A story from casa
When we hear the word, homeless, we stereotypically think of an old man pushing a cart or someone begging for money. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Any person can become homeless over night. My husband, myself and our 3 children moved to Milwaukee to help a family member and almost instantly became homeless. We bounced around from place to place, requested assistance from the 211 emergency number only to find that the only “family shelter,” which would keep our family together, had over a year waiting list. The “emergency shelter” that I would expect to help with our need for housing did not exist. My children and I were even rejected by Joy House, a shelter for women and children, because I did not have a birth certificate for my son. My children and I eventually found shelter at Casa Maria , and my husband was referred to the Rescue Mission for shelter. However, after standing in line day after day hours at a time he was continuously told at the Mission that there was no space available, and they had no knowledge of any “overflow” shelter. For 3 weeks in freezing weather my husband slept on the street. This Rescue Mission for men led the community to believe that no man would be turned away, unless they had visible or outside signs of intoxication. My husband has never used any drugs or alcohol, and still he was turned away time after time. Never once did they offer him a warm place to sleep or have a hot meal. I really want the community to understand that these places that receive
government funding are not being truthful and are not always helpful to those in need. The ones who work solely with community volunteers and with individual donations seem to provide the most help. The emergency 211 people demand lots of information regarding age, race, sex, and seldom care to listen to your entire reason for being in need. They give useless information while giving the government false stats so they will continue to be funded. Housing is a human right, no matter your race, religion, personal background, etc. Since when has something as simple as a warm place to sleep become a stat game or a case of political competition? We need more of our community to stand up and use their voices. Every person in this world should have someplace to call home.
----Gena, a former guest at Casa Maria
“Everyone in the world knows that Jesus and His teachings were nonviolent, except Christians.”
M. Gandhi
“ War is the parent of armies. From these proceed debts and taxes. And armies, debts and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”
James Madison in 1791.
JOKES
A girl sitting at a bar had very big ears. No one ever offered to buy her a drink. A guy walked in who had a wood eye. He said, “Would you like for me to buy you a drink?” She said, “Would I, would I.” He replied, “Big ears, big ears:!
A man is having his first surgery and says to the doctor, “Doctor, I’m a little worried, this is my first surgery.” The doctor replied, “I know how you feel, you’re my first patient.”
What does Mother Rabbit say to the Easter Bunny when he leaves for work on Easter morning? “Break an egg.”
Two horses got married. They stayed in the Bridle Suite.
A guy walks into a bar. “All lawyers are jerks” he yells. “I resent that” says a man at the bar. “Why? Are you a lawyer?” “No, I’m a jerk.”
I like very much the third grade. It was the best 3 years of my life.
I didn’t know how to greet people so my mother sent me to “hi” school.
There was a person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
Two policemen call the station on the radio. “Hello, is that you Sarge?” “Yes?” “We have a case here. A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she had just mopped clean.” “Have you arrested the woman?” “No, the floor is still wet.”
I’ve gotten out of bed 365 days a year for 50 years. That’s 16,435 sit-ups and not an ab to show for it. What keeps the moon up? The beams!
INTERESTING FACTS
EVENTS
APRIL 9 ----STOP SEPARATING FAMILIES AND DEPORTATIONS at ICE building, Broadway & Knapp Sts., Milwaukee from Noon to 1 p.m. Everyone should have the right to live where they want. (Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
APRIL15, TAX DAY -----TAXES FOR HUMAN NEEDS, NOT WAR AND WEAPONS! Banner holding across Brown St. overpass from 8 to 9 a.m. DON’T PAY FOR WAR! We will also be joining the UWM students in a demonstration for Fair Wages in the afternoon. Please call Mikel about the time and place at 414-344-745.
APRIL 16 ----STAND FOR NONVIOLENCE at BREW CITY SHOOTERS SUPPLY, 43RD & Lincoln, Milw. from Noon to 1 p.m.
APRIL 23 -----LOVE YOUR ENEMIES: CLOSE THE ROTC VIGIL at Marquette U. Library, 15th & Wisconsin Ave., from Noon to 1 p.m. We are asking Marquette U. which calls itself a Christian school, to be faithful to the Gospel and not sponsor a military school on campus. Call Don at 414-342-0158
All other events can be found on the web sites of Peace Action Wisconsin, Coalition for Justice and Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice. Thanks!
Notes from Roberta
Four of our community members attended the Midwest Catholic Worker Gathering in St. Louis which sponsored an anti-racism seminar. It was very enlightening and very sad, especially when pondering the invasive white power system that governs our society. The police shootings of young black men are just one of the many symptoms of oppression. It occurs here in the U.S. and globally. One just has to think of the slow reactions to the suffering of people in Rwanda, Bosnia or any other country where the people are not just like us. I came away from the conference hopeful. I believe if we recognize the racism within ourselves and within the structures we created, we will be able to effect a change we need the help of the people of color. We have to extend our hand, heart and mind in a listening and open attitude to those whose skin is different from ours. They will show us the way.
Peace, Roberta
government funding are not being truthful and are not always helpful to those in need. The ones who work solely with community volunteers and with individual donations seem to provide the most help. The emergency 211 people demand lots of information regarding age, race, sex, and seldom care to listen to your entire reason for being in need. They give useless information while giving the government false stats so they will continue to be funded. Housing is a human right, no matter your race, religion, personal background, etc. Since when has something as simple as a warm place to sleep become a stat game or a case of political competition? We need more of our community to stand up and use their voices. Every person in this world should have someplace to call home.
----Gena, a former guest at Casa Maria
“Everyone in the world knows that Jesus and His teachings were nonviolent, except Christians.”
M. Gandhi
“ War is the parent of armies. From these proceed debts and taxes. And armies, debts and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”
James Madison in 1791.
JOKES
A girl sitting at a bar had very big ears. No one ever offered to buy her a drink. A guy walked in who had a wood eye. He said, “Would you like for me to buy you a drink?” She said, “Would I, would I.” He replied, “Big ears, big ears:!
A man is having his first surgery and says to the doctor, “Doctor, I’m a little worried, this is my first surgery.” The doctor replied, “I know how you feel, you’re my first patient.”
What does Mother Rabbit say to the Easter Bunny when he leaves for work on Easter morning? “Break an egg.”
Two horses got married. They stayed in the Bridle Suite.
A guy walks into a bar. “All lawyers are jerks” he yells. “I resent that” says a man at the bar. “Why? Are you a lawyer?” “No, I’m a jerk.”
I like very much the third grade. It was the best 3 years of my life.
I didn’t know how to greet people so my mother sent me to “hi” school.
There was a person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
Two policemen call the station on the radio. “Hello, is that you Sarge?” “Yes?” “We have a case here. A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she had just mopped clean.” “Have you arrested the woman?” “No, the floor is still wet.”
I’ve gotten out of bed 365 days a year for 50 years. That’s 16,435 sit-ups and not an ab to show for it. What keeps the moon up? The beams!
INTERESTING FACTS
- The World Bank claims to be interested in “securing farmers’ access to land”, but around the world local communities face forced evictions and human rights abuses linked to the Bank’s financed projects, as documented in recent years in Uganda, Honduras and Cambodia. The World Bank sees the land as a market commodity and that its job is to enable corporations to exploit the natural resources of the financially poor countries. Land is vital to these countries since family farms produce up to 80% of the food, and 80% of the land in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa is farmed. -----Global Policy Forum
- Recently, it was found that the Iraqi military and Shiite militias, both trained and armed by the U.S. were responsible for the torture and summary execution of Sunni prisoners, in many cases by decapitation. Some are handcuffed and then shot in the head. ----- WSWS.org, 3/16/15
- Afghan officials also sanctioned murder, torture and rape. ---CLG News, 3/8/15
- The $5.3 billion that Obama would spend fighting ISIS could instead increase non-military aid to Iraq and Syria by 26 times. The money would have helped the people with schools, medical care, water, agriculture, etc. AND eased the tension between the rivaling groups. ------National Priorities
- U.S. weapons manufacturers lead the world in profits from the booming military arms and equipment business, driven by rising tensions and conflict around the world. -----Anew report, London-based analysts
- The U.S. is behind 1/3 of all equipment and weapons exports world-wide. In 2014, U.S. weapons companies sold $64 billion worth of weapons world-wide. -----Common Dreams, 3/9/15
- Saudi Arabia, from which 15 of the 19 were involved in the 9/11 tragedy, is the world’s biggest importer of weapons, overtaking the previous record held by India. Saudi Arabia spent over $6.4 billion on military purchases in 2014, followed by India which spent $5.57 billion on military weapons. -----RSN, 3/9/15
- Israel has had the nuclear bomb since 1967 and is counted as the world’s 6th nuclear state, with a stockpile of weaponry possibly equal to that of France and the U.K. ------Maryknoll Middle East Notes, 3/3/15
- The Kwegu tribe, one of the smallest with only 1,000 members living in Ethiopia’s Lower Omo Valley, is starving as a result of the destruction of their forest and their river. A proposed dam would destroy the fish stocks on which the Kwegu depend. ----Survival International
- The U.S. continues its quest to de-stabilize Venezuela and has again put sanctions on Venezuela meant to bring down the government. Meanwhile, poverty in Venezuela has been halved, and the country has the highest average standard of living in Latin America. In 1999, half the country was living under the poverty line, with 23% in “extreme poverty.” By 2011, there were 23% poor and 8% in extreme poverty. No other country in modern history has accomplshed that in just a decade. ----Counter Punch, 3/3/15
- On March 8th, the U.S. bombed a Syrian oil refinery on the border with Turkey. It killed as many as 30 people, many of them oil workers. The U.S. has yet to tell how many civilians it has killed with its drones. -----WSWS.org, 3/10/15
- A recent study found that the U.S. recent invasions has directly or indirectly killed around 1 million people in Iraqq, 220,000 in Afghanistan and 80,000 in Pakistan for a grand total of 1.3 million. --------Buz Davis of Veterans for Peace 608-239-5354
- The combined net worth of of the world’s billionaires in 2015 is $7.05 trillion. Carlos Slim of Mexico, the second financially richest people in the world, has wealth equal to the combined income of 60 million impoverished Mexican workers. The U.S. and China have the most billionaires. ---Forbes Magazine, 3/4/15
- The $28.5 billion in bonuses doled out to Wall Street employees is double the annual pay for all 1,007,000 Americans who work full-time at the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. -----Common Dreams, 3/12/15
- There are 750 million people in the world who live on less than $2 a day. ----WSWS.org, 3/4/15
- More than 7,700 immigrant children were deported over the past 18 months without ever appearing in court. No figures were available on how many of these were even aware of their hearings. Some 94% of them had no attorney. ----WSWS.org, 3/7/15
- It is estimated that 138,000 kids are homeless. The average U.S. household pays $400 to feed and clothe Walmart, McDonalds and other low-wage workers. As $30 trillion in new wealth was being created, the number of kids on food stamps increased 70%. Despite the decline in food security, the Food Stamp Program was cut by $8.6 billion, which is money paid to corporate agriculture. ----Common Dreams, 3/16/15
- Some 24% of people around the world believe that the U.S. posses the greatest threat to peace. The runners-up were far behind. ----AlterNet, 3/11/15
- House Republicans have set up a new budget plan that would cut spending by $5.5 trillion over 10 years. The measure INCREASES military spending adding $40 billion in “emergency” war funds and SLASHES at least $1 trillion in funding social services like food stamps and welfare. ----Democracy Now, 3/18/15
- Since 2000, there were at least 2,257 murders committed whose motive was witch hunting.
- Some 125 U.S. prisoners were exonerated last year, and 46% of those exonerations were because no crime had occurred.
- Half of the childeren born in the U.S. each year have mothers who receive Medicaid benefits. By 2016, the richest 1% of the world’s population will hold 50% of the world’s wealth. ------Harper’s Index
- U.S. drone strikes meant to kill 41 men resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,147 people. ----The Guardian, 11/24/14
- The Iraq and Afghan invasions already cost U.S. taxpayers $4 trillion ---James Risen in Pay any Price
EVENTS
APRIL 9 ----STOP SEPARATING FAMILIES AND DEPORTATIONS at ICE building, Broadway & Knapp Sts., Milwaukee from Noon to 1 p.m. Everyone should have the right to live where they want. (Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
APRIL15, TAX DAY -----TAXES FOR HUMAN NEEDS, NOT WAR AND WEAPONS! Banner holding across Brown St. overpass from 8 to 9 a.m. DON’T PAY FOR WAR! We will also be joining the UWM students in a demonstration for Fair Wages in the afternoon. Please call Mikel about the time and place at 414-344-745.
APRIL 16 ----STAND FOR NONVIOLENCE at BREW CITY SHOOTERS SUPPLY, 43RD & Lincoln, Milw. from Noon to 1 p.m.
APRIL 23 -----LOVE YOUR ENEMIES: CLOSE THE ROTC VIGIL at Marquette U. Library, 15th & Wisconsin Ave., from Noon to 1 p.m. We are asking Marquette U. which calls itself a Christian school, to be faithful to the Gospel and not sponsor a military school on campus. Call Don at 414-342-0158
All other events can be found on the web sites of Peace Action Wisconsin, Coalition for Justice and Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice. Thanks!
Notes from Roberta
Four of our community members attended the Midwest Catholic Worker Gathering in St. Louis which sponsored an anti-racism seminar. It was very enlightening and very sad, especially when pondering the invasive white power system that governs our society. The police shootings of young black men are just one of the many symptoms of oppression. It occurs here in the U.S. and globally. One just has to think of the slow reactions to the suffering of people in Rwanda, Bosnia or any other country where the people are not just like us. I came away from the conference hopeful. I believe if we recognize the racism within ourselves and within the structures we created, we will be able to effect a change we need the help of the people of color. We have to extend our hand, heart and mind in a listening and open attitude to those whose skin is different from ours. They will show us the way.
Peace, Roberta