Duane Shank was Associate Editor for Sojourners magazine and was on the staff from 1995 to 2014.
Duane has been active as an organizer and administrator in the peace and justice movement for 35 years, beginning as a draft resistance and antiwar organizer during the Vietnam war. He has worked as a community organizer in the rural south, in interfaith coalitions, and in the nuclear weapons freeze and Central America solidarity movements of the 1980s. His positions have included Associate for the National Inter-religious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors; National Coordinator for the Committee Against Registration and the Draft; Deputy Director and Acting Executive Director for SANE/Freeze; and Research Fellow for the Institute for Policy Studies.
Duane attended Eastern Mennonite University. He is a Anabaptist/Mennonite, and currently an active member and serves on the worship leadership team of the Community of Christ ecumenical congregation in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C. His views on faith and politics have been shaped by (among others), John Howard Yoder, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Oscar Romero.
Duane is married to Ellen Kennel. They have a daughter, Celeste, a graduate of Goshen College, IN, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago Divinity School.
In addition to family, church, and work; his passions are baseball (Washington Nationals), blues (Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan) and bluegrass music (Ralph Stanley), and barbecue.
Posts By This Author
Daily News Digest
The latest news on Faith and Politics, Convention Prayer, Back-to-School, Latino platform, Immigration raids, Peace Corps, Execution stay, U.S.-Iraq agreement, Iraq, Afghanistan-Canada & U.K., Israel, India nuclear talks, War resisters, Pakistan, Russia-Georgia, Russia-U.S. analysis, and select Op-Eds.
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Faith and politics. Poll: Frustrated social conservatives increasingly opposed to mixing church and politics "Social conservatives are growing more wary of church involvement in politics, joining moderates and liberals in their unease about blurring the lines ...
Daily News Digest
The latest news on the Presidential campaign, Rising prices, Execution, U.S.-Iraq agreement, Iraq strategy, NATO-Russia, Mideast, Gaza peace boats, U.S.-India nuclear trade, U.S.-Poland missile agreement, Women in Pakistan, Canada, Colombia, Amish population, Commentary, the Passing of Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
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Presidential campaign. Voters in Poll Want Priority to Be Economy, Their Top Issue "Barack Obama and John McCain are heading into their conventions neck and neck, with voters focused on the economy, a New York Times/CBS News poll found."
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The latest news on Health insurance, Vice-presidents, Border database, Afghanistan, Russia-Georgia, U.S.-Poland, Pakistan, Israel-Hezbollah, Sudan, Canada, Analysis, and Op-Ed.
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Health insurance. Lack of Insurance, High Medical Costs Put More in a Bind "Americans are struggling to pay medical bills and are accumulating medical debt at an increasing rate, according to a survey released today." 439,000 ...
Daily News Digest
The latest news on the U.S. Population, Medicine & Religion, Running Mates, Non-profits, Back to School, Faith & Politics, Pakistan, Russia-Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Global Poverty & Development.
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US population. Hispanic fertility drives U.S. population growth "If it weren't for Hispanic births, the U.S. could be confronting long-term population declines similar to those in Germany, Japan and other industrialized countries." More Women Than Ever Are Childless, Census Finds "Women ...
Commenting on the Daily Digest
More than a year ago, I posted a piece asking for comments from the readers of the Daily Digest. There were many useful ideas, and I've modified the Digest accordingly. I'm now about to leave for a week's vacation, and thought I'd ask again. The Daily Digest is now being received by more than 25,000 people. So, I thought I'd solicit your opinions.
What makes up the Digest? I use the following U.S. newspapers:
Daily News Digest
The latest news on China, Afghanistan, Economy, US demographics, Abortion, the Death penalty, Guantanamo trial, Iran, Israel, Mideast, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Pakistan, and AIDS.
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China. Human rights issues take center stage as Olympics near "On the cusp of the Summer Olympics, human rights moved into the spotlight as critics attacked China for banning Darfur activists, President Bush expressed "deep concerns" about the government's harsh policies and U.S. Olympians selected a former Sudanese refugee to carry the Stars and Stripes in Friday's opening ceremony."
Daily News Digest
The latest news on Hiroshima anniversary, Olympic protests, South African strike, Hiroshima anniversary, Olympic protests, Execution, Child labor, Iran, Iraq oil profits, Taliban, South African strike, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Opinion.
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Hiroshima anniversary. Hiroshima marks bomb anniversary with hope for US change "The mayor of Hiroshima on Wednesday urged the next US president to work to abolish atomic weapons as the city marked the 63rd anniversary of the world's first nuclear attack." Japan marks 1945 Hiroshima atomic bomb "Tens of thousands bowed their heads at a ceremony in the ...
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The latest news on Veterans, Child care, China, Iran, Zimbabwe, Global poverty, and Solzhenitsyn.
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Veterans. Troops' stress, trauma studied "The Pentagon is spending an unprecedented $300 million this summer on research for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, offering hope not only for troops but hundreds of thousands of civilians." Violations rife in ...
A Sequel to the 1968 Olympics 'Salute' Story
Jarrod McKenna's post on the 1968 Olympics witness/protest brought back memories of that event, and the impression it made on me. And there is a sequel to the story.
A Sequel to the 1968 Olympics 'Salute' Story
Jarrod McKenna's post on the 1968 Olympics witness/protest brought back memories of that event, and the impression it made on me. And there is a sequel to the story.
Daily News Digest
The latest news on the Economy, Death penalty, HIV/AIDS, Military grants, Anglicans, Iran, Iraq, Taliban, Passing, and Opinion.
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Economy. Hovering Above Poverty, Grasping for Middle Class "Low-wage workers in the United States are gripped by increasing financial insecurity as they inch along an economic tightrope made riskier by pervasive job losses and rising prices." Housing Lenders Fear Bigger Wave of Loan ...
Daily News Digest
The latest news on the Economy, State spending, Education, Wal-Mart, Gender equity, Executive privilege, Product safety, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Darfur, US-India nuclear, Israel, South Africa, Venexuela, Editorial, and Opinion.
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Economy. July jobless rate highest in 4 years "The U.S. unemployment rate climbed to 5.7 percent in July, its highest in more than four years as employers cut payrolls for a seventh month in a row." More Arrows Seen Pointing to a ...
Daily News Digest
The latest news on Immigrants, Housing bill signed, AIDS bill signed, Consumer safety, Low-income workers, Olmert to resign, Darfur, Iran, Iraq, Terrorism, Brazil, Food crisis, Pakistan, Canada, E-mail, and Opinion.
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Immigrants. Decline Seen in Numbers of People Here Illegally "The number of illegal immigrants in the country has dropped by as much 1.3 million in the past year, an 11 percent decline since a historic peak last August, a research group said in a report."
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The latest news on Slavery apology, Sen. Stevens indicted, Homeless, AIDS-Black America, AIDS-global, Al Qaeda, Iran Afghanistan, Trade negotiations, Israel, Palestine, Karadzic extradited, Chile, and Opinion.
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Slavery apology. House Issues An Apology For Slavery "The House yesterday apologized to black Americans, more than 140 years after slavery was abolished, for the 'fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow' ...
MoveOn at Ten
MoveOn.org pioneered the art of online political advocacy. As it celebrates its 10th anniversary, it can look at enormous successes and a host of new questions. Do politicians take mass e-mails seriously? Is advocacy by e-mail being replaced by text messaging and social networking? Can online activism be turned into on-the-ground organizing? They're questions that face [...]
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The latest news on Budget deficit, Vice-presidents, Illegal hiring, Education, Bridge repair, Church shooting, Military execution, Israel-Syria, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Darfur, Zimbabwe, Peru, and Editorial
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Budget deficit. Bush to leave a record budget deficit of $482 billion "White House officials blamed the slowing economy and a $150-billion bipartisan stimulus package for the worsening picture for the 2009 fiscal year, but Democrats cited the president's tax cuts and fiscal management over his eight years in office."
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The latest news on Immigration, Housing relief, Food banks, Federal deficit, Iraq, Iran, Darfur, Military humanitarianism, Bombings, and Commentary.
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Immigration. Throng packs Postville to pray, call for change "More than 1,000 people from around the Midwest converged Sunday on Postville to show disdain for the treatment of immigrant workers arrested during a massive raid here in May. "Iowa Rally Protests Raid and Conditions at Plant"About 1,000 ...
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The latest news on Obama in Berlin, McCain VP, Church & State, Human rights, Church & State-Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iran, Canadian election, and Opinion.
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Obama in Berlin. Obama Says Walls Must Come Down "Addressing a huge throng in the middle of this once-divided city, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama implored Americans and Europeans to renew the partnership that once defeated communism to address 21st-century threats"
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The latest news on Guantanamo trial, Women & Economy, Gleaning for food, Farm subsidies, Americans & Africa, War crimes suspect, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Iran, Middle East, India and Editorial.
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Guantanamo trial. Military Trial Begins for Guantánamo Detainee "In a hushed courtroom here on Monday, a military judge opened the first American war crimes trial since World War II, culminating a nearly seven-year effort by the Bush administration to try some of the hundreds of terrorism suspects held in the detention camp."
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The latest news on Obama trip, Detainee trial, Faith & politics, U.S. Highways, Education, Colombia, Death by mistake, Brown & Israel, Iran, Zimbabwe, The next war, India, Anglicans, Editorial, and Opinion.
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Obama trip. Obama sticks to his goal of swift Iraq withdrawal "As Sen. Barack Obama headed to Iraq for his first visit as a presidential candidate, his plan for bringing the war to a swift conclusion was triggering a political furor abroad and at home, with a U.S. military leader declaring Sunday that setting a hard deadline for withdrawing troops is risky."