News Archives » North America
Help Save SNAP/Food Stamps September 18th, 2013
4-6 Million People will go hungry if the budget for SNAP/Food Stamps is slashed
Call your Representative, toll-free: 866-456-8824* TODAY, Tuesday, September 17
The U.S. House is expected to take up a bill this week that would cut SNAP by $40 billion over ten years. Every Member of Congress needs to hear that such an extreme proposal is unacceptable. Food stamps have had bipartisan support for decades. (See Stop Playing Politics with Hunger by former Senators Bob Dole and Tom Daschle in the Los Angeles Times as an expression of that bipartisan support.) But now, extremist Members of Congress want to slash SNAP and hurt millions of children and their families, seniors, and poor adults without children.
*TODAY: Call 866-456-8824, listen to the recorded message and enter your zip code. You’ll be connected right to your Representative’s office. Let them know you’re a constituent; tell them your name and the town you are calling from. Tell them:
As your constituent, I urge you to vote against the extreme nutrition-only farm bill which would cut $40 billion from SNAP and deny assistance to 4-6 million poor people. This bill would be devastating to struggling Americans; by making more people hungry, it goes against many years of bipartisan support.
What’s bad about this bill? A few points: the bill would deny SNAP to millions of poor, jobless adults without children whose
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The Business of Guns September 13th, 2013
Gun manufacturing and sales is big business in the United States – surprisingly big business. America is the global leader in terms of gun ownership. There are nearly 9 guns for every 10 Americans, a proportion 40% gun ownership rate that Yemen, which ranks second in the world.
Learn more about the scope and strength of the gun industry in this one minute video designed for MBA students. Watch The Business of Guns here.
Take action on the proliferation of guns. Visit: Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence
“U.S. Poverty and Our Catholic Response” – Webinar on September 19 September 12th, 2013
Is poverty on the rise in our country? How are children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups faring? Policy experts with the Domestic Social Development office of the U.S. Catholic Bishops are broadcasting a webinar to explore recent poverty data and what it means for national and local advocacy efforts.
This free webinar is set for Thursday, Sept. 19, from 2-3 pm (Eastern). Register for the webinar here.
Vatican Hosts Mining CEO’s in a “Day of Reflection” September 11th, 2013
Participants of the “Vatican Day of Reflection on Mining” in front of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Rome
The CEOs of some of the world’s top mining companies went to the Vatican for a day-long meeting last Saturday to discuss better ways to operate in communities that are increasingly protesting the destructive impacts of mining. Communities are fearful – with good reason – of the impacts of mining on their water, land and air.
Saturday’s “day of reflection with the mining industry,” was organized, at the request of leaders in the mining sector, by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. It included the CEOs of Anglo American, Rio Tinto and Newmont Mining, who alone represented companies with well more than $100-billion (U.S.) in market value. The chairmen, presidents or senior executives of dozens of other companies, ranging from AngloGold Ashanti to African Rainbow Minerals, were also present. Fr. Seamus Finn OMI, from the USP JPIC team in Washington DC, was invited to be a part of the team that prepared the day of reflection and offered input during the day. Pope Francis offered a message of greeting and challenge to the group and offered his prayers and blessings on the event.
The companies were interested “to open a dialogue where mining interfaces with the community … to hear other views with the promise of all of us making a difference.”
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Education Kit Available for Feast of St. Francis September 9th, 2013
Melting Ice, Mending Creation: A Catholic Approach to Climate Change
The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change has posted the Education Kit and Discussion Guide (free download) for this year’s Feast of St. Francis program: Melting Ice, Mending Creation: A Catholic Approach to Climate Change.
The Education Kit is available in Parish, College, and High School aged Youth versions. The Kit contains all the instructions and links for the online slide presentation you’ll need to offer your local program.
SIGN UP to register your event so that you will receive enough Prayer Cards (integral to the program) for the number of people that you indicated will attend when you sign up/ register.
Questions? Please contact the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change at info@catholicsandclimatechange.org.
