NewPeople October Rough draft

October, 2011 NEWPEOPLE - 1

By Mike Pastorkovich

Physicist, enviromental activist, and ecofeminist

Dr. Vandana Shiva, named one of the seven most-

influential women in the world by Forbes maga-

zine in 2010, will be the keynote speaker and an-

nual award recipient at the Thomas Merton Cen-

ter dinner scheduled for Thursday, November 3,

at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel in Pitts-

burgh. Much of Dr. Shiva's environmentalist en-

ergies have been focused on biotechnology and

the patenting of life-forms. A frequent target of

her criticism has been the multi-national corpora-

tion Monsanto which specializes in producing

pesticide-resistant seeds, and she has been quoted

as saying "instead of rewarding them [Monsanto]

with a patent, they should be punished for pollut-

ing our food chain."

Dr. Vandana Shiva was born in 1952 in Dehra

Dun, Uttarakhand, India to a forest conservator

father and a nature-loving mother. Having re-

ceived an undergraduate degree in physics, Dr.

Shiva received a Ph.D in philosophy of science

from the University of Western Ontario in Canada

in 1979 with her doctoral dissertation "Hidden

Variables and Locality in Quantum Theory".

Dr. Shiva's turn toward environmental activism

occurred as she reflected upon the fact that India

has "the third biggest scientific community in the

world...[yet]...we are among the poorest of coun-

tries. Science and technology are supposed to cre-

ate growth, remove poverty. Where is the gap?"

After taking three years to look at science policy

issues, she says she "found that dominant science

and technology serve the interests of the power-

ful."

In the late 1980s, Dr. Shiva founded the Research

Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology

which concentrates on biotech and patenting is-

sues, and in 1991 she founded Navdanya, a na-

tional movement in India to protect the diversity

and integrity of living resources, especially native

seeds. These organizations, according to Dr.

Shiva, are "committed to resist patents on seeds

and life forms promoted by...WTO [World Trade

Organization] which lead to the privatization of

biodiversity and piracy of traditional knowledge."

In the words of writer David Kemker, Dr. Shiva is

now "focused on preventing imperialism over life

itself." "I don't want to live in a world where five

giant companies control our health and our food, "

Dr. Shiva has said. Navdanya's work has resulted

in the conservation of more than 2000 varities of

rice in India, and the Research Foundation for

Science, Technology, and

Ecology has successfully challenged the biopiracy

of Neem, Basmati, and Wheat.

For Dr. Shiva, ecology and feminism are

"inseparable" because, among other reasons,

"women are the custodians of biodiversity, the

providers of food security...the conservers of the

cultural diversity of food traditions." She also

promotes a vision of Earth Democracy and sees

the mission of the organizations she has founded

to be "to meet people‘s needs while protecting the

earth, defending our ecological and cultural heri-

tage, and strengthen livelihood and food secu-

rity."

Mike Pastorkovich is a lifelong resident of the

greater Pittsburgh area who spent the major-

ity of his working life with Verizon where he

was a shop steward with the International

Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Several

years ago he took a "buyout" early retirement.

He is currently active with the Sierra Club, the

TMC Anti-War Committee, and Pax Christi.

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. 42, No. 7 October, 2011

Dr. Vandana Shiva

Pages 1, 8

Troy Davis and the Death Penalty

– Page 11

Civil Rights Move-ment Bus Tour Page 12

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.

MERTON CENTER HONORS GLOBAL ACTIVIST

VANDANA SHIVA

Photo by Nic Paget-Clarke

2 - NEWPEOPLE October, 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)

[email protected]

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

[email protected]

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

[email protected]

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 Renew your Merton Center Mem-bership!

Page 5 Low Cost Wind Energy

Page 7 Pittsburgh—Haiti Partnership

Page 11 The Death Penalty

Page 13 The Big Idea Bookstore

Page 13 Gaza in Crisis Book Review

Page 14 PA Anti-Torture Conference

CONTACT INFORMATION

General information ..................... www.thomasmertoncenter.org/contact-us/

Or [email protected]

Submissions .................................. [email protected]

Events & Calendar Items ............. www.bit.ly/tmcevents


The Thomas Merton Center

Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day

Dorothy Day lived in New York City among the poor, and Thomas Merton was a monk in rural Kentucky.

When I first came to the Catholic Worker in 1960, I was still in the Navy. I was 19 years old, working at the U.S. Weather Bureau as a very young mete-

orologist and taking kids to Mass on Sunday from a little institution in Washington where I was volunteering in my spare time. I found a copy of Doro-

thy‘s newspaper, The Catholic Worker, in the library at this particular parish, Blessed Sacrament, and became curious about the woman and went up one

weekend from Washington to New York to see what the Catholic Worker was all about.

In New York I was given a bag of mail to take to her in Staten Island. She was sitting there with a letter opener at the end of a table with half a dozen

people sitting around. One of the rituals of life, as I discovered, was Dorothy reading the mail aloud to whoever happened to be there and telling stories.

One of the letters was from Thomas Merton, and I was absolutely astounded that Dorothy Day, who was very much ―in the world,‖ was corresponding

with Thomas Merton, who had left the world with a resounding slam of the door. Of course, they were both members of the Catholic Church and both

writers, but Merton had taken the express train out of New York City for good, and Dorothy lived at its very heart.

Dorothy periodically got arrested; Merton certainly did not. Dorothy was very much under a cloud from the point of view of many Catholics because of

her anti-war activities, and Merton was regarded as one of the principal Catholic writers in the world. But if they had been brother and sister they couldn‘t

have been very much closer. It was a very special friendship, a fruitful friendship for both of them.

From an interview with Jim Forest, US Catholic, Nov. 2011

The Thomas Merton Center Needs Your Membership!

Become a MEMBER today, and together, we can create a peaceful and just world.

Already a member? Now through December is the time to renew your membership!

2010 Membership Incentive: Those who join today will receive a free copy of “A Foundry of Consciousness” a Thomas Merton Center (TMC) documentary pro-duced by a member, and local videographer, John Detwiler. Simply fill out the form below and return it to the Thomas Merton Center – 5125 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224.

The Thomas Merton Center’s mission is to instill a consciousness of values and to raise the moral questions involved with war, racism, poverty and oppression. Our members are people from diverse philosophies and faiths who find common ground in the nonviolent struggle to bring about a more peaceful and just world. Since the Center's beginning thousands of people have joined with us to work together on this important mission and goal. Through protests, as well as ongoing projects, the active involvement of our members has been the backbone of our success. In all, twenty-five organizing campaigns and projects are supported by the Center (see other side). Our monthly newspaper, The NewPeople, is a key source of information for peace and justice activists interested in participating in social actions, campaigns, and justice-oriented awareness and advocacy events. Our web-site provides an up-to-date action calendar, and we send out a weekly electronic newsletter with up and coming events to let our members know about what's going on in the area and how they can get involved.

Become a TMC member today by completing the form below: * Members receive a yearly membership to the TMC newspaper The NewPeople, invitations to local, state

and national peace and justice events, and weekly email blasts about happenings in the area.

Name(s): ________________________________________________________________________ Organization (if applicable):_________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________ State: __________ Zip: _______________________ Home Phone: __________________________Cell Phone:_________________________________ Email: __________________________________________________________________________

$100 Family Membership $45 Individual Membership $15 Low-income Membership

TMC Membership Amount Due: $____________________________________________

Enclosed is my check made payable to “The Thomas Merton Center.” Please charge my credit card. ___ Visa ___ Mastercard Card Number: __________________________________ Exp. Date: ________________ Name on Card: ___________________________________________________________ Signature: _______________________________________________________________

TMC is an IRS-approved 501 (c) 3 organization; your donation qualifies as a charitable tax deduction.


ADVERTISEMENT

YOUR AD HERE!

To inquire about advertising space

in next month‘s issue, email [email protected]

Vandana Shiva is one of the world's most dynamic and pro-

vocative thinkers. Born in India in 1952, she trained as a

physicist at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. At

the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of

Management in Bangalore, India, she did research in sci-

ence, technology and environmental policy. In 1982, she set

up the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and

Natural Resource Policy in her home town of Dehra Dun

in the foothills of the Himalaya. The foundation's studies

have validated the ecological value of traditional farming

and have been instrumental in fighting destructive develop-

ment projects in India.

2011 TMC Award Dinner

Honoring

Dr. Vandana Shiva November 3, 2011

Sheraton Station Square

Register at www.thomasmertoncenter.org


By Joyce Rothermel

For 31 years, Greater Pittsburgh Community

Food Bank and Westmoreland County Food

Bank, with the help of organizations like the Tho-

mas Merton Center, have fought hunger in south-

western Pennsylvania. Together we have

achieved record levels of food distribution (more

than 31.5 million pounds of food this fiscal year

alone), raised awareness of the problem, and ad-

vocated for responsible public policies regarding

food and nutrition. Even so, according to the lat-

est census, 14 percent of our Southwestern Penn-

sylvania population -- 370,000 people – are still

food insecure.

We know that poverty causes hunger. But we in

food-banking and food assistance work also know

all too well that hunger can cause poverty. We see

the effects of hunger on adults unable to compete

successfully for jobs, on children whose futures

could be permanently affected by impaired health

and development, on seniors who have worked all

their lives only to face illness and dependency in

their "golden years."

In 2010, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food

Bank assembled more than 50 representatives

from food-banking, human services, faith-based

communities, health care, public education, gov-

ernment, and corporations whose charge was to

mobilize our region to end hunger. Together we

created a comprehensive plan to end hunger in

Southwestern Pennsylvania in five years. This

group has officially become the Southwestern

Pennsylvania Food Security Partnership, dedi-

cated to acting as a collaborative forum and using

the strength and momentum of working together

to turn the tide on regional hunger.

The need has never been greater. Since August of

2008, more than 2,500 new households a month

have been turning to food pantries and soup kitch-

ens for food assistance, including a large number

of recently unemployed people who, for the first

time in their lives, find themselves needing help

to feed their families.

Hunger is not inevitable. There are solutions. The

Southwestern PA Food Security Partnership‘s

mission is to maximize the efforts of our commu-

nity partners already doing heroic work across our

region through increased communication, sharing

resources, and bringing all the stakeholders to the

same table. While we will continue to advocate

for better public policy at all levels of govern-

ment, we don‘t have the luxury of waiting for na-

tional or statewide solutions. If southwestern

Pennsylvania is to thrive as a region, we must

meet this most basic of all human needs.

The five goals of the plan now being imple-

mented by the Partnership are:

1. Increase access to and utilization of

public and private food assistance pro

grams.

2. Build broad community engagement in

ending hunger.

3. Advocate for strong public policy sur

rounding hunger relief.

4. Partner with other social service pro

viders to address the larger issues of pov

erty.

5. Ensure more efficient administration of

systems and resources.

Your expertise is welcome in this endeavor to

close the hunger gap. To find out more, go to the

Food Bank‘s website at

www.pittsburghfoodbank.org and click on the

SW PA Food Security Partnership logo on the

left. To join the Partnership, contact Vic Papale,

the director at [email protected],

or 412-466-7711.

Joyce Rothermel is the Co-Chair of the SW PA

Food Security Partnership.

Pennsylvania

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Food Security Partnership:

Twelve Counties Five Years, One Focus—Closing the Hunger Gap

By Dan Papia

More and more Pennsylvanians are now shopping

for the best deal on electricity, and surprisingly,

the best-priced product available is a 100% wind

product. The Squirrel Hill based non-profit or-

ganization Citizen Power, Inc. joined up with

TriEagle Energy, LP to offer a 100% renewable

wind electricity plan in the Duquesne Light ser-

vice territory, which covers most of Allegheny

and Beaver counties. The certified 100% wind

Green Eagle 24 product, currently available only

through Citizen Power‘s Green Energy Coopera-

tive, beats every other product, green or other-

wise. This is largely due to the maturing of wind

generation technologies, which has brought down

the price of wind electricity considerably in recent

years. Additionally, Citizen Power‘s utilization of

the non-profit/cooperative business model has

allowed TriEagle to offer a very attractive rate.

According to Executive Director Titus North,

Citizen Power was frustrated by the lack of low-

priced wind alternatives available to electricity

consumers. Marketing costs are high in the elec-

tricity industry, and marketing to what is consid-

ered the niche environmentalist population is just

not worth it to the big power companies. Citizen

Power has a long history of fighting on behalf of

electricity consumers and the environment, and

felt that it was well positioned to present a low-

cost green product to the public. After taking its

idea to numerous electric generation companies,

Citizen Power decided to partner with TriEagle

Energy, a low-cost/high-value electricity pro-

vider. TriEagle agreed to create a product that

would be 100% backed by certified wind RECs

(renewable energy credits) from Pennsylvania and

neighboring states, and Citizen Power offered to

provide the marketing in exchange for the lowest

price for consumers.

"Our mission is the promotion of renewable en-

ergy," said North, "and we believe that this is the

most effective way to do so." North sees public

concern about the environment on the rise due to

nuclear crises, oil spills, fracking, and climate

change. "People want to do something positive,

but in this economy, not many people can afford

to purchase a hybrid car or put solar panels on

their roof. However, with this program you can

help the environment and save money at the same

time." Switching from Duquesne Light's default

service saves consumers more than 20% off of the

generation portion of their electric bills.

Duquesne Light will continue to handle the bill-

ing and line maintenance for its customers who

switch. Back in the 1990s when Pennsylvania

deregulated electricity, electricity generation was

separated from transmission and distribution. Re-

gardless of who generates the electricity, the local

utility (Duquesne Light in our area) provides the

distribution. This means that switching generation

companies will not affect reliability. "The lights

won't go out when the wind stops," North said.

"The only change people will notice will be a

lower electricity bill."

To sign up for TriEagle Energy‘s Green Eagle

wind product, visit citizenpower.com/GEC and

enroll in the Green Energy Cooperative, a Citizen

Power program. Membership is free, and mem-

bers will then be able to sign up for the Green

Eagle wind products from TriEagle. To find out

more about this opportunity to save money and

the environment at the same time, see

www.citizenpower.com/GEC or call Citizen

Power at 412-421-7029.

Dan Papia is a U.K.-based journalist who

writes about energy and environmental issues.

Low-cost wind energy comes to Pittsburgh

http://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/

mailto:[email protected]


International

By Michael Drohan

The Cuban Five refers to five Cuban citizens who

were arrested and detained in Florida on Septem-

ber 12, 1998. Their names: Gerardo Hernandez

Nordelo, Ramon Labanino Salazar, Antonio

Guerrero Rodriguez, Fernando Gonzalez Llort

and Rene Gonzalez Sehwerert. The indictment

against them consisted of 26 separate counts.

Most of the charges were minor, relating to the

use of false identification (the three non-U.S. citi-

zens among the defendants who used false pass-

ports). The most serious charges alleged espio-

nage and murder; charges which carry life sen-

tences. However, the indictment did not actually

charge the defendants with those crimes

but rather with ―conspiracy to commit

them.‖ With this charge, the prosecutors

were relieved of actually having to prove

that any defendant actually engaged in es-

pionage or committed murder, or even that

such offenses had actually occurred.

The defendants testified that they were at-

tempting to prevent terrorist attacks against

their country, Cuba, by Cuban exiles resi-

dent in Southern Florida. They had suc-

cessfully infiltrated some, if not most, of

these terrorist groups and reported on them

to their government who shared the infor-

mation with the FBI. If a U.S. citizen did this in a

foreign country and prevented a 9/11-like event,

he/she would be treated as a hero. The response

of the U.S. was to arrest the messenger and let the

terrorists continue their criminal work. While in

Cuba over the summer, I had the opportunity to

meet with the anguished parents, spouses and sib-

lings of the Cuban Five. In Cuba, these men are

held up as heroes, which they truly are, for their

role in preventing terrorist acts. The shocking re-

ality that the case reveals is that the U.S. aids and

abets the perpetrators of terrorist acts while incar-

cerating the opponents of terrorism. Luis Posado

Carriles, the alleged engineer of the blowing up of

a Cuban civilian airliner in 1976 walks freely in

the U.S. while the preventers of similar crimes

languish in prison.

The most recent and shocking news in regard to

this case is the revelation that during their trial,

the U.S. government – through its official propa-

ganda agency, the Broadcasting Board of Gover-

nors – was covertly paying prominent Miami

journalists to inflame the public with false infor-

mation. As the government conducted its prosecu-

tion, these paid journalists saturated the Miami

media with reports that were highly inflammatory

and prejudicial to the Cuban Five. These docu-

ments, released due to a Freedom of Information

Act request in September 2011, extend some hope

for a new trial and an exoneration of the defen-

dants.

The details of the case itself are truly devastating

in what they reveal about the total miscarriage of

justice in the U.S. The injustice began with the

five being held without bail for 33 months in

prison between arrest and trial. In addition, after

being sentenced, they were kept for 17 months in

solitary confinement cells used to punish prison-

ers guilty of assault and other violent behavior.

But that was only the beginning of the charade of

justice. The trial took place in Miami, and the

defendants appealed for a new venue. They main-

tained that it would be impossible to have a fair

trial in Miami due to the inflammatory and vio-

lent attitudes of the exiled Cuban community in

Florida. One of the defendants, Antonio Guerrero,

told the sentencing judge that ―when it comes to

Cuba, Miami is an impossible place for justice‖.

The irony of the case is that the very same U.S.

Attorney, in a later case involving discrimination

against minorities, Ramirez v Ashcroft et al, ar-

gued that it was impossible to have a fair trial in

Miami-Dade County.

The trial went ahead in Miami-Dade County with

the situation being further inflamed by what we

now know as government-paid journalists adding

fuel to the fire of hate against the Cubans. The

prosecutor of the case, in his last argument to the

jury, falsely and prejudicially escalated the gov-

ernment‘s rhetoric against the Five by declaiming,

no less than three times, that the defendants had

come to America ―in order to destroy the United

States.‖ In a U.S. Court of Law, five men who

had tried to prevent terrorist acts from tak-

ing place were convicted of doing exactly

the opposite.

With the stage set for a profound miscar-

riage of justice, a Miami jury deliberated

for only short periods over 4 days without

submitting a single note or query to the

court and found the defendants guilty in all

26 counts of the indictment. The verdict

was contested, and in August 2005, the 11th

Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Geor-

gia, unanimously ruled to reverse their con-

victions and order a new trial. In the mean-

time, however, the Five have been lan-

guishing in U.S. prisons, scattered throughout the

country, for 13 years with no reprieve.

With the latest revelations of the U.S. government

complicity in inflaming the case via paid journal-

ists, there is a glimmer of hope for justice for the

Cuban Five. To get involved and work for justice

in this case, go the following websites:

www.reportersforhire.org or to

www.freethefive.org .

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.

The Case of the Cuban Five: Plumbing the Injustice System

Don McNeill Russ Fedorka

Cartoon Corner

http://www.reportersforhire.org/

http://www.freethefive.org/


International

Pittsburgh—Haiti Partnership

Brings Student to Duquesne for 15th Year

By Peter Yehl

This year marks the fifteen year

anniversary of the Haiti Solidar-

ity Committee‘s collaborative

relationship between Fonkoze,

Haiti's bank for the organized

poor, and Duquesne University

here in Pittsburgh.

For 15 years now, the Pittsburgh

Regional Haiti Solidarity Com-

mittee (PRHSC) has shown its

commitment to strengthening the

relationship between Haiti and

the Pittsburgh community by

sponsoring staff from Fonkoze to

come to Pittsburgh to study for

two semesters at Duquesne Uni-

versity. Duquesne University of-

fers academic scholarships to the

Haitian students for the two-

semester long program. Fonkoze

identifies the students and pays

for their transportation to and

from Pittsburgh, provides health

insurance, payment for educa-

tional materials, and a small

monthly stipend. The Haiti Soli-

darity Committee, in turn, seeks

out host families who will pro-

vide the necessary room and

board for the two Haitian stu-

dents during their stay in Pitts-

burgh. Additionally, the Haiti

Solidarity Committee contributes

a substantial amount of social and

financial support for the two Hai-

tian students while they are en-

rolled in the Leadership and Pro-

fessional Advancement program

at Duquesne University.

Through this program, the

PRHSC seeks to enrich the Pitts-

burgh community through cross-

cultural contact with students

from Haiti while at the same time

providing for Fonkoze to enhance

the work of its organization.

After welcoming this year‘s

scholarship awardees, Nickelson

Pierre-Louis and Magdala

Fenelon, the Haiti Solidarity

Committee decided to sit down

with them and try to get to know

them a bit better and introduce

them to The NewPeople‘s read-

ers.

What did you do in your job at

Fonkoze before coming to Pitts-

burgh?

Nickelson: I was a loan officer.

That means I met with women in

various communities, gave them

instructions and let them know

how to get loans from Fonkoze. I

opened individual and non-

individual accounts for custom-

ers. I also conducted meetings at

the center.

Magdala: Before coming here, I

was an accountant at Fonkoze‟s

financial department in Port-au-

Prince. I verified intercompany

transfers, and I also verified the

accounts

receivable

and pay-

able.

What do

you hope

to achieve

by spend-

ing nine

months

here in

Pitts-

burgh?

Nickelson:

I hope to

acquire a

deeper under-

standing of

social groups by studying sociol-

ogy so that I can take part in the

social and economic development

of Haiti. I hope my knowledge

will also help Fonkoze to reach

its objectives.

Magdala: My goals for these

nine months in Pittsburgh are to

speak English clearly, easily and

effectively. I also want to take

other (non-ESL) courses for next

semester, to learn about diversity

in the United States. By the end, I

want to increase my intellectual

capacity and knowledge. Then,

when I come back to Haiti to con-

tinue to work with Fonkoze, I

want it to have a good mission

for the Haitian People.

What are your hopes for Fon-

koze and Haiti in the future?

Nickelson: I hope Fonkoze grows

and keeps supporting poor people

so that it continues to be the most

important institution of develop-

ment in the country. I suggest

that other institutions follow in

the steps of Fonkoze to create a

better future for Haiti.

Magdala: Through my knowl-

edge, I want to participate with

Fonkoze in the economic devel-

opment of Haiti, like helping

women to create their own busi-

ness, and showing them how to

do it well. If you really want to

help poor people, you don‟t have

to look far; just look at Fonkoze‟s

example. All Haitians have to do

something beneficial to transform

Haiti‟s situation. I don‟t have the

money to do it, but I think I have

something special, like my knowl-

edge, hard work and honesty. My

biggest dream is to see a new

Haiti, where people can work,

care about their children, and

have health insurance and social

security. I hope we can do that

together.

What do you like most about

your time here in Pittsburgh so

far?

Nickelson: I am so excited to see

how friendly the American people

are, and also how you pay atten-

tion to Haiti through your pro-

jects. I like the transportation

system and I enjoy the Pittsburgh

Zoo.

Magdala: I like the way that the

American People received us. I

also like their humor and hospi-

tality. I like when it‟s sunny; this

reminds me of Haiti.

What message would you give

to people in the United States

about your country, Haiti?

Nickelson: I would like to take

this opportunity to thank all the

American people for their soli-

darity with Haiti after the

[January 12, 2010] earthquake.

Your help was really necessary.

The country always needs your

support for reconstruction.

Magdala: Please, look at Haiti

with another set of eyes. Love it.

Your love can help us to advance

and progress. Keep thinking

about us.

If you are interested in helping to

sponsor a student for one month,

please contact Haiti Solidarity

Committee member Peter Yehl at

[email protected].

Also, if you have an interest in

becoming more involved with the

work of the Haiti Solidarity Com-

mittee, please join us at our up-

coming meetings on Sat., October

8th and Sat., November 19th at

10:00 am at the Thomas Merton

Center.

Peter Yehl is a recent graduate

of Duquesne University and a

member of the Pittsburgh Re-

gional Haiti Solidarity Commit-

tee.

Photo by Becky Newlin

Nickelson Pierre-Louis and Magdala Fenelon are studying at

Duquesne University for two semesters as part of a program run

by the Pittsburgh Regional Haiti Solidarity Committee.

By Jim Scofield

I will not celebrate

this killing, this focused head-shot

as a heroic mission

or as feel-good progress

some sanctioned triumph

vindicating presidents' political swagger of

revenge.

I will not honor our death squads

highly trained and proficient

killers

masters of covert executive policy

kicking in doors with soldiery brutality

on midnight raids, other assassinations.

Or the remote deaths administered

from terminals near Las Vegas,

drone-sighted pictures of erased figures

caught in real-time action

all properly verified and wiped-out

on camera before us.

Ten years of a world war on terror

as if the atrocious murderers of broken down

buildings

of that September morning

demonstrated our innocence

before or after

as if we have no history

in the Middle East

countries invaded, occupied, bought off

don't have to "hate our freedoms."

How justified or not

it's blowback against our unremembered

domination.

Each war finds its savage excuse

So America's terrorist casualties

and its most humane response

become a global war and hatred

against equally uninvolved bystanders

endless sacrifices to appease a manufactured

appetite for revenge

Killing this criminal bin Laden

is no balance for hundreds of thousands

killed

our suffered dead, their suffered dead

it's the extra-judicial lawless world

where power brags of what it can do,

with a smug smirk of self-satisfaction,

and how much it can still do.

Jim Scofield is an associate professor

emeritus at Pitt Johnstown, a local

peace and justice advocate, and op-ed con-

tributor to the local daily

newspaper, the Tribune-Democrat.

The bin Laden

Assassination


Local News

Dr. Vandana Shiva - Who is this Woman?

By Regina Birchem

―Shiva is a burst of creative energy, an intellec-

tual power‖ – The Progressive

Vandana Shiva is acclaimed internationally as a

provocative thinker, scientist, writer and environ-

mental activist. The recipient of many awards

and honorary degrees, Shiva received the 1993

prestigious Right Livelihood Award. Sometimes

called the Alternative Nobel Prize, the award hon-

ors those ―working on practical and exemplary

solutions to the most urgent challenges facing the

world today.‖

Dr. Shiva is a leader in the International Forum

on Globalization (IFG) and the Slow Food move-

ment fighting the merging of corporations and

government in her native India and around the

globe. ―The American people should see that cor-

porations have abandoned them long ago….The

people will have to rebuild democracy as a living

democracy.‖ Forbes magazine named her one of

the

world‘s

seven

most

influen-

tial

women.

After

receiv-

ing her

M.A.

and PhD

in Can-

ada,

Shiva

returned

to New

Delhi,

India.

She cen-

tered her

research

in sci-

ence,

technol-

ogy and

environmental policy. In 1982, she left academ-

ics to found the Research Foundation for Science,

Technology and Ecology with a scientific focus

on biodiversity. Shiva is currently associated

with the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian

Institute of Management in Bangalore.

In 1984, after four days of massacres in Punjab

and the Bhopal tragedy, a paradigm shift in the

practice of agriculture was demanded. This lead

to an initiative called Navdanya. Both a move-

ment and an organization, Navdanya (―nine

crops‖) was born of the search

for nonviolent farming, to

protect diversity, to defend

small farmers‘ rights and pro-

mote organic farming

(www.navdanya.org).

Navdanya has, so far, con-

served more than 5000 crop

varieties, including 3000 of

rice, 95 of wheat, 150 kidney

beans, and many varieties of

other important crops and me-

dicinal plants.

After the 2001 9/11 attacks in

New York, Van-

dana Shiva and

Satish Kumar, in

partnership with

the UK

Schumacher

College,

launched an education initiative,

Bija Vidyapeeth, to explore and

practice principles of ecological liv-

ing at Navdanya‘s Doon Valley or-

ganic farm. ―The school promotes a

vision of holistic solutions rooted in

deep ecology and democracy as an

alternative to the current world or-

der that is characterized by blind

policies guided by greed, destruc-

tion and war.‖

Shiva weaves her research and

views on planetary destruction,

global justice, women‘s rights, agri-

culture, cultural piracy, privatization

of water and natural resources, cor-

porate control and genetic engineer-

ing, and wars and violence in a pow-

erfully urgent call for Earth Democracy, non-

violence and peace.

Dr. Shiva found her inspiration for earth rights in

the Himalayan Chipko movement in defense of

the forests and the mass participation of women

in the agrarian economy.

For Shiva, ecology and feminism, women‘s rights

with nature‘s rights are inseparable.

―Women producing survival are showing us that

nature is the very basis and matrix of economic

life through its

function in life-

support and liveli-

hood, and the ele-

ments of nature

that the dominant

view has treated as

‗waste‘ are the

basis of sustain-

ability and the

wealth of the poor

and the mar-

ginal‖ (Staying

Alive: Women,

Ecology and De-

velopment, 1988,

2010, p 224).

Vandana Shiva

has authored more

than 20 books and

hundreds of arti-

cles and speeches.

Some of the latter including interviews and films

can be found at http://www.zcommunications.org/

zspace/vandanashiva

Books include: Staying Alive: Women, Ecology

and Development, a 1988 classic reprinted in

2010 with a new introduction (South End Press);

Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and

Peace (South End Press, 2005) gives the broad

scope of Shiva‘s research topics; Water Wars:

Privatization, Pollution and Profit (South End

Press, 2002); Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice

in and Age of Climate Crisis (South End Press,

2008); Stolen Harvest: Hijacking of the Global

Food Supply (South End Press, 2000); Monocul-

tures of the Mind (Zed, 1993); Protect or Plun-

der? Understanding Intellectual Property Rights

(Zed, 2001).

Regina Birchem, Ph.D. is a Westmoreland

County biologist, environment and peace advo-

cate, past International President of Women's

International League for Peace and Freedom

(WILPF).

The Celebration of Caring, a fundraising dinner

and reception, hosted by Northside Common

Ministries (NCM) will honor two renowned urban

and suburban ministers who have valiantly

worked to improve the lives of the hungry and

homeless for more than three decades. NCM, a

nonprofit organization founded by local church

congregations, is home to Allegheny County‘s

largest food pantry, in terms of numbers of fami-

lies served, feeding more than 950 low income

families. NCM also operating an emergency shel-

ter for homeless men facing challenging life and

economic circumstances.

The ministers being honored, Reverend John

Welch of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary,

and Reverend Jay Passavant of the North Way

Christian Community Church, will speak to the

power of caring for other at the dinner scheduled

to occur on October 28 at 6 PM at the Grand Hall,

located at the Priory on the Northside of Pitts-

burgh.

Another local community champion of the home-

less and hungry, Nikki Heckman, owner of Bistro

to Go, located in the East Allegheny neighbor-

hood of Northside, will receive a Celebration of

Caring Award at the dinner for her lifelong dedi-

cation to helping those in need.

As Reverend Passavant sees it, "With nearly 46

million Americans now living ‗in poverty‘; we

may tempted to forget the plight of those living

everyday under the most serious of conditions.

There are thousands of hungry, homeless and op-

pressed individuals and families right here in

Pittsburgh. Anyone who takes the Gospel seri-

ously cannot turn away from these needy but en-

dearing souls.‖ Rev. Passavant explains further,

―We are here to touch some of those lives every

single day.‖

NCM is located at 1601 Brighton Road on the

Northside of Pittsburgh and has served the hungry

and homeless for thirty years with the help of

committed congregations and local residents. The

need for NCM‘s services is greater today al-

though funding is more limited. All funds raised

at the dinner support NCM‘s mission to feed the

hungry and shelter the homeless. Individual tick-

ets are $75 per person. Sponsorships are avail-

able. For more information call Jay Poliziana,

Director of NCM, at 412-323-1163, or email

[email protected].

Northside Common Ministries ―Celebration of Caring‖

Honoring ~ Rev. Jay Passavant, Rev. John Welch and Nikki Heckman

October 28, 6 PM – Grand Hall at the Priory, Northside

Dr. Shiva on Making Justice and Peace

Possible: These oppositional categories are simultane-

ously ecological and feminist: they allow the pos-

sibility of survival by exposing the parochial ba-

sis of science and development and by showing

how ecological destruction and he marginaliza-

tion of women are not inevitable, economically

or scientifically.

Women of the Third World have conserved

those categories of thought and action which

make survival possible, and which therefore

make justice and peace possible.

Ecology movements, women‘s movements

and peace movements across the world can draw

inspiration from these categories as forces of op-

position and challenge to the dominant categories

of western patriarchy which rule the world today

in the name of development and progress, even

while they destroy nature and threaten the life of

entire cultures and communities.

Dr. Shiva on Biodiversity and Women: Economics has rendered women‘s work as food

providers invisible. Because women provide for the

household, not the market, they have remained invisi-

ble as farmers despite their contribution to farming.

Science and technology have rendered women‘s

knowledge and productivity worthless by ignoring

the dimension of diversity in agricultural production.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organiza-

tion report Women Feed the World, women use more

plant diversity, both cultivated and uncultivated than

agriculture scientists have knowledge of. Contrasted

with the monocultures promoted by western science,

in Nigerian home gardens women plant 18 to 57

plant species…

In Guatemala, home gardens of smaller than 0.1

hectare have more than ten tree and crop species. In

one African home garden more than 60 species of

food-producing trees were counted. In Thailand, re-

searchers found 230 species in home gardens. In In-

dia, women use 150 different species of plants for

vegetables, fodder and health care...Women are the

biodiversity experts of the world.



Local News

By Ashlee Green

Corey Carrington , a 23-year-old recent gradu-

ate of Slippery Rock University, will serve as

the new Public Ally for the Thomas Merton

Center starting September 19. Carrington, for-

mer President of the Commonwealth Associa-

tion of Students and Treasurer of the Black

Action Society at SRU, will work primarily

with The NewPeople, and though he is not yet

sure of which specific tasks he will be working

on for the organization, he is eager to be-

gin.―The unknown excites me because it forces

me to think on my feet, be creative and work

hard,‖ says Carrington.

The Public Ally position is one of many jobs

offered through AmeriCorps, a government

program started in 1993 to tackle community

issues throughout the nation. Public Allies

work on behalf of several communities and

nonprofit organizations throughout the country.

Other nonprofit organizations participating in

Pittsburgh are the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank,

Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, Union Project,

A+ Schools, and Pittsburgh Conservatory.

―One of the main things that we are taught is how

to be an effective community leader, whether that

community be as small as a neighborhood or as

broad as a city or a country,‖ says Carrington.

Carrington underwent three rounds of interviews

before he was offered the position with the Tho-

mas Merton Center. Public Allies work four days

a week at their corresponding nonprofit organiza-

tion and spend a fifth day gathering as a whole to

skill train with Public Allies leaders and share

their progress with one another.

―The Public Allies that are in my class right now,

we‘re doing a lot of different things in a lot of

different places, but the overall goal is to make

the world we‘re in – Pittsburgh – and on a

broader spectrum, the world, a better place,‖ says

Carrington.

Carrington‘s interest in the TMC – The NewPeo-

ple specifically – stems from his background in

journalism and communications. In the past, he

worked for SRU‘s school newspaper, The Rocket,

The Northside Chronicle, KQV-AM and WAMO.

With his position at the TMC, Carrington hopes

to move ahead both personally and professionally.

He explains:

―I hope to reach an untapped population of peo-

ple who normally don‘t know about human

rights, civil rights or social justice: to get more

people involved, to get more people to care or

even just to pay attention.‖

Carrington‘s passion for writing does not stop

at journalism. Under the alias ―Grits Capone‖,

earlier this year he performed his spoken word

poetry at the Eargasm Poetry Slam, held at the

downtown August Wilson Center. He has also

performed at the Shadow Lounge in East Lib-

erty.

―This job is going to open my mind up to dif-

ferent situations,‖ he says. ―I definitely think

it‘s going to improve my poetry and my writing

as a whole.‖

Public Allies positions are ten months long.

Though he is unsure of what is to come after his

time with the TMC, Carrington has many poten-

tial pursuits: Applying to the Peace Corps for

education, literacy or HIV and AIDS awareness

work or attending Graduate School for Creative

Writing are two of them.

―I am very honored, privileged and excited to be

working for the Thomas Merton Center, says Car-

rington. I will do everything in my power to be

the best Public Ally that I can be.‖

Ashlee Green is a freelance writer, traveler

and activist. She is currently working on a zine

about racism in the U.S. prison system. Visit

her blog at ashleegreen.wordpress.com.

Corey Carrington: The TMC‘s Public Ally

UPMC and Highmark: ―Shame on You!‖ By Molly Rush

Aggie Brose of the Bloomfield Garfield Corpora-

tion said it best, "I'm just in complete awe that

you are our healthcare providers. Shame on you.‖

She was one of about 300 people who showed up

for a September 8th Town Meeting organized by

Sen. Jim Ferlo about, in his words, ―a very ugly

divorce.‖ That is, UPMC‘s response to High-

mark‘s plan to purchase and run West Penn Hos-

pital, which is in danger of closing. If the plan

comes to fruition, Highmark subscribers would

have to pay significantly higher ―out of network‖

charges for UPMC services. It also means they

may need to change doctors.

UPMC‘s Tom McGough‘s solution: subscribe to

another insurance company. By the way, UPMC

has its own insurance plan (conflict of interest?).

Got a pre-existing condition? Well, that‘s your

problem. Non-profit UPMC, by the way, in addi-

tion to its 15 hospitals in Western PA, runs three

in Ireland, Italy and the UK. They are building a

$250 million hospital in Monroeville, a mile from

a competitor. Yet Highmark should not compete

with them. This is just the way of our cutthroat

―free market‖ health care system – if care is the

right word.

People lined up at the microphone to denounce

the plan. When several speakers mentioned single

payer as an alternative, cheers rang out from the

audience. Could UPMC unwittingly be helping

the cause? A friend told me she once heard

UPMC CEO Jeffrey Romoff, when asked, reply

that single payer was the best solution, but ―I

have a business to run.‖

Time to join Health Care for All PA, folks. Go to

www.healthcare4allpa.org to sign up. You might

add a donation to help fund an economic impact

study of PA Senate Bill 400. Prime sponsor is

none other than Jim Ferlo.

Molly Rush is a member of the steering committee

of PUSH - PA, Pennsylvanians United for Single-

payer Healthcare.

By Joyce Rothermel

Again this year, the Association of Pittsburgh

Priests, an affiliate of the Thomas Merton Center,

is hosting a fall speakers‘ series. In September,

Sr. Simone Campbell, an advocate for change in

the political system and current Executive Direc-

tor of Network, the Catholic social justice lobby-

ing group in Washington, D.C., spoke on ―Politics

and the Contemplative Life.‖

On Thursday, Oct. 13, Sr. Maureen Fiedler, radio

host of Interfaith Voices, promoting social justice,

peace, anti-racism work, gender equality, human

rights, and women‘s ordination in the Catholic

church will speak on ―Breaking through the Glass

Ceiling: Women Religious Leaders in Their own

Words,‖ at 7 PM at the Kearns Spirituality Center

next to LaRoche College in Allison Park (behind

the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Divine Provi-

dence). Sr. Maureen served for 26 years as the

Co-Director of the Quixote Center, a national

faith-based justice center in the D.C. area. She

will base her talk on interviews of women rising

to new leadership in multiple roles and faith tradi-

tions. Her hope is that it will open up a wide-

ranging discussion of the role of women in Ro-

man Catholicism and beyond.

The final speaker is Edwina Gateley, whose talk

is entitled, ―Knock Knock Who‘s There?: Explor-

ing our Call to Be Faithful and Prophetic in a

Broken World and Church.‖ Ms. Gateley is a

theologian, advocate, writer, poet and mother.

She will speak from her own faith journey of dis-

cipleship, women in Scripture, justice, mission,

mysticism, and the Divine Feminine.

The events are open to the public. A donation of

$15 is requested. For more information, call Sr.

Mary Joan Coultas at 412-366-1124. Reserva-

tions are not required.

To learn more about the Association of Pittsburgh

Priests, call Fr. John Oesterle at 412-232-7512.

Visitors are also welcome at

www.catholicpittsburgh.org

Joyce Rothermel is the Chair of the Church Re-

newal Committee of the Association of Pittsburgh

Priests.

Fall Speakers‘ Series of Association of PGH Priests Continues

Corey Carrington, the TMC‘s newest addition.

Photo by Jordana Rosenfeld

http://ashleegreen.wordpress.com

http://www.healthcare4allpa.org/

http://www.catholicpittsburgh.org/


ADVERTISEMENT

2011 TMC Award Dinner Honoring

Dr. Vandana Shiva

“Vandana Shiva is one of the world‟s most prominent radical scientists…In Staying Alive

she defines the links between ecological crises, colonialism and the oppression of women. It

is a scholarly and polemical plea for the rediscovery of the „feminine principle‟ in human

interaction with the natural world, not as a gender-based quality, rather as an organizing

principle, a way of seeing the world.”

–The Guardian

November 3, 2011

Sheraton Station Square

Register at www.thomasmertoncenter.org


The Death Penalty

By Frank Cass

They killed Troy Davis.

It keeps echo-

ing in my head

almost like

poetry or in-

sanity. The

more I want to

write about it,

about the

thousands

gathered

around the

world, about

the case

against him

that really did-

n‘t exist, about

the witnesses

who

―recanted,‖

who admitted

perjury, whose

testimony was accepted against their own admis-

sion…

About Bishop Tutu and Jimmy Carter and the

Pope and ex-FBI head Mueller all supporting

him...

About the three injections; the barbiturate to

simulate painlessness, the paralytic to keep the

witnesses at ease, about the final, suffocating poi-

son...

About the virulent si-

lence of our President

and the acquiescence of

the Supreme Court,

about the ―war on

drugs,‖ about all of it...

...the less there is to say.

They killed Troy Davis.

We are all Troy Davis.

We are all Mumia abu-

Jamal. We are all in line

behind them.

In Texas, on that very

same day, they killed

another man whose lu-

rid crime made head-

lines, whose guilt was

in fact beyond doubt...

And the family of his victim tried to stop the exe-

cution, tried to apply their religion, tried to end

the death cycle that goes nowhere. But even he is

Troy Davis in the end.

They killed Troy Davis. And it‘s not supposed to

matter. It is not supposed to interfere with our

economic recovery. It is not supposed to pre-empt

football. It is not worthy of the ―major‖ media‘s

attention. Wall Street has been occupied for al-

most two weeks by the unemployed and the strug-

gling, supplied with pizza from supporters around

the world, camping in the rain. We are all the

poor.

Then they killed Troy Davis. And many went to

Wall Street to stand with the economic victims.

Then, and only then, was there a response. Police

moved in. People were shoved. A young woman‘s

head bounced off the concrete.

That connection, of Wall Street to Death Cham-

bers, offended some who could give orders. Sud-

denly the big pizza party wasn‘t funny anymore

and had to move. Suddenly the connection was a

tripwire; all those poor people in jail, mostly for

drugs less dangerous than the state forcibly injects

in prisoners, all those out of work college grads

and moms and dads were coalescing. Suddenly,

as if stifling a cough, power took notice and

skipped a breath.

We are all Troy Davis.

Frank Carr is the Editor of The NewPeople.

We Are Troy Davis

Troy Davis, a man executed by the state of Georgia on September

21, 2011 despite major doubts about his guilt.

By Jordana Rosenfeld

In light of the execution of Troy Davis on Sep-

tember 21, 2011 in Georgia despite serious doubts

about his guilt, the death penalty is as topical and

controversial an issue as ever. On September 21st,

minutes before Troy Davis‘s execution was

scheduled to take place, the Supreme Court

stepped in, not to issue a stay of execution, but to

deliberate amongst themselves for three and a half

hours only to unanimously and without explana-

tion, allow the execution to take place.

On September 24th, Supreme Court Justice An-

tonin Scalia spoke at an event in honor of Du-

quesne University law school‘s 200th anniversary.

It was a unilateral decision made by the law

school‘s dean, Ken Gormley, to invite Justice

Scalia to speak. This address elicited a response

from Pittsburgh organizations in favor of abolish-

ing the death penalty as Justice Scalia believes

that The Constitution does not stand in the way of

the U.S. executing someone who, after being con-

victed of a crime in a full and fair trial, can prove

his or her innocence. Scalia also alleges that an

innocent person has never been executed in the

U.S. legal system, despite organizations and pri-

vate citizens who beg to differ.

A handful of protesters gathered outside of the

A.J. Palumbo Center where Justice Scalia spoke

to hand out leaflets on capital punishment and

encourage entering audience members to bring up

the death penalty were there to be a Q&A session

with Scalia after his speech. Becky Newlin, one

of the protesters speaking out against Scalia‘s

views, spoke to me about the importance of resto-

ration and rehabilitation in our justice system and

warned against ―definitive punishments‖ like the

death penalty. She said she is ―appalled that Troy

Davis was executed after all the outcry and lack

of evidence against him.‖

The reactions of the entering audience to the

protesters‘ message ran the gamut from enthusi-

astic to disdainful; one smartly dressed man,

referring to the protesters that had approached

him, greeted him, and offered him information

on Catholicism and the death penalty, remarked,

―Let‘s get out of this mess.‖ On the other end of

the spectrum, a Duquesne alum expressed deep

dismay that Scalia had been asked to speak,

given his own anti-capital punishment stance.

Overall, the number of passersby who took pam-

phlets was substantial.

It is said that the largest determining factor in

whether or not someone being tried in a capital

case will receive the death penalty is the race of

his or her victim. Since 1973, 77% of death row

defendants have been executed for killing white

victims, despite the fact that African-Americans

make up about half of all homicide victims. Ad-

ditionally, over 130 people have been exoner-

ated from death row since 1973, and it is calcu-

lated to be significantly more expense to kill

someone than to keep them in jail for life. I can-

not help but feel, after encountering not only the

facts above, but the overwhelming amount of

evidence out there describing the death penalty

as racist and classist, that any rationally minded

person could be persuaded to oppose the death

penalty if confronted with similar information. It

is this conviction that keeps me and the Septem-

ber 24th protesters leafleting, tabling, and lobby-

ing for death penalty abolition.

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.

Picture by Jordana Rosenfeld

Justice Scalia Speaks at

Duquesne Law School

Carol Gonzalez protests Judge Scalia‘s pro-death pen-

alty stance


By Theresa Chalich

―The end is reconciliation, the end is redemp-

tion, the end is the creation of the beloved com-

munity.”

~Martin Luther King, Jr. The final days of the

Montgomery Bus Boycott 1956

Greensboro. North Carolina. Atlanta and Albany,

Georgia. Montgomery and Birmingham, Ala-

bama. Little Rock, Arkansas. Memphis, Tennes-

see.

The cities of the south that were imprinted on my

impressionable adolescent mind as I watched the

marching and singing that heralded the Civil

Rights movement on television. And I could not

have missed the ferocious attacks on the sit-ins,

freedom rides, and voter registration attempts

both on TV and in the photos of LIFE magazine.

History was being made and presented to me, and

hence propelling me into the social justice move-

ments of the 1960s and 1970s.

This past June I had the opportunity to go on a

nine day “Returning to the Roots of Civil Rights”

bus tour of these cities. This trip was organized

by Geneva College Professor Todd Allen. We

visited the Woolworth‘s in North Carolina, the

site of the first lunch counter sit-in, the Rosa

Parks interactive exhibit in Montgomery, the Ebe-

nezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Reverend

Martin Luther King, Jr. preached his ministry of

nonviolence, the 16th Street Baptist Church in

Birmingham which was bombed in 1963 resulting

in the death of four girls, Memphis‘ Lorraine Mo-

tel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassi-

nated, the Little Rock Central High School that

was desegregated in 1957 by President Dwight

Eisenhower‘s order, and many more memorial

parks and museums.

What made the trip so meaningful was the oppor-

tunity to meet with several of the people whose

activism sustained the movement to end the Jim

Crow laws and the prohibition of voter registra-

tion. We visited with Mrs. Juanita (Ralph) Aber-

nathy who boastfully talked about the women

who ―came up with ideas‖ and did all of the work

while the ―men got the credit.‖ The women on

the trip especially liked her! In Selma we spent

the afternoon with Joanne Bland who remains a

fiery community activist. During the first attempt

in 1965 to march from Selma to Montgomery

over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, she was attacked

and arrested (at the age of 11!). In Albany, Geor-

gia, we sang songs of the movement with a Free-

dom Singer, Rutha Harris.

Reverend Samuel Kyles talked about Reverend

Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s last evening with him in

Memphis. He was standing next to Dr. King on

the Lorraine Hotel balcony when he was assassi-

nated. Reverend Kyles seemed tired and his

memories must be painful, but you could still

sense his strong resolve that we cannot quit in our

quest for racial equality. Minijean Brown

Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine who inte-

grated the Little Rock Central High School in

1957, was also extremely inspirational. It is hard

to grasp how a teenager could have had the cour-

age to walk through the gauntlet of screaming

protesters to get her education. Would I have had

the guts to do this? I don‘t know. In Nashville we

spent the day with several Freedom Riders as this

year marks the 50th anniversary of their work to

integrate interstate travel and its accommodations.

Initially, I viewed my traveling into the south as a

civics lesson, but what I came away with was a

lesson in how the conviction of religious beliefs

formed the foundation of the civil rights leader-

ship and movement. The churches were more

than just sites for mass organizing and meetings.

In the church Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

and others preached that to be nonviolent in the

face of confrontations was to show Christian love.

It was the church that was the witness to this love.

On this trip I was introduced to the movement‘s

theological principle of building a ―beloved com-

munity.‖

Throughout the trip we asked our speakers if they

ever had a chance to meet with the people who

assaulted or taunted them. And, if so, was there

an opportunity to talk about what happened, and

did anyone ask for forgiveness? We learned there

have been very few chances for any dialogue and

reconciliation. When we talked about forgive-

ness, I thought about Archbishop Desmond Tutu

and his creation of the Truth and Reconciliation

Commission when apartheid was uprooted in

South Africa. I wondered what the status of our

nation‘s race relations would be if we had done

the same.

This is not a new question, and it lingered with

me throughout the trip: Would I, a white person,

have embraced the Civil Rights movement and

been as brave as the people I met? If so, would I

have been able to practice being nonviolent as

preached by Dr. King? Could I have forgiven

people who willfully and knowingly killed my

loved ones or physically attacked me with dogs

and water cannons? I need to study how to build

that ―beloved community‖ through my actions of

forgiveness and love. As Charles Marsh writes in

his book about the ―beloved community,” ―It is

rather about bearing witness to the Prince of

Peace in a violent and suffering world.‖

Reference: Marsh, Charles. The Beloved Commu-

nity: How Faith Shapes Social Justice from the

Civil Rights Movement to Today. Basic Books:

New York. 2005.

Charles Marsh also wrote God‟s Long Summer:

Stories of Faith and Civil Rights where he pro-

files five people and how their religious convic-

tions led to support or to opposition to the Civil

Rights movement.

Civil Rights Movement Bus Tour—Summer 2011

Fight for Lifers West

Gives Credit Where

Credit is Due

Fight For Lifers West, a project of The

Thomas Merton Center, wishes to

thank R.E.S.I.S.T., for sending us a grant

in the amount of $2,000.00.

For more than thirty years, R.E.S.I.S.T. has

funded progressive organizations

like ours, that are actively part of a move-

ment for social change. Without their

gracious help over the past several years,

we may not have survived, and for that we

wish to express our gratitude.

Those who would like to contact

R.E.S.I.S.T. to find out more information

about

their fabulous organization or apply for a

grant can do so at: 259 Elm Street; Somer-

ville,

MA 02144. Phone: 617-623-5110. Website

at: www.resistinc.org

Photos (by Michael

Drohan) from a

September 24th

rally to save public

transportation


Book Review: Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel’s War Against

the Palestinians

by Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe, Haymarket Books, 2010

By Michael Drohan

Late this month (September 2011), Palestinians

will be making a bid for statehood at the UN. It is

likely to be vetoed by the U.S. and Israel. At first

glance, the Israeli and U.S. position is perplexing

in that officially both have frequently said that

they are in favor of a ―two state solution, whereby

Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace.‖ In

order to understand the contradiction here, there

is nowhere better to begin than by reading Chom-

sky and Pappe‘s book. Chomsky is well known to

TMC members and supporters as the recipient of

last year‘s Merton Award, and Pappe is an Israeli

citizen who is a Professor of History at the Uni-

versity of Exeter in the UK. While in agreement

on most of the issues concerning Palestine and

Israel, the two authors differ on a possible solu-

tion. Chomsky advocates a bi-national state while

Pappe believes in a nuanced manner in a one state

solution.

Regarding the question of the opposition of the

U.S. and Israel to the UN bid of Palestine for

statehood, the authors suggest that it is no sur-

prise; In reality both countries are against Pales-

tinian statehood. Pappe explains it in this way:

―From its origins, the Zionist movement has un-

derstood that to achieve its goals, the best strategy

would be to delay political settlement, meanwhile

slowly building facts on the ground. Even the oc-

casional agreements, as in 1947, were regarded by

the leadership as temporary steps towards further

expansion.‖ This policy is played out to the pre-

sent as Israel proclaims its commitment to a two

state solution while expanding settlements in the

occupied Palestine, making a two state solution

impossible. At present, with the expansion of set-

tlements all over the West Bank and in East Jeru-

salem, all is left to the Palestinians is a number of

Bantustans separated by highways and walls.

In several parts of the book, the authors address

the question about the role of the collusion of the

US and the Israeli lobby in the U.S. in preventing

a solution. They make it clear that primacy re-

sides with the US. and as soon as the U.S admini-

stration decides that unequivocal and unquestion-

ing support for Israel is not in the U.S.‘s interest,

then the lobby will disappear. Pappe points out

that ―Israel appears as a liability and not an asset‖

when Middle Eastern policy is looked upon

through the prism of ―black gold,‖ the control of

which is primary in US foreign policy. To date,

the U.S. somehow believes that Israel can be its

gendarme on the ground in curtailing Arab na-

tionalism and making the Middle East safe for oil

exploration.

Is there any hope then of unlinking the Israeli-

U.S. connection? Both authors countenance this

possibility. After all, the U.S. did not become ab-

solute in support of Israel until the 1967 war be-

tween Israel and the surrounding Arab nations.

The Israeli demolition of the Egyptian and Syrian

armies cemented the alliance. Pappe addresses the

fragility of the alliance when he maintains that the

U.S.‘s unconditional support could end ―with a

collapse of its Middle East policy, mainly through

the downfall of one of its allies‖. Well, the world

has experienced this downfall in the last nine

months with the fall of Mubarak in Egypt and the

threats to the dictatorships of Jordan, Tunisia, the

Yemen, Bahrain and Syria. In the last week, the

Israeli Embassy in Cairo was attacked by protes-

tors and its Ambassador withdrawn. Much of the

events of the ―Arab Spring‖ suggest a rapid isola-

tion of Israel in the region. The opinion of Chom-

sky is that ―when U.S. power rejects its goals, the

lobby (Israeli) disappears‖. As an example, he

mentions the rejection by the U.S. of Israel‘s in-

sistence that the U.S. should attack and take down

the Iranian regime.

Both authors suggest that U.S. policy could

change ―if the United States became a functioning

democratic society, in which an informed public

has a meaningful voice in policy formation‖. That

this comes about is ―the task for organizers and

activists‖ within the U.S. Pappe advocates a Boy-

cott-Divest-Sanctions (BDS) mobilization tool

within the U.S. and other countries as a means

towards achieving both the democratization of the

U.S. and the ending of the U.S.-Israeli

―unbreakable‖ alliance. In a word, it all depends

on the activism of peace and justice workers in

the U.S. and elsewhere.

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.

By Hannah Dobbz

In 2001, a group of kids in Pittsburgh organized a

bookstore based on non-hierarchical principles.

They called it The Big Idea Bookstore, and,

amazingly, the place lasted for a decade, despite

its rotating cast of unpaid diehards and flaky one-

time volunteers. I joined the bookstore when it

was already in its eighth year—its fifth year in the

claustrophobic cubby hole on Millvale Ave. This

incarnation of the Big Idea was great and all, but I

could feel that we were growing out of the tiny

playpen that seemed big enough in 2004 when the

lease was signed.

In early 2010, I made a pact with my co-

volunteer, Brian, that someday we would move to

a bigger space and make the Big Idea our regular,

sustainable job. We agreed that such a reality

would be a dream come true (no more being

bossed around at jobs we don‘t care about), but it

certainly seemed unlikely. By October, however,

we had begun laying plans for a worker-owned

cooperative. We weren‘t entirely sure where to

begin, but we knew that if we were to make the

bookstore into a sustainable business, we would

have to complement it with another service—like

a café. This complicated things, because not only

would we have to figure out how to suddenly be-

come businesspeople, we would also have to

learn the business of caféteering. Further, every

lawyer we talked to assured us that incorporating

as a cooperative was actually impossible in the

state of Pennsylvania, which both confused us

and dampened our spirits about the project. But

with the help of the Keystone Development Cen-

ter (an organization dedicated to helping co-op

start-ups in the Keystone State), we began to un-

ravel the mystery of the cooperative world—an

underground realm that is kept quiet within the

wage labor system.

We fell down the rabbit hole and became enam-

ored by the phantasmagoria of worker-owned co-

operatives. Attending the Eastern Conference on

Workplace Democracy in Baltimore in July, I fell

a little deeper, uncovering the truths about incor-

poration, about self-governance, and about being

successful businesspeople outside the worn tem-

plate of hierarchal labor. The possibilities for

worker-ownership flickered and gleamed in the

conference sessions and among attendees—each a

dedicated cooperative business-owner in their

respective fields. And in this underground world

of horizontal labor, we weren‘t competitors or

bosses to each other; we were supporters and al-

lies. So, after months of searching, we finally

found our new space (it was just around the cor-

ner all along!). Many supporters donated their

time and help to make the move successful:

Shaun did our vinyl sign, Santiago painted our in-

store mural, Artnoose letterpressed our member

cards, and a handful of helpers carried heavy ob-

jects with us on moving day. On July 30, at our

first member drive, we softly opened our doors to

prospective consumer-members for a party with

samples from our new café menu and an en-

hanced selection of books. In mid-August, we

learned that we were chosen for a Sprout Fund

grant to facilitate our Community Curation Pro-

gram—a program for select local organizations to

recommend titles from their fields and organize

pertinent events in our space. At our new location

we will offer you café drinks, light café fare,

more new radical books, more used books, and

more zines. Plus our calendar will be packed with

events ranging from movie screenings to lectures

to workshops and classes. Not only this, but we

are also working with other local co-ops and co-

op supporters to plan something big for Co-op

Month in October and the official U.N.-

sanctioned Year of the Co-op in 2012. I bet you

didn‘t know such a thing existed. At the risk of

repeating a joke that‘s far too old at this point, we

will become the biggest idea yet!

[Insert Another Joke About the Size of Our Ideas]


By Bette McDevitt

Carole Wiedmann will complete her third and last term

as a Board Member of the Thomas Merton Center in

December. ―It‘s always been in my genes," Carole

said, referring to her commitment to progressive

causes, which got a good workout over the last decade.

Carole has a background as a nurse, and had been ac-

tive in her community in Ohio Township, in a

women‘s club, and an auxiliary to the fire department.

I reminded her of the ―Ladies Auxiliary‖ song written

by Woody Guthrie and often sung by Pete Seeger.

Guthrie wrote it, off the top of his head, in response to

a complaint from the Ladies Auxiliary of the CIO, that

they were not mentioned in ―Union Maid.‖ It‘s a fine

song.

Moving on from the Ladies Auxiliary, Carole went to

Washington. DC. with her son John and daughter

Katherine to protest the inauguration of George Bush,

in 2001. ―In the fall of 2002, when the winds of war

were stirred up, and you knew George Bush was up to

something, I saw pieces in the Post Gazette about the

Merton Center. I started going to the Saturday vigils on

the North Side at the Unitarian church and met Ed

Bortz and Sandy Hazley, who told me to come to the

anti-war committee of the TMC. In January of 2003,

just before the war, my son and I went to a big rally on

the South Side.‖ Bill Neal‘s refusal to be caged up in

Beaver County when Bush was speaking also caught

her attention.

When Carole joined the board, she said that she lis-

tened for the first few years. ―It was a new milieu for

me," she said. ―The activity at the Merton Center was

stimulating, and it was rewarding to find people who

felt like I did, which I had been missing all these

years.‖ Her feelings will resonate with many of us,

who have found a second home at the Merton Center.

What I remember from those years-as our board times

overlapped- is that she was dependable, always there

to carry heavy loads, both physical and mental, and sit

at the endless number of tabling events.

With her quiet way, she was an unlikely person to be

involved in one of the most dramatic confrontations

with the police in the Center‘s long history. She was

bitten by a police dog and poorly treated by the police

during the episode.

As Carole recalls it, ―I was on the way to the Saturday

vigil on the North Side and Jeremy Schenk, staff per-

son at the center, asked me to stop by an action in Oak-

land, at the military recruitment center. The police

came, and the next thing I knew, the police dog bit me

(in the thigh). The police officer then put me in hand-

cuffs, along with Deanna Caligiri. We were put in a

paddywagon, but then the police changed their mind

and took me to Presby Emergency Room. I had bite

marks, but the skin was not broken. The police sat out-

side for a while, talking to each other, and then left. I

had to pay the bill, and walk to my car which was up

on Craig Street.

―I was then charged with failure to disperse, and I con-

tacted Mike Healey to be my lawyer. I had to go to

court hearings, and lots of people came to support me.

I was exonerated, but my husband said I should file a

complaint with the Citizen Police Review Board,

which I did, and thereupon I was re-charged by the

police, and had to go and have more mug shots and

fingerprints. They lowered the charge, but it was not

dismissed, so I went to appeals court, and on the sec-

ond time, the case was dismissed. Deanna and I filed a

civil suit, and the city offered to settle before the G-20,

in 2009, and gave us a financial settlement, which was

divided between us, the Center for Constitutional

Rights and the attorney. Our goal had always been that

the police establish a protocol, known to the public

about the Canine Corps and the use of tasers. I heard

that Officer Sculli, who filed the charges, no longer

has the dog detail, but I am not certain of that.

―The board has been a working board, and we aim to

become another model, that of a decision making

board, but some members have worked very hard. We

did things that had to be done, with the sale of the

building and the layoff of the staff- we are very sorry

for that- but it had to be done.‖ Thanks, Carole for all

the heavy lifting, and not just the boxes.

By The American Friends Service Committee

As I write this invitation to you on this morning

of September 22, we grieve for the death of Troy

Davis. We deeply respect how he presented his

life and fate as part of an educational effort to

work for justice for others suffering similar cir-

cumstances.

Many, many people around the globe educated

themselves, organized themselves, and committed

themselves to stand up for Davis and others

whose fates are highly representative of wide-

spread, long-ongoing patterns of inequity within

a judicial and prison system that disproportion-

ally metes out cruel and unusual punishments ac-

cording to class, culture and color.

We have much work to do to end cruel and un-

usual punishments, not only across the globe, but

here in the prison systems of Pennsylvania. We

invite you to join in that work at the PA Network

Against Torture conference, Oct 28-29th in Har-

risburg. A diverse range of individuals

and organizations will come together to coordi-

nate training, public education and action plan-

ning across the state, with a focus on:

Ending torture in our domestic prisons,

with a special action planning session

to prepare legislation addressing soli-

tary confinement in Pennsylvania

Ending U.S. Sponsored torture and rendi-

tion

Training for professionals, volunteers, fam-

ily members and/or friends who work

with or support survivors of torture,

trauma, and solitary confinement.

Attorney King Downing, the AFSC's Program

Analyst for Healing Justice work, will overview

how groups around Pennsylvania and the country

are working on reforms, considering models of

success to energize and structure our own efforts.

We will then work together on a draft of legisla-

tion to end the torture of prolonged solitary con-

finement in Pennsylvania and plan lobbying ef-

forts to help pass that draft into effective law.

John Humphries, Director for Program Coordina-

tion for the National Religious Campaign Against

Torture, will briefly cover the recent history of

U.S.-sponsored torture and how this country has

come to increasingly practice and normalize tor-

ture as official government policy. He will lead an

action planning session on how we might coordi-

nate grassroots advocacy, effectively educate the

public, and work for new legislation banning tor-

ture and holding our leaders accountable.

Our keynote speaker and workshop leader, Dr.

Kate Porterfield, clinical psychologist at the

Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture,

has regularly trained and super-

vised professionals, legal teams, volunteers, fam-

ily members, and organizations across the nation

from a wide variety of disciplines. She will lead

Saturday workshops on how to better care for sur-

vivors of torture, war trauma, and soli-

tary confinement, and will also facilitate action

planning for organizations who wish to work to-

gether to organize such trainings for care of survi-

vors across the state.

We invite you to take part in this work. Whether

you are an individual who hopes to end torture, a

professional hoping to better serve your clients, or

a representative of an organization working to

build action partnerships, please join us to help

end torture and care for survivors.

A bus will be transporting participants from Pitts-

burgh to the conference for $30, with scholarships

available both for transportation and for the $20

conference fee - please register as soon as possi-

ble to secure your place in the workshops of your

interest and a bus seat. For more information

about the conference and to register by October

15th, please visit our website:

www.panetworkagainsttorture.org or call Scilla

Wahrhaftig or Helen Gerhardt of the American

Friends Service Committee at 412-371-

3607 and [email protected].

PA Network Against Torture Conference

Carole Wiedmann Wraps up her Tenure on the TMC Board

―In their fight to survive the onslaughts of both, women have begun a struggle that chal-

lenges the most fundamental categories of western patriarchy – Its concepts of nature and

women, and of science and development. Their ecological struggle in India is aimed simulta-

neously at liberating nature from ceaseless exploitation and themselves from limitless mar-

ginalization.‖

~Dr. Vandana Shiva

http://www.panetworkagainsttorture.org/

tel:412-371-3607

tel:412-371-3607



~ TELEVISION ~

PCTV21 (COMCAST Channel 21/ VERIZON FIOS Channel 47) PROGRESSIVE PGH NOTEBOOK (check www.pctv21.org for sched-

ule) Internet=( www.progressivepghnotebook.blip.tv ) DEMOCRACY NOW= 8 AM: AJ STREAM=9 AM ; FAULTLINES=9:30

AM CITY COUNCIL (COMCAST Channel 13 / Verizon FIOS Channel 44) Tuesdays Council Meetings; Wednesdays Standing Committees 10

AM Repeated at 7 PM / Repeated Sat & Sundays 10 AM and 7 PM (www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/council Legislative Info Center PA “SENATE JOURNAL” & HOUSE “ I ON PA” = Tuesdays 7 – 8 AM THOM HARTMANN.COM = LINK TV (DIRECT TV Channel 375/ DISH Channel 9415/ FREE SPEECH TV)

~ INTERNET RADIO ~ ITUNES click ―Radio‖, Double Click ―News/ Talk‖ , and Click ―KPTK 1090 PROGRESSIVE TALK= THOM HARTMANN NOON – 3 PM (Check other programs on KPTK and ITUNES) LYNN CULLEN MON-FRI= 10 AM www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws

~ LOCAL RADIO ~

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 OCTOBER 15TH THROUGH http://thomasmertoncenter.org/newpeople/submit-article/

WRCT 88.3 FM

DEMOCRACY NOW = 8 AM, MON – FRI

RUST BELT RADIO = 6 PM on MON, and 9 AM on TUES

FREE SPEECH RADIO = MON – FRI, 5:30 PM

LAW AND DISORDER = 9 AM MON

KDKA 1020 AM

“CHRIS MOORE” = SUN, 4 – 9 PM. CALL IN NUMBER 412-

353-1254

WMMY 1360 AM

‖Dr Scott Shalaway, Birds & Nature‖ = SUN, NOON – 2 PM

WKFB 770 AM

“UNION EDGE RADIO TALK” = MON-FRI, NOON – 1 PM

WDUQ 90.5 FM,

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.









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.


http://www.endhumantrafficking.org/



Date post:	25-Mar-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	jordana-rosenfeld
View:	222 times
Download:	9 times

NewPeople October Rough draft

Documents