| |
| |
Peace
and International Issues Committee |
|
Increasing Global Awareness
The
Peace and International Issues Committee (PIIC) seeks to inform people
about, and involve them in, issues related to international concerns.
The March 2008 Lecture/Luncheon series was very well attended. Speakers and topics were: G. Simon Harak, SJ, director of
Marquette University’s new Center for Peacemaking, "Resisting
Empire", Athan Theoharis, Professor Emeritus of History, Marquette
University, "Security, Morality and Realism: The Government’s
Response to 9/11", and John Zemler, Visiting Assistant Professor,
Department of Theology, Marquette University and Life Member of the
Disabled American Veterans, "From Soldier to Healer: Transforming the
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Dragon from Death to Life"
2007's very successful "Four Tuesdays in March
Lecture/Luncheon Series" focused on “Violence:
Faith Perspectives.”
We
heard from speakers of four religious traditions: Isa Sadlon, Executive
Director of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, Bishop Paul Stumme-Diers
of the Greater Milwaukee Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
Rabbi Ronald Shapiro, Congregation Shalom, and Rev. Tonen O'Connor,
resident priest of the Milwaukee Zen Center.
The
2006 "4 Tuesdays in March" continued the 2005 discussion on the “UN
Millennium Goals.”
The topics covered were “Microcredit
and the Millennium Development Goals, Reducing Child Mortality, Maternal
and Child Health in Africa and Haiti, and Why Investing in Africa's
Health is Critical for Achieving Economic Development.”
The
2005 “5 Tuesdays in March” series focused on the “UN
Millennium Goals.”
We covered these topics:
“Environmental Sustainability, Women & Education: Why Women’s Education
is Key, Poverty’s Long Reach, Africa’s AIDS Pandemic: A Doctor Reports
on His Medical Mission to Kenya, and Jubilee 2000 in 2005 – An Update.”
In 2000 all the countries of the UN signed the Millennium Development
Goals that by 2015 progress would be made to: “Eradicate Extreme Poverty
and Hunger; Achieve Universal Primary Education; Promote Gender Equality
and Empower Women; Reduce Child Mortality; Improve Maternal Health;
Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases; Ensure Environmental
Sustainability; and Develop a Global Partnership for Development.”
In 2004
the focus of the Tuesdays in March series was
"Elections, Globalization and the Faith Community."
The topics were:
"Peace Building and Globalization, Food, Agriculture and Globalization,
Globalization: What is Just?, Budget Priorities and Globalization,”
and a panel discussion entitled
"Widening the Circle"
on ways to engage your faith groups.
The
2003 series was entitled
"Global Leadership: The Many Roles of the UN".
Topics included:
“Why
the UN Matters in the 21st Century, UNICEF: Helping Children Survive and
Thrive, The International Criminal Court: New Era for Justice? and
Ending Hunger in Our Time.” |
