“Real Solutions” and other items

Since Pie and Coffee is on the list of integral blogs, maybe the connections between the “Items” should be made more explicit.

  • Today in Worcester, a group of concerned citizens called Real Solutions announced their existence and asked the City to focus on compassionate, effective solutions to problems of poverty.

    Real Solutions press conference at City Hall, Worcester, Mass.The tag line: “Target poverty, not people.”

    The speakers included Baptist minister Walter Tilleman, one of the local clergy who signed a recent statement against the City’s panhandling campaign. (Monsignor Francis Scollen, my parish priest, also signed the statement.)

    Real Solutions called for the City to discontinue the anti-panhandling campaign, and focus these energies elsewhere.

    The group’s next meeting is Tuesday, September 20th at 7pm at Abby’s House Shelter at 52 High Street. The meeting will focus on the Mayor’s Social Service Siting Task Force.

    (Worcester Telegram & Gazette article)

    Speaking of American religious leaders taking an all-too-rare bold stand on controversial issues . . .

  • . . . on August 29 the Leadership Conference of Women Religious declared opposition to the war in Iraq. The LCWR represents about 70,000 women religious (that is, Catholic nuns) in the US.

    We call on our government to develop a responsible plan for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq; to support the development of infrastructures for both human and environmental stability in Iraq; to respect religious and cultural diversity within Iraq; and to redirect needed resources to meet human needs at home and in other parts of the world.

    Speaking of the Catholic Church and hot-button issues . . .

  • Yesterday, there was a small vigil at Worcester’s Holy Cross college sponsored by alumni and aimed at removing the college’s ROTC program. The vigil is held annually on September 14, the Feast of the Holy Cross.

    Speaking of Holy Cross . . .

  • . . . Fr. Daniel Berrigan will be speaking at the Hogan Ballroom there Weds, Sept 28, 7:00 pm.

    Speaking of Catholic priests . . .

  • . . . New York Times: Vatican to Check U.S. Seminaries on Gay Presence.

    Many years ago I was at a week-long Boy Scouts of America training program to be a summer camp Aquatics Director. One day a bureaucratic type addressed our class on the BSA’s homosexuality policy, which at that time required us to inform on camp staff who were gay. An old guy from the South raised his hand and said, “I’m not going to do that.” The bureaucrat started to argue with him, which broke the wall of polite silence, and many of the Aquatics Directors-in-training joined in saying, “Yeah, I’m not going to do that, either. Are you crazy?”

    Wonder how often the Vatican will run into the same situation.

    I also wonder how many Vatican memos have used the word “gaydar.”

    Speaking of kinkiness . . .

  • . . . once again the Worcester Public Library brings you Rocky Horror Picture Show. As square a venue as the library is, they’ve upped the ante by showing the film at 2 o’clock on Saturday afternoon!

Thoughts on Panhandling

On the one hand, a lot of guys panhandle to feed addictions.

On the other hand, asking for help is a basic social action. When I came into the world, the first thing I did was took a breath and cried for help.

When a city mounts an anti-panhandling media campaign, it can come across as saying: “Welcome to our town! Don’t even think of asking for help here!”

How should we relate to people who are asking for things we probably shouldn’t give them?

Continue reading “Thoughts on Panhandling”

Items

Some new weekly items:

  • The clash between the South Bend Catholic Worker group and some neighbors over zoning continues to get some press there, although there’s no news to speak of. Here’s an op-ed with some history of the house, and a South Bend Tribune article via Loaded Mouth.
  • Film fans: here’s Victor Morton’s “Catholic Version” of the Aristocrats joke.
  • Spotlight on Darfur 1 is a continuation of a project to highlight the diversity of blog posts on the Darfur crisis, a crisis that Eric Reeves calls “the first great episode of genocidal destruction of the 21st century.” Things continue to go badly there.
  • Photo: Steve Lanava You can read about national attitudes toward the war many places, but what about local opinion?

    In Worcester in recent weeks, we’ve seen a surge of anti-war feeling. For example, in today’s daily paper, the Telegram & Gazette, there are three anti-war letters to the editor, and none supporting the war.
    Continue reading “Items”

Coffee in Downtown Worcester

Bruce Last week, Bruce and I walked across town to visit the much-lauded Billy Goat Beanery coffeehouse. They were closed. (The Pulse thinks they’re out of business, but the woman in the bookstore below the coffeehouse told us they’re negotiating a new lease and will be back soon. Update: The old Billy Goat is now the Belfry Cafe. Check out Bruce’s review.)

We had a lukewarm cup of coffee at a nearby restaurant. Nothing to write home about.

But this gives us an excuse to post an interview we did with Bruce a few months ago about the coffee of downtown Worcester, Mass.
Continue reading “Coffee in Downtown Worcester”

Isaiah House, Santa Ana

According to the latest newsletter from Isaiah House, the Catholic Worker community in Orange County, California:

Our lawsuit against the City is still pending. However, settlement discussions with the City under the supervision of the court have progressed steadily. We remain hopeful that a negotiated settlement will be reached soon.

The Orange County Catholic Worker’s crime? Housing homeless kids and their families without a license.
Continue reading “Isaiah House, Santa Ana”

Darfur Fast in D.C.–Day 4

Today was the last day of our four-day fast and vigil at the Sudanese Embassy.

Everyone was in good spirits. It was hot and humid. I got a little dehydrated since I didn’t really feel like drinking water.

Ice Tom Lewis tried to take a break in the lounge at the Hilton, and was approached by security. So Scott and Ken went down there. They buttered up the concierge, explained about our vigil, and relaxed in the lounge while a Hilton employee went upstairs to fill their shopping bag with ice.

Continue reading “Darfur Fast in D.C.–Day 4”

Darfur Fast in DC–Day 3

Today we did some light yard work at the Embassy of Sudan.

Overnight, an Embassy staffer had tried to add a couple of timbers to the sharply-sloping front lawn to deal with erosion, but they didn’t go in well, and the sidewalk was littered with one timber and a lot of dirt. With the Embassy staffer and the Italian gardener leading the project, the demonstrators helped smash concrete, cut back vines, dig, level the ground, move timbers, pound rebar through them, and sweep up afterwards.

Scott & Mr. Bashara move a timber
Demonstrator Scott Schaeffer-Duffy and Embassy staffer Mr. Bashara move a timber.

Continue reading “Darfur Fast in DC–Day 3”

Darfur Fast in D.C.–Day 2

Well, the Embassy went ahead and welcomed visitors to sign a condolences book for late Vice President John Garang. Their consular offices remained closed.

We met a lot of interesting people. Visitors ranged from dignitaries in suits arriving in cars with diplomatic plates, to guys in street clothes arriving on foot.

The first visitor of the day was an older woman who showed up early and waited for the Embassy to open. She had been a college classmate of Garang (who went to Grinnell and Iowa State).

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz came up to demonstrator Ken Hannaford-Ricardi and asked, “Is it OK if I go in there?” Ken said, “Of course.” Wolfowitz said, referring to the Darfur issue, “I’m with you on this one.” Ken said, “OK–but who are you?” Leave it to Ken.

Ken and Paul
Ken Hannaford-Ricardi, an opponent of America’s Iraq policy as part of Voices in the Wilderness, talks with Paul Wolfowitz, an architect of America’s Iraq policy as part of the Department of Defense.

Continue reading “Darfur Fast in D.C.–Day 2”

Darfur Fast in D.C.–Day 1

The Sudanese Embassy said they would call off plans for a commemorative event for late Vice President John Garang, and closed their consular office for two days, after our group refused to interrupt our 4-day fast and vigil for an end to genocide in Darfur.

Embassy staffer lowers flag to half-mast
Embassy staffer lowers flag to half-mast.
Continue reading “Darfur Fast in D.C.–Day 1”