[Afsckc-peacealert] KC AFSC Peace and Justice Alerts (April 3, 2008)
Ira Harritt
IHarritt at afsc.org
Thu Apr 3 19:23:10 EDT 2008
KC AFSC Peace and Justice Alerts (April 3, 2008)
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Educate Yourself. Share your knowledge. Take Action!
For information about the American Friends Service Committee,
contact us at 816 931-5256 or afsckc at afsc.org
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence
delivered 4 April 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at
Riverside Church in New York City
Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily
assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in
time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty
against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and
in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as
perplexed as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are
always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move
on.
And some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night
have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but
we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate
to our limited vision, but we must speak. And we must rejoice as well,
for surely this is the first time in our nation's history that a
significant number of its religious leaders have chosen to move beyond
the prophesying of smooth patriotism to the high grounds of a firm
dissent based upon the mandates of conscience and the reading of
history. Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace
its movements and pray that our own inner being may be sensitive to its
guidance, for we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness
that seems so close around us.
Recording and full text>
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm
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Dear Advocates of Peace and Justice,
As we approach the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s powerful
speech, Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence
<http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm> ,
delivered April 4, 1967, and the 40th anniversary of his assassination
which occurred at 6:01 pm on April 4, 1968, the words of his speech
still ring true. It is still "a time to break the silence" and even
though "the issues at hand seem as perplexed as they often do in the
case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being
mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on."
The military consultants, pundits and elected officials, beholden to the
war profiteers, acknowledge that there is no military solution to the
Iraq conflict. However they warn that things could get worse if we leave
precipitously. But as the recent escalation in violence in Iraq
confirms, the U.S. occupation is preventing the political negotiations
necessary for the establishment of a real government and stability in
Iraq. (See the article "Five Things You Need to Know to Understand the
Latest Violence in Iraq" by Joshua Holland and Raed Jarrar,
http://www.alternet.org/story/80580/ for a very good analysis of the
political situation in Iraq.)
We encourage you to continue to break the silence and work to steer our
nation away from war-making and toward justice and peace-making!
We invite you to participate in two actions. We need your help and
participation for them to have an impact!
Volunteer to help with the Defund / Refund Tax Day Demonstration. The
demonstration will take place on Tuesday, April 15th from 5:30 to 8:00pm
outside Union Station / KCMO Main Post Office at 30 W. Pershing Rd.,
KCMO.
We are in the process of hanging 720 "million dollar bills" (the cost of
one day of the Iraq War) on hundreds of feet of rope. (Each 100 "million
dollar bills" on approximately 75 feet of rope.)
We need your help to prepare all of these bills for the demonstration.
Do you have one, two or three hours during the day next week to come to
the AFSC office, 44th and Gillham Rd. in midtown KCMO, to volunteer to
help?
Call or email Ira or Deborah at 816 931-5256 or iharritt at afsc.org to
schedule a time to come in!
Also volunteer to come and help hold the hundreds of feet of "million
dollar bills," Cost of War Banners and leaflet people coming to pay
their taxes.
Please sign up and help end the war!
Email us at iharritt at afsc.org or call 816 931-5256 to volunteer
We also participate in the Chalk Project and help rouse the public's
conscience over the growing deaths in the Iraq occupation and call for
making peace in the world -through diplomacy, feeding the hungry,
healing the sick, supporting human rights... See information below to
learn how you can be part of this action.
So please join us in rousing the public's conscience with the Chalk
Project and helping with the Defund / Refund Tax Day Demonstration and
the other activities listed below.
Peace,
Ira Harritt
816 931-5256
iharritt at afsc.org <mailto:iharritt at afsc.org>
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Join the
Chalk Project
Marking the 4,000 death of American Troops in Iraq
with Respect and Messages of Peace
Help rouse the public's conscience over the growing deaths in the Iraq
occupation and call for a change from war making to making peace in the
world -through diplomacy, feeding the hungry, healing the sick,
supporting human rights...
Join with others in creating an organic memorial to those who have died
in the Iraq occupation by creating body chalk outlines on streets,
sidewalks or other locations (it works best working with a partner) and
then to chalk the message "Too Many Have Died In Iraq" - and add your
own message of peace-for example: Education Not War; Healthcare Not
Bombing; Butter Not Bullets; Renewable Energy Not Oil warring, Diplomacy
Not Ultimatums, etc.(We ask that you keep it positive. Not curse words
or name calling.)
Our goal is for area activists to make 4,000 body outlines spread
throughout the city.
We offer this caution-it is possible that creating these outlines may be
considered breaking anti-graffiti laws in some places. To help you avoid
this make sure you use only chalk and be willing to wash the chalk away
if a business or homeowner complains.
We would also like to document the outlines created, messages left,
locations and times seen. When you see a Chalk Project body outline we
ask that you e-mail your "sighting" to dmellicker at afsc.org.
Please include in your email the location e.g. "SW corner of 48th
Street and Oak, KCMO), the messages in the outline, and times you saw
it. Please also attach a digital photos in jpeg or pict format if you
are able to take one. Sightings will be posted on a website to be
determined. For info call 816 931-5256.
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Volunteer to help at the
Defund / Refund Tax Day Demonstration
Tuesday, April 15 from 5:30 to 8:00pm
Outside Union Station / KCMO Main Post Office at 30 W. Pershing Rd.,
KCMO
Come and help hold 720 million dollar bills hung from hundreds of feet
of rope, representing the cost of one day of the Iraq War!
We will need 40 to 50 people to hold the ropes, Cost of War Banners and
leaflet people coming to pay their taxes.
Please sign up and help end the war!
Email us at iharritt at afsc.org or call 816 931-5256 to volunteer
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Eyes Wide Open and Cost of War Exhibits were displayed at the March 29th
Heartland Presbytery Festival of Peacemaking conference.
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Upcoming Peace and Justice Activities
Click on link or scroll down for more information about the peace and
justice activity
Peace and Justice Teach-ins will be on a break. For up to date
information go to: http://peaceandjusticecoffeehouse.blogspot.com/
April 4, Friday, Noon - 1:30 p.m. An information sharing and training
for defeating the so-called "Missouri Civil Rights Initiative" UMKC,
University Center, Room 106, 5000 Rockhill Rd., KCMO Are you committed
to Racial, Gender and Economic Justice????
April 5, Saturday, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Salt of the Earth: Palestinian
Christians in the Northern West Bank is a series of lively vignettes
featuring Palestinian Christians in their day-to-day lives. Through
their eyes, we can learn about the situation on the ground in Palestine
and how that affects their struggle to maintain a Christian presence in
the land of Jesus. Citizens for Peace and Justice in the Holy Land Film
and Discussion Series- Holy Spirit Catholic Church 1800 SW 150 Hwy in
south Lee's Summit. There is no charge. For information contact Ann
Hayles, 816-537-6990. RSVPs are requested.
April 6th, 2 pm-4 pm, Prayer for Peace -3MILE WALK, We will begin at
Sanctuary of Hope Retreat Center (2601 Ridge Ave Kansas City, KS.
913-321-4673) and walk to the Shalom Catholic Worker House at 13th and
Parallel, where we will share lemonade and cookies. Please feel free to
join us anywhere along the route, which will be North on 18th Street to
Parallel.
April 11 Friday,7 PM Holy Family Readers Circle - What About Hitler?
Holy Family House, 912 E. 31st St., Kansas City, MO. Alan Lubert leads
a year-long discussion about the book "What About Hitler" by Robert
Brimlow. Must Christians always turn the other cheek and resist
violence? Is it ever justifiable for Christians to retaliate in the face
of evil? Philosopher Robert Brimlow struggles with these questions in
"What about Hitler?" The author skillfully integrates meditations on
scriptural passages, personal reflections on his own challenges to live
nonviolently, and a hard-hitting philosophical examination of pacifism
and just-war doctrine. Both Christian pacifists and defenders of
just-war theory will appreciate this book. In addition, "What about
Hitler?" will appeal to those interested in Christian ethics and
discipleship, including students, pastors, and laity.
April 14 -20, Monday - Sunday, Darfur Awareness Week This week of events
is being presented through the Young Professionals for International
Cooperation, which is a program of the United Nations Association of the
United States of America (UNA-USA) that seeks to engage young
professionals to promote effective US involvement in international
affairs and in the United Nations (UN). The week's activities are also
listed at http://webpages.charter.net/ypickc/
April 28th, Monday, 6:30pm, KC Iraq Task Force Planning Meeting This
will be the regular fourth Monday monthly meeting. We will work on the
4,000th Death Chalk Project, Defund /Refund Tax Day Action and other
activities. Come to the AFSC office, 4405 Gillham Rd., KCMO for
information call 816 931-5256.
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EVERY Sunday: Iraq Peace Vigil, 4pm, JC Nichols Fountain, 47th & Main,
Streets, Kansas City, MO http://www.kciraqtaskforce.org/
EVERY Tuesday, JOIN THIS Peace Demonstration Every Tuesday between 5PM -
6 PM in the median strip on the south corner of the intersection at
63rd & Ward Parkway, Kansas City, Mo. For more information email '63rd
Street Patriots' at schwartzkatz at sbcglobal.net
Every Wednesday, 5:00pm, Iraq Anti-War Protest, College and Quivira,
Overland Park, KS (NW corner). Send a message to Sen. Pat Robert that
it's time to end the war!
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Students, Faculty, Staff and Community Members
Are you committed to
Racial, Gender and Economic Justice????
Please join us for an information sharing and training for defeating the
so-called "Missouri Civil Rights Initiative"
Friday, April 4, 2008
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
University Center - Room 106
UMKC Campus, 5000 Rockhill Road, KC, MO
Agenda
1. What is the "American Civil Rights Institute"
2. What is the "Missouri Civil Rights Initiative"
3. What has been the effect of these so-called "Civil Rights"
initiatives in other states
4. Learn what you can do to help stop this anti equity, anti justice
legislation
Boxed lunches to be served. Please RSVP to 816-235-1323
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Connecting:
A Film and Discussion Series
Join Citizens for Peace and Justice in the Holy Land for a
series of films that will introduce us to the people and the trials of
those living in Israel and Palestine. Guided discussion and
refreshments will be served!
April 5: Salt of the Earth: Palestinian Christians in the
Northern West Bank is a series of lively vignettes featuring Palestinian
Christians in their day-to-day lives. Through their eyes, we can learn
about the situation on the ground in Palestine and how that affects
their struggle to maintain a Christian presence in the land of Jesus.
May 3: The Iron Wall will take us to the Occupied
Territories and teach us about the Security Fence that Israel has
constructed and how that wall impacts the lives of the Palestinians.
This film and discussion series will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic
Church on the first Saturdays of March, April and May from 9:30 to 11:30
a.m. Holy Spirit is located at 1800 SW 150 Hwy in south Lee's Summit.
There is no charge. For information contact Ann Hayles, 816-537-6990.
RSVPs are requested.
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Are you a Mother?
Have you ever had a Mother?
This Mothers Day, be a part of the celebration as it was originally
intended, a voice for peace and against war.
On May 11, 2008, we will honor the work of mothers to teach, in the
words of Mothers Day founder Julia Ward Howe, patience, charity and
mercy.
Stand for Peace
Mothers Day 2008
May 11, 2008, 3:00
Julia's Voice is dedicated to reclaiming Mothers Day as it was intended
by originator Julia Ward Howe, a day to promote peace and speak out
against war.
Join us as we peacefully assemble along the public sidewalk on 95th
Street between Nieman and Quivera, in Overland Park, rain or shine.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, we will line the sidewalk joined by Julia
Ward Howe re-enactors, musicians and other special guests.
Mother's Day was first organized 138 years ago by abolitionist,
suffragette and poet Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 she organized a Mothers
Day for Peace to promote peace and speak out against war.
Julia's Voice is a group of "mothers and others" joined together to
return Mothers Day to its original intent. Sponsors include the Shawnee
Mission Unitarian Universalist Church, True Blue Women of Kansas, Iraq
Veterans Against the War, the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
and American Friends Service Committee of Kansas City.
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News and Action Alerts
Published on Thursday, April 3, 2008 by TruthDig.com
<http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080402_where_do_we_go_from_here/>
Where Do We Go From Here?
by Amy Goodman
It has been 40 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated
in Memphis, Tenn., while standing on the balcony outside his room at the
Lorraine Motel. King was there to support striking sanitation workers,
African-American men who endured horrible working conditions for poverty
wages. While King's staff was opposed to him going, as they were
scrambling to organize King's new initiative, the Poor People's
Campaign, King himself knew that the sanitation workers were at the
front lines of fighting poverty.
I went to Memphis on Dr. King's birthday. There I interviewed Taylor
Rogers, one of the striking sanitation workers who marched with King. He
told me:
"Back in 1968, 1,300 sanitation workers-we were tired of being
mistreated, overworked and underpaid. We decided that we were just going
to stand up and be men and do something about our condition. And that's
what we did. We stood up, and we told [Mayor] Henry Loeb in the city of
Memphis that 'I am a man.' "
While he was organizing against poverty, King also came out forcefully
against the Vietnam War, alienating his erstwhile ally, President Lyndon
Johnson. Exactly one year before his assassination, on April 4, 1967,
King gave his "Beyond Vietnam
<http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm> "
speech at Riverside Church in New York City. He said: "A few years ago,
there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a
real promise of hope for the poor, both black and white, through the
poverty program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then
came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched this program broken and
eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society
gone mad on war. And I knew that America would never invest the
necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as
adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like
some demonic, destructive suction tube. So I was increasingly compelled
to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such." More
> http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/03/8066/
Five Things You Need to Know to Understand the Latest Violence in Iraq
By Joshua Holland and Raed Jarrar, AlterNet
Posted on March 27, 2008, Printed on March 27, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/80580/
Heavy fighting has spread across Shia-dominated enclaves in Iraq over
the past two days. The U.S.-backed regime of Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki has ordered 50,000 Iraqi troops to "crack down" -- with
coalition air support -- on Shiite militias in the oil-rich and
strategically important city of Basra, U.S. forces have surrounded
Baghdad's Sadr City and fighting has been reported in the southern
cities of Kut, Diwaniya, Karbala and Hilla. Basra's main bridge and an
oil pipeline connecting it to Amara were destroyed Wednesday. Six cities
are under curfew, and acts of civil disobedience have shut down dozens
of neighborhoods across the country. Civilian casualties have reportedly
overwhelmed poorly equipped medical centers in Baghdad and Basra.
There are indications that the unilateral ceasefire declared last year
by the nationalist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is collapsing. "The cease-fire
is over; we have been told to fight the Americans," one militiaman loyal
to al-Sadr told the Christian Science Monitor's Sam Dagher by telephone
from Sadr City. Dagher added that the "same man, when interviewed in
January, had stated that he was abiding by the cease-fire and that he
was keeping busy running his cellular phone store."
A political track is also in play: Sadr has called on his followers to
take to the streets to demand Maliki's resignation, and nationalist
lawmakers in the Iraqi Parliament, led by al-Sadr's block, are trying to
push a no-confidence vote challenging the prime minister's regime.
The conflict is one that the U.S. media appears incapable of describing
in a coherent way. The prevailing narrative is that Basra has been ruled
by mafialike militias -- which is true -- and that Iraqi government
forces are now cracking down on the lawlessness in preparation for
regional elections, which is not. As independent analyst Reider Visser
noted <http://www.historiae.org/sawlah.asp> :
On closer inspection, there are problems in these accounts. Perhaps most
importantly, there is a discrepancy between the description of Basra as
a city ruled by militias (in the plural) ... [and the] facts of the
ongoing operations, which seem to target only one of these militia
groups, the Mahdi Army loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. Surely, if the aim was
to make Basra a safer place, it would have been logical to do something
to also stem the influence of the other militias loyal to the local
competitors of the Sadrists, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq [SIIC],
as well as the armed groups allied to the Fadila party (sic) (which have
dominated the oil protection services for a long time). But so far, only
Sadrists have complained about attacks by government forces.
The conflict doesn't conform to the analysis of the roots of Iraqi
instability as briefed by U.S. officials in the heavily-fortified Green
Zone. It also doesn't fit into the simplistic but popular narrative of a
country wrought by sectarian violence, and its nature is obscured by the
labels that the commercial media uncritically apply to the disparate
centers of Iraqi resistance to the occupation.
The "crackdown" comes on the heels of the approval of a new "provincial
law," which will ultimately determine whether Iraq remains a unified
state with a strong central government or is divided into
sectarian-based regional governates. The measure calls for provincial
elections in October, and the winners of those elections will determine
the future of the Iraqi state. Control of the country's oil wealth, and
how its treasure will be developed, will also be significantly
influenced by the outcome of the elections.
It's a relatively straightforward story: Iraq is ablaze today as a
result of an attempt to impose Colombian-style democracy on the unstable
country: Maliki's goal, shared by the like-minded allies among the
Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities that dominate his administration,
and with at least tacit U.S. approval, is to kill off the opposition and
then hold a vote.
More> http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/80580/?page=entire
The Internal Shia Conflict in Iraq
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZt2S3QMXr4
Al Jazeera English, 26 March
Bush Administration Takes Credit for Iraqi Offensive in Basra
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/31727.html
McClarchy, Nancy Youssef, 26 March 2008
Alternet: War on Iraq Series
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/
These two short videos from a symposium on Iraqi refugees organized last
May are still relevant. It can be a quick tutorial to the impact of
on-going decisions of the US to ignore the political process being
pursued by Iraqis.
The roots of violence in Iraq (1min 19 sec)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnfemknyrS4
19 May 2007
The U.S. Role in Violence in Iraq (3min 4 sec)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVVU7PdjcAA
19 May 2007
Full playlist: Symposium on Iraqi Refugees (19 May 2007)
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B1B91EDC675FC36F
Kristele Younis, Noah Merrill, Raed Jarrar
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RE: Iraqi Families in Your Community
After my visit to Jordan and Syria
<http://www.afsc.org/iraq/refugees/report.htm> in November, it was
clear we needed to find a better way to reach out to Iraqi families
being resettled as refugees in the United States. The advisory group I
became involved with in Philadelphia has been a remarkable experience,
introducing me to a new set of activists wanting to be directly involved
with helping mend the wounds of this war.
There are members from faith communities, civil rights advocates, social
workers, academics, lots of students (Temple, Penn, Bryn Mawr, Haverford
and Villanova), business leaders and many Iraqis from the area. It is a
community that gives, but more importantly is rewarded knowing their
efforts are helping families that are facing great challenges.
I know there are other communities across the country also working with
resettlement agencies to help families adjust and settle into a new
life. I would like to learn about your experience, and perhaps feature
your stories.
The Appeal
We have started a new blog called Living Beyond Borders
<http://livingbeyondborders.blogspot.com/> . The plan is to have this
become a venue where people can learn more about the refugee crisis, but
also share experiences of communities working with Iraqi families in the
United States. While some stories are being profiled in the media
(stories below), collecting them in one spot would help show the
collective efforts of communities across the country. It can also be a
way to attack people to your particular efforts. Ideally we would start
a network. It can start by sending me your stories or links to articles
you think are of value.
Some Profiles and Stories
St. Gregory provides more than a home for refugees
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/867974,CST-NWS-stgreg30.article
Chicago Sun-Times, 30 March 2008
The two Iraqi teens sit close in their classroom at St. Gregory the
Great High School, whispering to each other as teacher Charles Pierce
tries to teach them to read English.
"What is it?" Pierce finally asks, knowing he does not have the
attention of the two refugees who arrived in the United States just
three weeks ago.
"She wants to see your tattoo," 15-year-old Noor Ghanim Malek Alwaan
says, giggling as she outs her sister Rand, 18, who punches her.
Pierce laughs, pushing up a shirt sleeve to show the body art that had
distracted the girls.
"My God!" Rand blurts.
Pierce goes with the flow, and a discussion on tattoos ensues before
they return to their studies.
The Iraqi girls are among nine refugee children -- relocated to Chicago
through a United Nations program -- who have found a home at St. Gregory
on the North Side. And more are on their way.
Photo Gallery From St. Gregory
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/868514,033008stgregg.photogallery
Iraqi refugees get free schooling at Dominican University in San Rafael
http://www.marinij.com/ci_8753563
Marin Independent Journal, 30 March 2008
Refugee Family Starts New Life (Tucson, AZ)
http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=773761
25 March 2008
Iraqi Family in Brattleboro, VT
http://www.reformer.com/ci_8675410?source=email
24 March 2008
How You Can Get Involved
Click here to find ways you can Get involved.
<http://www.afsc.org/iraq/refugees/resettlement.htm> In addition, here
is a listing <http://www.afsc.org/iraq/refugees/agencies.htm> of all
the organizations that are resettling refugees in the United States.
Not all of the agencies are working with Iraqi refugees, but this state
by state listing can get you started.
*************
Final Thoughts
*************
Iraq: Living the Nightmare
http://www.afsc.org/iraq/documents/living-the-nightmare.pdf
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