The longtime chaplain of Yale University and pastor of New York City's Riverside Church, who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the early days of the civil rights movement and came to national prominence as one of the most outspoken moral critics of the war in Vietnam, died last week at the age of 81. "Justice, not charity," was one of Coffin's constant refrains. Coffin's contention was: ''Many of us are eager to respond to injustice, as long as we can do so without having to confront the causes of it. There's the great pitfall of charity. Handouts to needy individuals are genuine, necessary responses to injustice, but they do not necessarily face the reason for injustice. And that is why so many business and governmental leaders today are promoting charity; it is desperately needed in an economy whose prosperity is based on growing inequality."

Universal health care advocates said today that New York should followed the lead of the State of Massachusetts in taking action to provide quality, affordable health care coverage to all its residents. The groups however said that the Massachusetts program is seriously flawed, focusing more on increasing payments to hospitals and insurance companies rather than on ensuring universal access to quality, affordable health care. The groups called on NYS to join half a dozen other states in creating a Commission on Health Care Coverage to do independent cost-benefit analysis of the various ways NY could provide health care to all New Yorkers.

Albany Critical Mass ends with tickets and frustration at the unreasoning and bullish police officers. This evening about 35 bicyclers showed up for the monthly 'critical mass' in Albany. Expecting to enjoy a ride with our friends, families and kids, we started biking down Nadison. We made it, really, 50 feet before an Albany police officer stopped in front of us to halt the ride.

The Hunger Action Network of NYS criticized the Governor and the State Legislature today for failing for the 16th year in a row to raise the general welfare grant for poor children and their parents. The welfare grant today is only half of the federal poverty level, guaranteeing that welfare participants will not have enough funds to provide even the basic necessities for their families.

A bungler on the side of militaristic over reaction in the Waco tragedy has the nerve to call Indymedia free speech supporters and the 'food not bombs' group that gives away vegetarian meals 'terrorists' !