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July 14, 2009
The turmoil over Iran’s recent election has dominated the news over the past few weeks, and this week, the House of Representatives will likely debate H.R. 1327, the “Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009.” Introduced on March 5, 2009 by Barney Frank of Massachusetts, this act would authorize state and local governments and educational institutions to divest from, and prevent investment in, companies (and even financial institutions which grant credit to such companies or persons) with investments of $20 million or more in Iran's energy sector. Evidently, this legislation responds to anxiety over Iran’s nuclear program. Its solution: sanctions. Peace Action New York State opposes sanctions because they do not affect real change. They are designed as a punishment and hurt average people and communities rather than the supposed targets, governments. Instead of sanctions, Peace Action reasserts the need to support diplomacy. Engaging Iran in conversation may be more of a gradual process, but it is the best long term way to address concerns about nuclear proliferation. In your five minutes for peace, please contact your Congressional Representative. Encourage him or her to vote against H.R. 1327, as conversation — rather than sanctions — can provide real transformation and alleviate our distress over the progress of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Additionally, PANYS invites you to our third annual Film Festival — this year on Iran — every Monday from now through August 3 at 6:30 pm in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Please see our Events Calendar. Now is the most opportune of times to discuss this region for greater fahmidan or “understanding.” In peace,
Skylar Sasson, Intern PS – While the House is discussing sanctions against Iran, the Senate will be debating the F-22s that we wrote about a couple weeks ago (#213). If you have more than five minutes for peace this week, please call Senator Gillibrand, who is undecided on this issue, and ask her to vote against war funding that even the Pentagon thinks is excessive! |
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Saturday, July 18, 6:00 p.m.
BAY RIDGE. 319 85th Street. PEACE ACTION BAY RIDGE SUMMER FUNDRAISING PARTY Free will donations accepted. For information and to RSVP call 718-748-7249. Checks can be mailed to Bay Ridge Peace Action, PO Box 090-756, Brooklyn, NY 11209-0756. www.panys.org/BR - bklynpeaceaction@yahoo.com. Saturday, July 25, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. GENESEO. Geneseo bus garage, Rt. 20 (South St.) just east of the intersection of Main and South Streets. GIVE FREE BUMPER STICKERS TO PASSING MOTORISTS. To sign-up for a two hour shift, please call 585-624-3673. Tuesday, July 14, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. GREENWICH VILLAGE. Brecht Forum, 451 West Street (between Bank & Bethune Sts, near 11th St.) CODE PINK REPORT BACK FROM GAZA AND THE WEST BANK. Hear eye-witness accounts from members of delegations trying to break through the blockade of Gaza - some successfully and some not. Hear first hand their experiences challenging the Egyptian and Israeli governments and their experiences working with Israeli and Palestinan peace activists. Hear what is going on in Gaza and the West Bank and how Palestinians are fighting to survive. Invited speakers:
Sponsors: Adalah-NY, CODEPINK NYC, Committee for Open Discussion
of Zionism, Jews Against the Occupation, Jews Say No!, Women in Black.
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK Women for Peace; Felice Gelman, leader of New York delegation to Gaza, member WESPAC; Phillip Weiss, journalist, MONDO WEISS blog; Manijeh Saba, Iranian-American human rights activist, member of delegation to Israel/Gaza. Tuesday, July 14, 6:30 p.m. MANHATTAN. American Friends Service Committee, 15 Rutherford Place, near 15th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE VOLUNTEER GATHERING. Find out about opportunities to volunteer and events happening at AFSC this summer. For information call Iris 212-598-0958. Thursday, July 16, 6:30 p.m. GREENWICH VILLAGE. 339 Lafayette St., btw Bleecker and Bond Streets CHARLIE SCHEINER SPEAKS ON TIMOR-LESTE Come hear ETAN co-founder Charles Scheiner speak on 10 years since the Timor's historic vote for independence. Charlie has lived in Timor-Leste (East Timor) for much of the last 10 years. He is a member of ETAN's Executive Committee and works with Lao Hamutuk, an East Timorese NGO. Contact ETAN for more information. 718-596-7668; etan@etan.org. Friday, July 17, 7:00 p.m. BROOKLYN. Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, 85 South Oxford Street at Lafayette, Fort Greene. WBAI BENEFIT CONCERT. Featuring: Judy Gorman, the Roy Korona Band, Mahina Movement, and NYC Raging Grannies & Their Daughters. Requested Donation: $10. Questions? Call 718-624-5921. Saturday, July 18, 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. STATEN ISLAND. 185 Tysen Street, near Snug Harbor PEACE ACTION STATEN ISLAND SUMMER PICNIC Join us with family and friends to support Peace Action at a fun-filled picnic. Bring a summer salad, fruit, dessert, beverages, things to grill or refreshments. Bring chairs if you can. If possible, please email as to what you plan to bring: dorothyaclark10@aol.com. Volunteers to cook are needed. Party is on: Rain or Shine! Children are welcome. Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19 DOWNTOWN.National Association of Social Workers, NYC Chapter. 10th floor, 50 Broadway (between Exhachange Pl. and Morris St.) 
UNDOING RACISM WORKSHOP.Cost is $350, which includes tuition and a light breakfast. 50% student scholarships are available. (If you have participated in an Undoing Racism workshop in the past, you can “brush up” free of charge if space is available.) To register, see www.antiracistalliance.com. For more information call Sandy Bernabei 914-522-5997. Participants are required to attend the entire workshop. To organize a workshop for your own group, contact People’s Institute Northeast at 718-918-2716. Sunday, July 19, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. YONKERS. Arab-American Heritage Festival, Tibbetts Brook Park. FIRST CODE PINK WESTCHESTER/WOMEN (AND MEN) IN BLACK VIGIL The purpose of the Women in Black vigil is to demonstrate our support for the Palestinian people, and for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Please wear black, though not mandatory. Signs such as "Free Palestine" - "End the Siege of Gaza" - "End the Occupation" "Free Gaza" would be welcome. Monday, July 20, 6:30 p.m. MIDTOWN. Cupcake Café, 545 9th Avenue, between 40th and 41st Streets FAHMIDAN/UNDERSTANDING – SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL ON IRAN SCREENING “BRIDE OF FIRE” “Fahmidan” or “understanding” in Farsi is a four week film festival on life in Iran and images of Iranian culture and conflict. “Bride of Fire” is about a young professional Iranian woman struggling with tradition as she is faced with the idea of entering a loveless marriage. Monday, July 20, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. DOWNTOWN NYC. Bowling Green Park, near the Charging Bull/Wall Street statue. HIGHLIGHT THE COST OF WAR WITH AFSC. American Friends Service Committee will be putting up their Cost of War banners and handing out fliers. “Given the current economic climate, it’s as important as ever to highlight the high cost of sustaining wars abroad while we have so many unmet social needs in our communities.” To help set up or take down the banners, give out fliers or discuss the cost of war with passersby, call 212-598-0958. . For more information on the cost of war banners visit www.afsc.org/cost. For the Iraq war alone it is costing us $720 million a day – that’s $500,000 a minute. Monday, July 27, 6:30 p.m. 
MIDTOWN WEST. Cupcake Café, 545 9th Avenue, between 40th and 41st StreetsFAHMIDAN/UNDERSTANDING – SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL ON IRAN. SCREENING: “RICK STEVE’S IRAN” “Fahmidan” or “understanding” in Farsi is a four week film festival on life in Iran and images of Iranian culture and conflict. “Rick Steve’s Iran” follows Rick Steve as he explores the most surprising and fascinating land he’s ever visited: Iran. Discover historic monuments of Iran and experience Iranian life today in its historic capital and countryside villages. Guest speakers will include local New Yorkers who have traveled to Iran. Tuesday, July 28, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. GREENWICH VILLAGE. Judson Memorial Church, 239 Thompson Street* Doris Shaffer Memorial Lecture Series Presents: PRACTICAL STEPS TO PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST  Join Peace Action New York State in an unbiased discussion of the current Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. Speakers will address non-violent resolutions, challenge our
personal biases, and promote diplomatic relations. Speakers:
Issam Aburaya, Palestinian Israeli citizen and Assistant Professor
at the Religious Studies Department, Seton Hall University;
$10 suggested donation, no one will be turned away. *By subway from
the 8th street/NYU R and W stop, the West 4th street A, C, E, F, and
V stop or the Christopher Street/Sheridan Square 1 and 2 stop.
For more information, call Laura at 646-723-1749.
Co-Sponsors: Inter Religious Federation for World Peace, Brooklyn For Peace, New York City
United for Peace and Justice, The Dialogue Project, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom (Jewish Alliance
for Justice and Peace, Same Difference Interfaith Alliance.
Co-hosted by Peace Action of New York State (646-723-1749)
www.PANYS.org and The Nation Institute
(212-822-0250) www.thenationinstitute.org.
Click for pdf flier.
Daniel Fleshler, Author of Transforming America's Israel Lobby (Potomac Books), Board Member of Americans for Peace Now and Advisory Council; David Wildman, Executive Secretary, Human Rights & Racial Justice, General Board of Ministries, United Methodist Church. Saturday, August 1. 1:30 p.m. March, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Silent Vigil BAY RIDGE. Assemble on 4th Avenue between 96th and 97th Streets, march to 4th Avenue and Shore Road (one block after 101th Street). HIROSHIMA DAY COMMEMORATION We will be carrying one banner that reads “Abolish Nuclear Weapons.” Please wear black/somber clothing. We will also distribute cranes and literature on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Sponsored by Bay Ridge Peace Action. 
Monday, August 3, 6:30 p.m.MIDTOWN WEST. Cupcake Café, 545 9th Avenue, between 40th and 41st Streets FAHMIDAN/UNDERSTANDING – SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL ON IRAN. SCREENING: “THE CIRCLE” “Fahmidan” or “understanding” in Farsi is a four week film festival on life in Iran and images of Iranian culture and conflict. “The Circle” connects the lives of three separate women trying to survive under a fundamentalist Iranian regime. 
Thursday, August 6, 12 noonCENTRAL PARK NORTH. Central Park's Harlem Meer, 110th street near Lenox Ave, Manhattan, NY PAPER CRANE MAKING AND LAUNCHING CEREMONY Peace Action of New York State is hosting a two-part festival to commemorate the lives lost at Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the nuclear atrocities of 1945. In the first part of our festival, work with camp students on paper crane making. Personalize your cranes with messages for peace and the float them on the serene Harlem Meer in a ceremony with live musical performances. Thursday, August 6, 7:00 p.m. MANHASSETT. Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, 48 Shelter Rock Road. 64TH COMMEMORATION OF HIROSHIMA: NO NUKES, NO WARS, WORK FOR PEACE. 
Hosted by Great Neck SANE/Peace Action and the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives.
Speakers include William Hartung (Director, Arms and Security Initiative, New America Foundation),
Hon. Michelle Schimel (NY State Assemblywoman);
Event will also include music by Willow and peace cranes by Neighborhood Children’s Peace Committee.
Event co-chairs Hon. Jon Kaiman, (Supervisor, Town of North Hempstead) and Stan Romaine (Chair,
Great Neck SANE/Peace Action). For more information call 516-487-3786 or 516-741-4360.
Rabbi Lee Friedlander (Reconstructionist Synagogue, Manhasset); Habib Ahmed (President, Long Island Islamic Center); Reverend Mark Lukens (Interfaith Peace Alliance, Long Island); Mary Beth Moore, S.C. (Co-Chair,Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives.) 
Thursday, August 6, 7:30 p.m.BAY RIDGE. The Soul Café at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 7420 4th Avenue at 74th Street SCREENING OF “THE DAY AFTER” This stirring made-for-TV movie depicts the aftermath of nuclear disaster as it follows the lives of a handful of residents of Lawrence, Kansas including a professor (John Lithgow), a doctor (Jason Robards), a young woman (Lori Lethin) and a college student (Steve Guttenberg). Tension rises as radiation levels increase and Americans must find ways to survive against all odds -- physically, mentally and emotionally. Tuesday, August 11 HARLEM. Harlem American Legion Post SEPTEMBER 11TH FAMILIES FOR PEACEFUL TOMORROW FUNDRAISER JAM SESSION Would anybody a thunk it? A Peaceful Tomorrows fundraiser jam session at an American Legion post? But then again - this is no ordinary American Legion post - it's in a brownstone in Harlem and European tourists and jazz enthusiasts seek it out. (Reviews on the internet say things like "You know how purely kickass margaritas taste when sipped on a beach in Mexico? This, is like that." ) PT's own Ken (Mambo King) Williams (and denizen of the Post) has just notified me that the Legion Commander has agreed to let us have two floors of the Legion Hall and garden club free of charge for a PT fundraiser on Tuesday August 11. More details coming later. 
Thursday, August 12, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.MANHATTAN. American Friends Service Committee, 15 Rutherford Place SPECIAL THEATRICAL READING OF CHIORI MIYAGAWA’S “I HAVE BEEN TO HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR” Peace Action of New York State is hosting a two-part festival to commemorate the lives lost at Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the nuclear atrocities of 1945. In the second part of our festival we will host a live reading of Chiori Miyagawa's renowned play I Have Been to Hiroshima Mon Amour, in which a French actress has a 24-hour affair with a Japanese architect. Remember Hiroshima by watching three actors in their rendition of this extremely moving piece directed by Jean Wagner. For more information on I Have Been to Hiroshima Mon Amour, please visit www.hiroshimaproject.org. I Have Been to Hiroshima Mon Amour was produced by Voice&Vision and Crossing Jamaica Avenue and premiered at Ohio Theater in May 2009, directed by Jean Wagner. Thursday, July 16, 7:00 p.m. WHITE PLAINS. White Plains office of WESPAC, 255 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., near East Post Road MEETING WITH WBAI INTERIM STATION MANAGER LAVARNE WILLIAMS. The current President of the Board, Mitchel Cohen, will also be with her. They will give a brief presentation about the situation at WBAI followed by a q & a. We recently hosted Bernard White, Daniel Villa and Don DeBar at WESPAC as representatives of the Take Back WBAI Campaign, and we are now also inviting the current management to share their perspective. Sunday, July 19, 2:00 p.m. CORTLAND. Main Street SUNY Cortland, 9 Main Street. “Does Military Might Make Right?” Film 1 of 3 SCREENING OF “NICARAGUA: A NATION’S RIGHT TO SURVIVE” From Mexico in 1846 to Venezuela and Bolivia in this decade, the United States has a history of intervention in Latin American affairs. But what are the results of U.S. actions in this region? Join the Institute for Civic Engagement as we explore this issue. From July 19 to August 16, “Does Military Might Make Right?” will explore U.S. foreign policy in Latin America in a three-part documentary series. Synopsis: This 1983 film focuses on US policy in Nicaragua, while also highlighting US policy in other Latin American countries. People are welcome to bring food/snacks/refreshments. Popcorn and soda will be provided. For more information contact Timothy Rodriguez, Main Street Community Outreach Coordinator, (607) 753-4271. Sunday, August 2, 2:00 p.m. CORTLAND. Main Street SUNY Cortland, 9 Main Street “Does Military Might Make Right?” Film 2 of 3 SCREENING OF “THE PANAMA DECEPTION” From Mexico in 1846 to Venezuela and Bolivia in this decade, the United States has a history of intervention in Latin American affairs. But what are the results of U.S. actions in this region? Join the Institute for Civic Engagement as we explore this issue. From July 19 to August 16, “Does Military Might Make Right?” will explore U.S. foreign policy in Latin America in a three-part documentary series. Synopsis: Winner of the 1992 Academy Award for Documentary Feature, this film focuses on the 1989 invasion of Panama. People are welcome to bring food/snacks/refreshments. Popcorn and soda will be provided. For more information contact Timothy Rodriguez, Main Street Community Outreach Coordinator, (607) 753-4271. Wednesday, August 5, 7:30 p.m. AVON. Avon Traffic Circle, Routes 5 and 20. ANNUAL HIROSHIMA/NAGASAKI CANDLELIGHT VIGIL Sponsored by Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace. WOODSTOCK. DAY ONE: Saturday August 15, 9:30 a.m - 9:30 p.m. Town Hall, 76 Tinker Street DAY TWO: Sunday, August 16, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The Colony Cafe, 22 Rock City Road 
WOODSTOCK PEACE ECONOMY FORUMBuilding a Peaceful, Just and Sustainable Economy On this 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, speakers and panels will focus on the global need for an economy based on peace and sustainability rather than on weapons making. Music, poetry, and media arts will also be included in the two day event. Several local organizations, including the Dutchess Peace Coalition, are working on this conference. The focus will be on weapons manufactures and their role in lobbying for war, polluting the environment, and taking resources away from more productive enterprises. It is an ambitious project, targeted for the anniversary of the Woodstock Festival. Participants include:
Diane Wilson, environmental and anti-war activist, author of An Unreasonable Woman,
which tells her story of fighting polluters as a fishing- boat captain off the Texas Gulf Coast.
"I'm gratified that citizens of Woodstock and its environs are organizing to transform the production
of components now used for frightful weapons to peaceful and sustainable purposes." - Howard ZinnJeff Cohen, Founding Director of the Part Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, Founder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Robert Pollin, American economist and activistm professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Founding Co-director of its Political Economy Research Institute (PERI). http://www.woodstockpeaceeconomy.org/, Sunday, August 16, 2:00 p.m. CORTLAND. Main Street SUNY Cortland, 9 Main Street “Does Military Might Make Right?” Film 3 of 3 SCREENING OF “THE WAR ON DEMOCRACY” From Mexico in 1846 to Venezuela and Bolivia in this decade, the United States has a history of intervention in Latin American affairs. But what are the results of U.S. actions in this region? Join the Institute for Civic Engagement as we explore this issue. From July 19 to August 16, “Does Military Might Make Right?” will explore U.S. foreign policy in Latin America in a three-part documentary series. Synopsis: Focusing on Latin America, this featured 2007 film shows how actual US foreign policy contradicts its rhetoric for democracy. It also brings us more up to date on US intervention in Latin America. People are welcome to bring food/snacks/refreshments. Popcorn and soda will be provided. For more information contact Timothy Rodriguez, Main Street Community Outreach Coordinator, (607) 753-4271. Many local peace groups hold regular events, vigils, "Honk for Peace" actions, etc. See our list: www.panys.org/ongoing.htm Thursday, July 30, 1:00 p.m. WASHINGTON D.C. Upper Senate Park, Constitution and Delaware Avenues, NW RALLY AND LOBBY DAY FOR UNIVERSAL SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE Join Healthcare-Now1 and a coalition of organizations and people in support of single-payer health insurance. With millions of you we can change Congress to make it happen. Emails, letters are important, but right now we must have masses of people who will come to make a physical presence, a witness, in the streets of Washington DC to demand that Congress pass and that President Obama sign, legislation creating single-payer health insurance for all Americans. Single-payer health care is an extended and improved Medicare insurance program for all of us, regardless of age, employment, ailment history, and income. You pay no premiums, co-pays, and deductibles. Healthcare practitioners and hospitals remain in private practice and negotiate their fees with a single agent - the government. The program will be funded primarily by a payroll earnings tax much like our Social Security program. You can choose your health providers, doctors, and hospitals within the United States. For more information, visit www.healthcare-now.org . July 30 to August 11 JAPAN. SUMMER STUDY ABROAD IN HIROSHIMA & NAGASAKI Sponsored by The Nuclear Studies Institute of American University. Live and study with Japanese and other Asian students, professors, peace activists, and policy experts. Meet with atomic bomb survivors and hear moving firsthand accounts of their experiences. Learn about Japanese aggression against other Asian peoples. Participate in a broad range of commemorative events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Visit peace museums and relevant cultural and historical sites in Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, including the Kyoto Museum for World Peace, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, and peace parks in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Earn three history or SIS credits (graduate or undergraduate), or participate as a non-degree seeking student. Click for PDF flier. For more information, go to www.american.edu/nsi, or contact Professor Peter Kuznick: kuznick@american.edu or 202-885-2408. Sunday, August 2, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. NEW JERSEY. Warinanco Park. AMERICAN FRIEND SERVICE COMMITTEE BBQ FUNDRAISER It’ll be a relaxing and fun way to support a good cause. August 13-16 
ALBUQUERQUE, NM. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOMB NATIONAL CONFERENCE Inspired by the need to organize an effective movement for nuclear abolition, the implementation of sustainable and non-toxic energy production, and the demilitarization of society, we are working to educate, organize, and empower a new generation of community and campus leaders working toward a nuclear-free world. Think Outside the Bomb is a national network comprised of individuals and organizations that communicate, interact, and support each other, collecting and disseminating resources and information through the internet and our national and regional conferences. We are organizing to bring about real structural change in society, and we invite you to join us! www.thinkoutsidethebomb.org/2009/. Going out of state? Check UFPJ's national Events Calendar: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php. |