In February of 2005, Dorothy Stang was was murdered in the Amazon jungle in February of 2005 by a gunman at the behest of a farmer. The farmer wanted to cut down a large section of the rainforest to plant crops, yet Stang understood that not only would this be disastrous for the environment, but disastrous for the people and animals who depended on the jungle for food and shelter.

The governor of the Brazilian state of Pará, Simão Jatene, signed decrees yesterday creating 15 million hectares (57,915 sq miles) of newly protected rainforest, an area roughly the size of Illinois. This is positive action in efforts to save the Amazon rainforest from being lost forever. The rainforest is so precariously close to the "tipping point" that marks its death.

These seven newly protected areas will help boost Amazon conservation efforts in Brazil. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), these rainforest areas are being threatened by illegal gold mining, hunting, unsustainable logging, and irregular agriculture and cattle ranching. Pará is, as the AP describes, "a region infamous for violent conflicts among loggers, ranchers, and environmentalists."

After trying the dubious defense that they thought she was going to pull a gun on them, two defendants were convicted of killing her. Three more remain to be tried.

More after the jump.

Tomorrow is Ashura, a Shiite Muslim holiday commemorating the martyrdom of Husain in 680. And if you're looking for a little classical music, why not try "Four Johns and a Jieun"? It's an "organ gala" to be held at 2 p.m. Feb. 20, Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kansas City.

Today's categories:

• Church & State
  
• Religion & Politics
  
• Speaking Out
  
• This 'n' That
  
• Tales of the Shut-Ins

Sister Dorothy Stang was an American born nun lived the last 30 years in the Amazon, teaching the poor sustainable methods of living and acting as an environmental activist.  Her activism lead to her being marked for death by the ranching and logging interests which seek to exploit and destroy the rain forest.  She was shot six times by her murders, while reading them passages from the bible.

"While the local people called her Dora or "the angel of the Trans-Amazonian", loggers and other opponents called her a "terrorist""

This is the danger of allowing businesses too much power.  Sister Dorothy spoke out against loggers and rancers who were exploiting the land that had been given to local poor farmers.  She was killed protecting land and people who are seen as insignificant road blocks to those who care only about profit.

Unfortunately, it takes a murder to get our attention.

Dorothy Stang was a 74 year old Dominican nun who had spent the last 30 years in Brazil as a missionary. her work frequently pitted her against local loggers and landowners in her attempts to protect the peasants and rainforest they called home.

Yesterday she was shot three times in the face by hired killers.

She was a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a community of 2,000 women on 5 continents. In  Los Angeles, and elsewhere, they teach school, do nursing, and other wonderful work.

Their homepage tells more about Sr. Dorothy and the struggle in Brazil.

http://www.sndden.org//news/stang.htm
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-nun13feb13,1,2459604.story (free registration required)