Alert #180  October 6, 2008

Vote for Peace in next week's New York Primaries PEACE DEMANDS ACTION - one email, one action, five minutes a week for peace
view this message online: http://www.panys.org/alerts/180.htm
Dear Peace Advocate,

Each fall the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space organizes “Keep Space for Peace Week.” The purpose is to help build consciousness about the need to prevent a new arms race in space.  According to Global Network Coordinator Bruce Gagnon, “The space week protests represent the largest grassroots global expression against moving the arms race into space.”

The U.S. military believes that whoever controls space will be able to project force "in space, from space and into space." According to the Pentagon future military success will depend on space capabilities and what it calls “full spectrum dominance.” U.S. Space Command is now developing new war fighting technologies like the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) and Anti-satellite weapons (ASATS) as well as space based laser weapons. Star Wars is alive and well. With current U.S. plans to deploy Star Wars-style radar defense systems in the Czech Republic and ‘missile defense’ deployments in Poland, a new costly and destabilizing arms race in space is underway.

The movement to stop this new round in the arms race must move ahead quickly.

As we prepare to move into the 21st century it is crucial for peace and environmental activists to view space as an area of concern. If the U.S. can "control" space, so might another nation. Thus we have the early stages of an arms race in space. Are we to allow the U.S., and other nations, to carry the bad seed of warfare, greed, exploitation and environmental contamination into space?

Now is our brief chance in history to prevent a great wrong from occurring. Now is the time that we must organize a global call to resist the weaponization of space. We must make space for peace and fund schools, housing, health care and other human needs instead of militarism.

For your five minutes for peace this week, we ask you to join your local groups at their Keep Space for Peace events. For a list of Space Week protest sites, please see: www.space4peace.org

If you happen to be here in New York City, join us on Monday October 6th from 12 to 1:30PM to protest at NY State’s Largest Military Contractor in Space Weapons Development: L-3 Communications (600 3rd Avenue at 39th Street)

As always, thanks for all you do.

In peace,

Mai Gad
Peace Action Fund of New York State
info@panys.org
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 NYC Metro Area Upstate NY Out-of-State & Nationwide
Featured Event
Monday, Oct. 6, 12 noon – 1:30 pm
MIDTOWN NYC. Outside L-3 Communications Corporate Headquarters,
600 Third Avenue at E 39th Street
 PROTEST INVOLVEMENT OF NY STATE’S LARGEST MILITARY
CONTRACTOR IN SPACE WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT.
This event is part of Keep Space for Peace: An International Week of Action to Prevent the Militarization of Space. No Weapons in Space, Stop Star Wars research and development, stop bombing Iraq and Afghanistan, convert the military industrial complex, fund human needs. For more information, contact PANYS at 646-723-1749.

 
New York Metro Area and Long Island Events
 
 Monday, Oct. 6, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
LOWER EAST SIDE NYC.The Puffin Room, 455 Broome Street,
between Broadway and Crosby
 ANTONIA JUHASZ: THE TYRANNY OF OIL: THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL INDUSTRY AND WHAT WE MUST DO TO STOP IT. First stop on the national book tour.  Event will benefit United for Peace and Justice. $10 donation (no one will be turned away for lack of funds).  Wine and refreshments will be served for a small donation. The Tyranny of Oil answers today's most pressing energy questions: Why have oil and gasoline prices risen so quickly? Where will prices go in the future? Who's really controlling those prices? How much oil is left? How far will Big Oil go to get it? And at what cost to the economy, environment, human rights, worker safety, public health, democracy and America's place in the world?
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 6:30 pm
BROOKLYN. Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street.
 CIMEMA OF THE VIETNAM WAR: “YEAR ZERO: THE SILENT DEATH OF CAMBODIA.”
Hosted by Brooklyn for Peace. Accompanies the current exhibition “In Our Own Words: Portraits of Brooklyn Vietnam Veterans.” Film will be followed by a presentation and Q&A with Elizabeth Holzman. For more information call 718-624-5921 or email bfp@brooklynpeace.org.
Wednesday, October 7th,
UPPER WEST SIDE NYC. Book Culture, 536 West 112th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam) 
 BOOK READING AND DISCUSSION WITH STEPHANIE ELIZONDO GRIEST: “MEXICAN ENOUGH: MY LIFE BETWEEN THE BORDERLINES.” Growing up in a half-white, half-brown town and family in South Texas, Stephanie Elizondo Griest struggled with her cultural identity. Upon turning thirty, she ventured to her mother's native Mexico to do a little root-searching. She stumbled upon a burgeoning social movement that shook parts of the nation to its core. Mexican Enough chronicles her journey. She investigates the murder of a prominent gay activist, sneaks into prison to meet with resistance fighters, rallies with rebels in Oaxaca, and interviews scores of migrant workers and the families they were forced to leave behind. Travel companions include a Polish thief, a Border Patrol agent and a Dominatrix. Part memoir, part journalistic reportage, Mexican Enough illuminates how we cast off our identity in our youth, only to strive to find it again as adults -- and the lessons to be learned along the way. Free and open to the public. No RSVP required.
Tuesday, October 14, 6:30 reception, 7:00 lecture and discussion
SOHO, NYC. 38 Greene Street, 4th Floor
 DISCUSSION OF “HOME FRONTS: A WARTIME AMERICA READER” WITH EDITORS MICHAEL S. FOLEY AND BRENDAN P. O’MALLEY. "Song lyrics, letters, speeches, executive orders, manifestos--these are some of what can be found in Home Fronts, a rangy, unpredictable, and thoroughly fascinating documentary collection that awakens curiosity about American life during wartime." -- Christian G. Appy, Professor of History, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and author of Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered From All Sides. This event is co-sponsored by The Arms and Security Initiative of the New America Foundation. Please RSVP to Jen Swanda at (212) 629-8811 or e-mail her at jswanda@thenewpress.com.
Wednesday, Oct. 15, 4:30 – approximately 9:00 pm.
HEMPSTEAD. LONG ISLAND. Hofstra University Campus
PROTEST AT THE FINAL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE.
John McCain and Barack Obama will be coming to New York State for the final Presidential debate. Let’s make sure that they know what our priorities are for the next President! Details are still being finalized, but save the date! For more information, contact Cheryl at Peace Action at 646-723-1749.
Thursday, October 16, breakfast 8:00am, 8:30 – 10:00 program
MURRAY HILL, NYC. Newman Conference Center, 151 East 25th Street, 7th floor, between Lexington and 3rd Ave.
 COMING TO TERMS: NEW YORK CITY AND TERM LIMITS
Part of the Peter Vallone, Sr. Seminars in Government 2008-2009 Series. Moderated by Peter Vallone Sr., former Speaker of the New York City Council. Panelists will include Richard Niemi, Oliver Koppell, Kenneth Moltner, and Frederick A.O. Schwartz. To RSVP call 646-660-6851 or email spa_conferences@baruch.cuny.edu..
Friday, October 17, 7:30 pm
UPPER WEST SIDE NYC. St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 521 126th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam
 SCREENING OF “CONVICTION” INCLUDING SPEAKERS SISTER CAROL AND SISTER ARDETH. Sisters Carol and Ardeth were imprisoned for protesting nuclear weapons and residents of Jonah House, a community dedicated to nonviolence resistance in Baltimore. A documentary about three Dominican nuns convicted and sentenced to Federal Prison for their non-violent protest at a Minuteman III missile site in Northern Colorado. Approximate running time: 43 minutes. Hosted by Bay Ridge Interfaith Peace Coalition. For further information: (718) 680-2981
Tuesday, Oct 21, 1:15 pm
UNITED NATIONS, NYC. Hosted by Reaching Critical Will of WILPF and others. Contact: ray@reachingcriticalwill.org.
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 6:30 pm
BROOKLYN. Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street.
 CIMEMA OF THE VIETNAM WAR: “THANH’S WAR.”
Hosted by Brooklyn for Peace. Accompanies the current exhibition “In Our Own Words: Portraits of Brooklyn Vietnam Veterans.” Film will be followed by a presentation and Q&A with Moss Roberts. For more information call 718-624-5921 or email bfp@brooklynpeace.org.
Wednesday, October 22, 7:00 pm
EAST VILLAGE NYC. Cooper Union Great Hall
 WHY AMERICA WILL HAVE TO GET OUT OF IRAQ REGARDLESS OF WHO WHINS THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. A LECTURE BY PATRICK COCKBURN.
Part of the Out Now! Lecture Program. Patrick Cockburn argues that a central political fact in Iraq today is that the great majority of Iraqis have always opposed the US occupation. Though Iraqi factions sometimes find it convenient to ally themselves with the US military, these alliances are based upon short term interests rather than any form of longstanding allegiance. The last five years have taught us that it is ultimately up to Iraqis to determine how and when the US withdraws. Free admission.
Saturday, October 25, 7 pm
DOWNTOWN NYC. Bluestockings Books – 172 Allen Street
 “UNFINISHED NATION(S): ACEH, EAST TIMOR, WEST PAPUA, INDONESIA.”
A presentation by Max Lane.
More than half of Indonesia's existence as an independent nation was spent under a dictatorship that allowed the national economy to be subjugated by international capital. History was falsified on a mass scale and turned into a shallow superstition. People’s ownership of the national project was negated through the dictatorship itself. Many of the nation-building gains of the previous 60 years were destroyed. Now, after the fall of the dictatorship, there are signs of a new anti(neo)colonial movement; new energies to rewin history, culture and economic sovereignty, a new movement to rewin Indonesia. During the same 30 years of anti-national dictatorship, new discontents also arose in Aceh and West Papua, among some there giving rise to separate nationalist sentiments. How do and how will the two different kinds of sentiments connect or disconnect in the future politics of Indonesia, and indeed the archipelago, including East Timor, Malaysia and Singapore? Max Lane’s presentation will be followed by a question and answer period. Sponsored by ETAN. For more information contact nyetan@etan.org or call (718) 596-7668.
Tuesday, Nov. 7, 6:30 pm
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS. Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street
 CIMEMA OF THE VIETNAM WAR: “THE FOG OF WAR”
 Hosted by Brooklyn for Peace. Accompanies the current exhibition “In Our Own Words: Portraits of Brooklyn Vietnam Veterans.” Film will be followed by a presentation and Q&A with Carolyn Eisenberg. For more information call 718-624-5921 or email bfp@brooklynpeace.org..
Friday, November 7th , 7:30 pm
STATEN ISLAND. Unitarian Church, 312 Fillmore St., Staten Island
 FIRST FRIDAY FILM FESTIVAL “TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE”
A gripping look at the case of an Afghan taxi driver and the Bush administration's policy on torture. Best Documentary – 2008 Oscars (2007). $5 donation requested.
Sunday, Nov. 9, 1:30 – 5:00 pm
UPPER WEST SIDE, NYC. Church of the Ascension, 221 West 107th Street (Broadway/Amsterdam)
3RD GRANNY PEACE BRIGADE TEACH-IN:
"SAY NO TO U.S. MILIARIZATION OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.
The Granny Peace Brigade has organized Teach-Ins dedicated to closing the more than 1,000 U.S. military bases and installations worldwide. The U.S. Navy has now announced plans to re-establish its Fourth Fleet (inactive since 1950) to patrol Latin America and Caribbean waters. Speakers will be Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Ambassador to the UN from the Republic of Ecuador, Greg Grandin, Prof. of History at NYU and author of “Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, the United States and the Rise of New Imperialism” and Col. (ret.) Ann Wright, former diplomat and author of “Dissent: Voices of Conscience.” Free and open to the public. For more information, see www.grannypeacebrigade.org.

Upstate Events
 
 Tuesday, October 7, 7:00-9:00 pm
BAUVELT. St. Dominic’s Convent, 496 Western Highway
VOTE FOR THE COMMON GOOD FEATURING SIMONE CAMPBELL, SSS.
Simone Campbell, SSS is the Executive Director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. The U.S. needs a new kind of leadership. We need leaders who care about the Common Good - leaders who care about the needs of all people and the earth we inhabit. You are welcome to stay and watch the Presidential debate after the event. For more information contact: Sr. Jane McDermott, 845-359-7074 or Ceil Lavan, ceilie@aol.com.
Friday, October 10, 9:00 to 10:30 am
WHITE PLAINS. YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester, 515 North Street.
 HOW TO DEAL WITH THE LOOMING NEW YORK STATE BUDGET DEFICICT.
Presentation by Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute. Hosted by The Westchester Women’s Agenda • Open to the public. Elected officials, policy makers, nonprofit executives, advocates and business leaders are encouraged to attend. Registration is preferred but not required. Please call (914) 761-3456 to register. Co-sponsored by the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester.
Saturday, October 18, 10:30am – 3:00 pm
YONKERS. Riverfront Library
 RETHINKING RACE, POWER AND POLITICS IN WESTCHESTER
THROUGH THE LENS OF CIVIL LIBERTIES.
Hosted by the NY Civil Liberties Union. Keynote speakers are David Billings and Ron Chisom. These Core Trainers will present the innovative and effective power analysis of racism developed by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The workshop will offer an analysis of the history of racism in the US, and distinguish between personal prejudice, discrimination and institutional racism.  Individual, cultural and structural forms of racism will be examined. These core trainers will be followed by four break out sessions on  immigration, criminal justice, housing and education where we will together come up with  community solutions to address the impact of institutional racism on our local communities. This event is free and open to the public.  A light lunch will be provided and pre-registration is requested. Call the Center for Racial Justice at 914-682-4690 to register.
Sunday, October 26, 12:30 lunch, 1:00 meeting
GENESEO. Omega Resturant, 4182 Lakeville Road, (Rt. 20A)
 GENESEE VALLEY CITIZENS FOR PEACE MONTHY MEETING
Please note the date change!
Saturday, November 1, 6-9pm
BUFFALO. Buffalo/Niagara Convention Center
 WESTERN NY PEACE CENTER’S ANNUAL DINNER.
Featuring keynote address by Dr. Sandra Steingraber on “Food and Oil”
Thursday, Nov. 13th, 6:00 pm
MAHOPAC. Mahopac Public Library
 THE FIRST ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY WOMEN OF WORTH AWARDS.
Honoring women who are accomplished on many levels, to include personal, professional and spiritual. Hosted by the National Organization for Women. Honoring Lynne Echardt, Susan Spear, Margaret Yonco Haines, Jennifer Maher and Margaret Flannery. There is donation of $20.00 at the door. For more information contact Putnam NOW.
November 16, 4-8 pm
SYRACUSE. Pensabene’s “Casa Grande”, 135 State Fair Blvd.
 20TH PACNY ANNUAL PEACE AWARD DINNER.

Ongoing Local Events
Many local peace groups hold regular events, vigils, "Honk for Peace" actions, etc. 
See our list: www.panys.org/ongoing.htm

Out of State & Nationwide Events
October 4-12
Nationwide
KEEP SPACE FOR PEACE! An International Week of Action to Prevent the Militarization of Space. No Weapons in Space, Stop Star Wars research and development, stop bombing Iraq and Afghanistan, convert the military industrial complex, fund human needs! Events nationwide, indeed across the world. See www.space4peace.org/. Going out of state? Check UFPJ's national Events Calendar: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php.