Category Archives: North America

Reconciling Canada: Hard truths, big opportunity

…. HUMAN RIGHTS ….

An article by Ry Moran, Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, published in rabble.ca

Yesterday [December 15] the Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation released their final report. Six years. Seven volumes. Thousands of pages.

Tens of thousands of tears.

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The materials contained within the reports will resonate for years to come but it will be up to us, collectively as Canadians, to determine whether the Calls to Action are implemented; whether the truth is fully acknowledged; whether reconciliation is achieved.

Through the work of the Commission I have witnessed thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, join together in collective actions of reconciliation and with the brave voices of Survivors leading the way, I have seen things change, both at home and abroad.

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Organization of American States (OAS) located in Washington D.C.

I was part of a multi-person panel that included members of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, former MP and well-known film producer Tina Keeper and Canada’s ambassador to the OAS. Two elders from Manitoba gave meaningful words of prayer and traditional perspective to open the day. Two dancers from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet performed an eight-minute version of the Going Home Star ballet which yet again left me moved and in awe of the power of the arts to convey emotion, truth and beauty all at once.

For me, the invitation was a call for deep reflection. What would I say to an international audience about this history we are trying to come to terms with?

For the past six years, much of my own work has focused on documenting Canada at its worst. The work of statement gathering and document collection for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission placed me in front of thousands of survivors — most of whom recounted terrible stories of abuse, neglect, pain and suffering. The documentary history we collected revealed long-standing knowledge that the residential school system was broken, mismanaged, misguided and deeply unethical.

Yet the residential school system endured for over 160 years.

We, as a country, are just now starting to come to terms with the sobering realization that the systematic destruction of indigenous cultures, languages, family structures, lands and ceremonies amounted to cultural genocide.

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Question related to this article:

Truth Commissions, Do they improve human rights?

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The cold hard truth is that Canada has failed indigenous peoples miserably.

Instead of protecting Indigenous rights, for many years our country eroded, attacked and beat those very rights out of Indigenous peoples. My own nation — the Metis nation — had guns turned against it when they sought to protect their way of life. Other nations have suffered the same. And we need remember that the attack on indigenous peoples through the residential schools attacked the most sacred of all bonds that exists in this world — that between parent and child.

What was I to say to an international audience with these historical realities of genocide and mass human rights abuse so deeply enmeshed in who we are as a nation?

I said that I remained proud to be a Canadian.

I remain proud to be a Canadian not because of who we were, but because I see us growing and embracing the calls for reconciliation that are now ringing out across the country.

Through the leadership of visionaries like Phil Fontaine, Paul Martin and Frank Iacobucci, massive achievements such as the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement were made possible. The TRC Commissioners have brought us further down the path and additional truths will emerge from the critically important inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Yesterday we heard a tearful prime minister state that Survivors of the schools would never be forgotten and that a total renewal of the relationship between Canada and Indigenous peoples is needed.

Through words like these and the powerful leadership of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I sincerely believe we are reaching a tipping point where we as a nation are really beginning to take that long hard look in the mirror with new eyes.

Across the country, educators are rallying to the cry to incorporate a more accurate and fuller picture of the contributions of indigenous peoples in Canadian history. Universities are embracing indigenous achievement and inclusion, the courts are recognizing Indigenous rights time after time, and we now have a government actively listening to Indigenous peoples. We are transforming reconciliation from the leadership of a few to the collective will of the many.

Our nation’s treatment of Indigenous peoples should not and can not be a source of pride for us as a country. We need to address this and the work ahead of us is great.

But change is possible. We can change, we are changing, and I am very hopeful that this momentum we have collectively generated will continue.

I am excited about the future that lies ahead of us and I am proud to be part of this country that is embracing this cry for change and reconciliation.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

UNHCR welcomes first arrivals of Syrian refugees in Canada

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article by The UN Refugee Agency

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 11 December 2015, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

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UNHCR welcomes news of the arrival in Canada last night of the first group of Syrian refugees under a recently announced humanitarian programme which will provide a new life for 25,000 Syrian refugees. This first group of 163 refugees arrived from Lebanon by Royal Canadian Air Force jet.

Canada has acted swiftly to implement this initiative, which was announced in late November. UNHCR is continuing to work with the Canadian authorities in identifying vulnerable Syrians for settlement in Canada. The refugees’ welcome to Canada will be underpinned by its well-recognised community integration programmes.

The Canadian programmes are a practical expression of support to Syrian refugees and demonstration of solidarity to those countries in the region hosting more than four million Syrian refugees. The difficult situation for Syrian refugees continues to deteriorate, with increasing numbers living below national poverty lines.

UNHCR encourages other states to engage in these programmes. They provide critical support for refugees currently hosted in countries neighbouring Syria. To date some 30 countries have pledged a total of more than 160,000 places for Syrians under resettlement and other humanitarian admissions schemes. UNHCR estimates 10 per cent of the 4.1 million registered refugees in countries neighbouring Syria are vulnerable and are in need of resettlement or humanitarian admission to a third country.

Question for discussion
North America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Michael Moore (USA): My home is open for Syrian refugees

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

By Michael Moore

Friends,

This past Friday I sent a letter to Governor Rick Snyder, our governor here in Michigan. Earlier in the week he had joined with 25 other governors in telling the President that they would block Syrian refugees from settling in their states.

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(Reed Saxon / AP)

Will you join me in defying this act of bigotry?

Their actions are unconstitutional, and worse, immoral. I am going against this “ban” by offering to give up my apartment in Traverse City, MI, to Syrian refugees who are currently seeking entry into our country.

Here is the letter I sent to the governor:

Dear Gov. Snyder:

I just wanted to let you know that, contrary to your declaration of denying Syrian refugees a home in our state of Michigan, I myself am going to defy your ban and will offer MY home in Traverse City, Michigan, to those very Syrian refugees you’ve decided to keep out. I will contact the State Department to let them know I am happy to provide a safe haven to any Syrian refugee couple approved by the Obama administration’s vetting procedures in which I have full faith and trust.

Your action is not only disgraceful, it is, as you know, unconstitutional (only the President has the legal right to decide things like this).

What you’ve done is anti-American. This is not who we are supposed to be. We are, for better and for worse, a nation of descendants of three groups: slaves from Africa who were brought here in chains and then forced to provide trillions of dollars of free labor to build this country; native peoples who were mostly exterminated by white Christians through acts of mass genocide; and immigrants from EVERYWHERE around the globe. In Michigan we are fortunate to count amongst us tens of thousands of Arab and Muslim Americans.

I’m disappointed in you, Governor Snyder, for your heartless and un-Christian actions, and for joining in with at least 25 other governors (all but one a Republican) who’ve decided to block legal Syrian refugees from coming into their states. Fortunately I’m an American and not a Republican.

Governor, count me out of whatever you think it means to be a Michigander. I look forward to welcoming Syrians to my home and I wholeheartedly encourage other Americans to do the
same.

Michael Moore

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Question for this article

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

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P.S. By the way, my 700-sq. ft. apartment in northern Michigan is a little small, but it’s got cable, wi-fi and a new dishwasher! Also, no haters live on my floor! Stop by any time for a hot chocolate this winter.

I’m not kidding about this. I’m making my apartment in Michigan available, rent-free, for six months to a year until the Syrian family gets settled and is doing well on their own. My family came here from Ireland in the 1800s. I know what it was like for them. There was bigotry and harassment — but there were also those who held out a helping hand. That I would have the chance to do the same thing for a new family of immigrants 150 years later is an honor. (Besides, legend has it that St. Patrick was originally from Syria/Lebanon — so I’m just passing on the green!)

I’ve written to Secretary of State John Kerry informing him that my home is available to place a Syrian couple. I’ve also asked him to please speed up the process of admitting these refugees (it’s taking 18 to 24 months right now, and that’s unacceptable).

I’m asking anyone who can, anyone who has spare rooms in their homes or an empty apartment, cottage, or whatever, to make it available for Syrian and Iraqi refugees for between six months and a year while they’re being settled in the U.S. If you can do this, would you please sign up on the #MyHomeIsOpen registry. Your name and contact info will be kept private and will only be shared with the appropriate refugee agencies sanctioned and overseen by the Obama administration and its participating NGOs. They will contact you when they have refugees that they’ve vetted and need to be placed in homes.

THIS is what we want the “American way” to be from now on. No more war, or interfering in other people’s lives, no more turning our backs on the messes that we’ve created.

Thanks for joining with me in this effort. We are, indeed, our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. I can think of no better way to celebrate Thanksgiving and the holidays this year than by helping those who are suffering from the mistakes that have been made in our name.

All my best,

Michael Moore

Great-grandson of refugees and immigrants

North America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

USA: Indiana Said No; New Haven Said Yes To Refugees

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article by Aliyya Swaby, New Haven Independent (reprinted according to provisions of Creative Commons)

After Indiana’s governor refused to take in a family of Syrian refugees, New Haven’s Chris George immediately agreed to help. The family— pawns in a national post-Paris ideological argument—has arrived in town. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy met with the family upon its arrival in New Haven Wednesday. The governor—who welcomed the family here after Indiana’s governor turned it away—held a press conference at New Haven City Hall after the meeting to make a larger point about an “overreaction” in the country to the terrorist attacks in Paris.

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Press conference of Connecticut Governor Malloy

“Not every American and not every American governor is the same,” Malloy said he told the family, whom he described as “good people.” “… I assured them that not only was I welcoming them, but I was proud that they’ve come to the US and come to CT. I told them that people in the United States are generous and good people but sometimes things happen elsewhere that cause people to forget about their generosity and forget about their native warmth and spirit.”

George, executive director of resettlement agency Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) on Nicoll Street in the East Rock neighborhood, said he didn’t hesitate before agreeing to accept the family of three.

IRIS had already been in the spotlight once Syrian refugees began to arrive at New Haven’s doors at the start of the war; it has settled 22 Syrian families so far. (Click here to read a story about that.) Now George and the organization are in the middle of a heated political debate about whether the U.S. has a duty to help people seeking security from terrorism and violence in their own countries.

The federal Department of State allocates refugees to nine organizations across the country, which each distributes cases to about 30 or 40 small nonprofits—about 350 total, including IRIS.

The family—a father who used to run a used-clothing store, his wife, and their 5-year-old son—had waited three years in Jordan to come to the U.S. after being exiled from Homs, Syria. The family had intended to head to Indianapolis Wednesday. But Republican Gov. Mike Pence said he would not allow them, forcing the local Indianapolis resettlement agency to scramble to look for another placement. Connecticut Gov. Malloy, a Democrat, has taken a national stand in favor of continuing to accept Syrian refugees in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris. Republican governors and Congress members have called for a halt to allowing Syrian refugees in the country after it was learned that one of the Paris attackers had spent time in Syria.

Malloy compared the “hysteria” of Republican lawmakers to U.S. internment of Japanese-Americans in World War II. He also noted that the attackers in Paris lived in France and Belgium. “No governor, no member of Congress, no leader of the Congress has said we should stop allowing people from France of Belgium from coming into the country,” Malloy noted.

“We’re bigger than that as a nation,” Malloy said of calls to keep out refugees. “We’re better than that as a nation.” He also said the federal government has spent more than a year vetting the families allowed to enter the country.

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Question for this article

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

Readers’ comments are invited on this question and article. See below for comments box.

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“Of course we said yes,” Chris George said of the request to accept the Syrian family, recalling the chain of events in his office Wednesday morning. “We welcome all refugees regardless of religion, race, nationality.”

His split-second decision brought a flood of reporters and camera crews to the organization Wednesday—wanting to know more about why he said yes and whether they could speak to the family.

The family had not yet arrived Wednesday morning, George continued to say as he took calls from national and local outlets. IRIS staff had not yet talked with them and did not know if they would be willing to speak to anyone.

Ashley Maker (pictured), IRIS community liaison, said many refugees are worried about family members still in their home countries who might be endangered by them speaking to press. “We want to protect them,” she said.

Fewer than 2,000 Syrian refugees have been admitted into the U.S. since the start of the Syrian war. Panic increased once investigators found a Syrian passport at the site of one of the attacks, though it was not clear whether it belonged to an attacker, victim or someone else.

About 60 percent of all governors, most of them Republican, have said they won’t allow refugees to resettle in their states. President Barack Obama pushed back against those security concerns at a press conference early Wednesday.

Although legally, governors cannot bar refugees from settling in their states, they can ask the State Department not to send them refugees and withhold state funds for those who do arrive.

George called the urge to blame Syrian refugees for recent terrorist attacks that killed at least 129 people in Paris last week uninformed and unpatriotic.

The U.S. government goes through an extensive vetting process over the course of several months before allowing refugees into the country—including background checks, face-to-face interviews, checks with intelligence agencies and biometric scans to securely establish identity.

“If at the end of that, there are still some questions, the refugee is not getting into the country,” George said.

If people understood how “robust” that screening process was, “they would not worry,” he said. “They are politicizing a program, they are posturing. Honestly they are un-American.”

This family is the fifth family IRIS is working to resettle this week, Maker said. Usually, the agency’s staff have “two weeks lead time” to find refugees permanent housing with a landlord and fully furnish it, allowing them a more fluid transition, she said.

But in this case, they found temporary housing for them and will work over the next two weeks to find permanent housing, Maker said.

North America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

USA Exclusive: Air Force Whistleblowers Risk Prosecution to Warn Drone War Kills Civilians, Fuels Terror

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A video and article from Democracy Now! (abridged)

Has the U.S. drone war “fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like ISIS”? That’s the conclusion of four former Air Force servicemembers who are speaking out together for the first time. They’ve issued a letter to President Obama warning the U.S. drone program is one of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism. They accuse the administration of lying about the effectiveness of the drone program, saying it is good at killing people—just not the right ones. The four drone war veterans risk prosecution by an administration that has been unprecedented in its targeting of government whistleblowers. In a Democracy Now! exclusive, they join us in their first extended broadcast interview.


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Video of story

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Since the Paris attacks one week ago, France has escalated bombings of Syria, and the U.S. has vowed an intensification of its war on the Islamic State. With only a small number of U.S. special forces on the ground, Iraq and Syria have become new fronts in a global drone war that has launched thousands of strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia.

But now an unprecedented group is calling for the drone war to stop. In an open letter to President Obama, four U.S. Air Force servicemembers who took part in the drone campaign say targeted killings and remote control bombings fuel the very terrorism the government says it’s trying to destroy. The four whistleblowers write, quote, “We came to the realization that the innocent civilians we were killing only fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like ISIS, while also serving as a fundamental recruitment tool similar to Guantanamo Bay. This administration and its predecessors have built a drone program that is one of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism and destabilization around the world.”

They continue, saying, quote, “We witnessed gross waste, mismanagement, abuses of power, and our country’s leaders lying publicly about the effectiveness of the drone program. We cannot sit silently by and witness tragedies like the attacks in Paris, knowing the devastating effects the drone program has overseas and at home.”

AMY GOODMAN: On top of the toll on civilian victims, the letter also addresses the personal impact of waging remote war. All four say they have suffered PTSD and feel abandoned by the military they served, with some now homeless or barely getting by. The letter brings together the largest group of whistleblowers in the drone war’s history. Three of the signatories operated the visual sensors that guide U.S. Predator drone missiles to their targets. Two are speaking out for the first time; three in a TV broadcast, they’ve never done it before. The other two have previously raised their concerns about the drone program, including in the documentary, Drone. The film, premiering in New York City and Toronto today, reveals how a regular U.S. Air Force unit based in the Nevada desert is responsible for flying the CIA’s drone strike program in Pakistan.

BRANDON BRYANT: We are the ultimate voyeurs, the ultimate peeping Toms. I’m watching this person, and this person has no clue what’s going on. No one’s going to catch us. And we’re getting orders to take these people’s lives.

MICHAEL HAAS: You never know who you’re killing, because you never actually see a face. You just have a silhouette. They don’t have to take a shot. They don’t have to bear that burden. I’m the one that has to bear that burden. . .

AMY GOODMAN: [The above is from the ] trailer for the documentary Drone, premiering today in New York City and Toronto. In speaking out together, the four former servicemembers risk prosecution under the Espionage Act by an administration that’s waged an unprecedented campaign against government whistleblowers. They also set their sights on a cornerstone of President Obama’s national security policy just as it threatens to escalate in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. After being elected to office on a platform of Iraq War opposition and a vow to bring the troops home, President Obama has quietly expanded the drone war far beyond its size and lethality under President George W. Bush.

Today, in this Democracy Now! exclusive, these four war whistleblowers join us in their first extended broadcast interview. We’re joined by Brandon Bryant and Michael Haas, who have spoken out to a certain extent before, both former sensor operators for the U.S. Air Force Predator program. Stephen Lewis, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, is also a former sensor operator for the Air Force Predator program and this week is speaking out for the first time. Also going public for the first time is Cian Westmoreland, a former Air Force technician who helped build a station in Afghanistan used to relay drone data. . . .

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Question for this article:

Drones (unmanned bombers), Should they be outlawed?

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JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And I’d like to ask Brandon Bryant—we’ve had you on Democracy Now! a couple of years ago, and these guys here worked with you, as well. Could you talk about the decision to come out as a group, how you came to that and why at this particular point?

BRANDON BRYANT: Well, you know, when I first started talking out about my experiences, it was more to get a bunch of stuff off my chest and to actually try to come clean with what I have done and reveal what exactly is going on. And I’m actually really honored to be with these gentlemen right here, is that I trust them. And this is their decision to come out, and I’m here to support them, because I’ve already been doing this for three years, and it’s time that we just get a bigger coalition of people together to attack this issue.

AMY GOODMAN: Why did you sign this letter? And what are you calling on President Obama to do?

BRANDON BRYANT: We want the president to have more transparency in this issue, and we want the American people to understand exactly what’s being done in their name. And I think that all this fear and hatred that keeps going on is just out of control, and we need to stop it somewhere.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Michael Haas, I wanted to ask you, in terms of your experience in the drone program and the culture that the military basically allowed to flourish in the drone program, you’ve talked about how your fellow servicemembers talked about the children that they were targeting, as well.

MICHAEL HAAS: Yes, the term “fun-sized terrorists” was used to just sort of denote children that we’d see on screen.

AMY GOODMAN: What was it?

MICHAEL HAAS: “Fun-sized terrorists.”

AMY GOODMAN: “Fun-sized terrorists”?

MICHAEL HAAS: Yes. Other terms we’d use would be “cutting the grass before it grows too long,” just doing whatever you can to try to make it easier to kill whatever’s on screen. And the culture is—that mentality is very much nurtured within the drone community, because these—every Hellfire shot is sort of lauded and applauded, and we don’t really examine who exactly was killed, but just that it was an effective shot and the missile hit its target.

AMY GOODMAN: When did you start to have questions?

MICHAEL HAAS: Shortly after I became an instructor and I started to see how much the mentality had shifted since I had been in. And the 11th hadn’t really changed how they had trained their sensor operators from a basic-level standpoint.

AMY GOODMAN: The 11th is?

MICHAEL HAAS: The basic training squadron up at Creech. They train all the sensor operators.

AMY GOODMAN: This is at Creech in Nevada.

MICHAEL HAAS: Yes.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And you were a video game addict as you were growing up. Can you talk about this whole impact of sort of the video game approach to war?

MICHAEL HAAS: The thing that makes the gamers a prime target for this job field is that ability to just multitask and do a lot of things subconsciously and just sort of out of reflex. And you don’t really even have to think about it, which is, you know, paramount to doing this job. But a lot of it is getting used to just seeing something on screen, killing it and then going about your business as though you don’t really—you don’t really pay it a second thought. It was just an objective to be completed.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

USA: 18 mayors join forces to commend Obama administration, and call on them to accept more refugees amid Syrian crisis

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An statement from Cities United for Immigration Action

On the same day Pope Francis called for the acceptance of immigrants, a group of 18 mayors from across the country, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and others have joined forces to call on President Obama to welcome additional refugees beyond the number his administration has agreed to accept.

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The mayors who have signed today’s letter to President Obama are part of Cities United For Immigration Action, a coalition of nearly 100 cities and counties that is leading the effort to promote and execute immigration reforms nationwide.

“New York has always been a place where the American Dream has come to life for generations of immigrants from around the globe. For the thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the nightmare of oppression, in search of safety, stability, and salvation, we say welcome. As the Pope visits New York this week, we are reminded that the answer to the age-old question, ‘am I my brothers keeper’ must be a resounding yes if we are to live up to the values on which our nation was founded and our future depends,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“We are certainly supportive of refugees from Syria coming to Baltimore; this speaks to our deepest values as Americans. Baltimore City has been and will continue to be a beacon of freedom and opportunity for refugees seeking a home to grow and prosper,” said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

“The global refugee crisis brings with it a responsibility and opportunity to welcome those seeking exile from tyranny and oppression. People who are so committed to finding freedom and building a brighter life for their family that they leave behind all they realized–material positions, university degrees, family photos–and are willing to risk it all. This is where our responsibility to our fellow man is tested. This is also an opportunity for a city like Pittsburgh, with a great network of service providers and a community urging us to act, to say to refugees seeking a new, safe homeland where they can set roots: Pittsburgh welcomes you. Together, we will build an even stronger Pittsburgh, and we welcome the minds and hearts of those fleeing the crisis to join us,” said Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto.

“Hartford stands by the president’s decision to shelter families and children escaping war in Syria. Showing compassion and providing hope to the afflicted is part of our national identity, as well as our humanitarian responsibility,” said Hartford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra, co-chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Immigration Reform Task Force.

“In accepting refugees from Syria, the United States is recognizing the basic humanity of these men, women, and children. It is important we make policies that honor the dignity of all people. Bringing Syrian refugees to our shores is line with our history of accepting the famous ‘huddled masses yearning to breathe free’ and it is in line with the best of what we hope to be as a nation,” said Syracuse Mayor Stephanie A. Miner.

“St. Louis is a welcoming community, as demonstrated by the thousands of Bosnian refugees who sought a better life here in the 1990s. They have built businesses, created jobs, rehabbed homes, and revitalized neighborhoods. They have become part of the fabric of our community, welcomed and supported by their fellow St. Louisans. While the number of Syrians we can welcome in the next two years depends largely on the federal government, St. Louis is again ready and willing to help. Our diverse religious organizations are already contacting the International Institute to help in resettlement. To date, St. Louis proudly has welcomed 29 Syrian refugees to our City, and we expect 20 more to arrive in the coming months. With the cap now increased, I am certain we will be welcoming several more,” said St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay.

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Question for this article

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

Readers’ comments are invited on this question and article. See below for comments box.

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The full text of the mayors’ letter is below:

Dear President Obama:

We commend your decision to open America’s doors to at least 10,000 Syrian refugees displaced by civil war, and applaud your commitment to increase the overall number of refugees the U.S. will resettle over the course of the next two years. This announcement is a vital initial step to honoring America’s commitment to support those fleeing oppression.

As the mayors of cities across the country, we see first-hand the myriad ways in which immigrants and refugees make our communities stronger economically, socially and culturally. We will welcome the Syrian families to make homes and new lives in our cities. Indeed, we are writing to say that we stand ready to work with your Administration to do much more and to urge you to increase still further the number of Syrian refugees the United States will accept for resettlement. The surge of humanity fleeing war and famine is the largest refugee crisis since World War II. The United States is in a position to lead a global narrative of inclusion and support. This is a challenge we can meet, and the undersigned mayors stand ready to help you meet it.

Our cities have been transformed by the skills and the spirit of those who come to us from around the world. The drive and enterprise of immigrants and refugees have helped build our economies, enliven our arts and culture, and enrich our neighborhoods.

We have taken in refugees, and will help make room for thousands more. This is because the United States has developed a robust screening and background check that assures us that we know who we are welcoming into this country. With national security systems in place, we stand ready to support the Administration in increasing the numbers of refugees we can accept.

With Pope Francis’ visit, we are mindful of his call for greater compassion in the face of this ongoing crisis and stand with you in supporting those “journeying towards the hope of life.”

Sincerely,

Ed Pawlowski, Mayor of Allentown, PA
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of Baltimore, MD
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston, MA
James Diossa, Mayor of Central Falls, RI
Mark Kleinschmidt, Mayor of Chapel Hill, NC
Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago, IL
Edward Terry, Mayor of Clarkston, GA
Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton, OH
Domenick Stampone, Mayor of Haledon, NJ
Pedro E. Segarra, Mayor of Hartford, CT
Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, CA
Betsy Hodges, Mayor of Minneapolis, MN
Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, NY
Jose Torres, Mayor of Paterson, NJ
William Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA
Javier Gonzales, Mayor of Santa Fe, NM
Francis G. Slay, Mayor of St. Louis, MO
Stephanie A. Miner, Mayor of Syracuse, NY

North America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

USA: Our Economy Is Not Working: Joseph Stiglitz on Widening Income Inequality & the Fight for $15

…. HUMAN RIGHTS ….

An article and video by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now (reprinted according to provisions of Creative Commons)

The fight over income inequality gained national attention when fast-food workers walked off the job in hundreds of cities across the country on Tuesday demanding a $15-an-hour minimum wage and union rights. Some “Fight for $15” protesters rallied outside the Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee. During the debate, billionaire Donald Trump and other Republican contenders rejected calls to increase the minimum wage. We speak to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, author of the new book, “Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy: An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity.” “We’re saying something is wrong with the way our economy is working,” says Stiglitz. “The fact that at the bottom, minimum wage is as low as it was 45 years ago, a half-century ago, says something. … It’s not a living wage.”

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Video of Stieglitz interview

TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We turn right now to Joe Stiglitz, to the Nobel Prize-winning economist.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: The fight over income inequality gained national attention when fast-food workers walked off the job in hundreds of cities across the country on Tuesday demanding a $15-an-hour minimum wage and union rights. Some “Fight for 15” protesters rallied outside the Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee. During the debate, billionaire Donald Trump and other Republican contenders rejected calls to increase the minimum wage.

DONALD TRUMP: Taxes too high, wages too high, we’re not going to be able to compete against the world. I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is. People have to go out, they have to work really hard, and they have to get into that upper stratum. But we cannot do this if we are going to compete with the rest of the world. We just can’t do it.

AMY GOODMAN: We end today with Part 2 of my interview with the Nobel Prize-winning economist Joe Stiglitz and his plan to address income inequality. He has written a new book called Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy: An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity. I asked him what an agenda for growth and shared prosperity would look like.

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JOSEPH STIGLITZ: Well, it is about rewriting the rules in a fairly comprehensive way. I mean, the basic—

AMY GOODMAN: Who writes them?

JOSEPH STIGLITZ: Well, that has to be done by Congress, and it has to be with a lot of popular support. And in a way, we’re beginning to do that. You know, the Fight for 15 movement, raising the minimum wage, that’s one of the rules. But one of our points is that we need a more comprehensive agenda than just raising the minimum wage, and that if we make—and the two words there, for “growth” and “shared prosperity,” so our view is that the only sustainable prosperity is shared prosperity and that one of the problems is that the way the rules have been rewritten since the beginning of Reagan has been to actually slow the American economy.

And let me give you one example. When you have corporations having a very shortsighted view, paying their CEOs such outrageous monies with less money spent on investment, of course you’re not going to make long-term investments that are going to result in long-term economic growth. And at the same time, there’s going to be less money to pay for ordinary workers. And paying that low wages to ordinary workers, not giving them security, not giving them paid, you know, family leave, all that results in a less productive labor force. So what we’ve done is we’ve actually undermined investments in people, investments in the corporation, all for the sake of increasing the income of the people at the very top. So there’s a really close link here between the growing inequality in our society and the weak economic performance.

AMY GOODMAN: We’re in the midst of an extended election year. But that goes to the issue of how we govern ourselves in this country, a very critical point. Let’s talk about what underlies these elections: campaign finances. How does campaign finance reform fit into rewriting the rules of the American economy?

JOSEPH STIGLITZ: Well, it’s actually absolutely essential. And, you know, the problem is that we’ve gone basically from a political system with “one person, one vote” to “one dollar, one vote.” And, you know, Citizens United made that worse. So, the only way that you can combat the force of money is, you might say, people power, people coming out. And we’ve seen this work. I mean, we’ve seen it work in raising the minimum wage. You know, just—we couldn’t do it in Congress, because the gridlock there, the money there, so we’ve done it in city after city—Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, in New York. So, we’ve actually been able to see that this kind of uprising can work, even in a political system with money making so much difference.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

USA: Restorative Practices in Schools

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

Excerpts from September and August News Roundups by Restorativeworks.net

Detroit Public Schools says crime reports down 29% due to restorative practices. The article notes: “This year, restorative practices training will cover two new areas: trauma and grief counseling to help students dealing with death and other hardships, and ‘conferencing training’ to assist students’ transition back into school after a suspension or expulsion.”

restorative

“NAACP (Chattanooga) seeks alternative discipline methods for schools.” This TV news video includes footage from a recent professional development event and a brief interview with IIRP Instructor Steve Korr. . .

During a discussion circle in a Chicago school, students learn empathy when they discover they each have had first-hand exposure to gun violence and one classmate had a gun pointed at her head.

The International Bullying Prevention Association will hold its annual conference Reaching New Heights in Bullying Prevention through Empathy and Kindness in Denver, CO, November 8-10 and will feature a pre-conference workshop on restorative practices with IIRP Lecturer Elizabeth Smull.

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Discussion question

Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

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The American Federation of Teachers — one of the nation’s largest unions — takes on the issue of racial justice using restorative practices. . .

A new report by The Advancement Project, the Alliance for Quality Education, Citizen Action of New York and the Public Policy and Education Fund reveals that “Buffalo, NY, Schools’ new code of conduct results in more days in school, fewer suspensions.” . .

Restorative practices are being used in more and more schools throughout the U.S. Here are a few examples that came to our attention this month:
San Diego, CA (cuts suspensions by 60%)
Hamilton, OH
Waco, TX
Rochester, NY
Beloit, WI (PBIS program to incorporate restorative practices)
Santa Ana, CA
Jefferson Parish, LA (prompted by employees and complaints by the Southern Poverty Law Center)
Springdale, AK
The State of Illinois (Governor signs sweeping school discipline bill championed by students)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North America

USA: How we stopped Keystone, together

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article and video from MoveOn .org

Today [November 6], President Obama officially rejected TransCanada’s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline. This major win for our climate is the result of relentless and passionate grassroots organizing in nearly every corner of our nation. This victory is a testament to the incredible power we have, when we stand together as a movement, to shape our country and change the course of history—which is exactly what we’ll need to do to keep securing transformative actions that can reverse the course of human-made climate change and hold corporations and politicians who continue to imperil the climate by denying science accountable.

keystone
Video: How the Keystone Fight Was Won

Our friends at 350­.org have created a video about how, together, we achieved this victory. Will you watch and share their video and celebrate this historic moment?

Over the last few years, hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members have joined the movement to stop the Keystone XL pipeline—putting an end to this massive dirty energy project that would have grossly deepened our dependence on the fossil fuels accelerating climate change.

By joining with communities along the pipeline route, ranchers, farmers, Native American tribes, climate activists, and union members, we accomplished something truly remarkable. Your signatures, phone calls, donations, and local rallies and events over the years helped power this victory.

As we continue the fight to keep fossil fuels in the ground and hold corporations like Exxon Mobil accountable for their crimes against our climate, we’ll remember to hold up today’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline as a reminder that—even against billion dollar industries—change is possible.

Please, take a minute to watch and share this video from our friends at 350.org.

Thanks for all you do.

–Corinne, Anna, Nick, Victoria, Jadzia, and the rest of the team

Want to support our work? MoveOn member contributions have powered our work together for more than 17 years. Hundreds of thousands of people chip in each year—which is why we’re able to be fiercely independent, answering to no individual, corporation, politician, or political party. You can become a monthly donor by clicking here, or chip in a one-time gift here.

Question for this article:
North America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

United States: Religious Groups Mobilize to Promote Feminism and Faith

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article by Eleanor J. Bader, Truthout (reprinted by permission)

Several weeks ago, in early October, a host of religious leaders stood in front of the 41-year-old Preterm clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, to thank God for abortion providers and bless their work. Sponsored by the Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC), the bold ceremony was meant to publicize the fact that in many traditions – including mainline Protestant, Jewish and Muslim – abortion is considered an acceptable, and yes, moral, option.

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Sammie Moshenberg from the National Council of Jewish Women speaks at an event combating unemployment in Washington, DC, June 18, 2014. (Photo: Center for Effective Government)

“We went to Preterm because anti-abortion legislators have been aggressively working to push abortion out of reach for Ohio women,” Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz, RCRC vice president of programs and fund development, told Truthout. “This includes unnecessary restrictions on abortion care providers, like Preterm, to force them to close. Ohio RCRC believes it’s time for the progressive religious community to stop silently watching women be attacked for their decision to have an abortion and start sharing their beliefs out loud.”

The decision by clergy to move from private, closed-door pastoral counseling sessions into public activities like the clinic blessing was further provoked by recent attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. The threat against the reproductive health organization galvanized faith groups throughout the United States, among them Catholics for Choice, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Muslim Education Center for Creative Academics, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation and the United Church of Christ, prompting them to ramp up their visible support for reproductive rights and gender justice.

They mobilized quickly, among other things, gathering signatures from more than 50 denominational heads and prominent religious leaders on a letter to the Senate affirming widespread religious support for choice. “A world without Planned Parenthood would be disastrous for women and their families,” the missive declared. As part of a massive outcry from Americans in every corner of the country, the effort succeeded: At least for now, Planned Parenthood funding is safe.

Of course, that’s good news, but the progressive faith community is not retreating in the face of the averted crisis. Instead, it’s taking affirmative steps to promote gender equity more broadly. Furthermore, feminists of faith are linking reproductive well-being to efforts to improve sexual health, end rape culture, promote LGBTQ equality and stop domestic violence. They’re also working to protect immigrants, and ameliorate poverty and hunger, placing these issues under the broad rubric of reproductive justice. And although this effort is not wholly new – religious reproductive and social justice groups have existed for decades – the fact that clergy are taking to the streets and entering the halls of Congress is noteworthy.

Carol Hornbeck, a marriage and family therapist who has been involved in faith-based reproductive justice work since the 1980s, sees these moves as imperative and says that without an intersectional analysis of oppression, religious bodies will become irrelevant.

“Many mainline Protestant churches are fighting for their survival,” she said. “At the same time, the church renewal movement is trying to be authentic and bring millennials into organized congregations. Many of the millennial women they hope to attract have had abortions and have been more open and outspoken about this than previous generations. These young women have no patience for the silence of the church on important social issues – whether Black Lives Matter, reproductive justice or LGBTQ inclusion – and are reinventing the institution.”

At the heart of the reinvention, Hornbeck adds, is a willingness to tackle controversial topics, speak truthfully about lived experiences and call out hypocrisy.

This is music to divinity student Abbi Heimach-Snipes’ ears. Now in her final year at Chicago’s McCormick Theological Seminary, she says that when the most recent attacks on Planned Parenthood became public, she and her peers felt “frustrated and upset” but saw the right-wing assault as inseparable from the fight for racial justice, and against homophobia, transphobia, sexism and the violence that disproportionally impacts low-income communities of color.

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Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

Abortion: is it a human right?

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But how best to use the power of the institutional church – or other established religion bodies – to address these concerns? Although Heimach-Snipes is no stranger to political protests, regularly attending demonstrations and rallies, she said that many congregations can do more to advance a progressive political agenda. She calls the church she attends, Urban Village, a model and describes a recent Sunday gathering that confronted sexual violence.

“One of the pastors there, Rev. Emily McGinley, has organized a sermon series on sexuality,” Heimach-Snipes said. “A few weeks ago she preached on Second Samuel, about the rape of King David’s daughter, Tamar, by her brother Amnon. Tamar’s father and his other sons silenced her and did not hold Amnon accountable. This led to more silence and more terror. Rev. McGinley spoke about power dynamics and tied the story to today’s rape culture. We then looked at ways we can begin to stop the silence.” Heimach-Snipes described the sermon and subsequent discussion as powerful, even profound.

In addition, she added, each Sunday, Urban Village invites congregants to share the issues they’re struggling with. Whether it’s sexual violence, substance abuse, police brutality, landlord-tenant conflicts or something else, the stories become part of what Heimach-Snipes calls “community memory.” This, in turn, serves as a way to publicly address trauma, abuse or injury while simultaneously acknowledging the testifier’s strength and problem-solving abilities. Churches like Urban Village may not be entirely typical, but they’re not anomalous – all over the country congregations are serving as conversational launching pads and are taking action on issues that impact their communities.

On a more policy-driven level, faith-based advocacy groups around the United States are engaged in educational work to promote increased access to services and entitlements. The National Council of Jewish Women, for example, is part of a coalition to support HEAL (Health Equality and Access Under the Law) for Immigrants and Families, a federal bill to extend Medicaid and Child Health Insurance Program benefits to lawful immigrants, and is pushing lawmakers to support the EACH Act, intended to overturn the Hyde Amendment and allow Medicaid recipients to use their coverage to pay for abortions. They’re also urging Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to make it unlawful for states to single out reproductive health facilities for stricter regulation than other types of medical centers.

What’s more, like other reproductive justice proponents, the National Council of Jewish Women’s advocacy goes beyond abortion and birth control to include improving community health, with goals that involve raising the minimum wage, ending police brutality and promoting gun control.

Still other groups, like the Catholic Network Lobby and the New Sanctuary Movement, are promoting women’s rights by focusing on unfair taxation, immigration reform and opposition to punitive welfare policies.

“Abortion access does not play an active part in our work,” said community organizer Nicole Kligerman of the Philadelphia New Sanctuary Movement. “But other reproductive health-care issues are paramount. We know the importance of prenatal care and early intervention but mothers and babies can’t get nutritional support through the Women, Infant, Children program [WIC] if they’re not citizens. This inequity occurs at the intersection of child welfare, reproductive health and immigrant rights.”

Placing reproductive health into a broad social justice frame holds great significance for feminists of faith who understand that moral and ethical choices have political implications. Do we believe we have the capacity to make thoughtful decisions for ourselves? Does free will give us the right to decide when and whether to become parents? Does it allow us to be who we are and love who we love? Or does it condemn us for anything that deviates from expected norms?

For RCRC’s Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz, promoting reproductive justice requires us to think about the kind of world we wish to live in. “We can’t ignore that abortion is still a trigger in the ways it has always been a trigger,” she said, “but it is tied to a broader agenda that is all about policing Black, Brown, disabled, poor, queer, and immigrant bodies, especially if they’re female.” This is why, she says, RCRC has developed a comprehensive training plan to enable clergy to provide compassionate pastoral care and equip them to be reproductive justice advocates in their congregations and communities.

“We have a large number of multifaith religious leaders, all of whom affirm that reproductive health centers are sacred spaces,” Weiner-Mahfuz said. “They’re working to build visibility so that it is clear that most people of faith support reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights and racial equality. We’re standing up and saying that theology should not be used against women, people of color or families. We’re amplifying the message that God’s love is consistent, and for everyone.”

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

North America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY