Democracy Now! Daily Digest: A Daily
Independent Global News Hour with Amy Goodman & Juan González – Wednesday,
27 November 2013
Stories:
The Pope Slams "Tyranny" of
Capitalism and "Idolatry of Money," But Opposes Shift on Women,
Abortion
Pope Francis has used his first major
written work to attack capitalism as a "new tyranny," while urging
global leaders to fight poverty and inequality. In a document published
Tuesday, Pope Francis denounced the 'idolatory of money' and
"trickle-down" economic policies, as well as consumerism and a
financial system which he says rules rather than serves. The Pope urged
politicians to guarantee all citizens “dignified work, education and
healthcare." However, the Pope rejected change in two other areas: the
ordination of women to the priesthood and the church’s view on abortion. We
speak to two dissident priests. Matthew Fox is former Catholic priest who was
first stopped from teaching Liberation Theology and Creation Spirituality, then
expelled from the Dominican Order. Father Ray Bourgeois is a Catholic priest
and the founder of the School of Americas Watch.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not
be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Pope Francis has used his
first major written work to attack capitalism as "new tyranny," while
urging global leaders to fight poverty and inequality in a document published
Tuesday. Pope Francis denounced the "idolatry of money" and "trickle-down"
economics policies as well as consumerism and a financial system which he says
rules rather than serves. The pope urged politicians to guarantee all citizens
"dignified work, education, and health care." The pope also criticized
the media for how they cover economic issues. He wrote, "How can it be
that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure but
it is news when the stock market loses two points?" — In his 84 page
document, called "The Joy of the Gospel" the pope called for a more
decentralized, less Vatican-focused church that puts the concerns of the poor
and the marginalized at its center. However, the pope rejected change in two
other areas; the ordination of women to the priesthood and the church’s view on
abortion. At a news conference, Bishop Rino Fisichella read part of the
document.
BISHOP RINO FISICHELLA: It is essential
we recover interpersonal relationships to which we must accord a priority over
the technology which seeks to governor relationships as with the remote control
deciding where, when, and for how long to meet others on the basis of one’s own
preferences. As well as the more usual and more diffused challenges, however,
we must be alive to those which impinge more directly on our lives. The sense
of daily uncertainty with evil consequences, the various forms of social
disparity, the fetishism of money and the dictatorship of a faceless economy.
The exasperation of consumption and unbridled consumerism. In short, we find
ourselves in the presence of a globalization of indifference and the sneering
contempt towards ethics, accompanied by a constant attempt to marginalize every
critical warning over the supremacy of the market which with its trickle-down,
creates the illusion of helping the poor. If the church, today, appears still
highly credible in many countries of the world, even where it is a minority, it
is because of her works of charity and solidarity.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Bishop Rino
Fisichella reading out part of Pope Francis’ first papal pronouncement. Well,
for more we’re joined by two guests, both longtime dissidents within the
Catholic Church. In San Francisco, we’re joined by Matthew Fox, author of over
two dozen books, most recently, "Letters to Pope Francis: Rebuilding a
Church with Justice and Compassion," and "Occupy Spirituality: A
Radical Vision for a New Generation." He is a former Catholic priest who
was first stopped from teaching liberation theology and creation spirituality
by Cardinal Ratzinger, then expelled from the Dominican order to which he had
belonged for 34 years. He is currently serves as an Episcopal priest. Via
Democracy Now! video stream we’re joined by Father Roy Bourgeois. 2012 the
Vatican dismissed Bourgeois from the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers which he served
for 45 years over his support of women’s ordination. Father Bourgeois is the
founder of the School of the Americas Watch, which just held its annual protest
against what is now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Southern
Cooperation of Fort Benning, Georgia. It used to be called the School of the
Americas. The organization was also in Honduras monitoring the recent
elections. Father Roy Bourgeois wrote the book "My Journey from Silence to
Solidarity." Matthew Fox, Roy Bourgeois, thank you so much for joining us.
I want to start with Matthew Fox. You have written this open letter to the Pope
calling for rebuilding a church-based on compassion, a radical message. Do you
think he delivered that message?
MATTHEW FOX: I think that he delivered a
tremendous message yesterday with this document about justice in the world. I
think it goes far beyond church reform. I like that, that his perspective is
not just about caring for the church, but going beyond and taking on the
powerful forces of the economies that we are currently dealing with that he is
willing to really critique the economy with strong language and connecting it
to the biblical tradition of justice and the prophetic work on behalf of the
poor. As he says, priority for the poor is the gospel itself. So, I commend him
for that. Obviously, within the church itself, he is still very weak when it
comes to women issues. He said, for example a few months ago, we need women
theology. Well, my goodness, for 45 years, there has been women in theology.
Women have been first ignored and then condemned. In fact, the first objection
by Ratzinger to my work, the number one is that I’m a feminist theologian,
number two that I call God mother and so forth. So, there has been women in
theology for 34 years that the Vatican has turned its back on. So, there’s a
lot of work to do in the church itself, but I’m glad that he is thinking beyond
the church and he’s seeing the church more as the people of God and not as
hierarchy. He is quite strong on that. That was one of the key element of the
reform of the Vatican Council that in fact, that previous two popes turned
their back on, and as I wrote in my book, "The Pope’s War," really
they created a schism because they did turn their back on the preferential
option for the poor that the Vatican Council and the Gospels are pretty
explicit about that.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Father Roy Bourgeois, you
spent many years as a priest in Latin America and this pope is from Latin
America. Your sense of his pronouncements now in terms of what the message will
reverberate throughout Latin America, especially his call for greater decentralization
of the church?
FATHER ROY BOURGEOIS: Yes, first, it is
very admirable that Pope Francis is addressing the who issue of laissez faire
capitalism and the suffering of the majority of the people of the countries of
the world. But, at the same time, I think it is important for Pope Francis to
also address, as he refers to, the outcasts that comes about through
capitalism, the outcasts in the Roman Catholic Church. I am referring to women
who were not treated as equals, who are denied ordination. Also, of course, the
cruel and most offensive devout teachings, that of homosexuality, the suffering
that it’s caused to gays and lesbians, LGBT. That must be addressed. Also, very
important, the pope spent many years in Argentina before becoming pope. He
knows about the dirty war. He lived through that, 1976-1983, where School of
the Americas graduates did tremendous harm, untold suffering and death there.
We had our annual vigil just this past
weekend, some 4000 people gathered from all over the country, students,
veterans, lots of nuns and others and others, unionists, peacemakers. We came
together to try to close the School of the Americas, now called WHINSEC, that
really has enforced a U.S. foreign-policy in Latin America, an issues that he
is addressing, capitalism. This school has been all about protecting U.S.
economic interests, exploiting cheap labor of these countries, and their
natural resources — exploitation is what it is all about. It would be very
important also for Pope Francis to get more specific and really join us in our
efforts and call for the closing of what he knows in Argentina and throughout
Latin America as the School of Assassins.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to ask Matthew Fox
about Pope Francis’ position on women, on this issue of the ordination of
women, not to mention the issues of abortion. Though he had recently issued
another statement, though he rejected church’s teachings against abortion,
writing, "this defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of
each and every other human right. It involves the conviction that a human being
is always sacred and inviolable in any situation and at every stage of
development. Human beings are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving
other problems. Precisely because this involves the internal consistency of our
message about the value of the human person, the Church cannot be expected to
change her position on this question." But, he did warn the Catholics not
to make these issues — how would you say he put it, the primary ones?
MATTHEW FOX: That’s right, he said that
there’s a certain addiction to the sexual moral issues in the Catholic Church.
Certainly, he is spot on with that observation. He said you cannot wrap
theology in a condom, which is a pretty vivid way for a pope to speak about the
exaggeration around sexual morality, which has become such a litmus test for
some Catholics over the last 30 years. So, again, I think he is trying to
create some space there. Certainly, this is one reason I think, that this
particular pronouncement recently, is essentially about the economic system of
the world that are not working except for a few. He is so strong about it that
he says that we’ve introduced a new idolatry, a new golden calf, and that we
have to say no to it. He is speaking with that prophetic voice of saying no. He
also links things nicely. For example, he says that all — whatever is fragile
like the environment is defenseless against the deified market. Notice how he
is linking the environment and its suffering and pain with the suffering and
pain of the poor people around the world. Of course, it is linked. When you
don’t have decent soil and forests and air, this obviously affects one’s health
and survival just as poverty itself does. So, I think it is quite wise the way
that he is bringing in issues far beyond sexual morality.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Matthew Fox, to get back
to this whole issue of centralization versus decentralization. Obviously, as a
former Jesuit, he understands the important role that the different monastic
orders have had within the church, raising sometimes alternative or critical
views. Your sense of how serious he is about trying to decentralize one of the
most extremely centralized hierarchies in the world?
MATTHEW FOX: Yes. There’s no question he
wants to do this. For example, in trying to reform the church, I remember one
of the first payments he made was that "The church is in ruins."
That’s a quote. Now, that’s also a quote from Saint Francis. But that is strong
language. I don’t think he is naive. You know, in Argentina where he comes
from, 10% of Catholics are practicing. Ten percent. It is like that in a lot of
places in Europe and below that. So, his first step was to appoint a crew of
cardinals from around the world to investigate big curia, etc., etc., come up
with ideas to reform the church. I think that is one example of his effort to
decentralize.
I think also he should be commended for
his sense of ecumenism. For two years, in Argentina, as a bishop or cardinal,
he sat down with a Rabbi who was also a Ph.D. in science and they dialogued
together and they created a book out of it. I think that’s significant because,
obviously, the Jewish people are small minority in Argentina. He did not have
to do this. But, I think it shows certain humility, that he was learning from
this man, learning from his Jewish faith and learning from a scientist. I think
he is very sincere about what I would call deep ecumenism or interfaith. I
think that could pay dividends as well. In fact, one of the points I make in my
book is, I think if he and the Dalai Lama were to go around the world together
and speak on each continent to these real moral issues of our time such as
poverty and an unjust economic system, such as the ecological crisis, such as
gender justice, and he has work to do there in his own church for sure and his
own mind, but as part of Francis’ charism he chose the name Francis.
Francis had an incredible consciousness
of gender justice. If you read his great poem, "Sister, Moon, Brother,
Sun," every sentence goes back and forth between the masculine and
feminism. It shows an amazing consciousness of gender justice way back in the
thirteenth century. This pope has to catch up to Francis in that regard. I
think it is possible he will because as a Jesuit, he is willing to learn. I
think that he has this awareness that the church as we know it — and he has
been very strong on this — has no future. The form in which we find it is not
deep, and the young people have abandoned it, for good reason. And yet, I think
he is calling on the real meaning of church as the people, like this young man
who was just on previously in the program for real people standing up for
justice and speaking truth to power. That is going on with the Occupy movement
and it could go on with an unleashing of spiritual energy for a revolution of
values. I see he and the Dalai Lama together could help put wind in the sail of
all these grass roots groups such as Father Roy Bourgeois’ brilliant witness
for 40 years and more, to put wind in the sail of grassroots groups where things
are really going to change.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to read more from the
paper of Pope Francis paper. He wrote "Some people continue to defend
trickle down theories which assume that economic growth encouraged by a free
market will inevitable succeed in bringing about greater justice and
inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the
facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding
economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic
system. Father Roy Bourgeois?
FATHER ROY BOURGEOIS: The word
inclusiveness is very important. Let me just say, just to add onto to what
Matthew was saying also, I think it is very important to remind ourselves in
this conversation and future conversations of something very important which
really is at the very core of the crisis in the Roman Catholic Church today.
And it is this; the Pope, Pope Francis as we know, is male, a man. He is the
leader of an all-male clerical culture that has dominated the Roman Catholic
Church for centuries. He and the men in this all-male clerical culture that I
have been a member of for 46 years, we have claimed and continue to claim that
only we as men can speak for God. Only we, in a sense, can interpret the holy
Scriptures and know the will of God. Therein lies a serious problem. Women are
viewed — and I say this with great sadness, as a Catholic priest, it saddens me
to see this, and this all male clerical culture — women are viewed as lesser
than men as expressed in the church’s teaching. Only men can be ordained. Women
are not worthy. And also very important, gays and lesbians are seen as lesser
than straight.
What’s very important, I think Pope
Francis must simply come out to his 1.2 million Catholics — billion Catholics,
and say, we are all created of equal worth and dignity. We do not have this
inclusiveness in the Roman Catholic Church. Therein lies the problem. And
because we are all equal and worth and dignity, we must change the church’s
teaching, beginning — I highly recommend that our viewers go to the Catechism
of the Catholic Church which talks about the church’s official doctrines and
teachings. Some of them, especially dealing with women and homosexuality, I
would refuse to read on the air. It is so offensive it’s so cruel. It leads to
suffering and in some when it comes to the homosexuality teachings, to suicide,
to people becoming so shamed they take their lives. The Pope must get serious
and start talking about inclusiveness in the Catholic Church.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to thank you both for
being with us. Obviously this is a continuing discussion. Father Roy Bourgeois
speaking to us from School of the Americas Watch, just outside Fort Benning,
Georgia, which just held its annual protest against U.S. Army School of the
Americas. I also want to thank Matthew Fox for joining us, author of over two
dozen books, most recently, "Letters to Pope Francis: Rebuilding a Church
with Justice and Compassion," and "Occupy Spirituality: A Radical
Vision for a New Generation." This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we
will look at the Supreme Court taking up the case of whether for-profit
corporations must cover birth control in the health insurance they provide for
their employees under Obamacare. Stay with us.
---
Plea to End Deportations Heard Nationwide
as Activist Interrupts Obama Speech on Immigration
Two days after he interrupted a speech by
President Obama, Ju Hong, an immigrant rights activist from South Korea, joins
us to talk about how Obama’s immigration policies have impacted him. As Obama
continued his campaign for comprehensive immigration reform with a speech in
San Francisco, Hong interrupted him to call for an end to deportations. Obama
then turned around to address him directly, and Hong continued talking. Those
who placed Hong behind Obama during the speech may not have realized he is one
of the most outspoken young immigrant activists in California. He has been
arrested previously during immigration protests — most recently over the summer
when he opposed the confirmation of former Homeland Security Secretary Janet
Napolitano as president of the University of California system. Hong is a
member of ASPIRE — Asian Students Promoting Immigrant Rights Through Education.
"I thought about my family, I thought about my personal struggle as
undocumented, and I thought about my friends and my communities who have been
deported and who are currently in detention centers," Hong says about why
he spoke out. "I felt I was compelled to tell the truth to President Obama
that he has the ability stop the deportations for all."
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not
be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We begin today’s show
looking at President Obama’s push for Congress to pass an immigration reform
bill before the end of the year. A comprehensive package has passed the Senate
but remains stalled in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. On
Monday, Obama continued his campaign with a speech in San Francisco, where he
was engaged by an audience member who interrupted him to call for an end to deportations.
What made this interruption unusual was the young man was one of the people who
was chosen to stand behind Obama, so he was almost on mic. Obama then turned
around to address him directly, and the young man continued talking, pleading
for president Obama to stop separating families. The person was later
identified as an undocumented immigrant from South Korea named Ju Hong. In a
minute, he will join us to talk about what he did. But first, this is their
full exchange.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: If we get immigration
reform across the finish line, and it is there just within our grasp, if we can
just get folks in Washington to go ahead and do what needs to be done, we are
going to grow our economy, make are going to make our country more security,
we’ll strengthen our families. And most importantly, we will live a —
JU HONG: Mr. Obama, I need to know —
PRESIDENT OBAMA: —- most importantly, we
will live -—
JU HONG: — our families are separating —
Thanksgiving.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: —- most importantly, we
will live up -—
JU HONG: — I have not seen my family
[Indiscernible]
PRESIDENT OBAMA: —- to our character as a
nation -—
JU HONG: Our families are separated. I
need your help . There are thousand of undocumented immigrants are torn apart —
PRESIDENT OBAMA: That is exactly what
we’re talking about here —
JU HONG: —- every single day -—
PRESIDENT OBAMA:That is why we are here —
JU HONG: Mr. President, please use your
executive order to halt deportations for all 11.5 [million] undocumented
immigrants right now.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: What we’re —
JU HONG: We agree —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Obama! Obama! Obama!
JU HONG: ... that we need to pass
comprehensive immigration reform at the same time. You have a power to stop
deportation for all undocumented [Indiscernible] at this time.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Actually, I don’t. That
is why we’re here.
JU HONG: So please, I need your help.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Stop deportation!
JU HONG: Stop deportation! Stop
deportation! Stop deportation!
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Don’t worry about it,
guys. Let me finish.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Stop deportation! Yes we
can! Stop deportation!
PRESIDENT OBAMA: These guys don’t need to
go. Let me finish. No, no, no. He can stay there. Let me —- [Applause]. Hold on
a second. I respect the passion of these young people because they feel deeply
about the concerns for their families. Now what you need to know, when I am
speaking as president of the United States and I come to this community, is
that if in fact I could solve all of these problems without passing laws in
Congress, then I would do so. But we’re also a nation of laws. That’s part of
our tradition. And so the easy way out is to try to yell and pretend like I can
do something by violating our laws. What I’m proposing is the harder path which
is to use our Democratic processes to achieve the same goal that you want to
achieve, but it won’t be as easy as just shouting. It requires us lobbying and
getting it done. So -—
AMY GOODMAN: President Obama responding
to the young immigrant activist Ju Hong. Those who placed Ju Hong behind
President Obama during the speech may not have realized he is one of the
California Bay Area’s most outspoken young immigrant activists. Ju Hong has
been arrested previously during immigration protests, most recently, over the
summer when he opposed the confirmation of former Homeland security Secretary
Janet Napolitano as president of the University of California system. Ju Hong
is a member of ASPIRE — Asian students promoting immigrant rights or education.
He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2012, currently pursuing a master’s degree in
public administration at San Francisco State University. He is joining us now
from the University of Berkeley. Welcome to Democracy Now! Ju Hong, talk about
that moment, first how you came to be right right behind President Obama, part
of his backdrop, and then what your message was.
JU HONG: So, I was informally invited by
the White House to attend his remarks on immigration reform in San Francisco
and my intention was to hear what he had to say, especially about how he is
going to address the lives of 11.5 million undocumented people who are living
in this country facing fear of deportation on a daily basis, including my
family. However, he did not address wrongdoing against undocumented immigrant
family members he have done. He did not have any concrete examples to pass
comprehensive immigration reform. When he talked about Thanksgiving and
spending time with families and Thanksgiving, I thought of my own family. I was
concerned about my mom’s safety. I was concerned about my sister safety,
because they could get deported at any given period of time because of
anti-immigration deportation programs that was implemented by Obama
administration. So, I thought about my family. I thought about my personal
struggle as undocumented. I thought about my friends in my communities who have
been deported and are currently in detention centers. I felt that I was
compelled to tell the truth to the President Obama that he has ability to stop
the deportations for all 11.5 million undocumented immigrants, but he did not
do so. And I think that his response was very disappointing because he is
treating me like a child. He did not adequately address my question. In fact,
he lied to the public that he doesn’t have power to stop deportations when he
does. So I think that —
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Ju Hong, if I can ask you,
again, this issue of how you ended up behind the podium? The people who are
chosen usually by the White House to be behind the podium are usually — you
would assume — are vetted in some way or another to make sure that these kinds
of interruptions don’t happen. So, how was it that you ended up being invited
to stand behind the president?
JU HONG: Sure. I was actually selected
randomly at the day of, and like I said, I was there to, just to hear what
President Obama had to say. I did not have any plan to interrupt his speech,
but then again, I was very compelled to speak out the truth about what is
happening in our community.
AMY GOODMAN: Ju Hong, after you
interrupted President Obama at his speech, he continued with his vow to press
ahead on immigration reform. I want to go to another clip. This is from the end
of President Obama’s speech where he seems to be addressing you directly again.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: And if you are serious
about making that happen, then I’m ready to work with you — [Applause] But, it
is going to require work. It is not simply a matter of us just saying, we are
going to violate the law. That is not our tradition. The great thing about this
country is we have this wonderful process of democracy and sometimes it is
messy and sometimes it is hard, but ultimately, justice and truth win out.
AMY GOODMAN: Ju Hong, your response?
JU HONG: First of all, he is not violating
the law if — because he has the power to stop deportation. He can use his
executive order to stop deportation and that is not violating the law. I think
that the law itself is wrong and currently inhumane. I think the current law is
affecting me and my family in an unjust way. For example, in 2010, my family’s
home was burglarized and my door was broken, my windows were completely
shattered, and my important belongings were gone. We were terrified. We wanted
to contact the police immediately, but my mom said, do not contact police, what
if we get deported? This is something that we go through every single day. We
have the fear and we have no protection and uncertainty. This is not just me. I
know that 11.5 million undocumented immigrants are facing fear of deportation.
I am very disappointed the fact that President Obama is supporting
comprehensive immigration reform, but behind the door, he is deporting
thousands of other undocumented immigrant family members, tearing apart every
single day. He deported one point million undocumented immigrant families
across the country which is — he deport more people than any other U.S.
president in the history. And every single day, 100,000 immigrants are getting
deported because of anti-immigration deportation measure under Obama
administration.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Ju Hong, tell us about
your story. How did your family come here? How did you become undocumented?
When did you learn you were undocumented?
JU HONG: Sure. I was born and raised in
South Korea until I was 11 years old. Our family owned a small Japanese
restaurant in South Korea. But, unfortunately, it did not really work out — our
business. We gave up the business and we filed bankruptcy and one year after my
mom and dad decided to divorce and ever since then, I grew up with my mom and
my older sister, barely surviving our home country in South Korea. So, my mom
decided to move to the United States in 2001 to seek a better life for me and
my older sister. Ever since then I grew up just like many other American
students. I went to public school, spoke English, and joined many different
student activities. Most importantly, I had a dream to go to college. But
during my senior year in high school while I was filling out my college
applications, there was a section where it requires citizenship status and
Social Security number and I did not know what to put. I asked my mom about it.
That’s when she told me everything about our immigration status, that we came
here with a tourist visa and she extended it for an additional six months, and
within 12 months, she tried to adjust our immigration status but it did not
work out, and we became undocumented. When I find out my immigration status, it
was definitely depressing because of all of the limitations that I have to go
through. I thought that I cannot go to college. All those limitations made me
became a different person. At the same time, I think that a lot of nonprofit
organizations help me out in terms of how to go to college and educate me about
AB540 the Dream Act. There are many different legislations that could help me
with a pathway to citizenship. The more I learn about immigration issues, I
believe that President Obama and his administration is not doing his job and
their job to support our community.
AMY GOODMAN: In September, President
Obama ruled out halting the deportation of undocumented immigrant parents of
children who were granted a reprieve last year like you, Ju Hong. Under the
deferred action program, the White House has suspended the deportations of
young immigrants who are brought to the U.S. at an early age and have lived
without legal status. But, speaking to Telemundo, Obama said it would be too
extreme a measure to grant the same relief to their parents.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: What we can do is then carve
out the Dream Act folks, saying young people who have basically grown up here
are Americans that we should welcome. We are not going to have them operate
under a cloud, under a shadow. But if we start broadening that, then
essentially, I would be ignoring the law in a way that I think would be very
difficult to defend legally. So, that is not an option.
AMY GOODMAN: That is President Obama. Ju
Hong, if you could quickly respond to that, and then we want to ask about your
protest that you were arrested for the summer.
JU HONG: Just quickly before I directly
answer your question, I just want to mention that because of courageous
undocumented immigrant youth throughout the country who spoke out and shared
their stories and held rallies and events but even conducting civil
disobedience actions and hunger strike, that is why President Obama introduced
DACA program which allows certain undocumented students to halt deportations
for at least two years and get a work permit, work authorization. And to directly
answer your question —
AMY GOODMAN: Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals.
JU HONG: That’s correct. I think that he
is just using political talking points to not supporting undocumented immigrant
family members. The fact of the matter is, DACA recipients have family members
who are getting deported and they’re getting separated every single day. So,
what he needs to do right now is to expand DACA for all 11.5 million
undocumented immigrant people. That is the only way to reunite with the
families, and that is the right way to solve our broken immigration system as
we continue to pressure Congress to pass a fair and just immigration reform.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Ju Hong, I wanted to ask
you, this is not your first protest that you have been involved in over
immigration. Former Department of Homeland Secretary, Janet Napolitano, was
recently confirmed as head of the University of California system. Last month
following criticism for policies on immigration, she vowed to authorized 5
million dollars in university funds to help undocumented students who cannot
get federal financial aid. You were one of six people who were arrested at the
University of California Regents meeting as they confirmed Janet Napolitano in
July. You were wearing that same blue T-shirt that says "I am
undocumented." Why did you choose to take direct action against Janet
Napolitano’s nomination or confirmation?
JU HONG: Well, Janet Napolitano does not
fit into the president of the UC system because of terrible record of what she
has done to our community. Because under her leadership, she deported 1.8
million undocumented immigrant family members across the country. She is proud
of the fact that what she has done. She said in the public she supports the
Dream Act, but in closed doors she deport people left and right. I think the UC
undocumented students are genuinely scared of Janet Napolitano as the next
president of the UC system and she doesn’t have any leading position in the
education. I think that — she has tried to, recently provided $5 million aid to
undocumented immigrants, but I think that is just political will for her to
ease out the protesters and try to make her image as a positive figure. But,
the fact of the matter is, the $5 million not substitute of how much pain that
she caused for our community. She will never substitute the pain and suffering
and fear that every single undocumented immigrant face that she has caused in
our community. If she really care about immigrant communities, I think she
should first publicly apologized to our community, and second, I think she
should bring back undocumented immigrant people that she deported, and third,
she should respectfully resign as the next president of UC system.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Ju Hong, I thank you
for being with us and we will continue to, of course, follow the immigration
issue. This is Democracy Now! When we come back, though, we are going talk
about Pope Francis and his message to the world. Stay with us.
---
Religious Rights for Corporations?
Supreme Court Takes Up Challenge to Contraception Coverage
The Supreme Court has agreed to take on
cases that could decide if corporations can ignore parts of federal law based
on the religious beliefs of their owners. The cases center around the
controversy over whether for-profit corporations must fully cover birth control
in the health insurance they provide for their employees. Two companies — Hobby
Lobby and Conestoga Wood — object to provisions in the Affordable Care Act
requiring companies to provide contraceptive coverage in employees’ health
plans. The firms say they oppose birth control mandates on religious grounds.
The case could force a re-hashing of the landmark Citizens United decision,
which ruled companies have freedom of expression rights that allow unlimited
spending on political campaigns. The court could now decide whether companies
also have religious freedom rights. We are joined by Brigitte Amiri, senior
staff attorney with the Reproductive Freedom Project at the American Civil
Liberties Union.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not
be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: On Thursday the Supreme
Court announced it will wade into the controversy over whether for-profit
corporations must cover birth control in the health insurance they provide for
their employees. The Obama administration argues that under the Affordable Care
Act, an employee’s decision to use her health coverage to pay for particular
service cannot be attributed to her employer. It’s also said contraceptive
coverage is key to ensuring both public health and women’s equality. In one of
two cases the court will hear, known as the Conestoga Wood case, a Mennonite
furniture business wants the court to determine whether the birth control
requirement violates both the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, and the
Company’s rights under the First Amendment.
AMY GOODMAN: The court will also hear
case brought by a Hobby Lobby, a chain of arts and crafts stores with more than
13,000 employees. We’re joined right now by Brigitte Amiri. She’s the senior
staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. She has been
following these issues closely. It is good to have you with us. Can you just
layout the significance of the court taking up this case?
BRIGITTE AMIRI: Sure, I think the case is
very significant for several reasons. I think this is the first time that we
will have the Supreme Court decide whether religious liberty rights can be used
to trump anti-discrimination laws. The ACLU have been filing briefs in this
case arguing that those religious liberty rights cannot trump
anti-discrimination law as the company’s arguing here.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Now, at the heart of this
is whether a corporation is, again, a person in terms of religious freedom, but
isn’t the whole idea of creating a corporation that you will create an entity
separate from you as an individual?
BRIGITTE AMIRI: Certainly one of the
questions in the cases is whether a corporation is a person under the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act. The courts in the appeals courts have been split on
this issue. So, it is also important that the high court is going to resolve
this issue. Certainly, that is one of the big issues in this case. The ACLU has
argued that even if a corporation could have religious liberty rights, those
corporations cannot invoke their religious beliefs to take away a benefit from
their female employees.
AMY GOODMAN: What does this mean for the
Affordable Care Act?
BRIGITTE AMIRI: For the larger Affordable
Care Act, I’m not sure exactly how far the repercussions will be felt.
Certainly if the government is successful in the Supreme Court, that will be
tremendous. Not just the millions of women who stand to benefit from the
contraceptive coverage, but also will put an end to any sort of argument that
corporations could use their religious beliefs to try to carve out other
services too that they might disagree with.
AMY GOODMAN: What if an employer didn’t
like the fact that you had AIDS, and so they said, I’m not going to cover AIDS
drugs?
BRIGITTE AMIRI: That is one of the real
possibilities that if the court doesn’t side with the government here or if a
Jehovah witness owns a company and they decide not to cover blood transfusions.
There is a long line of very dangerous precedent, all of which would undermine
the Affordable Care Act’s goal of ensuring health care for all Americans.
AMY GOODMAN: Let’s go quickly to the
Hobby Lobby founder and CEO, David Green, who challenged the law. This is the
case that’s going to the Supreme Court. He is talking about his company’s position
in a video posted online.
STEVE GREEN: The beliefs we have that we
have grown up with all our lives, are convictions that we have that we live by
personally, and as we have ran our business, we feel the obligation or the
desire that we want to use those same principles within our business. It would not
be consistent for us to live one way at home and then accept a different way at
work.
DAVID GREEN: We do everything we possibly
can to be a help to our employees of how that they can structure their life
based on biblical principles. It is not something that is forced on anybody,
but it is there for them if they would like.
AMY GOODMAN: Brigitte Amiri, if you could
respond?
BRIGITTE AMIRI: Sure, absolutely.
Everyone is entitled to their own religious beliefs and are free to worship in
whatever way they choose. But, when you decide to open a business and employ
13,000 employees as Hobby Lobby who does, then you don’t have the right to use
those religious beliefs to take away a benefit from those employees just as you
would not have a right to discriminate against them based on their sex or their
sexual orientation.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: You mentioned before the
contradictory appeals court decisions. In the two decisions, what did the
courts rule each way?
BRIGITTE AMIRI: They are split in their
determination. So, the Hobby Lobby court out of the 10th Circuit held that
corporations are persons under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and also
that Hobby Lobby was likely to fully succeed on the merits of their case by
showing that their religion was burdened and there was no compelling government
interest to justify that burden. The Conestoga Wood case found the opposite in
answering the threshold question that corporations are not people capable of
exercising religious liberty rights.
AMY GOODMAN: What is your prediction?
BRIGITTE AMIRI: It is really hard to say.
We obviously don’t know what the Supreme Court does any time they take a case.
We hope that the Supreme Court will follow a long line of cases over the last
several decades that have held that you can’t use religious liberty to trump
anti-discrimination laws.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we want to thank you
for being with us, Brigitte Amiri, Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU
Reproductive Freedom Project. That does it for our show. First we want to
congratulate our camera man, Carlo De Jesus and his new wife Lisa. They were
married over the weekend. We wish them a very happy holiday in the Philippines,
though that may be a little tough given the weather there. And a very early
happy birthday to Steve Martinez and Deena Guzder.
---
Three More NYC Contractors Found Guilty
in Massive CityTime Scandal to Modernize Payroll System
Three computer consultants were found
guilty on Friday of multiple charges for defrauding New York City of millions
of dollars in the largest corruption case in city history. Private consultants
were found guilty of siphoning tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks from
the scandal-ridden $700 million CityTime payroll project. Last year, the
project’s main contractor, SAIC, was forced to repay the city $500 million as
part of a deferred prosecution agreement. Meanwhile, a top SAIC official is
poised to become the next Secretary of the Air Force. The Senate is expected to
soon hold a confirmation vote for Deborah Lee James who was in charge of
“corporate responsibility” at SAIC at the time of the CityTime scandal. We get
an update on the story from Democracy Now! co-host Juan González, who
originally broke the story in the New York Daily News.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not
be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Before we go on to our first
story, the story you exposed, the CityTime scandal in New York, the largest in
New York history, more people have just been convicted.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yes, on Friday afternoon,
a jury took — a federal jury in Manhattan federal court took 10 hours to
convict three of the masterminds of the CityTime fraud, a massive fraud. Mark
Mazer, Gerard Denault and Dimitri Aronshtein. They are now the sixth, seventh,
and eighth people who have been found guilty in this massive conspiracy that
went on for almost a decade with contractors for New York City who were
creating a payroll system, stealing tens of millions of dollars. In fact, the
main contractor, SAIC, the defense contractor, ended up paying the city of New
York back $500 million and then federal authorities seized — they say now they
have seized about $40 million more in assets from the criminal conspiracy. So,
altogether, the taxpayers have recouped $540 million. I started the articles in
late 2009 and early 2010. By the end of 2010, the New York City Department of
Investigations and then the federal prosecutor, Preet Bharara, then began
arresting people. Altogether, 11 people were arrested in the conspiracy. Eight
have now been convicted, 2 of them fled to India with about $35 million that
they took with them when they fled to India. One subsequently died before the
trial. So, it has been a really amazing saga, of one after another.
AMY GOODMAN: And CityTime was providing?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Interestingly, it was
supposed to be a payroll and timekeeping system to make sure that the 300,000
city workers did not cheat on her hours. And it was the people who are
developing the system to assure that the city workers weren’t cheating who are
robbing the taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars.
AMY GOODMAN: You also write about
President Obama’s nominee for Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yes, Deborah Lee James was
— President Obama has named her to be Secretary of the Air Force and she was a
chief executive of SAIC, the main company who ended up paying back $500
million, and it was actually in charge of ethics and integrity at SAIC at the
time that all of these contractors were arrested by federal authorities. So, the
idea that President Obama would nominate her now to be in charge of the Air
Force and passing or approving the purchase of missiles and planes when she
could not even do well in terms of assuring the integrity of one contract in
New York City is really astounding. But, the Senate has still to vote on her
nomination.
AMY GOODMAN: And, of course we will
continue to follow the story.
-------
HEADLINES:
Supreme Court Takes Up Challenge to
Contraception Mandate
The Supreme Court has agreed to take on
cases that could decide if corporations can ignore parts of federal law based
on the religious beliefs of their owners. The cases center around the
controversy over whether for-profit corporations must fully cover birth control
in the health insurance they provide for their employees. Two companies — Hobby
Lobby and Conestoga Wood — object to provisions in the Affordable Care Act
requiring companies to provide contraceptive coverage in employees’ health
plans. The firms say they oppose birth control mandates on religious grounds.
The case could force a re-hashing of the landmark Citizens United decision,
which ruled companies have freedom of expression rights that allow unlimited
spending on political campaigns. The court could now decide whether companies
also have religious freedom rights.
---
U.S. Flies B-52s in Zone Claimed by China
The United States has flown two warplanes
over the disputed East China Sea, defying a recent edict from China. The
Chinese government said over the weekend it must be notified of any flights
over part of the small island chain that is also claimed by Japan. The Pentagon
says it flew two B-52 bombers as part of a previously scheduled exercise. The
United States, Japan and several other governments have rejected China’s claim
to an "air defense zone" over the area.
---
U.S. Warns Karzai over Delay of Security
Pact
The Obama administration continues to
warn Afghanistan of an early pullout of U.S. forces if it fails to ratify a
security pact by the end of the year. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is seeking
to delay his signature, calling for an end to U.S. home raids and the release
of prisoners from Guantánamo Bay. National Security Advisor Susan Rice issued a
warning to Karzai after meeting with him in Kabul.
Susan Rice: "If the agreement isn’t
signed promptly, what I said to the president is we would have no choice; we
would be compelled by necessity not by our preference, to have to begin to plan
for the prospect that we will not be able to keep our troops here because they
will not be invited because the BSA will not have been signed. And then the
nature of our partnership and the investments we have made would be more
difficult to sustain."
---
Egypt Charges 2 Activists for
Demonstrating Against Protest Law
A prosecutor in Egypt has ordered the
arrest of two leading activists after they took part in demonstrations against
a sweeping new anti-protest law. Ahmed Maher is a founder of the April 6 youth
movement, which played a key role in the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak
during the 2011 uprising. Both he and the prominent Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdel
Fattah attended protests outside the Egyptian parliament Tuesday where at least
two dozen others were reportedly detained. The new law forces protesters to obtain
seven different permits in order to hold public rallies, making protests all
but impossible. In Geneva, a spokesperson for the United Nations high
commissioner for human rights criticized the measure.
Rupert Colville: "The High
Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay is today warning that a new law
regulating demonstrations in Egypt, which was announced on Sunday, could lead
to serious breaches of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. She states
unequivocally for a range of reasons that the law should be amended. Of
particular concern are the provisions on the use of force by law enforcement
officials and the excessive sanctions, including massive fines as well as
prison sentences, that can be imposed on those found to be in breach of this
law."
---
Honduran Students Protest Election
Results
Protests are continuing in Honduras over
the contested presidential election. Right-wing ruling party candidate Juan
Orlando Hernández has named his transition team after election officials said
he had an irreversible lead in the vote. But supporters of his challenger,
Xiomara Castro, wife of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, have denounced the
results as fraudulent. Hundreds of students took to the streets of the capital
Tegucigalpa Tuesday where they faced tear gas from riot police. A student
activist rejected the results of Sunday’s election.
Geraldina Carbajal: "We, the
students, are here to protest the election fraud that happened on Sunday
November 24. They didn’t respect the decisions of the people. We as students
have the responsibility to take to the streets to inspire the people to not
accept the fraud. We know that Juan Orlando paid the tribunal off so that they
would declare him president."
---
Report: NSA Collected Data on Muslim
Targets’ Online Sexual Activity
New leaks from Edward Snowden show the
National Security Agency has gathered records on the online sexual activity of
Muslim targets in a bid to discredit them. The Huffington Post reports the NSA
has identified at least six Muslim leaders whose speeches have the potential to
radicalize their audiences with an "extremist message." None are
accused of involvement in terror plots. The NSA has apparently collected
evidence of their online activity, including visits to pornography sites in a
bid to undermine their credibility or intimidate them into silence. It is
unclear if the NSA carried out any of its plans.
---
Microsoft Develops New Encryption over
NSA Fears
Microsoft is reportedly developing a new
project to encrypt its online traffic over fears of National Security Agency
surveillance. The Washington Post reports Microsoft is expanding its encryption
based on concerns the NSA has broken into its global communications links. It
emerged last month the NSA has tapped into the private networks of Microsoft
rivals Google and Yahoo.
---
U.N. Panel Advances Anti-Surveillance
Measure
A United Nations panel has advanced a
landmark measure affirming rights against unwarranted government surveillance.
Germany and Brazil drafted the resolution after the leaks of Edward Snowden
showed widespread U.S. spying abroad. The U.N. General Assembly’s Third
Committee approved it by consensus on Tuesday, setting up a full General
Assembly vote next month. The German Ambassador to the United Nations, Peter
Wittig, spoke after Tuesday’s vote.
Peter Wittig: "For the first time,
in the framework of the United Nations, this resolution unequivocally states
that the same rights that people have off-line must also be protected online.
It also emphasizes that unlawful and arbitrary surveillance and the
interception of communications are highly intrusive acts that violate the right
to privacy and may also violate the freedom of expression. Furthermore, the
resolution expresses deep concern at the negative impact that various forms of
extra-territorial surveillance may have on the exercise and enjoyment of human
rights."
The spying measure was weakened at the
request of the United States and Britain. The original draft said foreign
surveillance could amount to "human rights violations and abuses."
But after objections from the United States and Britain, the text was changed
to express concern over the "negative impact" of surveillance on
human rights.
---
CIA Used Secret Guantánamo Site to
Recruit Double Agents
A new investigation has revealed the CIA
kept a secret detention center at Guantánamo Bay to turn prisoners into double
agents. According to the Associated Press, CIA agents used the facility
"Penny Lane" to recruit prisoners and then send them back home to
kill suspected terrorists. The prisoners were given cottages equipped with
private kitchens, showers and real beds. At least one prisoner was forced to
comply after CIA agents threatened to harm his children. The double agents were
paid millions of dollars before the program ended in 2006.
---
30 Haitian Migrants Die in Boat Wreck
At least 30 Haitian migrants have been
found dead at sea after their boat capsized off the Bahamas. Bahamian forces
and the U.S. Coast Guard rescued 110 people, including 60 who were clinging to
the ship. The passengers were trying to make it to the United States. They are
being held at the Coral Harbor military base and face likely deportation.
---
CARICOM Urges Dominican Republic to Repeal
Denial of Citizenship to Haitians
Caribbean countries have voted to stall
the membership effort of the Dominican Republican in the regional group CARICOM
over a court ruling cracking down on Haitian residents. The Dominican
Constitutional Court issued a decision in September denying citizenship rights
to thousands of Haitian descendants. On Tuesday, CARICOM members called on the
Dominican government to override the ruling.
---
Cuba Halts Consular Services in the U.S.
Cuba says it is shutting down most
consular services in the United States after getting shunned by all major
banks. The Cuban government says it was dropped by M&T Bank after the firm
closed the last of its accounts serving foreign missions. Cuba says it has been
unable to find another bank to replace M&T because of restrictions under
the U.S. embargo. The shutdown could effect the travel plans of hundreds of
people seeking to visit Cuba over the holidays.
---
Study: U.S. Underestimating Methane
Emissions
A new study warns methane emissions in
the United States are far higher than the government claims. According to
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the United States released 49
million tons of methane in 2008, compared to an estimate of 32 million by the
Environmental Protection Agency. The study’s co-author, Anna Michalak, said:
"The total U.S. impact on the world’s energy budget is different than we
thought, and it’s worse."
---
CBS News Correspondent, Producer Forced
to Take Leave over Benghazi Report
CBS News has forced correspondent Lara
Logan and producer Max McClellan to take a leave of absence over a discredited
report on the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic site in Benghazi, Libya.
Logan was forced to apologize after the claims of her source, security
contractor Dylan Davies, proved to be false. Davies claimed to be an eyewitness
to the attack but it turned out he was not there. In an internal review, a CBS
executive found that Logan should not have been assigned to cover the Benghazi
attack because of her public call for a U.S. military response.
-------
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