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Tell Congress: Cuts will Cost Lives! November 6th, 2012
As Congress returns for a Lame Duck session after the November 6 elections, your voice is needed to preserve poverty-focused international assistance during Congressional deliberations on debt reduction and appropriations legislation. Urge your Senators and Representative to pass fiscal year (FY) 2013 poverty–focused international relief and development funding at the levels passed by the Senate earlier this year. For Countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Zambia, this small amount of funding that represents less than 1% of the federal budget saves millions of lives.
Read the USCCB and CRS joint Action Alert for details on how to take action (Download PDF)
Oblate Helps Develop Young Citizens in Texas November 3rd, 2012
Kids Voting USA-Brownsville mock-election results are in, reflecting a 65.5% voter turnout. Father Armand Matthew, OMI helped found the organization and is still involved at age 90. He said, noting the high turnout, “Studies show that when young people go through Kids Voting, the adults in their life become more informed and more people are voting,” Matthew said. “Based on the evidence, we have a real hope in Brownsville of seeing 50, 60, 70 — even 90 percent — of adults turning out to vote, and of students leaving high school with a deep sense of responsible citizenship.”
Responding to two questions included on the ballot, eighty-one percent of the student voters said they had researched their choices by studying the student voter guide created by Kids Voting USA-Brownsville, and just under 92 percent said the experience of having voted via Kids Voting would motivate them to vote in the future.
Peace & Life Connections Newsletter – November 2, 2012 November 2nd, 2012
We are now reproducing the Consistent Life “Peace & Life Connections” weekly newsletter on our website. If you are interested in more information, or in subscribing to the e-newsletter, please visit www.consistent-life.org/
“Should We Stop Using Robots That Randomly Kill Children?”
The American Conservative has run an excellent article called “Pro-life Means Anti-Drone” that directly connects abortion and killing by drone, because both use similar excuses to kill innocent children.
Victoria Kennedy: Life-Ending Ballot Question is Cruel
Cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Relief Information November 1st, 2012
We received this information the HUD Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships It may be useful to anyone working in parishes in the storm-affected areas:
Our thoughts and prayers are with those in the Mid-Atlantic States who’ve been affected by this storm. Individuals along the East Coast and areas inland should continue to monitor
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Weather Radio and their local news for updates and directions provided by their local officials. [The website is also available in Spanish]
The President declared major disasters for Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, making disaster assistance available to those in the heaviest hit areas affected by the storm. Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties in those states can begin applying for assistance by registering with FEMA online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. Shelter assistance from your local Chapter of the American Red Cross can be found by calling 1-800-733-2767, press 1.
Even as the storm begins to clear impacted areas, there will be many challenges to staying safe while making repairs and cleaning up debris after a storm. Emergency workers will be assisting people in flooded areas. You can help them by staying off the roads and out of the way.
FEMA and its federal partners, through our regional offices in Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston, remain in close contact with emergency management partners, and are embedded with state teams to support response efforts and assess unmet needs. Priority remains on life-saving and life-sustaining activities. Search and rescue teams have been deployed.
