by Chuck Schultz Democracy can be defined in different ways.  Democracy can be a principle or it can be a process.  These do not necessarily co-exist. Every group of people develops rules and traditions concerning how members of the group are expected to behave.  Customs cover such factors as respect, space, property, decorum, resources, food, clothing, and decoration.  The people accept the customs as fair and feel that they determine how things ought to be.  For example, Americans rise when the judge enters a courtroom. A group’s customs create hierarchies, responsibilities, and consequences.  People at the top of a hierarchy sometimes abuse privileges.  Some people may be disadvantaged in ways that are of no useful purpose to anyone.  Considerate people…

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…

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…

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…