The Common Good

Quick Read: Social. Justice. News.

Negative Impact of the Sequester on Women and Families

by Aimee Kang 02-25-2013

According to a new state-by-state analysis released today by the Center for American Progress, if Congress fails to act by March 1, millions of women and children across the United States could lose the critical support and services they need. 

“By refusing to replace the sequester with smarter spending cuts, conservative members of Congress are continuing their track record of sacrificing the lives and livelihood of millions women and their children to protect millionaires and special interests. Congressional inaction would prevent women from accessing health care programs and childcare assistance... If Congress leaves the sequester un-checked millions of women, in every state in the nation, will pay for the inaction of a few members of Congress” said Tara McGuinness, Senior Vice President for Communications at the Center for American Progress.

The sequester will have devastating ramifications by slashing about $725 million from Title I funding which would affect 2,700 schools and place 9,880 teachers at risk of losing their jobs. Furthermore, the sequester would cut federal programs that help women access critical health care programs and endanger the health of children by cutting Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). To have a complete look at the effects of the sequester click here. 

+Leave a Comment | Faith & Politics

South Korea’s First Female President Sworn into Office

by Aimee Kang 02-25-2013

History was made in South Korea today as the first female president, Park Geun-Hye, of the Saenuri Party was sworn into office. She enters the office in a country that is divided about her leadership depending on their opinion of her father, Park Chung-Hee, who took power after a coup d’etat and ruled for 18 years. 

Some view Park Chung-Hee as a dictator who ignored human rights, while others regard him as building the foundation for South Korea’s present prosperity. 

Park Geun-Hye, carrying the legacy of her father, has apologized for the human rights violations during his rule but many criticize that enough has not been done. The country now waits to see her leadership in the midst of a tense relationship with North Korea and South Korea’s economy. Read more at the New York Times and CNN. 

+Leave a Comment | Faith & Politics

DRONE WATCH: Drone Base in Niger

by Duane Shank 02-25-2013

With a short note to the Congressional leadership, President Barack Obama announced last week that a total of 100 U.S. troops are now in Niger to “provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali.”

The Washington Post reported:

“A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to provide details about military operations, said that the 40 troops who arrived in Niger on Wednesday were almost all Air Force personnel and that their mission was to support drone flights.

“The official said drone flights were “imminent” but declined to say whether unarmed, unmanned Predator aircraft had arrived in Niger or how many would be deployed there.”

The Predator drones will be unarmed and carry out surveillance missions. But The Post noted that theadministration had not ruled out arming the Predators with missiles in the future.

+Leave a Comment | Peace & Nonviolence

Personal Encounters Lead to Push for Women’s Advocacy

by Aimee Kang 02-22-2013

Melanne Verveer, the first U.S. ambassador for Global Women’s issues has been urging governments and leaders around the world on improving the lives of women. 

As she begins her new journey as the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, she reflected on her tenure as ambassador and the personal encounters that she had along the way that drove her to raise awareness on the sufferings of women.   When asked about her guiding principle of women’s advocacy, Verveer cited a conversation she had with an Afghan woman in Kabul, 

Please don’t see us as victims but as the women leader we are

To read more about Melanne Verveer’s leadership in empowering women, read here. 

 

+Leave a Comment | Faith & Politics

Egyptian Women Speak Out Against Sexual Violence

by Aimee Kang 02-22-2013

Violence against women at protests is at a chronic level due to security breakdowns and mass protests that are not policed. As Heba Morayef, Egypt director for Human Rights Watch says organized, opportunistic men are raping women and they are getting away with it. Furthermore, the culture of silence that blames the victims rather than the perpetrator prevails from members of the upper house of Egypt’s parliament and other women which further violates these women. 

However, as the number of victims increase, these women are rising up and speaking up against the violence. To read and to hear more, visit NPR. 

+Leave a Comment | Faith & Politics

DRONE WATCH: Drone Strikes in Afghanistan Increase

by Duane Shank 02-20-2013

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan released its annual report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan on Tuesday, finding a decrease from 2011. According to the Guardian, the U.N. also reported that 506 weapons were fired by drones in 2012, compared with 294 in 2011. Five cases resulted in civilian casualties, with 16 deaths and three wounded. Although drone attacks have become controversial in Pakistan, the Guardian writes:

 “They have not been a prominent issue in Afghanistan, however. While drone attacks have occurred, they have largely been in support of ground troops during operations and have not been singled out by President Hamid Karzai's administration in its campaign against international air strikes.

“The steep rise in the number of weapons fired from unmanned aerial aircraft – the formal term for drones – raises the possibility that may change as US forces become more dependent on such attacks to fight al-Qaida and other insurgents as combat missions are due to end by the end of 2014.”

+Leave a Comment | Peace & Nonviolence

Increase in Border Enforcement Detrimental to Women and Children

by Aimee Kang 02-20-2013

Migration Policy Institute (MPI) released its “Immigration Enforcement in the United States” report last month that reveals an increase in spending for the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) due to the “enforcement first” approach to immigration.   

The report's findings are shocking. The U.S. government now spends more on immigration enforcement than on all other major federal criminal law enforcement agencies combined and immigration enforcement is the federal government's highest criminal law enforcement priority. Surprisingly, at a time when our government must be fiscally conservative and unauthorized immigration has abated, the call to increase spending on border enforcement is as loud as ever.

This increase in spending should guarantee better trained officers and ensure that the basic human rights of all people respected. However, according to various reports families are separated, victims of domestic violence do not receive the protection that they need, pregnant asylum seekers do not receive the prenatal care that they need, and children are held in detention centers with adults. Read here for more. 

+Leave a Comment | Immigration

Afghan Women and Girls Victims Increases, UN Says

by Aimee Kang 02-20-2013

On Tuesday, the United Nations reported that the number of civilian casualties fell for the first time since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) started measuring casualties in 2007. However, there has been a increase in the number of Afghan women and girls killed or injured in the last year while going about their daily lives. From Reuters: 

But despite the good news, the United Nations said there had been a 20 percent increase in the number of Afghan women and girls killed or injured in 2012, with more than 300 women and girls killed and more than 560 injured.

To read more, visit Reuters. 

+Leave a Comment | Faith & Politics

DRONE WATCH: Moral and Ethical Concerns

by Duane Shank 02-19-2013

Dennis Sadowski at Catholic News Service has a good summary of the moral and ethical concerns about drone warfare from a workshop at the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering. One participant, Charles Camosy, assistant professor of Christian ethics at Fordham University, suggested that it should be viewed as a pro-life issue:

"It involves violence and violent killing. It involves the killing of the innocent in a way that doesn't follow the church's teaching. It's an exercise of raw violent power in a way that I think should get pro-lifers really, really upset," Camosy explained to CNS.

“Marie Dennis, co-president of Pax Christi International, suggested that drones have led to 'a battlefield without borders.' "We have a global battlefield, which completely undercuts any possibility of talking about just war. There are no boundaries on this thing," she said.”

As the drone debate continues, it should go deeper into these concerns rather than only discussing legalities.  

 

 

 

+Leave a Comment | Peace & Nonviolence

DRONE WATCH: Drones Over the U.S.

by Duane Shank 02-19-2013

While we have been focusing on drones as weapons of war – killing by drone – controversy over the domestic use of drones is also growing. Police forces across the U.S. have become enamored by surveillance drones that can be used in law enforcement. But that has led to a rise in local governments beginning to strictly regulate their use or banning them. The New York Times reports on these efforts:

“To me, it’s Big Brother in the sky,” said Dave Norris, a city councilman in Charlottesville, Va., which this month became the first city in the country to restrict the use of drones. “I don’t mean to sound conspiratorial about it, but these drones are coming, and we need to put some safeguards in place so they are not abused.” … Last week, the Seattle Police Department agreed to return its two still-unused drones to the manufacturer after Mayor Michael McGinn answered public protests by banning their use.”

Some states have adopted moratoriums on drones pending further study, others are considering proposals that would require search warrants for their use. It is heartening that the objections are coming before drones are flying over all of us, rather than attempting to stop them when it is already too late.

+Leave a Comment | Peace & Nonviolence