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April 2003

Still No Aid for Haiti
The Bush Administration, Congress and the Inter-American Development Bank continue to withhold foreign aid to Haiti, including humanitarian aid, a policy that has been in place for several years despite efforts by religious and non-governmental organizations to have the restrictions removed and money released to help alleviate the desperate situation in Haiti. Currently there is only one physician for every 10,000 Haitian patients. Only 60 percent of Haitians have access to safe drinking water. More than 5 percent of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS and the resulting population of AIDS orphans is more than 200,000. The literacy rate is greater than 45 percent. Food is scarce and most Haitians suffer from lack of adequate nutrition. One half billion dollars has been withheld from Haiti for over two years, adding to the suffering of the Haitian people.

The Conference of Latin American Religious (CLAR) asked the religious of the Americas to make Haiti, the poorest nation in the hemisphere, a special focus of concern. In August 2000 CMSM adopted a resolution of solidarity with Haitian people and since then has worked in collaboration with other organizations to press for a change in U.S. policy that would release the funds for Haiti. This year there will be renewed focus to change the current policy and help the people of Haiti.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) had introduced a resolution in Congress (H.Con.Res. 78) that would reengage the United States regarding Haiti as the first step to release the funds and address the humanitarian crisis in that nation. The resolution urges the administration to support the Organization of American States (OAS) mission to Haiti, calls on international development agencies and financial institutions to launch a new and sustainable humanitarian initiative, urges the President to direct the Secretary of State to review U.S. policy toward Haiti, and calls on the President to release the loans totaling $146,000,000, for health, education, water and sanitation, and transportation. The resolution needs additional support and members of Congress need to be urged to vote on and pass the resolution. Contact your representative and ask him/her to support H.Con.Res. 78 and to bring hope and assistance to the Haitian people. A copy of the letter sent from CMSM and LCWR to the members of the House Appropriations Committee, International Relations Committee and Senate International Affairs Committee is posted on the CMSM web site (www.cmsm.org).

End the Cuban Embargo
During the recent Inter-American meeting of the presidents and executive directors of CMSM, LCWR, CLAR, and the Canadian Religious Conference, meetings were held with Cardinal Jamie Ortega, representatives of the Cuban Religious Conference, Caritas Cuba, and other prominent Cubans working for justice. At many of the meetings the Cubans criticized the U.S. embargo against Cuba. In addition to the economic hardships this has cause over the last 40 years, it has also meant that the exchange of ideas that would normally take place has not happened, either. Because of that, people are hungry for information that would help them develop socially and politically.

You can join in actions that encourage the U.S. government to change the current policy and make the United States more open to trade and other exchanges with Cuba. The Latin American Working Group (LAWG) is collecting names on a petition to President Bush asking him to end the embargo, stop the ban on travel, and promote reconciliation between the United States and Cuba. You can sign on to this petition and learn more about how the embargo has impacted Cuba by visiting the Cuba Central web site at www.cubacentral.com. More information about the recent Inter-America delegation to Cuba is in this month’s issue of CMSM Bulletin.

Take Action Against Landmines in Iraq
A report from the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) says that the use of landmines by the United States show "no evidence of enemy casualties, either killed or injured; enemy equipment losses, either destroyed or damaged; or enemy maneuver limitations resulting, directly or indirectly, from its employment of landmines during the (1991) Gulf War." There is growing concern that the United States used landmines in the latest war with Iraq.

Every NATO member except the United States has embraced the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty that blocks the use, stockpiling, trade, and production of landmines. President Clinton failed to sign the treaty, but said that the United States would move toward adoption by 2006. It looks like the Bush Administration has abandoned that policy altogether.

Every year landmines maim and kill 15,000-20,000 people in more than 80 countries. Most victims are civilians and approximately one-third are children.

The U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines is urging U.S. citizens to take action by calling or writing President Bush and urge him to ban the use of landmines should there be a war with Iraq. A sample letter can be found on the Campaign’s web site (www.banmines.org). It also contains information on how to contact the White House. A copy of the letter sent from CMSM can be found on the CMSM web site.

Minimum Wage Act Introduced in Congress
Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) has introduced the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2003 (S. 20) which would increase minimum wage first to $5.90 and a year later to $6.65, an increase of $1.50 over 18 months. A Republican proposal offers only an increase of $1.00 over three years. Today minimum wage employees working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, earn only $10,700 a year, more than $4,300 below the poverty line for a family of three. The increase proposed in the Daschle bill would only add $3,000 a year to this income but would allow a three-person family to pay for more than 15 months of groceries, more than eight months of rent, more than seven months of utilities, or tuition for a community college degree. Poverty-level wages do not serve those fighting to make the difficult journey from welfare to the workplace. Increasing the minimum wage will help those in entry level jobs to move toward self-sufficiency, and will reward people justly for the difficult work they perform every day. Call or write your Senator and urge him/her to support the Fair Minimum Wage Act introduced by Senator Daschle and to oppose amendments that would drop the amount to one dollar or to add tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and weaken existing labor protection laws. The switchboard number at the Senate is 202-224-3121.

Resource
Rise to the Challenge: End World Hunger. Bread for the World’s 2003 Offering of Letters. The annual campaign that addresses the issue of hunger and assists people in letting Congress know that we can end world hunger. This year the campaign is asking Congress to fully fund the Millennium Challenge Account and that additional development assistance stays focused on reducing hunger and poverty. For informational packets and video, contact Tom Murphy the director of Church Relations at Bread for the World at 1-800-82-Bread or www.bread.org.

Stan De Boe, OSST
Editor

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