November 23, 2022

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ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress We Need an Assault Weapons Ban

 

This year’s horrifying list of mass shootings goes on and on. The venues and victims of those shootings vary — grocery stores and nightclubs, children and churchgoers. But one thing that’s almost always common is the weapon of choice used to commit the violence: An assault weapon. Win Without War urges us to tell Congress to pass legislation to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines immediately. TAKE ACTION

Women Help Nonviolent Campaigns Succeed, but Nonviolent Discipline Remains Crucial

 

Including women can help nonviolent campaigns cultivate an image of success, as well as hold off harsh crackdowns from a regime. But even a single instance of a protest turning violent can irreparably damage a movement’s public perception and reduce the likelihood of success. MORE

A Trauma-Informed Healing Approach to Urban Gun Violence

 

Urban gun violence is most often the result of unaddressed trauma, which can be exacerbated by increased interactions with the criminal legal system. Deploying formerly incarcerated community members as street outreach mentors to interrupt violence and target influential individuals most involved in gun violence is key to violence reduction. MORE

NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Work Towards a World That Is Free of Nuclear Weapons

 

The Senate is soon going to pass the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. The question is whether an amendment will make it into the final version. Win Without War urges us to tell Congress to pass Sec. 1345 of H.R. 7900, which repeals the restrictions placed on the U.S. government against supporting and funding the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. TAKE ACTION

What a Russian Nuclear Escalation Would Mean for China and India

 

Since Russia began its assault on Ukraine last February, India, and China have avoided direct public criticism of Moscow. Despite rhetorical consternation and calls for a peaceful resolution, neither has shown a willingness to meaningfully push back against Putin’s escalations in Ukraine. Instead, the two Asian nuclear powers are approaching the situation with caution and calculated diplomacy to preserve their own strategic interests — both in Russia and the West. MORE

Want to Fix Education, Healthcare, and Climate Change? Let’s Start with the Money We Spend on Nuclear Weapons

 

While the Justice Department recently allocated $1.6 billion toward programs meant to increase public safety in big cities, the U.S. government is spending $60 billion a year on nuclear weapons. Brittanie Van Zant, a fellow with nuclear nonproliferation activist organization Beyond the Bomb argues that even half the money spent on nukes would go a long way toward solving more urgent social inequities. MORE

IMMIGRATION

TAKE ACTION: Encourage Your U.S. Senators to Pass Critical Agricultural Reform

 

Earlier this year, the House passed H.R. 1603 which grants legal status to farm workers and reforms the agricultural guest worker program.  The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would help stabilize the agricultural workforce and protect migrant workers and their families. Justice for Immigrants urges us to tell our Senators to pass this important legislation. TAKE ACTION

Special Protections for About 300,000 Immigrants Are Extended Amid Federal Lawsuit

 

The United States has extended a protected status program that prevents migrants from being deported to mid-2024 for citizens of six countries, including Haiti and three Central American nations. The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be extended to June 30, 2024, for citizens of Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal.  MORE

ENVIRONMENT

U.N. Climate Talks End with a Deal to Pay Poor Nations for Damage

 

Diplomats from nearly 200 countries concluded two weeks of climate talks earlier this week by agreeing to establish a fund that would help poor, vulnerable countries cope with climate disasters made worse by the greenhouse gases from wealthy nations. The decision on payments for loss and damage caused by global warming represented a breakthrough on one of the most contentious issues at United Nations COP27 climate negotiations. MORE

One State Mandates Teaching Climate Change in Almost All Subjects – Even PE

 

New Jersey’s teachers are now required to teach climate change beginning in kindergarten, and across most subjects, including art, social studies, world languages, and physical education.   Supporters say the instruction, which went into effect this fall, is necessary to prepare younger generations for a world — and labor market — increasingly reshaped by climate change. MORE

These 15 Meat and Dairy Companies Emit Almost as Much Methane as the EU

 

In the United States, Tyson Foods, the world’s second-largest meat company, releases roughly the same amount of methane as all livestock in Russia, while the national milking industry organization, Dairy Farmers of America, releases the same amount of methane as all livestock in the United Kingdom, according to the new study. MORE

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

‘Built on the Blood of Slaves’: British Football Fans Boycotting World Cup

 

According to a recent poll, six out of 10 people in the UK oppose Qatar hosting the World Cup. More than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka died after Qatar embarked on an unprecedented building program, largely in preparation for the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament currently underway.  MORE

Why Louisiana Voted Not to Abolish Slavery. It’s Complicated

 

A measure to remove slavery and indentured servitude as punishment for a crime from the constitution of Louisiana failed on Election Day after voters were told to reject it because of confusing and ambiguous language. Louisiana State Rep. Edmond Jordan (D) sponsored the ballot initially but later urged voters to reject it after he realized the language was too ambiguous. He hopes to put a revised amendment on the ballot next year. MORE

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

Consign Violence Against Women and Girls, ‘To the History Books’: UN Chief

 

Calling violence against women and girls the most pervasive human rights violation in the world, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on governments to increase funding to women’s rights organizations and movements. He made the statement in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, urging everyone to “consign violence against women and girls to the history books”.   MORE

The Push to Remove Police from Domestic Violence Situations

 

Fear of police involvement is a major barrier preventing people from accessing traditional domestic violence services such as emergency shelters, crisis lines, and safety planning, especially among survivors in immigrant communities and communities of color. 80 percent of survivors said police were unhelpful or made them feel less safe; 71 percent said they would have preferred to use other resources had they been available. MORE

HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Raise, Not Cut, Corporate Taxes During the Lame-Duck Session

 

Corporations are enjoying record profits from inflated prices while paying historically low tax rates. The Trump-GOP tax cuts that passed in 2017 gave corporations a 40% federal income tax cut. This added nearly $2 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years. Americans for Tax Fairness urges us to tell Congress to strengthen the corporate minimum tax, so it applies to far more than 100 or so profitable corporations making over $1 billion a year. TAKE ACTION

More Than a Million Americans Ration Insulin Due to High Costs

 

Diabetes is currently the seventh-leading cause of death in the US.  Diabetics require the drug insulin to live, but a recent study indicates 1.3 million Americans rationed insulin due to the high costs of the drug in 2021. One vial of Humalog cost $21 in 1999 and jumped to $332 in 2019. US list prices for insulin have soared in recent decades, while list prices have remained relatively the same at a fraction of US list prices in every other industrialized nation. MORE

Missed Grant Could Have Helped Iowa Pay and Recruit Daycare Workers

 

Higher wages for daycare workers. Improved childcare facilities. Additional care for underserved communities, infants and toddlers, and children with disabilities are all items a federal grant would have helped Iowa pay for. But Iowa missed the chance to address those needs when Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services passed up a $30 million federal grant for childcare assistance. MORE

DEATH PENALTY

Kevin Johnson is scheduled to be executed on November 29 by the state of Missouri for the murder of William McEntee. Please hold Kevin, William, their families, and the people of Missouri in prayer. TAKE ACTION


Thomas Loden, Jr. is scheduled to be executed on December 14 by the state of Mississippi for the murder of Leesa Gray. Please hold Thomas, Leesa, their families, and the people of Mississippi in prayer. TAKE ACTION

 

John Hanson is scheduled to be executed on December 15 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Mary Bowles. Please hold John, Mary, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION