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 On May 18-20 in Chicago, on the eve of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit, join the global grassroots peace and justice movement at the Counter-Summit for Peace and Economic Justice.
Meet the delegations from NATO countries. Hear about what Afghan organizers are doing in the US, Canada and UK to organize in the Afghan community for peace. Exchange with Afghanistan war veterans on their struggles to over come the effects of wars. Learn how peace activists in Europe are organizing to get US nuclear weapons out of bases in their countries, and why we need to work together to prevent a new US – Russian nuclear arms race.
28 workshops will explore: NATO’s new role as a global military and economic alliance; organizing a grassroots movement to move the money from the Pentagon to fund jobs and human needs; preventing a war in Iran and ending the war in Afghanistan and wars for all time; campaigning to close US bases around the world; skills-building and training for organizing at the intersection of anti-militarism and economic justice and more.
4 Plenaries with speakers who will examine the interconnections among economic and racial justice, workers rights and peace, militarism at home and abroad.
Speakers include: Sarita Gupta – Jobs with Justice, Suraia Sahar – founding member of Afghans for Peace, Tom Hayden – Peace and Justice Resource Center, Tania Unzueta – Immigrant Youth Justice League, John Nichols – The Nation, Kathy Kelly – Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Vijay Prashad – author of Arab Spring, Libyan Winter, and Tobias Pflüger, former member of the European Parliament. And others to be confirmed.
Register online. Find hotel and hostel information here.
Check the NATO-Free Future website for new articles which explore the issues and challenges we face in working towards a NATO-free future.
On May 20 march with the Afghanistan veterans to the NATO Summit to return their medals to the NATO Generals.
Speakers, organizers, researchers and historians are available to come to your city or town for your own local Counter-summit before the May 18-19 Counter-summit in Chicago.
Power to the Peaceful! A new global grassroots peace and justice movement is rising.
May 11, 2012
5:30 Pacific Time / 8:30 pm Eastern Time
Call Number: (424) 203-8400
Code: 569283#
UNITED For PEACE AND JUSTICE INVITES YOU TO JOIN US ON A CALL to hear from, and talk with, three powerful voices on the question of what is happening now in Syria. They will share information and perspectives about the current situation, the history of the uprising and a way forward. We will hear from patent attorney Munes Tomeh, minority rights activist and blogger Suzan Boulad, and Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco Dr. Stephen Zunes. See more about the speakers below.
From the speakers:
“The uprising in Syria has raged for more than a year now, claiming the lives of more than ten thousand people, with tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands detained and tortured. What is going on in Syria, and what is the history behind the present uprising? What options are there for people who believe in social justice to help support the struggle of the Syrian people to end five decades of single party rule and an end to a repressive police state where arbitrary detention and military/security court trials are common for civilians, torture rampant, and any voice of dissent is not tolerated?”
 Suzan Boulad Ms. Boulad is a Syrian youth and a recent graduate with a degree in International Relations from Mills College. She is an avid follower of the Arab Spring with a particular interest in minority rights. She works as a blogger for a minority rights organization, Mideast Youth, with a focus on Kurdish rights. |
 Munes Tomeh Mr. Tomeh is a patent attorney based in San Jose. Since the beginning of the Arab Spring, Munes has been involved in helping to organize solidarity with various uprisings from Tunisia to Yemen. Growing up as a Syrian, and seeing the fear that Syrians have lived with for decades, the Syrian uprising has inspired him to try to mobilize the Syrian American community to help end the repression of the Assad regime. He is currently the president of the Northern California chapter of the Syrian American Council. |
 Dr. Stephen Zunes Dr. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he chairs the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He serves as a senior policy analyst for the Foreign Policy in Focus project of the Institute for Policy Studies and chair of the academic advisory committee for the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. |
NO WAR ON IRAN*
END ALL WARS
Global Day of Action AGAINST Military Spending
April 17th, noon-5pm
Oakland Federal Building
1301 Clay St
Oakland
What would YOU do with $2 billion of our tax dollars EVERY DAY? Our Congress & President spend it on wars! And now they are threatening to make a new war on Iran too!
Come to the Oakland Federal Building and declare END WARS, NO WAR ON IRAN!
On this tax day, REFUSE to give your tax money for continued wars & occupations, INCUDLING this threatened attack on Iran!
REDIRECT our resources! Bring yourselves along with your tax dollars, food, books, plants, bicycles, medical supplies, signs, etc. – any of the things you want our taxes to go for – to the Oakland Federal Building and help distribute our resources to the people, NOT to wars, occupations, genocides!!!
Stand with CodePINK, Northern War Tax Resistance, BAY-Peace, Courage to Resist, Afghans for Peace, Women in Black, IVAW, Occupy Oakland, Stanford Says NO to Wars, Grandmothers for Peace, Global Exchange, Occupy Concord, ISM, West County Toxics Coalition and all concerned U.S. folks to insist NO NEW WARS & END ALL WARS!
Noon – 5pm in front of the Oakland Federal Building, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland.
Street theater, music, food, visuals: where our tax money is going; our war economy and the military attacks on other countries (off the U.S. land mass) since 1798!
For more information email info@bayareacodepink.org or call 510-540-7007
Monday, Nov. 28, 12-3 pm
Friends Meeting House, 65 Ninth St., SF
Please RSVP to obtcc_at-request@npogroups.org
Lunch will be provided at 12 Noon. The meeting will start at 1 pm.
Only signatories to the Occupy Be the Change Pledge (see below) will be able to participate fully. Others are welcome to observe.
Proposed Agenda:
- Welcome and Introductions: Why are you here?
- Selection of Facilitator and Note Taker. Proposed: Facilitator, Jan Hartsough; Note Taker, Steve Leeds.
- Adoption of the Agenda and Our Process for Today:
- Decision-making. Proposed: We first try to reach 100% consensus and if that fails make decisions with an 80% super-majority of those voting.
- Time Frame. Proposed: That we agree to proceed with this agenda at a thoughtful pace, complete as much as we can, and adjourn at 3 pm.
- A Moment of Silence
- Reflections on the Pledge
- Mission. Proposed: That our primary mission is to help transform our society into a truly nonviolent and compassionate community dedicated to the common good of all humanity by continuing to actively support and participate in the Occupy movement.
- Next Steps?
- Next Meeting. When shall we meet again? Day or evening? Meal?
- Announcements.
- Evaluation of this Meeting.
- Adjournment.
Occupy Be the Change Pledge
As a participant in the Occupy movement, I hereby commit my whole self to nonviolence. Therefore to the best of my ability:
I am firmly committed to nonviolence as a way of life, not merely as a tactic.
I meet violence with compassion for others and myself.
I walk, talk and act in love and nonviolence.
I refrain from verbal and physical violence.
I do not accept “a diversity of tactics” when those tactics are violent or damage property.
I am open, respectful, and kind with everyone I encounter.
I invite the 1% to join us and will not insult them.
I seek justice and reconciliation so that we are all winners.
I avoid both selfishness and power trips.
I strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health as we work to build a just and democratic society.
One can sign the Pledge by sending an email to obtcc_at-request@npogroups.org with “Pledge” in the Subject line and “I sign” in the body.
NOTES:
* Neither Occupy SF nor any other occupation has endorsed or adopted this pledge, which is being circulated by the Occupy Be the Change Caucus, which is open to participants in any Occupy.
* If you sign, we’ll add your name to the list of signatories at http://goo.gl/lKRPh and invite you to subscribe to Be the Change News and participate in Membership Meetings.
* The founders of the Caucus-the original signatories, most of whom helped write the Pledge, which was inspired by Dr. King’s 1963 nonviolence pledge-were: Adam Baratz, Zoe Christopher, Roma Guy, David Hartsough, Mary Hudson, Wade Hudson, Ruth Lang, Steve Leeds, Rhonda Magee, Brenda Salgado, Muki Karen Villanueva, and angel Kyodo williams.
* The Meeting House is 1.5 blocks from the BART/MUNI Civic Center Station. Please enter through the South Door, closest to Mission Street. Ring the “Quakers – 1st floor” bell to the left of the door. The Friends Meetinghouse is accessible. No alcohol in the Meetinghouse
United for Peace and Justice has declared August Nuclear Free Future Month – a month of education and action for a world free of nuclear weapons and nuclear power! Visit www.nuclearfreefuture.org to endorse the Call to Action, access or add to a calendar of events, and view a variety of action ideas and educational resources.
Start the month by casting your vote in the New Priorities Network budget poll! Tell the President and Congress what you think of the alternatives for our nuclear future that have been offered in three budget blueprints: the Obama budget, the Congressional Progressive Caucus People’s Budget and the Ryan (GOP) budget. As we approach the August 6th and 9th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, consider how the three budgets deal with nuclear weapons.
Obama budget: Well over $185 billion by 2020 to maintain and modernize U.S. nuclear weapons systems, including construction of three new warhead production facilities and an array of new delivery systems. The FY 2012 budget request includes $7.63 billion for maintenance and modernization of nuclear warheads – the largest amount ever; $197 million for research and development of a new long-range nuclear bomber; $2.6 million for a future Intercontinental Ballistic Missile; and $1.07 billion to develop a new ballistic missile submarine slated to be in operation through 2080.
The People’s Budget: Reduce the U.S. nuclear arsenal, cancel the Trident II missile, limit modernization of nuclear weapons infrastructure and research, and selectively curtail missile defense and space programs.
Ryan Budget: Fully fund modernization of the infrastructure that builds and maintains the nation’s nuclear weapons systems.
And, as the earthquake and tsunami-damaged Fukushima reactors continue to spew deadly radiation into the atmosphere, the ground and the ocean, let’s look at how the three budgets deal with nuclear energy.
Obama budget: The FY 2012 budget request provides $36 billion in taxpayer loans for new nuclear reactors.
The People’s Budget: Eliminate subsidies for new nuclear power plants.
Ryan Budget: Encourage the development of American-made energy sources, including nuclear.
Which budget would you choose? Vote now and join the more than 15,000 people who have already cast their ballots! And please share the poll with community groups, family, coworkers and friends. The results of this poll will be sent to members of Congress, the media, and everyone who participated in the poll who provides an (optional) email address. The greater the numbers, the bigger the impact!
Want to do more? Enroll your mayor in Mayors for Peace! A great new recruitment tool, a Dear Colleague letter signed by 15 mayors, is now available for your use. Click here for more information and a recruitment kit! Help us make Nuclear Free Future Month a month-long success!!
Support Nuclear Free Future Month. Seek peace, be part of the solution. No Nukes! No Wars!
PS: Please donate to this effort here!
 Dear Friends of Peace and Justice,
United for Peace and Justice – Bay Area has endorsed the New Priorities Campaign, part of the national New Priorities Network. Please take a few minutes to voice your opinion about the budget choices that have been offered to Congress: the GOP Ryan budget, the Obama budget, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s People’s budget.
CAST YOUR VOTE HERE! Does the country need the GOP/Ryan budget, President Obama’s budget or Congressional Progressive Caucus People’s budget? Take the New Priorities Network budget poll. As the President and Congress work on the FY2012 budget, they need to hear from the grassroots about what the federal government needs to do to rebuild the economy.
Please share the poll with community groups, family, coworkers and friends. The greater the numbers, the bigger the impact. Share the poll on community listservs, post it to Facebook and send it out on Twitter. Set up tables at street fairs and conferences; use your laptop, tablet or Smartphone to collect votes.
The New Priorities Campaign is a grassroots initiative to build a broad movement demanding that Congress adopt a budget that reprioritizes our nation’s spending to meet the needs of the people by stopping the wars and cutting the military budget. Click here to read and sign onto the Declaration of Principals.
Budget Background
Right now the President and Congressional leaders are trying to strike a bargain on the Fiscal Year 2012 budget. They have until July 22 to close the deal before the debt ceiling is reached on August 2.
As reported in The Hill: “During discussions over raising the debt ceiling, the White House has floated $300 billion in security spending cuts on top of $1 trillion in domestic cuts over a decade.” This means that “security” cuts are only 23% of the discretionary cuts that Obama is offering – less than one in four of the discretionary dollars on the table. “Security” makes up nearly six in ten dollars of discretionary spending. The President’s budget priorities are upside down!
There are better choices. InApril, members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted on two different blueprints for the FY 2012 federal budget – one introduced by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and the other by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). One (Ryan) was approved, the other (CPC) was rejected. Together they represent opposite ends of the continuum of budget options currently under debate in Washington.
Last month, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the national association of cities with populations over 30,000, adopted two groundbreaking resolutions calling on Congress to slash spending on wars and nuclear weapons, and to redirect those funds to meet urgent domestic needs.
America’s Mayors have voted. Now it’s your turn to help build a consensus for how we can feed the hungry and employ the jobless by ending wars and militarism and redefining security in human and ecologically sustainable terms.
Want to do more? Contact progressive members of congress (e.g., CPC members) and ask them to make public statements or hold press conferences, minimally doubling, to at least $600B, cuts in the “defense” budget as part of any deficit deal.
Thanks for casting your vote, and please get active with United for Peace and Justice – Bay Area and the New Priorities Campaign.
Read The People’s Budget, the Budget of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Fiscal Year 2012! According the to Congressional Progressive Caucus, “The People’s Budget eliminates the deficit in 10 years, puts Americans back to work and restores our economic competitiveness…Responsibly ends our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to leave America more secure both home and abroad…Cuts defense spending by reducing conventional forces, procurement, and costly R&D programs.”
Click here to read The People’s Budget!
On a related note, check out Joshua Holland’s AlterNet article, Five Eye-Opening Facts About Our Bloated Post-9/11 ‘Defense’ Spending.
Jackie Cabasso of the Western States Legal Foundation and the North American organizer of Mayors for Peace attended the US Conference of Mayors last week and filed the following report.
Another victory! The US Conference of Mayors, the national association of cities with populations over 30,000 today unanimously adopted a resolution calling on President Obama to work with the leaders of the other nuclear weapon states to implement the United Nations Secretary-General’s 5-point plan to negotiate the elimination of nuclear weapons, by the year 2020, as urged by Mayors for Peace, and calling on Congress to terminate funding for modernization of the nuclear weapons complex and nuclear weapons systems, to slash spending on nuclear weapons well below Cold War Levels, and to redirect those funds to meet the urgent needs of cities. The resolution was introduced in the final plenary by International Affairs Committee Chair, Mayor Jean Quan of Oakland, CA. Unlike the Bring Our War Dollars Home resolution adopted later, the Mayors for Peace resolution was not pulled for for discussion and a vote, and therefore was not debated.
In an historic speech to the USCM yesterday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised Mayors for Peace and its Cities Are Not Targets campaign, with over 1 million signatures. The SG also thanked the UN for its resolution supporting his 5-point plan for nuclear disarmament. Ban was greeted enthusiastically by the American mayors, who gave him standing ovations at the beginning and conclusion of his speech. Linking the global and the local, the SG told the USCM: “The road to peace and progress runs through the worlds cities and towns.”
I urge you to use and promote the Mayors for Peace resolution in your education and advocacy along with the Bring Our War Dollars Home resolution. They are mutually reinforcing and complimentary. Following his speech to the USCM on Saturday, the Mayor of Kabul Afghanistan joined Mayors for Peace. He told me that his city had been 90% destroyed by war, like Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I think this little story nicely ties the two resolutions together. Many thanks to everyone who helped get co-sponsors.
Next step: Mayors for Peace currently has more than 4,700 members in 150 countries; over 175 in the US. We’ve launched a new recruiting drive with the goal of reaching 5,000 member cities by the August 6th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima. At that point Mayor Matsui, the new Mayor of Hiroshima, will be able to announce that Mayors for Peace represents the wishes of more than one billion people around the world. I hope you’ll help us reach our goal.
Click here to download the resolution, as adopted, with the list of co-sponsors.
Click here for an Information Brief on U.S. nuclear weapons spending. (You may be shocked!)
– Jackie Cabasso, North American Coordinator, Mayors for Peace, June 20, 2011
Further information on the US Conference of Mayors:
 This week, the House is expected to debate and vote on the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – the bill authorizing spending for the Pentagon. Call Congress today, using this toll free number 1-888-231-9276.* Urge your representative to support the Lee, McGovern-Jones, and Garamendi amendments to the Defense Authorization Act. Collectively they represent responsible steps that can put us on the path to end the war in Afghanistan. Also ask your congressperson to support an amendment to strike the Mckeon-McCain reauthorization language from the bill.
Lend your voice to this nationally coordinated campaign. We want to keep pressure on Congress until the vote which is expected on Thursday.
It is time we brought our troops home from Afghanistan and stopped wasting billions of dollars we need at home. The last thing Congress should be doing is authorizing endless war, but that’s exactly what the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act does.
Click here for more information on this call-in campaign.
* This toll-free number was paid for by the Friends Committee on National Legislation.
Fed up with the spiraling collateral damage of the drug war and sparked by the torture and murder near Cuernavaca of several young people, including the 24-year-old son of Javier Sicilia, poet, columnist and nonviolence activist, Mexican civil society groups are coordinating nationwide actions May 5 to 8, including a march from Cuernavaca to Mexico City. The theme for the May 5-8 actions is “Estamos hasta la madre. Alto a la guerra. Por un México justo y en paz,” or “Fed up! Stop the war! For a just and peaceful Mexico.”
These actions build on those of April 6, when 25,000 people marched for peace in Cuernavaca – the largest in the history of Morelos (the state where Cuernavaca is located); similar actions took place elsewhere in Mexico and at Mexican embassies abroad.
Pietro Ameglio, a prominent Gandhian nonviolence educator/activist and close collaborator of Javier Sicilia, will be in the Bay Area May 14 to 20, speaking about the current crisis in Mexico and the emerging nonviolent resistance.
Continue reading “Pietro Ameglio – Nonviolence Organizer from Mexico in Bay Area May 14 to 20” »
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