“We are the 99%” is being proclaimed from Wall Street to Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham, Olympia, Yakima Valley, and points between and beyond. 900+ cities around the world held “Occupy” mobilizations on Oct. 15. It’s hard to miss that people are angry about the current economic crisis, yearning for change. Many of those involved in the actual occupations are young and motivated by student loan debts and/or lack of jobs and opportunities. However, there is an amazing diversity of people participating – students, teachers, machinists, health-care workers, homeless, lawyers, retired, unemployed, parents and their children. I’ve spent time at Occupy Seattle at Westlake and have been energized, heartened, frustrated, challenged, and moved. The courage and commitment will bolster you if your…

by Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm “We’d like our dollars to feed our daughters and not be fodder to greed and war, so bring them home,” I sang with five strangers I had met five minutes earlier at Occupy Seattle. We sat on the cold concrete at Westlake Park, but the spirit of meaningful community was warming my heart. This is a time in history when nonviolent action is pulsing through the world, and the younger generation is finally getting out into the streets instead of only clicking tweets to show political dissent. People are fed up with corporations and Wall Street. There is momentum with the Occupy protests around the country. Our role as Fellowship of Reconciliation activists is to ramp up…

Sat Nov 19, evening, 5-8:30 pm, at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church, 225 N 70th, Seattle; Fun and Fundraising Auction to benefit WWFOR. Super salad supper, dessert auction, multigenerational auctioneer team, and lots of great items in the live and silent auctions! Bid on entertainment and other experiences, meals, art items, and much more. Come for the camaraderie, and perhaps your holiday shopping too! Support FOR’s work while you have a good time. Suggested door donation $10- 15 includes supper. lnfo at 206-789-5565. Click to view AuctionFlyer4.

When we think about stopping war, we think about Afghanistan, lraq, and elsewhere. But we also want to stop the wars against poor people, the working class, immigrants, Muslims, dissenters, gays and lesbians, the environment, public education, and other people and entities that are being systematically targeted. The public and the peace movement recognize that military veterans have special credibility when they speak and act against war. The other wars listed above have made many more people into “veterans” –  veterans of the wars against the poor, the working class, and so forth. What can we learn from each other’s struggles? How can we practice solidarity as allies with people who are being targeted? How can we work together for…