(Works in Progress, February 2007)

Spokane Diocese to Pay Reparations for Sex Abuse by Clergy

The Catholic Diocese of Spokane has reached an aggreement with lawyers representing 185 victims of sex abuse at the hands of the priests in the diocese. Bishop William Skyland declared bankruptcy in 2004 for the Spokane Diocese as the lawsuits were mounting, in a move he explains was to save the Diocese from total destruction. The agreement, filed in banckruptcy court February 1, is known as a disclosure statement and contains a plan for paying off creditors and getting the Diocese out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The plan proposes a $48 million dollar reorganization plan to compensate creditors, including those claiming abuse by clergy. Of the $48 million dollars, parishes are expected to come up with $10 million dollars with some subsets of parishes volunteering to raise an additional $6 million, insurance companies $20 million, and the diocese will raise $18 million by selling its downtown chancery, the bishop's house and other properties. Non-economic agreements have also been made in the sex abuse case, Bishop Skyland has agreed to post the names of all known abusers, to appear personally to parishes where abuse occurred and making a formal apology, also allowing victims to stand and address the congregation in church if they so desire, and lastly to support the removal of time limits on criminal prosecution of child sex abuse.

(The Pacific Northwest Inlander, January 25, 2007)

Seattle Newspaper Helps Gates Foundation Untarnish its image

In January, a two-part investigation of the Gates Foundation was published by the Los Angeles Times, exposing a disturbing trend in the foundation's investment strategies. The articles report that 41% of its assets are invested in companies that fail tests of social responsibility because of environmental lapses, employment discrimination, disregard for worker rights or unethical practices. The articles allege that the practices of these companies are hurting many of the people whom the foundation grants aim to help. Worse yet, the articles report, is a practice of investing purely for profit, and making no attempts to use the foundation's power of investment to encourage better business practices in those companies it invests in.

The Los Angeles expose was reprinted on the front page of the Seattle Times, but with many critical threads removed. Two days later the Times printed that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was planning a systematic review of its investment stragies to determine whether it should pull its money out of companies that were doing harm to society. Unfortunately, talk is cheap and easily retractable, and two days after the Times backpedalled for the Foundation, the Foundation revoked their pledge to review its portfolio and investment practices. This change in tune was attributed to socially responsible investing being outside the foundation's area of expertise. This change in tune was not reported by the Times. The only press the retraction got was on the website www.NewsCloud.com. Two days after the NewsCloud piece the Times once again went up to bat for the foundation, running an apologist column which asserted that the foundation faces a multibillion dollar dilema, and that foundation officers won't change their basic investment philosophy because it is just too difficult.

(Eat the State, February 1, 2007)

Jailers of Journalists

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 20 journalists around the world are currently in prison without having been charged with a crime. AP photographer Bilal Hussein and Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Haj are being held by the United States government. In 2005, the United States ranked 6th in the world for number of journalists jailed, coming in just behind Uzbekistan and tied with Burma.

(Censorship News, Winter 2006)

Upcoming Events in the Mumia Abu-Jamal Case

This December 25th marked the 25th anniversary of Mumia Abu-Jamal's arrest for the murder of Philadelphia Policeman Daniel Faulkner. Hundreds of protestors rallied and marched to demand justice and a fair trial for Abu-Jamal. The day before the rally the Philadelphia Daily ran a story giving credence to assertations of Abu-Jamal's innocence. The article interviews William Singeltary, the man whose testimony as an eyewitness condemned Abu-Jamal. Singeltary said in the interview that intense police pressure was used to force him to sign a statement indicting Abu-Jamal.

Soon, Abu-Jamal's case will go to Appeals Court, contesting a 2001 decision by William Yohn that repealed the death penalty for Abu-Jamal but affirmed his guilt. The state is trying to reinstitute the death penalty in this new case and Abu-Jamal is appealing the guilty verdict. To learn more about Abu-Jamal's case and the work being done to help him go to www.freemumia.org, www.freemumia.com and www.mumia.org.