[Dialogue] Timely quote-- A possible response

[elliestock at aol.com]

Thanks to George H. and George P. for your emails.  For the last six years I have been part of our presbytery's partnership with a consortium of groups in Peru (church, NGOs, local groups), trying to address issues related to lead and other heavy metal contamination in La Oroya, Peru (99% of the children are lead poisoned and suffering from other metal poisoning as well) and the Montaro River Valley (in the Andes) caused by the smelter of a US-owned, St Louis-based company--which also owns the largest lead smelter in the US in a community within our presbytery boundaries.  The owner of the company is Ira Rennert (of the Hamptons--just built one of the largest private homes in the country--36 or more bathrooms!!)--who owns Renco Corp--which also owns Hummer 2. The experience has been a crash course in dealing with the blatant arrogance and egregious disregard for human, creation and community rights.  This situation was highlighted in March in two segments of CBS news.  A reporter for CBS's St. Louis affiliate station was in NYC last week to receive an award for his ongoing coverage of the story.
 
Would be interested to hear stories from others who are dealing with corporations and contamination.
 
Ellie Stock
 

-----Original Message-----
From: George Packard <gpackard at ica-usa.org>
To: 'Colleague Dialogue' <dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Fri, 26 May 2006 11:04:23 -0500
Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Timely quote-- A possible response



When I saw Lincoln's quote I couldn't help but think of the NACCE-CELDF
conference coming up in July www.nacce.org.  But, first the quote again
(thanks George Holcombe):

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and
causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. ... corporations have
been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and
the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by
working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated
in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 (letter to Col. William
F. Elkins) Ref: "The Lincoln Encyclopedia", Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan,
1950, NY)
-george holcombe

Some of you may be interested in the Conference on local action in the face
of corporate dominance. The substance of the conference is CELDF's Democracy
school.

"Legalizing the Rights of Earth and Community"

A conference of critical importance for the future of food, land, water, and
sustainable human community.

July 7-9, 2006
Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania
To register, go to www.nacce.org

Context and background:
People in dozens of pilot communities in Pennsylvania started instructing
elected officials to pass laws that say "NO" to corporate sludge, poison
producing factory farms, and mines, and other such imposition of corporate
constitutional rights over state and municipal charters. What they have
learned is that they do have rights if they claim them. They have taken the
"Democracy School" condensed and adapted for this three day format July 7-9,
2006 at Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania. Fulfilling the dream of a just
society that extends to the rights of the environment requires a new kind of
proactive civic responsibility The objective in this conference is to awaken
ourselves at a national level to the neglected chapters of the American
legal, political, and economic revolution and introduce ourselves to
powerful municipal tools of governance hidden in the essence of most state
constitutions.

Resource leaders for the conference:
Richard Grossman, previous Dean of the Highlander School, Co-creator of The
"Daniel Pennock Democracy School" 
Thomas Lindsay, Co-creator of The "D P Democracy School," and founder of
CELDF, tom will be bringing a A Team of CELDEF Trainers Dr. Rosemary
Ruether, theological perspective Logistics
:
Tuition: The cost of $280 includes course materials mailed two weeks before
Location is the Washington college of Law, Massachusetts Avenue, Gettysburg
Closest Airport is Baltimore/Washington International (Gettysburg shuttle is
available by arrangement from the college)

Web site: www.nacce.org for details and application


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