Weekly Justice Highlights

Challenging Unjust Corporations:  Urge ExxonMobil to release all the information about the pipeline and spill that spewed tens of thousands of barrels of oil with tar sands crude in Arkansas.

Challenging Unjust Corporations: Individuals are invited to sign a petition urging the governments of Germany, France and the Netherlands to protect our everyday vegetables and fruits from Monsanto and Co. who desire growers to pay them and risk being sued if they don’t.  (International Action available)

Promoting Peace: It is not too late to contact U.S.Senators (202.224.3121; Charges apply) on the topic of gun violence.  Urge them to enact universal background checks and pass other needed gun violence prevention measures such as bans on semi-automatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, gun trafficking laws, and improved access to mental health services. 

Promoting Peace: Urge President Obama to stop the flaunting of U.S. military might and seek diplomatic avenues to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.  

Death Penalty: Abdullah al-Qahtani could soon be executed in Iraq for a false confession as four of the six co-defendants were executed this week.  Abdullah is a Saudi Arabian man convicted of robbery and murder under Iraq's Anti-Terrorism Law. Amnesty is monitoring his case closely due to the very serious concerns that have been raised by his lawyers about his treatment in detention and the fairness of his trial.  Take action in support for life and basic human rights of Abdullah and others who face the death penalty in Iraq. 

President Obama has endorsed cutting Social Security and veterans’ benefits by using the “chained CPI” to lower the cost-of-living adjustment in his proposed FY 2014 budget.   The Congressional Budget Office says the amount saved would be $163 billion over ten years.  Urge President Obama and Congress to cut the Pentagon budget (end war in Afghanistan, cut the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and cut Pentagon contracting) instead of cutting Social Security and veterans’ benefits.   

Urge U.S. Representatives to protect the SNAP (Food Stamps) program by encouraging more members of Congress to co-sponsor H. Res 90, that proposes NO more cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

With the release of the President’s proposed FY 2014 Budget, individuals are invited to thank President Obama for the early childhood education initiative (expanding voluntary home visiting programs, investing in partnerships between Early Head Start and child care programs and provide all low-income families access to high-quality prekindergarten programs). 

KY: Cathy Jarboe, Director of Catholic State Networks and Organizations for the Catholic Mobilizing Network to End the Use of the Death Penalty, will speak in Bardstown and Elizabethtown on April 16 (St. Joseph Basilica at 110 N. 5th St. in Bardstown in Flaget Hall, NOON - 1pm (light lunch served, please register); and St. James Catholic Church at 307 W. Dixie Ave in Elizabethtown, 7 - 9 pm.) AND in Louisville on April 17 (The Maloney Center, 1200 S. Shelby in Louisville from 2 - 4 pm; and 7 - 9 pm.). Staff from the Catholic Conference will also present, as will a representative of the Ky. Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.  Archbishop Kurtz is planning to attend the April 17 2 p.m. session.  Anyone wishing to attend the above sessions is asked to send NAME, PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL to Sharon Schuhmann at sschuhmann@archlou.org  Cathy will also be on Nazareth campus at 3 pm on April 16 in the 2^nd floor community room of the Motherhouse.

Louisville:  On April 30, from 1 to 4 pm at the Holiday Inn (Hurtsbourne/I-64East) will host a Free Fair Housing Training.  It will focus on basic fair housing law and will also include a brief diversity session. The event is being sponsored by the Lexington Fair Housing Council, the Kentucky Housing Corporation and the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission.  To register for the training go to: http://lexingtonfairhousing.com/services, call (859) 971-8067, toll free: 1-866-438-8617, or send an e-mail to: crosbylfhc@hotmail.com