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December 13, 2017

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT

ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE & PEACEMAKING
action alert small TAKE tell_theACTION: Tell the Senate: Fix the Background Check System to Save Lives
The Senate recently introduced a bipartisan bill to help fix the background check system and keep guns out of dangerous hands.  Momentum is surging for Congress to finally take meaningful action on gun safety reforms, so now is the time to keep the pressure on. We cannot wait for another horrific tragedy to do something. Sandy Hook Promise urges us to tell Congress to pass the Fix NICS Act (S. 2135).  TAKE ACTION
 
trumpTrump Signs $700 Billion Military Budget Into Law
President Donald Trump this week signed into law a sweeping defense policy bill that authorizes a $700 billion budget for the military, including additional spending on missile defense programs to counter North Korea's growing nuclear weapons threat.  But that won't become reality until lawmakers agree to roll back a law that caps defense spending at $549 billion.  MORE
 
ledLed by U.S. Weapons Makers, Global Arms Sales Soared in 2016
With U.S. weapons makers leading the way, and after five consecutive years of decline, sales among the world's 100 largest arms producers rose in 2016, garnering nearly $375 billion in profits, according to a new analysis of industry data by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.   MORE 
NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
nuclearNuclear Annihilation 'One Tantrum Away', Nobel Peace Prize Winner Warns
The destruction of humankind is one "impulsive tantrum away", the Australian-founded winner of the Nobel peace prize, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, warned recently as the United States and North Korea exchange.  "Will it be the end of nuclear weapons, or will it be the end of us?" the Ican head, Beatrice Fihn, said in Oslo after receiving the peace prize on behalf of the anti-nuclear group.    MORE
 
northNorth Korea: UN Says 'Door Ajar' For Peace Talks
The U.N. political chief reports that senior North Korean officials told him during his visit last week "that it was important to prevent war" over the country's rapidly advancing nuclear and ballistic missile programs.  Jeffrey Feltman told reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council privately that "how we do that" was the topic of more than 15 hours of discussions he had with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk, and other officials.   MORE
IMMIGRATION
action alert small TAKE save_DACAACTION: Save DACA & Protect Undocumented Youth
President Trump announced the end of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program which has allowed young people who were brought to the US as children to come out of the shadows to live, work and go to school without fear of deportation.  The Dream Act would establish a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients. The Intercommunity Peace and Justice Community Center urges us to tell Congress to pass the Dream Act of 2017 without delay.   TAKE ACTION
 
immigrationImmigration Arrests Inside U.S. Spiked, Border Crossings Plummeted
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has publicly released immigration enforcement data for 2017, which shows that apprehensions at the border are at their lowest levels in over 45 years, while arrests in the interior of the country have increased.  At the same time, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that the number of arrests and people removed from the interior of the country jumped by 25 and 30 percent respectively.   MORE
ENVIRONMENT
as_epicAs 'Epic Winds' Drive California Fires, Climate Change Fuels the Risk
Fires driven by fierce Santa Ana winds devoured large areas of Southern California last week on the heels of the deadly blazes that swept through California's wine country this fall.   Wildfires are hugely complex events, complicated by human activity.    Add the effects of climate change to the mix, and California's already fire-prone landscape grows increasingly combustible.  MORE

worldWorld Bank to End Financial Support for Oil and Gas Exploration
The World Bank has announced it will end its financial support for oil and gas exploration within the next two years in response to the growing threat posed by climate change.  The Bank ceased lending for coal-fired power stations in 2010 but has been under pressure from lobby groups also to halt the $1bn a year it has been lending for oil and gas in developing countries.  MORE
 
sugarSugar Gets Taxed in Some Countries. Could Meat Be Next?
If Americans and people in most other developed countries ate according to their nationally recommended dietary guidelines, they would consume less red meat and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  But they don't.  Now a new report suggests that countries could begin taxing meat-the way they tax sugar, alcohol or tobacco-to drive down consumption and to hit their carbon emissions targets under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.  MORE
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
onlineOnline Sex-Trafficking Bill Prompts Craigslist to Hire Its First Lobbyists
The classified ads site Craigslist has hired its first federal lobbyists to tackle online sex trafficking bills making their way through Congress.  Recently filed disclosure forms show that Craigslist has tapped five lobbyists from the law firm Sidley Austin LLP, including former Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.).  MORE
 
whyWhy Native Americans Are Vulnerable To Sex Trafficking
The National Congress of American Indians says Native Americans are one of the most vulnerable populations to sex trafficking because of the significant poverty rates, high numbers of runaway youth, and low levels of law enforcement.  One of the problems has been the lack of anti-trafficking laws on reservations. This year Navajo leaders uncovered cases of sex trafficking on their reservations, but they didn't have a way to fight it.   MORE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT
metoo#MeToo Movement Is Time's Person of the Year
It has created a wave of awareness and brave confrontations over sexual harassment and assault, taking down powerful men in the process. And now the #MeToo movement has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2017.  On its cover, Time called the people behind the movement "The Silence Breakers."  MORE
 
preventingPreventing Sexual Harassment Begins in Early Childhood
Youth are exposed daily to the pervasive and nearly invisible ways that our society accepts and even condones sexually abusive behavior.  Parents are an important part of teaching positive attitudes and skills for healthy relationships, but few programs exist to teach them how to talk about these difficult subjects.  MORE
POVERTY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
action alert small TAKE tell_congressACTION: Tell Congress to Make Necessary Moral Changes to Tax Reform
The House and the Senate have now passed versions of the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," and they are working to resolve the differences between the two bills.  According to nonpartisan analysis, the bills raise taxes on the poor and cut taxes on the rich, violating basic principles of justice.  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops outlines changed needed to fix these morally unacceptable bills and urges us to contact Congress about them.  TAKE ACTION
 
behindBehind Trump's Plan to Target the Federal Safety Net
The Trump administration and some in Congress are hoping to make the most sweeping changes to federal safety net programs in a generation, using legislation and executive actions to target recipients of food stamps, Medicaid, and housing benefits.  The White House is quietly preparing a sweeping executive order that would mandate a top-to-bottom review of the federal programs on which millions of poor Americans rely. MORE
 
kansasKansas's Ravaged Economy a Cautionary Tale as Trump Plans Huge Tax Cuts For Rich
Kansas slashed taxes at the top to try to spur growth - but the plan crippled the state's finances and proved disastrous for its Republican governor.    Individual state income tax rates dropped from 6.4% to 4.9% - with the intention of getting rid of them altogether eventually. The state's revenues collapsed.  The state's coffers were emptied and the promised economic miracle failed to materialize.  MORE
DEATH PENALTY
action alert small
 Scheduled Executions
scheduled

William Montgomery is scheduled to be executed on January 3 by the state of Ohio for the murders of Debra Ogle and Cynthia Tincher.  Please hold William, Debra, Cynthia, their families and the people of Ohio in prayer.  TAKE ACTION
Anthony Shore is scheduled to be executed on January 18 by the state of Texas for the murders of Maria del Carmen Estrada, Laurie Lee Tremblay, Diana Rebollar and Dana Sanchez.   Please hold Anthony, Maria, Laurie, Diana, Dana, their families and the people of Texas in prayer.  TAKE ACTION

CORPORATE PUBLIC STANDS 

 corporate_standsThe Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton Iowa have taken the following corporate stands:

Death Penalty

Nuclear Weapons

Immigration Reform

Human Trafficking 

 

  
phone HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS
phone
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
Senators - Iowa
Chuck Grassley   
Joni Ernst

(202) 224-3744   
(202) 224-3254
US Representative
Clinton area District 2 
Dave Loebsack 


(202) 225-6576
Governor - Iowa
Kim Reynolds       


(515) 281-5211

   The main switchboard for Congress is: (202) 224-3121