8th anniversary of our War in Afghanistan

When the United States began its bombing campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan on the night of October 7, 2001, there was no active organized peace movement in Fall River, and there was not a lot of vocal opposition. The Taliban was closely intertwined with Al Quaida, and Al Quaida had attacked us three weeks earlier, on September 11th. Ostensibly we were going after Osama bin Laden, who was indeed our enemy. Moreover the Taliban was a very repressive, intolerant and brutal group; overthrowing them seemed all in all a good idea. They banned women from leaving their homes, even for work or education, they banned most entertainment and sports, they punished theft by amputating hands, they stoned adulterers to death, they lashed people caught with liquor. They massacred ethnic and religious minorities. They flooded the western marketplace with opium. Removing them from power seemed a rather good idea. However, it was a country that had just been through 30 years of war, both civil and from outside in the form of the Soviet invasion. It did not have structures in place for running a country. A vast proportion of the educated classes had fled abroad during the 10 years of Soviet war and the five or six years under the Taliban. And after rapidly overthrowing the Taliban (while in fact failing at our main objective, which was to defeat Al Quaida and capture bin Laden, who had slipped over the border and regrouped in Pakistan), we lost interest, or rather shifted our interest, and our immense expenditure of capital, to Iraq. After World War II international forces placed 89 soldiers per a thousand inhabitants in Germany to secure the peace; in Bosnia in 1996 17.5 soldiers per thousand inhabitants were brought in. But in 2002 US and other international forces placed fewer than 2 soldiers per thousand Afghans. There was no international police force. Money for rebuilding a country we had just saturation bombed was promised but was not delivered. There was no assistance for alternative crops in the former poppy fields. And an insurgency developed which overwhelmed both the weak government and the small American presence. Beginning in December of 2002, the peace movement in Fall River reconstituted itself in opposition to the Iraq War. That war seemed unjustified and vastly expensive, both in lives and in resources, which could so much better have been spent on education or on health care, or on the many other domestic needs we had. Or on giving the Afghans a decent chance to build themselves back into a functioning nation. Every event we had we made a poster of THE NUMBERS, giving the numbers of Americans killed and wounded in Iraq (4667 killed, 31,494 wounded), the likely numbers of Iraqis who died in the conflict (around a hundred thousand confirmed to date), the cost of the War to this country ($917 billion to date) and the amount of that which could otherwise have been spent in Fall River ($215 million). But we lost sight of the other war, in which 869 soldiers have been killed so far, 4,000 wounded. The UN says 1,160 civilians were killed last year, 1078 by insurgents, 828 by US and NATO troops. The numbers will be higher this year. There are 3.5 million refugees. And over the last eight years we have barely noticed them The country is at a crossroads now, where the military is urging 40,000 new troops be sent to Afghanistan. These are our people. They take a vow to do their best, giving their lives if necessary, to whatever quagmire we send them to. We need to be more careful in committing them. We need to examine our goals, and understand how achievable our strategies are first. We need to understand the place we are sending them to. We put a "Join the Greater Fall River Committee for Peace and Justice" flyer together a few years ago, and added some quotations from famous people. Here are three of them that seem relevant: Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter Martin Luther King Jr. I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. Mohandas K. Gandhi I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Secretary Ban Ki-Moon's Statement on International Day of Peace

U N I T E D N A T I O N S SECRETARY-GENERAL Ban Ki-Moon MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE 21 September 2009 The International Day of Peace is a global call for ceasefire and non-violence. It is a time to reflect on the horror and cost of war, and on our duty to resolve disputes peacefully. Most of the victims of conflict are powerless. Innocent civilians. Fathers, mothers, children. Without peace they have little hope of improving their lives. Little hope of escaping poverty. Often, those who work on behalf the powerless are also targets. Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian workers, United Nations staff and peacekeepers have all found themselves under attack. Combatants, warlords, arms suppliers and their sponsors continue to display a cruel disrespect for life. On this International Day of Peace, I remind all of them that there is another way. A better way. The path of peace. Even where States are torn by internal strife, history shows that peace can prevail if there is sufficient will. There are many examples where the advocates of peace have successfully subdued the voices of hate. I also draw hope from the renewed engagement of the international community on the issue of nuclear disarmament.

That is why I have launched the WMD-We Must Disarm! Campaign. As long as such weapons exist, no-one is safe. On this International Day of Peace, I have a simple message for all: We Must Disarm! We must have peace.

I appeal to people throughout the world to join in this effort. Support the United Nations, and do your part for peace.

International Day of Peace Stand Out Monday

Greater Fall River Committee for Peace and Justice to hold Standout at Government Center Monday, September 21st 2009, 4-5 PM United Nations International Day of Peace International Day of Peace, the “World’s First Global Holiday”, observed every year on September 21st to coincide, approximately, with the opening of the UN General Assembly for the fall, will be observed in Fall River with a stand-out for Peace from 4-5 by the Greater Fall River Committee for Peace and Justice at the newly renovated Government Center Plaza, corner of Main and Pocasset. This year the opening of the general assembly is especially interesting, because President Obama will be addressing the gathering. The US has taken the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month and Obama has called for a high-level summit meeting on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Presidents Muammar Gadhafi of Libya and Mahmoud Achmedinejad of Iran will also address the gathering, and an important debate on global climate change is scheduled for September 22nd, hopefully leading to a deal to be signed in Copenhagen in December.   The theme of the International Day of Peace this year, as announced by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, is “WMD – We Must Disarm!” He made a video with Michael Douglas, available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht6glqMkwps&feature=channel_page Mr. Douglas has been named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Everyone is welcome, bring your own signs and banners or hold ours. For further information call Judith Conrad at (508)674-6128 or e-mail her at Judithconrad@mindspring.com.

Harpists for Peace

 Sunday July 19th at 2 -- we will be celebrating it in Fall River, probably at Bicentennial Park

http://www.harpistsforpeace.com/   'Harpists for Peace' had its beginnings as a Facebook Group for all   harpists, harpers, and harp lovers who care about world peace.   It was a natural development to plan a very exciting annual event: a   special day when harp players all over the world would play for one   hour, near important public buildings, town squares or places of   political significance in their own cities or towns, to promote   world peace and help others reflect on the value of peace as our goal.   The 'Peace Hour' will take place for the very first time this year,   on Sunday July 19 2009, at 2pm (local time) and harp players of all   ages, cultures and traditions, whether amateur or professional, are   encouraged to take part. The event will be coverered by CNN, and   local politicians will be invited to come and 'pluck a harp for   peace' in Washington, where harpists will be playing by the   White House.

Connie Emery -- Memorial Service Sunday the 31st

Connie Emery died Tuesday. Longtime Fall River Peace activist. Herald News obit:

Constance Emery

Constance Mae Stevens Emery, 86, longtime Somerset community activist, died peacefully Tuesday, May 19, 2009. She was the wife of the late Rev H Merrill Emery and daughter of the late Ora F Wilkins and Harold C Stevens. She was the beloved sister of Eleanor E Owen of Oberlin Ohio. Along with her sister, survivors include her children David B Emery of Somerset, Elizabeth C Tidwell of Westport, and Jonathan Emery of Livermore California, and seven nieces and nephews. Connie was the very proud grandmother of Owen Ivey, Casey Rose, and Matthew David Tidwell of Westport. Born and raised in Salem Mass, she lived in Somerset since 1956. As had Eleanor, she graduated with top honors from Salem High School where she was active in many student groups and dramatic productions. After studying nursing, she attended graduate programs at Andover Newton Theological School, where she met her late husband Merrill. Soon afterward she joined in his calling to serve the UCC Congregational Christian Church of Somerset, where she was active for over 50 years. Serving as Church secretary for most of that time, Connie was also a driving force behind the Church’s progressive religious education programs for many years. With the Church as foundation, she became one of the area’s leading social justice champions creating the LIFE program at the Church and organizing numerous area interfaith programs and exchanges throughout the 60s and 70s. Her community activism also extended into local and national political causes. Ms Emery was a fearless advocate and member of local chapters of the National Organization of Women and Nuclear Disarmament groups. Her dedication to the community included serving as a tireless citizen watchdog attending Somerset Board of Selectmen meetings faithfully each week through countless political issues and leadership changes. Constance will also be remembered as the founder of United Families Inc., a non-profit organization serving mentally ill adults in the Fall River area. Her three decades of dedication to the UFI cause helped protect and advance the rights, dignity, and quality of life for innumerable Somerset area clients and families. During her later years she was able to aid UFI and several other social justice missions by creating and operating the UFI Gift Shop at Pottersville Place. A pioneer in the Fair Trade movement, the Gift Shop worked with SERRV organization to offer handcrafted items made by impoverished overseas artisans as well as items promoting other globally responsible charities such as Heifer International and UNICEF. In addition to her abiding sense of social justice, friends and family will always fondly remember Connie’s joy when bird watching and her love and mastery of the written word. She was a published poet and spent countless hours composing letters, articles, and newsletters. One of her favorite pastimes in recent years was challenging her grandchildren to best her in word games. The gift of her intelligence, wit, and passion lives on in them, and especially in her son, David. All are invited to attend a memorial service and collation to be held at 2PM on Sunday May 31, 2009 at the Congregational Christian Church, 1411 County Street, Somerset. Connie requested that in lieu of flowers friends and family do an act of justice in her honor. Memorial donations may be made to the Emery Scholarship Fund at the Church, Hiefer International, SERRV, or UNICEF. All arrangememnts have been entrusted to the care of the HATHAWAY HOME for FUNERALS 1813 Robeson St., Fall River. www.hathawayfunerals.com.

Dave Ehrens in Israel/Palestine with Interfaith Peace Builders

Read about it online:

http://www.interfaithpeacebuilders.org/del30/

And Dave is doing his own blog

http://ehrens.wordpress.com.  

Voices of the Peace-Builders: From Roots to Reconciliation Interfaith Peace-Builders and the National Peace Foundation Delegation Arrives in Israel/Palestine Delegation 30 Announcement Report One: Jerusalem, Dheisheh, Bethlehem May 26, 2009 Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) and the National Peace Foundation (NPF) are pleased to announce that our 16 member delegation to Israel/Palestine entered Israel at the Ben-Gurion airport Tuesday afternoon. After a flight delay, the delegation is now safely in Jerusalem. The purpose of this delegation, the 30th to make the trip since 2001, is to educate North American citizens about the region and deepen their understanding of its conflicts. This is the second delegation that IFPB and NPF have co-sponsored since 2008. The delegation focuses on the voices of Palestinian and Israeli peace-builders and nonviolent activists. Both Palestinian and Israeli voices promoting peace and reconciliation are marginalized in an international discourse that far too often paints Israelis and Palestinians as either violent militants or helpless victims. The reality is that many people in Israel/Palestine work on a daily basis to bring about a peaceful and nonviolent end to the occupation and resolution of the conflict. This delegation will meet a variety of these individuals and organizations. Following the quiet expiration of the Bush Administration’s 2008 deadline for a peace agreement, and last week's meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the situation on the ground continues to worsen. Participants on this delegation have the unique opportunity to hear directly from Palestinians and Israelis regarding their hopes for peace and the role of the US government in promoting a resolution to the conflict.

Bill Moyers Journal: Torturing Democracy

Kevin Costa recommends we watch this this PBS show

May 29, 2009

"If the Americans are doing it, and they're not accountable, then who's going to come to your rescue?" -Moazzam Begg, Detainee #558 in Guantanamo Bay. Moazzam Begg's statement, made after years of detention without charge, echoes the sentiments of many Americans and much of the world who have traditionally viewed the United States as a pillar of the rule of law.  The documentary TORTURING DEMOCRACY tells the story of how the United States government circumvented tradition and law to adopt torture as official policy. The film, produced by award-winning filmmaker Sherry Jones, draws on interviews, archival footage, and recently declassified documents to piece together the development and dissemination of torture tactics from Bagram in Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib -- and the document trail leads right to the top of the chain of command.  PLEASE NOTE: Due to rights restrictions we will not be able to stream TORTURING DEMOCRACY online. 

You can watch the entire film at the TORTURING DEMOCRACY Web site. 

http://www.torturingdemocracy.org/

or read the transcript here

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05292009/transcript1.html

Also on the TORTURING DEMOCRACY Web site, explore a timeline of events, read related articles, and delve into the archive of official documents.