Perspectives on Social Issues
(December 2007)

Test Your Nonviolence Quotient
"1. Ten percent of all casualties in the First World War were civilians. What percentage of casualties in today’s armed conflicts are civilians? A. 20 percent B. 50 percent C. 90 percent

2. In which country did Mahatma Gandhi first apply the nonviolent principles of satyagraha? A. India B. South Africa C. Sri Lanka

3. Some consider the fact that Gandhi never received the Nobel Peace Prize the single greatest oversight in the history of the Prize. How many times was he nominated? A. Never B. 5 times C. 12 times

Answers to Nonviolence Quiz: C (90 percent); B (South Africa); C (12 times)"

“Test Your Nonviolence Quotient" Rumors of Peace, Nonviolent Peaceforce, 2007 Issue 2.

First U.S. Social Forum Attracts Thousands
"At least 12,000 and as many as 15,000 people participated in the U.S. Social Forum (USSF)…. [P]articipants organized about 900 workshops, attended performances, visited exhibits, met and celebrated in a multitude of spaces.... Like its parent WSF (World Social Forum), the USSF was organized around a set of principles that include creating open space for a ‘democratic debate of ideas... by groups and movements of civil society that are opposed to neoliberalism and to domination of the world by capital and any form of imperialism.’…

The heart of the USSF's success was how it was composed of, defined, and led by organizations with grassroots memberships and constituencies, mostly people of color. One of the USSF's organizers, Tammy Bang Luu from the Labor/Community Strategy Center, Los Angeles, said, ‘A fundamental principle for us was to assure the participation of the most marginalized communities in the country. This meant a massive investment of time, patience, and resources in the outreach process.’… Organizations and activists went to Atlanta, faced the challenges of getting there, learning from and teaching each other there, in order to connect their struggles into a larger social movement for fundamental change in the U.S. This dedication to making ‘another U.S.’ was part of the hopefulness many USSF participants expressed."

"First U.S. Social Forum Attracts Thousands to Atlanta" by Carlos Fernandez, Centerings, 8th Day Center for Justice, Fall 2007.

Myths about Farm Workers and Immigration
"Myth: Immigrant farm workers do not pay taxes.
Fact: Immigrant farm workers pay the same sales, real estate, and consumer taxes as all the United States residents. The U.S. Social Security Administration has estimated that three out of four undocumented immigrants pay payroll taxes, and that they contribute six to seven billion dollars in Social Security funds that they are not able to claim. (3) During their lifetime, immigrants will pay an average of $80,000 more per capita in taxes than they will use in government services. (4)

Myth: Immigrant farm workers come to the United States to get welfare.
Fact: Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, and most other public benefits. (1) Even though farm worker families in the U.S. only earn around $16,000 per year and over 30 percent live in poverty, less than ten percent use food stamps and under one percent use general assistance welfare. (2)

(1) Rothenberg, D. 1998; (2) U.S. Dept. of Labor National Agricultural Workers Survey, 2005; (3) Porter, E. New York Times, 2005; (4) National Council of La Raza, 2006

(excerpted from Farm Workers and Immigration Fact Sheet published by the NC Farm Worker Institute)"

“Myths about Farm Workers and Immigration" NFWM News and Views, National Farm Worker Ministry, Summer 2007.

Economic Cost of Wars Estimated to Be $20,900 per Family
"The economic costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to total $1.6 trillion -- roughly double the amount the White House has requested thus far, according to a new report by Democrats on Congress' Joint Economic Committee. The report, released [November 13, 2007], attempted to put a price tag on the two conflicts, including ‘hidden’ costs such as interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars, lost investment, the expense of long-term health care for injured veterans and the cost of oil market disruptions.

The $1.6 trillion figure, for the period from 2002 to 2008, translates into a cost of $20,900 for a family of four, the report said. The Bush administration has requested $804 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined, the report stated. For the Iraq war only, total economic costs were estimated at $1.3 trillion for the period from 2002 to 2008. That would cost a family of four $16,500, the report said. Future economic costs would be even greater. The report estimated that both wars would cost $3.5 trillion between 2003 and 2017. Under that scenario, it would cost a family of four $46,400."

“Economic Cost of Wars Put at About $20,900 per Family," Washington (AP), La Crosse Tribune, Nov 14, 2007.

Grassroots Environmentalist Risks his Life to Protect Natives Peoples and Forest
"Cusurichi, 36, a Shipibo indigenous leader of the Peruvian Amazon, has been instrumental in bringing international attention to the existence of so-called ‘indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation’ in Madre de Dios, one of the most inaccessible regions of the Amazon. These indigenous peoples -- estimated at between a few hundred and a few thousand individuals -- choose to live deep in the forest without contact with the outside world and do not use rivers for transport. They are extremely vulnerable to outside contact, and entire groups have died out after being exposed to influenza and other diseases new to them.

In 2002, Cusurichi led an effort that resulted in the creation of a 7,688-square-kilometer territorial reserve for these remote peoples. He currently serves as an advisor with the Federation of Natives of the Madre de Dios River and its Tributaries (FENAMAD), working to stop intrusion into their territory. He has pressed on despite facing violent threats to his life and false public attacks on his character from the illegal mining and logging entities that oppose his work. Madre de Dios has seen a dramatic increase in the illegal logging of big-leaf mahogany, a valuable timber species, as a result of Peru’s failure to enforce domestic and international regulations on this activity. Cusurichi now works to protect the indigenous groups by documenting illegal logging and calling for stricter law enforcement."

“Environmental Award Spotlights Grassroots Environmentalists: The 2007 Goldman Prize Recipients" WorldWatch Magazine, WorldWatch Institute, Ju/y/Aug 2007.