#519 Online Conference/Racism July 10, 2020
Rehumanize International 2020 Conference Our member group Rehumanize International has offered marvelous annual conferences, but can’t do a normal one now with the Covid crisis. So they’ll do a one-day online conference August 29. You can register here.
More Practical Tips from Feminists for Life From our member group Feminists for Life: “Our pandemic coverage continues, but we have expanded into other pressing news as well, with a focus on the elderly and communities of color.”
American Indian Women and Men: Know Where to Seek Help in a Crisis Teaching About Race — from the Inside Out What You Need to Know About Hospice Practical Tips When Caring for Our Elders
Do Stats Justify Racial Profiling?
Recent events have thrown a spotlight on the lethal cruelties of “white supremacy.”
In ensuing discussion, some have questioned whether police have reason to fear when approaching Black people, since U.S. statistics show Black people are convicted of crimes at a higher rate. Problems: ∞ Statistics also show men are way more likely to commit crimes than women. Young people are way more likely to commit street crimes than older people. If profiling is acceptable, then all men and all youth (of any race) are similarly suspect. ∞ Poor people in general and racial minorities in particular are more likely to be arrested, treated harshly, have inadequate lawyers, and plead guilty even when they’re not to get out of jail when they can’t afford bail. (See the next item below). That means the stats are biased, compared to what crime is actually happening.
∞ What is our definition of crime? We can limit it to breaking laws (thus not including abortions, executions, and wars). What about illegally selling arms to brutal dictators? Violating safety or environmental regulations, thus getting people killed? Statistically, white-collar crime is committed disproportionately by Whites. Profiling all Whites for law-breaking crimes such as these would make about as much sense.
Slavery Not Yet Entirely Abolished in the U.S.
A note from Mary Rider of our Advisory Board: “If you haven’t seen the documentary 13th, I recommend it. It traces the way in which the criminal ‘justice’ system picked up the slack when slavery ended to make laws which would make things like loitering illegal and then the prison system would have men (mostly Black) provide the labor.” This 2016 film is available on Netflix; here’s a trailer. The title refers to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which in theory abolished slavery but left a gaping loophole: people convicted of a crime. State constitutions also often have this loophole. This November, Nevada and Utah will vote on removing it; see our Peace and Life Referendums site, with a topic page on Finally Abolishing All Slavery.
Our Latest Blog Post
In Planned Parenthood Staff Revolt, Rachel MacNair covers recent New York unrest over treatment of employees and racism. Over 300 current and former PP staff published an open letter with their complaints. Rachel offers her comments, given that Planned Parenthood has the largest chain of abortion clinics in the world.
Pope Francis Laudato si, Section 120
Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties?
Responses/News Tips/Questions to share are all welcome.
Send to weekly@consistent-life.org.
