Notes
From WashingtonNotes
From Washington
On January 20th, a new president took the oath of office as Commander in Chief, leader of the U.S. and the free world. New members of the 107th Congress have been sworn in as legislators for the nation. But, while many faces are new, many problems are old - - and
We’ve got
some
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Unfinished business includes:
Ø
Education reform.Ø Electoral rights.
ØCampaign finance reform.
Ø Trafficking in human beings.
Ø Federal hate crime legislation.
Ø 34 million Americans living in poverty.
ØProtecting Social Security Trust Funds.
Ø Creating opportunities beyond welfare.
Ø
5,000 women and girls killed for "honor."Ø Refugee women seeking asylum from gender based abuses.
Ø
43 million Americans without healthcare.Ø 300 million children - girls - without access to education.
ØA system that incarcerates 2 million people.
Ø Global economic and environmental injustice.
ØThe growing wealth gap.
Ø Genetically modified foods.
We, justice seekers, must gird ourselves for continued engagement in what Dr. Martin Luther King termed the “majestic struggle,” fueled by a “certain kind of fire that no water can put out”. Let us work to ensure that the new Administration, the U.S. Congress, and the state legislatures are ever mindful of our actions to finish the people’s business. We must meet the challenge of ensuring equity and opportunity for all people and continue to demand justice for those living “on the outskirts of hope”.