Perspectives on Social Issues
(October 2004)
Indian Prison Conditions: "a National Disgrace"
"Indian prisons are 'a national disgrace' in which 11 people have died and hundreds have tried to kill themselves or escaped during the past three years, government officials [reported]. Senators said they were deeply troubled by the report of the situation from the Interior Department's top watchdog and likened the jails to the U.S. military's mistreatment of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. Earl Devaney, the department's inspector general, painted a grim picture for the Senate Finance Committee. His report, capping a year of investigation, found at least 11 fatalities, 236 suicide attempts and 632 escapes since the Bush administration took office in 200l....
The Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs had 2,080 people in 70 Indian jails, detention centers and other correctional facilities as of mid-2002, according to the latest figures from the Justice Department. One jail in six held twice its recommended maximum of prisoners. Devaney's staff toured 27 jails and interviewed 150 BIA and tribal officials... Sen. Chuck Grassley, R- Iowa, who chairs the Finance Committee, described the events in Iraq as a reminder that the way people are jailed is a measure of the United States' commitment to human rights. 'I think the IG [Inspector General] has it exactly right when he says these jails are a national disgrace,' Grassley said. 'The IG notes that the conditions are often worse than those in Third World countries.'"
"Officials: Indian Prison Conditions Deplorable," La Crosse Tribune, Sept 27, 2004.
Power of Letter-writing to Politicians
"When Connie Wick of Indianapolis, Indiana, wrote a letter to her senator supporting the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and HIV/AIDS funding, she didn't know it would be mentioned at the White House. But that's what happened on July 13 [2004]. Bread for the World President David Beckmann was attending a White House signing ceremony when he had the opportunity to talk with President Bush about the importance of full funding for the MCA. Mr. Bush called over two key senators, Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R- TN) and Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), and asked them to help secure the MCA funding that he had requested.
Just after this conversation, Sen. Lugar said to Beckmann, 'You know, I am just now responding to a letter from a constituent, Connie Wick. She is saying just what you are saying, that we should fully fund the MCA, the AIDS initiative, and not cut funding for ongoing programs of assistance to poor people.' 'I was again impressed by the power of Bread for the World members,' said Beckmann afterward. 'The chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had just been asked by the president of the United States to help get full funding for the MCA, and what immediately came to the senator's mind was a recent letter from an active constituent -- Connie Wick at the Robin Run Retirement Community in Indianapolis."
"Your Letters Make a Difference," Bread, Bread for the World Newsletter, Sept 2004.
Eating Healthier Meat
"Of course we should all cut back on red meat. But if, when we do eat it, we make sustainable choices, our consumer demand can help make the marketplace and the meat industry greener and healthier. Here are some labels to look for on meat:
- USDA Organic: Organic animals are antibiotic and hormone-free, and eat only 100 percent organic vegetarian diets rather than the feed laced with ruminant blood and tissue that has spread BSE. Organic feed is grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides derived from petroleum.
- Certified Humane Raised and Handled: Animals get fresh air, water, exercise, and are not overcrowded. The Animal Welfare Institute certifies only independent family farms.
- 100 Percent Pastured or Grass Fed: Though not currently third-party certified, animals raised on pasture for their entire lives are lower in overall fats, yet have more omega-3, heart-healthy fatty acids and are free of antibiotics and synthetic hormones, making them healthier foods."
"Eating Less -- but Healthier -- Meat," Green Guidance, WorldWatch, Sept/Oct 2004.
Activists Protest Dirty Energy
"In the early morning hours of June 23, six Greenpeace activists began a 700-foot climb to the top of one of the dirtiest coal plants in the country. Once they successfully scaled the smokestack of Hatfield's Ferry power plant, the team unfurled a banner protesting the Bush administration's energy policy. Dirty power plants, like Hatfield's Ferry, wreak havoc on the environment and cause severe health problems. Pollution, which spews forth from plants across the country, accounts for global warming, asthma, heart disease and premature deaths. Instead of working to clean up these dangerous plants, Bush's misguided energy plan actually aims to weaken clean air laws.
Hatfield's Ferry power plant, located 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, is one of our nation's greatest emitters of nitrogen oxide and mercury. Pollution from Hatfield's Ferry causes 237 premature deaths every year, according to a recent study by the same researchers that the Bush administration commissioned to evaluate its energy plan."
"Eating Less -- but Healthier -- Meat," Green Guidance, WorldWatch, Sept/Oct 2004.
Gap between Rich and Poor Increases
"Over two decades, the income gap has steadily increased between the richest Americans, who own homes and stocks and got big tax breaks, and those at the middle and bottom of the pay scale, whose paychecks buy less. The growing disparity is even more pronounced in this recovering economy. Wages are stagnant and the middle class is shouldering a larger tax burden. Prices for health care, housing, tuition, gas, and food have soared. The wealthiest 20 percent of households in 1973 accounted for 44 percent of total U.S. income, according to the Census Bureau. Their share jumped to 50 percent in 2002, while everyone else's fell. For the bottom fifth, the share dropped from 4.2 percent to 3.5 percent....
More than a million jobs have been added back to the 2.6 million lost since Bush took office, but they pay less and offer fewer benefits, such as health insurance. The new jobs are concentrated in health care, food services, and temporary employment firms, all lower-paying industries. Temp agencies alone account for about a fifth of all new jobs. 'Three in five pay below the national median hourly wage -- $13.53,' said Sung Won Sohn, chief economist for Wells Fargo.
The income gap is showing up in booming sales of luxury items. Porsche Cars North America Inc. says sales are up 17 percent for the year. Strong sales at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue overshadow lackluster sales at stores such as WalMart, Sears and Payless Shoes."
"Gap between Haves and Have-nots Growing," La Crosse Tribune, August 17, 2004.
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Gratitude to the Institute for Peace and Justice
for use of their Pope Paul VIth graphic. |
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