by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach

This year the MCC WashingtonOffice turned 40. Milestones likethat one tend to prompt reflec-

tions back on what has been, anddreams about what might be.

For all of those 40 years, theWash-ington Memo has been one of themain ways we communicate aboutour work. It’s been ten years sincetheMemo was redesigned, and as youcan see, we decided that our 40 yearanniversary was a good time to makesome changes.

We want to continue to provideyou with a quality print resource thatanalyzes U.S. public policy from anAnabaptist perspective. But we alsowanted to make it more visuallyappealing, so we added photos andswitched to color.

In recent years the internet has alsohad a huge impact on how we receiveinformation. People now expect in-stant news on what is happening, andin Congress, the status of bills canchange rapidly.

Because of this, we have launchedtheWashington Memo Blog (see p.9)and will soon be introducing an elec-tronic monthly newsletter. We con-tinue to post information on our web-site and to send out issue-specificaction alerts via e-mail (to sign up, seep.11). All of these provide ways to getupdated information about fast-chang-ing public policy debates and how bestto advocate for peace and justice.

Meanwhile, we are shifting from an8-page newsletter printed bimonthly to12 pages delivered quarterly. The ex-tra space allows us to provide more in-depth public policy analysis, as well asmore space for theological reflections.We have also added worship resourcesto use in your local congregation,highlights from our online resources,and a new Advocates’ Corner.

This first issue is dedicated to theglobal food crisis—a “food crisis thatshouldn’t be”—and coincides withWorld Food Day on October 16. ForMCC, whose original work grew outof a response to famine, this is atimely and critical issue. There aremany ways to respond to the food cri-sis—by donating to MCC’s food pro-grams, being aware of our own con-sumption habits and, as we highlighthere, by advocating for just policies.For more on MCC’s response tothe global food crisis, visit mcc.org/foodforall.

We hope you find this—and futureissues—useful. As always, we lookforward to hearing from you.*

IN THIS MEMO

2 Food Crisis that Shouldn’t Be

4 Cookbook Theology

5 Worship Resources

6 Food, HIV/AIDS and Peace

7 Food or Fuel?

8 Farm Bill and U.S. Hunger

9 Washington Memo Online

10 Advocates’ Corner

THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

Hunger for Justice

A publication of Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

FALL 2008 | VOLUME XL | NO. 5

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We are living in a world thatis more connected than everbefore, where decisions made

in one part of the world have conse-quences that are felt globally. In thiscontext, the world is now livingthrough a global food crisis of unprece-dented scale, reach and devastation.

The crisis caught internationalattention when food riots broke outacross the globe, in Haiti, Bangladesh,Ethiopia and elsewhere. People tiredof rising food costs took to the streets.

According to the United Nations,food commodities in the global markethave risen by 83 percent over the lastthree years. Corn prices have climbedto double the price a year ago. Wheatprices are 40 percent higher than 2007and the price of rice is three times lastyear’s level.

This unprecedented rise in price hasleft millions of people hungry and des-perate. The UN Special Rapporteur onthe Right to Food reports that an esti-mated 854 million people are currentlyliving in a state of food insecurity.

Josette Sheeran, director of theUnited Nations World Food Pro-gramme (WFP), put it this way, “Whatwe are seeing now is affecting more

people on every continent, destroyingeven more livelihoods and the nutritionlosses will hurt children for a lifetime.”

Two factors believed to be exacer-bating the food crisis are neo-liberaleconomic policies and investor specu-lation in food commodity and oil mar-kets. Other factors, including biofuelproduction (p.7), climate change, in-creased demand for higher proteinfoods, and lower yield insome producer countriesalso play a role, but willnot be discussed here.

Neo-liberal economicpolicies have devastated lo-cal economies and people’slivelihood in the global South. Ascountries began to take part in theglobal market, decision-makers frominternational financial institutions suchas the World Bank and the Interna-tional Monetary Fund (IMF) began in-stituting conditions for loans, includ-ing structural adjustment programs.Structural adjustment most notablyinvolves domestic shifts to privatizestate-owned industries and reducetrade protections.

The story of Haiti is a case inpoint. Until the mid-1980s Haiti was a

self-sufficient rice producing country.Under pressure from the IMF and theWorld Bank, due to its accumulateddebt and conditions for future loans,Haiti was forced to radically changeits economic system. Haiti’s tradeprotections were dismantled, makingit the most economically liberal coun-try in the Caribbean, which made itvulnerable to cheap imports and de-

pendent on external sourcesof production. By the early1990s rice imports from theUnited States outpaced localproduction. Poor Haitianfarmers were forced to com-pete for market share with

subsidized rice from the United Statesand Haiti’s agricultural industry endedup in shambles. Now, as global pricesrise, many Haitians cannot afford tobuy rice.

In the current food crisis, countrieslike Haiti, and many in Sub-SaharanAfrica, which are “net food importers,”are at the mercy of the global market,unable to feed their own people.

Investor speculation. “Moneymoves prices and money moves mar-kets.” As Wall Street’s housing crisisbegan to emerge, large sums of money

2 WASHINGTON MEMO | FALL 2008

A Food Crisis that Shouldn’t Be

by Theo Sitther

The current foodcrisis presentsopportunities fortrue reform.

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flowed into the food commoditiesfutures market—as much as $300billion. This has played a major rolein food price inflation.

Michael Masters, a hedge fund in-vestor for more than 12 years, recentlytestified before Congress and attributedmuch of the increase in food prices tospeculation in the commodities market.Fundamental economic principles ofsupply and demand played less of arole and institutional investors collec-tively played a major role in drivingthe commodities price increase. Specu-lative investing in the commodities fu-tures market is when an investor buysa product for re-selling rather than foruse and every time the product is re-sold, the price goes up.

Speculative investing also con-tributes to the increase in fuel costs,which directly impacts the cost offood. According toAldo Caliari, aneconomist at the Center of Concern,the impact on the price of crude oil is$20–30 per barrel.

Investors have banked millionsof dollars while millions of peopleworldwide have gone hungry, unableto keep up with increased prices in avolatile market.

Recommendations

The current global food crisis bringsmany challenges but it also presentsopportunities for true reform andchanges that can effectively work forthe common good. Any attempt at re-form or response must take a short,medium and long term approach.

Short term.Millions of people arehungry right now; millions are dying.Sheeran has compared this disasterwith the 2004Asian tsunami, callingthe food crisis a “silent tsunami.” Thismust be treated as a disaster and emer-gency response must take effective,rapid measures. Over the past severalmonths many nations and non-govern-mental organizations, including MCC,have responded with large sums of

emergency food aid. Food aid mustbe monitored and evaluated accordingto changing needs. Additionally non-emergency food aid policies must becarefully evaluated for negative impacton local markets.

Medium term.Food aid will onlybe a “band-aid” measure if structuralchanges do not take place. The loop-holes in speculative investment mustbe fixed as a medium term measure.Masters, an ardent believer in the freemarket system, asked, “Should assetallocation trump human rights?” Hisanswer, “Never!” Masters also said,“Markets without rules don’t work.”

At the time of writing, Congresswas in the process of considering leg-islative measures to regulate and cre-ate transparency in the commoditiesand oil futures markets. Measures suchas these can help to ensure that institu-

tional investors do not sacrifice humanrights for capital gains.

Long term.The global food crisishas been in the works for a long time.Millions of people were already dyingof hunger before the riots caught inter-national attention. A sustainable re-sponse to the crisis requires a longterm approach that addresses a majorroot cause of the problem. Neo-liberaleconomic policies have disabled theability of a country to produce the foodit needs to feed its own people. Nationsmust be allowed to decide their ownfood security strategies and designpolicies that will effectively addressthe problem in their local context.

After the riots in Port-Au-Prince,the Haitian president René Préval pro-posed that Haiti begin to invest morein its own agricultural industry in or-

(continued on page 6)

WASHINGTON MEMO | FALL 2008 3

Eating Local in Haiti

In April, after a week of demonstrations, Haitian President René Préval, in a televised address,called for calm and responded, “The only solution [to the food crisis] is national production.”

With these words, Préval became a welcome ally to a local movement co-foundedby Mennonite Central Committee called Kore Pwodiksyon Lokal (KPL) in Creole, which means“support local production.” In the months leading up to the protests, KPL members spoke atconferences and aired television commercials about the importance of local consumption.

KPL coordinator Ari Nikola notes that in urban centers, where the majority of protestsoccurred, there is no lack of food. “Go into the open-air markets, and see bags of rice, veg-etables and mangoes,” he states. “The problem is the lack of financial capacity to actuallybuy the food.”

Much of this problem, he says, is the result of the neo-liberal economic policies whichwere implemented, starting in 1986. As a result, an estimated 830,000 rural farming jobs werelost, which led to migration to urban areas, unemployment and food insecurity.

In response, KPL has recently started filming for a weekly television program that willshow various ways Haitians canaddress food concerns throughlocal consumption. For Nikola,this is an opportune time forchange. “Supporting local pro-duction revalues what our coun-try produces. This is thelong-term solution.”

For more information on themovement, visit buylocalhaiti.blogspot.com.

To view a sample letter to yourmember of Congress visit our blogat washingtonmemo.org or call theoffice at (202) 544-6564.

I’ve met more than one Mennonitewho first became aware of Anabap-tists through theMore-with-Less

Cookbook. The cookbook was com-missioned by MCC in the mid-1970sin the midst of a food crisis. It has be-come something of a classic, encour-aging readers to think about their con-sumption patterns.

Since then, MCC has commis-sioned two additional cookbooks: Ex-tending the Table and Simply in Sea-son. I have enjoyed many deliciousrecipes from these books, as the stainsand hand-written notes in my copiesof them suggest.

But the cookbooks also point tosome biblical themes that can shapeour response to the current food crisisand beyond.

More-with-Less. The subtitle of thisbook is “suggestions by Mennoniteson how to eat better and consume lessof the world’s limited food resources.”It encourages reducing our consump-tion of meat, refined sugar and pro-cessed foods. The cookbook remindsus that our choices have an impact onothers.

God has created the world with anabundance of resources, more than

enough to feed everyone a healthy andsustainable diet (see Psalms 65, 104and 145).

But sin enters into the picture, andwe become greedy, taking more thanour fair share. In addition to our indi-vidual food choices, U.S. trade policyhas set up an unfair system with subsi-dies and trade restrictions (pp. 2–3). InLuke’s Gospel, Jesus tells the story ofa rich man who plans to tear down hisbarns and build bigger ones, hoardingthe land’s generous harvest(12:13–21). Jesus uses the story to il-lustrate that we should trust instead inGod’s provision (12:22–34).

Extending the Table. The secondbook in the series highlights recipesfrom around the world and encouragesus to enjoy the richness of flavorsfound within different cultures.

Its global perspective reminds usthat we in the United States are justone small part of the world commu-nity. This brings us an appropriatesense of national humility, as well asresponsibility, given the serious in-equities present in our world (seeAmos 3:1–2, together with 6:1–7).

Furthermore, each one of us in thehuman family is made in God’s image

(Genesis 1:27). The writer of 1 Johnreminds us that because we are chil-dren of God, we are to reflect the di-vine image by caring for one anotherin love (1 John 3:1–2, 17).

Simply in Season. The newest cook-book in the series stresses the impor-tance of eating seasonal, locally grownfood and encourages us to connectdirectly with farmers and growers.

One primary reason for movingaway from our current food system,with its heavy reliance on fossil fuelsto transport food, is the toll that ittakes on our earth. We must work forfood policy that is sustainable, forGod’s good earth and for the wellbe-ing of future generations. Indeed, the“earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it”(Psalm 24:1).

In her preface toMore-with-Less,Doris Janzen Longacre writes thatthere is no “single answer to theworld’s food problem. It may not bewithin our capacity to effect an an-swer. But it is within our capacity tosearch for a faithful response.” Indeed,we who have experienced the Bread ofLife can do no less.*

Cookbook Theology:An Anabaptist Perspectiveon the Global Food Crisis

“The eyes of all look to you, and you give themtheir food in due season. You open your hand,satisfying the desire of every living thing.”—Psalm 145:15–16

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Worship Resources

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice . . .is it not to share your bread with the hungry?” (Isaiah 58:6–7)

Benediction

Go forth in peace, and be of good courage; hold fast thatwhich is good, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.And may the God who fills the hungry with good things fillus all with Christ-like love and with a consuming hungerfor justice in our land and in our world. Amen.

—Banquet of Praise (Bread for the World, 1990)

Scripture texts

Psalm 65, 145; Luke 12:13–34 (reflections on these textson p.4)

Children’s story

See MCC’s FoodBasket Fun Page for children, availableonline at mcc.org or by calling 1-888-563-4676.

Prayer of confession (adapted)

Unison: This earth is yours, O God. You created its richesthe water, the land, the minerals—sufficient resourcesfor all your children’s needs. We confess that we arenot good stewards of all you have placed in our care.Too often we think of ourselves first and only.

Leader: Creator God, forgive us.Men: We are short-sighted and selfish with your gifts,

squandering today what needs saving for tomorrow,Women: hoarding “ours” instead of sharing what is yours,

refusing to use some gifts at all.Unison: Gracious One, forgive us.Leader: We seek comfort and security for ourselves at the

expense of bare essentials for others.Unison: Show us your way, Lord, to bring Good Newsto the poor.

Women: We refuse to be swept into the whirlwind of yourSpirit that will challenge and change us.

Men: We object, complaining that we have challenge andchange enough that disrupts our lives.

Leader: We look for reasons to reject new ways to respondto your Word.

Unison: O Breath of God, breathe fire into us again!Men: We expect our government to protect us and our basic

human rights.Women: But we do not insist on fulfillment for others of

those basic needs.Unison: Forgive our lack of vigilance. In a country wherewe have both a voice in government and a responsi-bility to use it, we have not been good stewards of thegift of citizenship.

Leader: Fill us with the transforming power of your love.Unison: Show us new ways to respond to your Gospel.Challenge and equip us to turn our compassion intoaction. Amen.

—Banquet of Praise (Bread for the World, 1990)

Songs and hymns

I sing the mighty power of God (Hymnal: A WorshipBook 46)

Brothers and sisters of mine are the hungry (Hymnal:A Worship Book 142)

Let us break bread together (Hymnal: A Worship Book 453)As rain from the clouds (Sing the Journey 40)My soul cries out (Sing the Story 124)*

For more information and worship resources

Bread for the World: bread.orgSeeds of Hope: seedspublishers.org

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Food Security,HIV/AIDS, andPeacebuildingby Earl Zimmerman

Rising food costs in India, whilestill manageable, are worrisome,forcing the government to take

various remedial steps such as se-verely curtailing rice exports and re-ducing import tariffs on food items.MCC programs in rural developmenthave become increasingly importantin this new global environment. Thescary part is the thin margin on whichmillions of poor people survive in theglobal South. It wouldn’t take much totip the balance toward massive hungerand even starvation.

I recently visited a part of rural In-dia where MCC works at HIV/AIDSprevention, development and peace-building. Food security, HIV/AIDS,and peacebuilding are linked in thispart of India, where there is a long his-tory of government neglect in provid-ing basic infrastructure.

Rising food prices give a new ur-gency to meeting the needs of poorpeople around the world. Rural andurban realities are linked in India.These people’s lives are also linked to

the energy and consumption patternsof those of us who live in wealthycountries. It will take all of us workingtogether to create a more just and sus-tainable world.*Earl Zimmerman is an MCC Co-Representative in India. Earl and hiswife Ruth have been serving in Indiasince 2007.

This is excerpted from Earl Zimmer-man’s blog. To read the full blog entryvisit kolkatareflections.blogspot.com/.

6 WASHINGTON MEMO | FALL 2008

der to boost local production. Devel-oping nations should not be penalizedfor wanting to protect their ownmarkets.

La Via Campesina, an organiza-tion that represents a movement ofsmall-farmers, puts it this way, “Foodsovereignty is the right of peoples todefine their own food and agriculture.

Food sovereignty does not negatetrade, but rather, it promotes the for-mulation of trade policies and prac-tices that serve the rights of peoplesto safe, healthy and ecologicallysustainable production.”

The UN Special Rapporteur hassaid, “This is an intolerable situation,because it is a preventable one.” This

disaster, unlike a tsunami, cycloneor earthquake, was caused by humanpractices and policies. Therefore itmust be addressed in a thoughtful,comprehensive manner. Policymakersmust be willing to recognize the fail-ures in the current system and work atcomprehensive reform that will trulyaddress the needs of people.*

MCC FoodBasket Toolkit

The toolkit is for churches, schools and othergroups who want to learn about food issuesand MCC food projects around the world.Includes four-session curriculum, children’sactivities, fun page for children, storybook,DVD, stickers, a giving calendar and more.Available online at mcc.org/catalog or bycalling 1-888-563-4676.

A Food Crisis that Shouldn’t Be (continued from page 3)

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Not long ago, corn-based ethanolwas touted as a clean, renewablesolution to reduce our depend-

ence on oil. When burned it emits lesscarbon dioxide, the supply can be re-plenished year after year, and the in-dustry supports farmers here in theUnited States.

The problem is that notonly does ethanol cause farmore harm to the environ-ment than initially thought,but subsidies and mandatesfor biofuels are significantcontributors to the currentfood crisis.

In 2006, four billion gallons ofethanol were produced using 14 per-cent of the U.S. corn crop. Productionis expected to increase to 30 percent ofthe corn crop by 2009 and 40 percentby 2015. As more corn is diverted tofuel, less is available for food. Addi-tionally, as farmers plant more corn,they plant less of other staple foodssuch as soybeans and wheat, driving

up those prices as well. The Interna-tional Food Policy Research Instituteestimates that biofuel mandates andsubsidies are responsible for one quar-ter to one third of the recent rise infood prices.

Even though nearly a quarter ofthe U.S. corn crop this year is ex-

pected to be used to makeethanol, this will accountfor only about 4.5 percentof the U.S. gasoline fuelmarket. As demand andmandates for biofuels in-crease, the effect on foodcrops—and, consequently,

food prices—is huge. These effectsare being seen outside the U.S. aswell. Across Latin America and Asia,land that was previously used to growfood is now being used to grow fuel.

The production of biofuels is alsohaving devastating environmental ef-fects around the world. Previously, itwas thought that corn-based ethanolprovided 20 percent fewer carbon

emissions than gasoline. However,a February 2008 study in the journalScience which took into account thedestruction of forest and prairie landto grow biofuels found that, in fact, thenet effect is a doubling of greenhousegas emissions.

In places like Brazil, Indonesia andMalaysia, forests are being cleared togrow biofuels. This has no small effecton global warming: 20 percent of cur-rent global carbon emissions comefrom deforestation. In addition to theseeffects, ethanol production uses fossilfuels and scarce water resources andcreates large amounts of hazardousfertilizer run-off.

As our elected officials look towardincreasing the use of renewable re-sources, it is important that they lookat the entire picture when it comes tobiofuels. Current corn-based ethanolmandates must be reduced. Somebiofuel sources—such as sugarcane,switchgrass, and agricultural wasteproducts—show potential, but requirefurther research. Any policy on biofu-els must consider the effect on the en-vironment and on world food markets.

As we struggle with high gas pricesand look for U.S. policy solutions, wemust balance our want for cheap en-ergy with the need for food around theworld. Our search for quick solutionsshould not lead to the destruction ofrainforests. Neither should it increasethe hunger in the belly of one child.*

WASHINGTON MEMO | FALL 2008 7

Food or Fuel?How Biofuels Are Contributing to theFood Crisis and Harming the Environment

by Tammy Alexander

World Food Day: October 16

World Food Security: The Challenges of ClimateChange and Bioenergy is the theme of thisyear’s World Food Day. For more information,visit worldfooddayusa.org.

The corn neededto fill one SUV withethanol could feedone person for anentire year.

Effect of Ethanol on U.S. Corn Market

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The Food, Conservation, andEnergy Act, otherwise known asthe Farm Bill, is a large piece of

legislation that must be renewed byCongress every five years. The mostrecent Farm Bill became law on June18, 2008, when both chambers ofCongress voted to override a presiden-tial veto.

The Farm Bill is a wide ranging billthat also contains guidance for conser-vation, trade, energy and nutrition pro-grams in the United States.

How does the 2008 Farm Bill affect domestic hunger programs?

• The Farm Bill allocates $10.364 billion for nutrition programs in the UnitedStates.

• This includes an additional $7.8 billion for the food stamp program. The foodstamp program is the largest single program in the Farm Bill. The food stampprogram has been in operation since 1939, providing access to food for lowincome families. The USDA estimates that the food stamp program providesbenefits to approximately 26 million people in the United States each month.

• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) received an additional$1.6 billion in funding. TEFAP provides food to state distributing agenciessuch as food banks who then distribute the food to local agencies such as soupkitchens or local food banks. TEFAP first began in 1981 to distribute foodcommodities to local households in need of emergency food assistance.

• The 2008 Farm Bill also expanded the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program un-der the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to receive an additional$9.9 million. This program provides free snacks of fresh fruit and vegetablesto children in elementary school.

• A related provision in the bill encourages the provision of whole grain foodsin school lunch programs.

• The Farm Bill specifically encourages and directs USDA to consider theadvantages of locally grown food when it is procuring food items for otherprograms.

• An additional $5 million will be added to a program which allows low-incomesenior citizens to purchase food at farmers’markets and community supportedagriculture projects.

Emily Welty served as an intern in the MCC Washington Office this past summer.

The Farm Bill and U.S. Hunger Programsby Emily Welty

The complete text of the Farm Bill can befound online by going to thomas.loc.gov andtyping in H.R. 6124.

More information on the effect of the billon domestic hunger issues can be foundat Bread for the World’s website: bread.org.

35.5 millionTotal number of people in theUnited States who are “food inse-cure” (lack consistent access toenough food)

17.2%Percent of children in U.S. who arefood insecure

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture,2006

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Website Resource Highlights

Over the past few months, MCC Washington Of-fice staff members posted a number of informativenew resources on the Washington Office website,mcc.org/us/washington. Some highlights include:

The Sudan Web Campaign:Learn. Share. Advocate. TheWashington Office’s Sudan

Web Campaign provides the resources to do allthree. Read background information. Downloada small group study guide and posters for yourchurch. Contact your representatives in Washing-ton. And register your congregation to participatein a nationwide effort to advocate for peace inSudan, Nov. 9–16. mcc.org/us/washington/sudan

Migrant Trail 2008: Last sum-mer, two Washington Officestaff members participated inthe Migrant Trail, a 75-milewalk that traces the paths mi-grants take from Mexico toArizona. Web resources aboutthe walk include backgroundinformation about the Migrant

Trail, journal entries written in the Arizona desert,border statistics, migrant stories, and advocacysuggestions. mcc.org/us/washington/walk

Trade As If People and EarthMatter: A new briefon sustainable trade practicesis now available. The resource,created by the InterfaithWorking Group on Tradeand Investment, suggests newalternatives to agricultural,investment, and intellectualproperty policies. mcc.org/us/washington/issues/econjustice/tradealternatives.pdf

—Compiled by Gabe Schlabach.

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The Washington Memo Online

Introducing the Washington Memo Blog

Technology has irreversibly sped up the pace ofcommunications in Washington. The publishingdelay of theWashington Memo has made it diffi-cult to suggest direct action on bills in Congress,since the political landscape can sometimes changebefore theMemo reaches your mailbox.

One way of providing up-to-date informationon important legislation has been through our web-site, mcc.org/us/washington. An additional newway is our blog, washingtonmemo.org.Washingtonmemo.org provides Anabaptist

commentary on the political action occurring onCapitol Hill and elsewhere. The blog includes:

• Legislative updates

• Excerpts from news stories

• Capital quotes

• And much more!

Visit washingtonmemo.org for the latest updatesfrom the MCC Washington Office on issues in-cluding:

• Civil Rights • Jubilee Act

• Climate Change • Negotiations with Iran

• Cluster Bombs • Sudan

• Colombia • U.S. Institute of Peace

• HIV/AIDS • U.S. Torture Policy

• Immigration

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The Honorable Gabrielle GiffordsU.S. House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515

Dear Rep Giffords,

I am writing to express my gratitude for your recent voteagainst fast track status for the Colombia Free Trade Agree-ment. I wanted to express in writing some of my concernsabout the free trade agreement, should it be brought backfor a vote in the future.

As a member of Shalom Mennonite Fellowship, a localcongregation in Tucson, AZ with a sister church in Bogotá,Colombia, I have heard of the difficulties that my Colom-bian sisters and brothers face. I have heard stories aboutpeople being displaced from rural communities to Bogotáand the challenges they confront to make a new living ina place that is not their own, without access to the land onwhich they worked. Often, people barely survive in urbanareas after the trauma of their displacement.

Thank you for considering these concerns.

Sincerely,

Jodi ReadShalom Mennonite FellowshipTucson, Arizona

The Honorable Robert CaseyU.S. SenateWashington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Casey:

For the past two days Mennonites all over the U.S. havebeen responding to cries for help from our brothers and sis-ters in Colombia by joining “Days of Prayer and Action forPeace in Colombia.” Two months ago I wrote to ask you tooppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Now, in addition to this, we are urging our legislators to endall military aid to Colombia. Plan Colombia has not suc-ceeded in reducing the availability of cocaine in the U.S.and, because of the armed conflict it promotes, Colombiancivilians are dying by the hundreds.

Therefore I urge you to vote against the FTA and to work toend all military aid to Colombia.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Sylvia HorstPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania

Excerpt from response:

Dear Ms. Horst,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me regardingColombia.

I believe that the United States must have a balanced for-eign policy toward Colombia that respects American valuesof human rights and the rule of law, eliminates drug cartelsand terrorist groups and promotes fair trade practices.

I am also deeply concerned about the United States enteringinto yet another free trade agreement with a country thathas insufficient labor protections. Since 2001, Pennsylvaniahas lost over 190,000 manufacturing jobs. For the UnitedStates to move forward with a free trade deal, Colombiamust demonstrate its commitment to tough labor and envi-ronmental standards. However, it is unlikely that Colombiawill agree to these standards in the near future.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.

Sincerely,

Robert P. Casey, Jr.United States Senator

COLOMBIA

In April, congregations from across the United States,Canada and Colombia participated in Days of Prayerand Action for Peace in Colombia, an effort to both prayand advocate for an end to the decades-long conflict inColombia.

*Advocates’ Corner

The Advocates’ Cornerhighlights current advo-cacy work by Anabaptistcongregations. Please letus know about what yourcongregation is doing, sothat we can include it ina future issue.

TORTURE

During the month of June, the National Religious Campaign Against Torturesponsored a campaign to have congregations across the country display “Tortureis Wrong” banners outside their sanctuaries. More than 300 congregations ofvarious denominations in all 50 states participated, including:

• Hyde Park Mennonite Fellowship (Boise, Idaho)

• Bethel College Mennonite Church (North Newton, Kan.)

• Houston Mennonite Church (Houston, Tex.)

• Community Mennonite Church (Harrisonburg, Va.)

• Fort Collins Mennonite Fellowship (Fort Collins, Col.)

Many of these congregations also sent letters to theirrepresentatives in Washington, urging the U.S. governmentto oppose torture.

For more information about the banner campaign,or to order a banner for your congregation, please visitnrcat.org.*

**

*IMPORTANT ADDRESSES

Senator ______________U.S. SenateWashington, DC 20510(202) 224-3121senate.gov

Representative ______________U.S. House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515(202) 224-3121house.gov

President Geroge W. BushThe White HouseWashington, DC 20500(202) 456-1111president@whitehouse.gov

MCC U.S. Washington Office920 Pennsylvania Ave. SEWashington, DC 20003(202) 544-6564mccwash@mcc.orgmcc.org/us/washingtonwashingtonmemo.org

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UPCOMING DATES

October 16World Food Day

November 9–16Week of Waging Peace in Sudan(mcc.org/sudanaction)

Advent 2008Worship resources on Israel-Palestineavailable from Churches for Middle EastPeace (cmep.org)

December 15High school essay contest deadline.

NATIVE HEALTH CARE

Mennonite Church USA has been vocal in its support for the Native AmericanApology Bill sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.). This apology wouldbe the first time the U.S. government has officially apologized for the sins it hascommitted against the Native Peoples of the Americas.

In February, the apology bill was amended onto an important Native healthbill, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, which passed the Senate (83-10)but has since stalled in the House.

The Peace and Justice Support Network of the Mennonite Church has beenespecially strong in pushing for the apology’s passage, and they have stronglysupported this health legislation. In June, Mennonite Church USA signed ontoan interfaith letter to House leaders, urging them to move the legislation for-ward.

Emmanuel Mennonite Church of Saint Paul, Minnesota has also taken an ac-tive role in advocating for the Native Health Bill. The church sent a letter to theirMinnesota representatives. An excerpt:

Your dedication to the people of the great state of Minnesota has been exem-plary. You have provided a great service to us, and it is my prayer that youcontinue to do so for many years to come.

Please be so kind as to send a response regarding your decision to sup-port and cosponsor this important resolution. I look forward to hearing fromyou soon.

Please take initiative to ensure that this reauthorization, so long delayed,is passed, and voice your support for moving H.R. 1328 and the Resolutionof Apology through the House on a bi-partisan basis.

High School Essay Contest

Don’t forget to tell your favorite teenager about our annual essay contest. Thisyear’s topics include the global food crisis, U.S. energy policy, and gun laws.Essays must be postmarked by December 15 and prizes will be awarded. Moreinformation is online at mcc.org/us/washington.

WASHINGTON MEMO is published quarterly byMennonite Central Committee U.S. WashingtonOffice staff. To subscribe, send $10 to MCC,P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-0500. Foraddress changes, send both addresses to MCC.

Staff: Tammy Alexander, Rachelle LyndakerSchlabach (Director and Managing Editor), GabeSchlabach, Theo Sitther.

All biblical quotes are from the New RevisedStandard Version, unless otherwise noted.

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PAIDAKRON, PAPERMIT #3

Hunger for Justice

“Corn prices have climbed to

double the price a year ago. Wheat

prices are 40 percent higher than

in 2007 and the price of rice is three

times last year’s level.

“The UN Special Rapporteur on the

Right to Food has called the global

food crisis ‘an intolerable situation,

because it is a preventable one.’ This

disaster, unlike a tsunami, cyclone or

earthquake, was caused by human

practices and policies. . . .”Read more inside.M

elis

saEn

gle/

MCC