|
February 2, 2010
Alert #243
Images not showing up?
Click here to view online.
Dear Peace Activists, Yesterday, the draft of the federal budget for fiscal year 2011 was released by the White House. It does not bode well for the peace and disarmament movement. Out of a $3.8 trillion budget, the U.S. will spend $200 billion on U.S. military operations abroad, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This huge sum does not even include any supplemental funding, which is the primary means through which these wars have been funded. Unfortunately, last Friday, Vice-President Biden wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal defending the Obama administration’s decision to include $7 billion to be dedicated to nuclear weapons in the 2011 federal budget. The budget includes a plan for “increasing investments in our nuclear arsenal and infrastructure in this year’s budget and beyond.” In fact, the Obama administration intends to devote an additional $5 billion over the next few years to nuclear weapons development. Vice-President Biden claims that President Obama’s April 5th, 2009, vision in Prague of a world free from nuclear weapons is central to the federal budget, yet we will be spending $600 million more on nuclear weapons in 2011 than we did in 2010. Our deficit in 2010 will be a record $1.56 trillion, which President Obama hopes to decrease to $1.27 trillion by 2011, and to half of that number by 2012. How will that happen if we continue to dedicate funding to our military ventures abroad? That over $200 billion could be used to jumpstart our economy and support education. We must hold President Obama and Vice-President Biden accountable for the contents of the federal budget. They claim that the focus of the budget is on job creation and spending cuts, yet funding for war and militaristic solutions continues to eat up the funds that our economy so badly needs. For this week’s action, please contact Vice-President Biden and tell him that, in order to ensure a nuclear-weapons free future, we need to invest in peaceful solutions, not increase our spending on nuclear weapons by $7 billion this year and $12 billion over the next few years. Do your part to make sure that the hypocrisy embedded within the federal budget is not tolerated, and start real change toward peace and disarmament. In Peace,
Marianna Greene |
|
Saturday, February 6, 2:00 p.m.
Local anti-war activists from RAW, PA&E, and PIA invite other groups and individuals to come prepare
together for the national antiwar mobilization on March 20-21. Please bring your individual ideas or
group’s plans for local, regional or national actions, in order to share our different activities and,
if desired, plan something collectively as well. Please also bring suggestions for what our message(s)
should be on this 7th anniversary of the Iraq War and 9th year of US military engagement in Afghanistan.
For more information, contact Doug Noble 585-442-3383 or dxnldc@rit.edu.
ROCHESTER. Immanuel Baptist Church, Park Avenue & Brunswick St. (one block west of Culver) LOCAL ANTI-WAR MEETING
Saturday, February 20 @ 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. UPPER WEST SIDE. Goddard Riverside Community Center, 593 Columbus Ave. @ 88th St. PEACE ACTION NEW YORK STATE 2010 ANNUAL MEETING 
How can we achieve peace in 2010? How do we strengthen the peace movement? Join us for answers, information,
and training sessions to improve your activist skills. Build new alliances and learn new ways to generate
positive, peaceful change!
 Thursday, February 4, 12 noon - 2:00 p.m. MIDTOWN WEST. Port Authority Bus Terminal - 8th Ave bet 40th & 41st St. (Just past the Deli Plus and the New Jersey Transit ticket windows) THE YES-WE-CAN PHONE-A-THON Boy, have we been punked. Endless wars, enduring poverty, and escalating costs of everything. And now, courtesy of the Supreme Court, we have a whole new product: Democracy, Inc. That's right, folks -- it is finally official: we been sold down the river to corporate interests, only we don't get fat bonuses -- those are reserved for our 'elected' officials. If ever there was a time to hit the streets, this is it. It is imperative that we remind our representatives that they work for us -- not big business and special interests. Too much is at stake and too many feel helpless. Let's keep our message in the public arena and empower our fellow citizens by showing them the free speech ropes. Can we, the people, can do this? To quote a certain candidate, YES WE CAN! C'mon and join us - no cell phone, no problem. There is much to do and your help is needed. Friday, February 5, 8 p.m. 
PARK SLOPE. Park Slope United Methodist Church, 410 Sixth Avenue (corner of 8th Street)FILM SCREENING “SPLIT ESTATE” Part of the Environmental Action Film Series at Park Slope United Methodist Church, “Split Estate” is a documentary about the devastating effect that gas drilling is having on the health of families and the environment in the Rocky Mountain West. As gas companies prepare to drill for gas in New York State, NOW is the time to see this film. Learn what you can do to protect New York's drinking water. There will be a post-screening discussion led by Joe Levine, co-founder of NYH2O and Damascus Citizens for Sustainability. Admission: Free!! Potluck dinner at 7 pm preceding the film. Questions? Call 718-624-5921 or e-mail bfp@brooklynpeace.org. Monday February 8, 7 p.m. PARK SLOPE. Park Slope United Methodist Church, 410 Sixth Avenue (corner of 8th Street) WHICH WAY AFGHANISTAN? WITH ANAND GOPAL Nine years and counting: Can this war ever be "won"? Will war make us safer? Can we possibly solve urgent problems fat home while waging endless wars abroad? Neighborhood Forum: All Brooklyn Congressional Representatives invited. Guest speaker: Anand Gopal, Wall Street Journal Columnist, previously embedded with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Sponsors: Brooklyn For Peace; Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats; Flatbush For Peace; Fort Greene Peace; Independent Neighborhood Democrats; New Kings Democrats 57th AD Club (list in formation) Questions? Call 718-624-5921 or e-mail bfp@brooklynpeace.org. Thursday, February 11, 7 p.m. UPPER EAST SIDE. Unitarian Church of All Souls, 1157 Lexington Ave at 80th Street, Manhattan GAZA FREEDOM MARCH REPORT BACK Featuring participants Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Co-founder of Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence; Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights and attorney for Guantanamo detainees, Mr. Ratner traveled to West Bank following Cairo; Felice Gelman, Leader of New York delegation to Cairo; and Laurie Arbeiter, Artist/Activist, member of The Critical Voice; co-creator of the WE WILL NOT BE SILENT campaign. Admission is Free; Donations appreciated. Refreshments served at 6:30 pm. Sponsors: Peace & Justice Task Force, Unitarian Church of All Souls. Monday, February 15, 7:00 p.m. CHELSEA. Revolution Books, 146 W 26th St “VIEW FROM A GRAIN OF SAND” FILM Q&A WITH DIRECTOR A moving 2006 documentary on the lives of three Afghan women and how international interventions, war and the rise of political Islam have stripped Afghan women of their freedom over the last thirty years. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Meena Nanji. Sponsored by World Can't Wait. Suggested admission: $10. Sunday, March 21, 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. UPPER WEST SIDE. Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Drive PUBLIC HEARING: TRUTH COMMISSION FON CONSCIENCE IN WAR 
The Truth Commission on Conscience in War, a national gathering of community and religious leaders,
advocacy groups, and artists, will receive personal testimony from veterans and briefings from expert
witnesses about moral and religious questions facing soldiers both before and during combat,
moral and religious criteria of just war, international agreements governing the justification
and conduct of war, and limits of military regulations on Conscientious Objection.
Truth Commission proceedings will launch conversations about just war, international law, and
greater freedom of conscience for our nation's service members, conversations led by the
Commissioners. The Public Hearing will be followed by a Private Session for Commissioners
on Monday, March 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Riverside Church and Union Theological Seminary.
For more information see www.conscienceinwar.org.
 Wednesday, February 3, 11 a.m. ALBANY. LCA Press Room, Legislative Office Building, State Street PRESS CONFERENCE FOR FEDERAL MILITARY BUDGET CUTS Please join us in a press conference to call for a massive cut in the federal military budget in order to free up funds for domestic concerns, including resolving the state budget crisis. Doug Bullock, Women Against War, Joe Lombardo, Hunger Action are helping to pull this together. Please join us with signs. For more information, please e-mail dunleamark@aol.com. Wednesday, February 3, 7:00 p.m. ROCHESTER Downtown Presbyterian Church, 121 North Fitzhugh St. ROCHESTER COMMITTEE ON LATIN AMERICA We invite you to our regular meeting on to hear Tom Ward who just returned from Guatemala, Arnie Matlin, who just returned from Nicaragua, and Professor Rose-Marie Chierici, who just returned from Haiti. Wheelchair accessible and looped for the hearing impaired. Free and open to the public! Everyone welcome! Please join us! Wednesday, February 3, 7:15 p.m. PURCHASE Manhattanville College, East Library, Reid Castle CONNIE HOGARTH CENTER FOR SOCIAL ACTION The community is welcome. For info, please call the Hogarth Center (914) 323-7156 
Sunday, February 7, 10:00 a.m. PURCHASE. Purchase and Lake Streets “RETHINKING AFGHANISTAN, THE PEACE TESTIMONY, AND NONVIOLENT ACTION” Please join us for this program at the Purchase Friends Monthly Meeting. The program will feature film segments from “Rethink Afghanistan,” a groundbreaking documentary. Meeting for worship (10-11 AM), program (11:15-12:30 p.m.), brown bag lunch with drinks and desserts provided (12:30-1:15 p.m.), and Purchase Quarterly Business Meeting at 1:15 p.m.. For more information, please e-mail vitalah@verizon.net. Sunday, February 7, 2:00 – 4:30 p.m. ALBANY. First Unitarian Universalist Society, Emerson Hall, 405 Washington St. CAN WE SURVIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM? Capital District Alliance for Universal Healthcare (CDAUH) was organized in June, 2005 to educate both the general public and elected officials on universal health care, and to advocate for universal health care for all. We have been very active this past year as the health care reform movement became a priority of the new administration in Washington, DC. and we already have scheduled our first activity of 2010, a forum titled “Can We Survive Health Care “Reform”? Carol Paris, MD, one of the “Baucus 8”, will be a featured speaker. We have much more work to do, however, to achieve real health care reform. Information: euthemia@nycap.rr.com . Wednesday, February 10, 7:00 p.m. SYRACUSE. Nottingham High School, 3100 E. Genesee St. TELL THE ODONDAGA COUNTY LEGISLATURE TO VOTE YES TO BAN HYDRO-FRACKING ON COUNTY-OWNED LANDS Public Lands Are for the Public – Not for Private Profit! On Tuesday, February 2, the Onondaga County Legislature is going to vote on a resolution to ban the controversial drilling technique known as hydro-fracking from use on county lands. YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED - MAKE A PHONE CALL IMMEDIATELY! Call the Legislature and urge your legislator to say "YES" to protecting Onondaga County’s water, air, land, and public health by prohibiting hydro-fracking on county lands. Save Our Open Space, Protect Water, and Demand Clean Air for All of Onondaga County! Your call is important, and every one counts. Please take 5 minutes to call the Legislature. PHONE NUMBER: (315) 435-2070, call ASAP on Monday, and tell them your name and your address. For more information about CCE’s hydro-fracking campaign, visit: www.citizenscampaign.org/hydrofracking. Read the Onondaga County resolution: www.citizenscampaign.org/PDFs/HydrofrackingReso.pdf. Thank you for taking action. Together we make a difference! Thursday, February 11, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. DELMAR. Bethlehem Public Library, 451 Delaware Ave. BNP FORUM: IMMIGRATION ISSUES DISCUSSION WITH MELANIE TRIMBLE Melanie Trimble, Director of the Capital Region Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union will discuss current U.S. Immigration Policy, various pending proposals, and the position of the American Civil Liberties Union. Melanie will discuss what we can do to support comprehensive immigration reform and review some of the most important issues. From ACLU literature: "Documented and undocumented immigrants alike face abuses of civil rights and liberties on a day-to-day basis. With twelve to fifteen million undocumented immigrants nationwide and up to one million in New York State, we face an ongoing human rights crisis that demands a solution." Information: 466-1192. Saturday, February 13, 1:00 p.m. GENESEO. Omega Restaurant, 4182 Lakeville Rd (Rte 20A) NEXT REGULAR GVCP MEETING Please join us at 1:00 p.m. for lunch. The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, February 13, 7:00-9:00 p.m. ALBANY. Albany Friends Meetinghouse, 727 Madison Ave JOYCE AJLOUNY OF THE RAMALLAH/FRIENDS SCHOOL ON THE WEST BANK 
Come hear Joyce Ajlouny, Director of the Ramallah/Friends School located in the West
Bank/Palestine, about 15 miles north of Jerusalem. She will describe her personal challenges, as well
as those of the school community of students and teachers, which result from living and working under a
military occupation. Joyce will also speak about the important impact that the school has had on the
community throughout its 140 year history as a leading school in the Middle East. Donations to RFS as
well as Joyce’s ministry account will be welcomed. Free and open to the public.
Refreshments and Q & A will follow the presentation. For more information call 518-766-2992.
Sunday, February 14, 3:00 p.m. ALBANY. Meet at Central Ave & Wolf Rd WAR BREAKS GRANNIES’ HEARTS: GRANNIES FOR PEACE 5TH ANNUAL VALENTINE’S DAY DEMONSTRATION Grannies will vigil with banners, signs & large broken hearts at this busy intersection until 3:30 p.m. Then we will proceed into Colonie Center – wearing pinned-on signs with broken red hearts & the message WAR BREAKS GRANNIES’ HEARTS. We’ll stroll through the Center singing All We Are Saying Is Give Peace a Chance. Dot Richards & Sue Clark are in charge of this event & need to know numbers to plan for. Please contact Dot to let her know you can participate by Wed, Feb 3rd. wrichard@nycap.rr.com 478-2220. Wear something red (for outside wear & with your coat off). Bring your grandchildren & children if you can. Please come help make props for this demonstration: Friday, February, 5, 1:30 PM, First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, 405 Washington Ave., Albany Saturday, February 20, 2010, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. BUFFALO. SEIU Office, 974 Kenmore Avenue WNYPC ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Includes a Board & Budget Vote. Sunday, February 21, 2010, 1:00–5:00 p.m. STONY POINT. Stony Point Center, 180 East Main Street SHOMER SHALOM OPEN HOUSE The Community of Living Traditions at Stony Point Center is a multifaith residential community dedicated to nonviolence and peace advocacy in study and practice. It celebrates the opening of the Shomer Shalom House. Shomer Shalom is a network of Jewish individuals committed to the Torah of Nonviolence. Shomer Shalom embraces a compassion centered, eco-kosher, wildly creative, human rights honoring, inter-generational, multi-cultural, queer embracing, text studying, ceremonial making, peace activist vision of Judaism. 1-3 PM Meet, greet and schmooze, 3 PM Affixing the mezuzah with prayers from CLT multifaith partners, 3:15-4:00 PM Teachings from The Torah of Nonviolence with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, and Islam and nonviolence with Rabia Terri Harris, and 4-5 PM Enjoy CLT hospitality and a delicious meal.
Monday, February 22, 7:00 p.m.NEW ROCHELLE. New Rochelle Public Library, 1 Library Plaza “RETHINK AFGHANISTAN” FILM & DISCUSSION Sponsored by Peace Action New Rochelle, Westchester Peace & Justice Coalition, CodePink Westchester. For more information, please call Ted de Soyza at 914 235-1744. If you want to help with publicity, or know of another venue where this important film could be screened, please contact Ted. Saturday, March 20, 1 a.m. ALBANY. East Garage. Bus to Washington, DC BUS TO SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY IRAQ MARCH ON WASHINGTON March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched against Iraq. The demonstration will demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. The 7th Anniversary of the war in Iraq is the time to make our voices heard. A bus will be leaving from the East Garage in Albany at 1 AM on March 20 and return to Albany after the demonstration on March 21 around 1:00 AM. Seats are $60 each. There will be partial scholarships available. Reserve a bus seat today. Reservations must be received by March 10. Checks made out to "BNP", can be sent to, BNP, PO Box 473, Delmar, NY 12054 (please include name(s) of bus riders , phone and e-mail address with check). Donations also accepted. Additional Bus Information. Sponsored by several national anti-war groups and coalitions, including the National Assembly. More Information: Joe Lombardo at 439-1968  Many local peace groups hold regular events, vigils, "Honk for Peace" actions, etc. See our list: www.panys.org/ongoing.htm  Saturday, March 20 Washington DC SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY IRAQ MARCH ON WASHINGTON March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched against Iraq. The demonstration will demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. The 7th Anniversary of the war in Iraq is the time to make our voices heard. Sponsored by several national anti-war groups and coalitions, including the National Assembly. Going out of state? Check UFPJ's national Events Calendar: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php . |