Vaclav Havel: His Revolt is an Attempt to Live Within the Truth
He rejects the ritual and breaks the rules of the game. He discovers once more his suppressed identity and dignity. He gives his freedom a concrete significance. His revolt is an attempt to live within the truth.” (Vaclav Havel)
Vaclav Havel (1936-2011), the former president of the Czech Republic, who moved to another dimension on December 18th, had analyzed that:
There are good reasons for suggesting that the modern age has ended. Many things indicate that we are going through a transitional period, when it seems that something is on the way out and something else is painfully being born.
It is as if something were crumbling, decaying and exhausting itself, while something else, still indistinct, arises from the rubble.
The distinguishing features of transitional periods are a mixing and blending of cultures and a plurality of intellectual and spiritual worlds. These are periods when all consistent value systems collapse, when cultures distant in time and space are discovered or rediscovered. New meaning is gradually born from the encounter, or the intersection, of many different elements… Politicians are rightly worried by the problems of finding the key to ensure the survival of a civilization that is global and multicultural: how respected mechanisms of peaceful coexistence can be set up and on what principles they are to be established.
Vaclav Havel went on to suggest the principles: “All my observations and all my experience have, with remarkable consistency, convinced me that, if today’s planetary civilization has any hope of survival, that hope lies chiefly in what we understand as the human spirit.”
It is only during rare periods such as ours of the transition of historical eras, that we observe the merging of philosophy and politics. Such a period requires action based on the intellectual resources of philosophical and spiritual thought.
Havel, who had to live many years under a repressive government, was well aware of the need for nonviolent, spiritually-motivated revolt. As he wrote in an important essay concerning the role of opposition in a repressive society:
Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It falsifies the past; it falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies statistics. It pretends not to possess an omnipotent and unprincipled police apparatus. It pretends to respect human rights. It pretends to persecute no one. It pretends to prevent nothing.
In such a situation, a revolt is first of all an effort to live within the truth.
When I speak of living within the truth, I naturally do not have in mind only products of conceptual thought, such as a protest or a letter written by a group of intellectuals. It can be any means by which a person or group revolts against manipulation: anything from a letter by intellectuals to a workers’ strike, from a rock concert to a student demonstration, from refusing to vote in a farcical election to making an open speech at some official congress, or even a hunger strike.
A revolt based on the human spirit must also lead to a positive framework for a planetary society. Today, we are slowly and with difficulty building such a framework for peaceful and creative co-existence. There are still too many doors shut, too many ideas rejected because they do not fit into a culturally-formed mindset. We still see too many violations of the human rights of those who have too little power, influence, or money to have their views taken seriously.
I had first heard Vaclav Havel speak in Prague in October 1990 when he addressed the founding meeting of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly. The Assembly had brought together some 800 people from peace, human rights, ecology, feminist, federalist movements, many of whom had been active in efforts to bridge the East-West Europe divide of the Cold War. This was the first chance for such a large group of activists to meet after the radical changes in Eastern Europe. Havel was both a key actor and the symbol of these changes. Yet his remarks were not turned toward the past but toward the challenges that faced us. He echoed what the Polish writer and activist Adam Michnik had said: “The greatest threat to democracy today is no longer communism. The threat grows instead from a combination of chauvinism, xenophobia, populism and authoritarianism, all of them connected with the sense of frustration typical of great social upheavals.”
Seven months later, war broke out in what was to become ex-Yugoslavia and the new civic structures that Havel hoped would be forces for peace and creativity were not able to break the hold of aggressive, narrow nationalism. In fact, since 1990, after a first fire of hope, civil society throughout Central and Eastern Europe has grown progressively weaker. There are few of the post-Havel generation with as broad a vision or a willingness to act.
I met with Havel when he came to the United Nations in Geneva to speak at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He was always open to the representatives of NGOs. His role as president had not basically changed his nature — a creative intellectual open to the ideas of others (1). In his talk, he stressed that there are many treaties and declarations that use the term international, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the only one that uses the term universal — a sign that the writers of the Declaration wanted to include all countries and all individuals. The principal aim of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is to create a framework for a world society which needs universal codes based on mutual consent in order to function. It is its universal character which makes it a base for relations among peoples across national and cultural frontiers and a basis for the healing of nations.
I had been active in unsuccessful efforts at mediation in the Yugoslav conflict and was worried at growing national-ethnic tensions in Europe. I think that he shared my concerns but mobilizing trans-frontier civil society was difficult, and civil society groups were not up to the challenges that history presented Yet, he stressed that even in dark periods which he had experienced more than I, we must also see the growth of new institutions preparing for the future — institutions which are open, which break down social divisions, which are sensitive to all voices. It is our task to be aware of the growth of these new forms, to participate in them, to add our energy to theirs, and thus to speed the manifestation of the new era.
René Wadlow, a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, is representative to the United Nations, Geneva, of the Association of World Citizens. He lives in Gravieres, France.
Photo: By Ondřej Sláma [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
FOOTNOTES:
(1) For a good overview of his pre-president thinking, see Vaclav Havel’s Open Letters (1965-1990) (London: Faber and Faber, 1991). This collection includes his best-known theoretical statement “The Power of the Powerless.”
A bonus for ending the war?
I am regularly reminded that humor is a relative concept: my idea of a funny twist on the political ills of the moment often offends the next person. Working at the Fellowship of Reconciliation, I have learned that although most progressives agree that we need to have a sense of humor when grappling with the pains of society, we often can’t agree on the right tone, words, or images to do so.
Political cartoonists, therefore I would argue, have one of the hardest jobs in media. How can you not only be relevant and timely, but capture the right take on these terrible issues, often in just a single pane of artwork? Jeff Danziger, an artist whose work is syndicated through The New York Times, manages to walk that line as well as anyone. His latest entry, “Iraq War Ends,” powerfully reflects the confluence of war and economic madness that bedevils our nation.
FOR to receive $24 million!!
We are elated to send supporters of the Fellowship of Reconciliation some amazing news! FOR has been informed that we are to receive several gifts totaling $24 million!
Will you help us build on this unexpected good fortune and make your tax-deductible donation now?
The news came to our staff this week in a series of unexpected email messages. To our great surprise, FOR’s work for peace, nonviolence, and human rights is apparently supported by people whose family names we would not usually associate with those values and commitments.
FOR’s mysterious benefactor?We are being offered lump sum multimillion dollar gifts from people who have self-identified as:
- a stepson of Idi Amin
- a sister-in-law of Imelda Marcos
- a niece of “Papa Doc” Duvalier
- a cousin of Muammar Gaddafi
- and a former hunting partner of Dick Cheney
Wow!
Wait, you have also received some of these messages? (Should we split the money 50-50?) Oh, you think these are spam?!
OK, OK, yes, this is a hoax. (Although we are still hoping for a gift from Cheney’s hunting partner!)
Throughout the past century — since 1915, to be precise — the Fellowship of Reconciliation has survived and thrived thanks to the gifts and pledges of everyday, ordinary people like you.
While a multimillion dollar gift would certainly be enticing, we at FOR are exceedingly proud that our support has consistently come in checks of $10, $25, and $100 — making our work for human rights, interfaith understanding, and active nonviolence possible.
Thank you for your support, which we need more than ever today.
Donate now: Help us demilitarize life and land in 2012 with a financial gift or a monthly pledge.
Need that special gift for a sister, brother, mother/father, granddaughter/son?
Urgent Action: Peace Community threatened by paramilitary presence
Members of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó living in the village of La Esperanza — one of eleven villages that make up the community — have received increased paramilitary threats in recent weeks. We need your help to ensure peace for La Esperanza.
Members of FOR’s Colombia Peace Presence
accompany members of San José de
Apartadó to La Esperanza.On Nov. 14 and 28, armed men identified as paramilitaries entered the village to speak with residents. On the latter occasion, they identified themselves as paramilitaries, demanded future collaboration from village members, ordered the closure of the village’s two stores, and started limiting the amount of food residents can bring up to their families from town. In addition to being inside village limits, many paramilitaries are present in the surrounding area, operating checkpoints along the paths. On Nov. 22, paramilitary and guerrilla gunmen reportedly engaged in intensive combat nearby.
Express your concern to the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia, Michael McKinley, about the paramilitary presence around La Esperanza. Urge him to call the XVII Brigade and ensure that the Colombian government is doing everything in its power to protect the peace community members as well as civilians in the region.
Send a message to Ambassador McKinley and call for peace!
BackgroundParamilitaries, collaborating with the Colombian military, have been involved in the majority of the 195 deaths the Peace Community has suffered since it’s founding in 1997. In response to such violence, only a few low-ranking soldiers and paramilitaries have been tried and convicted. Paramilitaries in the past have also imposed food blockades, a violation of international law that heavily impacts families’ ability to obtain food. With such a history of violence and impunity, in addition to both paramilitary threats and heavy guerrilla presence in La Esperanza, it is certain to put the civilians there in danger.
Please ask Ambassador McKinley to ensure the Colombian government is protecting La Esperanza!
Global Movement to Create a Nonviolent World Launched
On 11 November 2011, the 93rd anniversary of the armistice of World War 1, a new movement to end human violence was launched around the world. “The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World” was launched simultaneously in Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines and the United States and has already gained signatories in 16 countries.
The aim of the Nonviolence Charter is to create a worldwide movement to end violence in all of its forms. According to Anahata Giri, the Charter gives voice to the millions of ordinary people around the world who want an end to war, domestic violence, oppression, economic exploitation, environmental destruction, and violence of all other kinds. The Charter is also designed to support and unite the courageous nonviolent struggles of ordinary people all over the world.
People who wish to join the movement are invited to sign a pledge to take personal action to progressively eliminate the violence they inflict on themselves, others and the Earth, and to engage in acts of nonviolent resistance and/or creation to bring about a nonviolent future.
A report from a launch organizer in the United States, Tom Shea, included photos taken by fellow organizer Leonard Eiger. The launch, which took place in Seattle, involved several groups: the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, the Puget Sound Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Declaration, Seattle Veterans For Peace Chapter 92, Collective Voices for Peace USA, Collective Voces Ecologiacas Panama, and the Buddhist Peace Fellowship Seattle Chapter. Tom reported that it was a great gathering.
After a moment of silence at Seattle’s Wall of Remembrance (which lists the names of Washington State military killed in major U.S. wars), Tom reported, “we began our spoken presence.” Even amid a cold rain, over 20 people representing a broad variety of peace people assembled. These included four from Occupy Seattle (two of whom were dressed in military garb), the Colgans – who’ve been holding a vigil in front of the Seattle Federal Building every Tuesday since 2004, in honor of their son killed in Iraq – a woman in a wheelchair and the Buddhist chair of the Seattle Peace Team (a group that does training and is active as peacekeepers in places of conflict in town). “We spoke briefly about The Charter, how individuals can participate … and shared information about six of the groups present.”
The launch in Malaysia was organised by the International Movement for A Just World (JUST International) and was held as part of the Inter-civilizational Youth Engagement Program (IYEP) 5 held at the Shah’s Village Hotel in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. It was organised by Professor Chandra Muzaffar, Helen Ng and Nurul Haida Dzulkifli.
On arrival, guests were welcomed, shown the video “Do unto others” and given hand-made poppies. This was followed by dance performances of the Indonesian “Thousand Hands Dance” and the Korean “Sorry Sorry,” the music video “Wonderful World,” and the poem “I Want to See What I Saw Again.” Guests then heard a talk by Dato Dr. Shad Saleem Faruqi on “The Violence of Capital Punishment,” a guitar performance of “That’s Why I Love You,” a drama performance of “500 Days of Violence,” a talk and video by Mr. Khampi on the Zomi Education Centre for Myanmar Refugees, before the song “We Are The World.” Finally, “The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World” was read out, with the dramatization of selective clauses, the pledge was taken, the Charter was signed and poppies were placed on a “field” on their Charter banner.
In the Philippines, the launch took place in ten barangay (village) halls in Quezon province and involved the praying of the rosary and lighting of 11 candles. It was organised by Dr. Tess Ramiro who is director of the main nonviolence organisation in the Philippines, Aksyon para sa
Kapayapaan at Katarungan (Action for Peace and Justice) – Center for Active Nonviolence, at the Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila. In her report, Tess indicated that, according to the base groups, the activity was very successful. One base group alone reported an attendance of 100 persons and the event was supported by the parish priest.
The launch in Melbourne, Australia, was organised by Anahata Giri, Anita McKone, and myself. Eight ordinary people spoke about why they are going to work to end human violence and what they are going to be doing differently from now on.
The speakers included a diverse range of people from various ethnic and religious backgrounds including Samah Sabawi, a Palestinian born in Gaza; Kijana Majok Piel, a Sudanese Muslim who spent 17 years living in a refugee camp in Kenya; Karen Thompson-Anderson, who teaches nonviolent communication; Frank Ruanjie, a Chinese pro-democracy activist now exiled in Australia; Tenzin Lobsang, a Tibetan Buddhist who fled Tibet as a child; John McKenna who relies on a wheelchair for his mobility and works with intellectually disabled people; Isabelle Skaburskis, a Canadian woman who did rehabilitation work (yoga therapy) with women and children who had been sexually trafficked in Cambodia; and Annie Whitlocke, a woman of Jewish heritage who has suffered much violence throughout her childhood and married life.
The launch also featured Samah Sabawi reading her evocative poems “The Liberation Anthem” and “A Confession” (which was accompanied by sound effects, including a recording of the Israeli bombing of Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, managed by her nephew Omer Elsaafin). Tenzing Yeshi sang his powerful song “Cho Sum Mirik” about the life of His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. Anita and Anahata sang “Freedom for Palestine/Everyone,” and “We Sing Nonviolence” written by Anita specifically for the Charter launch.
My own talk, explaining the purpose of the Nonviolence Charter, included the following words:
So what is unique about “The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World”? The People’s Charter is an attempt to put the focus on human violence as the pre-eminent problem faced by our species, to identify all of the major manifestations of this violence, and to identify ways to tackle all of these manifestations of violence in a systematic and strategic manner. It is an attempt to put the focus on the fundamental cause – the violence we adults inflict on children – and to stress the importance of dealing with that cause. (See “Why Violence?”) It is an attempt to focus on what you and I - that is, ordinary people - can do to end human violence, and “The People’s Charter” invites us to pledge to make that effort. It is an attempt, as Anahata said to me the other day, to combine the deeply personal with the deeply global: to listen to our deep inner selves to restore humanity. And it is an attempt to provide a focal point around which we can mobilise with a sense of shared commitment with people from all over the world. In short, as of tonight, it is a new, worldwide movement and its specific focus is ending human violence….
So, together with people in Malaysia, the Philippines and the United States, tonight many of us will choose to pledge ourselves to a new, concerted and worldwide effort to end human violence, in all of its manifestations, for all time.
This is undoubtedly a monumental endeavour. Perhaps, it is the greatest endeavour in human history. I feel privileged to share it with you all. And I love you all for making that endeavour….
We are committed to leave here tonight to struggle to end human violence. In my view, there can be no greater calling than this. Whatever our differences, ending human violence is our compelling and unifying dream.
You can read The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World and, if it feels right to you, sign the pledge online.
Robert J. Burrowes is author of The Strategy of Nonviolent Defense: A Gandhian Approach and cofounder with Anita McKone of The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World. They live in Blackburn, Australia.
Images from the Oakland Port Shutdown
Like thousands of others, my partner James and I went to the Port of Oakland Monday night to help shut it down in solidarity with ILWU Longview workers and to keep the Occupy movement alive and exercised. The port is located in a vast industrial area of the city, and getting to the gate requires walking or biking several miles. It was the largest truly dispersed demonstration I’ve been to before. What struck us was the creativity - a garage band belting out rock and punksters jump dancing, a trumpet playing eerily into a bullhorn accompanied by post-industrial synthesizer mood, a costumed guy on a unicycle dressed as a banker with bills in his hands and an ABC network logo on his back, saying, “We’ve taken money out of politics - this time I really mean it!”, handmade signs of love and rage, folks sitting on the ground in small circles, a woman with a papier maché wolf hat giving out food from a bicycle cart, gazillions of people on bikes, individuals gathering signatures for voter initiatives. It was a beautiful cold evening, the cops were few and mellow, and a fat moon rose over downtown Oakland. The port workers shifts’ were cancelled, in deference to the large numbers of people in the port. You can question or affirm the shutdown, but inside the action itself were many smaller actions, vibrant, constructive, and living in community.
“Resistance is Fertile - Compost Capitalism”
“Decolonize Oakland - Mad Love” - She dangled and did flips up and down the fabric
Peace Stories Bethlehem 2011
Warm Greetings from the International Fellowship of Reconciliation! We would like to share with you a call from Pax Christi International entitled “Peace Stories Advent and Christmas in Bethlehem 2011.” The initiative is locally supported by one of our FOR Palestine branches, Wi’am Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center.
The Peace Stories project, which is organized this month during Advent into the Christmas season, is described as follows:
The stories will be used in Bethlehem, Palestine, and other locations in educational and religious settings. These stories are a sign of hope, and a gesture to these movements that people from outside the Middle East and North Africa care about their destiny.
Please e-mail your inspirational Christmas stories for peace before the 25th of December 2011 (Western Christmas) and/or the 7th of January 2012 (Eastern Christmas).
While English is the preferred language, non-native English speakers may also send stories of peace in their mother tongue. Messages can be e-mailed to the Arab Educational Institute at the following address: info@aeicenter.org.
The International Fellowship of Reconciliation was founded in 1914 and is an interfaith movement committed to Active Nonviolence with members in more than 40 countries. IFOR has special consultative status at the UN (ECOSOC), UN, and UNESCO representations, and has included six Nobel Peace Prize Laureates among its members.
Donate to FOR and demilitarize life and land
As we advance on our 100th anniversary, the Fellowship of Reconciliation has worked under the framework of Demilitarizing Life and Land, a strategic plan placing our work and national fellowship under three task forces: the Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean, the Task Force on the Middle East, and the Task Force on Social Economic and Social Justice.
Our work has continued with peace accompaniment in Colombia, in multi-generational peace delegations to the Middle East, in spreading strategic nonviolence through the Martin Luther King comic book and other publications, and in growing our FOR chapters and partners around the country.
Please make a year-end donation today, and help us continue this important work.
Vets Fellowship Collaboration Meeting With Hubert Rouard of the Anti-War Algerian War Vets
A collaboration meeting with Hubert Rouard from http://www.4acg.org for VFOR in NYC http://www.4acg.org/spip.php?article464&var_recherche=jim%20murphy
Message d’un vétéran américain de la guerre du Vietnam à notre association 4ACG.
Le jeudi 8 décembre 2011, par Webmestre
J’ai rencontré, fin octobre à New-York, Jim Murphy, un vétéran de la guerre du Vietnam (1966-1968), membre et dirigeant de mouvements pacifistes, et qui fut proviseur d’un lycée de New-York de 1981 à 2004. Il connaît désormais 4ACG et propose que nous agissions ensemble par exemple pour protester avec d’autres mouvements d’anciens combattants pacifistes, contre l’occupation de l’OTAN en Afghanistan.
Bonjour, mon nom est Jim Murphy, je suis actuellement dans un « Starbucks Coffee » tout près de la 34ème rue de New-York et je viens de passer une partie de l’après midi à discuter des objectifs que nous partageons entre anciens combattants d’Algérie contre la guerre et anciens combattants du Vietnam contre la guerre et également avec toutes les autres organisations d’anciens combattants contre la guerre.
Aujourd’hui, c’est le 125ème anniversaire de l’arrivée de la Statue de la liberté offerte par les français. Cette statue qui ne joue pas le rôle qu’elle est censée représenter, car la « Liberté » n’est pas un objectif des USA à travers le monde et la statue n’est pas le havre de paix pour les peuples pauvres et opprimés de ce monde. Cette statue n’assume pas le symbole pour lequel les français l’ont donnée.
Jim Murphy , « Vétéran du Viet-Nam contre la guerre »
Par ailleurs, 40 ans plus tôt, le 26 décembre 1971, nous étions 14 vétérans de la guerre du Viet-Nam à occuper la statue de la liberté pour protester contre la guerre. Ce faisant notre intention n’était pas d’insulter le peuple français, car c’est une belle statue, mais pendant trois jours nous avons occupé la statue pour afficher notre message concernant cette guerre immorale et le retour de nos frères d’armes du Vietnam.
Sur de nombreux points nous nous retrouvons totalement et et je suis très impressionné par votre association, non seulement par sa référence historique, mais également par les actions qu’elle mène aujourd’hui pour venir en aide au peuple palestinien, au peuple algérien et au peuple marocain et le fait que vous luttiez toujours contre la machine de guerre.
Je suis désolé de dire que je pense vraiment que votre gouvernement s’accommode de la poursuite de la guerre avec plusieurs autres gouvernements. Je ne crois pas qu’il existe aux USA un courant favorable aux militaires et beaucoup de gens sont d’accord avec nous, mais nous n’arrivons pas à nous faire entendre.
Les vétérans du Vietnam à une manifestation en mars 2006.
J’espère qu’une collaboration avec votre association sera possible pour travailler pour la justice sociale et la fin des guerres. Sans doute pourrions nous élaborer un projet commun. Commencer par exemple par une déclaration conjointe sur la guerre en Afghanistan, une guerre qui n’aurait jamais du arriver.
Nous sommes contre les bellicistes qui disent que les attaques du 11 septembre étaient le fait des talibans ou d’autres peuples d’Afghanistan. Les attentats du 11 septembre ont d’abord été le fait de fondamentalistes d’Arabie saoudite. Et j’ai précise « les peuples » au pluriel car en Afghanistan il y a 40 langues et 20 groupes ethniques différents. L’Afghanistan est seulement le regroupement de nombreuses nations et cultures. Il n’y a pas un Afghanistan, mais 20 Afghanistans . Pourquoi les américains sont-ils là-bas en train de tuer 100 personnes innocentes, pour tomber parfois sur un terroriste occasionnel, quelqu’un qui n’est pas Afghan ?
Et à ce sujet je voudrais parler de l’attaque impitoyable des troupes US sur Fallujha en Irak, pendant que nous menions la guerre en Afghanistan. Fallujha est une ville que nous avons détruite. Et dans Fallujha nous avons tué 439 prétendus terroristes, nous avons perdu 169 marines, et ce que nous avons caché c’est que les prétendus terroristes étaient des habitants de Fallujha qui refusaient simplement l’occupation américaine. Nous y avons également tué 2000 civils innocents, sous le terme « dommages collatéraux » comme nous continuons à le faire en Afghanistan.
Les vétérans pour la paix
De toute façon, je suis enthousiaste à l’idée que nous puissions agir ensemble, même si cela n’est pas considérable, pour remettre le monde dans le droit chemin.
Je suis membre de l’association des anciens combattants du Viet-Nam contre la guerre (VVAW) à laquelle j’ai adhéré en 1971 après mon retour au pays. Je suis également membre des anciens combattants pour la paix (VFP) et je suis aussi un des dirigeants de l’Association pour la réconciliation (qui travaille avec le Mouvement International de la réconciliation à Paris) une organisation qui m’aide à mener les luttes anti-guerre que je dois entreprendre.
Et une de ces activités qui m’est offerte est l’accès donné aux vétérans dans les lycées afin de parler aux élèves des conséquences réelles de la guerre et du fait que la plupart des guerres sont immorales et contre l’humanité.
Vidéo:Jim souhaite travailler avec 4ACG et rappelle ses engagements pacifistes.
Une autre tâche à laquelle je m’attelle est de communiquer avec les combattants d’Irak et d’Afghanistan qui sont en prison et de leur envoyer de la documentation. Actuellement, aux USA, il y a entre 35000 et 40000 combattants d’Irak et d’Afghanistan qui sont emprisonnés, généralement pour des délits en rapport avec la drogue, pour des violences contre les femmes ou des troubles post-traumatiques ayant entraîné des violences.
Mais si l’on évoque la violence est-il un endroit où l’on apprend plus la violence que la guerre ? Y-a-t-il une meilleure manière de soigner sa dépression ou son chagrin en auto-médication que les drogues illégales ? Tous les 80 minutes, un vétéran américain ayant fait ces guerres se suicide tandis que les politiques continuent à justifier la guerre en Afghanistan.
Heureusement, ensemble, nous pourrons faire bouger les choses, un peu ou beaucoup, je ne sais pas.
Quoiqu’il en soit, c’était vraiment un plaisir de parler avec vous, et je me réjouis de ce que nous pourrons faire ensemble dans le futur.
(Déclaration de Jim Murphy, New York, 28 octobre 2011)
Help Protect Local Occupy Groups From Government Attack
We all have seen the sad spectacles of police — under orders from political leaders — using cruel and unnecessary violence to evict and punish local Occupy groups, along with the courageous nonviolence some of these Occupiers have shown.
Indeed, the bowing of heads while suffering direct pepper spray were as inspiring as any scenes from Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement in India. And, we all have wondered — What can we do?
Well, the good people of Boston have shown us one thing we can do. Read this beautiful story from our friend Ben Manski about how they stood in solidarity with the Occupiers to prevent an anticipated police raid to break up their camp.
And then, please consider joining me in signing the First Amendment Pledge with others: http://firstamendmentpledge.org/
Dear friends,
The word was that at midnight last night, the Boston Police were going to move in and shut down the free assembly gathered in Dewey Square, also known as Occupy Boston. That didn’t happen.
Instead, thousands of Bostonians put on their warmest winter clothes, and headed to Boston’s financial district. They stayed there into the wee hours. Jill Stein, and many of her supporters, were among them. Read to the end to see her short report from the scene.
Americans are defending our free assembly rights the best way we know how: by using them. In Wisconsin, where Governor Walker is attempting to close the State Capitol — Fighting Bob La Follette’s “Temple of Democracy” — to public protests, the protests have stepped up.
And over 1,000 have already signed, in just the first day, the First Amendment Pledge of Non-Cooperation with Police Repression. If you haven’t signed that yet, please do so now. And then, please, forward that website on to everyone you know. The First Amendment Pledge website is here: http://firstamendmentpledge.org/
Ben Manski
Following is the report Dr. Stein sent early this morning:
“I’m just back from Occupy Boston. By 11 pm last night, Occupy Boston was overflowing into Atlantic Avenue, dancing to the drums, singing with the dixieland band, Veterans for Peace flags waving. A real celebration as democracy triumphed over police state repression.
The crowd was still surging in size as I departed at 1 am. Police were keeping a low, unthreatening profile. For the time being at least, the strength of the crowd warded off any police attack on the encampment. It was very uplifting to see people taking the defense of our imperiled freedoms so seriously.
A special thanks to the liberators of Dewey Square for courageously defending our right to a just economy, and our freedom to assemble and speak out for economic justice. Tonight showed just how powerful we the people are when we stand up for what we deserve. Here’s hoping for a lot more of that to come.”
~ Dr. Jill Stein
Honor Human Rights Day by demilitarizing life and land with FOR
This year has been a full and momentous one for all of us.
This Saturday, we celebrate International Human Rights Day. Because of your support, the Fellowship of Reconciliation has been able to spend the entire year working for human rights, including:
- Hosting Jesús Emilio Tuberquia, one of the original founders of the San José de Apartadó Peace Community in Colombia, on a speaking tour throughout the United States.
- Re-printing and distributing our 1950s comic book Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, which had been used by Egyptian human rights activists as a tool for envisioning the power of active nonviolence for social and political change.
- Sending delegations of multi-generational activists to different regions in the Middle East, including to support the purification of water in Afghanistan and to create public murals that promote nonviolent resistance and empowerment.
- Producing groundbreaking research papers to expose the violent aggression of the Colombian military, paramilitary, and guerrillas against innocent civilians.
- Supporting the Occupy movement’s knowledge of and commitment to nonviolent resistance by distributing our Pact for Peaceful Witness.
- Growing our community of our local chapters, religious peace fellowships, and affiliates (with a dozen new groups connected to FOR-USA!) and expanding our outreach through multimedia communication.
As we advance on our 100th anniversary, FOR could be pulled in many directions to answer the calls for peace and social justice, and thus, we’ve recognized a need to be focused in our work.
Our strategic plan, Demilitarizing Life and Land, gives us the ability to be involved in emergent campaigns like the Occupy movement and the global No Bases movement — while placing our work and national fellowship under three task forces: the Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean, the Task Force on the Middle East, and the Task Force on Social Economic and Social Justice.
Thank you!
Resisting militarism in Korea
For the past several years, the people of Jeju Island, Korea have waged a nonviolent struggle against U.S. and Korean miitary forces. Since 2007, a proposed naval base has been the primary source of their courageous resistance, which has led to hundreds of arrests of community members and peace activists from across the Korean peninsula, supported by countless international allies.
This week, at the invitation of the National Council of Churches in Korea, an interfaith group of 21 people — 13 from five foreign countries (Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan & United States) and eight representing four religious orders of South Korea — visited the Gangjeong village on Jeju Island to express solidarity with the ongoing struggle against the naval base.
Their trip was organized to follow-up on the “Third Asia Inter-Religious Conference on Article 9 of the Japanese Peace Constitution,” held in October 2011 in Okinawa — at which a strong sense of solidarity was established between Korean, Japanese, and other global anti-base activists. (FOR member Nicholas Mele of Bellingham, Washington, a member of the Pax Christi USA National Council, participated in the Okinawa conference; it is not known as of this writing as to whether Mele is also participating in this week’s international delegation to Korea.)
The delegation’s brief visit to Jeju has included meetings with local peace activists, an evening candlelight vigil in the Gangjeong village, and a press conference during which the group stated:
Even though we were in the Jeju for a short time, we could hear many people’s stories and concerns, specially the talks that the Jeju naval base construction will seriously damage the community and nature in Jeju. We also heard that there are human rights violation cases that villagers opposing and struggling against naval base, are beat by the police, carried away to the prison and accused.
The movement to oppose such naval base is not merely a political action but is the very symbolic to express faith.
Today the delegation was scheduled to hold another press briefing in the national capital of Seoul with major Korean media outlets. More information about the efforts to save Jeju Island can be found on its web site and Facebook page.
FOR & Historic Peace Churches discuss ecumenical engagement for peace and justice
On November 18-19, the Church of the Brethren hosted the annual meeting of the Historic Peace Churches/Fellowship of Reconciliation Consultative Committee for a time of fellowship, mutual support and conversation on ecumenical engagement for peace and justice.
The Historic Peace Churches (HPC)/Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) Consultative Committee (“Committee” below) is a group of Friends, Brethren, Mennonites and representatives of the Fellowship of Reconciliation USA. Members have historically come together to uphold the Gospel of peace through dialogue and advocacy in faith circles and support for appropriate interventions where nonviolent witness is needed.
Participants in this year’s meeting included Jay Wittmeyer representing Brethren, Mark Johnson and Sam Smith representing the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Dorothy Day and Sylvia Graves representing Friends, and Andre Gingerich Stoner and Timothy Seidel representing Mennonites.
Member updates included information on a Mennonite Central Committee campaign called “Fear Not: Seek Peace in our homes, communities and world,” an ongoing peace education curriculum in Quaker schools in Kenya, an FOR strategy for “Demilitarizing Life and Land”, and an opportunity for Brethren participation at a peace event in Assisi, Italy at the invitation of the Vatican for a day of reflection, dialogue and personal prayer.
A major agenda piece for these meetings was reviewing the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) that took place this past May in Kingston, Jamaica. The convocation’s focus was the World Council of Churches (WCC) Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) that began in 2001. The IEPC celebrated the achievements of the DOV and encouraged individuals and churches to renew their commitment to nonviolence, peace and justice..
Several Committee members were present in Kingston and presented a workshop highlighting activities of Historic Peace Churches over the past decade, including a series of conferences on the evolving theology and practice of peace. Each of these conferences involved the participation of Mennonites, Quakers and members of the Church of the Brethren from different regions of the world. The conferences sought to help Historic Peace Churches in a particular region of the world dialogue with one another about theology in their context, and strengthen the global witness of the peace churches.
Committee members discussed follow up to the IEPC including congregational engagement with the “Ecumenical Call to Just Peace,” conversations on an HPC global forum, and preparations for the 2013 WCC Busan Assembly. Members also discussed opportunities for ecumenical engagement on peace and justice in resources like the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States (NCCCUSA) 2010 study “Christian Understanding of War in an Age of Terror(ism).” The Committee has initial plans to organize a consultation for church leaders, theologians and peace practitioners that would examine peace church responses to genocide and severe violence.
Historic Peace Churches have worked together ever since coming to North America in the 17th Century (Mennonites and Friends) and 18th Century (Brethren). Formal cooperation occurred between the First and Second World Wars on legal recognition of conscientious objection and adequate provision for conscientious objectors.
For over forty years, this Committee has been a place for churches that hold confessionally to “the peace position” to meet, update and confer with each other on positions and initiatives relative to crucial issues of the day. The Committee has also facilitated a unified effort to engage the wider Christian community on issues related to the centrality of the Christian peace witness as this grows out of the Christian pacifist conviction. This has been especially frequent with the WCC and the NCCCUSA.
The Committee has also produced study documents and books such as A Declaration on Peace: In God’s People the World’s Renewal Has Begun (Herald Press, 1991), Transforming Violence: Linking Local and Global Peacemaking (Herald Press, 1998), and Ecumenical Engagement for Peace and Nonviolence (HPC/FOR Consultative Committee, 2006).
The Committee is looking to next fall for its 2012 annual meeting, considering opportunities to meet alongside a larger ecumenical peace gathering.
Timothy Seidel is director of Peace and Justice Ministries for Mennonite Central Committee U.S. and chairs the Historic Peace Churches/Fellowship of Reconciliation Consultative Committee.
Photo Courtesy of Sam Smith/ Heavy Light Productions: (left to right) Mark Johnson, Andre Gingerich Stoner, Jay Wittmeyer, Dorothy Day, Sylvia Graves, Timothy Seidel, and Sam Smith.
Scott Kennedy memorial this Sunday in California
We invite you to join FOR Executive Director Mark Johnson at the memorial service for Scott Kennedy, former FOR National Council chairperson, this Sunday in Santa Cruz, California.
Scott Kennedy Memorial Service
Sunday, Dec. 11, 2:00 PM
First Congregational United Church of Christ
900 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA
Map and directions / View on Facebook
Scott passed away last month, just one week after leading an Interfaith Peace-Builders delegation to Palestine. Scott, who chaired the FOR National Council from 2000 to 2002, was also the recipient of the 2010 Pfeffer International Peace Prize.
A short reception will follow the service. If you are traveling from out of town, lodging may be available — contact Kimlin McDaniel Keith.
Do you have a testimony to Scott? Videos, photos and reflections may be emailed to the Kennedys, posted on the Facebook event, or mailed to the Resource Center for Nonviolence, 515 Broadway, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
Memorial contributions to continue Scott’s peacebuilding work, in lieu of flowers, are appreciated. Donations will be split between the Resource Center for Nonviolence; New Profile, an Israeli feminist anti-militarization movement; and Wi’am, the Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center, which works within the Palestinian community for human equality and basic rights. Donations may be made online by PayPal, or by mailing a check to the RCNV at the address above. Please indicate which organization you would like to support, if you have a preference.
About Scott KennedyActivist, educator, politician, great father and husband, Scott Kennedy died in his sleep of natural causes on November 19, 2011, at age 62.
Scott was born in Nebraska in 1948, grew up in San Jose, California and went to public schools, where he met his soulmate and future wife, Kristin Champion.
Scott was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and completed his alternative civilian service in Isla Vista, California, where he co-founded the Isla Vista Youth Project and several other community programs. He was a war tax resister from the Vietnam War until 2009.
Scott co-founded the Resource Center for Nonviolence in 1976 and ran the Center’s Middle East Program. He engaged with a wide range of social movements and nonviolent campaigns from creating nuclear free zones in Santa Cruz and working for a nuclear free future in Santa Cruz and at Diablo Canyon, to the Farmworkers’ fight to unionize, and human rights struggles in El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Scott was elected to three terms on the Santa Cruz City Council and served twice as mayor, where a resolution against the first Iraq war and completion of a city green belt, a community soccer field and several affordable housing developments, were some of his proudest accomplishments.
Scott worked to support those Israelis and Palestinians committed to waging nonviolent struggle to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. He led some 40 delegations to the region to help Americans understand U.S. foreign policy and support a just two-state solution.
Scott enjoyed humor, travel and going to movies. He loved the San Francisco Giants, Van Morrison and country music, and his dog, Barack, adopted the week President Obama was elected.
We are grateful for a world of friends, family, and companions who walked with Scott, and who continue to walk for freedom and justice through steadfast nonviolence and love.
—The Kennedy Family
Photo: Resource Center for Nonviolence
“Palpable is the word that best describes for me, Scott’s understanding of and commitment to nonviolence, to peace, and to love. Herewith our tears of gratitude and sorrow.”
—Mark Johnson, FOR Executive Director
“Scott Kennedy’s death is a loss to not only family and friends, but to the larger family of nonviolent soldiers he has taught, shared with, laughed with, and loved. I’m fortunate to consider myself a member of his compassionate and passionate army. Not many people manage to make a dent in the world of conflicts, but Scott’s work in the Middle East defies all cynicism and hopelessness.”
—Joan Baez, folk singer and co-founder of the Resource Center for Nonviolence
“To say that Scott had an enormous impact on Interfaith Peace-Builders would be an understatement. Our work of sending delegations (39 since 2001) was rooted in delegation work that he pioneered, starting with a trip that Scott and Allan Solomonow led in 1975. Since that time, Scott’s work with the Resource Center for Nonviolence, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and Middle East Witness all contributed significantly to the program that we know as Interfaith Peace-Builders today. Scott has been a tireless advocate, a dedicated trip leader, an active and engaged board member, and a joy to learn from and work with.”
—Mike Daly, Interfaith Peace-Builders Program Coordinator
“Scott’s dedication to the cause of attaining peaceful resolutions mushroomed into a successful network of individuals and organizations of like minds on both sides of the divide ardently working towards conflict resolution. Scott Kennedy will be missed, but his legacy, his teachings, and his endless energy will survive and shared among those who truly seek peace and are willing to pay the price.”
—Tarek El Heneidy, FOR National Council member, 2003-09
“Kennedy in person was a man who, while incredibly persistent, could also be soft-spoken, thoughtful and able to see the humor in situations. When he took up the cause of individuals he felt had been wronged, oftentimes with the Sentinel, he was both a determined advocate and a man who could hear both sides of the issue.”
—Santa Cruz Sentinel editorial, Nov. 22
- Interfaith Peace-Builders, In Memoriam: Scott Kennedy, with photos, video and tributes
- Resource Center for Nonviolence: Scott Kennedy, with links to media about Scott’s life and passing
Scott Kennedy, Presente!
It is hard to start this note to describe many years of camaraderie activated by an incessant desire to pursue peace in one of the most troubled areas in the world, namely the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Scott’s dedication to the cause of attaining peaceful resolutions mushroomed into a successful network of individuals and organizations of like minds on both sides of the divide ardently working towards conflict resolution. Scott Kennedy will be missed, but his legacy, his teachings, and his endless energy will survive and shared among those who truly seek peace and are willing to pay the price.
It was back in 1987 or ‘88 that I was interviewed by Scott, David Schilling, and Doug Hostetter to become part of the Eye Witness Delegation heading to Palestine/Israel to help with translation issues that might present themselves. The interview was via conference call and the emphasis was on nonviolence and the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s history and teachings, all of which was new to me since I had no idea of what was happening in the world of nonviolence and I did not know anything about FOR.
Scott did not lead the delegation that time, but since the time I went to Nyack, New York, for my first orientation, I became a member of the FOR family, Middle East Task Force, and later member of FOR’s National Council. Scott has led the way for me to join the nonviolent struggle, become a peace activist, and lead or co-lead delegations to the region.
Thank you for the good times, thank you for the struggles, thank you for your leadership, and most of all thank you for your friendship.
Tarek El Heneidy served on FOR’s National Council from 2003-09, and chaired its finance committee. Born in Egypt, he lives in Rockport, Massachusetts, where he is a member of the North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice and other regional justice organizations.
FOR leader among 4 sentenced to jail in Syracuse
Last week, 31 peace activists were found guilty on two charges of disorderly conduct for their role in an April 22, 2011 protest at the Hancock Air National Guard Base in upstate New York. They and seven others, known as the “Hancock 38,” had participated in a symbolic “die-in” at the main entrance to the military base, symbolizing the indiscriminate killing of civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan by armed drones.
Two days later, President Barack Obama expressed “condolences” to Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari about the death of 20 Pakistani civilians in a drone attack a week earlier, while coming short of issuing a formal apology for the killings. (Yesterday, The Washington Post reported that Iran alleges it has captured an unmanned U.S. RQ170 drone spy plane, and the Pentagon has confirmed that one of its stealth surveillance drones is missing in that region.)
Judy Bello — an FOR member, co-leader of FOR’s May 2011 peace delegation to Iran, member of FOR’s Task Force on the Middle East, and regular contributor to this blog — was one of four activists sentenced to jail time in DeWitt County Court. (Others were Danny Burns, Ellen Grady, and Brian Terrell.) Observers of the trial have questioned why these four individuals were singled out for stronger sentencing, especially since other activists had expressed a willingness to go to jail and did not receive sentences to do so.
The Syracuse Peace Council helped organize the protests, and released the following statement:
On Thursday, December 1, the Hancock 38 drone resisters returned to DeWitt Town Court for the verdict in their case involving a symbolic ‘die-in’ at the main entrance Hancock Air National Guard Base (Mattydale, NY), protesting the piloting and maintenance of the hunter/killer Reaper drones at the Base.
Early in his decision, Judge David Gideon stated, ‘Many issues were raised that were not heretofore contemplated by this Court on a personal level; for which this Court personally acknowledges a new and different understanding, making the decision now before the Court that much more difficult.’ After much consideration and several sleepless nights, he concluded that the defendants were guilty of both “obstructing vehicular or pedestrian traffic” and “refusing to comply with a lawful order of the police to disperse.”
In their sentencing statements, the activists contested the Judge’s decision, stating that they were duty bound by the Nuremberg Principles, International Law and the U.S. Constitution to act against drones – the Principles forbid wars of aggression, attacks on civilians and extrajudicial assassinations, all actions associated with drone warfare. Action is urgent since innocents are being murdered every day by drone attacks. The verdict is indeed in – the drones are illegal.
Most people received a one year conditional discharge, along with a fine of $250 and $150 court costs and community service. Four people were given jail time, ranging from four to fifteen days. The activists are undeterred, vowing to return to the base, inviting the judge, prosecutor, other court employees to join them.
The action was sponsored by the Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars, consisting of activists from Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Ithaca, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica.
The following eight-minute video describes the protesters’ case as they prepared for the trial sentencing, and their hopes for educating others about the use of drones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxmKlIdfL4s
Who Attacked UK Embassy in Tehran?
Student activists invaded the British Embassy in Tehran. This was the headline dispatched from Iran. The news found its place in foreign media in no time for one reason or another. Iranian Student Activists!!! Embassy! The first recall of these words is the hostage crisis of 1980.
Who are “Student Activists” in Iran? Those who destroyed the British Embassy, and shouted “death to Britain” or those who, in millions, “occupied” Tehran streets right after the election of 2009 and shouted “death to nobody”?
The first group are Student Activists who also beat up demonstrators in 2009 after the presidential election, destroyed people’s property and killed demonstrators by directly firing at them. They are the group that never faced changes for what they have done but rather were rewarded for their services. Whereas the second group routinely get arrested, beaten up or tortured to death, suspended from their education and, if they are lucky, they will escape the country as result of questioning the authorities. The first group are the ones who don’t want any relations with the outside world (like their leaders) and the second are the ones who want to be accepted within the international community. The first are the group who see international isolation as their way to deal with domestic problems. Whereas, the second group believes they have much to offer and learn from the international community.
Why do authorities want to label the invaders of the UK embassy as student activists? Iranian leadership is in the most divided period of its time. This is very similar of what happened after the Revolution. Right after the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, individuals, groups, parties and stakeholders sought their share of victory while questioning Ayatollah Khomeini’s leadership. The “Father” of the revolution was successful solving “problems” one by one, sometimes by executions or imprisonment of the opposition, often by bold responses and lashes against groups. Nevertheless the most important thing that brought unity was Saddam’s gift of war. It was easy for the international community to stay calm with Iraq’s action against Iran. After all, Iran was the country with revolutionaries that didn’t respect international norms and laws. They invaded an Embassy and got hostages in their hands.
In the current political atmosphere, matters are similar to the aftermath of the Revolution, with further difficulties for Ayatollah Khamenei to deal with. While he has imprisoned critical voices, ordered executions and assassinations, he never has been neglectful of the benefits of a war. This, after all, was what Ayatollah Khomeini recalled as “a blessing” through the establishment of his “utopia”. In the past 20 years Ayatollah Khamenei has been trying to bring unity in the country under his leadership. He has not been successful as his predecessor was, even though he has often used the same policy of late Ayatollah Khomeini.
Ayatollah Khomeini didn’t need to work hard to get people in his side. Some observers say it was because of his charismatic nature, but I believe mostly it was because the country was not in a normal condition. The new government, excitement and hope in the air for a better future, the destruction of parties by their opponents and the most important fact, the breakout of the war, were conditions and events that helped him take absolute power. The latter is what Ayatollah Khamenei needs for taking control of all aspects of the country. It is essential for this kind of mentality to create chaos and damage more the already disturbed relations with the international community. Hence now is the time “student activists” invading U.K Embassy comes in handy.
Ayatollah Khamenei is in a weak position now more than ever. He lost “his” president, he doesn’t have the nation behind him, he is dealing with Reformists’ demands -who interestingly are the only group still to believe in him and they are bargaining for power- and these factors generate an uneasy situation for the Supreme Leader. There is but one major element that can come to his aid bringing unity to all factions in the country and that is nothing but war. He is constructing conditions for an attack on Iran and alas, warmongers are on his side.
VFOR: Veterans Need To Support and Visit the Occupy Wall Street Sites...
The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ is a legitimate wake-up call to all Americans regarding the systematic theft of our futures – the 99%. I want to discuss my area of highest concern. I’m a veteran, part of the VA system, that knows that the war I participated in was about controlling natural resources of another country, trying out new weapons systems and shifting public funds to the amoral leadership in the ‘war industries’. We are doing it again in Iraq. Our selected man, Saddam Hussein, nationalized Iraqi oil just like the democratically elected Mossadegh did in Iran, just like we knew Ho Chi Minh would nationalize Vietnam’s natural resources. Oil companies are drawing oil out of the South China Sea. We have allowed our corporate-run government to kill thousands of our young soldiers in these wars and millions of civilians in these other countries.
Who are the chief lobbyists of these war-corporations? Most likely they are retired military men or former politicians. I realize that the current cause of the American economic crisis is the deregulation of banks, large corporate mortgage brokers, and investment firms (Wall Street). Let us not forget the economic cost of war. How could we use the $2 trillion dollars spent on the actual fighting, the R&D of weapons systems and the private contractors?
What are the other costs of war? The destruction of other cultures and our culture, the moral costs hidden in the blank stares of our veterans are just two of many. I know that the Conservatives are planning to privatize treatment for veterans so the war-medical-corporations can suck the life out our single-payer VA Health System. Issa and Coburn head up this corporate-directed offensive for 2012. It is easy to project that the medical costs due to injury and PTSD will be in the neighborhood of $2 trillion. That’s a nice piece of change for ‘Wall Street’.
Locally what can veterans do? We can take our money out of Bank of America, CitiBank et.al. and invest in local banks and credit unions. We can tell Bank of America to stop foreclosing on the homes of young men and women deployed in Iraq/Afghanistan, to refinance veterans’ mortgages instead of throwing veterans into the street and to try to develop the sense of INTEGRITY required of being part of our community.
The latest hidden slick trick: “Bank of America, et.al., charged hidden, illegal fees to military veterans trying to refinance their homes. The lenders, unable to charge certain fees under U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rules, simply increased another created set of fees without making it clear to veterans that they were doing so, the suit alleges. The result was hundreds of thousands of cases where veterans trying to refinance their homes ended up paying between $300 and $1,000 more than they were supposed to, according to the suit.”
Think before you judge the people, young and old, that are at the various Occupy sites, stop by and talk.
Order the Martin Luther King comic book today for MLK Day events!
If you are planning a local event to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this coming January, now is the time to order the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s historic comic book, Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story. Reprinted this year from its original 1958 version, we thank FOR members for your generous support toward its reproduction in English and Spanish.
The comic book makes a perfect handout for any event celebrating the life and accomplishments of Dr. King. Also, its depiction of the nonviolent methods used by Rev. Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and many other civil rights activists that led to the integration of Montgomery, Alabama’s buses in 1956 provides a timeless resource for anyone looking to understand active nonviolence and peaceful protest — both in a historical context and in planning actions for today’s justice movements.
Orders must be received by December 28, 2011 in order to be shipped in time for the holiday observed on January 16, 2012. Orders of up to 10 copies of the comic book may be made through FOR’s online store; for larger orders, please download and mail in the discounted bulk order form (PDF).
Witness the example of FOR member Ellie Shacter: a former FOR regional secretary in the 1950s, she was in Montgomery, staying with the King family, on the day the buses were desegregated. When FOR published its comic book in 1958, Ellie gave away thousands of copies to local people around the country.
Since FOR reprinted it this year, Ellie has done it again: she is currently planning to distribute thousands more comics this coming month in the San Diego area, including at a Martin Luther King Day Breakfast, to a local black ministerial action group, to a Quaker meeting program called “Alternatives to Violence,” and more. Learn more about Ellie’s personal connection to the Montgomery story.
We invite you to place your order now for Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, and help spread the message of nonviolent action in your community!
Interfaith Holiday CardsIt is not too late to order your special holiday cards from FOR! Purchase unique peace-centered and multi-faith greeting cards from FOR, so that you can send messages of reconciliation and understanding to your friends and family during this special season.
