Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its poetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral and spiritual authority. If the church does not participate actively in the struggle for peace and for economic and racial justice, it will forfeit the loyalty of millions and cause people everywhere to say that it has atrophied its will. But if the church will free itself from the shackles of a deadening status quo, and, recovering its great historic mission, will speak and act fearlessly and insistently in terms of justice and peace, it will enkindle the imagination of mankind and fire the souls of men, imbuing them with a glowing and ardent love for truth, justice, and peace. People far and near will know the church as a great fellowship of love that provides light and bread for lonely travellers at midnight."

(From a sermon published under the title ""Why Jesus Called A Wise Man A Fool" and in two books of King's sermons as "A Knock at Midnight" -- in Strength to Love, 1963, and later in a book with the title, A Knock at Midnight.  The sermon appears on page 51 and 61 respectively.  The reference of the final words is King's text, Luke 11:5-6.   An annotated version of King's notes was compiled for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project, as well as a brief description of its writing and the first time King preached it for the Youth Sunday Services of a Baptist convention in Sept., 1958. It also includes footnotes on many of King's references. Here's the link:
http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/primarydocuments/Vol6/14Sept1958AKnockatMidnight.pdf.
King used all or parts of it in other settings and later expanded it for publication in his book of sermons, Strength to Love as noted above.) Audio excerpts are available at:
http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/kingweb/publications/sermons/multimedia/KAM.htm

From the LPF website:

• Martin Luther King quotes reflecting some of the breadth of Dr. King's thought.
• Vision and Challenge of Martin Luther King, Jr. - Useful as a bulletin insert.
• More resources and videos about Martin Luther King and nonviolence

Now Online: Martin Luther King's Works -- talks, sermons, letters (including early drafts & mark-ups) etc. The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change has opened an online digital archive of Dr. King's works.  http://www.mlkonline.net/

Two great articles:

Occupy: Resurrecting Rev. King's Final Dream
by Leo W. Gerard
International President, United Steelworkers

How to Learn Nonviolent Resistance as King Did
by Mary Elizabeth King
also distributed by Common Dreams

Fast Tracking of the TPP

The little known Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) threatens to surrender our national, state and local sovereignty to corporate interests. This past Friday, legislation for Trade Promotion Authority, known as Fast Track, for the TPP was introduced in the House and Senate.  The Executive branch has negotiated the TPP in meetings that have been secret to the general public and even most members of Congress, but open to transnational corporations who are deeply crafting it with an eye to increase their profits and protect their interests.

The Fast Track legislation being debated eliminates the time needed for Congress to fully discuss the agreement and their freedom to amend in any way. Fast Track forces Congress to merely rubber stamp the TPP unread, and also takes away citizen and advocacy groups' opportunity to engage in the decision making.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is currently being negotiated between 12 countries around the Pacific Ocean including several of the world's largest economies. The TPP has the potential to extend the negative consequences of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to nearly 40% of the world's economy. Despite promises of the 90's that NAFTA would improve the economy and provide jobs, history reveals that it forced more people in Mexico to migrate North as it destroyed small-scale farmers' ability to survive, had massively negative effects on labor rights everywhere, and removed environmental regulations deemed to be inconvenient impediments to free trade. Today the Obama administration is reportedly preparing to undermine strong environmental safeguards and critical regulations in order to secure the TPP deal. These include legally binding requirements for pollution limits, logging, and fishing standards.

The TPP is known as "NAFTA on steroids" because it goes much further than trade issues by threatening democratic decisions on laws governing  food safety, financial regulation, energy and climate policy, and establishes new powers for corporations. It is also known as "SOPA on steroids"  because of its threat to internet freedom.

If you are concerned about how any of our laws governing the environment, health and safety, workers rights, etc. could be altered outside the democratic process, then we need to act. In fact, we have every reason to be alarmed about allowing big corporations to use a non-public process to overturn or change democratically-decided rulings and safeguards based on their assertion that it must be done to protect their trade interests, e.g. competitiveness... And it is particularly offensive to allow this to happen with so little public discussion and involvement. We all need to contact our representatives in Congress and let them know that Fast Tracking the TPP is outrageous, especially given its potential impact and all the ways it subverts democratic process. And please consider sharing this with others who can join us in acting soon, before it’s too late. Together we can do something!

Learn more:

Secretive Corporate Deal in the Works Could Establish Special Closed Door Courts for Big Business

http://democracyctr.org/news/getting-action-strangling-democracy/

TPP--the 1% solution to democracy--government by corporate dictates

http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/78-78/18154-tpp-the-1-solution-to-democracy-government-by-corporate-dictates

If You Thought What ALEC and the Koch Brothers Are Doing Was Bad ...

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/18438-if-you-thought-what-alec-and-the-koch-brothers-are-doing-was-bad

TPP: A BAD DEAL FOR THE 99%

http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/212-212/17883-tpp-a-bad-deal-for-the-99

TPP: A Worldwide Corporate Power Grab of Enormous Proportions

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/13444-tpp-a-worldwide-corporate-power-grab-of-enormous-proportions

Monsanto, the TPP and Global Food Dominance

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/20644-monsanto-the-tpp-and-global-food-dominance

TPP coverage on Democracy Now

http://www.democracynow.org/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Trans-Pacific+Partnership+&commit=Search

The Joys of the Season

Sometimes it comes as a sudden glimpse, or an
insight emerging in a thoughtful moment: 

 “Why not a simpler, more meaningful
Advent and Christmas?” 

Of course, what we’re getting is commercialization of the season -- and at record-breaking levels.
The good news: there’s a growing movement and a variety of resources and support for simplicity and sustainability. Indeed, there are deeply gratifying ways to prepare for and celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace -- outside our culture's distorted, materialistic ways.
LPF offers you a freshly updated resource on the subject:
"Reclaim the Season! Peace & Justice Living and Giving at Christmas and Throughout the Year."
It’s one of our popular ‘Peace Points’ series, geared for individual and youth or adult group use.
It offers a variety of alternative gift ideas, sources of fair trade gifts, ideas for discussion, and a great resource section with website and print materials.

Congressional budget compromise . . .

Most of the country seems relieved that Congress will depart from DC with a budget deal. Their recess is actually an ideal time for them to hear a holiday message from constituents who care about the gospel call for us to be justice seekers and peacemakers. 

Indeed, There is a lot to celebrate about Congress negotiating its way out of yet another painful budget standoff. But the details are pretty sobering as well. Here’s a brief summary of the budget deal: 

The plus side: It doesn't cut Social Security, Medicare, Medi- caid, etc. And it backs away from over two years of destructive actions: Fiscal cliff, debt limit, sequester, government shutdown... all very damaging to many programs -- and with the threat of default, they put both the U.S. and the global economy at risk.

On the negative side: The budget deal does nothing to reduce defense spending (or call for even the most obvious tax increases; or close tax loopholes). We are thus denied the resources needed to address the nation’s #1 priority: putting people back to work, esp. to help us take serious steps toward forstalling climate change, to expand renewable energy, to build infrastructure, to enhance rather than cut the safety net even further… 

Yet the budget deal allows unemployment benefits to expire for 1.3 million long-term unemployed workers. It leaves the sequester cuts largely in place -- which consigns most safety net programs to reduced levels and vulnerable to further cuts. The budget agreement is more a cease-fire than a solution to our budget dilemmas. 

What makes this especially unfortunate is that cutting the military budget offers a way out. It has huge programs that are wasteful. Others are unneeded in the new global security environment. A few notable programs are larger than even the Pentagon requested! This doesn’t point to thoughtful decision-making by Congress. Rather it’s evidence of the enormous influence of defense contractor lobbying. 

Our priority this month is experiencing the real meaning of Advent and Christmas. Spending time with family, congregation, and friends... 

Let’s also agree to share this information in our church groups and among friends. Let's use the Congressional recess to speak with our elected officials about bloated defense spending; and stingy levels to protect and serve the most vulnerable in our society. That's a holiday message our members of Congress need to hear!

Peacemakers Wanted!

In next few months we face an important set of public dis-

cussions and votes in Congress. The good news: the subject

 is both straightforward and familiar,  federal budget priorities.

  The bad news:  crucial safety net programs are again under

 threat,  while more reasonable solutions are again being

 ignored, like long overdue cuts in military spending. 

And much of the media isn’t very helpful in clarifying
even the most basic issues.  One could easily believe the
only question is deciding how much to cut Social Security. . .
or Medicare. . .  or food stamps. . .  Pres. Obama is portrayed
as a big spender; yet he has increased the deficit less than
any president in 50 years.  So what is missing here? 

Here’s how one commentator responded:  “No mention of the 

bloated ‘Defense’ budget… or the obscene tax breaks for wealthy 

people and corporations… or the Wall St. criminals who stole our 

future…  Nope, it's Grandma and her Social Security checks that 

are to blame.” (William Rivers Pitt, Truthout)  It isn’t likely we’ll
have the serious discussion we need concerning the real issues.

The ELCA, LPF, and hundreds of other faith based groups are 

calling for a “Circle of Protection” around key safety net programs 

like food stamps and WIC. We at LPF have a crucial contribution 

to make: despite big changes in the world, US defense spending 

hasn’t been reduced in ages – compared to major rivals, it is 4 

times what China and over 7 times what Russia allocate!  Cuts 

there could solve our budget problems, create more jobs, fund 

clean energy, support efforts to prevent wars… all of which 

would make us stronger and safer.  Members of Congress 

who share that view need our support; those locked in 

the status quo need our solid, sustained advocacy.

Download a copy of this advocacy update. Please contact us for more information and links on these issues:  For example, you might want to check out our newly updated computer-based activity on budget priorities which has received rave reviews from adult forum leaders across the country. It has worked equally well as a community event.  The computer activity is on our website or available from us on a CD – both have a leaders guide offering discussion options, handouts, tips. . .

Lutheran Peace Fellowship, 1710 11th Ave., Seattle 98122
 lpf@ecunet.org 206.349.2501, www.lutheranpeace.org

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December 1. 2013

This year's theme is: 

"WORKING FOR YOUR RIGHTS."

"Where we come from does not determine who we can become. What we look like places no limits on what we can achieve. We should all have the right to express ourselves, all have the right to be heard, all have the right to be what we can be: To reach for the sky and touch the stars. No matter who we are, no matter whether we are man or woman, or rich or poor:
My voice, my right. My voice counts."

—Desmond Tutu, a key figure in the defeat of apartheid in South Africa, Nobel Prize Laureate, first black Archbishop of South Africa.

Links:
In honour of Human Rights Day this year, OUP have put together a selection of human rights related content ranging from journal and books articles across several disciplines to online products content from Oxford Bibliographies and University Press Scholarship Online.

They've made select content freely available for a limited time. Browse below and start reading immediately. http://www.oxfordjournals.org/page/5570/8

UN sites:

Human Rights (UN website)

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Human Rights Day 2013

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

60 human rights instruments which together constitute an international standard of human rights.

Related sites:

Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Defence for Children International

World Day of Prayer and Action for Children

Lutheran resources:

Addressing Racism: Challenge for Peacemakers

Goodsoil

Lutheran Human Relations Association

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

Reconciling Works

ELCA:

ELCA Ethnic Specific and Multicultural Ministries

Human Dignity and Human Rights

Human Rights and Family  - Journal of Lutheran Ethics - February 2009 issue

Human Rights - CSR program

videos:

>

Observing November 25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

"The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble." – Psalm 9:9

Since 1981, activists for women's issues have marked November 25 as a day against violence, in commemoration of three sisters assassinated in 1960 in the Dominican Republic.

The United Nations began to mobilize on the issues in 1999, when the UN declared November 25 as an annual International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in 2012:

"Millions of women and girls around the world are assaulted, beaten, raped, mutilated or even murdered …We must fundamentally challenge the culture of discrimination that allows violence to continue…I call on all governments to make good on their pledges to end all forms of violence against women and girls in all parts of the world, and I urge all people to support this important goal."

What can we do to stop the violence? We can build our own awareness and that of others…explore and choose an issue…support an anti-violence effort! For starters:

• Use LPF's "Stopping Violence Against Women and Girls" guide. 
• See the ELCA's Justice for Women resource page with links on ending violence against women.
• Urge your Senator to vote for ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The U.S. has signed but not ratified it, which means that the U.S. does not have to implement the Convention's provisions.

Look up the name of your elected officials here.

Let us stand together and do what we can to stop violence against women and girls!

-- Lily R. Wu, LPF Board Member

for the LPF Women's Initiative 

New Opportunities . . . Dangerous Politics

updated Oct 5th

Just when citizen input might do some good, 

the political process seems consumed by all the 

partisan drama in Washington, DC.   And indeed, 

there are a remarkable number of new opportunities 

for peacemaking and justice seeking.  We should 

not stop encouraging our elected officials to: 

*Support international efforts to remove Syria's
chemical weapons, end the fighting, and provide aid
for civilians impacted by this war – especially refugees.

*Find ways to address the role of Syria's worst 

drought in 70 years in aggravating the humanitarian

impact of the war; these problems aren't separate.

*Pursue new openings for diplomacy with Iran.

*Pass a U.S. budget with significant and long- 

overdue cuts in defense spending.

*Push through sensible gun control legislation in 

the wake of the horrific Navy Yard mass shooting.

Now is the time to encourage our friends and

congregation members to join us in advocating

for movement on whichever of these issues 

they feel strongly about . . .

And, of course, we and our nation
are confronted by another problem
with huge peace and justice impact:

Our voice is also needed urging Congress to act 

now to end the government shutdown that has cut so
many vital services, and threatens an even more damaging
default.  And Congress needs know we strongly oppose ending
the shutdown at the expense of key service programs, especially 

for the most vulnerable.  As the default deadline approaches, 

careful reflection on America’s needs can be undercut by 

last minute – and often back-room – negotiations. The 

House voted to defund Obamacare without such open

discussion. And it has voted for a $40 billion cut to

SNAP (food stamps), one of the most effective – 

and efficient – programs serving those in need.

While we should trim spending where we can 

(and the Pentagon is one place!), many program cuts 

being considered would seriously hurt many Americans, 

especially the most vulnerable, and actually endanger the 

economic recovery. The focus should be on jobs, not 

cuts to programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social 

Security, and vital safety net programs.

The U.S. is at a critical moment. Our friends 

and members of our congregations probably need 

encouragement to set aside all the inducements to

just “zone out” on these issues. We can support 

and inspire one another as we each contact 

our elected officials and share our sense 

of where their focus might be, e.g.: 

new opportunities for 

peacemaking... justice

for the poor... jobs....
 

download this advocacy update as a pdf

---

"At heaven's door, St. Peter is probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small. But he is going to ask you what you did for the poor."  E.J. Dionne quoting John Kasich, Republican Gov. of Ohio, and a top lieutenant in Newt Gingrich's revolution in the 1990s.

A few especially helpful sources:

“Why the Government Shutdown Is Unbiblical”
by Jim Wallis, Sojourners, http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/10/03/why-government-shutdown-unbiblical

“8 Reasons Democrats Should Refuse a Shutdown ‘Grand Bargain’ ”
by Richard Eskow, Campaign for America's Future blog, Oct. 4, 2013
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/10/04-3

"Lasting Damage From the Budget Fight,"
editorial, NY Times, 9-26-13
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/opinion/lasting-damage-from-the-budget-fight.html?src=recg

"A Federal Budget Crisis Months in the Planning"
by Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Mike McIntire, NY Times, 10-6-13 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html

"Obamacare's strange bedfellows"
by E.J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post, 9-22-13
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-22/opinions/42299449_1_medicaid-expansion-bill-john-kasich-medicaid-issue

"Free to Be Hungry"
by Paul Krugman, NY Times, 9-23-13
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/opinion/krugman-free-to-be-hungry.html?_r=0

"US-Iran: Breakthrough After Decades of Silence,"
ABC News, 9-28-13 http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/us-iran-leaders-talk-time-1979-20401912

"The UN Needs a Larger 'War on Poverty'"
by Ralph Nader, 9-27-13
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ralph-nader/united-nations-poverty_b_4005364.html

Other useful links:  www.billmoyers.com - http://robertreich.org/ - www.yesmagazine.org - www.truth-out.org - www.democracynow.org - www.thenation.com

Please share with others. . .    To see previous LPF blog posts . . . Further resources: www.lutheranpeace.org