Help Move SJM 8014 on Afghan War & Its Costs to the Floor
Sign the petition to move Senate Joint Memorial 8014 out of the Rules Committee and to the Senate floor. The deadline is Tuesday, February 14 at 5 pm. SJM 8014 requests a reduction in federal military spending and ending the war in Afghanistan. While similar efforts passed the National Mayors’ Conference in 2011 and a number of city councils (including Seattle, and, recently, Portland OR and Charlottesville VA), WA could be the first state to take such a stand. You can watch the testimony from Feb 2 hearing before the Government Operations Committee at: http://t.co/EWNgrTDU We need your help to get 8014 passed in the WA State: At least one Senator on the Rules Committee must choose to pull the…
Bring Our Billions Home video
Watch the latest Bring Our Billion$ Home video. Or view the Seattle concert “Voices of the 99%: Speak, Sing & Play Your Piece.”
Expressions from Ellen
by Ellen Finkelstein I first met members of Western Washington FOR in the months leading up to the start of the Iraq War. I joined with them – and others – to form SNOW (Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War). It seems like a lifetime ago. For many, it is. And now, “the war is over.” So do we declare “victory”? Should peace activists declare “Mission accomplished” and turn our sights elsewhere? It seems talking about war – the costs of war, its lasting impact, the effect of militarism – is suddenly out of favor, even with some in the peace and justice movement. It seems people no longer want to contemplate 4,500 American dead and 60,000 wounded, nor the impact…
Bringing the (Musical) Message Home
by Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm This summer, civil rights activist Dr. Bernard LaFayette told me stories of how he and his friends not only survived but thrived in jail. When they were incarcerated for standing up for their rights as equal citizens, they wouldn’t mope around waiting for bail or even chant angrily. Instead, they sang. They sang and laughed and bonded with the watchman talking about his family. There is just something about music that is magical fuel for a movement, and I wanted to hear and feel more of it in our call to Bring Our Billions Home from war and greed. I wanted to move beyond just Dylan and Lennon covers as recycled bread and butter of protest songs,…
The Next American Revolution
A review by John Repp Looking for ideas of hope, I picked up this book The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-first Century by Grace Lee Boggs (before the Occupy Wall Street movement). It is a small book that is very rich in ideas and hope. Grace Lee Boggs has been an activist for over 70 years, living in Detroit since 1953. She is now 95 years old with the energy of a 25 year old. When seen on Democracy Now she always has a big smile on her face. She is Chinese-American who got a PhD in philosophy in 1940 but could not get a job in academia. She became a political activist after seeing the success…
Seattle FOR Afghanistan program rescheduled for February 19
Seattle FOR program on Afghanistan has been rescheduled for February 19. Watch WWFOR members’ presentation about their recent trip to Afghanistan.
Voices of the 99%: Speak, Sing and Play Your Peace concert
Friday Dec 9 at the Gypsy Cafe (3510 Stone Way N, Seattle) at 7:30 pm. $5 sliding scale. All Ages. “Voices of the 99%: Speak, Sing and Play Your Peace” concert featuring artists who creatively call for Human Needs Not War and Greed. Part of WWFOR’s Bring Our Billions Home campaign. For more info, www.facebook.com/events/284555508242788/
Call to Occupy the Capitol and Bring Our Billions Home
Video Call to Bring Our Billions Home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA5yc5G5amU Occupy the Capitol starting Monday, November 28th, 2011 to show that we can’t afford taking even more funding away from social services we desperately need like healthcare, education, and environmental programs. We need jobs, not war! Join Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation (WWFOR) and American Friends Services Committee (AFSC) in calling on our budgeting powerholders to “Bring Our Billion$ Home!” Occupy the Capitol during the Special Legislative Session. Join WWFOR and many others on Mon. Nov 28 and Tues. Nov 29. It’s time to raise our collective voice. And support your local Occupy: Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Seattle, Occupy Tacoma, Occupy Olympia, Occupy Wenatchee, and more.
Occupy the Capitol: Nov 28 and beyond
Occupy the Capitol during the Special Legislative Session. Join WWFOR and many others on Mon. Nov 28 and Tues. Nov 29. It’s time to raise our collective voice. And support your local Occupy: Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Seattle, Occupy Tacoma, Occupy Olympia, Occupy Wenatchee, and more.
Prosecute Those Who Ordered Torture
Prosecute those who ordered torture – by Rob Crawford, published in Seattle Times online on Nov 16, 2011
