Genocide

The distinct separation between the two groups in Rwanda, the Hutus and the Tutsis, became evident when the Belgians took control in Rwanda. The Belgians favored the Tutsis as they were more European looking. They gave the Tutsis special privileges and the Tutsis often took advantage of this and mistreated the Hutus. Eventually, the Hutus took control of Rwanda. The Interhamwe took control of the country and began the mass genocide. They killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Tutsi men, women and children. The genocide lasted for 100 days. A Tutsi group, the RPF, also formed and responded by trying to harm the Hutus. This began the endless cycle of hurt in Rwanda. The violence could have been stopped by intervention from the UN or other countries such as the United States. In our country today, the same cycle of violence exists in racism. Often people threaten to harm others simply because of their race. Groups against African Americans such as the KKK have risen up against the black community and threatened to harm them. Often the blacks that were threatened would in turn threaten those who initially said they would hurt them. Racism can be stopped by the realization that we are all important and no single race is supreme to another. Also, the cycle of violence in our world exists in gossiping and bullying. Gossip is a vicious cycle. Often if one person starts a rumor about another, the person who they attempted to hurt will in turn start another rumor. The cycle of violence in gossip can end by the realization that gossip will solely hurt and not help anyone. We must all realize that we should never treat others a way that we would not want to be treated ourselves.

Justice in Rwanda

The gacaca courts were created because the existing legal justice system in Rwanda could not handle the amount of people convicted of mass murder during the genocide. The jails were overcrowded and every person that was in jail could not await a trial. The gacaca courts were created to relieve the overcrowded jails and to help the government of Rwanda to save money. Many human rights activists believe that these courts, however, were not fair because all of the people who were convicted did not receive the normal legal procedures. There were not qualified lawyers and judges in the courts; however, the punishments were often lenient and only consisted of community service. The courts allowed the community come together as a whole and embraced a much needed sense of solidarity among the people of various communities. The emotional gacaca courts allowed both the survivors of the genocide and those who killed others during the genocide to connect. The courts also embraced the idea of a call to community, family and participation. The punishments given in the courts to those that were found guilty was often community serivce. The fact that community service was given as a punishment allowed the those who were guilty of such a vicious crime to reintegrate into the community. The life and dignity of every human person was completely destroyed during the genocide. The Hutus killed the Tutsis for no reason other than the fact that they were a Tutsi. The gacaca courts, although not necessarily the most legally valid, attempted to value every human as a person and give them a lenient punishment for their grave offenses. All the people in the Rwandan community now must embrace their rights and responsibilities that they have as citizens and as humans. Although the gacaca courts were often very lenient and lead to a reintegration of many into the community, some people are concerned that the punishments given were not tough enough. Many believe that killers of 10 people do not simply deserve a few hours of community service. The gacaca courts may not be perfect, but they are a step to reintegrate a sense of community into Rwanda.

Lethal Injection

The United States has always debated the legality of different methods of execution. Many methods have been previously practiced in the United States including gas chamber, firing squad and electrocution. However, the Supreme Court ruled that lethal injections are the most "humane" method of execution and is not technically cruel and unusual punishment. If lethal injection is believed to be an inhuman method of execution, what method of execution would be considered humane? No matter how a person dies they are still going to suffer unless they are completely unconscious or asleep. The administration of a sufficient amount of anesthesia supposedly allows the person not to suffer and feel excruciating pain. If humans are to be treated fairly, the person administering the drug should be given the proper training to know how to administer the drug properly and also to administer the correct dosage. One of the articles stated that the amount of anesthesia given in some executions in the U.S. does not even meet the standards for putting down a dog. If these facts are true, that information is absolutely sickening.

Ironically, the courts seem to be focused on the humanity of the killing of a human being. In reality, killing a human is killing a human no matter what method the U.S. government decides is constitutional. If the U.S. government is so concerned about respecting those that they are killing then why are they even killing these people at all? The U.S. government cannot respect the dignity of every person by killing them "humanely" through a lethal injection.

Majora Carter: Greeing the Ghetto

Majora Carter spoke out against the pollution and horrible conditions in the Bronx. Majora Carter showed that she wanted to change the conditions in the communities in the South Bronx. She wants to give the same opportunities of a safe and environmentally friendly society to the inhabitants of the South Bronx. She feels that if the community is made safer and more environmentally friendly. she said that blacks and other minorities are more likely to live near power plants and in toxic neighborhoods. The children in the South Bronx are more likely to be sick and have asthma. If the community works together to solve the problem of an unsafe environment, the community as a whole will benefit. She believes that if the community builds parks and not parking spots in an area where less than a quarter of the people have cars the society as a whole could benefit.

This TED Talk allows many different themes of Catholic Social Teaching to surface in our world.
We must care for God's creation. By creating parks and using greener methods to fuel the city, we can create a better city and a better environment for all people. We can also provide option for the poor and vulnerable. We must not put all of the toxic neighborhoods around poor citizens. They are people and deserve equality in society. Also, we must protect the rights of all people. We all have the right to shelter and to live in a safe environment. We are responsible to protect these rights for all people and to better our society in order to protect nature and people alike.

Immigration Reform

Immigrants are always coming to America to try to start a new life. America has always been a land of opportunity for all people. By turning away immigrants from Mexico, Central America and South America, we are hindering the possibility of this dream for many people. The Catholic Bishops note that it is extremely important to value all people including these immigrants. The Catholic Bishops stated five elements that they find necessary for immigrant reform. First, immigrants must have a fair and easily accessible path to American citizenship. Second, we must work to reunite as many families as possible. Third, we must initiate programs from low-skilled migrant workers to work and succeed in the United States. Next, due process must be available for all immigrants. Finally, we must work to uncover the root cause of immigration.

Many themes of Catholic Social Teaching reflect the Church's view on immigration. We must consider that immigrants deserve to be treated justly and as people just as all other Americans are treated. Immigrants can be legal or illegal but they must be treated with the same dignity that all other people receive. All people have rights and responsibilities. Some of these rights include economic rights such as the right to fair pay. Also, we are called to solidarity as humans. We are called to work together to help the immigrants gain the rights that they all truly deserve. We are also called to respect the life and dignity of the human person. This includes all people, especially those who need to be helped such as immigrants. Finally we are called to respect the dignity of work and the rights of workers. All immigrants deserve fair pay and suitable working conditions. As Catholics, we are called to ensure that all of these needs of immigrants are met.

Forgiveness

The attacks on September 11, 2001 were the worst attacks in America's history. Many families were affected by the attacks on September 11. My mom's family is from New York City. Even though none of my family members were harmed during the attacks, each member of my family has his or her own eerie account of the happenings on September 11, 2001. Osama Bin Laden was responsible for these attacks that forever changed our nation Even though the decision to forgive Osama Bin Laden may be extremely hard, we as Catholics must decide to forgive him. Catholics are called by God to forgive everyone even their enemies. These enemies even include those who deliberately killed thousands of innocent Americans.

Forgiveness can be one of the hardest gifts to give. Jesus has called us to forgive everyone even our enemies. In the Bible we ask Jesus to forgive us and say, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). God tells us to forgive our "debtors". Our "debtors" are those who have harmed us in our lives. If we do not forgive our "debtors", God will not fully forgive us from all of our sins.

We are always called to forgive. Forgiveness is at the center of all of God's teaching. Although we all may struggle to forgive, we must realize that without forgiveness we are not whole. Forgiveness allows each of us to feel complete. Forgiveness lives in the Christian story everyday. It remains as the epitome of God's message to love and be loved. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. Each of us want to be forgiven of all the wrong things that we have done by God and others. If we truly accept God's forgiveness for our wrongdoings, we then can truly forgive others for their wrongdoings.

Even though the attacks on September 11, 2001 killed many Americans and tore apart many families, we are still called to forgive those who launched the attack. If we can embrace the need to forgive all people, we can in turn be truly forgiven by God.

Charity vs. Justice

Although, charity and justice may seem very similar on the outside David Hilfiker points out that there is a very important difference between the two. Charity is the generosity and kindness of a group of people to help another. Hilfiker suggests that charity can have some "side effects" that we do not normally consider. Charity can sometimes just push away the deeper, moral issues rooted in a situation. Justice, however, refers to the equality and fairness that people deserve as humans. Justice highlights the moral responsibility that we have to guarantee the fundamental rights of all humans. Hilfiker believes that his charitable work actually works to stop the push for justice for all people. He thinks that charitable acts work to cushion all of the real problems regarding the justice of all people in society. I believe that Hilfiker has properly defined both charity and justice. Charity is the work that we do out of love to help all of God's people and justice is the push for fairness for all people in society. I believe that charity is necessary to help all of the poor and needy in society. Participating in charitable acts can be extremely rewarding. Hilfiker strongly believes that an "appropriate sense of outrage" is necessary for justice in society. Without a fire to change the world, people will always sit back and let others do their dirty work. If a person feels outraged due to the injustice in society, they are more likely to fight to end that injustice. This why the "appropriate sense of outrage" that Hilfiker mentions is so important. That very outrage can create a person who is determined to work for change and social justice in our world.