In
this Issue:
Commentary: Now What?
Michael Piazza, President of Hope for Peace & Justice
I watched
the election results Tuesday night with a sense of despair
and a feeling of betrayal. How could my fellow citizens
be so blind and prejudiced? My own daughter was forced
to argue with one of her seventh-grade teachers, who told
her class that they should vote for the same-sex marriage
ban because "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and
Steve." Fortunately, because of the love of so many
people, my daughter was able to stand up for what she knows
is right.
While
I knew we had an uphill fight I really had hoped that we
would make it a closer vote than it turned out to be. So
what now? Well, I am not sure I know the answer to that,
but I do know that there are several important lessons
to be learned:
Since
only about 15% of Texans voted Tuesday, it means that 10%
of all Texans decided to write discrimination into the
State Constitution.
- Since
10% of Texans are LGBT, most didn’t vote.
- We
have a long way to go in order to educate people, and,
apparently, we need to begin with our own community.
- The
percentage of people who oppose same-sex marriage is
about the same as the percentage who opposed mixed-race
marriage 50 years ago.
Sometimes
morning comes slowly, but it always dawns and light inevitably
dispels darkness.
Tuesday,
I stood in my kitchen and realized that I probably won't
see this amendment reversed in my lifetime. It is a depressing
thought. However, after a few minutes, I also realized
two other truths:
- As
a Christian, I am not called to work for justice for
myself, but to struggle to ensure that those who follow
will know a world that is more just and equitable.
- My
children and their generation know the truth about this
issue, and they will be the ones who will build a better
world. Transforming attitudes is inevitable, and our
job is to help it come more quickly and easily.
This
battle gave us a chance to speak our truth. Every person
who heard it for the first time moved us toward that day
of equality that is inevitable. The Psalmist wrote, "Weeping
may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning." Defeat
feels a lot like death. To that reality Jesus says one
word: resurrection. We are a people who believe that death
and defeat do not have the final word. So, Tuesday we lost
an election. Today, let the resurrection begin.
Hope
for Peace & Justice is working to
expand our voice to the states where this issue is coming
to a vote in 2006. We will need your help organization
local people of faith to stand for equal rights. Join
the Equality Coalition today to volunteer in your state to
stop discrimination of LGBT people.
Creating
Cultures of Peace
Program Series
 What
is a Culture of Peace? Workshop
November 12 | 9am – 4pm | Cathedral of Hope
$50 Registration
Facilitated
by Rev. Shelley Hamilton and Duane Trammel, the workshop
will focus on methodologies that can guide us in the creation
of “cultures of peace.” Registration includes
all materials and lunch.
Click
here for more information.
 Mindfulness
Retreat
November 19 | 9am – 5pm
$50 Suggested Donation
A day
of mindfulness devoted to learning a variety of ways of
understanding and appreciating our connection and inter-relatedness
to all of creation. Brother Chi-Sing will lead the day through
didactic and experiential methodologies.
Click
here for more information
 Wal-Mart
Awareness Week
A Call for Social Responsibility
Wal-Mart
is the largest corporation in the world with sales of $288
billion in 2004. It is America’s largest employer
with a U.S. workforce of 1.2 million. Wal-Mart has been
accused of abusive practices stemming from an the greed
of corporate profits.
Wal-Mart
is a very powerful business that could be used to strengthen
corporate responsibility rather than destroy the concept.
Issues
of Attention:
Wages – the
average Wal-Mart employee earns $9.68/hour or $17,000 per
year. The average wage in the retail industry is $12.28.
Discrimination – Employees
have consistently won lawsuits charging gender, race, ethnicity
and disability discrimination. Additional suits are pending
including a class action suit of 1.6 million female employees
charging sex discrimination.
Health
Insurance – Less than half of Wal-Mart
workers receive health insurance. Nearly half of the
children of Wal-Mart’s employees are either uninsured
or on Medicaid.
Union
Practices – Between 1998 and 2002, Wal-Mart
managers illegally fired union supporters, practiced
worker intimidation, and threatened to deny bonuses.
This year, a Quebec store was closed six months after
forming a union.
Overtime
Pay – In 2002, an Oregon jury convicted
Wal-Mart of violating U.S. law for unpaid overtime. There
are similar lawsuits awaiting trial in 30 states.
Sweatshops – Wal-Mart
works with 10,000 supplier firms, with a sizable number
made overseas under sweatshop conditions. Workers in Bangladesh,
China, Indonesia, Nicaragua and Swaziland say they were
paid less than the minimum wage, among other violations.
The Wal-Mart code of conduct for these firms is inadequately
enforced.
Worker
need for Public Assistance – Congressional
researchers have found that a typical Wal-Mart store
with 250 employees costs taxpayers more than $500,000
in public assistance each year. California researchers
estimate the statewide cost of Wal-Mart is $86 million
per year.
Visit www.WalmartWatch.com for
more information.
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for Peace & Justice Launches Online Action
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