Thanks Pix!


--- PIx Mahler <pix@...> wrote:

> This is beyond mission trips and beyond funding and
> beyond what many
> Presbyterians are very eager to do.
> It is public Policy advocacy.
> I hope you will take a few minutes and at least read
> the viewpoint.
> We may agree to disagree but I feel that an
> awareness of the issues
> is important.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Pix
>
>
> Pix Mahler
> pcusa Haiti Partnership Facilitator
> pix@...
> 1022 Floyd St., Lynchburg, VA 24501
> 434-385-9486
>
http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/profiles/mahlerp.htm
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
> > Cancel Debt Fast Days of Action for HaitiMake a
> Call to Congress
> > this week! (script/talking points below) > >
> > Capitol Switchboard > > (202) 224-3121> >
> > Not sure who your member of Congress is? Go here
> > Background: Over half of the loans Haiti continues
> to pay were
> > granted to corrupt and brutal dictators like
> Francois and Jean-
> > Claude Duvalier. The Haitian people continue to
> pay interest on
> > these loans of a clearly odious nature.
> >
> > This is money that could be used to invest in
> health care or
> > education in a country where almost a quarter of
> children under
> > five are chronically malnourished and only 35% of
> students are able
> > to complete primary school. These loans divert
> over $57 million per
> > year from a country where half the people struggle
> to survive on $1
> > a day or less.
> >
> > While the World Bank, International Monetary Fund
> and the Inter-
> > American Development Bank have allowed Haiti to
> enter their debt
> > cancellation programs they hold Haiti under the
> onerous framework
> > of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
> Initiative. In the
> > meantime Haiti will pay $110-140 million more in
> debt service to
> > these institutions. Understanding the immediate
> need for action,
> > Representatives Waters, Bachus, Delahunt, Lee,
> Payne, Conyers,
> > Gutierrez and Maloney introduced H.Res 241 on
> March 13, 2007. HR
> > 241 now has 65 cosponsors and still needs more!
> The resolution
> > recommends that the Secretary of the Treasury and
> the U.S.
> > Executive Directors at the International Monetary
> Fund, World Bank
> > and the Inter-American Development Bank exercise
> US influence to
> > completely and immediately cancelHaiti’s debt to
> these institutions.
> >
> > Take Action!
> > October 2-4: National call in days. We urge
> concerned citizens to
> > take action by contacting their representatives to
> demand
> > congressional action on HR 241 Haiti Debt
> Cancellation Act. If your
> > member of Congress has already co-sponsored the
> resolution give
> > them a call anyway. Thank them for co-sponsoring
> the resolution and
> > ask him/her when we can expect a vote on the
> resolution. Then ask
> > her/him to also co-sponsor the Jubilee Act HR
> 2634.
> >
> > Also, let your member of Congress know about the
> briefing on
> > October 4th. Call your representative in both the
> district and
> > Washington, DC offices. Find script for contacting
> your
> > Representative below.
> >
> > October 2-4: Walk the Halls- Meetings with
> Congressional Members to
> > encourage support for debt cancellation.
> >
> > October 4th: Haiti Can’t Wait for Debt
> Cancellation Congressional
> > Briefing on HR 241 3:30-5:00pm Room 2105 Rayburn
> House Office
> > Building. The panel is co-sponsored by Jubilee
> USA, TransAfrica
> > Forum, Partners in Health, Institute for Justice
> and Democracy in
> > Haiti, and the Quixote Center.
> >
> > Script to call your Representative:
> >
> > 1. Find out who your Representative is by entering
> your zip code at
> > www.house.gov (upper left corner)
> >
> > 2. Pick up the phone and call the Capitol
> Switchboard: > > (202) 224-3121> >
> > 3. Ask to be connected to your Representative’s
> office. The
> > receptionist will answer. Introduce yourself as a
> constituent from
> > ________ (city), (state)
> > 4. Say some version of the following: "I am
> calling to urge
> > Representative ______ to co-sponsor the Haiti debt
> cancellation
> > resolution (H Res 241), if she/he has not already
> done so. This
> > bill would provide immediate debt cancellation for
> Haiti. By
> > canceling the debt immediately we can support
> Haiti in the
> > improvement of healthcare, education, sanitation
> and other
> > essential services and infrastructure. I urge
> Representative
> > _______ to co-sponsor this important legislation.
> To co-sponsor,
> > your staff should contact Kathleen Sengstock in
> Representative
> > Maxine Waters’ office at> > (202)225-2201."
> >
> > (You can stop there, or add an additional sentence
> about why this
> > issue is important to you). Then thank the
> receptionist and say
> > goodbye.
> >
> >
> >
>
> > From: "HalfHour4Haiti" <Halfhour4haiti@...>
> > Date: October 2, 2007 9:28:05 PM EDT
> > To: <info@...>
> > Subject: Half-Hour for Haiti: Join the Big Push
> For Debt Relief for
> > Haiti!
> >
> > October 2, 2007
> >
> > Half-Hour for Haiti: Join the Big Push For Debt
> Relief for Haiti!
> >
> > Update: Sorry we missed September’s Half-Hour
> alerts. As many of
> > you know, human rights activist Lovinsky
> Pierre-Antoine was
> > kidnapped on August 12. We held off on alerts
> because the
> > kidnapping initially appeared to be for economic
> reasons, and we
> > were advised that action alerts could be
> counterproductive. But
> > Lovinsky has now been missing for seven weeks, and
> Lovinsky’s
> > family and his organization, the September 30th
> Foundation, have
> > been raising the public profile of the case. We
> are working on an
> > alert for Lovinsky that we will send out towards
> the end of the
> > week. For more information about Lovinsky, his
> disappearance, and
> > taking action to save Lovinsky's life, see our
> website,
> > www.HaitiJustice.org.
> >
> > In the meantime, we need to carry on Lovinsky’s
> work, including the
> > cancellation of Haiti’s multilateral debt, which
> will divert $57
> > million this year fromHaiti’s elected government
> to wealthy banks
> > that were established to fight poverty.
> >
> > Thanks to everyone who fought for debt
> cancellation this summer by
> > engaging their representatives during the August
> Congressional recess.
> >
> > This week is the next big push. The Jubilee USA
> Network is
> > sponsoring the Cancel Debt Fast from September 6
> to October 18.
> > Rev. David Duncombe of White Salmon, Washington,
> is spending the
> > whole time on Capitol Hill, fasting and persuading
> members of
> > Congress to pass the Jubilee Act, which would
> cancel unjust debt
> > for Haiti and 66 other countries. For updates on
> the fast events,
> > see Jubilee USA’s Blog the Debt.
> >
> > This week is Haiti Week for the Cancel Debt Fast.
> On Thursday,
> > Jubilee USA, Partners in Health, TransAfrica
> Forum, the Center for
> > Economic and Policy Research , Haiti Reborn, and
> the Institute for
> > Justice & Democracy in Haiti are sponsoring a
> Congressional
> > briefing on H. Res. 241, the Haiti Debt
> Cancellation Resolution,
> > with the help of Rep. Maxine Waters (Thursday
> 10/4, 3:30 PM,
> > Rayburn 2105). The panelists will explain the
> impact of the
> > diversion of resources to pay Haiti’s debt, to the
> healthcare
> > system and the overall economy. They will also
> explain why it is
> > important to pass H.Res. 241, as well as the
> Jubilee Act: the Haiti
> > Debt Relief Act was introduced earlier and is
> further along in
> > obtaining co-sponsors. Haiti also deserves special
> treatment
> > because it lags behind other countries, because it
> was excluded
> > from earlier debt relief efforts for political
> reasons.
> >
> > Many of us fasted on September 6, (see Boston
> Globe article) and
> > will fast again on Thursday. If you would like to
> join the fast,
> > click here. But fasting and educating members of
> Congress and their
> > staff about Haiti’s debt is only half the work of
> getting H.Res.
> > 241 passed. The other half is you telling your
> Representatives that
> > you care about Haiti’s debt, and that they should
> make debt
> > cancellation a priority. For more information
> about Haiti debt
> > cancellation and H.Res. 241, see our Haiti Debt
> Relief Resource
> > Packet.
> >
> > This week’s alert from the Haiti Reborn program
> shows what you can
> > do to help: call this week, and let your
> Representative know you
> > support Debt Cancellation for Haiti.
> >
> >
> >
>
________________________________________________________________
> >
> > For more information about the Half-Hour for Haiti
> Program, the
> > Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, or
> human rights in
> > Haiti, see www.HaitiJustice.org. To receive
> Half-Hour for Haiti
> > Action Alerts once per week, send an email to
> HalfHour4Haiti@....
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>




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