“The Road from Guantanamo”

January 23, 2009
President Barack Obama signing executive orders banning the use of torture by the United States government. NYT Photo.

President Barack Obama signing executive orders banning the use of torture by the United States government. NYT Photo.

Yesterday, President Barack Obama officially banned torture.

Mr. Obama signed executive orders closing the detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, within a year; ending the Central Intelligence Agency’s secret prisons; and requiring all interrogations to follow the noncoercive methods of the Army Field Manual.  (The New York Times)

Gabe Schlabach writes in Third Way Cafe commending the decision, but urging President Obama to go even further in protecting human rights:

This should only be the beginning of a much larger process of ensuring that U.S. detention policy – at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere – is in line with the country’s founding documents and the U.S.-backed Geneva Conventions, which outlaw torture internationally. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | Articles, Civil Rights, Crime and Justice, Militarism, News Stories | Permalink
Posted by Gabe Schlabach

Reframing the Conflict in Gaza

January 16, 2009

top_logo1The violence in Gaza continues, even as rumors of a possible ceasefire circulate. Media coverage of the conflict too often provides just one side of the story. Click here to read a recent analysis of the language often used when talking about Gaza and some suggestions for reframing it, from the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions, an Israeli partner of MCC.

Leave a Comment » | Middle East | Permalink
Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach

Spring Seminar: Hunger for Justice – The Global Food Crisis (UPDATED)

January 14, 2009

seminar170

March 28-30 2009  Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church Wichita, KS

Please join us for a seminar that will include speakers, workshops, and a visit to a congressional office. 

  1. More info
  2. Register (early registration discount until Feb. 27)

Leave a Comment » | Events, Global Economic Justice, U.S. Economic Justice | Permalink
Posted by Mary Stata

“Hitting the Snooze Button”

January 14, 2009

Mary Stata writes in Third Way Cafe about the conflict between the governments of South Sudan, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the rebel movement known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA):

On December 14 armies from Uganda, southern Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) launched a joint offensive aimed at defeating the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA is a rebel movement that has wreaked havoc in northern Uganda since the 1980s. In recent years, the rebel forces scattered throughout the region into southern Sudan and eastern DRC.

The LRA is notorious for enlisting child soldiers, mutilating victims (cutting off lips is a trademark), and indiscriminately raping women and girls. The international community has made several attempts to get LRA commander Joseph Kony to surrender. In November, Kony failed to sign the most recent peace agreement. Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | Africa, Articles, Militarism | Permalink
Posted by Gabe Schlabach

SUDAN: Lingering uncertainties over North-South truce

January 13, 2009

In 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) brokered a power sharing government, articulated a roadmap for Sudan’s recovery, and ended two decades of civil war.  However four years after the signing, full implemetation has yet to be realized.  Significant challenges including elections, border demarcation, and demobilisation remain, according to a recent IRIN article.  Despite these obstacles the article states that,

“Local leaders in Southern Sudan say relative calm has allowed them to begin to focus on health, education, and other social services and meeting the resettlement needs of returnees.”

While progress has been made in Sudan, it is clear that considerable challenges and lingering uncertainties will exist until the CPA is fully implemented.

Click here to learn more about Sudan, the CPA, and how you can get involved.

1 Comment | Africa, News Stories, Sudan Web Campaign | Permalink
Posted by Mary Stata

Gaza Crisis Continues; MCC Resources Available

January 13, 2009
AP photo

AP photo

Israel’s attacks on Gaza have entered their 18th day, as the humanitarian crisis there continues to escalate.  MCC has responded by sending relief aid and calling for church members to contact their elected officials. How can you get involved? Contact your government representatives. Donate to MCC’s relief efforts. Read the letter sent to President Bush by MCC U.S. And stay up-to-date by reading blog updates from MCC’s Middle East representatives and the MCC Palestine team.

Leave a Comment » | Middle East | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach

“O Little Town of Bethlehem”

January 8, 2009

Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach writes in Third Way Cafe about the Israeli occupation of Bethlehem.  An excerpt:

Bethlehem, part of the West Bank, has been severely affected by the Israeli occupation. The main road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem has been closed. Residents must go through checkpoints and apply for permits to travel from one place to another. The Israeli-built “security wall” cuts right through the town and prevents residents from getting to their farmland outside.

Because access is so difficult, many Bethlehem businesses have been forced to close. Some residents, including many Palestinian Christians, have moved elsewhere. It is hard to imagine a state of affairs more contrary to what we serenely sing: “above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.”

But it does not have to be this way. Just as Herod’s decisions dramatically affected the lives of Bethlehem residents 2000 years ago, the decisions of political leaders today affect the wellbeing of Bethlehem and all of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Read the full article at Third Way Cafe, and if you feel comfortable, please sign an ecumenical letter to President-Elect Obama, urging him to provide diplomatic support for a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.

Leave a Comment » | Articles, Middle East | Permalink
Posted by Gabe Schlabach

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