|
ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE & PEACEMAKING
|
 TAKE ACTION: Tell Trump and Putin to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
At a press conference last week, President Trump said, "I want to do the right thing for the American people, and to be honest, secondarily, I want to do the right thing for the world." He said this in the context of U.S.-Russian relations and referred to each country's massive nuclear arsenal. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation invites us to sign on to their letter to Presidents Trump and Putin to urge them to begin negotiations to abolish all nuclear weapons.
TAKE ACTION
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns Offers Lenten Reflection Guide
on Nonviolence
Next Wednesday, March 1st, marks the beginning of the Lenten Season. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns has prepared a useful reflection guide entitled, "A Journey with Gospel Nonviolence." The guide offers prayers and actions based on each week's Gospel reading and reflections by peacemakers who attended the Nonviolence and Just Peace conference in Rome last year. MORE
Florida's Medical Gag Law Struck Down
 Doctors routinely talk to patients about wearing helmets while riding bicycles, using seatbelts in cars, putting fences around swimming pools, and other basic safety issues, but the gun lobby has worked hard to try to muzzle them on gun safety. Last week the Eleventh Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals struck down Florida's dangerous medical gag law, which attempted to levy penalties against physicians for simply discussing firearm safety with patients. MORE
|
|
POVERTY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
|
|
|
|
DEATH PENALTY
|
Scheduled Executions
Rolando Ruiz is scheduled to be executed on March 7 by the state of Texas for the murder of Theresa Rodriguez. Please hold Rolando, Theresa, their families and the people of Texas in prayer.
James Bigby is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on March 14 for the murder of Mike Trekell and Jayson Trekell. Please hold James, Mike, Jayson, their families and the people of Texas in prayer.
|
| CORPORATE PUBLIC STANDS |
The Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton Iowa have taken the following corporate stands:
Death Penalty Nuclear Weapons Immigration Reform Human Trafficking |
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS
|
Contacting your elected officials is one of the most effective ways to bring about positive change. You can find the names and contact information of your local members of congress by entering your zip code at:
Here are phone numbers for elected officials for Clinton, Iowa:
President
Donald Trump (202) 456-1414
Iowa Senators
Chuck Grassley (202) 224-3744
Joni Ernst (202) 224-3254
Clinton area District 2
US Representative
Dave Loebsack (202) 225-6576
Governor (Iowa)
Terry Branstad (515) 281-5211
The main switchboard for Congress is: (202) 224-3121
|
|
TED
TALKS
ON TUESDAY
The Franciscan Peace Center holds Ted Talk discussions
every Tuesday on a variety of Ted Talks
on the Sisters of St. Francis Facebook page.
Our next discussion will be:
February 28 - Alice Goffman:
How we're priming some kids for college - and others for prison
In the United States, two institutions guide teenagers on the journey to adulthood: college and prison. Sociologist Alice Goffman spent six years in a troubled Philadelphia neighborhood and saw first-hand how teenagers of African-American and Latino backgrounds are funneled down the path to prison - sometimes starting with relatively minor infractions. In an impassioned talk she asks, "Why are we offering only handcuffs and jail time?"
http://bit.ly/1JIHIf7
Click on the link above to watch the TED Talk, then join our discussion that will take place on Tuesday on the Sisters
of St. Francis Facebook page at 11 a.m.
Click
HERE
to visit us on Facebook.
|
|
Dozens of protesters across the country were fired from their jobs after skipping work to take part in last week's "Day Without Immigrants" demonstration. Restaurants and day cares were among the businesses in states like Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma and New York where bosses fired workers after they didn't show up for work in order to protest. 
A "solar revolution" is coming to Africa, comparable in scale and importance to the rapid surge in mobile phone use on the continent two decades ago. Fast-dropping costs for solar power, combined with plenty of sun and a huge need for electricity on a continent where many are still without it, means solar has huge potential in Africa.
According to national leaders from organizations like Polaris, Shared Hope International and Love146, 2016 was a year of growth in the movement, leading to momentum the organizations hope will continue bringing justice to survivors everywhere in 2017 and beyond. 
Recanting domestic abuse allegations happens more often than one might think. Coming forward as a survivor, unfortunately, opens the door for people - in one's immediate life and in the media - to offer up their opinions, good and bad. 
War and a collapsing economy have set off a famine in