The latest news on Social Security-Medicare, Stimulus, Choice Neighborhoods, World Vision, Minority Homeownership, U.S. Soldier 'Broke,' Student Loans, IRS Ruling, Human Rights, Palestinian State, Christians in Mideast, Mideast Peace, Pakistan, Afghanista | Sojourners

The latest news on Social Security-Medicare, Stimulus, Choice Neighborhoods, World Vision, Minority Homeownership, U.S. Soldier 'Broke,' Student Loans, IRS Ruling, Human Rights, Palestinian State, Christians in Mideast, Mideast Peace, Pakistan, Afghanista

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Quote of the day. “We have not been perfect ourselves. But we intend to lead based on the strong principled vision that the American people have about respecting human rights, supporting democracy.” Susan E. Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, after the U.S. was elected to the U.N. Human Rights Council. (New York Times)

Social Security-Medicare. Recession Drains Social Security and Medicare “Even as Congress hunted for ways to finance a major expansion of health insurance coverage, the Obama administration reported Tuesday that the financial condition of the two largest federal benefit programs, Medicare and Social Security, had deteriorated, in part because of the recession.” Report Warns of Insolvency for Social Security, Medicare “The financial health of the Social Security system has eroded more sharply in the past year than at any time since the mid-1990s, according to a government forecast that ratchets up pressure on the Obama administration and Congress to stabilize the retirement system that keeps many older Americans out of poverty.”

Stimulus. Stimulus Aid Trickles Out, but States Seek Quicker Relief “Nearly three months after President Obama approved a $787 billion economic stimulus package, intended to create or save jobs, the federal government has paid out less than 6 percent of the money, largely in the form of social service payments to states.”

Choice neighborhoods. 'Choice' neighborhoods to combat poverty cycle “The Obama administration is proposing a new program that aims to transform the nation's poorest neighborhoods from head-to-toe: taking 10 urban centers with high concentrations of public housing and improving it while adding day care centers and even farmers markets, sidewalks and parks.”

World Vision. World Vision boss named to presidential council “World Vision President Rich Stearns said he couldn’t refuse when President Barack Obama invited him to join his new council on faith-based partnerships. It was a chance for Stearns to advocate for the international poverty-fighting work done by organizations such as the one he runs, Federal Way-based World Vision.”

Minority homeownership. Homeownership Losses Are Greatest Among Minorities, Report Finds “After a decade of growth, the gains made in homeownership by African-Americans and native-born Latinos have been eroding faster in the economic downturn than those of whites, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center.” Immigrant Homeownership Proves Resilient in the Face of Slowdown “It found that although immigrants are far less likely than their native-born counterparts to own a home, the rate of homeownership for immigrants during the housing bust has declined at a much slower pace than it has for those born in this country.”

U.S. soldier 'broke.' Suspect in Iraq attack recently had weapon taken away “A U.S. soldier who is accused of gunning down five fellow troops at a combat stress clinic in Baghdad had recently had his weapon taken away because of concerns about his behavior.” Accused killer's father: The Army 'broke him' “The portrait that emerged Tuesday of Sgt. John Russell, the 44-year-old from Sherman, Texas, charged with killing five fellow service members at a Baghdad military base, in many ways personifies the emotionally taxed soldier the Army says has become a growing concern as the Iraq war stretches into its seventh year.”

Student loans. Student loans are crushing new grads “Thousands of college graduates are facing a student loan crisis. The job market is shrinking, and the sour economy is preventing employers, parents and relatives from helping those who are behind on payments.”

IRS ruling. Moral-values groups hail tax ruling “In a move cheered by conservatives, the Internal Revenue Service has ruled that ministers and pastors do not risk losing their tax-exempt status for engaging in political acts on behalf of issues such as traditional-values advocacy.”

Human rights. U.S. Joins Rights Panel After a Vote at the U.N. “The United States won a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, joining a group that the Bush administration had pilloried.” U.S. elected to U.N. rights council “The United States has been elected to a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council for the first time.”

Palestinian state. Pope calls for Palestinian homeland “Pope Benedict XVI has told Palestinians in Bethlehem that he believes they have the right to a sovereign Palestinian homeland.” Pope couples compassion for Gaza with call to shun terrorism “Pope Benedict XVI voiced 'deep compassion' today for those killed during Israel's winter assault in the Gaza Strip but urged Palestinians to refrain from responding with terrorism and instead 'let what you have experienced renew your determination to build peace.'"

Christians in Mideast. Pope urges 'reconciliation and respect' “Jews and Christians need a 'genuine and lasting reconciliation,' Pope Benedict XVI said on the second day of his visit to Israel yesterday.” Christians in Mideast Losing Numbers and Influence “But as Pope Benedict XVI wends his way across the Holy Land this week, he is addressing a dwindling and threatened Christian population driven to emigration by political violence, lack of economic opportunity and the rise of radical Islam.”

Mideast peace. U.N. backs King Abdullah's campaign to avert war “The U.N. Security Council called yesterday for diplomatic action to achieve a two-state solution in the Middle East after King Abdullah of Jordan warned in The Times of a possible war within 18 months.” Obama’s Middle East plan lauded by Miliband “David Miliband [British Foreign Secretary] hailed President Obama’s efforts to kick-start the Middle East peace process yesterday as a once in a generation opportunity to resolve the 60-year conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.”

Pakistan. Pakistani Commandos Target Taliban Bases “Army commandos launched aggressive new search-and-destroy operations in the Swat Valley and several surrounding districts in the Taliban-plagued northwest Tuesday.” Map shows Pakistan Taliban spread “A map produced by the BBC suggests only 38% of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and surrounding areas is under full government control.” Pakistan Says 1.3 Million Flee Fight With Taliban “Pakistani commandos attacked a large group of Taliban fighters on Tuesday in the contested district of Swat, while the number of civilians fleeing the fighting reached 1.3 million.” Pakistan gets a say in drone attacks on militants “The U.S. military has launched a program of armed Predator drone missions against militants in Pakistan that for the first time gives Pakistani officers significant control over routes, targets and decisions to fire weapons.”

Afghanistan. Karzai demands U.S. air strikes end “Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has renewed his call to end U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan, which he said killed as many as 130 civilians earlier this week.” Switch Signals New Path for Afghan War “Until now, the successive American generals in charge of the war in Afghanistan have argued that their responsibilities ended at the border with Pakistan. But the choice of a new and very different breed of general to take over the seven-year-old fight may mean the old mind-set has begun to change.” McChrystal Faces Raft of Issues as New Commander in Afghanistan “Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the former Special Operations chief who is President Obama's new choice to lead the war in Afghanistan, rose to military prominence because of his single-minded success in a narrow but critical mission: manhunting.”

Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka war hospital 'hit again' “At least 50 people have been killed in an attack on a hospital in Sri Lanka's northern war zone.” ICRC worker killed in Sri Lanka “The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says that one of its employees has been killed in a shell attack in Sri Lanka's war zone.”

El Salvador. El Salvador grapples with rising bloodshed “Two decades ago, it was a civil war, with soldiers, death squads and guerrillas spilling the blood. Now it's gangs (thousands of members originally from Los Angeles), drug-fueled crime, abusive police officers -- all the makings of a bloodletting that has terrified the population and contributed in recent elections to the unseating of the party that ruled for 20 years.”

Editorial. A missed opportunity (Haaretz) “One word unsaid can sometimes be more damaging than thousands of words uttered. This is what happened two days ago during Pope Benedict XVI's speech at Yad Vashem. The thorough preparations for his visit to Israel, the complex traffic and security arrangements, and the millions of shekels that were earmarked for his hospitality evaporated as if they did not exist thanks to a speech that was missing one word - 'sorry.'"