Support 2014 Peace Activist Trainees (PATs)
Two opportunities to support this year’s fabulous Peace Activist Trainees (PATs): Monday July 28 (6-8 pm) at Westlake Plaza and Wednesday July 30 (1 pm) at Victor Steinbrueck Park (just north of Pike Place Market) New Youth Jail: Is Incarceration the Answer? Monday July 28 Westlake Park 6-8 pm Is incarceration the best option for troubled youth? Come to Westlake Park from 6-8 pm on Monday, July 28th for more information on the Prison Industrial Complex and how racism and classism tie into who is incarcerated. The evening will consist of a thought-provoking activity about privilege, a few powerful speakers, a community art project and more information about the opposition of the new “Children and Family Justice Center” King County is…
Deja Vu: No Military Intervention in Iraq
Tell President Obama and Congress to stay out of Iraq. Stop providing arms to the government of Iraq. Do not conduct bombing missions of any sort in Iraq, including drone strikes and do not put troops on the ground. It is clear that after decades of war, adding more weapons and violence to the war torn country is not in the best interest of the Iraqi or American people. U.S. intervention will not stop the violence, it will only add new fuel to an already raging fire. Join local protest to make visible in the streets the mass sentiment against U.S. renewed intervention in Iraq. Call President Obama Phone: (202) 456-1111, Fax: (202) 456-2461 Contact your Senator and Representative Sign…
Mike Yarrow Memorial: July 19
A memorial will be held on Saturday July 19 at 1 pm at the University Friends Meeting, 4001 9th Ave NE, 98105. You can read obituary in the Seattle Times (Friday, June 13)
June 2014 Pacific Call Newsletter Available
The June 2014 Pacific Call newsletter is available as individual articles and as a pdf: https://wwfor.org/wp-content/uploads/June-2014-print-Pacific-Call.pdf You can access the June-August calendar at https://wwfor.org/wp-content/uploads/WWFOR-June-2014-Calendar.pdf or view the online calendar. You can also choose to read the articles below by clicking on links below in “Notes from the Pacific Call,” clicking on “Read our Blog” in box to the right, or navigating with the News/Media tab to The Pacific Call.
“We Just Do the Best We Can”
by Ellen Finkelstein I have been reminded by our collective loss about how much one person influences so many lives. Some touch us profoundly and we are [temporarily] unsure how to carry the work of justice forward. Maya Angelou was an incredibly strong voice of resilience and hope for me. At a time when I needed to believe, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” let me know that it is possible to survive and thrive. Her powerful voice and amazing history influenced me and generations of women (and men) to find my voice, to stand with those who are oppressed, to struggle for justice, to be an active change-maker, and to find joy. Mike Yarrow told his granddaughter shortly…
Anarchism, Sabotage, and Direct Action
by Larry Kerschner Anarchism, sabotage, and Direct Action are terms that are generally misunderstood. The standard media propaganda would have you picture a wild-eyed bomb thrower when you see these terms. Anarchism is actually based on the belief that it is not necessary to have a government, or any form of authority, in order for people to do the right thing and that the core elements of human nature include sentiments of solidarity, mutual support, sympathy, and concern for others. Those who don’t believe that a co-operative society is possible need to take a closer look at our current society. Most people co-operate in mutual aid on a daily basis. Laws and regulations attempt to show a model of society…
Envisioning a Sustainable WWFOR
by Brenda Collier, Facilitator, Transition Committee How do we get there? At the February Area Committee meeting, we finally acknowledged that WWFOR cannot afford staff: The treasurer had nightmares of waking up one payday without money in the bank to meet payroll! So a “Transition Committee” was set up to make a plan. [We are currently expecting to pay our full-time Organizer (Ellen Finkelstein) through September and our part time Office-Manager (Sara Rinehart) through November.] The future the Transition Committee envisions is for a streamlined WWFOR where much of the responsibility rests with chapters and individuals and where information can be easily be shared on the Internet, facilitating better communication between FOR members and chapters across the Western Washington region. …
Washington State Religious Campaign Against Torture
by Tom Ewell It is now well established that the U.S. government condoned and practiced torture during the Bush administration. Two reports have confirmed this fact. One report was researched and reported in 2013 by a bi-partisan team on behalf of the Constitution Project. The New York Times headline following the release of the report was “Indisputable Torture.” This report was highlighted at a June 3, 2014 event initiated by the Washington State Religious Campaign Against Torture (WSRCAT ), and co-sponsored by a number of other organizations [including WWFOR], as we welcomed Brigadier General David Irvine, who served as a member on the Constitution Project panel, and other guests and local experts to an evening program of information that provided…
Pacific Call Needs New Editor
by Larry Kerschner, Editor In 1955 the FOR area newsletter was re-named “Northwest Area FOR Newsletter” but continued to be produced at the FOR Far West office in Berkeley, CA. It was intended to cover news of the area comprising the Puget Sound area, lower British Columbia, and the Inland Empire. In 1981 the newsletter of the Washington-British Columbia FOR was re-named again to the “Pacific Call.” Pacific as in “pacifism” and call as in “spread the word and get involved.” The newsletter at that time was edited by Bruce Kokopeli (Bruce Pruitt-Hamm). In September 1984 Lisa Hicks and Bill Anthis became co-editors of the Pacific Call. In September 1985 Brenda Burton became Editor of the Pacific Call. In January…
WWFOR Membership and Chapter Support Committee
by Glen Anderson The Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation (WWFOR) believes in the power of grassroots organizing to promote peace, social justice and nonviolence. When grassroots people come together in local groups (whether in local FOR chapters or other grassroots groups), we can accomplish a lot. For the past 40 years WWFOR has had (off and on) a committee dedicated to reaching out to recruit new people into FOR, to strengthen existing chapters, and to start new chapters. Now that WWFOR cannot afford to continue employing paid staff, it is much more important than ever that we build up our grassroots people-power. WWFOR’s Area Committee recently approved the recommendation from our Transition Committee (which is helping us transition to an…
