North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights
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North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights |
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~North Dakota Human Rights Coalition~ PAUR Report
Programs ~ Announcements ~ Updates ~ Resources
Visit our Website at www.ndhrc.org
January 19, 2005
Hello members and friends of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition!
In this week’s PAUR Report:
Announcements 1) Press Release: ‘Spring Break’ offered for tribal vocational training personnel 2) Update on Legislative Bills of Interest – Human Rights 3) M.L. King Jr. Address 2005 4) 2005 Patrick Stewart Human Rights Scholarships
Newspaper Articles 5) The Forum (Fargo), Articles regarding North Dakota’s cohabitation law 6) Grand Forks Herald, North Dakota Legislature: Sorting out cohabitation 7) The Forum (Fargo), Center permit denied 8) The Forum (Fargo), Bill requires home lien registration 9) Bismarck Tribune, Study sheds new light on special ed numbers 10) Grand Forks Herald, In the Mail: On arena bathrooms’ inaccessibility 11) Bismarck Tribune, Tribes want say in rules for hunters 12) Grand Forks Herald, North Dakota Legislature: Tribes and state divided on tribal land hunting 13) The Forum (Fargo), ELCA: Policies on gays suitable 14) Grand Forks Herald, Panel Asks Lutheran Body to Tolerate Gays 15) Bismarck Tribune, Official wants to tie ID cards to visa status
Events 16) Citizen’s Day at the Capitol, January 24, 2005, Bismarck 17) Women’s Network of the Red River Valley Hosts Annual Roe v Wade Celebration, January 22, 2005, Fargo
Reminders 18) 2005 NDHRC Membership Drive 19) Freedom Resource Center Skill Training Classes, January 6 – 31, Fargo 20) Minnkota Health Project, 2nd Annual Celebrating Life Dinner, Gala, & Auction, February 26, 2005 21) Mental Health Association in North Dakota Journey of Hope Class, Bismarck, ND, January 28 - 30 22) 4th Annual Indian Child Welfare Conference, Mandan, ND, February 16 - 18 23) NDHRC Web Site Calendar of Events 24) Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellowship Grants 2005 25) Sisters of the Presentation at Sacred Heart Convent, “2004 – 2005 Presentation Peace Studies Forum,” Fargo, ND
Please Note: The NDHRC distributes a weekly PAUR report to inform our members and friends about news, events, and other human rights related information around the state. The opinions expressed within the articles are those of the authors and are not endorsed by the NDHRC.
New NDHRC members: as a membership benefit you have received an e-mail subscription of our weekly e-mail newsletter, the NDHRC PAUR Report. If you would like to be removed from the PAUR Report mailing list, please send an email to humanrights@ndhrc.org.
********************************************* Announcements *********************************************
1.) Press Release: ‘Spring Break’ offered for tribal vocational training personnel
United
Tribes News
‘Spring
Break’ offered for tribal vocational training personnel
The three-day event, sponsored by United Tribes Technical College, is set for March 14 -16 at Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel, Prior Lake, MN.
“We think that adult vocational trainers need a little break at spring time too,” said Kathy Johnson, UTTC director of Enrollment Services. “It’s open to anyone from around the region or the country who can take a break to brush up on the latest developments.”
The conference theme is "Supporting Student Success." The focus will be job training and placement for American Indian adult learners. Participants will learn about vocational funding, and how to operate an effective vocational training and placement office.
One of the daily keynote presenters will be Tex G. Hall, President of the National Congress of American Indians. Hall’s talk will provide the most recent perspective on funding for American Indian higher education and vocational training programs.
The
conference will feature daily wellness and social activities. The conference registration fee is $300. The hotel rate is $59. For more information or to register, contact Wes Long Feather, 701-255-3285 x 1218 or wlongfeather@uttc.edu.
For room reservations contact Mystic Lake Hotel, 200 Mystic Lake Boulevard, Prior Lake, MN,55372, 1-800-813-7349.
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2.) Updates on Legislative Bills of Interest – Human Rights
Message from the North Dakota Fair Housing Council:
Few items of note on those up for House final vote: HB 1081: Relates to agreements put in place between school districts and Indian tribes. Voted Do Pass by Committee. House *might* get to it today for vote, but more likely tomorrow. HB 1184: Would repeal the state's cohabitation law which makes it illegal for people of the opposite sex to live together outside of marriage. Voted Do Pass by Committee. House *probably* won't vote on it until Wed or Thursday unless they rearrange the schedule.
Hearings this week of interest: HB 1259: Requires accessibility for those with disabilities to lottery locations. Hearing scheduled for 1/19 at 9:00 am before House Judiciary. HB 1349: Would restrict marketing of credit cards to college students. Hearing scheduled for 1/20 at 1:30 pm before House Political Subdivisions. SB 2202: Exempt from Open Records Laws those who receive economic assistance. Hearing scheduled for 1/20 at 10:30 before Senate Government & Veteran's Affairs.
Also, those introduced of interest-no hearing scheduled yet: HB 1227: Would repeal state abortion law. HB 1382: Would increase state minimum wage. HB 1420: Requires a seminar on "effects of children" in divorce proceedings when children are present in the home. SB 2245: Would change name from "North Dakota Department of Labor" to "North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights". SB 2253: Would exempt certain types of housing from Fair Housing Laws. SB 2261: Would exempt breast feeding from being a form of sexual contact.
For more information on any of these bills, go to: http://www.state.nd.us/lr/assembly/59-2005/leginfo/bill-inquiry/index.html
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HB 1158: Would change state Housing Discrimination Act to not allow for punitive damages by State Admin Law Judges. Would state that Attorney General's Office could only represent the Dept. of Labor and not individual complainants in cases of housing discrimination which have been found to have cause. Hearing scheduled for 1/11 at 9 am.
HB 1161/1165: Would restrict non-profit's ability to use mystery shoppers or fair housing testers in efforts to uncover discrimination unless the shoppers or testers were licensed private investigators. Hearings scheduled for 1/14 at 9 am.
HB 1184: Would repeal the state's cohabitation law which currently makes it illegal for people of the opposite sex to reside together outside of marriage. Hearing scheduled for 1/12 at 9 am.
HB 1227: Would repeal the state's Abortion Law and provide a penalty for anyone who assists in an abortion.
SB 2117: Would change state Human Rights Act to not allow for punitive or compensatory damages by State Admin Law Judges. Would state that Attorney General's Office could only represent the Dept. of Labor and not individual complainants in cases of discrimination in employment or public accommodations. Also adds in language regarding "Readily Achievable" and regarding architectural barriers for people with disabilities who file discrimination complaints. Hearing scheduled for 1/12 at 9 am.
Additional information on these can be found at: http://www.state.nd.us/lr/assembly/59-2005/leginfo/index.html.
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3.) M.L. King Jr. Address 2005
This was from Majority Leader Rick Berg on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the ND House of Representatives.
M.L. KING JR. ADDRESS 2005 In a tribute to Abraham Lincoln, President Woodrow Wilson said, "There was more promise in him when he died than when he was born...he was cut off almost at his beginning." The same could be said of Martin Luther King Jr.
Lincoln was killed with his work unfinished...100 years later; Martin Luther King Jr. continued Lincoln's work with a non-violent struggle to gain the freedoms of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans.
But as Lincoln knew and King often said, "Rights never roll in on the wheels of inevitability." Freedom must be won and could certainly be lost.
They both feared for their lives, but they both feared inaction more. They both shared the same cause...a better America. And they both shared the same fate.
King's work did not die with him, but because it was done to benefit others it lives on.
In Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech he talks about his "dream for the day when we shall be judged not by the color of our skin, but the content of our character." When this happens every one of us truly has the rights promised in the Declaration of Independence and confirmed in our Constitution.
I believe Dr. King wanted to remove the barriers to allow every American equal right to pursue their American dream.
The American dream is not free or easy - it requires us to defend the principles which are at the foundation of our democracy - insure every person has these rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Not only is this right for Americans, but it is the hope for the world!
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4.) 2005 Patrick Stewart Human Rights Scholarships
Funds available for student activism
Spend your summer doing human rights work! Amnesty International USA’s Patrick Stewart Human Rights Scholarship provides students the opportunity to design and carry out their own human rights projects in the United States or abroad. Since 1996, over 150 high school, college and graduate students, who demonstrated a strong past and future commitment to human rights work, have received funding to complete internships and other creative projects in the field.
For information and to download an application visit: www.amnestyusa.org/patrickstewart
Online applications available in mid-January.
All application materials must be received by March 1, 2005.
Please contact nfp@aiusa.org with any questions.
********************************************* Newspaper Articles *********************************************
5.) The Forum (Fargo), Articles regarding North Dakota’s cohabitation law
Cohabitation hearing today
BISMARCK -- A bill that narrows North Dakota's definition of unlawful cohabitation gets a hearing in the House today.
House Bill 1184 is the second in as many sessions that Rep. Mary Ekstrom, D-Fargo, has aimed at the issue.
In 2003, her bill sought a complete repeal of the law that prohibits cohabitation of opposite-sex unmarried couples. It passed the House and was defeated in the Senate.
This time, the bill would keep the law on the books but change it so it only prohibits cohabitation if it is done for the purpose of fraud.
The hearing is this morning in the House Judiciary Committee.
Among the co-sponsors of the bill are Rep. Kathy Hawken, R-Fargo, and Sen. Judy Lee, R-West Fargo.
<snip>
Readers can reach Forum reporter Janell Cole at (701) 224-0830
View full article here
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Bill would
alter laws on living together, marriage Bismarck Tribune – 01/13/2005
Legislators
are trying again to jettison a state law that makes it illegal for unmarried
couples to live together -- this time by offering an alternative.
North Dakota
law makes it a crime, with a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $1,000
fine, for a person to live "openly and notoriously with a person of the opposite
sex as a married couple, without being married to the other person."
<snip>
View full article here
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Bill loosens limits on unmarried
BISMARCK -- A repeal of the state's cohabitation ban took a step forward Wednesday when a legislative committee approved changing the law from a sex crime to a fraud statute.
Two years ago, a repeal of the law passed the House overwhelmingly but was narrowly defeated in the Senate after some senators said they believed the law prohibits couples from claiming to be married for the purposes of fraud. They wanted to preserve that.
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee voted 12-1 to send House Bill 1184 to the House with a "do-pass" recommendation.
The law, which has remained essentially unchanged since statehood, reads, "A person is guilty of a class B misdemeanor if he or she lives openly and notoriously with a person of the opposite sex as a married couple without being married to the other person."
"The intent of the law as it stands now is not clear," Rep. Mary Ekstrom, D-Fargo, told the House Judiciary Committee in testimony Wednesday. "Do we wish to outlaw cohabitation or prevent fraud?"
Ekstrom, a sponsor the bill, also endorsed one to repeal the law in 2003. As a sex crime statute, she said, the law is unenforceable and has not been enforced since 1938. She cited the constitutional right to free association and U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have upheld an implied right to privacy.
Ekstrom also said the federal Fair Lending Act of 1974 says any two persons may apply jointly for a loan, including mortgages and they can't be denied a loan on the basis of marital status.
<snip>
View full article here
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Opponents
of cohabitation law try new wrinkle for repeal Grand Forks Herald – 01/13/2005
BISMARCK, N.D. - Legislators are trying again to jettison a state law that makes it illegal for unmarried couples to live together - this time by offering an alternative.
The proposal would target couples who claim they're married in an attempt to commit fraud, and the House Judiciary Committee is supporting it, for the second time in as many years.
Representatives backed dumping the anti-cohabitation law in 2003, but the Senate voted to keep it. A new House vote should come shortly.
North Dakota law makes it a crime, with a maximum punishment of 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, for a person to live "openly and notoriously with a person of the opposite sex as a married couple, without being married to the other person."
Offenders are almost never prosecuted, lawyers say. The North Dakota Supreme Court has considered one appeal of a cohabitation conviction, a 1938 case in which a man and woman were living together adjacent to a secondhand store.
"Here in North Dakota, we have college students sharing apartments," said Rep. Mary Ekstrom, D-Fargo. "We have seniors sharing living arrangements in order to hang onto their maximum Social Security benefits. And I, for one, at least, am not ready to call these individuals criminals."
Ekstrom's bill would repeal the anti-cohabitation law, which is tucked among a list of sex crimes in North Dakota's criminal code.
Her legislation would establish, in a separate section of the law, a crime of "deceptive marriage practices." A man-woman couple would violate the new law if they lived together, and passed themselves off as married "in order to obtain the property or services of another by deception," the bill says.
<snip>
View full article here
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Forum
editorial: Cohab law hypocrisy at its worst
It's possible North Dakota might be dragged into the 21st century this month. The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday gave a 12-1 do-pass endorsement to a bill which would change the state's cohabitation prohibition from a sex crime to a fraud statute.
Current law says two unmarried persons are in criminal violation if they live "openly and notoriously with a person of the opposite sex as a married couple without being married to the other person." The law gives no guidance regarding the definition of "open and notorious." Apparently if an unmarried couple lives together in secret and skulks about when no one can see them, it's OK.
The fraud emphasis in the new legislation makes sense, if only to protect against unmarried people claiming to be married in order to obtain services or benefits by deception. Cohabitation would not be a sex crime, as it is now in law.
While the committee vote on a change is a small step toward getting government out of citizens' personal lives, it's an important one. Rep. Mary Ekstrom, D-Fargo, who has recognized the hypocrisy of the cohabitation law since she became a legislator in 1999, is among the bill's sponsors. She told the committee the obvious: The law as it stands now is unenforceable. The last time it was enforced was in 1938, and since then the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld an implied right to privacy. Also, most North Dakotans believe in a constitutional right to free association.
Furthermore, in many other aspects of modern life - applying for a loan, for example - two persons may apply, and they can't be denied a loan based on marital status.
Co-sponsor Rep. Kathy Hawken, R-Fargo, said shifting the emphasis of the law from a sex crime to fraud is the right thing to do with a law that is not enforced. She said people live together for different reasons, such as finances and safety.
<snip>
View full article here
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6.) Grand Forks Herald, North Dakota Legislature: Sorting out cohabitation
NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATURE: Sorting out cohabitation Grand Forks Herald – 01/12/2005
BISMARCK - The House Judiciary Committee will consider a bill today that would reclassify a North Dakota law against cohabitation.
Sen. Nick Hacker, R-Grand Forks, and Rep. Lois Delmore, D-Grand Forks, are co-sponsors of HB 1184, which would remove the law against cohabitation from the North Dakota Century Code. At the same time, the bill would add a section prohibiting two unmarried people from pretending to be married "in order to obtain the property or services of another by deception."
In essence, sponsors said, the bill would remove a law that prohibits two unmarried adults of the opposite sex from living together. It would, however, prohibit those same people from lying about their marital status for material gain.
Currently, cohabitation is classified as a sex offense under North Dakota law. No one has been prosecuted under the statute in decades, but an effort to repeal it failed in 2003.
Legislators opposed it then for two reasons, said Rep. Mary Ekstrom, D-Fargo, the bill's primary sponsor. One reason was moral in nature - legislators balked at allowing unmarried individuals to live together, if only symbolically. The other reason, Ekstrom said, was the worry that people would claim to be married in order to obtain benefits, and there would be no way to prosecute them.
<snip>
View online article here
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7.) The Forum (Fargo), Center permit denied
Center
permit denied
Concerns about Dilworth's image Monday night appeared to sink a plan to convert the Dilworth Inn into a residential counseling center.
In a 2-2 vote, the Dilworth City Council denied a conditional use permit requested by Deb Borstad, who had said the permit was crucial to plans to invest nearly $1 million in the property.
Borstad is the program director for a residential counseling program in Barnesville, Minn. She had intended to set up a similar arrangement in Dilworth, serving people 16 and older in transition from chemical dependency treatment to independent living.
Last week, the Dilworth Planning Commission approved Borstad's permit request by a 5-2 vote.
However, City Council members Barry Steen and Steve Jesme voted against the proposal Monday night, stating they were worried about what the facility would do to Dilworth's economic development.
"Is it the chemical dependency stereotype you're afraid of?" Borstad asked.
"Yes," Steen said.
<snip>
View full article here
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8.) The Forum (Fargo), Bill requires home lien registration
Bill requires home lien registration By Janell Cole The Forum – 01/13/2005
This newspaper article mentions the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition’s opposition to some of the Labor Commissioner’s changes to the ND Human Rights Act.
BISMARCK -- A young Fargo family's bad experience buying a mobile home has prompted a bill requiring mobile home liens to be publicly recorded.
Sen. Judy Lee, R-West Fargo, and Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, filed identical bills after hearing about the family's ordeal. Mathern was unaware of Lee's bill and said Wednesday he will withdraw his.
The bill requires mobile home lot owners who take over a home for nonpayment of lot rent to file a lien with the county recorder and to retain total control over access to the home.
Lee testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that a young Fargo couple looking for a home found one in a mobile home park and its owner offered it for sale. The woman's father paid cash for the home after checking at the courthouse to see if there were any liens against the home. He found none.
But when the couple and their newborn baby tried to move in, Lee said, it was locked. The mobile home court owner said he had taken it over because the owner owed lot rent. He told the couple their purchase was invalid. The home's owner was gone with the money and the couple had to move in with her parents.
Lee said it is unreasonable for someone not to be able to find out about a lien on a mobile home, and though the park owner's actions were unethical, they were not illegal.
"No one else should have to go through what this young family did," she said.
<snip>
View full article here
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9.) Bismarck Tribune, Study sheds new light on special ed numbers
Study sheds new light on special ed numbers By Sheena Dooley Bismarck Tribune – 01/13/2005
North Dakota education officials say the state's growth in special education students compares to national figures, but is still cause for concern.
The North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities released results of a study showing the state's special needs population isn't increasing as rapidly as once thought and falls below the national average. North Dakota Department of Public Instruction officials say they still find the numbers troubling because of the state's overall decline in enrollment.
Special needs children only account for 12 percent of North Dakota's total enrollment, which was the same as the national average, the study showed. In the last 20 years, the number of special education students increased by 34 percent. The national average rose 57 percent.
"It's not as dire as it would seem," said Bryce Fifield, co-director of the study. "Things don't really look as bad as they first did when we started."
Special education students receive assistance in the classroom for conditions ranging from speech impairments to attention deficit hyper activity disorder to mental retardation.
DPI prompted the study in October after consecutive years of declining enrollment and significant gains in its special education population. They said the pattern put them out of sync with the rest of the country.
The study looked at special education enrollment throughout the state in the last 20 years and broke it down by region and specific disability categories to identify trends. They also examined the effect of early intervention programs for children aged 0-3 on special education numbers.
<snip>
View full article here
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10.) Grand Forks Herald, In the Mail: On arena bathrooms’ inaccessibility
IN THE MAIL : On arena bathrooms' inaccessibility Grand Forks Herald – 01/14/2005
GRAND FORKS - I was not surprised to read Tracy Weisert's letter, "Alerus Center needs more women's restrooms".
Not only are there not enough stools in the women's bathrooms, but also the handicapped stalls are in adequate.
In addition, the handicapped stalls in the Ralph and Betty Engelstad arenas are not suitable for me. The toilets are not the standard handicapped 19-inch stools and the bars are 33 inches up on the wall. If a person is 5 feet 2 inches tall and has no leg power, it is impossible to use them.
The architects tell me that's what the standard height required. Why couldn't they put two bars in then? I wonder when they will ask someone who knows what works for handicapped people.
My husband and I stopped going to football games at the Alerus because of the bathroom facilities. I used the family bathroom, so my husband can help me. Last fall, while trying to pull myself up at one of the football games, I pulled my shoulder out of its socket, and my husband had to lift me off.
Last year we went to the Ralph for basketball games and we used the family bathroom. Again, the toilets are not the handicapped-type, so we missed a lot of basketball games.
This season, we went to the Betty for basketball. The first time, I re-injured my shoulder trying to get off the toilet. Not only are the bathrooms inadequate, but also the paper towel containers at the Betty are way too high for someone in a wheelchair.
<snip>
View full article here
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11.) Bismarck Tribune, Tribes want say in rules for hunters
Tribes want say in rules for hunters By Dale Wetzel, Associated Press Writer Bismarck Tribune – 01/14/2005
North Dakota's American Indian tribes are asking the Legislature to allow non-Indians to hunt on tribal land without buying a state hunting license, a requirement the tribes believe is intrusive and illegal.
The request came Thursday during a Senate Natural Resources Committee hearing on legislation to allow tribal members to take game off Indian land, without worrying about running afoul of state rules. The panel did not act immediately on the request.
The bill is intended to cover circumstances when tribal and state hunting seasons do not overlap. For example, if a hunter took newly shot pheasants off the reservation to Bismarck, he could be violating the law unless he did so during the state's own pheasant season.
Tribal officials and Roger Rostvet, deputy director of the state Game and Fish Department, supported the legislation during the hearing. But Tiffany Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Three Affiliated Tribes, asked that the bill go further -- to exempt non-Indian hunters on tribal property from having to get a state hunting license.
Non-Indian hunters on Fort Berthold Reservation land have been cited for illegally hunting birds in the past, although they were hunting on reservation land, had a tribal hunting permit and were obeying the tribe's hunting regulations, Johnson said.
"We are very frustrated because we are trying to develop business and personal relationships with non-Indians," she said. "The Game and Fish Department has been, at best, difficult to deal with on this issue." <snip> View full article here
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12.) Grand Forks Herald, North Dakota Legislature: Tribes and state divided on tribal land hunting
NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATURE: Tribes and state divided on
tribal land hunting Grand Forks Herald – 01/14/2005
BISMARCK - North Dakota's American Indian tribes and the state Game and Fish Department are at odds over who should regulate non-Indians hunting on tribal land.
The issue arose Thursday at a hearing for a bill that would clarify a law concerning the transporting of game harvested on tribal land. At its heart is the question of who should regulate hunters on tribal land. While tribes say they should issue licenses and regulations for their land, the Game and Fish Department wants to regulate non-Indians, while tribes handle licenses only for tribal members.
Roger Rostvet, deputy director of the Game and Fish Department, said he supports what he believes is the intent of the bill to clarify that a tribal member can take game on tribal land and then take it to a location off the reservation. Tribal representatives that testified Thursday said that should go a step further: Anyone can buy a license from the tribe, harvest game and transport it to their off-reservation home or butcher shop.
That extra step doesn't sit well with the Game and Fish Department. Tribal members can hunt with a tribal license only, Rostvet said, because they are members of the tribe. Nonmembers are simply North Dakotans and so should be regulated by the state government.
"We will honor and respect tribal rights afforded by law to tribal members, but you can't buy tribal treaty rights," Rostvet said. "Does the state want to give up the right of jurisdiction over nontribal members?"
Sovereign states
Tribal groups counter that, as self-governing and sovereign, they should be able to regulate nonmembers who hunt on their land. There should be no legal difference between a hunter who brings game back from another state and one who brings game back from a reservation, said Archie Fool Bear, tribal council member from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
<snip>
View online article here
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13.) The Forum (Fargo), ELCA: Policies on gays suitable
ELCA:
Policies on gays suitable
A Lutheran body's report on sexuality released Thursday is not a magic bullet for calming controversy in the church, the region's synod bishops said.
"I think it will help us work. I think that we had probably hoped that there would be a solution," said the Rev. Rolf Wangberg, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Northwestern Minnesota Synod.
A 14-member ELCA task force on sexuality said it found no consensus within the church on homosexuality issues.
It said the ELCA should not change or create new policies on homosexuality.
Instead, the church should continue to provide "pastoral answers" to questions of same-sex relationships and noncelibate gay clergy.
"In a sense, they got so far and punted," Wangberg said of the task force's work.
The 32-page report stressed the church must remain unified despite differences in opinions.
"It has become clear to the task force that the disagreement over these issues before the church is deep, pervasive, multi-faceted and multi-layered," the report said.
<snip>
View full article here
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14.) Grand Forks Herald, Panel Asks Lutheran Body to Tolerate Gays
Panel Asks
Lutheran Body to Tolerate Gays Grand Forks Herald – 01/13/2005
CHICAGO - Trying to walk a line that will preserve unity, a panel recommended Thursday that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America officially maintain its positions against same-sex blessing ceremonies and gay and lesbian ministers in relationships but tolerate dissenters.
Both conservatives and gay and lesbian groups were disappointed. Conservatives say the recommendations - to be considered by church leaders at their August meeting - condone defiance of church doctrine; gay supporters say they reinforce discrimination.
Many fear the issue will divide the church, one of the nation's largest Protestant bodies with 5 million members.
Several major Protestant denominations have recently been torn by issues involving gays and lesbians in the clergy and church. The U.S. Episcopal Church, in particular, has dealt with upheaval and discord since consecrating an openly gay bishop in 2003.
Evangelical Lutheran Church policy bans gay and lesbian clergy who are involved with partners, but allows those who are celibate. The bishops' conference opposes same-sex blessings, but its 1993 statement on the matter has been regarded as guidance rather than official policy.
<snip>
View full article here
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15.) Bismarck Tribune, Official wants to tie ID cards to visa status
Official
wants to tie ID cards to visa status Bismarck Tribune – 01/15/2005
Foreigners
who have overstayed their permission to be in the United States should be
required to give up North Dakota identification cards, the state's top driver
licensing official says.
"I think
it's just part of this whole effort in the country to really keep track of
people," Magnusson told members of the Senate Transportation Committee on
Friday.
<snip>
View full article here
********************************************* Events *********************************************
A calendar of events for January is available on the NDHRC web site here.
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16.) Citizen’s Day at the Capitol, January 24, 2005, Bismarck
Message from Clean Water Action:
Citizens' Day at the Capitol
Make your voice
heard...Help strengthen North Dakota's communities! Support renewable energy!
Clean Water Action is sponsoring a lobby day Monday, January 24, 2005 in Bismarck. We are working on getting 500 people to the Capitol to rally around wind energy and environmental concerns and to let legislators know that us constituents will not be ignored.
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17.) Women’s Network of the Red River Valley Hosts Annual Roe v Wade Celebration, January 22, 2005, Fargo
The Women's
Network of the Red River Valley is hosting the annual Roe v Wade celebration
Choice Desserts on Saturday January 22nd.
Unfortunately our e-mail list is not very comprehensive and many pro-choice
individuals may not have received this information.
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18.) 2005 NDHRC Membership Drive
Human rights abuses occur every day in our state. We learn about them in the media, hear about them from friends and relatives, or experience them in our own lives. Only together can we rid our state of discrimination and make North Dakota an inclusive place for all people.
we need your membership support to effect this change.
The Coalition’s membership goal for 2005 is to reach 200 members and membership proceeds of $10,500.
As of January 11, 2005, the NDHRC received 70 memberships for 2005 for a total of $3,985! Help us meet our goal!
Your membership renewal is very important to us. This year the NDHRC is making sure human rights are front and center at our state legislative session. The more members we have, the stronger our voice will be.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” - American anthropologist Margaret Meade
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19.) Freedom Resource Center Skill Training Classes, January 6 – 31, Fargo
Freedom Resource Center is having skills training classes in the following areas:
*Bus Riding *Low income meal planning *Budgeting *Job Seeking *Driver’s Training *Tips for Job Interviews
Class times are as follows:
*Bus Riding: As needed if interested contact Bobbi Jo Sailor
*Job Seeking: January 24th at 2 PM January 31st at 2 PM
*Driver’s Training: January 20th at 4 PM January 27th at 4 PM
*Low Income meal planning: January 24th at 3 PM January 31st at 3PM
*Budgeting: January 24th at 4 PM January 31st at 4PM
*Tips for Job Interviewing: January 27th at 3 PM
These classes are open to all consumers.
If you are interested in attending all or some of the classes please call Freedom Resource Center at: 701-478-0459 or 1-800-450-0459
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20.) Minnkota Health Project, 2nd Annual Celebrating Life Dinner, Gala, & Auction, February 26, 2005
Minnkota
Health Project is holding our 2nd Annual Celebrating Life Dinner, Gala and
Auction. I'd like to invite you to once again support us in a very meaningful
way.
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21.) Mental Health Association in North Dakota Journey of Hope Class, Bismarck, ND, January 28 - 30
Mental Health Association in North Dakota offers a class: Journey of Hope
A free, comprehensive series of eight workshops on mental illness is being offered by the Mental Health Association in North Dakota beginning Friday evening, January 28th through Sunday, January 30th, 2005 at the Comfort Inn in Bismarck, ND.
The workshops provide information on bipolar, depression, anxieties, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective and substance abuse. Participants will learn medical information about symptoms; how to cope with different phases of the illnesses; treatment information, tips for coping and self-care; problem management; community services and hope.
If you are a parent, spouse, sibling, adult child or friend of someone who has a mental illness, these workshops are designed for you, and you are encouraged at attend. For more information, please contact Sheri Haugen at (701) 255-3692 ext 104.
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