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Bombs away!

12 Apr 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Letter to the Colossians, one of the Easter lectionary options, encourages us to "think of what is above, not of what is on earth." With a North Korean missile launch in mind last Sunday, President Obama announced in a speech in Prague that the U.S. will embark on an ambitious plan to markedly reduce the number of nuclear weapons around the world. If he succeeds, words from the Acts of the Apostles read this Sunday-"he went about doing good"-will certainly apply. Obama told a cheering crowd estimated at 20,000 or more that the United States is ready to lead an international effort to reduce atomic arsenals and the threat they pose. Speaking hours after the North Korean missile launch, which drew international concern and condemnation, Obama outlined a plan toward a goal he admitted was decades away. "As the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act," he told the crowd gathered in Prague's historic Hradcany Square. Obama laid out a process to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, ban nuclear testing, and put loose fissile material out of the reach of terrorists. Until weapons and the material to make them are fully secured, Obama said, the U.S. will maintain its nuclear arsenal to deter adversaries. Obama promised to negotiate a strategic arms-reduction treaty with Russia by the end of the year that would dramatically reduce the number of nuclear warheads. A few days earlier, Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed during meetings in London to produce a new arms-control treaty to replace the current Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expires in December. Obama's plan also called for peaceful uses of nuclear power through an international fuel bank that would be available to every nation that renounces nuclear weapons. He said he supported Iran's right to pursue nuclear energy, providing the regime agrees to regular and thorough inspections. Finally, Obama said he hoped to host a world summit on nuclear weapons within the year. Source: An article by Christi Parsons and Tom Hamburger for the Chicago Tribune

barack obama russia strategic arms reduction treaty dmitry medvedev united states nuclear weapons missiles prague north korea

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More Americans switching cornerstones

03 May 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

While today’s psalm speaks of how the “stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone,” when it comes to their faith Americans tend not to completely reject cornerstones but simply drift from one to another. According to the results of a survey released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, researchers found that almost three-quarters of Catholics and Protestants who have become unaffiliated with a religion said they had “just gradually drifted away” from their faith. The same number of Catholics and half of Protestants currently unassociated with a faith said that over time they stopped believing in their religion’s teachings. Pew Forum senior fellow John C. Green said that result surprised researchers, who had expected policy disputes or disillusionment over internal scandals--such as the clergy sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church--to play more of a role in people’s decision to leave a faith. Among former Catholics who became Protestants, one in five cited the sex-abuse scandal as one of several reasons why they had left the church. But only a small percentage--2 to 3 percent--cited it as the lone reason. “It suggests that what leads people to leave their faith is that, somehow for some reason, it isn’t meeting their needs . . . . Religion becomes less plausible to the person,” Green said. Researchers interviewed non-Christians but focused their analysis on Christians, which provided them with large enough groups to permit close scrutiny, said Pew research fellow Gregory A. Smith. Researchers discovered that the “churn” between denominations among the faithful and formerly faithful was 56 percent. They also found that up to one-third of people who have left their childhood faith have jumped around among three or more other faiths. At the same time, the large and growing number of people who report having no religious affiliation are surprisingly open to religion, researchers said. Contrary to the popular perception that many have embraced secularism, a significant percentage appeared simply to have put their religiosity on pause, having worshiped as part of at least one faith already, and about 3 in 10 said they have not yet found the right religion. “We tend to think that when people leave [religion] they leave,” said Stephen Prothero, chairman of the religion department at Boston University. “But a lot of these unaffiliated are unaffiliated for now.” Source: An article by Jacqueline Salmon for the Washington Post.

religion united states stephen prothero gregory a smith john c green surveys pew forum on religion public life

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Migration reforms the political landscape

17 May 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Jesus reminds his disciples in this Sunday's gospel reading that "it was not you who chose me, but I who chose you." A record 1 million immigrants chose to become U.S. citizens in 2008, a trend that is transforming the political map in immigrant-rich states such as California, Florida, and Texas. California's 300,000 new citizens accounted for nearly one-third of the nation's total and represented a near-doubling over 2006, according to a recent report by the U.S. Office of Immigration Statistics. Florida recorded the second-largest group of new citizens, and Texas claimed the fastest growth. Mexicans, who have traditionally registered low rates of naturalization, represented the largest group of new citizens, with nearly one-fourth of the total. They were followed by Indians, Filipinos, Chinese, Cubans, and Vietnamese. The new citizens are likely to reorder policy priorities in their states, political analysts predict. Polls show that Latinos and Asians are more supportive than whites of public investments and broad services, even if they require higher taxes. New citizen Alfonso Vergara is one product of a massive citizenship campaign effort by Latino groups in California this past year. A Mexico native and pharmaceutical technician, the 31-year-old said he had postponed applying for citizenship for years because the process seemed too time-consuming. But last year he was swept up in the marches and the call for civic activism. "It was time for me to build a stronger future for my family and become a more active person in this country," Vargas said. "This isn't about helping Latinos for the sake of helping Latinos. This is about helping Latinos succeed for the sake of America." Source: An article by Teresa Watanabe for The Los Angeles Times

immigrants immigration california united states texas florida office of immigration statistics alfonso vergara latinos

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Putting bombs away

12 Jul 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the vision of the psalmist this Sunday, "Justice and peace shall kiss." While President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev didn't kiss this week, they did sign a preliminary agreement to reduce the world's two largest nuclear stockpiles by as much as one third. Two days of meetings resulted in the signing of other important documents as well, including a deal to let U.S. troops cross Russia en route to Afghanistan. The two leaders agreed their countries would work closely together to study new missile security threats the United States says are at the core of its rationale for planning new missile defenses in Europe, and they called for renewed efforts to develop greater commercial and economic ties. "I can't think of a summit that was so comprehensive in what we are trying to do as a government," said Michael McFaul, special assistant to the president and senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs. "There is an emphasis on style, on tone," however, rather than action in Obama's efforts thus far to build a new relationship with Russia, said Sam Greene, deputy director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, a U.S.-based political research institute. "But that is also important. If this process is going to keep up momentum, it needs to be clear to politicians in both capitals that the presidents are putting a lot of their own political capital into the process." "Even a symbolic detente is not bad," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the Moscow foreign policy review Russia in Global Affairs. "The style has changed utterly by comparison with last autumn" when tensions between the United States and Russia soared to levels not seen since Ronald Reagan entered the White House in the early 1980s, he said. Source: Articles by Christopher Boian for Agence France Presse and Michael A. Fletcher and Philip P. Pan for the Washington Post

barack obama russia in global affairs fyodor lukyanov carnegie moscow center sam greene michael mcfaul europe arms control missiles nuclear weapons united states dmitry medvedev afghanistan russia ronald reagan

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Neighborly disagreement at NAFTA-partner summit

16 Aug 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the reading from the Book of Proverbs this Sunday, Wisdom encourages us to "advance in the way of understanding." Hoping to do the same, leaders of Canada, the United States, and Mexico met in Guadalajara, Mexico this week for their fourth annual summit, an effort to bring the signers of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) closer together. But the meeting also served to highlight differences on issues such as migration and drug trafficking. President Barack Obama said at the conclusion of the summit Monday that his administration will seek a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. immigration system this year but that no action on legislation will happen before 2010. The issue of immigration has also generated controversy between Canada and Mexico. Canada announced last month it would begin requiring Mexican citizens to secure visas before entering the country, a decision that angered many in Mexico. The Canadian government claimed too many Mexicans are fraudulently claiming political asylum in Canada, overwhelming the system. The Mexican government struck back with an announcement that Canadian diplomats and government officials would now be required to obtain visas to enter Mexico. Mexico also raised a trade dispute that began when the U.S. Congress canceled a program, in violation of NAFTA, that allowed Mexican trucks to operate in the United States. Mexico responded by imposing billions of dollars in tariffs on American products. Another sore point is the "buy American" clause in the Obama administration's economic stimulus plan, which both Canada and Mexico oppose. There is also some discord on the issue of combating Mexico's drug violence. The American aid package for Mexico says that 15 percent of the funds can be disbursed only if the U.S. State Department decides that the Mexican government meets certain human rights conditions. Recently reports of abuse have emerged. Mexican President Felipe Calderón's government has characterized any abuses as isolated. And aides to Obama said he strongly favors releasing the aid. Source: Articles by Cheryl W. Thompson and William Booth for the Washington Post and Ginger Thompson and Marc Lacey for the New York Times

immigration drug trafficking canada nafta north american free trade agreement felipe calderon mexico united states barack obama visas

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Iran no longer balks at talks

20 Sep 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In Sunday's reading from the Book of Wisdom the just one is put to the test through a trial of patience. World powers who believe Iran has been unjustly testing their patience through its refusal to talk about its nuclear program were pleased this week that the nation had agreed to sit down to negotiations next month, the first such discussions in more than a year. The United States for the first time will join the talks. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said talks between world powers and Iran will "very likely" be held October 1 in Turkey. Turkey is seen as an ideal host, said Paul Ingram, co-executive director of the British-American Information Security Council, because not only is it a member of NATO but it has economic and energy ties to Iran. The U.S. State Department announced Monday that it would send its third-ranking diplomat, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns, to the gathering. Representatives of Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia would also be present for the talks. U.S. officials said the six nations would present a "united front" against Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions. "We have made clear to the Iranians that any talks we participate in must address the nuclear issue head on," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. "Iran says it has a number of issues it wishes to discuss with us but what we are concerned about is discussing with them the questions surrounding their nuclear program and ambitions. We will wait to see how Iran responds in that face-to-face venue," Clinton said. While accepting the proposal for talks, Tehran insisted that it will not entertain the idea of stopping its nuclear enrichment program, which it contends is part of a civilian power program to which it is entitled under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Ingram said disputes over Iran's nuclear sovereignty should not dissuade hopes of progress between the two sides. "The fact that Iran resists direct talks over its nuclear program is to be regretted but nevertheless I think the timing is good," he said. "I think it is very positive that Iran is engaging in talks and that the West is treating seriously this desire for Iran to talk . . . ." Source: Articles by Jessica Desvarieux and David Gollust for VOANews.com, BBC NEWS, and Agence France Presse

united states william burns british-american information security council paul ingram turkey javier solana iran hillary clinton nuclear weapons nuclear non-proliferation treaty

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Nobel calling

18 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the long version of this Sunday's gospel, brothers James and John ask Jesus for the honor of being seated at his side when he comes into his glory. When it comes to being honored with the glory of a Nobel Prize, it has been an exceptionally strong year for the United States. U.S. citizens--some of them immigrants with dual citizenship--account for 11 of the 13 Nobel winners. Last Friday President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, and Monday Elinor Ostrom of Indiana University became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in economics. Ostrom was also the fifth woman recognized this year, another first. Ostrom said it's an honor to be the first woman Nobel economics laureate--and promised she won't be the last. She said people had discouraged her from seeking a Ph.D. when she applied for graduate school, but she loved studying economics. The choice of Obama for the Peace Prize has proven controversial; some said it came too early in his presidency to be appropriate. Reacting to the criticism, members of the Norwegian committee that awarded the Prize took the unusual move Tuesday of defending their choice. "We simply disagree that he has done nothing," committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said. "He got the prize for what he has done." Jagland singled out Obama's efforts to heal the divide between the West and the Muslim world and scale down a Bush-era proposal for an anti-missile shield in Europe. "All these things have contributed to--I wouldn't say a safer world--but a world with less tension," Jagland said. He said most world leaders were positive about the award and that most of the criticism was coming from the media and Obama's political rivals. Source: Articles by Ian MacDougall, Karl Ritter, Jeannine Aversa, and Matt Moore for Associated Press

barack obama nobel prize united states elinor ostrom nobel prize in economics thorbjoern jagland

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A world hungers for solution to food shortage

22 Nov 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Book of Daniel this Sunday describes a vision of "one like a Son of man." United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened a worldwide "Hunger Summit" on Monday in Rome by calling for a "single global vision" to address the plight of the world's estimated 1 billion hungry people. Aid groups, however, are looking for actions, not words. The absence of many world leaders undermined the summit from the start, and its final declaration showed little progress was made in the fight against hunger, said critics. U.N. officials put on a brave face throughout the three-day meeting, saying it had won broad support for the need to focus on longer-term agricultural development--rather than emergency aid--to help poor countries feed themselves. "It's a half-full, half-empty glass," said Jacques Diouf, director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), who had called the summit to keep attention high on the plight of the more than 1 billion people going hungry. "We made some progress to reverse the decline in agricultural investments . . . but it did not go as far as FAO would have wished to see," he told the final news conference. "It's a big disappointment that the leaders from the biggest and richest countries did not come," said Gawain Kripke of the aid agency Oxfam. "Without them it's hard to imagine how the world will attack these challenges of hunger and increasing agricultural productivity," he said, adding that the summit had thrown only "crumbs" to those who do not have enough to eat. The FAO had hoped the meeting would yield firm promises to boost farm aid to $44 billion a year, reversing nearly 30 years of neglect. Diouf also wanted leaders to commit to eradicating malnutrition by 2025. But the summit declaration merely pledged to eliminate hunger "at the earliest possible date" and set no targets nor a timeframe for more investments in agricultural development. Hunger is local as well as global. A hard-hitting report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week said that more than one in seven American households struggled to put enough food on the table in 2008, the highest rate since the USDA began tracking food security levels in 1995. That's about 49 million people, or 14.6 percent of U.S. households. The numbers are a significant increase from 2007 when 11.1 percent of U.S. households suffered from what USDA classifies as "food insecurity"--not having enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle. The report also showed an increasing number of children in the U.S. are suffering. In 2008 16.7 million children were classified as not having enough food, 4.3 million more than in 2007. "What should really shock us is that almost one in four children in our country lives on the brink of hunger," said David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. Source: Articles by Silvia Aloisi and Svetlana Kovalyova for Reuters, Joe Kapua for Voice of America News, Gina Doggett for Agence France Press, and Henry C. Jackson for the Associated Press

Children hunger summit rome development un food and agriculture organization agriculture gawain kripke us department of agriculture usda food insecurity david beckmann jacques diouf fao united states united nations ban ki-moon Hunger world summit on food security

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Bishops flex lobbying muscle

29 Nov 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"Guide me in your truth and teach me," the psalmist asks of the Lord in this Sunday's psalm. The U.S. Roman Catholic bishops have been lobbying Congress to come up with a health care bill more in line with what the church teaches. Their efforts contributed to the inclusion of restrictive abortion language in the U.S. House health care bill. The version of the bill currently being debated in the Senate, however, does not contain that language. The bishops have consistently identified three priority areas in the health care debate: abortion, religious conscience clauses, and immigrant rights. They urged the Senate to change its version of the bill in order to keep in place federal law on abortion funding and conscience protection on abortion; protect access to health care for immigrants; and include strong provisions for adequate affordability. "I don't think the Catholics in the pews will get quite as focused on a message of immigrants as they have been on the question of abortion," said Stephen Schneck, a professor of politics at Catholic University of America. "And I'm not convinced the church leaders are willing to expend the political capital with those Catholics in order to promote the cause." Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), a Catholic who participated in the intense negotiations over the final abortion language in the House, said the pressure from the church to ease restrictions on immigrants was "not even close" to the abortion language tug-of-war. Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who is president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, called the House bill historic and said it "brings our nation closer to ensuring quality, affordable health care for everyone and to reversing the injustice of millions of un- and underinsured women, men, and children." Success in the House came after the church ran a classic lobbying operation: deploying paid staff to Capitol Hill, tapping influential bishops to make private appeals to key congressional leaders, and distributing bulletin inserts to 19,000 parishes with easy instructions and sample wording for sending a message to local representatives. The bishops say they've found a lobbying model that could provide them a stronger voice in future policy debates. "It was a good example of how we, as a conference, can work together to have a positive influence on legislation," said Bishop William Murphy, head of the domestic justice and human development committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Some lawmakers and others, however, have questioned whether the bishops' activities constitute substantial political lobbying and therefore endanger the church's tax-exempt status. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) has suggested that IRS rules may be too lenient. "The IRS is less restrictive about church involvement in efforts to influence legislation than it is about involvement in campaigns and elections," Woolsey said. "Given the political behavior of USCCB in this case, maybe it shouldn't be." The church's strategic decisions are significant because with Catholics representing the largest single religious group among members of Congress--at 30 percent--the church can gain access across party lines. Another reason the bishops could find an entry into the health care debate is the church's vast array of clinics and hospitals that often serve those most in need, including legal and illegal immigrants. Source: Articles by Jeanne Cummings for Politico, Patricia Zapor for Catholic News Service,Eliza Newlin Carney for the National Journal Online, and a USCCB news release

immigrants lynn woolsey united states conference of catholic bishops william murphy lobbying carol keehan mike doyle stephen schneck conscience health care reform abortion congress bishops tax exempt

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Trusted truckers step out of line at the border

29 Nov 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"Be vigilant at all times," Jesus counsels his disciples in this Sunday's gospel. Guards at the U.S.-Mexico border vigilantly search for contraband but worry that a program that offers trusted trucking companies speedy passage across U.S. borders is being hijacked by Mexican drug smugglers. Large shipments of illegal drugs have been discovered in recent months. Most trucks enrolled in the program pause at the border for only 20 seconds before entering the United States. And nine out of ten of them do so without anyone looking at their cargo. But among the small fraction of trucks that are inspected, authorities have found multiple loads of contraband, including nearly 13 tons of marijuana seized in a three-week period last spring. Some experts now question whether the program makes sense in an environment where drug traffickers are willing to do almost anything to smuggle their shipments into the U.S. The trusted-shipper system "just tells the bad guys who to target," said Dave McIntyre, former director of the Integrative Center for Homeland Security at Texas A&M University. The government keeps the list of participants hidden, citing national security and trade secrets. But some of the 9,500 companies who are part of the system advertise their membership to drum up business, making them targets for smugglers who can then threaten drivers or offer them bribes. More than half of all U.S. imports now come from companies in the program, called the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, or C-TPAT. Mexican trucking companies make up only 6 percent of global membership in the system but they account for half of its 71 security violations during the past two years. Stephen Flynn, senior fellow for Counterterrorism and National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said truckers do not feel safe rejecting bribes, no matter what agreements their companies have made with the U.S. government. "The basic vulnerability for a truck driver remains the 'plata-or-plomo' dilemma," Flynn said, using Spanish shorthand for taking a bribe or a bullet. Source: An article by Christopher Sherman for the Associated Press

united states c-tpat customs-trade partnership against terrorism trusted-shipper dave mcintyre trucking contraband us-mexico border smuggling drug trafficking mexico stephen flynn

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