Youth E-News: Sowing Seeds of Peace
"And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" - James 3:18
July 20, 2007
A Publication of Lutheran Peace Fellowship
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Welcome
While our leaders debate immigration, work to revise the Farm Bill, and discuss global poverty, hard-working people throughout the world barely make enough money to support themselves and their families. Many of these family farmers have been farmers all their lives (as were their parents before them), and now find themselves facing the choice of giving up the only way of life they know and finding low-paying work somewhere else, selling their land and working on it for very low wages for a corporate farm, or keeping their land, continuing to struggle as their crops provide them with less and less income each year.
At the same time that these local farmers struggle to get by, big corporate farms make more money than ever. Through measures in the Farm Bill, farms are given subsidies on commodity crops like corn, rice, and wheat, and most of these subsidies end up going to corporate farms. When these farms flood the market with cheap corn and other commodities, prices go down and family farmers lose out.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus teaches us to uplift rather than oppress, doing for the least of these as we would do for him. As Christians and Americans, though, it is difficult to see the least of these when we are going through the aisles at the grocery store, often looking for the best value for our money. However, food doesn’t grow in the grocery store; people work to get that food to each one of us, and depending on what brands and kinds of food we buy, we support the wages of family farmers or we support the ever-expanding profits of agribusiness.
While the road to a world without poverty is a long one, there are things that we can do in the meantime to help pave the way. We must continue to let our representatives know that crop subsidies shouldn’t go to the already rich corporate farms for flooding the markets. When available, we can buy items that are Fair Trade certified or are local, ensuring that the workers who produced those goods actually see a fair part of the profits. And, though it might be difficult to see the least of these when we’re out shopping, let us consider where all of our goods come from and buy in a spirit that will help uplift the hard working least of these.
–Allyson Fredericksen, LPF Youth Trainer and Program Coordinator
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for future issues, e-mail me at lpfyouth@gmail.com. Also, if you are on Myspace, join our Myspace group at www.groups.myspace.com/lutheranpeace or join our Facebook group at www.facebook.com.
For more information on Fair Trade and Fair Trade items, visit Lutheran World Relief at www.lwr.org.
Issue Highlights:
- News Articles on Peace and Justice – Get the latest on issues of peace and justice around the globe!
- Advocacy Alerts – Vote Out Poverty, the ONE Campaign, Immigration Reform, and Darfur!
- Community News – Work a Day for Peace, Let Justice Roll, and more!
- Spiritual Reflection – An excerpt on Fair Trade!
News Articles on Peace and Justice
Afghanistan: Malaria Cases Set to Rise in 2007 - Flooding, armed conflict and population displacements are factors likely to increase malaria cases in Afghanistan this year, public health officials warn. For more on this story, visit http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/f4cdd964e0884f371af4f1ccb06bc056.htm
Bush Says Won’t Send US Troops to Darfur Alone - President George W. Bush, who has been pushing for the United Nations to take stronger action in Darfur, on Thursday said he would not unilaterally send U.S. troops to that region of Sudan. For details, visit http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N19242174.htm
World Struggling to Meet HIV-AIDS: Report - Global AIDS treatment will fall far short of a universal target to have five million people being treated by 2010, due to a continued lack of access to drugs by many of the world's impoverished people, said a new report. The report analysing AIDS treatment in 17 countries and titled "Missing the Target" said free HIV treatment was actually not free in many poor countries. For more info, visit http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP88648.htm
For more news articles on peace and justice, visit www.alertnet.org
Advocacy Alerts
Vote Out Poverty: Martin Luther King Jr. famously warned that a "a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." Yet despite King's caution, we are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a disastrous war in Iraq while 37 million Americans are living in poverty and 3 billion people worldwide live on less than $2 a day. This election season, we can answer Jesus' call to care for the "least of these" by demanding that candidates go on the record with real plans for addressing poverty in the U.S. and around the world. To sign the pledge and Vote Out Poverty, visit www.sojo.net
ONE Campaign: We can be the generation to end world hunger! Too many in the world continue to suffer from poverty, hunger, and disease, and too few are doing anything to stop it. Join the ONE campaign today and urge the United States government to use our resources to help turn the tide against hunger, poverty, and disease. Together, one by one, we can help bring an end to overwhelming global poverty, disease, and hunger. For action ideas and to learn more, see www.one.org, www.elca.org/advocacy/one and www.bread.org
Immigration Reform: It is a sad day in America when partisan politics can sideline one of the most important pieces of legislation to reach the U.S. Congress in years. Despite much hope for a comprehensive immigration bill, Senate immigration bill S 1639 was defeated. What we saw in the United States Senate reinforces the polarization of our political system and condones xenophobia both in our country’s policies and rhetoric. We saw the defeat of reason, compromise and reconciliation. As a result of these political games, the 12 million immigrants living in the shadows of our nation will continue in limbo, living in fear of deportation and separation from family. The legislation may have been defeated, but the issue is far from dead. Families are still in jeopardy, workers are still being exploited and the border is far from secure. Join with thousands of others to continue to call for fair & compassionate immigration reform. For more information, visit www.sojo.net
Darfur: After months of delay, the White House finally announced implementation of "Plan B" sanctions against Sudan, designed to compel the Sudanese government to bring an end to the violence in the nation’s Darfur region. While this is a step in the right direction, unilateral U.S. sanctions will not be enough if not matched by other countries in multilateral sanctions. Now, President Bush must engage U.S. allies and support the necessary UN resolution at the UN Security Council to put pressure on the Sudanese government through sanctions by other allies. Join with thousands of others in calling on President Bush to actively engage others on the UN Security Council to join in implementing sanctions against Sudan while continuing peacekeeping and humanitarian aid for the thousands displaced by this conflict. For more information and ways to get involved, visit www.savedarfur.org
For more ideas, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org and www.sojo.net
Resources
Budget Priorities Computer Activity: As the war continues in Iraq, just how much of the US budget is being spent on military responses to conflict and how much for programs like the Peace Corps and other peacemaking initiatives? LPF's widely-praised Budget Priorities activity examines how the US budget is spent and explores the question "What Really Brings Security?" through vivid graphics and informative activities.
The activity and resource guide are available via our website at www.LutheranPeace.org; both are also available on a CD with supplementary resources for $10 ($4-$8 for LPF members). To order your copy, email lpf@ecunet.org or call (206) 720-0313.
For additional resources, visit www.LutheranPeace.org
Community News
Anywhere – Work a Day for Peace (September 11-21): The Nonviolent Peaceforce has since 9/11 commemorated this day with fellowship events and calls for peace making. This year, "Work a Day for Peace stretches from 9/11-9/21. 9/21 is the International Day for Peace. Use your creativity to design an activity for one or more the days between 9/11-9/21 and send any funds raised to Nonviolent Peaceforce, 425 Oak Grove St., Minneapolis, MN 55403. This global organization that trains civilians to do peacekeeping uses donations to better be able to respond to the many groups in conflict areas asking for help and support. So far, NP has trained teams working in Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Guatemala. You can help this work of trained civilians grow into mainstream action for peace.
Seattle, WA – Soldiers of Conscience Screening (Fall 07): From West Point grads to drill sergeants, from Abu Ghraib interrogators to low ranking reservist-mechanics; soldiers in the US Army today reveal their deepest moral concerns about what they are asked to do in war. Their message: every soldier wrestles with his conscience over killing. Although most decide to kill, some refuse. Soldiers of Conscience reveals that far more soldiers refuse to kill than we might expect. A week-long screening of this film is currently being organized. If you are interested in helping plan for this screening, email lpfyouth@gmail.com. For more details on the movie, visit www.socfilm.com
Across the US – Christian Peace Witness for Iraq (September and October): Despite outcry from Americans across the political spectrum, the war in Iraq continues. In September, Christians in communities across the United States will enter into continuous witness and vigil until our government ends the war in Iraq. This witness will also be carried out in Washington D.C. as we organize a discipline of public daily worship and prophetic preaching on or near Capitol Hill. Then, in October, the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq will join our sisters and brothers of other faith traditions for a day of public fasting and prayer and a season of discernment of our role in ending the war in Iraq. If you are interested in joining a few dozen people to offer comments on fall CPWI plans, or to find out how you can be involved in these events, email lpfyouth@gmail.com.
Chelan, WA – “Don’t Hate, Advocate!” Let Justice Roll 2007 (October 6-8): Join with other high school students from the Pacific Northwest in the pursuit of justice. Through service opportunities, speakers, group activities, and more, learn about not only speaking for those without a voice but helping the poor and oppressed find their own voices through advocacy! Remember, “Don’t Hate, Advocate!” For more details visit www.tlc.edu/letjusticeroll
Middle East – Various Trips sponsored by Middle East Fellowship (October and December): MEF works with various church partners in the Middle East to undertake peacebuilding and advocate nonviolence in all sectors of the region. This year there are a number of opportunities to take part in trips to areas of the Middle East. October 19-November 2 there will be a “Holy Land Pilgrimage” for northwest churches, and December 15th a two-week “Steps of the Magi” will take place. "Steps" is a 2 week long event commencing December 15th at the baptismal site of Jesus (just east of the Jordan River) with pilgrims daily journeying by land to finally arrive in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve to commemorate the gift of God while also distributing "gifts of the Magi" to those encountered along the way. The latter translates into projects that local churches, adult and youth/children's groups can sponsor as practical expressions of their solidarity with the struggling Arabic-speaking Christians of Palestine and their non-Christian neighbors.. For more details, visit www.middleeastfellowship.org
Tijuana, MX – Developing Hearts that Yearn for Justice (January 08): Speakers will include James Forbes, Richard Rohr, Brian Mclaren, Elsa Tamez, Matthew Fox, and Bishop Samuel Ruiz from Chiapas, Mexico. For more details, contact Bill Radata at twobill@cox.net
Do you know of an upcoming event in your community? Email lpfyouth@gmail.com with details and I will include it in next month’s issue!
Spiritual Reflection
As Christians, we are called to uplift the poor, and with that comes a call to make choices that uplift rather than oppress. The following excerpt from “Check Please!” by Cathleen Hockman-Wert explores one Christian woman’s journey to eat justly.
What’s not to like about cheap food? Here’s the journey one devout penny-pincher made from spending less to spending for a better world.
Food is Food? If one potato, pound of hamburger, or cup of coffee is basically the same as any other, it makes sense for conscientious consumers to choose based on price. Stretching dollars means having more available to help others.
For me the first step away from giving such priority to the cost of food came by seeing that each item has a story – and that the story behind one potato can be very different from another. Some stories are much more in tune with my values.
If we could read the whole story, we’d know where food was grown, by whom, under what conditions, and for whose profit. Chapters would trace the seeds’ origins and describe the transporting, processing, packaging, and marketing of our food. By the end, we would clearly see our food’s impact on environmental health, our local economies, our neighbors who farm, and on people around the world.
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Who profits? Today’s global food supply is largely controlled by a few giant transnational corporations, such as Altria (Philip Morris), Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, ConAgra, and General Mills. The major role these businesses play in the story of our food is obscured by the variety of brands that appear on a food product’s “cover.”
For example, in shopping for popcorn I might choose among Act II, Orville Redenbacher, Healthy Choice, and Jiffy Pop. Margarine to pour on top might be Blue Bonnet, Move Over butter, or Parkay. All of these – and 60-plus other brands – are owned by ConAgra.
This is just the beginning. To varying degrees, transnational corporations own or have influence in the entire food production chain – farmland and farm finance, seeds and equipment, fertilizers and pesticides, grain collection and milling, livestock production and slaughtering, and more.
This is bad news for farmers. Agribusinesses determine the price growers must pay for essential inputs, such as seed, and set the price they get for their harvest. Between the two, the farmers’ profit margin squeezes hairline thin, while agribusinesses grow richer.
But the toll on the world’s poor is even graver.
Cheap food reduces hunger? This is where the story of food takes a sadly ironic twist for me, because I come from a religious tradition rooted in farming. In the 1870s, Mennonites famously introduced Turkey Red wheat to Kansas, now the “bread basket of the world.” With other people of faith, we long to heed scripture’s call to feed the hungry. You would think a system that produces an abundance of food would ease the suffering of “the least of these.” Unfortunately, reality isn’t that straightforward.
Much of the conventionally grown food from U.S. corporate farms is subsidized by our government in the form of price supports, tax breaks, and direct payments. As a result, staples such as wheat or rice can be sold at less than their cost of production. Corn – the most heavily subsidized American food crop – sells in Mexico for 25 percent less than it costs to grow.
This sounds good for Mexican consumers, but remember than in many developing countries, 60 t 70 percent of the population makes its living off agriculture. If cheap imports undercut local prices, desperate farmers are forced to sell their land and work for agribusinesses, which then control that land. If wages are inadequate, workers leave to seek jobs in urban areas, creating an influx of labor that drives down wages and increases poverty there, too. Hungry people can’t afford to buy the food they need to survive.
As Tina Rosenberg wrote a couple years ago in The New York Times, “Wealthy countries do far more harm to poor nations with these subsidies than they do good with foreign aid.”
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Everyone Eats. Changing policies may seem beyond what many of us can do. But we all eat. We all make choices about the foods we buy – choices we can make and reshape through our faith.
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Grocery shopping is becoming a spiritual discipline for me. When I visit a farmer’s market, when I drink a cup of fairly traded coffee, I’m praying for – and directly investing in – a better world.
It’s a new kind of more-with less: Foods that offer a little more connection, and maybe a little less exploitation. More concern for all of God’s creation, and a little less ecological harm. More stable rural communities, and less consolidation of wealth and power. More health for everyone. More gratitude. And even more joy.
When this article appeared, Cathleen Hockman-Wert – co-author, with Mary Beth Lind, of Simply in Season, a cookbook celebrating fresh, local food – lived in Corvallis, Oregon, where she was an enthusiastic farmers market shopper.
--Check Please! By Cathleen Hockman-Wert
Sojourners Magazine, May 2006 (Vol. 35, No. 5, pp 8-12). Features.
