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| Peace for Vieques - Not One More Bomb!
Weekly Message 2001, #12 from the UCC Justice and
Peace Ministry
[5-1-01]
Vieques is a small and beautiful island off the coast
of Puerto Rico. Of its 32 miles, two-thirds have been taken over by the
U.S. Navy for the last 60 years as a target practice range. Tens of
thousands of bullets and bombs, including those filled with uranium,
have rained down on Vieques, filling the ground and water with
radioactive materials.
Navy bombing violates the human rights of the residents of Vieques,
causing profound health, environmental and social problems. It affects
the fragile eco-system of Puerto Rico and the entire hemisphere.
On April 19, 1999, David Sanes, a civilian, was killed by an errant Navy
bomb. David Sanes' death led to a peaceful occupation of the bombing
range. Citizens of Vieques were joined in solidarity by people from
around the world, including several delegations of UCC members and UCC
General Minister and President Rev. John Thomas. For a little over a
year, bombing was halted. In that time, small signs of the renewal of
land and the sea surrounding the island became visible.
Last year, the peaceful protestors were forcibly removed, and the U.S.
Navy began preparations to resume bombing on the island. Earlier this
year, the Governor of Puerto Rico, backed by strong international
outcry, filed a federal injunction to halt the bombing. Late last week,
the injunction was denied and bombing was resumed. However, nonviolent
protestors placed their lives on the line and re-entered the restricted
area, forcing the bombing to stop on April 28th.
Join in solidarity with the people of Vieques and the UCC Puerto Rico
Conference in calling for an end to the bombing. Contact President Bush
and urge him to permanently cease the bombing on Vieques.
President George W. Bush 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC
20500 (202) 456-1414 president@whitehouse.gov
Presidential Chief of Staff Andrew Card (202) 456-6798
This Weekly Message is sent by e-mail every Monday
for use in church newsletters and bulletins the following Sunday. To
add new names to this weekly advocacy service from the UCC Justice and
Peace Ministry, for more information or to remove your name from the
list, reply to jpmdc@ucc.org. For
additional information on the UCC and the Justice and Peace Ministry,
log on to the UCC website.
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Visit
our lively
new website! |
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GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly have now been acted upon by the presbyteries,
confirming most of them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book of Order.
We provided resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest have been:
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Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
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Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
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Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
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If you like what
you find here,
we hope you'll help us keep Voices for Justice going ... and
growing!
Please consider making a special
contribution -- large or small -- to help us continue and improve
this service.
Click here to send a
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Or send your check, made
out to "Presbyterian Voices for Justice" and marked "web site," to
our PVJ Treasurer:
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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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!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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