Weekly Justice Highlights

Good News: Late last week, President Obama granted a relief from deportations to DREAMers, and provided a pathway to work permits. A thank you message can be sent here.  

Urgent Action Needed Today: Call and urge U.S. Senators (1.202.224.3121; charges apply) to oppose cuts to critical programs such as SNAP (food stamps) and conservation programs that help people and communities in need. Urge them to support a farm bill that RESTORES cuts to SNAP, support targeted assistance for crop insurance to small and mid-sized farms and adequately fund international food assistance and development programs.

Human Trafficking and the London Olympics: The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) has written a letter to Jacques from the shareholder perspective. Now ICCR has launched a petition to Mr. Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urging him to do all in is power to join the global movement to eliminate trafficking and slavery.

Care of Earth: Those dissatisfied with the Rio+20 negotiations can make their voice heard here. 

Human Trafficking: Call and urge U.S. Senators (1.202.224.3121; charges apply) to support passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (S. 1301) that is long overdue for Reauthorization and vital to federal funding and protections for trafficking victims and programs.

Challenging Unjust Structures: Urge members of Congress to demand greater transparency and Congressional oversight in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Agreement that will become the largest free trade agreement ever. This trade agreement must be negotiated in public. Urge members of Congress to sign a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk by Congressman George Miller and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro by clicking here. 

At a time when oil and gas production in the U.S. is the highest since 1998, the oil and gas industry does not need to be collecting over $4 billion annually in taxpayer subsidies. Urge U.S. Representatives to oppose H.R. 4480 that creates new government handouts for the oil and gas industry.

During the final days of June as Torture Awareness Month, U.S. citizens are invited to sign a statement condemning the use of solitary confinement which will be shared with individual state governors and top corrections official, along with every member of the state’s legislature when 500 signatures have been received for that particular state.

In efforts to empower women, U.S. citizens are invited to urge Members of Congress to Co-sponsor the Equal Employment Opportunity Restoration Act of 2012.  

Nuns on the Bus is a two-week tour sponsored by NETWORK that will stop in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia from June 18 to July 2. The tour includes visits to social service agencies and offices of members of Congress, highlighting opposition, as well as the U.S. Catholic bishops' opposition, to the House-passed Ryan budget.

A film entitled, The Sky is Pink, addresses hydraulic fracking to obtain natural gas in the state of New York. It can be viewed here (Scroll down to watch the 18.5 minute film)

Results are in for those who voted in the ten areas under The Future We Want (Rio+20).