VFPeNews: Honoring Dr. King's Legacy
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In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Each year, the commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. provides Veterans For Peace and the broader peace movement an opportunity to reflect on the ways that we are carrying on his legacy. Peace, social justice and King’s legacy come together as VFP continues to advance our Peace at Home, Peace Abroad lens by addressing the Triple Evils of War, Poverty and Militarism - and today we include environmental destruction, to build an all inclusive peace and justice movement.
This MLK weekend, we reflect on what King’s legacy and the movement that he was a part of mean for us at this moment in history. Dr. King's memory has been largely sanitized in mainstream American culture, with some of his most revolutionary thoughts and words all but wiped from the pages of popular history. Rarely do we hear of his anti-war stance, his work to end poverty or his full vision of racial justice. At this historic moment, when the country continues to be in such turmoil, key civil rights are being rolled back, hate, open racism and misogyny is on the rise and immigrants are under attack, there continues to be a national call to reclaim MLK's legacy, and remind the world that his vision was larger than what they've been told to imagine, and that it remains unfulfilled.
This weekend we urge all of our members to remember Dr. King by taking action, whether it be by attending a local march, reading MLK’s Beyond Vietnam speech, supporting those working on the border or getting involved with the Poor People’s Campaign.
We know that the “arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice” and together we continue to bend that arc. (Read more)
The Wall, The Endless War, and the Troops Who Pay by Gerry Condon
"About 800,000 federal workers are going without pay, and thousands of them are veterans. According to the Office of Personnel Management, about 155,000 veterans work at agencies affected by the shutdown. Of those, nearly 50,000 are disabled veterans. And 40,000 members of the Coast Guard, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense, are being forced to work without pay. One Coastie wife has started a GoFundMe appeal to that her husband and thousands of others can pay their bills.
So while U.S. troops and their families endure multiple deployments, veterans suffering from the trauma of previous wars are stressed out by missing paychecks, and active duty Coast Guard carry out dangerous missions without pay. And hundreds of U.S. military veterans who have been inhumanely deported are unable to rejoin their families in the United States. Neither Trump nor the rest of the Establishment appear to give a damn about the men and women whom they praise so effusively when drumming up support for their endless wars."
Border Report by Elliott Adams
Kathleen Hernandez and Elliott spent a week working on the border at San Diego/Tijuana with Meta Peace Team.
"This report does not tell the appalling stories of the asylum seekers in the "caravans"; stories of the violence that forced them to run for their lives, the horrors of their month of walking through foreign hostile lands and the dangers in the camps hanging tenuously on to life.
Let me start by reminding you that this is a politically created humanitarian crisis – if the US just assigned an appropriate number of Asylum Officers there would be no human back log and no humanitarian crisis.
A complication of reporting on what is happening is that everything is constantly in flux. The daily evolving nature of the situation makes it hard to report on but more importantly it makes it hard for groups trying to help and leaves the asylum seekers in the dark. We base this report on the week Dec 8 to 17 we were in San Diego/Tijuana for Meta Peace Team so things may have changed.
In the middle of a dramatic reduction in immigration from Mexico the US processing of immigrants is backing up – this does not make sense. The human back log was not created by “the Caravan” that Trump talked about, they just joined the continuous applications for immigration and asylum. If the US processed asylum seekers in a timely manner it would clean up the humanitarian crisis in Tijuana. For example if the US just put 1000 Asylum Officers on the Mexican border and they each heard 6 “credible fear interviews” a day. Within one week all of the asylum seeker back log would be in the process and the humanitarian crisis would be over. Those who have applied and have not met the initial test will know that they aren’t getting asylum in the US and will move to other options. Some may apply for asylum in Mexico. Some might go home.
For the Mexican law enforcement anyone who claims they are seeking asylum has a bundle of rights that must be protected and respected. But once their application for asylum in the US has been denied (I have heard that as few as 20% may meet that test) they can be treated like anyone else on the street. This includes simple problems like Tijuana residents having thousands of caravan people trying to stay alive in the streets in front of their houses with no facilities. Just by putting enough Asylum Officers on the border the US could make the accumulated problem go away in weeks.
Women's March: January 19th
On January 19, 2019, we’re going to flood the streets of Washington, D.C., and cities across the globe. The #WomensWave is coming, and we’re sweeping the world forward with us.
Are you attending the march? We'd love to hear your reflection and see pictures! Email press@veteransforpeace.org
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It!)
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In This Issue:
Soldier Facing Prosecution For Speaking Truth
Our new documentary shows the courage of Brittany DeBarros, an Afghanistan War veteran and currently a Captain in the Army Reserves, who is speaking out and currently facing prosecution from an army investigation. Please support Brittany, Veterans For Peace and About Face: Veterans Against War by sharing this video!
From filmmaker Chris Smiley Veterans For Peace Announces Tour to Viet Nam for 2019
By popular demand, VFP Chapter 160 in Viet Nam will host another tour for VFP members, spouses, friends, who have requested one more chance to visit the country that shaped our lives in so many ways.
TOUR DATES: Group Flight will depart from San Francisco late night on Thursday, March 7th, arriving in Ha Noi on Saturday morning, March 9th. Return flight from Ho Chi Minh City to San Francisco will depart mid-afternoon on Monday, March 25th.
Please note: To reserve your place on the tour, a $300 deposit must be submitted by close-of-business on Friday, January 25th, made out to Veterans For Peace.
Stop the Landfill Work in Okinawa
Recently members of VFP were honored to join with Stand With Okinawa to deliver signatures to the White House. VFP member Dud Hendrick gives a speech in support below.
The petition states
Please STOP the landfill work in Okinawa until a democratic referendum can be held. Earlier this year the Okinawan people overwhelmingly elected Gov. Denny Tamaki on the premise of STOPPING the construction at Henoko / Oura Bay. The Bay is a CRUCIAL part of the Okinawan ecosystem. However the Japanese government & U.S. military have so far IGNORED the democratic will of Gov. Tamaki & the Okinawan people.
Watch Dud's speech and also a must watch: Teiko Yonaha Tursi's, (the Okinawan Gov't Appointed- Goodwill Ambassador) speech
Veterans For Peace Nashville Radio Hour
They start with a song from friend of the show Joseph Defilippo and the RJ Phillips Band remembering the Battle of Maxton, the confrontation of KKK and the Lumbies. Then Harvey highlights articles in Peace in Our Times as they reflect on Dr. King's Beyond Vietnam Speech. It finishes up with the Kingston Trio.
New Documentary: A Force More Powerful
A Force More Powerful is a documentary series on one of the 20th century’s most important and least-known stories: how nonviolent power overcame oppression and authoritarian rule. It includes six cases of movements, and each case is approximately 30 minutes long.
Last Chance for Feedback: Code of Conduct
The Veterans For Peace Board of Directors has created a new Code of Conduct. The Code was presented at the annual convention and valuable feedback was provided. The Board took those into consideration and updated the Code of Conduct. Before finalizing, the Board would love feedback from anyone who missed the opportunity at the convention.
Please take a minute to read through the new Code of Conduct and fill out this survey.
January 10 - Friday, January 18, 2019 Peace with Iran Delegation
Jan 19 - Women's March, Washington D.C.
Jan 21 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day
March 30-April 4 - NO To NATO events in Washington D.C.
May 4 - May 6 - 6th Seminar for Peace & Abolition of Foreign Military Bases, Guantanamo Cuba
August 15-18 - Annual Veterans For Peace Convention in Spokane, Washington
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