allegheny
County, nearly 25 percent of families with chil-
dren have reported that they have not been able to
afford adequate amounts of food over the past
year, according to a report released yesterday by
the Washington D.C.-based Food Research and
Action Center (FRAC).
This report, titled Food Hardship in America
separately examines food hardship rates (the in-
ability to afford enough food) for households with
and without children nationally and in every state,
every congressional district, and one hundred of
the country‘s largest metropolitan statistical ar-
eas (The full report is available at frac.org).
The analysis shows that food hardship rates are
very high both for households with children and
for households without children. Nationally, from
2009 to 2010, the food hardship rate for house-
holds without children was 14.9 percent, and it
was 23.4 percent for families with children.
Allegheny County is comprised of congressional
districts 4, 12, 14, and 18. The average rate of
food hardship among households with children in
these districts is 21 percent, ranging from 17.5
percent in District 18 (Tim Murphy) to 25.4 per-
cent in District 14 (Michael Doyle), which in-
cludes the city of Pittsburgh.
Continued on page 8
Photo by Frank Carr
Lorraine Keeler and John McElhattan from the Pittsburgh Student Environmental Coalition outside the Merton
Center during UnBlurred.
Photo by Lindy Hazel LaDue
2 - NEWPEOPLE September, 2011
IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE THOMAS MERTON CENTER 5129 PENN AVE., PITTSBURGH, PA 15224
Phone: 412-361-3022 — Fax: 412-361-0540 — Web: www.thomasmertoncenter.org
Editorial Collective
Mana Alibadi, Erica Augenstein, Frank Carr, Nicole Coast, Rob Conroy, Deyja Donohue, Michael Drohan, Russ Fedorka, Rory Henc, Steven Green, Charles McCollester, Ken-
neth Miller, Francine Porter, Jordana Rosenfeld, Molly Rush, Florence Wyand
TMC Staff, Volunteers and Interns
Viv Shaffer, Thomas Merton Center Coordinator
Roslyn Maholland, Bookkeeper / Mig Cole, Assistant Bookkeeper
Shirley Gleditsch, Manager, East End Community Thrift Store
Shawna Hammond, Manager, East End Community Thrift Store
Dolly Mason, Furniture Manager, East End Community Thrift Store
Jordana Rosenfeld, Summer Intern
TMC Board of Directors
Casey Capitolo, Rob Conroy, Kathy Cunningham, Michael Drohan,
Mary Jo Guercio, Wanda Guthrie, Edward Kinley, Shawna Hammond, Jonah McAllister-Erickson, Charles McCollester, Diane McMahon,
Jibran Mushtaq, Francine Porter, Dominique Reed, Chadwick Rink, Molly Rush, Courtney Smith, Carole Wiedmann
STANDING COMMITTEES
Board Development Committee (Recruits board members, conducts board elections)
Building Committee Oversees maintenance of 5123-5129 Penn Ave.
Membership Committee Coordinates membership goals, activities, appeals, and communications
Editorial Collective Plans, produces and distributes The NewPeople
Finance Committee Ensures financial stability and accountability of TMC
Personnel Committee Oversees staff needs, evaluation, and policies
Technology Team Provides technical advice and assistance to TMC
Special Event Committees
Plan and oversee TMC fundraising events with board and staff
(Events include the spring New Person Awards and the fall Thomas Merton Award Dinner)
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)
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
Pittsburgh Progressive Notebook
Call 412-301-3022 for more info
The Palestine Film Festival
Call 412-301-3022 for more info
Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens Group
Wanda Guthrie
724-327-2767
The Pittsburgh Totebag Project
Sue Kerr, 412-228-0216
P.O. Box 99204
Pittsburgh, Pa 15233
www.tote4pgh.org
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)
Eva 412-963-7163 [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 3 Fracking in PA
Page 6 International News: The Embargo on Cuba, Women’s Conference for Peace
Page 9 Winona LaDuke to speak in PGH
Page 10 Human Rights Lobbying
Page 11 Plan for Progressive Progress
Page 12 Fed Up! With Prison Abuse and a poem from a prisoner
Page 14 The Merton Center turns 40!
CONTACT INFORMATION
General information ..................... www.thomasmertoncenter.org/contact-us/
Submissions .................................. [email protected]
Events & Calendar Items ............. www.bit.ly/tmcevents
September, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 3
By The Shadbush Collective
Industry spokespersons and politicians have
painted a picture of shale gas drilling as a
―golden opportunity for the entire region.‖
They‘ve boasted about thousands of new jobs,
dangled the lure of instant wealth for landown-
ers who sign leases, and even argued that it‘s
patriotic because it will reduce our dependence
on energy from overseas. However, independent
examination suggests many of these claims are
exaggerated, and that the costs to our health
may be substantial.
Life at ground zero
Residents of areas where drilling has begun are
already experiencing alarming problems. Al-
though the industry says it is impossible, perma-
nent contamination of well water is now a fact
of life for many. Strange new health problems
are cropping up in children and adults who have
been ex-
posed to
contami-
nated water
and air.
Only a frac-
tion of these
cases ever
become pub-
lic, because
companies
offer imme-
diate finan-
cial compen-
sation if the
people who
have been
effected will
sign agree-
ments prom-
ising not to
talk about
their prob-
lems. Many
did not an-
ticipate the
profound
disruption to
their quality of life from lights, noise and traffic
at all hours. They‘ve been kept up at night a
compressors and other drilling equipment grind
around the clock; they have seen roads de-
stroyed by thousands of heavily loaded trucks
running to and from every frack site. They are
also finding that hidden clauses in their leases
mean their financial gain is far less than adver-
tised, even as their property values are unex-
pectedly compromised.
Although contamination does not occur at every
well site, and not all landowners are short-
changed, it is safe to say that the problems that
have come to light so far are only the tip of the
iceberg. Over 7,000 wells have already been
permitted in Pennsylvania, only 2,500 have yet
been drilled, and 60,000 more are planned be-
fore the gas rush plays out. (Figures are from
the PA Land Trust Association, October 2010.)
Impacts felt throughout the region
Rural residents and leaseholders are not the only
ones who will be impacted. The millions of peo-
ple ion New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
and across the many states impacted by drilling
all rely on drinking water supplies that flow in
from the Hudson, Delaware, Allegheny and
other affected watersheds. Millions of gallons of
waste-water have legally been disposed of into
these drinking water sources without being fully
tested or treated for contaminants; illegal dump-
ing, spills and groundwater pollution add to the
rivers‘ burdens Widespread drilling will also
significantly increase air pollution throughout
the region. While air pollution is often invisible
its effects on health are insidious, increasing
childhood asthma, many cancers and heart dis-
ease deaths. Whose child will live in fear of not
being able to breathe, whose father will die be-
fore his time on an unusually smoggy day?
Drilling at the predicted massive scale will pro-
foundly change our state‘s landscape of rolling
farmland and wild forests, treasured by both
rural and urban residents for hunting, fishing
and quality of life. It damages the landscapes
potential for sustainable economies in farming,
timber and recreation: who can farm with poi-
son water, and who wants to vacation in an in-
dustrial landscape? Even
as local food sources are
becoming increasingly
important, as they were
for previous generations,
we risk contaminating
the farmland that pro-
vides this life-giving
bounty.
Path to energy inde-
pendence?
Industry argues that gas
will free us from foreign
energy sources, with the
added benefit that natu-
ral gas is clean and
green. However, the
same energy gains can
be made through con-
centrated efforts to in-
crease efficiency and
through conservation,
which also creates thou-
sands of jobs and leaves
a more sustainable leg-
acy for future genera-
tions. Furthermore, plans
are in development for
new infrastructure to transport the gas overseas
for sale.
Natural gas from shale beds may not even de-
serve its green reputation. While natural gas
does burn cleaner than coal, new calculations
demonstrate that because so much energy is
used to extract the gas, and so much carbon di-
oxide and methane are relased in the process, its
greenhouse gas footprint may be equal to coal‘s
when the full life cycle of production is consid-
ered.
Communties at crossroads
There is a large supply of natural gas trapped in
the shale, but if it comes at the price of our
health and our region‘s long-term prospects, is it
worth it? What legacy will it leave for our chil-
dren and can we do better? Our communities
must decide; although the doors have been
thrown open for the industry, many people
across the region are asking questions, organiz-
ing to make their voices heard, and together we
can be a powerful voice for true democracy.
What Does Hydrofracking Mean for Us?
Fracking
Regional Fracking Activist
Groups:
Beaver County Marcellus Shale Organizing Com-
mittee
tinyurl.com/BeaverCountyMarcellus
Center for Coalfield Justice
www.coalfieldjustice.org
A not-for-profit based in Washington, PA whose
mission is education, assisting citizens‘ efforts to
defend their rights, and working to improve and
enforce laws and public policy.
Group Against Smog and pollution
www.gasp-pittsburgh.org
A not-for-profit citizens‘ group in Southwestern
PA focused on environmental education, litigation
and policy especially related to air quality in the
Pittsburgh region.
Lincoln Place Action Group
www.lpactiongroup.com
A group focused on providing information and ac-
tion regarding gas drilling in Pittsburgh‘s Lincoln
Place neighborhood.
Marcellus Protest
www.marcellusprotest.org 724-485-9835
An aliance of Western PA groups and individuals
building a broad coalition to stop destruction of our
environment and communities.
Mountain Watershed Association
www.mtwatershed.com 724-455-4200
Not-for-profit concerned with the conservation,
protection and restoration of the Indian Creek Wa-
tershed in Westmoreland and Fayette Counties.
Murrysville Marcellus Community Group
www.shalethreat.com 412-596-0066 or 724-327-
2767
A group specifically for the exchange of informa-
tion and ideas for Murrysville community members
who are combating fracking.
Peters Township Marcellus Awareness
www.ptmsa.com
Pittsburgh Student Environmental Coalition
pittsburghsec.wordpress.com
PSEC is a collective of youth-run environmental
organizations.
Shadbush Collective
www.shadbushcollective.org
Confronting the root causes of ecological destruc-
tion, climate change and oppression in Pittsburgh
and its bioregion.
Sierra Club Allegheny Group
www.alleghenysc.org
Local branch of the national group protecting com-
munities, wild places and the planet itself since
1892.
Three Rivers Waterkeeper (Pittsburgh)
www.threeriverswaterkeeper.org 412-589-9411
Protecting waterways throughout the region and
actively investigating water threats.
Upper Burrell Citizens Against Marcellus Pollution
[email protected] 724-337-7470
Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens Group
A grassroots group working to pass ordinances and
bans in local municipalities and to educate and
reach out to communities.
The Shadbush Collective produces
the Shalefields Grassroots Reporter,
a paper that features personal stories
of people affected by fracking and an
in-depth look at all aspects of the
drilling process. Visit them at
www.shadbushcollective.org/.
The NewPeople would like to thank
the Collective for allowing the reprint-
ing of the above article and the list of
active environmental organizations to
the right .
4 - NEWPEOPLE September, 2011
ADVERTISEMENT
Who was Dorothy Day?
Why Should We Care?
Dorothy Day was a person of contradictions: activist and contemplative, po-
litical radical and a theological conservative. Intending to found a newspaper,
The Catholic Worker, she ended up founding a movement. The most impor-
tant monuments to her are the over 200 houses of hospitality that stretch from
San Francisco to Amsterdam. Seeking not only to provide hospitality to the
homeless as ―guests‖ during the Depression of the 1930s but to help build a
nonviolent society which would not treat people as throw-aways, she was arrested again and again in protest actions. She continues to open doors for
many, in terms of spiritual life, community building, the healing of division, service of the poor, and the renewal of churches, offering us graced inspira-
tion and courage to continue the work for peace and social justice in our day. Many regard her as one of the saints of our time; a formal canonization
process is now underway.
Jim Forest, worked with Dorothy Day during the last 20 years of her life. He is the author of a new and comprehensive biography of her, All is Grace.
Jim helped start the Catholic Peace Fellowship in response to the Vietnam War and has worked with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, as well as his cur-
rent role as International Secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship. Jim will be leading a day of reflection
hosted at the community where Dorothy Day made her retreats with Fr. John Hugo, a Pittsburgh diocesan
priest.
Sponsors include: Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi, The Thomas Merton Center, Tri-Diocesan Sisters
Leadership Council, APP (Assoc of Pgh
Priests), The Episcopal Diocese of Pitts-
burgh, CLC-Pgh. (Ignatian Christian Life
Community), Sisters of Divine Providence,
Holy Family Friary, peace and justice com-
mittees of St. Thomas More (Bethel Park)
and St. James (Wilkinsburg), with endorse-
ments from FOCUS (Fellowship of Ortho-
dox Christians United to Serve) and PIIN-
Pgh Interfaith Impact Network
For additional info & retreat registration details, contact:
Mimi Darragh [email protected], 831-8312, Pax Christi
Carol Gonzalez [email protected]; 412.322.2189, CLC
Molly Rush [email protected], The Thomas Merton Center.
Numerous positive book reviews are available. See also:
http://www.jimandnancyforest.com/2006/03/24/all-is-grace/
* Dorothy Day by Robert Lenz, OFM
* Photo of Dorothy picketing with farmworkers by Bob Fitch
Dorothy Day biographer, Jim Forest October 14 & 15, 2011
Public Lecture & Book Signing - Friday, Oct 14th, 7:30 pm
“All is Grace: A Biography of Dorothy Day‖ St George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral,
3400 Dawson, Pgh, PA, 15213.
$5 donation
& Day of Reflection - Saturday, Oct 15th, 10 am – 4 pm
"Dorothy Day: A Saint for Our Times?"
at Holy Family of Nazareth
285 Bellevue Rd. Pittsburgh, near Perrysville exit off 279N $30.00 donation includes lunch
2011 TMC Award
Dinner
Honoring Dr. Vandana Shiva
November 3, 2011
Sheraton Station Square
Register at
www.thomasmertoncenter.org
September, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 5
On August 6, 2011, more than seventy people
gathered outside the Federal Penitentiary in Lew-
isburg, PA to hold a candlelight vigil and demon-
stration on behalf of jailed Native American
leader Leonard Peltier. Peltier, serving a life sen-
tence for the killings of two Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) agents on the Pine Ridge,
South Dakota, Reservation in 1975, has been
placed on 23 hour lockdown, sparking the demon-
stration.
Officials at the Penitentiary found him in posses-
sion of ―contraband currency,‖ having received a
20 pound note from a woman in Scotland. The
note, however, was not discovered until Peltier
tried to mail it to a friend, knowing he was not
allowed to possess currency.
Among the protesters was Peltier‘s sister, Betty
Ann, who drove from North Dakota because she
believes her brother was ―set-up‖. She was quoted
in the Lewisburg Sunday Item edition as saying,
―I know they set him up. You mean to tell me
they didn‘t check his mail coming in, but they did
going out?‖
Betty Ann Peltier claims her brother is being held
in ―solitary confinement,‖ which prison officials
dispute. They maintain he has a cellmate. But he
was removed from the general population and
moved to a ―special housing unit‖ where he is
held 23 hours a day. He takes his meals there
also. He was also docked 100 days of ―good be-
havior‖ time for possessing the currency and lost
commissary privileges. Prison officials have also
cited him for ―disruptive behavior‖ and posses-
sion of a weapon although details were not avail-
able.
Peltier suffers from a cardiac condition and con-
cerns were raised about his health.
Among those attending the demonstration were
members of Veterans for Peace, New York City
Chapter, visitors from Germany and Hawaii and
Wilkes-Barre policeman Mark Hampton. Officer
Hampton, of Native American descent, believes
Peltier should be freed. He was quoted by the
Daily Item as saying, ―In my profession I am sup-
posed to stand up for what is right and I believe
this is wrong.‖
Peltier‘s attorney, Michael Kuzma, said Peltier
―Was in good spirits about what is going on out
here.‖
A leader of the American Indian Movement be-
fore his arrest, Peltier was involved in a 1975
shootout at Oglala, South Dakota, where the FBI
agents were killed. Many native Americans con-
sider him a political prisoner and Amnesty Inter-
national has voiced repeated concerns about his
conviction. Peltier maintains his innocence,
claiming witnesses against him committed per-
jury.
(Based on wire service reports, the Lewisburg
Sunday Item coverage of August 7, 2011 and re-
ports from Gary R. Davidson of Veterans for
Peace, New York City Chapter.)
Pennsylvania
The first conference of the Pennsylvania Network
Against Torture (PANAT) will be held October
28-29, 2011 at the Market Square Presbyterian
Church in Harrisburg, PA. We are inviting indi-
viduals and organizations to come together to co-
ordinate training, public education and action
planning across the state, with a focus on:
Ending U.S. Sponsored torture and rendition
Ending torture in our domestic prisons
Training for professionals and volunteers who
support
survivors of torture, war trauma and solitary
confinement.
Three speakers will address these issues and then
facilitate action planning sessions with organiza-
tions and individuals from around the state:
John Humphries, NRCAT‘s Director for Program
Coordination, will facilitate workshops for those
working to end U.S.-sponsored torture through
local educational programs, legislative advocacy
and creative action.
Attorney King Downing, the AFSC's Program
Analyst for Healing Justice work, will overview
how groups around Pennsylvania facilitate con-
sideration of draft legislation that PANAT plans
to introduce to end the torture of prolonged soli-
tary confinement in Pennsylvania.
Our keynote speaker, Dr. Kate Porterfield, clini-
cal psychologist at the Bellevue/NYU Program
for Survivors of Torture, will share reflections on
her work as a psychologist in the context of the
"war on terror‖ and the hundreds of hours at
Guantanamo Bay with such detainees as Omar
Khadr who were minors when they were impris-
oned at Guantanamo. Dr. Porterfield has regularly
trained and supervised professionals, volunteers
and organizations across the nation from a wide
variety of disciplines and will lead Saturday
workshops on how to better care for survivors of
torture, war trauma, and solitary confinement. She
will also facilitate action planning for future train-
ing and Pennsylvania partnerships to share re-
sources for care of survivors.
Whether you are an individual activist, a profes-
sional hoping to better serve your clients, or a
representative of an organization working to build
action partnerships, please join us to help end tor-
ture and care for survivors.
For more information about the conference and to
register, please visit our web-
site: www.panetworkagainsttorture.org or call
Scilla Wahrhaftig of the American Friends Ser-
vice Committee at 412-371-3607 or Helen
Gerhardt at 412-508-7382. (412) 371 3607
Pennsylvania Network Against Torture Conference
A Vigil for Leonard Peltier
Protestors at a vigil for Leonard Peltier, a Native American leader serving life in prison.
Photo by Gary R. Davidson
Fracking happens all throughout Pennsylvania. In efforts to extract natural gases from the earth, poisonous chemicals are pumped into the ground, poten-
tially rendering any local water supplies toxic. Here‘s a list of some of what ends up in that toxic water.
Identified Fracking Fluids:
Hydrofracturing fluid contains many toxic chemicals such as diesel fuel, benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, napthalene, polycylic aromatic hydro-
carbons, methanol, formaldehyde, ethylene glycol, glycol ethers, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Even in small quantities chemicals such as
benzene are capable of contaminating millions of gallons of water causing causing cancer and other health problems.
Three hundred and sixty two chemicals involved in ―fracking‖ were analyzed for potential health effects.
When fluid is pumped out of the ground it also contains radioactive minerals and salts the were embedded thousands of feet below the surface. Buried so
deeply is it harmless but when released into our ecosystem such natural radiation can be extremely harmful.
Even chemicals we don‘t consider harmful, like salts, will kill animal and plant life when concentrated.
Many of the other chemicals used in the hydrofracturing process are unrevealed to the public as they are considered ―trade secrets.‖
6 - NEWPEOPLE September, 2011
International
By Michael Drohan
I visited Cuba with the 22nd Pastors for Peace
Caravan from July 21-31, 2011. During that time
the Caravan tried to get as broad an experience of
the country as possible, and at every juncture of
our experience, the Caravan was struck by the
pervasiveness of the effects of the longstanding
U.S. embargo against Cuba. One
could give hundreds of exam-
ples. Cell phones are practically
non-existent in Cuba. To make a
one minute cell phone call in
Cuba would cost one day‘s pay,
therefore it is out of the question.
The U.S. denies Cuba a cable
connection, so the country is
constrained to build an undersea
cable with Venezuela. Computer
connectivity is very difficult for
the same reason. I spent 30 min-
utes in one of the most expensive
hotels in Havana trying to send
an email to the U.S. without suc-
cess. These are but a few of the
hardships imposed on Cuba by
the embargo.
The U.S. has embargoed trade and
travel with Cuba since almost the beginning of
the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Two Congres-
sional Amendments, the Toricelli Amendment of
1992 and the Helms-Burton Amendment have
made the embargo even more punitive and harsh.
The embargo on Cuba is immoral and illegal as it
punishes people and their government who have
never committed any act of hostility towards the
U.S. or ever threatened to do so. The embargo
clearly violates all international law. However, it
is one of those criminal situations which the
American public, by and large, has learned to live
with, overlooking its truly harsh nature.
The reason that most of us have come to live with
this criminal situation is enshrined in the embargo
itself. The embargo denies U.S. citizens, except in
a few legalized situations, the freedom to visit
Cuba and see for ourselves the good, the bad and
the ugly that goes on in that nation. Yet further, if
one does visit Cuba and exercises one‘s first
amendment rights, one could be slapped with se-
vere punishments of monetary and legal natures.
The consequence of this situation is that most citi-
zens come to accept the unjust situation and live
with it just as with the air they breathe. As for
myself, I have wanted to visit Cuba for the long-
est time so as to make up my own mind in regard
to what the Fidel revolution has wrought on this
small Caribbean island. I have refrained from
breaking the embargo for the reasons enunciated
above, but this Summer I finally took the plunge.
I decided to be a part of the Pastors for Peace 22nd
Caravan to Cuba to bring about 100 tons of hu-
manitarian aid to the people of Cuba. Lisa
Valanti, the local heroine of solidarity with Cuba,
played a large part in getting me on board with
this quite unforgettable trip.
It has often been said that the reason for the em-
bargo by the U.S. is to prevent the virus that Cuba
represents from spreading. The virus in question
is ―the danger of the success of an alternative sys-
tem to capitalism‖. We have to seriously ask our-
selves if the real reason why we are denied the
freedom to visit Cuba is that the government fears
the contamination that a successful example of
socialism could cause. Surely, it is not that the
government does not want us to see whatever hor-
rors may exist there since we are quite free to
visit many of the world‘s most violent countries
to see their human rights violations for ourselves:
Zimbabwe, Myanmar and The Democratic Re-
public of Congo. The Soviet Union and Cuba‘s
link to it long served as a pretext for denying free-
dom to visit Cuba, but the Soviet Union has long
since been laid
to rest and the
embargo con-
tinues. U.S.
citizens‘ free-
dom to visit
China, a self-
described Com-
munist country,
shows that the
embargo has
nothing to do
with Cuba‘s
espoused ideol-
ogy. The em-
bargo‘s purpose
can only be to
deny us, the
people, the free-
dom to see that an-
other way of orga-
nizing society, based on values other than those of
profit and greed, is truly possible.
What I saw and heard in Cuba during my brief
visit is truly amazing given the omnipresent em-
bargo. In further articles I will elaborate more on
this, but just to give a few examples: for all my
time in Cuba I was never bitten by a mosquito,
Cuba has eliminated them together with all the
diseases they cause in most countries of the
world. In regard to personal safety, I walked in
Havana at all hours of day and night in perfect
safety, which was a first for me at least in the
global south. I would not and do not claim that
Cuba is akin to the garden of Eden or that it has
eliminated social ills and poverty. However,
when I saw that health care was universal and
free, I found it astounding and exemplary. Educa-
tion is likewise universal and free. Cuba has re-
duced infant mortality to a level lower than that of
the U.S. with its health care system based mostly
on preventive measures. And in all this, one has
to remember that Cuba is relatively poor in natu-
ral resources. It truly shows what is possible with
imagination and a commitment to equality and
social justice for all. Labels are in a sense irrele-
vant when one talks about Cuba and the U.S..
What is important is the substance of the social
policies that are followed.
The 22nd Caravan to Cuba was a particularly im-
portant one in that it was the first after the death
of the founder and initiator of the Friendshipment
Caravans, the Rev. Lucius Walker who passed
away in Sept 2010. Lucius Walker is almost a
household name and highly revered figure in
Cuba and rightly so. The movement that he
started is unique, being one of the few movements
that have opposed the embargo consistently and
continuously for 22 years and has done so by
breaking it. Within Cuba, Lucius Walker is conse-
quently highly revered in all echelons of society.
He represents for Cubans the kind of person with
which they would like the U.S. to be filled, a hu-
man being who stands for love and solidarity be-
tween all human beings and peoples.
My last words: Visit Cuba and learn for yourself,
Don‘t take my word. Don‘t be terrorized by em-
bargoes.
Michael Drohan is a political economist spe-
cializing in analysis of Third World economies
and a member of The Thomas Merton Cen-
ter‗s Board of Directors.
Ending the Embargo on Cuba
Group of Caravanistas before departure from McAllen, Tx
Protest by subgroup of the Caravan at Mexican Customs and Immigration
Photo by Michael Drohan
Photo by Michael Drohan
2011 Thomas Merton Award Dinner Honoring Dr. Vandana Shiva
November 3, 2011
Sheraton Station Square
Register at www.thomasmertoncenter.org
September, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 7
International
By Susan Smith
For the past several days I have been attending
the international congress for WILPF (Women‘s
International League for Peace and Freedom). I
decided to attend because other Pittsburgh
WILPFers encouraged me to do so. I wasn‘t sure
what it would be like, so I came with an open
mind.
I know that many readers will have questions
about the organization and the congress.
What is WILPF?
I took most of this information from the Interna-
tional WILPF website (http://
www.wilpfinternational.org/index.htm)
―The Women's International League for Peace
and Freedom (WILPF) is an international Non
Governmental Organization (NGO) with national
sections, covering all continents with an interna-
tional secretariat based in Geneva, and a New
York office focused on the work of the United
Nations.
Since its establishment in 1915, WILPF has
brought together women from around the world
who are united in working for peace by non-
violent means, promoting political, economic and
social justice for all.
What WILPF does
- Lobbies governments on international, national
and local levels
- Connects communities with the international
scene, through national sections
- Participates in, collaborates and networks with
international institutions and global movements
-Develops reference, education and action tools
through websites, conferences, seminars and pub-
lications
-Monitors and contributes to the work of the UN
and ensures a gender perspective‖
WILPF had sections in 35 countries and 5 more
(Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico, Nige-
ria, Pakistan, and Spain) were formally added
during the current congress so there are now 40.
Within those sections there are 130 branches
(organizations in separate cities, states, or prov-
inces).
Thoughts from a First-Time Participant
I came to this congress with the expectation of
meeting many strong women from around the
world working for peace. I also looked forward
to speaking to people in French and Spanish, as
well. These hopes were most definitely fulfilled!
I have enjoyed the networking and chances to
learn about many issues such as disarmament,
impact of war on women, com-
munication within the organiza-
tion, Reaching Critical Will,
work with the United Nations,
and challenging militarism.
I did not attend all sessions and
working groups because there
were many and they ran from
8:30 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. Still I
feel much better informed and
have a better understanding of
how international programs fit
with what is done locally and
within the US section.
There were 114 participants. Not
all were voting delegates. For
example, there were about 25
women (and 1 man) from the
USA while 6 women were voting
delegates. While we had a range
of ages, all participants were
white. We did have representation from around
the country, but it is my impression that there
were more from both coasts than the central part
of the country.
We met at the Radisson Hotel and Conference
Center. It was the best choice of sites because of
the conference rooms available and the appropri-
ate number of rooms for participants. Also, the
managers are supportive of women and their is-
sues and gave us a good deal on the facilities.
Some women who could not afford to stay in this
hotel stayed in a nearby hostel. There were beau-
tiful plants in the area.
Women from various countries (or from within
one country!) have many opinions and it takes
time to express them. This makes some sessions
long (and at times, tedious); 10 resolutions were
presented with 9 being accepted by the congress
voting delegates. One was sent back for more
specific citations of information and input from
the Palestinian delegate(s) who were not able to
attend. These resolutions are to guide work
within International WILPF and country sections.
They also provide information about the topics.
I attended a meeting of participants from the
Americas. We agreed to create a newsletter that
will go out 4 times a year to provide information
about what sections and branches are doing so
that we can make more connections and do more
work together. If you are a WILPF member,
please watch for more information from members
of the International Board on this topic. If you
are not a WILPF member, maybe it‘s time to join!
Evening activities included several films, a play,
and on the first evening there was a wonderful
reception with food and wonderful marimba mu-
sic. There was lots of conversation and dancing.
A farewell dinner took place the final evening.
Susan Smith, Ph.D., is a long-time educator,
WILPF member, Raging Granny, and activist.
International Women‘s Conference for Peace
Meets in Costa Rica
Delegates from 3 of new WILPF sections: Gabriela Rivera, Mexico; Joy
Onyesah, Nigeria; Annie Matundu-Mbambi, DR Congo, and Amanna
Anayasodo, Nigeria.
Photo by Susan Smith
―I visited Cuba with the
22nd Pastors for Peace Cara-
van from July 21-31, 2011.
During that time the Cara-
van tried to get as broad an
experience of the country as
possible, and at every junc-
ture of our experience, the
Caravan was struck by the
pervasiveness of the effects
of the longstanding U.S.
embargo against Cuba.‖
~Michael Drohan (far right)
with his fellow Caravan mem-
bers in Cuba
8 - NEWPEOPLE September, 2011
Tara Marks, Co-Director of Just Harvest (a
Southside-based nonprofit that has been working
since 1986 to eliminate hunger and poverty in our
region) noted that the FRAC report‘s findings
illustrates the dispropor-
tionate, devastating effect
that the recession has had
upon low-income fami-
lies. It also serves to un-
derscore the gravity of the
task facing the newly
formed Debt-Reduction
Super-committee, of
which Pennsylvania
Senator Pat Toomey is a
member.
―As advocates for poor
people in our region, we
hope that Senator
Toomey will take these
numbers into considera-
tion in the inevitable discussion over whether to
cut funding to essential public safety-net pro-
grams like SNAP [the Supplemental nutritional
assistance program, formerly known as ‗food
stamps‘] or TANF [temporary assistance to needy
families],‖ said
Marks.―Programs that pro-
tect the poorest and most
vulnerable Americans must
remain off the bargaining
table in these debt-reduction
proceedings,‖ she con-
cludes.
Yesterday‘s report is part of
FRAC‘s ongoing Food
Hardship in America series,
which analyzes data that
was collected by Gallup and
provided to FRAC. The
data was gathered as part of
the Gallup-Healthways Well
-Being Index project, which
has interviewed more than one million house-
holds since January 2008. FRAC has analyzed
personal responses to this daunting question:
―Have there been times in the past twelve months
when you did not have enough money to buy food
that you or your family needed?‖
The Food Research and Action Center
(FRAC) is the lead advocacy organization
working to end hunger in America through
stronger public policies. For more information,
visit www.frac.org. Find us on Facebook at
facebook.com/ foodresearchandactioncenter or
follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/fractweets.
Just Harvest is a membership organization
which promotes economic justice and works to
influence public policy and to educate, em-
power, and mobilize the citizens of Allegheny
County, Pennsylvania communities toward the
elimination of hunger. Visit us at
www.justharvest.org or Facebook.com/
JustHarvest.
Local News
SAVE THE DATE
Tuesday, October 4, 2011.
Tony P. Hall, former U.S. Repre-
sentative and UN Food & Agricul-
ture Ambassador will speak at the
Just Harvest 23rd Annual Harvest
Celebration Dinner at the Omni
William Penn. Joyce Rothermel
will receive the Seeds of Justice
Award. Stupendous Silent Auc-
tion, too. Call (412) 431-8960 for
more information.
Hunger, continued from page 1
By Molly Rush
As Congress fought over the nation‘s debt ceiling
and Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
were put on the chopping block by elected offi-
cials of both major parties, Western Pennsylvania
single-payer supporters paid tribute to the 46th
anniversary of Medicare by unfurling a large,
homemade banner and reading a proclamation
renaming Pittsburgh‘s Smithfield Street Bridge
the ―Medicare for All Bridge.‖
This action comes as a rebuke to elected officials
selling out to corporate interests over the public
welfare at the local and national levels. The Alle-
gheny County Council, representing Pittsburgh
and surrounding communities, garnered a near
unanimous (apart from one abstention) vote on
June 7, 2011, to allow for ―the placement of ad-
vertising, naming rights, or sponsorship no-
tices…‖ on county bridges ―as a means of gener-
ating supplemental revenue for the County…‖
Meanwhile, the proclamation issued by the West-
ern PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare,
Healthcare4allPA, and Save Our Community
Hospitals, calls for the bridge‘s renaming ―for the
health and fiscal benefits‖ of the inhabitants of
the land as a statement in support of a universal,
not-for-profit, single-payer system of healthcare,
also known as Improved Medicare for All.
While members of Congress and the White House
propose major cuts to Medicare, traditional Medi-
care is less expensive than private insurance, of-
fers greater choice of hospitals and doctors, and
protects seniors and the disabled from premature
death and bankruptcy. Robert Reich, Chancellor‘s
Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and
former Labor Secretary to President Clinton,
called Medicare ―the solution, not the problem,‖
in terms of this country‘s fiscal crisis .
A single-payer system such as Improved Medi-
care for All would also enable hospitals in dis-
tressed communities to be fiscally viable and re-
main open, as all patient care would be reim-
bursed equally, instead of the multi-tier payment
system based on type of insurance or lack
thereof that currently exists in this country. In
Western Pennsylvania and across the nation,
hospitals in economically depressed neighbor-
hoods have closed, while hospitals in higher in-
come neighborhoods compete. The latest casu-
alty in Western PA was UPMC Braddock Hos-
pital, the anchor of a town already devastated by
the closing of the steel mills, whose emergency
room treated close to 26,000 people a year, its
site now reduced to dirt.
The issue of choice is especially painful for
many of the residents of Western Pennsylvania,
who have been roiled by the public duel between
the region‘s two major ―non-profit‖ health behe-
moths—UPMC and Highmark Blue Cross/Blue
Shield—as the contract between Highmark, the
dominant insurer, and UPMC, which owns a
majority of the doctor and hospital systems in
Western PA, expires in June 2012. UPMC,
which also has its own health insurance plan, is
threatening to no longer accept Highmark insur-
ance at its medical facilities, causing patients
and doctors alike to be up in arms. Meanwhile,
Highmark is busy buying up area hospitals out-
side UPMC‘s domain, and is being rightly criti-
cized for a 3.7 billion surplus which allows it to
do so.
Prior to the bridge‘s renaming, single-payer sup-
porters staged a street theater production in front
of the office of U.S. Senator Patrick Toomey, a
Republican, on the Southside side of the bridge. Continued on page 10
Smithfield Link Renamed ―MEDICARE FOR ALL BRIDGE‖
UPMC Darth Vader battles Highmark Darth Vader in a
protest staged outside of Senator Casey‘s Pittsburgh
office.
YOUR AD HERE! To inquire about advertising space in next month‘s issue, email
www.thomasmertoncenter.org
Photo by Molly Rush
September, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 9
Local News
By Andy Knopes
Who better than a one-of-a-kind activist to kick
off a first-of-its kind conference for social justice?
Winona LaDuke, Native-American activist, envi-
ronmentalist, author, and former U.S. vice presi-
dential candidate (1996 and 2000, Green Party),
will present the keynote speech at Three Rivers
Community Foundation‘s Building Change: A
Convergence for Social Justice, being held Octo-
ber 13-15 at the Heinz History Center in Pitts-
burgh‘s Strip District.
LaDuke has a long and distinguished career as an
advocate for a range of social justice issues.
Raised in Oregon by her father, an actor and ac-
tivist who was part Anishinaabe (Ojibwe or
―Chippewa‖), and her mother, a Jewish artist, La-
Duke graduated from Harvard in 1982 with a de-
gree in rural economic development. After serv-
ing as the principal of the high school on the An-
ishinaabe White Earth Indian Reservation in Min-
nesota, she got an M.A. in Community Economic
Development and was soon advocating on behalf
of the Anishinaabe as they struggled to recover
lands promised to them in an 1867 treaty. In
1986, she founded the White Earth Land Recov-
ery Project to help purchase back some of the
original 837,000 acres of Anishinaabe lands.
LaDuke is currently Executive Director of Honor
the Earth, a Native-led organization that she
helped found in 1993 to create awareness and
support for Native environmental issues. She has
written extensively on Native American and envi-
ronmental issues, publishing six books, including
The Militarization of Indian Country (2011). No-
table honors LaDuke has received over her career
include Ms. Magazine‘s Woman of the Year in
1998, one of Time magazine‘s fifty most promis-
ing leaders under 40 (in 1994), and the Reebok
Human Rights Award.
LaDuke‘s address will take place during the Con-
vergence‘s opening session on the evening of Oc-
tober 13, followed by two full days of hands-on
workshops, several of which are highlighted be-
low. This is a great opportunity to get inspired by
a nationally recognized activist, then learn first-
hand how to make a real impact at a local level.
Building Change Workshops
Workshops are where the rubber hits the road at
the Convergence, and there are more than 40
workshops to choose from!
Community Organizing 101: This is a must-
attend for anyone who isn‘t sure how to get
started making a difference in their communities,
or those who need a fresh perspective on their
current efforts. This workshop will cover a broad
range of real issues facing our communities, such
as organizing in rural areas, interfaith organizing,
and campaign work.
Rules of Engagement: Healthcare Advocacy in
Pittsburgh: In this workshop, participants will
examine three local health care advocacy cam-
paigns, and analyze their effectiveness for use in
future campaigns.
Solutions to Our Deep Crisis at the Climate-
Energy-Poverty Nexus: The team from 3 Rivers
Bioneers will take participants on a journey to
seek transcendent solutions to today‘s complex
and interconnected social and environmental
problems, using art, science, and dialogue.
Poverty and Hunger: Thinking Nationally/Acting
Locally: This interactive workshop will focus on
advocacy efforts to end hunger and address ac-
tions and policies that perpetuate hunger and pov-
erty in America, ending with creating an action
plan. The workshop will contrast the conditions
of the poor and the wealthy and policies benefit-
ing or harming them.
Real Nonprofits of Social Media: Do you wonder
how local nonprofits are using social media to
communicate, collaborate, fundraise, and meet
their missions? In this workshop, meet members
of four local organizations that have lots of social
media experience and are willing to share their
stories of success, failure, and lessons learned
along the way.
In addition to these and many others, the Conver-
gence is packed with activities for activists and
concerned citizens of all ages, including training
sessions, plenary sessions, panel discussions,
the Building Change Film Festival, the 7 Path-
ways to Change Art Show, an Internship Station,
the Youth Leading Change event, and plenty of
entertainment. For more details on all that will be
happening during this unique event, please visit
the Convergence website at
www.buildingchangewpa.org.
(The Thomas Merton Center is a cosponsor of the
Building Change Film Festival.)
Andy Knopes works on the Communications and
PR Subcommittee of the Three Rivers Community
Foundation.
Winona LaDuke to Keynote ―Building Change‖ Conference
Winona LaDuke addressing a crowd
To the Editor of The NewPeople:
I am a regular reader of The NewPeople, and I am quite
perturbed by the fact that you rarely, if ever, publish let-
ters to the editor! Do you have something against free-
dom of expression? How ironic that would be, given that
you are a social justice paper. In the future, I hope to see
this lack of reader input remedied.
Sincerely,
Angry Young Man
Dear Angry Young Man,
I would gladly publish ANY letter to the editor were I to
ever receive one! There is no letter too angry, critical, or
tersely worded I would not print. Grammatically inaccu-
rate letters, on the other hand, are another story. If you
have any friends who would like to write to The NewPeo-
ple, have them send their letters to: newpeo-
The NewPeople
c/o The Thomas Merton Center
5129 Penn Avenue
Pgh, PA 15224
Sincerely,
The NewPeople Editor
Moshe Sherman
10 - NEWPEOPLE September, 2011
By Jordana Rosenfeld
What would our country look like today if lobby-
ing one‘s elected officials was a activity? I mean
so commonplace that lobbying was a rite of pas-
sage, akin to voting for the first time or getting a
driver‘s license. If all the roughly 245 million
U.S. residents over the age of 14 were to sched-
ule a meeting with their Federal Representative
or Senator this year, that would mean an average
of 458,443 meetings for each Congressman or
woman – 1,763 meetings per day, spread out
over 260 work days a year. Granted, a portion of
those 245 million residents are incarcerated, hos-
pitalized, or handicapped in some way that would
seriously impede their ability to lobby effec-
tively. Nonetheless, this would require each
elected official to hire a larger staff to handle the
influx of lobbyists, and the results of this influx
would be utterly stupendous. If 245 million peo-
ple brought facts and succinct arguments pertain-
ing to the one issue about which they are most
passionate to the table, the trends would be im-
possible for lawmakers to ignore. I have not been
in touch with more than dismally less than 1% of
the 245 million people of which I speak, so I can-
not purport to know what those trends would be.
What I do know is from personal experience:
civic involvement is good. It creates a sense of
nationalism, ownership, and empowerment. This
is something of which I feel the American people
need a dose.
The week of August 15th, I met with both Sena-
tors Toomey and Casey‘s Southwest Regional
Directors and Representative Mike Doyle on
separate occasions to discuss a number of human
rights issues of concern to both myself and hu-
man rights organization Amnesty International. I
arrived at the two Senators‘ Pittsburgh offices on
Monday with a delegation of Amnesty Interna-
tional members in tow after a substantial amount
of training on the ABC‘s of lobbying (which, it
turns out, are accuracy, brevity, and courtesy). I
had been in polite and professional correspon-
dence with the Senators‘ Schedulers for weeks
leading up to the appointments, setting the dates,
reviewing the agendas, and forwarding any docu-
ments to be used in the meetings for their ad-
vanced perusal, and I was pleasantly surprised at
how quickly and eagerly the staff had made time
to speak with constituents on behalf of their re-
spective employers. The meetings were on the
long side of normal – hovering around 30 min-
utes each – and as my delegation presented facts
on maternal mortality (49 other countries have
better maternal health care than the U.S.), Maher
Arar (a Canadian citizen who the U.S. sent to
Syria to be tortured because of suspected ties to
Al-Qaeda), and The National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act (a bill that has passed in the House and
aims to keep Guantánamo Bay Prison open in-
definitely), the Senator‘s Regional Directors en-
gaged us with questions about the issues and
took notes. When we met with Representative
Doyle, he spent a chunk of time at the end of our
meeting venting his frustrations with the bipar-
tisan brinkmanship that has permeated the cur-
Local News
After the bridge ceremony, supporters carrying
the ―Medicare for All Bridge‖ crossed the bridge
to the downtown office of U.S. Senator Bob Ca-
sey, Jr., a Democrat, where the street perform-
ance was re-enacted. The dramatization was
filmed by local and internationally renowned
filmmaker Tony Buba, Chair of Save Our Com-
munity Hospitals, and featured two Darth Vader
heads dressed in business attire—one represent-
ing UPMC, the other Highmark Blue Cross/Blue
Shield—engaged in a duel, with patients, care
providers, and closed community hospitals
(bearing ―Death Certificate‖ signs) as collateral
damage. (UPMC and Highmark are engaged in
a brutal and expensive battle to control the local
health insurance market and our major hospitals
--ED)
The victims of that damage rise when Batman
and Robin, as the superheroes for Improved
Medicare for All, emerge to save the residents of
the land. Patients and care providers donned
patient gowns or scrubs, emblazoned with stick-
ers marked ―HR 676,‖ the number of the House
bill entitled ―Improved and Expanded Medicare
for All,‖ introduced by U.S. Representative John
Conyers, Jr., with 65 cosponsors, including Con-
gressman Mike Doyle of Swissvale. (Batman‘s
costume may have sparked additional interest by
passers-by, given that filming for the latest se-
quel to the Batman series was underway in Pitts-
burgh.)
Ed Grystar, Co-Chair of the Western PA Coali-
tion for Single-Payer Healthcare, stated, ―We
march and rally today to protect citizens from
the predatory practices of the insurance industry
represented by UPMC and Highmark, which are
out of control and need to be curtailed. Cur-
rently the victim of demagogic attacks, we also
recognize the 46th anniversary of Medicare and
demand that it be expanded and improved for all
in the USA.‖
Grystar called on Senators of both parties to
―have the courage to fight for the majority,‖ not-
ing that ―public opinion is for taxing the rich,
protecting Medicare and Social Security, and
Medicare for All, yet our two U.S. Senators
completely ignore the needs of the vast majority
for jobs and social justice and do the bidding of
their rich Wall Street and corporate benefactors
who control the agenda of both major political
parties.‖
David Hughes, President of Citizen Power and a
member of the Western PA Coalition for Single-
Payer Healthcare and Save Our Community
Hospitals, concurred, stating ―It is unconscion-
able that our government can find trillions of
dollars for wars in multiple countries but can‘t
seem to find the funds to provide for the basic
human needs of its own citizens.‖
Molly Rush sits on the Thomas Merton Cen-
ter Board of Directors.
Downtown Action on Medicare, continued from page 8
By Mary Pat Donegan, PhD
Healthcare4AllPA Education
Fund and Citizen Power, two
strong Pennsylvania voices, car-
ried convincing messages to
Pennsylvania Insurance Com-
missioner Michael Consedine
and Representatives of the Insur-
ance Commission at the August
8th Pittsburgh Area Hearing on
Federal Required Insurance Ex-
changes or Equivalents. Dr. Ti-
tus North of Citizen Power ana-
lyzed the way Insurance compa-
nies manipulate actuary tables in
order to demand consumer rate
increases. This results in mil-
lions of dollars in profits for
health insurance companies.
The only alternative, Titus con-
cluded, is a state run, publicly
paid, and privately provided Sin-
gle Payer Healthcare system.
There are a dozen states that
have refused to set up an ex-
change. Massachusetts, the
model state for the federal legis-
lation, spent $25 billion to set up
its exchange. Ohio has been
quoted the same price tag for
their exchange development,
with an annual cost of $1 mil-
lion. With the Pennsylvania
budget not keeping up with the
need for increased consumer
application for Medicaid and no
increased taxes on the wealthy or
corporations, there are no new
revenues to pay for the ex-
change.
Vermont, Connecticut, Hawaii,
and California are developing
Single Payer Options as alterna-
tives for the exchange. PA S.B.
400, ―The Family and Business
Health Security Act‖ with its
Prime Sponsor Senator Ferlo,
meets all the criteria of ACA,
and guarantees that everyone in
PA would be covered.
This measure would be self sus-
taining and affordable at 3% of
an individual or family income,
and 10% of a business or mu-
nicipality income wellness tax. It
would save the state $2.3 billion
in municipal, school district, and
state workers money, instead of
costing $25 billion to set up an
exchange.
To view the whole testimony go
to:
http//healthcare4allpaedfund.org/
blog/ There will be a series of
blogs at that site on the PA ex-
change. If you wish to send your
comments about exchange op-
tions or view the video of the
day of hearings, go to RA-IN-PA
[email protected] There
will be exchange option hearings
held in Philadelphia as well as
Harrisburg. A summary of the
stakeholder hearings will be
available from the Insurance De-
partment and eventually pre-
sented to the State Legislature.
Single Payer Alternative to PA Health Insurance
Happy Birthday to the Thomas Merton
Center! It will be celebrating its 40th
birthday in 2012.
Adventures of a Human Rights Lobbyist
September, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 11
Local News
By Carlana Rhoten
What is a progressive?
Generally speaking, progressives want a better
quality of life for everyone. They are in favor of
some combination of the following: a clean envi-
ronment and renewable, sustainable energy re-
sources; non-violent resolutions to conflicts; un-
encumbered, non-privatized Social Security bene-
fits; quality education and healthcare for all citi-
zens; new global trade policies that would bring
currently outsourced jobs back to America; the
U.S. Constitution and the rule of law, with the
laws applied equally to both ordinary citizens and
billionaires/multinational corporations; enforce-
ment of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act; a return of
Glass/Steagall Act levying transaction fees on all
Wall Street transactions; and fair taxation of all
citizens above the poverty line. Almost every one
of these issues, if not all of them, has the potential
to appeal across partisan lines to most of our area
citizens.
However, because progressives do not all agree
on every one of the above issues and because so
many issue-specific progressive organizations
exist without effectively interacting with one an-
other, we don‘t really know how many progres-
sives live in Allegheny County, Southwestern PA,
or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. To add to
the confusion, many progressives are not affili-
ated with any so-called ―progressive‖ organiza-
tions and may not even be aware of them.
Although it may sound far-fetched, there may be
a few budding progressives who vote for conser-
vative candidates or are attracted to the Tea Party
because fast-talking, attractive spokespersons ap-
peal to them or because one specific pseudo-
populist issue presented by these candidates or
spokespersons appeals to them, and they may not
be aware of the dangerous subtexts that lie just
under the surface. In other words, these would-be
progressives may not yet know just how progres-
sive they actually are.
On a certain level, it‘s easy to see how such a
phenomenon can occur, since effective citizenship
as a skill is not taught in the public school sys-
tems. And the mainstream media does not report
on local, state, and national issues in a compre-
hensive, chronological, objective, or coherent
fashion. As a result, the general public often does
not hear about a specific piece of legislation or a
proposed administrative action until after it has
been passed or blocked.
With that in mind, progressive organizations need
to expand their memberships and take proper,
effective steps to reach out to the entire commu-
nity. To do so, progressive organizations need
much more interaction with all media outlets, as
well as door-to-door canvassing campaigns that
can effectively educate the public and bypass me-
dia blackouts of news.
This article is an invitation for members of the
Thomas Merton Center and other progressive or-
ganizations to begin laying the foundation for a
stronger role in our communities, our state, and
our nation. We need teams to work on specific
―bricks‖ that when laid together will attract more
citizens to join our efforts to build the kind of
―better world‖ that our 2011 Merton Awardee Dr.
Vandana Shiva is promoting.
To do so, we must first explicitly decide upon our
overarching message. In other words, what valu-
able services can we offer the average citizen and
how can our efforts become more relevant to
every citizen as they work toward a better quality
of life?
Progressives should work to compile directories
of progressive businesses that provide the follow-
ing categories of services, and should financially
support other progressives whenever possible.
Here are some suggested categories:
FOOD: farmers, grocers/distributors, restau-
rants, bars
CLOTHING: thrift shops, recycled goods
TRADES: doctors, dentists, lawyers, account-
ants, carpenters, roofers, plumbers, elec-
tricians, landscapers, technology repairs
BARTERING: businesses/individuals who
exchange goods and services.
Another step would be to assemble a directory of
progressive organizations that lists all of the fol-
lowing types of organizations: environmental,
social justice, peace, voting, legal, criminal jus-
tice, economics, job creation/training, media,
healthcare/public health, education, consumer
protection, and worker-owned businesses/co-ops.
Lastly, and most importantly in terms of public
outreach, progressives should create a directory of
services to help citizens who are encountering
specific difficulties relating to food, shelter, em-
ployment, health and any other day-to-day con-
cern. This would more effectively increase the
progressive profile within each community and
develop more meaningful relationships with com-
munity members. Progressives will then be able
to effectively gauge the needs of the community
and demonstrate how progressive policies are de-
signed to address such needs.
We do not want to spend a single minute re-
inventing any wheels or duplicating the work of
others, so the first task is to find the directories
and e-mail lists that already exist, and then ex-
pand/modify them into door-to-door handouts
and/or an online database for maximum public
awareness/understanding. Each of the above di-
rectories could also be printed and sold as part of
fundraising, if necessary. It would be great to
have first drafts ready to distribute at the Novem-
ber 3 TMC Banquet.
Carlana Rhoten is the producer of Progressive
Pittsburgh Notebook.
A Grand Design for Progressive Progress in Western PA
rent political climate. Continued on page 11
The meetings were productive and our requests
were time-bound; I was sure to schedule follow-
up calls with the appropriate staff members either
in Pittsburgh or Washington to reassess the Con-
gressmen‘s thoughts on our concerns and the re-
sources with which we provided them. In the end,
there is no guarantee that my elected officials will
take any of the steps I recommended to combat
the human rights abuses I brought to their atten-
tion, despite the fact that all elected officials are
employees of their constituents. But, it‘s like a
white board in the Thomas Merton Center (where
I sit as I write this) says, ―You might not be able
to stop them from doing it, but you can stop them
from doing it without having to hear from you
about it.‖ I urge everyone reading this issue of
The NewPeople to arm themselves with facts on a
topic that gets their blood boiling – whether it be
public education, prisoners‘ rights, health care,
public transit, or any other social issue – make an
appointment with their Representative(s), and let
them hear about it.
Jordana Rosenfeld is a human rights activist
and a high school student who is a summer
intern at The Thomas Merton Center. She for-
matted and helped to edit this edition of The
NewPeople.
Lobbying for Human Rights, continued from page 10
A Message from the 10 Years + Counting Collaborative Project
Dear Friends: October 2011 will mark the ten-year anniversary of our nation continuously at war. Endless war need not be inevitable. We're writing to
ask you to participate in 10 Years + Counting (10YAC), a collaborative project developed by artists and activists. 10YAC is now open to encourage,
share and promote any of your efforts toward peace. 10YAC invites all - artists, activists, teachers, writers, curators, veterans, musicians, students - to
mark the anniversary of our decade at war. We invite you to create and organize to reveal its tragic costs and to imagine how we might insist on new op-
tions for investing in a more peaceful world. Load songs of peace on the 10YAC YouTube channel. Post poems to our blog and artwork to our online
gallery. Organize and register exhibits, performances, readings, courses, concerts or community gatherings. Develop and share projects that encourage
citizens of all ages to confront the impact of war and to consider what military budgets might fund instead. There is no limit to the many ways we can
creatively express our desire for peace. Together we can turn the weeks of this anniversary of devastation into an unstoppable, irrepressible explosion of
imagining alternatives to war and a new beginning.
To learn more, please visit www.10yearsandcounting.org.
Register your activity or event to build a comprehensive listing of our collective and individual responses. We will share the results with opinion leaders,
elected officials, and the media to demonstrate the urgent need for changing direction. Thanks for all that you do.
12 - NEWPEOPLE September, 2011
Economic Justice
By Rob Conroy
Approximately 400 angry citizens, many of
whom sported red Communications Workers of
America (CWA) and purple Service Employees
International Union (SEIU) t-shirts, surrounded
the entrance to the Landmarks Building in Station
Square on August 18 and repeated a simple,
forceful message for freshman Pennsylvania
Senator Pat Toomey, whose Pittsburgh office is
located on the second floor:
―WHAT DO WE WANT?‖
―JOBS!‖
―WHEN DO WE WANT ‗EM?‖
―NOW!‖
Jack Shea, the President of the Allegheny County
Labor Council who was at the forefront of the
action, further refined this point. ―Since Pat
Toomey was elected, he has not put one thing on
the table that would create jobs,‖ he said. ―Not
for the state and not for the country.‖
The rally, which was the latest in series of ―fight
for a fair economy‖ actions at least partially coor-
dinated by One Pittsburgh, began across the street
from the Landmarks Building at the Station
Square ―T‖ Station. At the time of the T-
station gathering, no marshals were in atten-
dance to ensure the safety of the crowd from
oncoming traffic; as a result, the scheduled
speakers‘ speeches were kept short.
The Reverend Neil McCaulley, a retired
Catholic priest who still presides over
Masses and confessions at Epiphany of St.
Mary‘s at the Point and St. Benedict the
Moore on the Hill, led off the proceedings
with pointed scripture readings and a short
speech. ―It is a moral imperative that people
have decent jobs,‖ McCaulley said.
McCaulley was followed by Shawn
―Toomey Tracker‖ Wygant, a local activist
and former SEPCO employee who has been
tracking Senator Toomey‘s appearances
around Pennsylvania urging the Senator to take
action in addressing Pennsylvania‘s widespread
unemployment issue. According to Wygant,
Senator Toomey needs to ―step up and have a
town-hall meeting‖ with unemployed local work-
ers ―to get more jobs in Pittsburgh.‖ ―If Senator
Toomey doesn‘t give us what we need,‖ he said,
―he‘ll be a one-term Senator.‖
Last up was Michelle Sapp of
Pittsburgh, a 19-year-old
mother of two who lost her
job as a dishwasher six
months ago and who has been
applying to restaurants and
retail chains ever since. ―I‘m
looking for jobs and filling
out applications,‖ she said,
―but no one is calling me
back. I need benefits and I
need healthcare for me and
my kids now!‖
After the chanting protesters
crossed the street to surround
the Landmarks entrance,
Shea—who was clutching
hundreds of completed job
applications to present to the
Senator--and a group of
approximately 25 activists
and media representatives
headed for the ground
floor, where they attempted to reach Senator
Toomey‘s office using two elevators. Shea, Wy-
gant and approximately eight others arrived at the
Senator‘s office first, where they were stopped in
the foyer by a male staffer who did not identify
himself and who began calling the local police
when Shea insisted on seeing the Senator, who
was allegedly not present. The rest of the party
(including this reporter) was stopped at the Sena-
tor‘s office door by security guards who were also
threatening to call the authorities. Eventually,
Shea was able to present the job applications to a
young staffer who assured Shea, Wygant and
other onlookers that the Senator would receive
them.
Although no arrests were ultimately made in the
building, the police were on hand by the time
Shea and his group returned outside. At that
point, the majority of the crowd—led by the red-
shirted CWA workers, who are currently em-
broiled in a labor showdown with Verizon--began
marching across the Smithfield Street Bridge to
demonstrate in front of Verizon‘s downtown
headquarters on Seventh Avenue.
―This is not just about Verizon, it‘s about the en-
tire middle class,‖ said Sam Williamson, SEIU
32BJ‘s City Director.
Rob Conroy is a Pittsburgh lawyer, journalist,
activist and member of the Thomas Merton
Center‘s Board of Directors.
Pennsylvanians Press Toomey on Jobs Inaction
CWA workers on strike against Verizon in front of Senator Toomey‘s Pittsburgh
office. 48 hours after this photo was taken, the strike ended, and Verizon agreed
to negotiate the proposed benefit cutbacks.
Photo by Josh Crosbie
Hundred of people protested for economic justice on August
18 in Station Square.
Photo by Josh Crosbie
Does the Debt Deal Really Cut Military Spending?
By Molly Rush
So you think the debt deal will cut military spend-
ing by $350 billion in ten years? Think again. The
Center for Defense Information calls this figure
―misleading…The actual amount will be decided
by Congress in the future… The debt deal kicks
the defense budget can down the road for this and
future Congresses. People should not read preci-
sion and certainty into a political deal specifically
designed to be uncertain and indistinct.‖ As
Joshua Green, editor of The Atlantic, points out,
the security savings would total just $10 billion
over the next two years. ―The $350 billion figure
is a projection…I‘d say it‘s very likely that de-
fense cuts after the first two years will be less
than 50 percent and cuts to other domestic pro-
grams more than 50 percent.‖
The deal calls for a SuperCongress of six from
each party. If they fail to achieve the deficit re-
duction target, only then would $600 billion in
cuts come from defense spending.
Two Under-Reported Programs: Nuclear
Weapons & Military Bases
The U.S. spent over $52 billion in FY 2008 for
nuclear weapons and related programs. President
Obama, on May 10, 2010, submitted a classified
report on a Congressionally-mandated plan to
maintain and modernize U.S. nuclear forces for
the foreseeable future (Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace). A White House fact sheet
stated that ―The plan includes investments of $80
billion in nuclear delivery systems to sustain ex-
isting capabilities and modernize some strategic
systems‖ by 2020. A second WH fact sheet re-
leased on November 17, 2010 ―An Enduring
Commitment to Nuclear-Deterrence,‖ increased
the figure to $85 billion. That pre-cost overruns,
folks.
Then Dr. James Miller, Principal Deputy Under
Secretary of Defense for Policy (whew!) stated,
―The Administration‘s FY 2012 budget request
reflects our commitment to the modernization of
our nuclear arsenal for the long term, including
some $125 billion over the next ten years to sus-
tain our strategic delivery systems, and about $88
billion over the same period to sustain our nuclear
arsenal and modernize infrastructure.‖ So much
for the nuclear arms reduction treaty sent to the
Senate last year.
As for military bases, A New York Times colum-
nist wrote: ―The United States maintains troops at
more than 560 bases and other sites abroad, many
of them a legacy of a world war that ended 65
years ago.‖ The Department of Defense‘s 2010
Base Structure Report states that the U.S. main-
tains 662 foreign bases in 38 countries. It lists
4999 total sites in the U.S., its territories, and
overseas. By U.S military count, it controls close
to 52,000 buildings, over 38,000 pieces of heavy
infrastructure (rail lines, runways and pipelines).
As Nick Turse noted in January 10, 2011 The Na-
tion, ―The military maintains, in Johnson‘s fa-
mous phrase, an empire of bases so large and
shadowy that no one – not even at the Pentagon –
really knows its full size and shape.
Molly Rush is a member of The Thomas Mer-
ton Center Board of Directors.
September, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 13
By Theresa Schneider
Terrell Johnson of Hazelwood, PA has spent six-
teen years in prison for a crime that he did not
commit. Recent evidence suggests that the sup-
posed witness of the crime was not even present
at the time. Fed Up!, a prisoner‘s rights advocacy
group and affiliate of the Human Rights Coalition
in Philadelphia, has been working with Johnson‘s
wife, Saundra Cole-McKamey, in campaigning
for his release. Despite the accumulation of evi-
dence pointing towards his innocence, Johnson
remains behind bars.
Johnson was tried and found guilty of the murder
of Verna Robinson on July 21, 1994, yet it soon
became clear that the facts did not add up. The
witness, Evelyn "Dolly" McBryde, changed her
story several times, and she only offered to testify
against Johnson in exchange for leniency on her
own charges, which might have landed her up to
fifty years in prison. Johnson won the right to a
retrial in 2009, but this trial has been continually
postponed.
Bret Grote, an organizer for Fed Up!, attributes a
large part of Johnson‘s situation to the inadequate
legal representation provided by the county.
―They keep giving him lawyers who won‘t fight
for him,‖ explains Grote. ―So we‘re working on
finding the proper legal team
to fight for Terrell.‖ Fed Up!,
which includes Cole-
McKamey‘s organization
―Justice for Terrell,‖ will be
hosting a fundraiser to raise
money for a competent legal
defense team. It will be held at
the Shadow Lounge at 8 pm
on September 8th and will fea-
ture local artists such as poet
Vanessa German and the stu-
dent lead initiative The
K.R.U.N.K. Movement.
Although Johnson‘s case is
unique in that he won the right
to a retrial, instances of
wrongful conviction are not
uncommon. Grote is working
on several such cases and
cited similar instances featur-
ing coerced witnesses—for
example, the case of John
Hall, who was convicted
based on a statement given
prior to the trial, despite the
witness‘ admission at the trial
that his earlier statement had
been given under coercion.
―This only begins to touch the
surface of all of the inadequa-
cies of the process of criminal
defense within the system,‖
says Grote of cases like Ter-
rell‘s and Hall‘s.
Fed Up! was organized in
2006 by Etta Cetera, a Pitts-
burgh native who was work-
ing with prisoners from
around the country on a col-
laborative art project when she
began receiving numerous
reports of racism, physical
abuse, and medical neglect in
prisons. Within a year, Fed
Up! had affiliated with the
Human Rights Coalition, cen-
tered in Philadelphia, which
was created to give voices to
prisoners, their families, and
their communities.
The organization is currently involved in numer-
ous ongo-
ing pro-
jects, in-
cluding
document-
ing human
rights vio-
lations,
releasing a
weekly
prison
report, and
a letter
writing
campaign.
One of the
organiza-
tion‘s ma-
jor goals
is to abolish solitary confinement, a ―solution‖ to
prisoner misconduct that often targets prisoners
based on race or mental health and results in ra-
cial harassment, physical abuse, and deprivation
of food and medical care. ―In short,‖ says Grote,
―the state of Pennsylvania is running a system of
torture though its restricted housing units, which
consists of solitary confinement where these
abuses are concentrated.‖
Cole-McKamey, who continues to push for her
husband to be released, is grateful to Fed Up! for
all they have done to further prisoner‘s rights. She
has high hopes that the upcoming trial will see
Johnson released from prison, but the fight will
not end there. Asked what she planned to do after
her husband‘s release, Cole-McKamey re-
sponded, ―I think we‘re in a situation to help a lot
of other people. … I believe that‘s why we went
through what we went through, so we can help
others.‖
―Bret and the whole Fed Up and the Humans
Rights Coalition have been such a blessing,‖ she
said. ―Not just to me and my family but to a lot of
people. They really go above and beyond.‖
Theresa Schneider is a recent graduate of Alle-
gheny College and a member of The NewPeo-
ple Editorial Collective.
Wake up World
By Charles R.G. Washington
Today is a new day
Let us not take life
but nurture and embrace life-
sweet, sweet life.
And scream
WAR no more!
Been there before, before and before,
What‘s it truly for?
Surely we‘ve seen
Tooooooooooo much death, pain and tears
from our fellow man and peers.
Wake up World
Today is a new day
Let us not lock up our young and misguided children
But show and provide them a better way.
We don‘t have to travel far off to GITMO to fight TORTURE
when it‘s right here in the prison solitary confinement units of
AMERICA.
Let us examine and reshape our harsh and unjust laws
And submit to the universal laws of: love, truth, peace, freedom and
forgiveness.
Wake up World,
Today is a new day.
Live life.
Don‘t tax it,
Because living is truly free.
And do away with all man‘s added hardships
Because that‘s not how life was intended to be.
Instead of taking from someone
Give to someone and feel their heart rejoice
by your sincerity.
Wake up World
Wake up World
Today is a new day
Take a deep breath of fresh air.
EXHALE!
LIVE!
LIVE!
LIVE!
And squeeze every drop
out of dear life.
Precious it is.
Charles R.G. Washington is a prisoner at State Correctional Institution
Frackville.
Fed Up! With Prison Abuses
Photos by Frank Carr
The public is invited to
join Fed Up! for ―Write
On!,‖ a letter writing
session held every
Wednesday night at 6:30
at the Thomas Merton
Center. For more infor-
mation on events or
ways to get involved
with Fed Up!, email
visit http://
hrcoalition.org.
Bret Grote (above) and Saundra Cole-McKamey
(right), dedicated Fed Up! activists and organizers.
14 - NEWPEOPLE September, 2011
TMC Corner
By Diane McMahon
Four decades ago, a social consciousness was
born in Pittsburgh, that continues to grow and
evolve today.
Faced with an immoral war, racial injustices, and
global pandemics, a small group of committed
citizens joined hands, hearts and minds to fight
for long lasting social change that benefits all
people.
Since 1972, deep ties have continued to grow be-
tween people of diverse religious, ethnic, politi-
cal, and spiritual origins. Each person and group
realized they were that much stronger when work-
ing together.
This coming year the board and our members will
be hosting events and opportunities to reflect on
our past and prepare for our future. Our purpose
and vision continues to bind us together in a time
when war, economic injustice,
prisoner rights, and environ-
mental challenges beckon us
to join together to not only
heal ourselves, but to heal the
world.
We invite friends, members,
donors, past board members,
and all citizens to suggest
ways that we might celebrate
our 40th anniversary and re-
engage in the Thomas Merton
Center's mission to create a
more peaceful and just world.
If you would like to assist in
this effort please email me,
Diane McMahon, TMC Board
President, at [email protected].
CELEBRATING SOLIDARITY:
Thomas Merton Center Turns 40 in 2012
The late Ty Luokkala - TMC Member - Advocate and Pittsburgh Leader
dedicated to Closing the School of the Americas
The Thomas Merton Center Statement of Purpose
Mission: 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.
Vision: Thomas Merton Center strives to be a coalition-building organization that follows the principles of Thomas
Merton and the other great architects of non-violent resistant to encourage people to learn, grow and work in
the pursuit of social justice and peace to ensure the dignity of all human beings. We strive to achieve this vi-
sion in a supportive, nurturing and facilitating manner.
Guiding Principles/Value Statements: The Thomas Center:
· Supports the uniqueness, wholeness, dignity and freedoms of all people.
· Enthusiastically advocates for the rights of all people as they may fully participate and contribute to the pursuit of peace, social and environmental
justice.
· Views all human beings as having equal and unconditional value.
· Supports the pursuit of peace and justice in a nonviolent manner.
· Engages in peaceful and nonviolent demonstrations.
· Emphasizes cooperation in getting things done through peaceful and nonviolent acts.
· Proactively supports and advocates that prisoners are entitled to basic human rights and humane treatment.
· Educate others about economic justice and labor solidarity
· Takes every opportunity to educate and advocate for the basic civil rights of all people.
· Proactive in addressing oppression in its many forms.
· Advocates for the right to educate others for the basic civil rights of people.
We pledge to support these basic human rights:
· The right to life, liberty and security of all persons
· The right to recognize the work of human rights defenders who act in a nonviolent way to end inequality and discrimination and
oppression
· The right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion
· The right to peacefully convene, organize and assemble together with the aim of addressing common concerns
· The right to petition social institutions for just and humane treatment
· The right of solidarity in pursuit of peace and justice
· The right to educate and raise awareness in issues and trends that ensure a safe and just world
· The right to a safe, healthy and economically balanced environment as a human right.
“"If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I am living for, in detail, ask me what
I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for."
~Thomas Merton
File photo
September, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 15
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Information provided by Carlana Rhoten; graphics by Mana Aliabadi
East End Community Thrift Store 5123 Penn Avenue, Garfield
(a few doors down from TMC)
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.
SUBMIT!
Your stories, letters, poems, essays, cartoon, photos to the NEWPEOPLE or they may never find an audience! Please limit submissions to
600 words. Photos or art should be sent as JPEG or TIFF. 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]
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION IS SEPTEMBER 15TH THROUGH http://thomasmertoncenter.org/newpeople/submit-article/
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MONDAY TO FRIDAY
BBC = 11PM—5AM
MORNING EDITION = 5 – 9 AM
FRESH AIR = 3 PM & 10PM
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED = 4 – 7PM
MARKETPLACE 6:30
SATURDAY
BBC = MIDNIGHT—7AM
EARTH BEAT = 7AM
ALLEGHENY FRONT = 7:30 AM
WEEKEND EDITION= 8 – 10
THIS AMERICAN LIFE = 12 NOON
STUDIO 360 = 2PM
Q SPECIALS = 3PM
ON THE MEDIA = 4PM
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED 5PM
SUNDAY
BBC = MIDNIGHT—6AM
COMMONWEALTH CLUB = 6AM
LIVING ON EARTH = 7 AM
WEEKEND EDITION = 8 – 10AM
STUDIO 360 = 10AM
FRESH AIR = 3PM
TRAVIS SMILEY = 4PM
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED = 5—6PM
THIS AMERICAN LIFE = 6PM
LE SHOW = 10PM
In the coming months, we
hope to televise Progres-
sive Council Forums on a
variety of issues listed
above. We need Teams to
make all these things hap-
pen. If you are interested,
email Carlana Rhoten at
Rhotencouncilfo-
[email protected] or phone
her at 412-363-7472.
16 - NEWPEOPLE September, 2011
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 - 3:30pm Merton Center, 5129 Penn Ave., Garfield Book 'Em Packing Day Meets every Sunday 4:00pm - 7:00pm Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue Join others sending requested books to pris-
oners. Bring a group. For more info call the Thomas Merton Center, 412.361.3022
Human Rights Letter-writing Salon Meets every Sunday 4:00pm - 6:00pm Kiva Han, 420 S Craig St Write letters to combat human rights abuses!
Meet local Amnesty International activists and other human rights enthusiasts, change the world, and have a grand old time.
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 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 every Wednesday 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue, Garfield We need help answering our 60 letters a
month from people in prison dealing with abuse and neglect. Come and meet new peo-ple, learn about people in prison while advo-cating 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 Av nue, 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 drums, flutes, rattles, a didge (we REALLY need a didge) singing voices, dancing feet, and 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)
offers 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 [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
~ September ~ Thursday, September 1st _____________
Building Change Planning Meeting
6:00 PM
United Cerebral Palsy Building in Oakland
Help plan the first-ever gathering of people and organizations from across
Southwestern Pennsylvania who share a common goal of advancing social justice
and change in our region and world.
These meetings will be planning the above event, to take place on October 13-15.
Thursday, September 1st
FIRST THURSDAY FORUM: Resisting Attacks on Public Education,
Teachers & Students
7:30-9:30PM
Friends Meeting House
4836 Ellsworth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA
Documentary: "The Inconvenient Truth Behind 'Waiting for Superman'"
There is a concerted and well-funded assault on public schools, on teachers, and on
working-class communities by billionaires and politicians who want to run
education like a business, advance privatization, and break teachers' unions. A
critical documentary response will kick off a discussion of the issues.
Thursday, September 1st
Pittsburgh Zine Fair
5:00 to 10:00 PM
A.I.R. (Artists Image Resource) in the North Side
Will feature over 30 vendors, workshops, hands-on demonstrations on letter-
pressing and screenprinting, readings, and discussions! Vendors at the fair include
zine distributors, small press publishers, writers, comic book makers, illustrators,
book store zine collections, and even the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's very
own zine library! Visit our website for more information about each of the
vendors: www.pghzinefair.com
Friday, September 2nd ______________________
DigitalSalad, an Edible art Project
6:00 to 11:00 PM
Assemble
5125 Penn Ave, 15224
The charm of a local farmette will be installed in the urban, neighborhood gallery
space, assemble.
Through the month - eat fresh local harvest, connect to others in the community
and sit for a spell, imagine yourself transported to the farm.
Wednesday, September 14th________________
Planet Party
4:30 to 7:30 PM
Assemble
5125 Penn Ave, 15224
This is a kid oriented event, fun and FREE. Snacks will be provided.
Come work with local artists and talk about the Universe. How do you see it?
What's really out there and where do you fit in? Come talk, make, and think! Ages
5 - 7 are strongly encouraged to join the fun!
Friday, September 16th____________________
Park(ing) Day PGH
11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Assemble
5125 Penn Ave, 15224
Come hang out in our mini-urban park! Help us take over a parking space and turn
it into a place to sit and rest!
More Info: http://pghparkingday.wordpress.com/
Saturday, September 17th
Remembering Hiroshima Screening: Black Rain
7:00 PM
Shadow Lounge (5972 Baum Blvd.)
Remembering Hiroshima, Imagining Peace, Rethinking Nuclear Power will host a
screening of Black Rain, a film that addresses the bias against atomic survivors. It
follows a young woman who was exposed to the black rain that followed the
blasts, and how she is shunned for years after.
Sunday, September 18th ___________________
International Day of Peace Festival
3:00 to 6:00 pm
Point Grove, North Park
Lakeshore Drive, Allison Park 15101
"Make the World Shine" with a peaceful and healthy planet. Free food and
activities for all ages. Colorful procession of 194 U. N. flags. Please bring a side
dish or dessert for a 4:00 p.m. buffet.