Notes from and about
The Presbyterian Washington Office
2010

WITNESS IN WASHINGTON

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness
December 13, 2010

This week's messages are:

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Send a Christmas Card to President Obama!

Join “For the Peace of Jerusalem” - a national Christian campaign for Israeli-Palestinian peace now.

We are calling for valiant U.S. leadership in the peace process and we believe that this peace must be achieved soon, for the good of all human kind.

Today the peace process is failing, obstructed by obstacles both daunting and superficial. But we are calling for its revival now. We believe that peace in the Holy Land is vital, it is urgent, and it is possible. 

We, as Christians across the United States, are taking up our role as peacemakers to work for peace in the historic Holy Land. During this season of Advent, the time of anticipation of Christ’s birth and God coming to dwell among us through the birth of a child, we are calling on you to join us in working for the birth of peace.  

What can you do? Send a Christmas card to President Obama! 

Join thousands of Christians across the United States in wishing the president a joyous Christmas and telling him that you believe in peace, you expect peace with justice and security for all, and you expect it soon. 

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

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New Washington Report to Presbyterians Available!

2010 4th Quarter Edition

Articles include: 

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Lame Duck Update 

Partisan gridlock has characterized this lame duck session of Congress. While Republicans in the Senate have threatened to filibuster every item of legislation until a resolution on extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts is reached, on the House side, even strongly bipartisan programs are subject to procedural maneuvers aimed and preventing passage – thereby preventing anyone from claiming credit. It is a time when a conversation about respectful dialogue in the national discourse is needed more than ever. 

A few items of note from the lame duck session: 

Unemployment Insurance Extension: 

Special extensions of Unemployment insurance (UI) for the long-term unemployed expired on November 30th, 2010. Without immediate Congressional action more than 2 million people will lose the benefits that help keep food on their tables and a roof over their heads. Without unemployment insurance, 3.3 million Americans, including 1 million children, would have fallen below the poverty line in 2009 alone. With only one job available for every five unemployed workers, the economy is not yet restored, the federal government must continue to ensure that help is provided so that more families do not fall victim to poverty. 

The PC(USA) is deeply concerned about our common good responsibility to ensure that people who are out of work in this recession don’t fall into poverty. Together with our interfaith partners, we are advocating to extend unemployment benefits for those struggling during this difficult time. 

Click http://capwiz.com/pcusa/issues/alert/?alertid=20453506 to tell your members of Congress that they must pass a UI extension before going home for the holidays. 

General Assembly Guidance: 

In 1988, the General Assembly “Urge[d] the President and Congress of the United States to oppose further cuts in social programs that benefit poor people and to increase support for programs unable to serve all eligible persons due to lack of funds.” (Minutes, p. 364) 

In 1995, the General Assembly “call[ed] on congressional representatives to insist on a government that follows ethical values of justice for the poor, welfare for children, hospitality to the stranger, and assistance to the disadvantaged.” (Minutes, p. 718)  

Child Nutrition Reauthorization:  

On Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010, the House passed The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S. 3307). School breakfast and lunch and the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Nutrition programs, among other nutrition programs for poor children authorized in this bill, are extremely popular and successful. These programs have enjoyed strong bipartisan support for decades, but this year, reauthorization became another political game. After a procedural maneuver that attempted to kill the bill was defeated, a bill that should have passed the House strong bipartisan support was approved by a vote 264-157. 

This bill has had a bumpy road and has not always garnered the support of the faith community, even though it should have been able to do so. At issue was a provision that cut future SNAP benefits (formerly known as Food Stamps) in order to pay for part of the improvements to Child Nutrition programs. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), along with other members of the faith and anti-hunger communities, strongly opposed these cuts. After a Nov. 1 meeting with President Obama, during which heads of the several Christian denominations, including Presbyterian Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons, received assurances that the Administration would work to reverse the Food Stamp cut before it goes into effect in 2013, the PC(USA) supported passage of the bill, which includes some increased funding and several new good provisions for child nutrition programs. 

The bill now goes to President Obama for signature, which he is expected to do quickly. The passage of this bill is cause for celebration, but with the Food Stamp cut in place, advocates will need to be vigilant in demanding that the President keep his promise to reverse the cuts to the most successful anti-hunger program in the nation. 

General Assembly Guidance: 

The 208th General Assembly's resolution "Childhood Hunger in the U.S." from 1996 states that "childhood hunger in the United States is preventable and unacceptable" and recognizes the "importance of federal nutrition programs [such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), school lunch and breakfast programs and food stamps] as part of the path to ending hunger in our nation." It calls all candidates for President and Congress "to make ending childhood hunger in the U.S. an important priority in their election platforms... and to speak out boldly during the campaign concerning this issue" (Minutes, p. 784).

Published by the Office of Public Witness, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 100 Maryland Avenue, NE, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20002
(202) 543-1126; www.pcusa.org/washington.

For more information about the content of this article, please email us at ga_washington_office@pcusa.org . If you would like to receive this information directly, please go to http://capwiz.com/pcusa/mlm/signup .

WITNESS IN WASHINGTON

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness
November 29, 2010
[posted here 11-29-10]

This week's messages are: 

__________________________________________

Urge Your Senators to Support the START Treaty!

Our political leaders have put listening to the American people at the top of their agenda for the next two years. 

Congress will have to act on this promise when senators and representatives return for the end of the current session of Congress, the so-called lame duck session. Will the Senate take its first opportunity to advance toward a world free of nuclear weapons by ratifying the New START Treaty with Russia?

Would you be willing to take the next five minutes to get New START ratified? That's all it will take for you to send a message to your senator using the following link. Your views matter to your senators, so speak up! 

Click here to send an email to your Senators:  

Here's why this New START treaty is important both for national security: 

The treaty makes us safer. The treaty will reduce the number of deployed nuclear weapons in U.S. and Russian arsenals 

The treaty allows U.S. inspectors to monitor Russian nukes in Russia. By the time the committee votes it will have been more than 285 days since U.S. on-site inspections of Russian nuclear weapons and facilities were suspended. 

The treaty has the overwhelming support of the military and national security experts of both parties, including current and former commanders of our nuclear weapons, Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, and many others. 

Background 

The Senate has done its due diligence: Over the course of 21 hearings and briefings during the last five months, senators have had the opportunity to ask questions and put to rest concerns. Read an op ed by Ronald Reagan's Secretary of Defense George Shultz on this issue

The treaty is supported by almost every past and current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, by former Secretaries of State George Shultz, Henry Kissinger, James Baker, and Colin Powell, and former Secretaries of Defense James Schlesinger, Frank Carlucci and William Cohen. Read comments by some of the people who support this treaty.

Click here to send an email to your Senators.

General Assembly Policy 

The 212th General Assembly (2000) reaffirms its long-standing call to end the arms race, and urges 

   · ratification of and adherence by the United States to those existing international treaties that it has not yet accepted, such as the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Treaty on Land Mines; 

   · adherence to and implementation of the treaties already ratified, such as the Chemical Weapons Treaty, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, [ the Biological Weapons Convention, ] and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties I and II; 

       · reexamination by the United States of both its domestic and international policies, and the seeking of informed public review of its foreign policy perspective and goals for the 21st century, to the end that the building of security for the 21st century will be based on the extension of the rule of law, the development of strengthened instruments of international governance, the strengthening of arms control and disarmament agreements, the enhancing of instruments of nonviolent conflict resolution, not on the continued enhancement of technological instruments of destruction, shaped originally in the context of the cold war; 

   · consciousness of and learning about these issues by Presbyterians, aided by the appropriate agencies of the church, so that they may make extraordinary use of the ordinary means of citizen responsibility to assure the commitment of the United States government toward these ends.

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Presbyterian Office of Public Witness Invites Internship Applicants and Church Partnerships

The Office of Public Witness (OPW) is reinvigorating its Internship for Public Witness, a program designed for the formation of servant leaders in public policy ministry.

Persons participating in the Internship program will enjoy exposure to a wide range of formative experiences. Working with OPW staff, interns will have the opportunity to follow an issue or issue portfolio of interest through the legislative and decision-making process. In addition, they will also be exposed to other components of public policy ministry, which may include church relations, communications, resource development, and event planning. 

Reflecting on her own experience as in intern, Leslie Woods, the program's coordinator, remembers, I started my ministry after divinity school in a very similar program. I believe this opportunity can be invaluable to people who have a heart for service in the church and are discerning God's call in their lives. It certainly was for me." 

The Office of Public Witness is prioritizing our internship program in an effort to train a new generation of prophetic leaders," says the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II, Director of Public Witness. By educating persons to speak truth to power, we acknowledge the important role of the biblical prophets, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and John Calvin. In these times of economic deprivation, environmental neglect, and human rights abuse, it is imperative that our internship program be connected to the contemporary role of the Church as an advocate for justice. We are calling upon churches and individuals to support this program financially as we seek applicants for this necessary ministry of the PC(USA). 

The OPW is seeking partnerships with local churches and teaching institutions. "This program is unfunded," remarks Leslie Woods, "so we are seeking reciprocal relationships with local churches who will share with us the benefits and responsibilities of service learning. We are also seeking partnerships with colleges, universities, and seminaries that may offer academic credit or other support to students completing internships in the Office of Public Witness." 

Interested applicants may download the complete description at http://www.pcusa.org/go/opw-intern . Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and applicants are requested to specify the time frame they wish to serve (ex. Summer 2011 or Academic year 2011-2012). The OPW looks forward to working with interns to create personalized opportunities for formation and discernment in the midst of practical ministry. 

Churches, colleges, universities, and seminaries interested in exploring this relationship, please contact Leslie Woods. Financial support for this program may be offered through our secure website at https://gamc.pcusa.org/donate/E051422/ or by mailing a check to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700. Designate the Office of Public Witness Internship, ECO # 051422. 

Contact:

Leslie Woods
Representative for Domestic Poverty & Environmental Issues
(202) 543-1126
leslie.woods@pcusa.org

___________________________________________________________ 

Economic and Peace studies seeking volunteers 

Friends of Social Witness and Social Ministry, 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Office of Public Witness (OPW) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) today unveiled its Internship for Public Witness, a new program designed for the formation of servant leaders in public policy ministry.

Persons participating in the Internship program will enjoy exposure to a wide range of formative experiences. Working with OPW staff, interns will have the opportunity to follow an issue or issue portfolio of interest through the legislative and decision-making process. In addition, they will also be exposed to other components of public policy ministry, which may include church relations, communications, resource development, and event planning.     More >>

This week’s Witness in Washington update from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness, dated September 17, 2010, provides some very helpful information and calls to express concerns to our legislators in Washington.

Download the full newsletter in PDF format >>

Among them:

START Treaty needs support in Senate

Yesterday afternoon, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a treaty that will make all of us safer. The Committee voted to approve the New START Treaty with Russia and send the treaty to the full Senate for a vote. But the tight Senate schedule means that unless Senators from both major political parties publicly call for an up-or-down vote on this treaty in the next two weeks, the Treaty may not be ratified this year. 

Please ask your senators to vote “yes” on the New START Treaty.

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DREAM with Immigrant Children this School Year!

At the end of this new school year, approximately 2.8 million students will graduate from United States High Schools. Among them, a group of approximately 65,000 will not attend college, enlist in the armed forces, get a decent job, or otherwise have opportunity, not because they lack motivation, but because of the status passed on to them by their parents. These young men and women grew up on American soil and respect the laws of this country, yet they bear the inherited title of “illegal immigrant.”

The DREAM Act, introduced by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), is legislation that would help to answer this growing problem. It will provide certain undocumented students with the opportunity to earn permanent legal status if they came to the United States as children and five years prior to the enactment of the bill, have good moral character, finish high school or obtain a G.E.D., and complete two years of college or military service. The DREAM Act has the potential to provide nearly one million youth who have grown up in the U.S. with improved access to higher education and an earned pathway to U.S. citizenship. This is the opportunity of which immigrant families DREAM.

On September 14, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced plans to bring the DREAM Act (S. 729) up for a vote as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill. It is scheduled to be considered by the full Senate as early as next week – Congress needs to hear support for this important legislation!

WITNESS IN WASHINGTON WEEKLY

The Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
July 30, 2010
[posted here 8-3-10]

Some of the main points:

Urge Congress to help the victims of the Gulf oil spill 

As Congress prepares to depart Washington, DC for a month-long recess in August, the ecological and economic devastation from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill continues to wreak a terrible toll on the lives and livelihoods of millions of Gulf Coast residents and on the pristine natural health and beauty of coastal communities. Federal action is needed now to begin addressing the health and ecological needs of the Gulf Coast region. 

While BP has had some success in capping the leaking well, Gulf Coast citizens are now left to clean up and rebuild their communities, lacking both the support and resources that are critical to restoring the health and vitality of the entire Gulf Coast region. The process of healing and rebuilding the Gulf region cannot succeed without critical action from the U.S. Congress in addressing the range of issues involved in oil and gas exploration in and near coastal communities, including addressing regulation and oversight, strengthening the social safety net, responding to the domestic human needs of families, and working to prevent future disasters.

For more information and suggestions for action, click here, and see pages 1 - 2.

The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program is circulating a petition for your signature calling for Congress and the Administration to: 

Click here to sign the petition.
 

The Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act 

The Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act will hold oil companies accountable for the damages caused by oil spills from the offshore facilities. It would hold them financially responsible by eliminating the financial liability cap on damages and increase the amount that oil companies are required to pay into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. The legislation also reforms and improves management and oversight of the regulatory agencies responsible for issuing permits and monitoring safety of the offshore oil facilities.

More >> (Go to pages 2 - 3.)

ACTION ALERT: Urge Your Senators to Support the START Treaty and Reduce Nuclear Dangers

The original START agreement between the United States and Russia expired on December 5, 2009. The treaty was originally negotiated in the 1980s and early 1990s under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush's presidencies, and it was ratified in the U.S. Senate in 1992. The treaty allowed for inspections and information sharing between the U.S. and Russia for verification purposes. It also allowed for no more than 6,000 deployed nuclear weapons and no more than 1,600 delivery systems for each country. With the expiration of the treaty in December, the verification procedures also expired, making it necessary that the New START treaty be ratified as soon as possible. 

Like the original START agreement, verification is a crucial element of the New START treaty. Many of the verification methods will be continued from the original treaty. Examples of improved verification methods are information sharing regarding missile tests and on the ground inspections. It does not limit missile defense systems in either country. 

The New START treaty sets limits on the number of deployed strategic weapons in each country. Each country is limited to 1,550 deployed strategic weapons, a 30 percent reduction from the "Moscow Treaty" with Russia. 

Russian President Medvedev and American President Obama signed the New START treaty on April 8, 2010 in Prague, Czech Republic. The treaty was submitted to the Senate in early May and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings in May and June. Hopefully it will be reported out of the Foreign Relations Committee before the Senate summer recess begins on August 6. 

A total of 67 votes are needed on the Senate floor for ratification of the treaty. Thus, bipartisan support is essential for the treaty to pass. Ratification is possible with your support. Contact your senators to encourage them to support the New START treaty.

WITNESS IN WASHINGTON WEEKLY
The Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

June 8, 2010   [posted here 6-10-10]

Congress returns to session this week after the Memorial Day recess. It is hard to believe, but the time remaining for legislative action during 2010 is limited. This month, Members will work for four weeks and for another four weeks in July, after the Independence Day recess. Congress will take their regular August recess and return for work September 13. The House targets to adjourn on October 8, leaving only four weeks in the final work period. This leaves twelve weeks of legislative work between now and the November elections, and no one yet knows whether to expect a lame duck session after the election.

The congressional calendar is important to note, because legislation has been moving at a slowly this year. Several legislative items that are considered by Members of Congress to be "must-pass" are left on the congressional to-do list. It is not yet possible to predict how they will complete all of this work in the short time remaining.

This week's messages are --

Here’s a brief summary:

Children Need Food

It seems an obvious statement - "children need food" - but in the United States today, one in four children is at risk of hunger. Children who have not had enough to eat have trouble focusing in school, fighting sickness, and thriving, in general.

The School Lunch Program sometimes provides children with the only complete meal they eat in a given day. Other child nutrition programs, such as School Breakfast, Summer Feeding, and WIC also help to fill this deplorable gap in kids' access to food.

This year, Congress must take up Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR). This is a tremendous opportunity to increase access and nutrition in these programs, so that more needy children get access to nutritious food. During his campaign, President Obama set a deadline to end childhood hunger in the United States by 2015. There is a long way to go to meet this goal, but this year's CNR is an important tool for reaching that goal.

Support International Violence Against Women Act

The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) has been introduced in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The bill, which was also introduced in the House and the Senate during the last Congress, has been reintroduced by 25 Senators and by 25 Representatives from both sides of the aisle. We now have a new opportunity to build support for the I-VAWA and make a difference in millions of women's lives.

Violence against women is a human rights violation and a worldwide pandemic - approximately 1 out of every 3 women worldwide has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime increasing her exposure to HIV/AIDS. I-VAWA supports innovative approaches to ending violence against women globally by promoting services for survivors, holding perpetrators accountable and challenging public attitudes that condone such violence.

Show your support for the original cosponsoring Senators and Representatives commitment to women's rights by urging your Senator and/or Representative to cosponsor International Violence Against Women Act. Click http://capwiz.com/pcusa/issues/alert/?alertid=14810266 to send a letter to your Senators and Representative.

Re-membering Peace: Still the Believers' Calling

Register now for Re-membering Peace: Still the Believers' Calling. Sponsored by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, the 2010 Peacemaking Seminar will take place on August 25-28 (depart on August 29) at Ghost Ranch Conference Center in Abiquiu, NM. 

During this celebration of the 30th anniversary of Peacemaking: The Believers' Calling, participants will gather to re-member-to bring together those concerned for the things that make for peace.

The Seminar is designed for young adult and adult participants and will include a variety of plenary and small group gatherings for learning, praxis, and process. Due to the nature of the event, the seminar will not include childcare nor will programs for children or youth be provided. The seminar will begin with dinner on Wednesday, August 24 at 5:30 p.m. Participants should arrange their departures from the ranch no later than 10 a.m. on Sunday, August 29. 

Ecclesiastes 8:14-15 - Enjoy your Life 

There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people who are treated according to the conduct of the wicked, and there are wicked people who are treated according to the conduct of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.

Washington Report to Presbyterians-

Produced by the Presbyterian Washington Office
January-February Issue

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Foreign Assistance reform will be a big issue in the coming year. The faith community and others are urging Congress and the Administration to elevate global development as a priority of US foreign policy and to chart a new course for foreign assistance. The Initiating Foreign Assistance Act, HR 2139, was introduced last year with 125 cosponsors. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) supports this bill, which directs the President to develop and implement a comprehensive national strategy to further the US foreign policy objective of promoting global development, and for other purposes. 

Water. Almost one billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water and two of every five people live without basic sanitation services. Global warming, rapid industrialization and population and economic growth continue to put pressure on global water supplies, particularly in developing nations. Such issues can no longer be seen as isolated problems, but must be viewed as contributing to regional tensions, global health, child and maternal mortality, and economic growth. Last year PC(USA) advocated for $500 million to implement the "Water for the Poor Act", with $315 million appropriated, a $15 million increase from the year before. We will be supporting another $500 million in 2010. 

Debt Relief. The Jubilee Act (HR 4405) was introduced in December in the US House with bi-partisan support. The legislation would: authorize expanded debt relief to poor countries that meet strict eligibility requirements but need help to fight global poverty; reform policies of international financial institutions; and urge more responsibility in future lending to the world's poorest countries. Introduction of a Senate bill is anticipated soon.  

Vulture Funds are predatory hedge funds that siphon off resources newly freed by debt cancellation. They profiteer off debt cancellation resources by buying up poor country debt in default at pennies on the dollar and then using US Courts to sue for the full amount of the debt plus exorbitant interest rates and court fees. Instead of US tax dollars going to poverty alleviation projects like building schools and treating HIV/AIDS, they go into the bank accounts of hedge funds.

The Stop VULTURE Funds Act (HR 2932), would prevent vulture funds from making excessive profit from the debt of the world's poorest nations. It was introduced in 2009 by Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Spencer Bachus (R-AL), with 29 co-sponsors. There will be a push for a companion bill in the Senate in 2010. 

Trade: The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act was introduced on June 24 by Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME) with 106 original cosponsors. The TRADE Act is supported by a broad array of labor, consumer, environmental, family farm and faith groups, and requires a review of existing trade pacts, including the North American Free Trade Agreement, the World Trade Organization and other major pacts, as well as setting forth what must and must not be included in future trade pacts. It also provides for the renegotiation of existing trade agreements and describes the key elements of a new trade negotiating and approval mechanism to replace Fast Track that would enhance the congressional role in formulating agreements and promoting future deals that could enjoy broad public support.  

Cluster Bombs: A bill introduced last year would effectively stop the US from using cluster bombs, which kill many more civilians than soldiers. Already one-quarter of the Senate has cosponsored the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S 416), which has bipartisan support. This bill states that, "Cluster munitions will not be used where civilians are known to be present or in areas normally inhabited by civilians."

Nuclear Weapons: The President and key policy analysts from both parties support a new strategic arms treaty with Russia, a new focus on multilateral negotiations and initiatives to reduce the nuclear danger, and Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.  

Congo: If it becomes law, the Conflict Minerals Trade Act (S 891) will give consumers the choice to purchase conflict-free electronics products. Introduced by Reps. Wolf (R-VA), McDermott (D-WA), and Frank (D-MA), the Conflict Minerals Trade Act (HR 4128) would create a system of audits and import declarations to distinguish goods imported into the US that contain conflict minerals. The resulting transparency would be an important step toward breaking the links between the mineral trade and human rights abuses in Congo. It has 16 cosponsors and is before the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.  

Sudan: In its Sudan policy review completed in mid-October, the Administration indicated it would regularly assess the progress of peace in Sudan -- or lack thereof. Administration officials say that the parties to Sudan's multiple conflicts will be under the microscope, and held to clear and pre-determined standards of progress. The White House did not disclose the precise benchmarks it is applying to assess progress in Sudan, even as the official review process took place in January, and as tensions increase with the April national elections and January 2011 referendum on independence in southern Sudan approaching. The faith community urges the White House to disclose its bench-marks and work for peace in Sudan. 

Colombia: Advocacy on Colombia was particularly successful last year, with $8 million more allocated in nongovernmental aid to Colombian refugees, along with $45 million for aid to internally displaced persons. A ban was imposed on funding to the Colombian intelligence agency embroiled in an illegal wiretapping scandal, along with new conditions that call for the Colombian government to respect the rights of human rights defenders, journalists, political opposition, religious leaders, and trade unionists, as well as indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. 

Cuba: Early on, the Obama Administration ended all restrictions on Cuban-American family travel and remittances to the island. Soon after that, the US joined the Organization of American States' unanimous vote to reverse a 1962 resolution barring Cuba from the OAS. The President has suggested loosening telecommunications restrictions for cell phone roaming deals and fiber-optics and an opening of agricultural business travel. The Travel for All legislation, HR 874/S 426, would lift the travel ban to Cuba.  

Haiti: Last year PC(USA) called on the Administration to grant Temporary Protective Status to Haitian immigrants. The day after Haiti's horrendous earthquake, the Administration suspended deportation of Haitian illegal immigrants. Three days later, it granted temporary protected status to Haitians, letting them stay and work in the US for 12 to 18 months. PC(USA) calls on the Obama Administration to provide massive assistance for relief and reconstruction through grants, not loans, so that Haiti is not again saddled with large debts through no fault of its own. While $1.2 billion in debt was cancelled in June 2009 thanks to the efforts of the faith community, the country still owes $891 million. 

Israel/Palestine: 2009 started with the horrific war in Gaza and southern Israel. Then, President Obama gave a speech to the Arab world in Cairo that raised hopes of a renewed US effort for peace in the Middle East. The appointment of former Senator George Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East was another positive move.  

The call for a settlement freeze was not successful and the tensions in East Jerusalem and the West Bank continue to grow as Israeli settlements continue to be built. The President early this year stated that the conflict was more intractable than he had thought.  

This year PC(USA) will press for lifting of the closure on Gaza and urge the White House to give attention to the grave humanitarian and economic crisis affecting 1.4 million Gazans, as well as urging a negotiated settlement and peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
 

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will continue to advocate for justice in all of the areas mentioned above and will keep members informed of progress through our website and the pages of the Washington Report to Presbyterians.

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
by Anna Rhee, Consultant

Hope, change and the promise of a "postpartisan" era infused the political atmosphere in Washington DC when the new Obama Administration and the 111th Congress started their work in 2009. Riding on winds of change, policymakers seemed ready to work together to address their biggest challenge - fixing Wall Street and helping Main Street. Political leaders promised to work together. Sadly, beneath the veneer of a cooperative spirit, rancor and partisan politics continued; and by the end of the year any pretense of bi-partisanship was all but gone.

ECONOMIC JUSTICE: Congress began 2009 by passing a $787 billion stimulus package. Only Democrats supported it in the House, and three Republicans joined the Democrats to pass it in the Senate. A mix of tax cuts and spending, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 is now seen by many analysts as having kept the economy from getting worse while preventing millions of Americans from falling below the poverty line.

ARRA focused on two major areas - providing strong fiscal relief to help states stem the impact of their own budget cuts, tax increases and layoffs, and getting money to hard-pressed low- and moderate-income families for basic expenses. Building on ARRA, the Administration and Congress later supported additional infusions of cash into the economy to preserve and create jobs.

Nonetheless, recovery is slow in coming. In December the jobless rate was 10%, with a staggering 15.3 million people unemployed. Hunger and food insecurity are rising in urban and suburban communities. The labor market remains extraordinarily weak and jobs are hard to find. The recession is battering state budgets which face deep cuts and shortfalls from the steepest-ever decline in state tax receipts.

Now, Congress is under pressure to continue economic stimulus measures, create new jobs, extend temporary aid to unemployed workers, and provide more fiscal assistance to help states avoid spending cuts and/or tax increases. As they proceed, Congress must be mindful of those who are already poor, and those at greatest risk of impoverishment and hardship in today's economy. Economic growth and job creation should:

* provide opportunity for all;
* target low-income communities and vulnerable population groups;
* generate employment and a long-term pathway to economic security; and
* improve key supports to help families with children meet their basic needs.

Congress must also recognize the enormous significance of health care reform in moving toward economic recovery. Expenditures in the United States on health care surpassed $2.2 trillion in 2007, more than triple the $714 billion spent in 1990, and over eight times the $253 billion spent in 1980. Stemming this growth is a major policy priority in the current recession, as the government, employers, and consumers struggle to keep up with health care costs.

Renewal and expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was one of the first bills passed by the 111th Congress and signed by President Obama. It provides a step forward in health coverage to low-income uninsured children who are not eligible for Medicaid. When fully implemented, CHIP will cover about 11 million children, with 5 million more still uninsured. 

Millions of people are left behind by our current health care system, and opportunities to address this broken system comprehensively are rare. After the reauthorization of CHIP, policymakers were poised to handle larger health care reform issues, especially affordability and universal access.  

After a year of hearings, town hall meetings, negotiations, and debate, the House and Senate each passed massive health reform bills that did more to divide than to unite, and drew as much criticism as praise. Now Congress is reconsidering its agendas, and facing temptation to turn away from this historic opportunity for health care reform. To do so would deny or delay justice for a generation. Congress should be urged to show political courage and act on meaningful health care reform.

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT: White House and congressional support for comprehensive climate and energy legislation was strong in early 2009, but moved to the back burner even as the international community looked to the US for leadership in climate negotiations in preparation for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

The American Clean Energy Security (ACES) Act, sponsored by Reps. Waxman (D-CA) and Markey (D-MA), passed the House (219-212) on June 26. This comprehensive national climate and energy legislation would establish an economy-wide, greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade system designed to reduce GHG emissions by a minimum of 17% by 2020 and establish complementary measures to address climate change and build a clean energy economy. Other provisions include new renewable requirements for utilities, studies and incentives for new carbon capture and sequestration technologies, energy efficiency incentives for homes and buildings, and grants for green jobs.

The American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA), sponsored by Sen. Bingaman (D-NM), passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 17, on a bipartisan vote of 15 to 8. Later, Sens. Kerry (D-MA), Graham (R-SC) and Lieberman (I-CT) developed a basic framework with bi-partisan support for climate action that focuses on pollution reduction and energy independence. This effort likely supersedes the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, by Sens. Kerry and Boxer (D-CA), passed by the Senate Energy and Public Works Committee 11 to 1 after Republican members boycotted the bill's mark-up and vote.

To garner broad support, the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman initiative includes provisions to satisfy a range of stakeholders. It supports: emission reduction targets similar to the ACES Act, with a cap-and-trade system; investment in clean energy technologies; construction of new nuclear power plants; off-shore drilling; and clean coal technology and research for new carbon capture and sequestration technologies. It appears that both climate change and energy policy will be on the 2010 legislative agenda, combined in the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill, to be released in February, which may also include many of the provisions from ACELA.

On the global scale, lack of progress on negotiations prior to the December UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen required a scaling back in expectations. Initially the Conference was seen as the forum for a new international agreement on climate to update the Kyoto Protocol, expiring in 2012; but the world's leading and developing economies could not agree on terms. The high level of concern for the impact of global climate change drew 119 heads of state to Denmark and resulted in an accord that is a stepping stone towards a new international climate treaty. President Obama's leadership was crucial in moving negotiations forward. A key success was the commitment of developing nations to raise $100 billion per year by 2020 to address mitigation, adaptation and forestry issues worldwide. This is the first such commitment from the US and the industrialized world to address the needs of those who live in poverty and are most impacted by climate change.

PUBLIC EDUCATION AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
by Mary Anderson Cooper

PUBLIC EDUCATION: In 1965, Congress passed The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, with the aim of reducing the achievement gaps between students in rich and poor communities and among the races. During the Bush Administration, the legislation was called the No Child Left Behind program. Its primary focus shifted to one of periodic standardized testing, with funding reductions for schools that did not achieve established national standards. The penalties often fell most heavily on the schools facing the greatest educational challenges because they served the most disadvantaged people.

The ESEA is due to be reauthorized in 2010. President Obama supports the emphasis on rewarding excellence in teaching but wants to assure that resources are available to all students in all communities and not limited to only the most successful schools.

There is controversy over how best to amend this legislation while reauthorizing it, but one thing is clear: Increased resources are needed for the schools in disadvantaged communities so that children there will have a better opportunity to learn and to improve their scores on the tests required by the law. Generations of discrimination against children in low-income areas can only be addressed by eliminating inequality of resources and assigning the best teachers to those communities.

In addition to reauthorizing ESEA, Congress and the Administration will have more opportunities to improve public schools and other educational programs. Another vehicle is the US Department of Education's Race to the Top program, funded by the stimulus program, which has four main goals:

    * Raise academic standard;
    * Improve data systems to measure student achievement and guide teachers;
    * Ensure the quality of teachers and principals; and
    * Substantially improve low-performance schools.

States will compete for the funds, with as few as a dozen chosen for grants. The first grants will be awarded in April. A few states declined to compete, citing fears that the grants represent federal intrusion into state prerogatives.

The stimulus legislation also provided funds for other programs to improve education quality, including:

    * $5 billion for early childhood education (Headstart, child care, and programs for children with special needs);
    * $77 billion to strengthen elementary and secondary education, mostly to supplement beleaguered state budgets and preserve jobs for teachers and school employees;
    * $5 billion for innovation and improvement in achievement;
    * $30 billion to help college students pay tuition and fees and to help community colleges prepare students for work in emerging industries.

President Obama's budget for FY2011 (beginning October 1) calls for a 6% increase in education funds, with emphasis on math and science training, while proposing the consolidation or elimination of duplicative programs. In the State of the Union address, he said:

In the 21st Century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education. And in this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential. When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress to expand these reforms to all 50 states. Still, in this economy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job.

The President then called on Congress to enact proposals to make college attendance more affordable and college debt less burdensome. As in every area of the budget, there are interest groups that will gain or lose if proposals are enacted, and the struggle for funds is likely to be fierce.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced S 714 early in 2009, to create a blue-ribbon commission charged with doing a complete review of the US criminal justice system and making recommendations for its improvement. At hearings on the legislation, Sen. Webb cited the obvious failures of the current system, pointing out that, although it has only 5% of the planet's human population, the US incarcerates 25% of the world's known prisoners. He also noted that, although vast numbers of drug users and sellers are in prison, the drug trade continues unabated in the US, growing every year, thus raising questions about the effectiveness of incarceration as a means of controlling drug trade. Another area of concern is that post-incarceration programs for re-entry into society are haphazard at best, and often non-existent.

S 714 has been endorsed by dozens of social welfare, law-enforcement, and social justice organizations, as well as much of the religious community, including the PC(USA).

PVJ's Facebook page

Mitch Trigger, PVJ's Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!

John Shuck’s new "Religion for Life" website

Long-time and stimulating blogger John Shuck, a Presbyterian minister currently serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tenn., writes about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and lightening up.

Click here for his blog posts.

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

Got more blogs to recommend?