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VOL.66 NO.6 JUNE 1983 publication. and What Chances? reuse for Michael T. Klare George F. Kennan required Susan B. Anthony Permission DFMS. / Church Episcopal the of I Archives 2020. I Copyright LETTERS could hold hearings was the first Convention's strong Standing Commis- Monday. Then both Houses had to act sion on the Church in Metroplitan Areas, on the proposal before Program Budget it may just be powerful enough to cut the T UtilBf and Finance went to press with their ground from under Jack Woodard's budget on Thursday. That was not eloquent plea "Look out for the Spirit possible. and wonderful surprises." And that Jubilee Ministry Wronged It is a matter of deep concern to many would be darkness, indeed. that the present national budget process The Rt. Rev. John E. Hines As always, it was good to read retired puts the real power almost completely in Black Mountain, N.C. Presiding Bishop John Hines' thoughts the hands of the Presiding Bishop. If a in the March issue of THE WITNESS. Standing Commission is trying to put Parenti Article Biased But about the Jubilee Ministry, the into the proposed budget something the record needs setting straight. He says, 815 staff does not favor, it might as well I found Nat Pierce's article in the Feb- "The forces that strove to help extend or save its energy. It will lose the battle ruary issue most thought-provoking. I recreate a socially active ministry of the before the General Convention ever con- have known Nat from several General publication. national church did a heroic job, but venes. Significant reform of the budget Conventions and, in particular, as I they were too little and too late. Even served as Co-Chairman of the Joint and process would seem to be in order. though having been guided by some Committee on Committees and Commis- When one couples this learning with sions before whom he appeared in sup- reuse astute minds of people, they didn't get one of John Hines' WITNESS observa- for started soon enough. They didn't under- port of the creation of the Joint Commis- stand sufficiently the financial struc- tions about the next P.B.: "I doubt if the sion on Peace. church is well enough to pick the kind of turing the General Convention goes On the other hand, I suggest that for person who will give it the kind of leader- required through, and therefore, they came up your publication to reflect freedom of ship the next decade is going to require," with their proposition too late to get it expression of various points of view, you the outlook is not hopeful for major new budgeted adequately." should have an article pointing out the program commitments to groups (like oppression which seems inevitable in Permission This is simply wrong. The Standing poor people) having no significant con- the Marxist dominated countries where Commission on the Church in Metro- stituency in the Episcopal Church. But even freedom of religion is not prac- politan Areas, which originated the then, look out for the Spirit and wonder- DFMS. / ticed, in response to the biased article by Jubilee Ministry, understood the Gen- ful surprises! eral Convention's budgeting structure Michael Parenti. He seems to equate very well, but was defeated by it. The The Rev. Jack Woodard, Member capitalism with oppression. ("Capital- Church budget proposal was entered into the Standing Commission on the Church ism: System Without Spirit," February.) process before the deadline of June 1, in Metropolitan Areas In my two visits to the People's Repub- 1981, but the whole idea of a major new lic of China in recent years, I had the Episcopal commitment to poor and oppressed Bishop Hines Responds very strong feeling through what we the people was actively opposed by Pre- I owe Jack Woodard and those with were told, as well as what we observed, of siding Bishop John Allin and his "admin- whom he worked, an apology for down- that they practiced quite a different istrative group" who pretty well control grading their persistent efforts to get the brand of communism from Russia and what finally gets to the Program Budget its satellites. Archives Jubilee Ministry adequately funded. and Finance Committee of General Con- Had I realized that Jack was so inti- Their new constitution guarantees 2020. vention. Thus the Jubilee Ministry was mately involved, I hope I would have both the right to believe in and worship a refused admittance to the developing restrained my impetuous (and unsup- supreme being and the right not to so budget. For perhaps the first time, the ported) judgment of the matter, for I believe, but the churches are open with elected Executive Council rejected the increasing attendance. A most inter- Copyright know well that Jack has been over every P.B.'s proposed budget for the Trien- inch of the budgeting process many esting observation, however, is that they nium at its February, 1982 meeting times during the years he served the seem to be practicing more and more because not a dime had been included National Church with distinction. capitalism in the encouragement of for Jubilee. The resubmitted budget in However, his well-reasoned letter small businesses operated for profit and June, 1982 included a pittance for snuffs out the small glimmer of hope, farms operated for profit. Jubilee which was increased at Gen- concerning the Episcopal Church and After reading the Parenti article, I eral Convention, but woefully, only to the poor, that had appeared. For if the turned to the Special Offer on the back $250,000. budgeting process at "815" is so dom- page where it appears two of the three At New Orleans, the earliest day the inated by an administration group offers are further attacks on capitalism. Standing Commission and its related powerful enough to reduce to near ruins I did not mean to ramble on at such legislative committee in each House the well-articulated hopes of General Continued on page 18 THE WITNESS THE Editorial EDITOR Mary Lou Suhor SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Robert L. DeWitt CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Richard W. Gillatt We Oppose the Death Penalty publication. Hugh C. White and he political climate in our courts became more strict in T nation has begun to turn looking at it. Along with this, reuse STAFF sharply against Death Row popular movements to abolish the for Ann Hunter Susan Small prisoners with the election of a death penalty grew in visibility and Bonnie Spady President who openly favors strength. From 1968 - 1977 not one required Lisa Whelan capital punishment. death sentence was carried out in In the fall of 1982, New Jersey the 50 states of this nation, even and Massachusetts restored the though defendants continued to PUBLISHER death penalty for certain crimes, receive the penalty and were Permission Episcopal Church Publishing Company and in February of this year Sen. transferred to Death Row to wait. Strom Thurmond of South Today more than 1000 men and DFMS. / Carolina introduced a capital 13 women, the largest number in ECPC BOARD OF DIRECTORS punishment bill in the Senate. our history, are waiting on Death CHAIR Church Seven men have been executed Row. Poor people and minority H. Coleman McGehee since 1977, and bills are being group members are dispro- VICE-CHAIR introduced in state legislatures to portionately represented. The Barbara Harris Episcopal limit legal defenses against that disparity in racial composition is SECRETARY the penalty. especially notable in the Southern of Helen Seager states. In 1982, Amnesty TREASURER We do not believe that the Robert Potter current drive in favor of the death International called attention to a study which concluded that in Archives ASSISTANT TREASURER penalty reflects the noblest ideals Robert Eckersley of the American people, nor that Florida, Blacks who killed Whites 2020. Otis Charles this drive reflects accurately the were nearly 40 times more likely to Robert L. DeWitt reality of declining numbers of be sentenced to death than Blacks Steven Guerra death sentences carried out in our who killed other Blacks — an Copyright Suzanne Hiatt nation until 1977. Such a reality unmistakable manifestation of Mattie Hopkins must, we would suggest, represent racism in applying the death Joan Howarth a deeper public aversion to penalty. James Lewis executing a human being at the Furthermore, statistics have Joseph A. Pelham hands of the state. never shown conclusively that the For a span of nearly 40 years death penalty reduces crime. The THE WITNESS is published monthly. Editorial following World War II, the number notion of deterrence assumes that office: P.O. Box 359, Amblef, PA 19002. Phone of executions in the United States potential criminals exercise (215) 643-7067. Subscription rates $12 per year. $1 per copy. Copyright 1983 by the Episcopal had steadily declined. Controversy rational judgment in deciding Church Publishing Company. Printed in U.S.A. about the death penalty increased whether or not to kill, whereas in ISSN 0197-8896. greatly during the 1960s and the Continued on page 19 "We dare not neglect the issue of conventional weapons and conventional wars." An Open Letter publication. and to the reuse for U.S. Peace Movement by Michael T. Klare required Dear Friends, At root, our opposition to conventional weapons must be For the past year or so, the American peace movement has moral: The loss of any human beings through warfare is an Permission devoted its energies to the struggle against nuclear weapons abomination, whether they be killed by conventional or and nuclear war. This approach has aroused a great many nuclear weapons.