ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING |
|
TAKE ACTION: Ban Weaponized Drones from the World
U.S. drones are killing innocent civilians in Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere. Intentionally or not, drones are making the world less stable and creating new enemies. Their remoteness provides those responsible with a sense of immunity. Weaponized drones are no more acceptable than land mines, cluster bombs, or chemical weapons. RootsAction invites us to tell our lawmakers to ban weaponized drones. TAKE ACTION
|
|
|
|
Kyle Rittenhouse’s Defense Was Strong. It’s Also a Threat to The Rule of Law.
Last week, a Wisconsin jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty of reckless homicide, intentional homicide, or recklessly endangering public safety. Rittenhouse’s self-defense claims illustrate the difficulty of reconciling mass gun ownership and expansive rights to self-defense with the rule of law. America’s culture of vigilantism, high rate of gun ownership, and increasingly permissive self-defense laws have turned “kill or be killed” scenarios into a regular occurrence. MORE
|
|
|
|
When All You Have is a Hammer...
From nuclear weapons to militarized police, our culture of violence has brought us to a place where all of our problems, even domestic ones, are seen as wars that must be won. Where did this culture of aggression and militarism come from? Many tributaries are feeding this culture but one that stands out as a stark backdrop to all other military and policy activities is nuclear weapons. MORE
|
|
|
|
The British Public Wants NATO To Renounce the First Use of Nuclear Weapons
In a recent survey, United Kingdom residents were asked to consider the possibility of Russia invading one or more of the Baltic states without using nuclear weapons: 70 percent wished NATO to refrain from using nuclear weapons in any ensuing military operations, and 65 percent wished NATO to rely exclusively on non-nuclear weapons in such operations. MORE
|
|
|
|
Status and Prospects of Iranian Nuclear Negotiations
Iran nuclear talks planned for November 29 will be the seventh round of negotiations since President Joe Biden assumed office and the first round since Ebrahim Raisi was inaugurated as president of Iran. Research Analyst Samuel Hickey talks about the prospects of reviving the deal and argued that "Both sides are now very far away from compliance with the deal. So it does make sense for both sides to incrementally take steps to return to the deal." MORE
|
|
|
|
Afghans Seeking Humanitarian Relief Anxious Over Long Delays
More than 28,000 Afghans have applied for temporary admission into the U.S. for humanitarian reasons since the Taliban recaptured Afghanistan, but only about 100 of them have been approved, according to federal officials. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has struggled to keep up with the surge in applicants to a little-used program known as humanitarian parole but promises it is ramping up staff to address the growing backlog. MORE
|
|
|
|
Contending With the Pandemic, Wealthy Nations Wage Global Battle for Migrants
As the global economy heats up and tries to put the pandemic aside, a battle for young and able workers has begun. With fast-track visas and promises of permanent residency, many of the wealthy nations driving the recovery are sending a message to skilled immigrants all over the world: Help wanted. Now. MORE
|
|
|
|
TAKE ACTION: Ban Factory Farms and Transition to a More Humane Food System
Almost 10 billion animals are raised on U.S. factory farms every year, crowded together in intensive confinement. The ASPCA urges us to ask our members of Congress to cosponsor the Farm System Reform Act which would freeze the expansion or construction of large “concentrated animal feeding operations” (CAFOs), a.k.a. factory farms, and hold factory farms accountable for the harms they cause in local communities. TAKE ACTION
|
|
|
|
Biden Opens Oil Reserves to Relieve Gas Prices, Complicating Clean Energy Goals
President Joe Biden this week authorized the release of 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is complicating his administration’s goal to transition to cleaner energy sources. The president said the release from the reserve was intended to relieve high prices in the short term, but a strategy to transition to other fuel sources would be more effective in the long term. MORE
|
|
|
|
Community Meetings Set for New Iowa Carbon Pipeline
A proposed hazardous large-scale pipeline that would move liquid carbon dioxide from Iowa ethanol and fertilizer plants to Illinois — where it would be stowed underground — is set for discussion at a series of community meetings starting in November. The Heartland Greenway System would stretch about 885 total miles in Iowa. Public meetings about the pipeline are being held throughout the state. A meeting in Clinton Country is scheduled for Dec 7. MORE
|
|
|
|
Iowa Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sex Trafficking
Marlin Santana Thomas of Des Moines was sentenced to life in prison for sex trafficking six adult victims by force, fraud, and coercion as well as trafficking a 14-year-old victim. Thomas admitted using physical violence against all six adults victims to coerce them to engage in commercial sex acts. Thomas also used a victim’s heroin addiction to coerce her into engaging in commercial sex acts. MORE
|
|
|
|
New Legislation in New York Gives Victims of Sex Trafficking Chance at Clean Record
Victims of sex trafficking in New York may have a way to wipe their records clean of any criminal offenses they were forced to commit while trafficked. Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill that allows victims to apply to get their convictions vacated. This builds on a law then-governor David Paterson signed in 2010. Anti-Trafficking advocates have been working with legal aid, survivor leaders, and other advocates for almost six years to get this bill passed. MORE
|
|
|
|
She Was a Victim of Child Sex Trafficking — And Sent to Prison. Now She Has a Chance at Freedom.
In 2011, when Tiffany Simpson was 17, she was arrested for child sex trafficking in Georgia, but Tiffany herself had been a victim of sex trafficking for years at that point. An upcoming habeas hearing will determine if Tiffany, now 28, will have a chance at freedom. MORE
|
|
|
|
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT |
|
Assembly Finds ‘Overwhelming Evidence’ Cuomo Engaged in Sexual Harassment
An eight-month investigation by the New York State Assembly found “overwhelming evidence” that former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo engaged in sexual harassment while in office, corroborating a damning investigation by the state attorney general that Mr. Cuomo has repeatedly tried to discredit. Cuomo resigned in August, a week after the release of the attorney general’s report, which concluded that he had sexually harassed 11 women. MORE
|
|
|
|
Bangladesh: Protests Erupt Over Rape Verdict
Women’s rights activists are protesting following the acquittal of five men accused of the alleged gang rape of two women in Dhaka in 2017. The judge said that the police had failed to provide credible evidence. He also questioned why the victims waited a month to report the crime. Protests erupted in response to the verdict, as well as the judge's remarks seeming to at least partly blame the victims. In Bangladesh, the conviction rate for rape is below 1 percent. MORE
|
|
|
|
Father Teaches Anger Management for Men After Losing Daughter to Domestic Violence
In January, Andre McNeal lost his only daughter, Anaja, to domestic violence. The college freshman was 18 years old when she was killed while away at college out of state. McNeal entered grief counseling to cope with the loss but said he needed something more. An opportunity to teach anger management courses at a local community center. He accepted the role. So far, nearly 20 men have graduated from his course. MORE
|
|
|
|
HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY |
|
TAKE ACTION: Protect the Right to Organize
Stronger legislation needs to be passed to expand collective bargaining rights to ensure the dignity of all workers. The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, has been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and is now in the Senate. This legislation would allow people to organize and bargain without fear of retaliation, or termination. The United Church of Christ invites us to tell our Senators to pass the PRO Act. TAKE ACTION
|
|
|
|
European Thinktank Adds U.S. To List of "Backsliding" Democracies For 1st Time
The United States has joined an annual list of "backsliding" democracies for the first time, the International IDEA think-tank said this week, pointing to a "visible deterioration" that it said began in 2019. Globally, more than one in four people live in a backsliding democracy, a proportion that rises with the addition of authoritarian or "hybrid" regimes, according to the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. MORE
|
|
|
|
Bigler Stouffer is scheduled to be executed on December 9 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Linda Reeves. Please hold Bigler, Linda, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
