Welcoming the Stranger: U.S. Immigration Policy

March 26, 2009

Spring 2009 Memo CoverThe latest issue of the print version of the Washington Memo should be arriving in homes this week.  The feature article along with accompanying Internet-only features are available now on this website.

This Memo covers many aspects of the U.S. immigration debate, including economic causes, immigrant domestic violence victims and the detention of the undocumented.  Also in the Memo are MCC’s policy positions on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, worship resources, and advocacy examples.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of the Washington Memo delivered to your home, please sign up for a free one-year trial.

(Note: All articles from the previous Washington Memo issue – On Earth Peace: The Government’s Role in Building Peace – are now available.)

Leave a Comment » | Articles, Civil Rights, Crime and Justice, Global Economic Justice, Immigration, Latin America/Caribbean, Resources, U.S. Economic Justice, Website Updates | Permalink
Posted by Gabe Schlabach

“Bombs (Go) Away”

March 26, 2009

Cluster BombAshlinn Sarani writes in Third Way Cafe about the scourge of cluster bombs, MCC’s advocacy for a ban and ways you can get involved.  Excerpts:

Meet the cluster bomb. It is a small explosive submunition or bomblet that is delivered from a long distance to its target in a large canister. They are meant to detonate on ground impact and send metal flying that is able to do damage over areas of land as large as several football fields. However, between 10 and 30 percent of these bomblets are often “duds”-they do not explode when they hit the ground, but instead stay dangerously intact until something or someone comes into contact with them weeks, months or years later. Because of this, cluster munitions are an especially pernicious type of weapon. Even when these bombs are not dropped in civilian areas, they have high potential to kill, maim, or disable civilians. They disrupt life long after an armed conflict has ended.

It might seem incongruous to discuss “responsible” weaponry from a Mennonite point of view, but Mennonite Central Committee has long advocated for banning cluster bomb use. This past December, government representatives from 94 countries gathered in Oslo, Norway to sign a treaty that would ban the use, storage, production and transfer of cluster bombs. Unfortunately the United States did not participate. Encouragingly, President Obama’s transition team has promised to review the treaty.

Most recently, MCC U.S. signed a letter to President Obama urging him to join with other nations in banning the use of these deadly weapons.

You can join the effort to ban cluster bombs by sharing this information with others and by writing President Obama and urging him to sign on to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The full article is available at thirdway.com.

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

Photo Gallery Highlights LRA Attacks in Northern Congo

March 24, 2009

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group that has plagued Northern Uganda for the past two decades, staged attacks on civilians in Congo in late 2008.  Human Rights Watch recently unveiled an online photo gallery of communities affected by the violence.  Since December, the attacks have continued and the fighting has displaced thousands.

Leave a Comment » | Africa | Permalink
Posted by Mary Stata

Aerial Spraying on the U.S.-Mexico Border

March 24, 2009

Rio Grande RiverThe U.S. Border Patrol may start spraying herbicide in areas along the Rio Grande later this week, according to an article in the El Paso Newspaper Tree:

In the Vietnam War, the United States sprayed vast tracts of land with the chemical defoliant Agent Orange as part of a counter-insurgency strategy aimed at removing forest cover for Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces… the toxic dioxin released by Agent Orange was later blamed by US veterans’ groups and Vietnamese officials for illnesses and diseases that struck thousands of former US soldiers and upwards of four million Vietnamese citizens…

Four decades later, on the US-Mexico border, the US Border Patrol intends to employ a chemical herbicide in order to eradicate stands of the Carrizo cane, an invasive plant that grows as tall as 30 feet and provides convenient cover for undocumented border crossers and smugglers… Possibly beginning next week, the US Border Patrol could commence aerial herbicide spraying along a slice of the Rio Grande between the twin cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.

Also, see this article in today’s Houston Chronicle.

Click here to learn more about how U.S. border security efforts are wreaking havoc on the environment and on border communities and what actions you can take.  Come to Washington, DC for Border Wall Lobby Week April 26-29.

Leave a Comment » | Environment, Immigration, News Stories | Permalink
Posted by Tammy Alexander

“The Voice of the Displaced”

March 20, 2009

CazucaKaia Vereida writes in Third Way Cafe about internally displaced people (IDPs) in Colombia.  An excerpt:

Over four million people have been displaced by the Colombian conflict, almost a tenth of the population of Colombia. The only country in the world with more internally displaced people (IDPs) is Sudan. The displaced are the primary victims of the war between guerillas, paramilitaries, and the Colombian government forces. The establishment of a just peace in Colombia depends upon finding solutions to the problem of displacement. In order to meet the needs of the IDPs, we must hear their stories and learn the causes of displacement.

Here in the United States, we can learn about the stories of the internally displaced in Colombia so that we can pray for them, and also so that we know how to advocate on their behalf. Since 2000, the US government has given over $6 billion in aid to Colombia, most of which has been military aid which fuels the conflict. The Days of Prayer and Action for Peace in Colombia is an opportunity to devote time to praying for the internally displaced and the churches that reach out to them, and a chance to advocate on their behalf. On April 19 and 20, postcards will be sent to President Obama asking him to end all military aid to Colombia, prioritize social and humanitarian funding for internally displaced persons, and support victims’ efforts to find truth and obtain justice and reparations. You can register for the Days of Prayer and Action at http://washington.mcc.org/days.

Read the full article at thirdway.com.

Leave a Comment » | Articles, Global Economic Justice, Latin America/Caribbean | Permalink
Posted by Gabe Schlabach

“Washington, DC’s Catch-22″

March 20, 2009
DC license plates protest against the District's lack of voting representation in Congress

DC license plates protest against the District's lack of voting representation in Congress

Gabe Schlabach writes in Peacesigns about Washington, DC residents’ unjust choice between a vote in Congress and the ability to set their own gun violence prevention laws.

An excerpt:

In late February, the U.S. Senate passed the D.C. Voting Rights Act of 2009, which would grant the District of Columbia a vote in the House of Representatives.

Most District residents were thrilled when this bill seemed on the verge of becoming law. But that excitement turned to frustration when Sen. John Ensign of Nevada successfully tacked on a major, last-minute modification to the bill.

Sen. Ensign’s amendment would strip District lawmakers of their ability to set local gun violence prevention laws, barring Washington, D.C. from enacting any restrictions on gun availability above the federal minimum. This would allow dangerous weapons, such as semiautomatic AK-47s and Uzis, into the nation’s capital legally.

This puts D.C. residents in an awkward and unjust position: They can choose to support the D.C. Voting Rights Act, knowingly giving up some of their rights to local self-governance. Or they can oppose the Act, having come so close to achieving the federal representation afforded to other U.S. citizens.

This puts D.C. residents in an awkward and unjust position: They can choose to support the D.C. Voting Rights Act, knowingly giving up some of their rights to local self-governance. Or they can oppose the Act, having come so close to achieving the federal representation afforded to other U.S. citizens.

The full article is available at PeaceSigns.

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

Hunger for Justice: The Global Food Crisis

March 18, 2009

Spring Seminar BeansFood prices have risen drastically across the world, affecting millions of people. The price of staple foods such as rice, wheat, corn, milk, soy, and meat rose significantly in the last year. The jump in food prices directly affects the poorest billion people in the world, 70% of whom live in Africa, as well as the four billion low-income people living in the 58 least-wealthy countries.  The Bible clearly directs us to provide for those in need. Jesus spoke of righteousness as meeting the needs of the hungry and thirsty (Matthew 25:35), and in Acts those who followed Jesus practiced sharing their food and resources so that all had enough (Acts 2:45).

The MCC Washington Office Spring Seminar on the topic of the global food crisis will explore the causes of the global food crisis as well as offering a biblical and theological view of the crisis. The seminar will also offer workshops from experts on multiple aspects of the crisis including the effects of bio-fuels on food production and prices, the role of globalization in the food crisis, and how individuals and communities can respond to the crisis. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit a congressional office. 

There is still time to register! We hope you can join us in Wichita, Kansas at Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church from March 28-30.  A limited number of student scholarships are still available, so please contact us if you are interested.

To register for the Spring Seminar or for more information please visit http://washington/mcc.org, call (202) 544-6564, or e-mail dcint2@mcc.org.

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

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