VFP eNews: Stop Fueling War in Yemen, AUMF and Okinawa
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Tell Congress: Stop Fueling War in Yemen
Yemen is facing a massive humanitarian catastrophe and we need your help to stop it. American aid is crucial to the Saudi war effort, and removing our assistance would limit Saudi attacks and maybe even push them to the negotiating table.
Check out this great Fact Sheet from Indivisible
P.S. From About Face: Veterans Against the War: "Veterans are sharing videos statements telling congress #YemenCantWait”- please share and use to the hashtag to raise awareness and build public pressure."
E.D. Michael McPhearson Testifies at Congressional Hearing on AUMF
The Congressional Progressive Caucus Peace and Security Task Force and the House Liberty Caucus held a bipartisan ad-hoc hearing on the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)on Tuesday, February 27, 2018. VFP Executive Director Michael McPhearson testified at the hearing. The video can be seen here.
From the Caucus: "The 2001 AUMF opened the door for any president to wage endless war without further Congressional debate or authorization, and it has been used to authorize military actions far outside the scope of what Congress envisioned when it originally passed. In 2016, the Congressional Research Service issued a report showing that, since its enactment, this authorization has been cited as the statutory authority for military or related actions at least 37 times in 14 countries. While we might not agree on what a new AUMF should look like, we can all agree that the overly broad and outdated AUMF represents a critical deterioration of Congressional oversight. While our brave servicemen and women are deployed around the world in combat zones, Congress is missing in action when it comes to its Constitutional duty. It is past time for Congress to do its job."
Check out this article "The Vital Congressional Hearing on the Endless War That Probably Nobody Watched"
Golden Rule Newport Beach Fundraiser Huge Success!
The February 25th Golden Rule event in Newport Beach was a great success!
Thanks to our fantastic sponsors Nevada Desert Experience, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Pax Christi Orange County, Physicians for Social Responsibility and supporters!
We were able to raise over $3,000 for the Golden Rule's upcoming journey to Hawaii and beyond. The world premiere of the film "Making Waves: The Rebirth of the Golden Rule" was loved by all and even elicited a few tears from the audience.
If you were unable to make it this time, our next fundraising event will be March 25 at the Peace Resource Center in San Diego!
"NO BASES NO WAR: No U.S. Foreign Military Bases in Okinawa"
On Feb. 24th, Veterans For Peace joined "NO BASES NO WAR: No U.S. Foreign Military Bases in Okinawa" in front of the NY Public Library in support of the Okinawa anti-bases activists, Hiroji Yamashiro, and his co-defendants, Hiroshi Inaba and Atsuhiro Soeda.
Last year, Veterans For Peace sent a delegation to Okinawa. Read their reflections from that trip.
The Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases has issued a call for emergency vigils in Support of Okinawa Anti-Bases Activists with their upcoming court dates on March 14th. Read more about the Okinawa anti-bases activists, Hiroji Yamashiro, and his co-defendants, Hiroshi Inaba and Atsuhiro Soeda.
If you are in NYC or Washington D.C. consider joining these vigils:
NEW YORK CITY
March 12, 2018, 12:00 – 1:00 PM Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations 866 UN Plaza, Manhattan (1st Avenue and E. 48 Street) WASHINGTON DC March 13, 2018, 2:00 – 4:00 PM Capital Hilton Hotel, 1001 16th Street, NW Washington DC 20036 VFP Chapter 160 Vietnam Tour Starts Soon!
The Veterans For Peace tour of Viet Nam, hosted for the seventh consecutive year by members of Hoa Binh Chapter 160 of VFP in Viet Nam, kicks off March 4th when the delegation of 39 veterans, spouses, friends arrives in Ha Noi. The tour will be in Quang Nam Province on March 16 to mark the 50th anniversary of the My Lai Massacre, and March 19 in Ho Chi Minh City for the opening of an exhibit on the GI Movement during the war. In addition, over the 2-1/2 weeks of the tour the group will travel through all of Viet Nam, visiting tourist and cultural attractions, old battle sites, activities and projects that reduce the impact of war legacies including Agent Orange and residual UXO.
In the past VFP delegations have donated some $100,000 to such projects. This year participants will contribute at least $1,000 each, and at the end of the tour the group will vote on how the money will be distributed. Additional donations are much appreciated from VFP members, families and friends who are not coming on this trip but who wish to contribute anyway.
You may send your tax-deductible check to VFP Chapter 69 c/o Denny Riley, 5519 Plumas, Richmond, CA 94804. Be sure to put Vietnam Tour in the memo line. Chapter 69 will wire the collected funds to Chapter 160. At the end of the trip we will inform you of how the money was distributed.
Facebook Has Some Changes!
Earlier this month, Facebook began introducing changes that will make it harder for you to see Veterans For Peace and all the great anti-war news we share!
On the bright side, it’s easy to get us back:
P.S. Make sure to take this action with every page you want to continue seeing news for!
May Day in Cuba
Join up to a million peace activists from all over the world for May Day in the Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana.
We will spend a week in Cuba, visiting historical sites, and interacting with the incredible Cuban people, including fellow veterans. However, you don't have to be a veteran to join us, I need to know of your interest, and how many will be in your party. Our trip is limited to about 15 people, so let me know as soon as possible and I'll send the itinerary and prices.
Don't hesitate to call or email: jimryerson@earthlink.net
323-504-5054
I invite you to contact any of the 60 VFP members and supporters who have traveled with me to the island and helped spread our message of peace.
Check out the travel website
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In This Issue:
Advisory Board Member Bruce Gagnon on Hunger Strike
"A vocal peace activist, Gagnon has been eschewing solid foods and subsisting on water, fruit juices and broth since Feb. 12 to protest BIW’s request for the tax breaks. Others have occasionally joined Gagnon in his fasting and during his twice-daily “vigil” outside BIW’s gates during shift changes, where he hands out fliers to departing workers.
“I was an organizer for the United Farm Workers Union, where I learned about solidarity,” Gagnon said earlier Tuesday while holding a sign in the hallway connecting the Maine House and Senate chambers. “So for me, it’s all about solidarity: solidarity in terms of the thousands of people in the state without health care, solidarity with the 43,000 kids living in poverty and solidarity with people driving around on roads (filled) with potholes that are tearing up their cars.”
Excerpt from "Controversial bill to give BIW tax credits stalls in State House, extending foe’s food strike"
Climbers For Peace in Iran: Apply Now
Chapter 71 of VFP in Santa Rosa CA with the support of national Veterans for Peace is planning an exciting adventure in Citizen Diplomacy called Climbers for Peace in Iran(CFP-Iran).
We are going to Iran at the invitation of the Iranian Mountaineering Federation. We will join with Iranian climbers and jointly climb their sacred mountain, Damavand an 18,600 ft dormant volcano. It is not a technical mountain so no special climbing skills are required but it is high and the air will be thin and cold so you need to be in good shape. We leave June 30 and return July 15. The total cost is about $5,000 including airfare. We spend 7 days on the climb and 7 days seeing the "treasures of ancient Persia' and conducting people to people diplomacy with ordinary Iranians including veterans
We met with the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations at the UN in NYC and he is very supportive. In fact everyone on the Iranian side has been very supportive and I am very sure we will be granted visas despite the fact that officially Iran is not issuing visas to Americans in response to Trumps ban on Iranians coming to the US. Iran is making exceptions on a case by case basis. The US Olympic Wrestling Team went to a tournament and 28 Americans ran in their International Marathon last year
Contact Fred Ptucha, Founder of Climbers for Peace for more information: at 707 539 6849 or fptucha@sonic.net
Olympic Truce Action: Diplomacy NOT War The Winter Olympics and Paralympics, to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, offer a unique moment to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. On a very encouraging note, in November 2017, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an Olympic Truce, or a cessation of hostilities during the Winter Games, which gained the support of 157 Member States including both Koreas and future hosts of the Olympic Games: Japan, China, France and the United States.
The Olympic Truce represents an important opportunity to defuse tensions and begin the work of reconciliation on the Korean peninsula. The United States should fully support both Korean governments' current efforts to restore a peace process. Veterans For Peace hasissued a statement of support for these unity efforts.
Let's build on this momentum! We in the United States have a special responsibility to demand diplomacy, not war, with North Korea. An ad hoc network, the Korea Collaboration, calls for weeks of action during the Winter Olympics (February 9 - 25) and Paralympics (March 9 - 18), as well as the broader period of the Olympic Truce (February 2 to March 25). We call on groups and individuals to organize actions or other events in your communities.
p.s. Check out the Korea Peace Campaign for more ways to get involved in Veterans For Peace efforts and resources to learn more about Korea.
Support Zahid!
Disabled veteran Zahid Chaudhry's next immigration hearing has been pushed out to March 12, 2018, at 1pm.
Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry is a member of Veterans For Peace and a long time community volunteer and peace & justice advocate. He has been unjustly threatened with removal from the U.S.
Community members from Olympia, Tacoma and Seattle are gathering in support! If you are in the greater Seattle area, supporters will gather outside the court building together with Mr. Chaudhry and family from noon to 12:45 and will then sit in solidarity during the court proceedings. More details
If you are not in the area, and still wish to show your support, please visit the endorsement tabs on www.keepzahidhome.org and www.justice4chaudhry.info, and write letters of support & email them to keepzahidhome@gmail.com
Please see Pastor Amy Hessel's letter on the endorsements tab of either website.
We Want to Know What Social Media You All Are On!
We know that often social media is how many people reach out to you all so we want to make sure we are tagging you often from the VFP National Page and directing folks to your pages.
It's ok if you have only one or two or none at all! (Remember a social media page is only useful if it can be updated! Having one well updated page is better than having three or four social media platforms with no engagement!)
If you are a member at large-it's great to fill this out too--there's a place to plug in your personal social media at the bottom!
Feb 25-Mar 4 - CODEPINK: Women for Peace trip to Cuba
March 3-8 - Greenpeace Action Camp
March 4-21 - Veterans For Peace Vietnam Tour
May 14-16 - 2018 UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament, United Nations, New York
June 22-24 - Global Network Against Weapons in Space, Oxford, UK
June 24-July 1 - Action Week Against Air Base Ramstein, Germany
July 9-10 - NO to NATO Counter Summit, Brussels, Belgium
July 10-18 - International Action Camp Against Nuclear Weapons in Germany, Buchel, Germany
Aug 23-26 - 2018 VFP National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota
Sept 19-21 - 2nd Annual Conference in Havana, Cuba on "Realities and Challenges of Being a Zone of Peace in Latin America and the Caribbean"
Nov 27-29 - International Youth Conference: Reaching High for a Nuclear Weapon Free World, Prague, Czech Republic
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