The Spectrum Blog

Forgive us our debt: Jubilee USA finally gets its daily bread

By Alexander Carpenter

While the Frost family dominated many conservative minds and Ann Coulter's sans-Jew perfectionism offended everyone else, the folks at Jubilee USA drew a 40-day focus on debt relief to a close. Incredibly Rev. David Duncombe participated for the entire Cancel Debt Fast. That's right, he fasted for 40 day and 40 nights.

Here's video of Rev. Duncombe talking about the experience about sixteen days along. 

Yesterday, due to Jubilee USA's six week lobby efforts, Representatives Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Emmanuel Cleaver (D-MO), also did a one day fast in support of debt canceling legislation. During the 40-day fast campaign the Jubilee Act for Expanded Debt Cancellation and Responsible Lending got 20 additional congressional sponsors to:

* Cancel the debts of up to 26 additional nations not currently eligible for debt cancellation, provided that they demonstrate plans to spend the money wisely on poverty reduction;

* Cut harmful requirements that are delaying access to life-saving debt relief for countries like Haiti and Liberia;

* Call on the Treasury Secretary to address the challenges presented by so-called vulture funds, one of which recently extracted $15 million from impoverished Zambia; and

* Establish policies for responsible lending to avoid odious and unjust debt accumulation in the future, beginning with an audit of past odious debts by the Government Accountability Office.

 An Adventist, Brian Swarts, played a significant role in this campaign as the national organizer for Jubilee USA.

Modern slavery

By Alexander Carpenter

On CBS' The Early Show, Not For Sale campaign's David Batstone talks about the religion-based abolition movement's efforts to stop modern slavery.

According to a relatively long article in Sunday's WaPo, the abolition movement achieves highly levels of bi-partisan support in Congress.

Throughout the 1990s, evangelicals and other Christians grew increasingly concerned about international human rights, fueled by religious persecution in Sudan and other countries. They were also rediscovering a tradition of social reform dating to when Christians fought the slave trade of an earlier era.

And although the numbers are very difficult to get and confirm, experts report a sharp increase in trafficking activity in the 90s, due in part to globalization. The article notes that much of the money appropriated to combat modern slavery has been squandered on PR-firms and ineffective faith-based awareness raising -- that said, the problem persists and provides a platform for diverse activists to make common cause. For example,

"feminist groups and other organizations also seized on trafficking, and a 1999 meeting at the Capitol, organized by former Nixon White House aide Charles W. Colson, helped seal a coalition. The session in the office of then-House Majority Leader Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.) brought together the Southern Baptist Convention, conservative William Bennett and Rabbi David Saperstein, a prominent Reform Jewish activist."

For more on modern slavery, check out last night's Daily Show interview with John Bowe on his new book, Nobodies, about what lies behind those everyday low prices.