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Oblates Donate to “Books to Prisons” Project June 14th, 2012
OMI JPIC staff George Ngolwe delivering books to Books to Prisons
Books from the OMI community in Washington were collected and delivered to the “Books to Prisons” project at Foundry Methodist Church by George Ngolwe, OMI JPIC staff person. For more information on the Books to Prisons project and how to contribute, please see the article on page 3 of the Fall/Winter 2011 JPIC Report available here on our website.
Missionary Oblates in Solidarity with Homeowners Facing Foreclosures June 14th, 2012
The Missionary Oblates have been working in solidarity with homeowners in Prince William County VA on the mortgage foreclosure issue. On June 3rd Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) gathered more than 400 people at the First Baptist Church in Manassas to negotiate commitments on foreclosures and community restoration from GE, Bank of America and Chase. The Oblates and other members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility were instrumental in advancing their agenda. Fr. Séamus P. Finn OMI addressed the assembly.
Watch the video:
At the June 3rd action, GE Capital’s General Counsel represented GE CEO Jeffry Immelt, with whom VOICE had met on May 14th. These meetings came about as a result of coordinated action by the interfaith advocacy organization and religious shareholders who gave the group leverage with the company.
The company committed to negotiate with VOICE on their $300-$500 million Reinvestment agenda and restated Mr. Immelt’s commitment to meet with VOICE again in August/early September.
According to VOICE organizers, “All this would not have been possible without the steadfast support of ICCR”. Father Seamus Finn, OMI pledged ICCR’s continuing support for VOICE’s $300-$500 million reinvestment campaign.
Top executives from Bank of America & JP Morgan also came to the June 3rd action. They committed to implementation accountability on the National Mortgage Settlement in a local place, Prince William County – the first time this is known to have been done in the country. They committed to:
- $60 Million in principal write down in PWCO
- 1,000 Loan Modifications in PWCO
- Negotiate and Sign Reinvestment Deal ($300-$500 Million VOICE proposal) at VOICE October 2012 Action during the heat of the elections.
Learn more about this unique and powerful campaign to help people crushed by the mortgage crisis. Read William Greider’s article in the Nation (published April 27, 2012): http://www.thenation.com/blog/167625/predator-ge-we-bring-bad-things-life
OEI Earth Literacy Group Views a Wonder of the Universe June 8th, 2012
The June 2012 Earth Literacy group at the Oblate Ecological Initiative was able to see the rare Venus transit with the help of local astronomers. After June 2012, the next pair of transits occurs on December 11, 2117 and December 8, 2125.
The OEI Earth Literacy Group, June 2012, Godfrey, Illinois
Canada Declares Support for Human Right to Water May 31st, 2012
In a surprising turnaround, Canada bowed to years of national and international pressure, deciding at last to recognize the human right to water and sanitation.
The Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest social justice advocacy organization, has campaigned for more than a decade to ensure the human right to water, and posted this response to the announcement on their website:
As recently as last month, Canada was isolated in the Rio+20 negotiations as the only country to publicly claim there is no legal basis for the right and call for its deletion. This position was untenable, however, almost two years after the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the right (GA Res. A/64/292) followed by three subsequent confirming Human Rights Council resolutions.
Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a former UN Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the General Assembly, says, “It took unprecedented pressure to get this government to change its position, and the shift is a good thing, but words are not enough. We need actions, and the government’s actions directly contradict respect for the human right to water.”
The Council has consistently asked Canadian governments to show their commitment to water by implementing a national water act including a domestic plan of action on the human right to water. The Council of Canadians looks forward to the government providing a clear plan of what it intends to do to meet its international and domestic obligations with regard to the human right to water and sanitation.
Maryland Becomes the Second State to Pass Legislation on Congo Conflict Minerals May 25th, 2012
The state of Maryland has taken a definitive step toward curtailing the use and trade of conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On May 2, Governor Martin O’Malley signed the Maryland State Procurement and Congo Conflict Minerals Bill into law. Maryland is now the second state to adopt such legislation, following California’s example in September 2011. A similar bill is under consideration in Massachusetts.
Under the Maryland State Procurement and Congo Conflict law, the State of Maryland is prohibited from doing business with companies that do not comply with federal disclosure requirements on conflict minerals. Section 1502 of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 is a disclosure requirement that calls on companies to determine whether their products contain conflict minerals by carrying out supply chain due diligence and to report this to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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