Volunteer at the ELCA Youth Gathering

New Orleans July 22-26, 2009

Volunteer opportunity: Can you help out at the ELCA Youth Gathering? LPF's large exhibit area includes the Path of Hope, peace flag art activity, and resources for action. There are a variety of ways to plug in, and you'll be inspired by meeting lutheran youth and adults, sharing stories, and new peacemaking info. If you're not going, please pass this on to someone you know. Give us a call to talk it over! Rev. Carol Jensen, 425-422-5494 lpfyouth@gmail.com

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The Story of Consumerism

Extreme poverty and hunger are key underlying causes of conflict in the world today - made worse by declining environmental and economic conditions. At the intersection of our environmental dilemma and the economic crisis lies the story of consumerism in our culture . Here are three outstanding and very different windows on the ‘stuff’ of
consumer culture. Each, in its particular genre, merits six stars out of five.

1. Some interesting reviews have appeared in the Multinational Monitoreditor's blog and the New York Times of a video entitled "The Story of Stuff" (20 min. in length). The basic information may be familiar, but the young woman who researched and narrates the video put together a powerful and persuasive narrative.
The video is also available at: www.storyofstuff.org/ along with a variety of other resources.

2. A second review article by the late Donella Meadows is entitled "A Useful Guide to Understanding Where All That Stuff Comes From". It is a good review, and more, of a book as terrific short book it is brief, "Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things" by John Ryan and Alan Durning.

3. George Carlin is considered by many to be one of the great humorists of the past century (and by others as an exceptionally most foul-mouthed symbol of the decline and corruption of that century).
What can’t be denied is that he is frequently more thought-provoking than his competition. At his best he combines a laser focus on cultural and linguistic nuance with his more commonly noted capacity to shock. Nowhere are all these qualities in greater evidence than in his barely five minute treatise, "George Carlin Talks About 'Stuff'"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

Hunger Awareness

An important part of Hunger Awareness is to learn about and address the underlying causes of hunger in the world. What is unique this year is that our efforts to expand and strengthen U.S. programs to end hunger have a receptive administration. Our advocacy is still urgently needed: lobbyists for every other special interest group will be seeking to pull money away from programs like development aid or food stamps, and fund their own priorities. The good news is that if we do our part, we have a good chance of achieving much or even most of what we seek.

So take a few minutes and email, call, or write a post card or note to your members of Congress. Urge them to:

1. Approve a FY 2010 federal budget with at least the $4.2 billion for hunger and development that the Senate and House recently approved in the budget framework.
2. Place reaching the Millennium Development Goals at the heart of our nation’s efforts to help the poorest of the poor.
3. Take leadership to strengthen U.S. development aid later this year to help poor people lift themselves up out of extreme poverty and hunger -- key underlying causes of conflict in the world today. President Obama was a cosponsor of the Global Poverty Act as a Senator. Urge your elected officials to see that as the minimum of what we achieve this year in Congress.
   

The past few years have shown how modest improvements in aid from countries like ours can make a big difference. For example, 19 million children in Africa are going to school who would not have without changes we helped bring about this decade. The price tag for what we want is about equal to the cost of a week of the Iraq war. And we can help make it happen with 10 minutes of our time this week.

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Tips on contacting an elected official: Many people only rarely write or e-mail their elected officials because they find it intimidating, or wonder if it makes any difference. But if we don’t do so, our point of view will be undercounted. The solution: A simple 4-6 sentence note, email, or postcard, written in 8 to 12 minutes. Begin by thinking about what approach might be most helpful to your particular member of Congress (e.g. thanks for any past leadership). Center your note on what you want your official to do. Add a reason or two and perhaps a statistic. State clearly what you want and ask for a response. If you get inspired and write more, OK. Brief is just fine.

Examples of notes to elected officials.

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Dear Senator Smith,
Members of our church are discussing the economic crisis and ways government might help. I trust you see the importance of moving quickly on these problems.

I would like to see you work to strengthen financial accountability and transparency and ensure relief plans help ordinary people with their mortgages, health care, jobs, retirement and college savings, and everyday bills.

People in other countries are hurting too. Please work to add at least the $4 billion to the Intn’l Affairs budget passed by the Senate for programs addressing hunger and extreme poverty. And begin asking for passage of at least last year’s Global Poverty Act (S. 2433) to better coordinate such efforts. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely, Mary L. Public

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Dear Representative Jones,

The continuing Iraq War and fighting in Gaza remind us that military options have grave limits in solving conflicts. Thus, I was dismayed to see budget discussions assuming we must add tens of billions in new funding for the military, but arguing over new money for the International Affairs programs that address extreme poverty and hunger in the world -- key underlying causes of conflict.

I hope that you will work to contain military spending and expand programs that reduce violence in the world. Specifically, work for at least the $4 billion increase in poverty-related foreign aid approved by the Senate. Ask for leadership to pass at a minimum the heart of last year’s Global Poverty Act (S. 2433) to strengthen our aid. Thanks for listening. I’d appreciate a reply on what you’re doing about these concerns.

Your constituent, John Q. Citizen

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Make the most of your letter: Send it to other members of Congress. And send it to a local newspaper, too! Newspapers publish letters in part by how many they receive on a particular issue. Even if your letter isn’t chosen it can help another on the issue get printed – encouraging readers to learn more and take action. We’d also love to see a copy: lpf@ecunet.org 1710 11th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122. For more information, see: www.lutheranpeace.org www.lutheranpeace.blogspot.com www.bread.org 1-09 lpf

Advocacy Update

We live in an exceptionally dramatic period calling for renewed and faithful advocacy. Here are nine brief windows on the challenges we face, and on resources that might be of help to individuals and groups seeking to respond to the gospel call of Shalom:

1. A very smart investment
2. Making foreign aid accountable
3. Educational forums
4. Misplaced AIG scandal backlash
5. Roots of economic crisis
6. Hey! This is just gambling!
7. One of ours?
8. More Lutheran sources
9. The impact of the economic crisis on nonprofits

1. LPF’s top current advocacy priority is lobbying Congress and the administration to significantly increase and improve the effectiveness of US development assistance both for humanitarian reasons, and to increase security for the affected regions and for the US. Increased development aid would pay for itself from its security benefits alone! In fact, it’s hard to think of any smarter investment of 6-10 billion dollars in the entire US budget.

Your representatives and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton could very much use supportive letters to help them keep aid at the priority level it needs to be.

Here is how to make yourself heard.

2. The Christian Science Monitor published a useful article yesterday entitled, "How to make US foreign aid work." The subtitle summarizes the thrust of the commentary: "Give recipients a say in where the money goes." To read more, go to: http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0318/p09s02-coop.html

3. We would be happy to help you organize an educational forum or workshop in your congregation or area. Email us at lpf@ecunet.org or call the LPF office at 206-720-0313. How to plan a LPF training gives the basics of organizing a LPF training
in your college or university, congregation or community.

4. The economic crisis continues to dominate the news. Regrettably, many key issues continue to be obscured by careless or opportunistic media coverage. The Washington Post has several useful articles. See the daily news summary (which the WP sends out free): http://view.ed4.net/v/E5QODK/JIV8W/NSSSFOG/4VE0EV/MAILACTION=1

5. An even more important aspect of current misinformation or lack of information is the fact that much media coverage has slighted the deeper structural problems in favor of scare reporting or blaming the victims. Many readers of this e-news have seen one or more versions of an op-ed written by LPF national coordinator, Glen Gersmehl, entitled "Delving deeper, nourishing hope. For more, go to, www.pjrcbooks.org/
Fin_Crisis.html

6. The above article lifts up the core role that’credit default swaps’ played in the crisis. Amazed that you haven’t heard of CDS? The lead editorial in this past Sunday’s NY Times is one of a relative few national or regional commentaries to focus on the role of CDS in the crisis. Here’s a particularly intriguing (and shocking) point:

"In the manic years of this decade, credit default swaps took off as a way to bet on the likelihood of default by a firm or an investment portfolio, without having to own any financial interest in the firm or portfolio. That is definitely not insurance, it is gambling."

For the full NY Times editorial, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/opinion/

7. One of ours? We might add that a superb NY Times business editor, Gretchen Morgenson, has been one of the most consistently useful analysts on the current crisis and its public policy and moral dimensions, for example, a Jan. 25 commentary: Time to Unravel the Knot of Credit-Default Swaps and a March 15 piece: At A.I.G., Good Luck Following the Money. Curious about Morgenson’s rare moral sensibilities, we finally looked up her profile and discovered she’s a St. Olaf grad. Could that be relevant?

8. It has been with some embarrassment that we note that Christian leaders and faith-based groups across the denominational spectrum have been all but invisible in the public debate about the economic crisis. So it is good news to report that’s the focus of the current issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics offering a range of views. Check it out at: www.elca.org/jle

9. The upcoming issue of The Nation magazine has a cover story that brings us full circle: the impact of the economic crisis on nonprofits. It explores several examples of that impact and a number of worrisome projections and statistics, for example, that 100,000 nonprofits could close their doors as a result of the crisis. It is a reminder for each of us to support those groups like LPF that we are counting on to help us act on our faith in the world. See: www.thenation.org


Blessings and Peace!

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To contact us by email lpf@ecunet.org or lpfyouth@gmail.com. For links to lpf enewsletters and blogs, additional advocacy information, useful group discussion activities, leader tips, and resources on a wide range of topics, www.lutheranpeace.org

Vision and Challenge of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King quotes reflecting some of the breadth of Dr. King's thought.

Useful as a bulletin insert.

It boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an
inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Trumpet of Conscience

Taking action for what we believe

Normally, not much happens in politics between election and inauguration. One thing that still has to happen is passage of the ’09 federal budget. And it is obvious that action on our faltering economy can’t wait for a new Congress and administration. Both are places in great need of serious thinking, engaged citizenship, and caring action. There is a rare opening in the ’09 budget for Congress to greatly help poor people in other countries. Citizen efforts have succeeded in putting on the agenda a $5 billion increase in development aid and we won the spring Budget vote in the Senate by a 72 to 23 vote, so this can pass!

Examples of notes to elected officials (doc, pdf)

Art and Hope! Peace Leadership Training

In this day-long workshop, we'll use the arts and hands-on activities to explore our hopes for our world and how we can make them a reality. You don't have to consider yourself and "artist" to attend- this is "art" for everyone!

During the day, we will spend time doing personal reflection, group discussion exploring peace and justice, learning skills and tools for making change, collaborating and encouraging each other. No matter how much you know about justice, or how much you have been involved in your community, you should expect to find like-minded friends who will inspire you.

We encourage you to register and come with other friends from your school, school club, youth group, or church. Spread the word!

This workshop is sponsored by us at Lutheran Peace Fellowship, but is open to people from all spiritual traditions (or none at all!). We will do all we can to foster a space that is safe for folks of all race, class, ethnic, gender, religious, ability, and sexual identities. The facilitators are Monica Fisk and Lindsey Bulger, youth trainers with LPF.

When: Saturday, December 6th, from 9am- 5pm.
Where: University Friends Meeting, 4001 9th Ave. NE Seattle, 98105 (University District). For directions, click here.
Cost: $25-50 sliding scale, scholarships available.
To register: email lpfyouth@gmail.com, call (206) 720-0313 ask for Monica or Lindsey.
click here to view the flier