CST# 7: Care for God's Creation

As people who inhabit the Earth it is important for this generation to care for God's Gift to humanity (the Earth) for future generations as our forebears did for us. In our project this means that effect agricultural techniques that do not harm the land must be utilized. This includes ending the slash-and-burn farming in South America, and the destructive use of certain plants in non-native habitats on the soil of those locations. The power that humanity has to destroy and corrupt the world is immense and greater now than in any time in human history. It is important now more than ever to recognize and respect that power, and use it to heal and maintain the Earth, not to destroy it.



http://www.solutionstoearthdestruction.com/images/gary-braasch5.jpg

CST# 6: Solidarity

In order for our society to be successful we must work together as a community for the benefit of all. Defined by Merriam-Webster, Solidarity means "unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on community of interests, objectives, and standards." This means that as a Global Christian Community we are obligated to forward the interests of the many, or in essence work for the greater good of humanity rather than the needs of the few. As Spock says in Star Trek, "The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few, or the one". In our project the hunger of more than 800 million in the developing world, deserves just as much attention as food needs of every other country. If each nation worked to help all humanity, instead of only looking at hunger within their own borders, we might be free of hunger forever.



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CST# 5: The dignity of work and the Rights of Workers

The Catholic church says we as people need to resepct the dignity of our employees and the rights that they naturally have. These rights include the right to a just and fair wage, decent working conditions that are not humiliating or dangerous, and the right to associate or form unions. Also included are the rights to protections from disability, security and options for retirement, as well as economic opportunities for those people to embetter their own lives. In researching our social justice project, many farmers around the world are subject to unfair prices for their crops, and are often undercut by pennies from larger corporations that mass produce food. This has in fact led to a sharp rise in suicide rates among farmers in the third world, because they are unable to tend to the farms that their families have owned and operated for generations. Also it is important to keep in mind the abuses of rights of farmworkers in the United States, where they are often taken advantage of to the benefit of wealthy land owners and not given any of the rights posted above.



http://webpages.scu.edu/ftp/eching/images/farm_work.jpg

CST# 4: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

The preferential option for the poor and vulnerable is a necessity for our society. Our community is really only as strong as its weakest members just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In our case, the poor and the hungry go hand in hand as the people Chrsit cared the most for and took the most action to aid them. As catholics in the modern world it is necessary for us to make decisions regarding public policy, or in our case the distribution and creation of food systems, to help those most effected by hunger--in other words, helping those who need it the most.



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Third Post Assignment CST# 3

CST# 3 Rights and Responsibilities
Each and every person has basic rights given to them at the time of their conception to the time of their death. These essential rights are the right to food, shelter, health care, education, and employment. Every individual is responsible for protecting their own rights, and the rights of others. Those who have access to food, or produce food for others have the responsibility to feed or assist those who don not. Also, those who do not have food have a right to be free from hunger, free from being exploited by those who do.



http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/uploadedImages/Home/Articles/Social_Issues/Articles/Rights.jpg

this entry was written primarily by Andrew Gaddis, with assistance from Andrew Comstock

Second Post Assignment - CST# 1 and CST# 2

Over 800 million people in the world today are effeted by hunger. This is a human prolbem in that the reason these people are hungry is not because of an agricultural problem but an economic problem. In onther words, there is not a shortage of food being grown, but many people are unable to access it. Profit drives the food industry, not a love of fellow man. It is an injustice that where a person is born will determine how well that person eats. For example, the ethnic Mayans of southern Mexico, are significantly taller than the ethnic Mayans who live across the border in Guatemala, due to their food intake. Through business friendly economic reform, world hunger can be largely reduced or even ended.

CST# 1 Life and Dignity of the Human Person
As Chatolics, we believe that all humans are created in God's image, and therefore should be treated with respect and dignity. We believe that a human being is much more valauable than money. It is a major injustice that people are forced to starve because providing food for them is not economically viable.
written by Andrew Comstock


Catholic Social Teaching and the Problem of World Hunger.

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CST# 2 Call to Family, Community, and Participation
As Catholics, we believe that the family is the corner stone of society, and thus it should be defended and respected by governments and industry. To create a functional and successful socity, familys must be able to reach their full potential. In order for this to happen, people must work together as a community. When their is a shortage of food in any society, it will result in the distruction of these important gorups. Since we are a global community, hunger in any part of the world, is hunger in our own family.
written by Andrew Gaddis



http://www.nec.edu/images/about-nec/general/IMG_5681adj.jpg/image

First Post~ Hungry Hungry People (introduction)

For our Social Justice project we wanted to cover an issue that has plagued humanity since before biblical times: World Hunger. Today, more than 1 in 10 people on the face of the earth go without food on a regular basis. Because of a flawed food distribution system, there are more than 800 million are without nutritious food, while at the same time more than 1 billion people are overweight or obese. This fact shows that world hunger can be eradicated, if the system in which the food we eat is changed to distribute food to those in need.

Why did we choose this project?

Andrew Comstock: I chose this project because I feel it is something that is very important for the progress of Humanity. This is a topic that needs to be addressed by our society, for the mutual benefit of the planet.

Andrew Gaddis: I chose world hunger for our social justice project because this issue has presented a problem for people all over the world for countless decades. Often this problem occures in impoverished countries because a lack of a strong government. Also, this issue is present in our own country. In order to start the arduous process of solving this problem, we must dig deep into the roots of the issue and fully understand why world hunger exists. By taking part in this project, we will discover new avenues to help better the conditions of the people effected by this issue. Once we have done this, we then can start implementing thses newly learned skills to help solve this enormous issue.