Congress Needs to Hear from You About Syria
Congress need to hear that their constituents are opposed to any authorization for the use of military power in Syria. (See phone numbers below.) This past week, we’ve watched something unexpectedly hopeful: people all across the United States saying they are tired of war and are opposed to yet another military intervention. And remarkably, this mobilization has been so sudden and so powerful that members of Congress appear to be listening to the voice of their constituents. The recent statements of the Russian and Syrian governments offers some prospect of a peaceful solution. And the eagerness of the Obama Administration to seize on that initiative reflects the pressure we are generating here in the United States. But it is far…
Youth in Danger: Police Brutality & the School to Prison Pipeline
Join WWFOR’s 2013 Peace Activist Trainees for a March & Rally on Tuesday July 30 at 4 pm, beginning at Garfield High School (400 23rd Ave in Seattle). We will march to the King County Juvenile Detention Center. Take a stand against police brutality and the school to prison pipeline. Help spread awareness and protest police brutality and the targeting and criminalization of youth, as well as corrupt school systems. For too long youth have been targeted by police and the criminal justice system. The armed forces in our own cities are stereotyping, racially profiling, and are quick to make assumptions. The school systems have developed a vicious pipeline of practically sending students to prison from school. They discourage students…
U.S. Unions Join El Salvador Workers to Reject U.S. Privatization Push
by KC Bridges From April 27th to May 4th, fourteen members of U.S. unions traveled to El Salvador to march alongside the Salvadoran workers on International Worker’s Day and denounce U.S. pressure on El Salvador to pass a highly controversial privatization measure. The delegation, run through the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), was made up of workers from airports, the health care sector, and education, among others. From Seattle were Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm, the Regional Director of Seattle CISPES and a coordinator of the WWFOR Peace Activist Training (PAT) Program; Socrates Bravo, an airport worker at Sea-Tac who is currently struggling with his coworkers for a union; and KC Bridges, a student at Seattle University, volunteer…
Conversation Involves Listening
by Chuck Schultz People waste a lot of time contemplating who is more intelligent than whom. They assume that people carry an IQ around in their heads. But IQs don’t exist in heads. An IQ is a score on a test. What test? Well there are a lot of tests designed to measure IQs. And they actually measure a wide variety of things. Commonly they measure knowledge of the meanings of English words. Sometimes they measure analogies or mathematical problem solving. “Non verbal” IQ tests may measure the ability to see similarities among figures. Sometimes they measure the ability to remember what you heard a few seconds ago, such as a string of digits. Or your ability to repeat them…
“Do It While I’m Here”
by Ellen Finkelstein “When I’m Gone” by Phil Ochs is in my head. I’m busy scheduling interviews with 25 applicants for WWFOR’s Peace Activist Trainee (PAT) summer program [most ever!!] while juggling numerous other projects & events. One week in April stands out and illustrates what I do – and WWFOR does. We connect with many different issues, support our allies, link different threads through our understanding of change and with our commitment to nonviolence. Rosy Betz-Zall & I did a nonviolent direct action training for Olympia FOR’s climate crisis group that drew about 25 people. The next two days, WWFOR and friends held penny polls in six neighborhoods in Seattle around Tax Day, gathering 450 responses about how people…
What about Military Chaplains?
by Larry Kerschner I was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1967. During Basic Training about once a month there was a mass meeting with the military chaplain in which we were allowed to ask questions. When I questioned the legality of the war in Vietnam under international law, the chaplain invited me to sit down and be quiet. At the time I just saw the chaplain as another officer with authority over me. Even though I attended Catholic school from K-12, I had only political questions about the war not ethical or moral questions. I had vaguely heard of the Just War Theory but had no idea how antithetical this argument is to the true message of the non-violent…
Solidarity on Climate Change
by Robert F. W. Whitlock The Editor of Pacific Call contacted me a few days ago to ask if I would write an article on the topic of Climate Change. I told him I could probably have something within a week. I wanted time to think about how to approach the topic, in hopes of writing a meaningful and high-impact article. I was also looking forward to attending an Environmental Summit in Portland, hosted by Maitripa College, where the Dalai Lama was scheduled to speak. After a week, I wrote him still struggling with the approach. The topic of climate change is huge, it’s implications and ramifications far and wide ranging, indeed, perhaps no aspect of life on Earth has…
Still Time to Register for Seabeck Conference!
The 55th annual Northwest Regional FOR conference on July 4-7 has room for you! Join us to explore “Harnessing Outrage & Compassion: Awakening the Power of Nonviolence.” This year we will be joined by the coordinator of International FOR, Francesco Candelari. Details at https://wwfor.org/projects/seabeck-conference-2013/ Think about how you want to join in with our wonderful musicians in “I Believe that Peace Will Come” (recorded by Todd Boyle at 2012 conference.) Come for 3 days of learning and sharing, renewal and fun as we explore the power of nonviolence – how it can be used to harness our outrage at injustice and express our compassion toward all. Contact Seabeck conference registrar Louise Lansberry at seabeck@wwfor.org or 206-364-2037 now.
Seabeck Conference — Logistics & More Information
SEABECK CONFERENCE CENTER Seabeck is on beautiful Hood Canal, fifteen miles west of Bremerton, Washington. Bedding and towels are provided to guests at the Conference Center. Sleeping in RVs is not permitted. Family style meals will be served from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch. Vegetarian meals will be served, with meat available at some meals. If you have special dietary needs, please indicate this on the registration form. Recreation opportunities include swimming, row boating on the lagoon, tennis, horseshoes, ping-pong, volleyball, basketball, hiking, music, and crafts. Bring swimwear and comfortable shoes. Be prepared for wet, dry, warm, or cool weather. ACCOMMODATIONS Seabeck Conference Center’s website www.seabeck.org/ provides descriptions of each housing building and floor plans. Except for 10 single rooms…
Penny Polls on Tax Day in Seattle: Align Our Budget with Our Values
How would you spend our nation’s tax dollars for a year – a total of $1,242 trillion? On April 14 and 15, 450 people in different neighborhoods in Seattle were asked to make that decision. Each person participating was given 10 pennies, each penny representing $124 billion. Here is how Seattle voted in the five categories: Pentagon – 6.1% Humanitarian Aid –13.5% Environment – 23.5% Health Care – 25.1% Education – 31.7% Graphic version of results These numbers are a stark contrast to the way that our income taxes are actually being spent in 2013. Instead of the military budget (past and present) dominating the budget at 47%, this clearly demonstrates that people in Seattle are calling out for re-prioritizing…
