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NCR Today

NCR Today is the group blog of NCR. Each member of our diverse team of bloggers writes on different topics, including the politics of the church and secular society (and the interaction between the two), culture, management of the church and more.

Dalai Lama shares wisdom in Baltimore

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The Dalai Lama spoke at the University of Maryland in College Park on Tuesday. I believe there are several words of wisdom worth pondering in the Dalai Lama's remarks.

Consider:

"Sit down. No formality! We are the same. The way we are born. The way we die."

"When I look at you, if I think I am Tibetan, I am Buddhist, I am Dalai Lama -- nonsense. That kind of thing leads to problems."

Rallying for a living wage in Missouri

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I was at a march and rally Thursday* to raise the wage for fast-food workers. It's the beginning of a union-organizing campaign, and at least 50 of my old friends from other peace and justice campaigns were there. With us were hundreds of young people, black and white, chanting vigorously, "You can't survive on seven-thirty-five." (The minimum wage in the state of Missouri is $7.35.)

We carried signs that read "I am a man" and "I am a woman." A couple of my friends and a few strangers asked me what the sign meant.

Call Congress about Guantanamo

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Tomorrow, one of my favorite members of Congress, Jim Moran (D-VA) will be shining a light on the long-forgotten issue of Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Congressman Moran will be hosting a briefing on Capitol Hill to address the growing concerns of the 100 or more detainees who are presently on hunger strike. Countless medical experts have agreed that the conditions in which these individuals are held is a form of psychological torture. Countless legal experts have agreed that their detainment is still in clear conflict with international law. Despite review boards clearing the vast majority of these individuals for release, the US taxpayers are still paying upwards of $800,000 per detainee.

What do we do about prison inmates after their release?

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A friend of mine got a letter from a prisoner in Delano, Calif. My friend is 93, active and generous. She answered the first letter, but doesn't know what to do now.

The letter is marked "Inmate Indigent Mail," so I suppose the state of California paid for it. The inmate was at risk of a 42-year sentence, but he says he put himself in God's hands and the prosecutor offered him release in March 2014.

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In This Issue

May 10-23, 2013

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