2011 Happy New Year Resolutions Edition

• Support an existing project or help JSPAN to launch a major new initiative.
• Send your year end contribution to JSPAN electronically. Contributions to JSPAN are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

You can also register by sending an email to jspan@jspan.org

When the 111th Congress recessed last week, there were 93 vacancies on the federal bench. Our courts are operating with less than 90 percent of their authorized judicial resources. Important cases are not being decided promptly because of the lack of judicial manpower. This is a national crisis that demands urgent attention.

We know that the judicial confirmation process is badly flawed and that 24 of your nominees never received Senate confirmation votes in the last Congress. Clearly a bi-partisan solution is required to speed the confirmation process and to eliminate allowing senators to place anonymous holds on nominees. But this alone is not sufficient.

Even if the Senate had confirmed all of your nominees, there would still be 69 judicial vacancies for which you have not nominated anyone. Many of these vacancies have existed for a long time. Respectfully, you cannot complaint about Republican recalcitrance when your failure to nominate anyone is responsible for two-thirds of all the federal judicial vacancies that exist.

It is time for you to act on this important issue by nominating candidates for all judicial vacancies promptly in the new Congress and by using your bully pulpit to get up or down votes on every nominee. The cause of justice demands action. Sincerely,

To City Council and the Mayor

Philadelphia is a city that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age and mental or physical disability. This commitment to equality and fairness is at the core of what makes Philadelphia the nation’s Cradle of Liberty.

We believe all Philadelphians have equal rights, which are guaranteed under the Fair Practices Act, and should not face discrimination. That is why we urge you and Mayor Nutter to defend the rights of gay youth, as you do all other Philadelphians.

The recent proposal to sell City-owned property to the Boy Scouts, at a big discount, to facilitate discrimination is contrary to the values and beliefs we hold most dear as a community. As history has shown, when we permit discrimination against some of us, we tear apart the fabric that makes us one. …

JSPAN has been a strong supporter of the legislative movement to repeal “don't ask don't tell” from American law. We join in the views expressed by our friend Mark Pelavin of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, celebrating the success of this effort. – Ed.

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, December 19, 2010

Yesterday's Senate vote ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was long overdue: After 17 years of misguided and discriminatory policy, gay and lesbian members of the armed forces will soon be able to serve their country without hiding a key part of their identity. We hail yesterday's vote, and those members of the House and Senate who were determined to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" this year, even when the likelihood of such action seemed slim. The strong support for repeal reflects the great strides our nation has made since the policy's inception in 1993 and demonstrates the now-widespread understanding that every individual, gay and straight, is created in God's image and deserving of dignity and respect.

Passage would have offered many a path to citizenship
Boston Globe - December 20, 2010

When the Senate finished voting Saturday, Renata Teodoro found the tears flowing too freely for her to stay in the US Senate gallery, where decorum frowns on displays of emotion.

“It was extremely intense,’’ Teodoro said of the 55-41 vote that killed the Dream Act. The measure would have allowed immigrants like Teodoro, who was brought to the United States from Brazil by her parents when she was 6 years old, to slowly work toward citizenship under rules that advocates call rigorous. “Your whole life is being voted on,’’ she said of the Saturday proceedings.

There is a troubling disconnect between the courts and the public. The recent media reports about rules governing judicial ethics, policies on gifts to judges, and benefits such as car leases for appellate judges demonstrate this clearly. Both judges and members of the public are frustrated that those on the other side of the bench don't seem to understand the key points. As this disconnect persists, collaboration between those who use the courts and those who work in the courts becomes more elusive. …

[J]udges may honestly state that a casual dinner or round of golf paid for by a lawyer who regularly appears in court will have no effect on judicial decision-making and can't comprehend why the public would argue that such gifts should be prohibited. These are the kinds of things that lead the public to moan that judges "don't get it."

Clearly, there is a disconnect. Perhaps the public perception and the judicial reality are very different. Even if the public's concern about judicial bias is over-blown, judges know that the true power of the courts is rooted in the public's perception and public confidence in fair and impartial justice. When that confidence is undermined - whether for good reason or not - the foundation of our justice system is shaken. Judges cannot allow that to happen. They should take responsibility for understanding public perception and working to maintain and increase public confidence.

Marks and Goodman are the Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director of the non-profit agency, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. JSPAN supports the program of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts to improve the independence of our judiciary by substituting merit selection for the present system requiring candidates to run for election. – Ed.

Many government officials are finally admitting the war on drugs is a costly failure. That lesson is on display daily in this city.

Drug dealers, who can earn up to $2 million per year, are hauled off to jail by police routinely. Usually, though, they're back on the street within hours. If not, rivals replace them. They work in a landscape of closed factories and crumbling housing stock neglected by absentee landlords.

There aren't enough jobs, especially in this weak economy. Even if well-paying jobs were available, the lucrative drug trade is too tempting for many to resist.

Buses in downtown Seattle will carry advertisements about "Israeli war crimes" to mark the second year since the Gaza war.

The Seattle Midwest Awareness Campaign has paid $1,794 to place the advertisements on 12 buses beginning Dec. 27, the day Israel entered Gaza to stop rocket attacks on its southern communities, according to Seattle's King 5 News.

The ads feature a group of children looking at a demolished building under the heading "Israeli War Crimes: Your tax dollars at work."

“When did rabbis suddenly receive official positions?" [Herzl] would have asked bitterly. "After all, I explicitly wrote, after emphasizing my respect for religion and tradition, that we must prevent any effort by religious functionaries to participate in the running of the state. The rabbis should be kept in the synagogues, just as the army should be kept in the barracks."

It seems that Herzl's position on this matter was more radical than what is acceptable today in many liberal countries. In Great Britain, the government still appoints bishops to the Anglican Church. Some of these bishops represent the church in the House of Lords and Parliament was called upon to grant women the right to serve in this position. In Denmark and Norway, the king appoints the hierarchy of the Lutheran Church, to which the monarch also must belong.

Of particular note is Lynn’s service taking us through two successful annual programs presenting the organization’s Social Justice Award. This very important event extends recognition to a worthy citizen, and additionally is the sole fund raising event of the organization’s year. Starting this week, JSPAN is advertising the position of Director.

Applicants for the position should expect to take responsibility to lead and grow the organization, while also managing day-to-day operations including the JSPAN web site. The Director should be able to identify current social policy issues and equipped to work with Board and Policy Center members on education and developing and implementing action plans. Helpful qualifications include experience working with volunteers, strong communications skills, and an understanding of community organizing. JSPAN provides medical insurance, paid vacation, early closing for Shabbat and observance of major holidays. Resumes may be submitted in confidence to jobs@jspan.org.

Remember that JSPAN welcomes your donations to help us continue our important and effective work in Tikkun Olam. You may send gifts via PayPal on www.jspan.org. or to JSPAN, 1735 Market Street, Suite #A417, Philadelphia, PA 19103