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…

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…

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…

by Ellen Finkelstein “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” – Mother Teresa First the fiscal “cliff,” then” sequestration,” now budget extension. The gimmicks and machinations in the other Washington continue. The real meaning is the impact of rampant militarization and Pentagon spending on the lives of people in this Washington (and elsewhere). Organizing to empower people to share their stories and work together to make a difference was a goal behind the recent people’s forum (see page 2) in Seattle. WWFOR and allies will continue to work strategically to make a splash. Olympia FOR’s Confronting the Climate Crisis Committee helped…

“Harnessing Outrage and Compassion: Awakening the Power of Nonviolence” is the theme of FOR’s 2013 Pacific NW Regional Conference held this year on July 4-7. This annual conference (our 55th!) draws about 200 people and is organized in alternate years by Western Washington FOR and Oregon FOR. Join us 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. This year we especially welcome members from around the country of the eleven Religious Peace Fellowships affiliated with FOR. Enjoy workshops, keynotes, music, fun, and fellowship in the beautiful natural setting of the Seabeck Conference Center…

The “Solve the Budget Puzzle” forum in Seattle on Friday Feb 22 drew about 85 people. Members of the community shared short, compelling stories about the impacts of the economic crash in their own communities. The wide range of issues and concerns included education, Head Start, homelessness, health care, social security & Medicare, mental health, poverty, prisons, veterans’ issues, Pentagon cuts, food banks/hunger. You can watch video of the stories (thanks to Dennis Mills): https://wwfor.org/latest-news/solving-the-budget-puzzle-sharing-our-stories-with-our-representatives/ Staff from Congressmen Jim McDermott and Adam Smith’s offices attended and were visibly moved; they shared their own reactions to the stories. People were encouraged to join in future actions to Protect Human Needs & Cut Pentagon Spending. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell chose…

by Marion Ward An interested group of people from Washington and Oregon met in Olympia on Feb. 23rd to discuss drone/robotic warfare and implications for the future. There are a lot of activities happening throughout the country and there were discussions about what might be done in the Northwest in conjunction with national efforts. National days of action are planned for April 4-7 (drone manufacturers), April 16-18 (drone research), and April 27-28 (drone bases).  Up-to-date information on national efforts can be found at www.knowdrones.org and www.droneswatch.org. Both Oregon and Washington have bills regulating drones pending in their respective legislatures. Hearings have already been held in committees in Washington. The four largest universities in Washington and Oregon all have military  contracts…

by Larry Kerschner On February 1, 1968, my Infantry company was involved in an “action” that resulted in the killing of over 100 men and women in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam. Most Americans know something about the massacre at My Lai.  What most Americans don’t know is that the My Lai atrocity was one of hundreds of similar massacres that occurred during the American War in Viet Nam. A recent book Kill Anything That Moves: the Real American War in Viet Nam by Nick Turse carefully documents (with many footnotes) the commonplace “search and destroy” attitude that pervaded the U.S. military from the lowliest grunt to the highest command. In 1967, after some news reports about atrocities being…

by Susan Donaldson WWFOR’s 2013 Spring Assembly on April 20, 2013, “Challenges of Nonviolence and Sustainability,” will feature a short keynote address by mild-mannered but fearless priest Bill (“Bix”) Bichsel of Tacoma on the encouragement he felt from meeting with Scottish and British anti-nuclear activists last fall that we can do away with nuclear weapons. Workshops will focus on both economic and environmental justice and on the effectiveness of nonviolent means for bringing about sustainable change. Much that we see and experience in our current world disturbs and disappoints us: jobs continue to disappear; our economic system encourages us to spend, accumulate stuff, and then throw it away—and then scolds and punishes us for not saving; hundreds of millions of…

by Brenda Collier National FOR is in the process of regionalization.  They hope this process will help them move to a more grassroots organization.  To do this they are planning to have six regional coordinator/organizers.  Many of you will remember the Reverend Lucas Johnson from the last two years at Seabeck.  He has been hired to be the coordinator for the South-East region. The WWFOR Area Committee has been working with national FOR to see how this will affect us.  Looking at the job description, WWFOR sees the need for two separate positions currently: the WWFOR organizer (currently Ellen Finkelstein) and the regional coordinator/organizer. The former would continue to be funded within WWFOR and the regional position would be funded by…