Catholic Family Campaign

CNN has a story on the labor conditions that exist for those who work to harvest cocoa beans in West Africa.  Many of the workers are under age.  The article states that the industry agreed to wean itself from child labor but that little progress has been made in over 7 years.

I wanted to share this one picture from the story as it really made me think.  This seven year old boy does not go to school.  Instead he works in his uncles cocoa grove.  I am not sure if the photographer was trying to make a point but I think that the boy’s t-shirt speaks for itself…..

Learn more about the Fair Trade Cocoa Campaign at Global Exchange!

Tags: Fair Trade, Human Dignity
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Archbishop says he will close Catholic Charities rather than compromise Church teaching

Though Colorado Catholic Charities “does not proselytize,” said Chaput, it also “has no interest at all in generic do-goodism; on the contrary, it’s an arm of Catholic social ministry. When it can no longer have the freedom it needs to be
‘Catholic,’ it will end its services.

“This is not idle talk. I am very serious,”

This is a great article that is posted over at The Catholic Association website. Check it out today and forward to all your Catholic friends.

Tags: Fair Trade, Family Values, Human Dignity, Religious Freedoms
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This story at CNN is reminder for all of us to be aware of what we are buying.  If the price seems too good to be true, maybe there is a reason for it!

Tags: Economic Justice, Fair Trade, Human Dignity
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from the National Catholic Rural Life Conference

Member’s Creed

I believe
that feeding people is a honorable and socially just endeavor; that
farming is a noble vocation that gives great pride to those involved in
it; that farmers can feed the world safe, healthy, nutritious food.

I believe
that agriculture needs a just marketing system that works for all
people; that it is fair and just to have wide distribution of land and
resources.

I believe that I am
responsible to promote justice in my own life, in my community, and the
world; I do this for the sake of my neighbor, future generations and
all of God’s glorious creation.

I believe
that all my actions have an effect on the common good of creation; that
I must carefully consider the choices I make that either positively or
negatively impact: the use of farmland, tillage practices, my use of
natural resources, technology, animal husbandry, and marketing and
labor practices.

I believe that I have
the personal and political responsibility to work toward supporting
young and beginning farmers’ efforts to stay on the land; creating and
maintaining sustainable communities for future generations; and the
creation of sustainable, safe and self reliant food system.

I believe
that I am called to treat everyone with justice ––even my enemy; that I
have a special responsibility to those over whom I have economic,
political or social power.

I believe in
God, the source of all life, and in His Son Jesus Christ, our divine
teacher, and in the Holy Spirit, who unifies us in the spirit of divine
Love; in the wisdom of our faith, for herein lies the source, the
reason and the support of all that is contained in this Creed.

Amen

Tags: Fair Trade, Human Dignity
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CNN.com had an article that discussed the growing influence and how that influence impacts the United States. Americans are relying on Indians for everything from helping find lost luggage to interpreting out CT scans.

There are a couple of moral and ethical issues to consider with this story. The first has to do with jobs. Are these US companies outsourcing these jobs overseas to decrease costs? In the case of the CT Scans, are the increase in savings coming at a cost to quality? For these questions, we need someone a lot smarter than me to dig into the details and decipher the hype. I think that the optimal choice would be to always shop local when possible whether it be your local service station or local hospital.

I think that the bigger picture is how India treats it citizens. Is the new found influence and accomping wealth going to benefit everyone? Or just a select few? The article describes situations where the prosperity and progress have not benefited many citizens. Most of the villages have seen no impact. Additionally India has the highest number of HIV/Aid patients in the world.

If we are going to start moving jobs and wealth to India, we need to also push for economic equity and basic human rights for all. Not that I am recommending some socialist solution with everyone being equal but each individual has the right to basic human compassion and having a
minimum standard of living. As US corporations invest in India, they have a moral responsibity to contribute in such a ways as to influence the government and owners of capital to take care of it’s citizens.

Tags: Fair Trade, Human Dignity
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Ever have one of those mystery charges show up on your mobile phone bill? I had some on mine from BLINKO. OK, the first time it happened, I thought, “Ok, my son must have bought a ringtone or something”.

Of course he did not remember doing it! I paid the bill, called the 800 number and made sure that I was not subscribed to anything else that would cost me more $$. I did not think anything else about it until a few months later. I had another $9.99 charge on my bill. My phone company could not do anything other than give me the 800 number to call. I bet you will be surprised to learn that the phone number was always busy.

I sent an email to the company from the website; receiving an email response 7 days later. They could cancel my subscription but could not issue me a credit. It is only $10 but I had already paid them about $20 the time before.

To make a long story short, I file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau to get their attention. I had an back within 36 hours and a check was at my home in less than a week.

Just a reminder of how to get the attention of some of these companies.

Tags: Fair Trade
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