VFPeNews: International Peace Day
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Thursday, September 20thInternational Peace Day If we want to abolish war we must help our fellow citizens here at home see the same connections. We need to understand that dropping more bombs, killing innocent civilians and resorting to military solutions is robbing the world's children of health care, education and meaningful jobs to build a safer and more secure future. We believe that as people see and understand this connection, they will stand up with us against war. We can then work together to put in place the building blocks necessary to build a sustainable and peaceful future. To that end, we call upon our members, fellow veterans, supporters and greater communities to move beyond talk of ending conflict, and instead adopt and implement practices that build peace at home and abroad. Read our entire statement and check out our action page How Grassroots Activists Made Peace with North Korea Possible "Amid the clamor and saber-rattling, however, a steady, persistent grassroots peace movement is working hard to counter the negativity. By influencing stakeholders behind the scenes, building new coalitions and reframing the narrative to promote negotiation as a difficult but worthwhile process, this movement has risen above “fire and fury” to chart the way toward lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Among the most important developments for the peace movement in the last year is the formation of broad coalitions. According to international scholar-activist Simone Chun, 2018 marked “the first time we saw a formidable, sustaining coalition with major American peace activists and the Korean activist communities.” These coalitions have allowed actors to coordinate strategically in pushing for clear goals, like a formal declaration ending the Korean War and sustained diplomacy on a path to peace. These coalitions have also been key in elevating a range of voices, particularly those of Koreans, women and people of color, who have often been marginalized from the mainstream policy debates in Washington D.C." Read the whole article Back to Top Albuquerque Chapter passes Resolution to Save Our VA Charles Powell sent in this reflection about the process of getting the resolution passed--which includes a great history of building a relationship with other veteran's organizations in Albuquerque. "The United Veterans Council hosts events at the memorial, the major ones are on Memorial Day and Veterans Day each year. There was a period, although our VFP Chapter was a bona fide, dues paying member of the council, when our suggestions for program and speakers and requests to table were flatly rejected. They deemed us "too political." So we were relegated to the sidewalk outside the memorial grounds, where they even tried unsuccessfully to get the police to remove us. Finally, with the help of the NM American Civil Liberties Union, we convinced them that a city entity cannot discriminate for political reasons. Since being compelled to admit us, relations have steadily improved. We attend monthly UVC meetings, our chapter helps maintain the roses on the grounds, and we help staff the visitors center, wearing our VFP t-shirts and caps and flying our flag . In recent years, on Veterans Day at the 11th hour, we have rung the Armistice bell to begin the program." Read the Resolution and the rest of Charles' reflection! San Diego VFP new "Just Don't Go" Mobile Billboard As part of its ongoing five year educational "Just Don't Go" outreach program, the San Diego Veterans For Peace have obtained a mobile billboard which will be driving around greater San Diego for the next week. Read their press release! #LETTERSTOTHEWARMACHINE The Pentagon's lust for endless war takes a heavy toll on the daily lives and the future of all people across the globe in a large variety of ways. It is a misconception that only those in war torn countries are impacted by the U.S. War Machine. Unfortunately, thanks to the ever expanding U.S. military budget and the Pentagon's lust for war, no corner of the planet is untouched from the War Machine's reach. It is also a misconception that we can't do anything about this terrible reality. #LettersToTheWarMachine is an opportunity for you to speak your mind, to express your frustration, your anger and your grief, in writing. Writing down your thoughts becomes your plan of action. Your words peer up from the page and demand action from the reader. Expressing these emotions and demands clears your mind and readies you for the fight ahead, the fight against the War Machine. Letters sent to use as part of this campaign will be featured on the Women's March website and many will be read aloud on October 21st at the Pentagon's fortress gates during the Women's March on the Pentagon. Send Your Letter! New Veterans Organizing Institute Announced! They are now accepting applications for their next training, scheduled for Dec 6-9, 2018 in Phoenix, AZ. The VOI is for progressive veterans involved in social change, or who are looking to get involved. "We are living in a moment of unprecedented political flux with growing instability both at home and abroad. Our communities are increasingly under attack both from established political forces and rising right-wing extremists. Yet this is also a moment of tremendous opportunity as growing powerful social movements have created a new wave of civic engagement. Against this backdrop, we believe veterans leadership and action has never been more important." Find out more! #NoWar2018 Here is a note from them on how to tune in: "We’ll be live streaming most of #NoWar2018 via our Facebook page! Tune in this Thurday and Friday evenings and Saturday. Each of the plenary sessions will “go live” a few minutes prior to the scheduled time (see conference schedule). We will also be livestreaming the pre-conference book talk with Medea Benjamin on Thursday 9/20 from 6:00pm-8:00pm Eastern." | In This Issue: International Peace Day Not One Emmy for Ken Burns and “The Vietnam War” How Grassroots Activists Made Peace with North Korea Possible Leave No One Behind: Keeping Our Promise to Deported Veterans Albuquerque Chapter passes Resolution to Save Our VA Marching Against the End of the World: Disarm Trident San Diego VFP new "Just Don't Go" Mobile Billboard New Peace In Our Times Available for Order #LETTERSTOTHEWARMACHINE International Conference Against US/NATO Military Bases New Veterans Organizing Institute Announced! Keep Space for Peace Week #NoWar2018 ICYMI: In Case You Missed It Upcoming Events Not One Emmy for Ken Burns and “The Vietnam War” Veterans For Peace Full Disclosure has been actively working on a campaign to educate and inform the public on the true costs of the Viet Nam War. They have used the recent documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick as a catalyst to point out all the pieces that have been left out. One of the successful tactics they used was to put a full page ad in Variety, a magazine geared towards Hollywood. "The organization Veterans for Peace (VFP) published personal responses to Burns’s series by a few of its members, some of them Vietnam veterans. Unlike most of the U.S. veterans interviewed by Burns and Novick, these Vietnam veterans were highly critical of what their military had done to the people of Vietnam. And they were highly critical of the dishonesty and the lack of moral vision they perceived in Burns’s filmmaking." Read this great article that details how their campaign took shape! Back to Top Leave No One Behind: Keeping Our Promise to Deported Veterans Veterans For Peace member Alfredo Figueroa is heading up a project titled "Leave No Man Behind: Keeping our Promise to Deported Veterans". Alfredo is a OIF and OEF combat veteran that recently graduated from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. He recently was granted the Judith Lee Stronach price, which allows him to work with veterans that have been deported. He is also on the board of Veterans For Peace's Deported Veteran Advocacy Project. He is currently doing workshops around the Bay area but is available to come to local communities to talk about his project. Alfredo is based in California and can be contacted via email to set up a potential workshop. His email is: alfredo.figueroa01@berkeley.edu Click her for more info, a bio on Alfredo and how you can help! Back to Top
Marching Against the End of the World: Disarm Trident
 Unfortunately, all of the nuclear weapons states boycotted the Treaty negotiations, and in the United States, politicians, the media, as well as the Church are completely silent about it. So, the message of the Plowshares movement continues to move through the land—if governments won't disarm, the people must. Molly Rush, one of the original Plowshares 8, later wrote that as she hammered on the warhead nose cone she "put a hole in one and a dent in another. And, I thought, these things are as vulnerable as we are, and we can undo what has been done." Read the Entire Piece Back to Top New Peace In Our Times Available for Order A note from the PIOT team: We’re very excited about the fall issue of Peace in Our Times. Two great lead stories that you can see on the front page – one by Vietnam veteran and wilderness advocate Doug Peacock on the de-listing of grizzlies from the Endangered Species Act and what that means not only for the grizzles, but also for the threats to our land and water. In ‘Why I’m going to Ireland ...’ David Swanson writes brilliantly about the importance of the upcoming global conference in Dublin against U.S./NATO military bases. This issue is filled with compelling, well-written articles and dramatic pictures about the urgent state of affairs in the United States and the world. Articles include
To be sure you don’t miss out on this very important issue please place your order before September 21. Those of you with annual subscriptions please check to see that it has not run out. Order Now! Back to Top International Conference Against US/NATO Military Bases The conference will feature international experts. Several expert panels will discuss the economic, political, environmental and health costs and impact of US/NATO military bases in various regions of the world, including Central and South America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The Conference is jointly organized by Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA) and Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases (USA), and is endorsed by the sponsoring organizations of the International Campaign. Make sure to register now! If you are Veterans For Peace member and attending the conference, please contact colleen@veteransforpeace.org Recently the Canadian Peace Congress (CPCon), the U.S. Peace Council (USPC) and the Mexican Movement for Peace and Development (MOMPADE) held their fourth Trilateral Meeting on September 13, 2018 in Moca, Dominican Republic in conjunction with the Hemispheric Peace Conference of the World Peace Council and its affiliates on this continent. Upon the conclusion of their meeting, the delegations of the three organizations issued the following statement: "The participants express grave concern that the accelerated drive to militarization, aggression and war threatens the very future of humanity, and call for urgent measures to stop and reverse the arms race, to sharply reduce bloated military budgets and to redirect these funds to peaceful and socially useful purposes to raise wages and living standards, improve social programs and protect our environment. Urgent efforts are required to prevent the modernization of nuclear arsenals, to ban the militarization of outer space, and to move in the direction of general and comprehensive disarmament, including the ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons" Read the Entire Statement Back to Top Keep Space for Peace Week Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space is planning their International Week of Protest to Stop the Militarization of Space for Oct. 6-13th. They now have a list of actions up and encourage you to take action in your local community! Check out this list of actions, resources and contact information ICYMI
Save the Dates: Upcoming Event 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" Sept 21 - International Day of Peace Sept 15-23 - Campaign Nonviolence Week of Actions Oct 6-13 - Keep Space For Peace Week Oct 20-21 - Women's March on the Pentagon Nov 11 - Armistice Day Nov 16-18 - 2018 SOA Watch Encuentro Nov 16-18 - International Conference Against U.S./NATO Military Bases in Dublin, Ireland Nov 27-29 - International Youth Conference: Reaching High for a Nuclear Weapon Free World, Prague, Czech Republic Back to Top | |||
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