International Day of Peace, September 21

The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.  It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly.  The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982.

In 2002 the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.

By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all mankind to  work in cooperation for this goal.  During the discussion of the U.N. Resolution that established the International Day of Peace, it was suggested that:

"Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples. . .  This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests of differences of any kind, is to peace."

Since its inception, Peace Day has marked our personal and planetary progress toward peace.  It has grown to include millions of people in all parts of the world, and each year events are organized to commemorate and celebrate this day.  Events range in scale from private gatherings to public concerts and forums where hundreds of thousands of people participate.

Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day.  It can be as simple as lighting a candle at noon, or just sitting in silent meditation.  Or it can involve getting your co-workers, organization, community or government engaged in a large event.  The impact if millions of people in all parts of the world coming together for one day of peace, is immense.

International Day of Peace is also a Day of Ceasefire - personal or political.  Take this opportunity to make peace in your own relationships as well as impact the larger conflicts of our time.  Imagine what a whole day of Ceasefire would mean to humankind.

Learn more about International Day of Peace

Hiroshima Day Memorial Vigil

There will be a silent vigil at noon on Wednesday, August 6th at Marine Park in observance of the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. Sponsored by Juneau Friends Meeting. All are welcome. For information call Amy at 586-4409

JPPJ will carry the Cranes on July 4th

Plans are going forward to prepare for the annual Juneau July 4th parade. We will again bring out the colorful paper cranes. We urge you all to come out to participate with us and bring your family and friends and any visitors to swell the ranks and help carry the cranes. The message is simply The World Needs PEACE!

Nuclear Awareness Conference - University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau

Fri, April 18th 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Sat, April 19th 12:00 – 9:00 PM
Sun, April 20th 12:00 – 7:00 PM

This conference is being sponsored by UAS with support from Skagway City High School, the Juneau World Affairs Council, the Leighty Foundation, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and the Rongelap (Marshall Islands) City Government.

Keynote Speakers
Ms. Shigeko Sasamori is an International Peace Activist, was only one mile from the hypocenter when Little Boy exploded over Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 at 8:15 am. She barely survived. Terribly burned, her parents could not tell the front of her head from the back of her head. She became one of the "Hiroshima Maidens" and traveled to the U.S. to receive extensive plastic surgery. Today she works tirelessly for nuclear disarmament and appears at conferences around the world. Recently she has spoken at "Think Outside the Bomb" at the University of California, Santa Barbara and at Los Almos Study Group --“Life of a Hiroshima Maiden”. Featured in the films, “White Light/Black Rain” and “Hiroshima Survivor: Shigeko”, Shigeko Sasamori's life journey has been a symbol for peace and the resurrection of humanity.

Dr. Holly Barker is currently Senior Advisor to the RMI Ambassador. Her book, Bravo for the Marshallese: Regaining Control in a Post-Nuclear, Post-Colonial World, is a case study that recounts the story of the people of the Marshall Islands and their efforts to understand the effects of nuclear contamination and to hold the U.S. government accountable. She currently teaches at the University of Washington in Seattle.

James Matayoshi. At the age of 18, Almira Ainri was exposed to fallout from the United States largest atmospheric test, Castle Bravo, which was carried by winds to Rongelap Atoll over 100 miles away from the detonation. Over 50 years later, James Matayoshi, Almira’s son, has become dedicated towards finding both immediate and long-term solutions to the many problems created by the U.S. Nuclear testing program for the Marshallese people. Over his 16 years as Mayor of Rongelap, James has spoken at multiple ‘Bravo Day’ and ‘Nuclear Remembrance’ events, actively participated in efforts to make the United States recognize it’s unfulfilled responsibilities to the Rongelapese people (who have been displaced from their homes due to radioactive contamination), and engaged independent scientific research of Rongelap concerning radioactivity and clean-up

The Drama, Debate and Forensics team from Skagway City High School is the prime motivator behind this conference. In 2007, Shelby Surdyk and Erica Harris performed at the state DDF competition entitled “For the Good of Mankind”. Told from the viewpoint of the people of the Marshall Islands, the duo interpretation explains the history U.S. nuclear testing in the Pacific.

The students traveled to the Marshall Islands in October 2007 with their coach, English teacher Kent Fielding. They did 15 performances in three weeks before hundreds of Marshallese citizens, including an audience before the President of Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Now, the DDF team has organized this event, which will include their performance and much more. For a full schedule, see the program posted on the UAS website http://www.uas.alaska.edu/.

Monday, April 7 through Wednesday, April 9.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) exhibit, "Eyes Wide Open: the Human Cost of War in Iraq," will open Monday, April 7th at the Juneau Arts and Cultural Center across from Centennial Hall at 11:00 am and remain in place through 3:00 pm, Wednesday, April 9th. An Opening reception will take place at 5:30 pm on Monday. The local sponsoring groups include Juneau Friends Meeting, Veterans for Peace Chapter 100, Juneau Unitarian -Universalist Fellowship, the Juneau Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Juneau People for Peace and Northern Light United Church.

The exhibit features:

• A pair of combat boots for each serviceman/woman from Alaska, or an Alaskan base who has died in Iraq, each tagged with an individual’s name, military rank, age, and hometown/state
  

• 300+ civilian shoes, each one labeled with the name of an Iraqi man, woman or child who has died since the beginning of the Iraq war Posters explaining the human and economic costs of the Iraq war to Alaska

• Poster display "Dreams and Nightmares" focusing on the human and economic costs to the Iraqi people

The goals of the exhibit are to put a human face to the casualties in the Iraq war, spotlight the deaths of US soldiers and Iraqi civilians, and urge US government accountability.

Find out more about the national exhibit at http://www.afsc.org/eyes/

Amy Paige
EWO Alaska
State Coordinator
586-4409

PLEASE JOIN US AT A SILENT VIGIL FOR THE 4000 AMERICANS WHO HAVE DIED IN THE IRAQ WAR and OCCUPATION

DAY: The Day After U.S. Casualties Reach 4000
Watch the news - As of Sunday, March 23rd casualty count was 3996
WHERE: The Dimond Courthouse Square, Downtown Juneau
WHEN: 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the Juneau Chapter of Veterans For Peace
and Juneau People for Peace and Justice
“Honor the Troops, Mourn the Dead, End the War”

Contact: Garland Walker - 586-5089

Wednesday, March 19th

A solemn gathering to mark the 5th anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Gather at the Capitol steps, 4th and Main Street
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Reading of the Names of US soldiers killed in the last year.

Sponsored by Veterans for Peace Chapter 100

Author Dahr Jamail to Speak in Juneau, Monday, March 10, 2008

Former Alaskan Dahr Jamail is scheduled to speak here Monday, March 10th as part of his speaking tour including Fairbanks and Anchorage. Since speaking here in March 2005 Dahr has released his book -- Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq --
We will ask him to give us his understanding and analysis of the current situation of the "facts on the ground" based on his experiences and his ongoing reporting in cooperation with Iraqi journalists and ordinary citizens.

Where: Egan Lecture Hall, University of Alaska Southeast
When: 7 pm
SAVE THE DATE

Eyes Wide Open Exhibit in Juneau April 7-9, 2008

A coalition of Juneau organizations is working to bring the American Friends Service Committee's exhibit of boots of Alaskan and Alaska-based soldiers boots killed in Iraq to Juneau this coming April 7-9th. The exhibit is a smaller version of an exhibit that has been displayed in cities across the country. It also includes a collection of civilian shoes representing the thousands of Iraqi men, women and children who have been caught in the cross-fire.

The Eyes Wide Open: The Cost of War to Alaska exhibit is a respectful memorial to soldiers and all the victims of war. We hope that the simplicity of the exhibit will honor those who have given their lives, and make the true costs of this war more real to Americans for whom the war is so far away.

If you would like to volunteer to help in the planning or during the days when the exhibit is displayed, or if an organization you are involved with would like to be a co-host, please contact Amy Paige, 586-4409

Role for Alaskans in Ending Genocide in Darfur

Just received this information from Joyanne Bloom:

Alaska is seeking to play an important role in ending the genocide in Darfur. HB287 mandates that the Permanent Fund and state retirement funds divest any holdings they have that directly or indirectly finance the Sudanese government's military campaign against the people of Darfur. Many other states and our federal government have already done this.
The proposed targeted investment in HB287:

* Offers an opportunity for Alaskans to increase economic pressure on Sudan and stop the flow of money that funds the genocide:
* Tells our elected officials that we are concerned about the genocide and expect them to act; and
* Keeps Darfur on the political agenda and in the media.

Let our elected officials know Alaskans want to stop the genocide in Darfur now!
Joyanne Bloom

Our Juneau youth are engaged with this issue. The Juneau Chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) is planning to testify on this legislation. Help augment their voices.

One Day of the Iraq War OR . . . . .

Monday,
January 21, 2007
5:30 PM

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

Potluck and Social Gathering
Bring a dish to share

Northern Lights United Church
400 W. 11^th Street, Juneau

It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. with fellow peace and justice activists at a potluck supper at Northern Light United Church. Bring a dish to share, join your neighbors in conversations about the meaning of Dr. King's life and work for us today.

Questions for Candidates

As the political campaign season reeves up we may want to to ready to ask candidates some probing questions about their positions on the national issues of utmost concern to us. As a non-profit educational group Juneau People for Peace and Justice does not endorse candidates for political office, or engage in partisan political activity. However, we can and do educate ourselves on the issues and can advocate for policies that reflect our values.

One source I depend on to educate myself about the issues is the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby in Washington. You may have many other sources that keep you informed. Here are a few questions you may wish to pose to Alaska candidates for national office from the FCNL brochures "Questions to ask the Candidates in the 2008 elections". You can find more detail about these issues at the FCNL website http://www.fcnl.org/pubs/candidatequestions08.htm

Iraq: Support U.S. Troops by Bringing Them Home

The U.S. needs a new policy in Iraq.The bipartisan Iraq Study Group chaired by former Rep. Lee Hamilton and former Secretary of State James Baker recommended a new U.S. policy based on negotiations with all of Iraq’s neighbors, support for reconciliation inside Iraq, and a clear commitment to a complete withdrawal in consultation with Iraqis and the neighboring states. Will you support legislation to make these recommendations U.S. policy?

Time to Invest in Peace

A huge portion, about 95 percent, of what the U.S. spends to engage with the rest of the world is allocated to the military budget. A tiny amount, about five percent, is devoted to diplomacy, development, and supporting international institutions that can help to solve problems before they turn into deadly conflict. Will you support the U.S. paying its full, fair share of United Nations dues and commit to increasing funding for the State Department and U.S.Agency for International Development?

End the Word Games, Ban Torture

The U.S. Army has established firm policies—written into the Army Field Manual—that prohibit torture. Yet the Justice Department insists the CIA should be exempt from these Army requirements and have the right to torture some prisoners. Would you support legislation requiring all U.S. government personnel— including the CIA—to ban torture and abide by the definitions in the U.S.Army Field Manual?

Climate, Energy, and Human Security

As the leading global greenhouse gas emitter over the last century, the U.S. has a special responsibility to substantially reduce its emissions and help developing countries reduce their emissions and adapt to the harmful effects of climate change caused in large part by past U.S. emissions. What specific policies will you support to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions quickly, deeply, and fairly and to help poor communities at home and abroad adapt to the harmful effects of climate change now?

Find more questions at http://www.fcnl.org/pubs/candidatequestions08.htm
or formulate your own. Share your thoughts by commenting to this posting.

Amy

New Year's Resolutions

Share your ideas for bringing new energies to the struggle for peace and justice in our community, nation and world.

Come to our bi-monthly meetings or participate in the discussion online at jppj@yahoogroups.com

Are you reading some helpful or inspiring book that others might appreciate?
Have you experienced some event or insights that give you hope for change?
Have you encountered a person or people who has/have inspired you to make personal choices in your life path?
How can we help each other in the coming months to be more effective "peaceworkers"?