Juneau People for Peace and Justice

JPPJ Website is moving to Facebook

2011-01-15T08:19:00.006-09:00

We haven't maintained this site for over a year. But we are trying out facebook like many other social activist groups have already done. Please keep an eye out for us there.

Laila Al-Arian

2009-09-12T14:54:00.005-08:00

7 PM, UAS Egan Lecture Hall
Wednesday, September 23
Sponsored by
Juneau People for Peace and Justice & the
University of Alaska Southeast

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote from prison in 1963. Laila Al-Arian will present an account about the perpetuation of injustices against her father, Sami Al-Arian, in a case that threatens justice in our own country and has repercussions across the Middle East . His crime was being a Muslim who chose to use his first amendment rights after 911.

Although a personal story, Ms. Al-Arian can also examine the case with the skills of an investigative reporter. She was in college when her father was arrested. Having since earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, she is now a writer and producer for Al Jazeera English in Washington DC . Her work has appeared in The Nation, The Independent, The Guardian, United Press International, and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. With Chris Hedges, she co-authored Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians.

Ms. Al-Arian’s father is a Kuwaiti born Palestinian who immigrated to the U.S. in 1975. Dr. Al-Arian was a professor at the University of South Florida for 15 years and was once named by Newsweek magazine as a premier civil rights activist for his efforts to repeal the right by our government to use secret evidence during trials.

In early 2003, Dr. Al-Arian was charged with numerous counts of supporting terrorist activities in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. When announcing his arrest, Attorney General John Ashcroft called Dr. Al-Arian a “major financier of terrorism in the Western Hemisphere .” For 2-1/2 years Dr. Al-Arian would await his trial in conditions formally condemned by Amnesty International.

In December 2005, Dr. Al-Arian’s trial ended without the defense presenting any evidence or witnesses. The jury acquitted him on the most serious charges and voted 10-2 in favor of acquittal on the rest. However, Dr. Al-Arian remained in solitary confinement while the government considered retrying him on those counts.

To avoid further prison time while awaiting a possible second trial, Dr. Al-Arian agreed to plead guilty to several lesser charges. The Justice Department stipulated that Dr. Al-Arian had not engaged in any violent acts and had no previous knowledge of violent acts committed in the United States or the Middle East . Despite the agreement, the judge rejected the prosecutors’ recommendations, which amounted to keeping Dr. Al-Arian imprisoned for another 2-1/2 years. And although finally released last September, he remains under house arrest on new charges of civil contempt.

Laila Al-Arian has stood by her father and family throughout this ordeal. It is a personal tragedy that also symbolizes the collateral damage to America ’s justice system and to much of the Muslim-American community in the wake of 911 .

For more information about Dr. Al-Arian's legal case, see Free Sami Al-Arian

Spring 2009 Speakers

2009-09-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

Last spring, JPPJ sponsored several nationally recognized peace and justice activists to speak in Juneau. We also worked to coordinate their travel arrangements and schedules with other peace and justice groups in the state. This fall and we are offering more opportunities to listen to informed and dedicated voices as we mark the beginning of the eight year U.S. wars in and around the Middle East. For a preview, see the Coming Events section on this page. If you are interested in a recap of last spring's speakers, see below for the links to our archives.

Ann Wright, retired Army Colonel & U.S. Diplomat : Can Obama REALLY Change U.S. Foreign Policy? Exploring the U.S. responsibility in the Middle East

Raed Jarrar, Iraqi political analyst for the American Friends Service Committee: "Beyond Occupation: The Future of US-Iraq Relations"

Father Louie Vitale, a Franciscan priest, activist, Pace e Bene, and co- founder of Nevada Desert Experience: Citizen Diplomacy with Iran

Can Obama REALLY Change U.S. Foreign Policy? Exploring the U.S. responsibility in the Middle East

2009-05-06T12:22:00.003-08:00

Retired Army Colonel & U.S. Diplomat Ann Wright
on Alaska speaking tour

Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army Colonel and U.S. diplomat for the State Department, will travel to Alaska to speak about American relations with the countries and people of the Middle East. Wright’s speaking tour is being sponsored by local organizers from five communities.

On the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Ann Wright resigned in protest as Deputy Ambassador at the U.S. embassy in Mongolia. “Leaders of moderate Moslem/Arab countries warn us about predicable outrage and anger of the youth of their countries if America enters an Arab country with the purpose of attacking Moslems/Arabs, not defending them” Wright wrote in her cable to cable to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Such warnings were ignored, and the invasion of Iraq seriously undermined respect and trust for our government in the Middle East. The region remains captive to acts of terrotorism and widepsread violence between various Muslim groups, the U.S., and Israel.

Understanding the way the people of the Middle East view America is essential to solving these conflicts and restoring America’s image around the world. Ms. Wright has extensive diplomatic experience in countries dominated by various sects of the Muslim faith. She was Deputy Chief of Mission in U.S. Embassies in Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan, and also had assignments in Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan. During the past year she has traveled to Iran and Gaza as citizen diplomat for peace.

Ms. Wright has a long and remarkable history of serving our country. She spent thirteen years in the U.S. Army and sixteen additional years in the Army Reserves, retiring as a Colonel. She has a master’s degree in national security affairs from the U.S. Naval War College and also taught the Geneva Conventions and the Law of Land Warfare in U.S. military schools. In 1997 she received the State Department’s Award for Heroism for her actions during the evacuation of 2,500 people from the civil war in Sierra Leone. In 2001 she was on the State Department team that reopened the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan. Since her resignation in 2003, she has been a leader of nonviolent protests against the military conflicts in the Middle East and a vocal defender of the Constitution, the Geneva Conventions, the freedom of the press and America’s beloved civil liberties.

In 2008, she co-authored DISSENT: Voices of Conscience. From diplomats like herself who resigned in protest, to whistleblowers and opposition in the military, the book documents the stories of government insiders who spoke out against the war in Iraq. It was named the February 2008 Book of the Month by The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.

Iraqi Political Analyst to Speak in Juneau Monday, April 27th

2009-04-21T10:35:00.012-08:00

"Beyond Occupation: The Future of US-Iraq Relations"

7:00 pm at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center,

350 Whittier Street in downtown Juneau

Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi political analyst for the American Friends Service Committee, will travel to Alaska to speak about the American occupation in Iraq. Jarrar’s speaking tour is a joint effort by local organizers from four communities. The Juneau People for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace Chapter 100, and Northern Light United Church Mission Committee are sponsoring his visit to Juneau. He will also speak in Haines, Anchorage, and Fairbanks.

Raed Jarrar was born and raised in Iraq. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in architecture from the University of Baghdad and a Master's Degree in post war reconstruction from the University of Jordan. While he was in grad school in Jordan, Jarrar’s close friend Salam Pax started a blog to stay in touch with him. “Where is Raed” became the most widely read blog originating from Iraq during the war. Pax described events from Baghdad and Raed contributed from Jordan.

After returning to Iraq in 2004, Jarrar worked as the country director of CIVIC, the only door-to-door Iraqi casualties survey. He then founded Emaar (Arabic for “reconstruction”), an Iraqi grassroots organization that operated in 10 Iraqi cities. It provided aid to Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDPs). Emaar delivered medicine and food as well as helped initiate micro-enterprise projects for IDPs. Additionally, Emaar engaged in political advocacy on behalf of displaced populations. During this time Jarrar posted eyewitness stories and opinions on the blog “Raed in the Middle” where he continues to provide valuable insights on the humanitarian and political status of Iraq.

In 2005 Jarrar moved to the United States. He is currently the Iraq consultant to the American Friends Service Committee based in Washington, D.C. Last year he leaked and translated the only publicly accessible draft of the US-Iraqi Status of Forces Agreement (SoFA), which formally addressed withdrawal of US troops. It was a document that proved to be vital to congressional hearings and in public debate across America. With Jarrar’s assistance, the AFSC was able to arrange two Iraqi parliamentary delegations to participate in official congressional briefings about the SoFA.

He (together with the American Civil Liberties Union) recently won a settlement from JetBlue in the case involving the TSA and the airline's refusal to allow Mr. Jarrar to board a plane at John F. Kennedy Airport until he agreed to cover his t-shirt, which read "We Will Not Be Silent" in English and Arabic script. See details at: http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/gen/jarrar.html and http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/gen/38225prs20090105.html

For more information about Mr. Jarrar go to http://www.afsc.org/ht/d/ContentDetails/i/2891

And for more information on the SoFA and the president's plan to end the Iraq Occupation see the American Friends Service Committee’s Statement at http://www.afsc.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/76010/pid/450

Voices Education Project

2009-03-26T08:48:00.003-08:00

Waging Peace
September 21, 2009 will mark the International Day of Peace. At Voices we'd like to get a head start on collecting poems, quotes, pictures, capturing video and recording activities on how to Wage Peace.

Please lend your voice to our efforts! If you are an educator and you have a curriculum to share that speaks to building peace, please pass it along. You can go to MyVoice [http://my.voiceseducation.org] and set-up your own page and post your offerings. You may also want to explore the resources for educators at Voices in Wartime [http://www.voicesinwartime.org/Home/]

Louie Vitale of Pace e Bene to Speak March 22nd & 23rd

2009-03-11T10:30:00.003-08:00

Father Louie Vitale, a Franciscan priest, activist, Pace e Bene, and co- founder of Nevada Desert Experience and recently returned from a trip to Iran with the Fellowship of Reconciliation Interfaith Peacebuilding Delegation. With a background in sociology and a focus on the Sociology of Religion and social movements, Louie is a long time social activist. A Franciscan priest who served as the provincial of the California Franciscan Friars from 1979 to 1988, he co-founded the Nevada Desert Experience and its enduring movement to end nuclear testing. He recently completed twelve years as the pastor of St. Boniface Catholic Church in a low-income neighborhood in San Francisco, California. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Louie finished serving a six month sentence for his nonviolent action in trying to draw attention to and to close the School of the Americas/Whinsec at Ft. Benning, GA in 2006. He is currently the "Action Advocate" for Pace e Bene and is involved in trying to raise awareness about issues of torture and US involvement in it. To that end, he was arrested at Ft. Huachuca in Nov 2006 and served five months in prison from October 2007 to March 2008. See his blog about the trip to Iran at http://paceebene.org/blog/louis-vitale/friendship-delegation-iran

Sunday, March 22nd Community Potluck (5:00 pm)
Talk at 6:15 pm Northern Light Church 6:15 "NONVIOLENT ACTIVISM IN A VIOLENT WORLD"
Monday, March 23rd "CITIZEN DIPLOMACY WITH IRAN" at Egan Lecture Hall, UAS Campus at 7:15 pm

Group planning speakers on Iraq, Afghanistan

2009-02-03T21:34:00.008-09:00

We are working to bring several speakers to Juneau this spring.

April 26th and 27th: Raed Jarrar is an Iraqi political analyst and consultant to the American Friends Service Committee's Iraq Program currently based in Washington D.C. After the U.S.-led invasion, Jarrar be came the country director for CIVIC Worldwide, the only door-to-door casualty survey group in post-war Iraq.

He then established Emaar (meaning "reconstruction" in Arabic), a grassroots organization that provided humanitarian and political aid to Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDPs). Emaar delivered medicine and food as well as helped initiate micro-enterprise projects for IDP's. Additionally, Emaar engaged in political advocacy on behalf of displaced populations.

In late May: Col. Ann Wright, Ret. She resigned from the US Foreign Service on March 19, 2003, while serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Mongolia, due to her disagreement with the Bush Administration's decision to go to war in Iraq without the authorization of the UN Security Council, the lack of effort in resolving the Israel-Palestinian situation, the lack of policy on North Korea and unnecessary curtailment of civil liberties in the United States.

Ms Wright was on the first State Department team to go to Kabul, Afghanistan. She helped reopen the US Embassy in Kabul in December, 2001 and worked in Afghanistan for five months, serving in the last month as Deputy Chief of Mission (Deputy Ambassador).

Ms Wright's other overseas assignments include Somalia with both the US mission and as chief of the Justice Division (reconstitution the Somali police, judicial and prison systems) of the United Nations Mission to Somalia (UNOSOM) She also served in the US Embassies in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Grenada, Micronesia and Nicaragua.

Before entering the Foreign Service,she served in the Army and has a combined regular Army/Army Reserve service time of 29 years. She served primarily in special operations units and attained the rank of colonel. While on military duty in 1982 and 1983 in Grenada, she was on the US Army's International Law team and participated in civil reconstruction work following the US "rescue" mission.

Ms Wright has Master's and Law Degrees from the University of ARkansas and a Master's Degree in National Security Affairs from the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. Ms Wright has been featured in articles in the Washington Post magazine, Government Executive magazine, Foreign Service Journal, Ms magazine and has been interviewed by radio and TV networks. She participated in the documentary film "Uncovered: The Truth About the Iraq War".

International Day of Peace, September 21

2008-09-16T16:03:00.003-08:00

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

2008-07-28T10:41:00.003-08:00

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

2008-06-10T10:07:00.003-08:00

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

2008-04-15T10:19:00.003-08:00

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/.

2008-04-03T10:12:00.002-08:00

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

2008-03-23T16:55:00.003-08:00

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

2008-03-14T09:58:00.005-08:00

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

2008-02-13T10:13:00.005-09:00

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

2008-02-12T11:01:00.000-09:00

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

2008-01-24T10:06:00.000-09:00

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 . . . . .

2008-01-22T15:14:00.000-09:00

2008-01-16T16:09:00.000-09:00

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^thStreet, 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

2008-01-03T09:13:00.000-09:00

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

2008-01-02T09:51:00.000-09:00

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"?

UN Security Council Must Listen to Iraq's People and Parliament -- Take Action!

2007-11-26T17:21:00.000-09:00

United for Peace and Justice Action Alert
November 20th, 2007

Anytime between now and the end of this year, the UN Security Council will be asked to consider a re-authorization of the U.S.-led occupation in Iraq. The background and details about this is included in the memo below, which is being sent to anti-war organizations around the world. United for Peace and Justice has signed on to this letter because we believe it is important to keep the pressure on the U.S. government from all angles.

We are asking that folks here in the U.S. take part in this effort by making two calls:

1) Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Call the U.S. Mission to the UN at 212-415-4000. Send faxes to 212-415-4443. (Khalilzad was the United States Ambassador to Iraq from 2005 to 2007.)

2) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Call her office at 202-647-5290, and/or the switchboard at the U.S. Dept of State: 202-647-4000.

Let them know that you do not support a re-authorization of the occupation of Iraq. It is time to end this war and occupation; it is time to bring all of the troops and contractors home!

Peace,

Leslie Cagan
National Coordinator, UFPJ

UfPJ Regional Rally in Seattle October 27th

2007-10-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

United For Peace and Justice Regional Rallies!
October 27, 2007

Once again, members of Veterans For Peace will be taking to the streets to show their opposition to the war and occupation of Iraq, and to show their support to bring the troops home now!

There will be 11 cities around the nation holding rallies and marches and we encourage you to participate! You can learn more at the links below.

www.oct27.org

DEMONSTRATIONS WILL BE HELD IN THE FOLLOWING CITIES

- Boston - New York - Jonesborough, TN - New Orleans - Orlando - Salt Lake City - Chicago - Los Angeles - San Francisco - Seattle - Philadelphia -

JPPJ Joins Fairbanks Phone Marathan Call for Peace

2007-10-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

Juneau People for Peace and Justice will join with the Alaska Peace Center (Fairbanks) which issued the following CALL FOR PEACE

Alaska Phone Marathon to call for an end of the occupation of Iraq

Are you frustrated that nothing is being done to bring and end to the war in Iraq? That the illegality of the war is not being prosecuted? That the Administration is not being held accountable for torture and irresponsibility in the conduct of the war and occupation? That the Administration is rattling sabers toward Iran and neither Democrats nor Republicans seem opposed?

You CAN do something that can make a difference!

Every morning from 6 am to 9 am and from 4 to 7 pm (Sundays noon - 3pm) for the from now until October 27, the Alaska Peace Center is hosting a phone marathon to call Congress, call presidential candidates, call the media and call friends to do the same.

We want all congressional offices to be flooded with calls every day now to October 27th
We want all presidential candidates to be flooded with calls every day now to October 27th
We want all declared candidates for national office to be flooded with calls every day now to October 27th

Here in Juneau we will participate by asking each of you to:
(1) call our Alaska congressional delegation
Sen. Ted Stevens - (202) 224-3004
Sen. Lisa Murkowski - (202) 224-6665
Rep. Don Young - (202) 225-5765

(2) ask your Alaskan friends to call them

(3) ask your friends in other states to call their congressional delegation

What is the message?

(1) No Iraq funding without a firm timetable for bringing our occupation to an end and bringing all our troops home and

(2) Ask your Senators to support Senate Resolution S759 - No military action in Iran without Congressional approval.

Also ask your friends in other communities, and in other states to make similar calls. Report by replying to this email when you make your calls. In Fairbanks they are organizing at the Alaska Peace Center to be sure that calls are made throughout those time periods and days. Let's see if we can help get at the very least 5 calls per hour during each calling period every day

Help spread this effort to other states by calling or emailing your family and friends around the country. Especially if you have friends or family or know groups in the smaller, rural communities of Alaska who can make calls too. It is fun and inspiring to talk to other groups around the country. It's a great chance to connect with old friends and family to motivate them to do something. It's a chance for us all to hike up the volume for peace.

UAS to Host Iraqi Judge on the Reconstruction of Iraq

2007-10-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

Friday, October 12th 7:00 pm UAS Egan Library
Judge Zuhair Jumma Bash Al-Maliki, Legal Advisor of Finance and Rule of Law Issues in Iraq

Juneau, Alaska - October 08, 2007 -

The UAS Evening at Egan Lecture Series will host Judge Zuhair Jumma Bash Al-Maliki, Legal Advisor of Finance and Rule of Law Issues in Iraq. Judge Zuhair is a cornerstone of the post-Saddam Iraqi legal system. He served as an Investigative Judge with the Central Criminal Courts of Iraq beginning shortly after the invasion and was elevated to Chief Judge by Paul Bremer in 2004.

The lecture will be held in the UAS Egan Library on Fri, Oct. 12 at 7 pm as part of the University’s fall lecture series. The lectures are free and open to the public. This is Judge Zuhair’s only stop in Alaska.

Judge Zuhair was born and raised in Baghdad. He attended Baghdad University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. From 1988 until 1999 Judge Zuhair worked successively as a translator for the United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observation Group, a Foreign Relations Administrator for the Arab Union Scientific Research Council, and as an Administrator for the Arab Federation Food Industry. After careers in both government and private industry, Judge Zuhair returned to Baghdad University to attend law school.

In 2004, he gained international attention by issuing an arrest warrant for several government officials suspected of corruption, including Prime Ministerial candidate Ahmed Chalabi. Despite several assassination attempts and public smear campaigns, his colleagues said he never compromised his ideals. He asserts that the Iraqi legal system must be built upon an ethical legal foundation beholding only to the rule of law.

UfPJ Legislative Action

2007-10-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

FED UP??? Let them hear it Oct. 8!

United for Peace and Justice is calling on supporters to contact their congressional delegations:

Meet with them, protest them, vigil them, occupy them!

The House and Senate will be home for Columbus Day -- Oct. 8 (and the Senate will be on recess until Oct. 16). They need to hear from us if they voted against the Feingold amendment or supported the Kyl/Lieberman amendment. It is also important that Senators who voted the right way on Kyl/Lieberman get thanked.

Roll call vote on Feingold amendment

Roll call vote on Kyl/Lieberman

We are adding resources like sample voting records, flyers and talking points for meetings to our website: www.unitedforpeace.org/congress . If your group has a good resource to share, please forward to sue@unitedforpeace.org

Let them hear it Oct. 27!

We need a massive turnout on Oct. 27 -- Please join the effort to help plan, mobiize and publicize the national mobilization!

visit www.oct27.org or get in touch with the point people for each region:

Northwest/Seattle
Kelly Campbell
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
503-230-9427 x2
kelly@peacefultomorrows.org

Listen to PEACETALK tonight at 7:00 pm on KTOO-FM (104.3)!!

2007-08-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight PEACETALK, the VFP-Juneau monthly program on issues of war and peace, will air Stacey Fritz' talk presented here last Monday evening - " Star Wars & the new Cold War: Missile Defense in Alaska". If you missed that talk be sure to listen tonight!! Rich Moniak will host the program in Phil Smith's absence.

Her talk gives an understanding of how the proposed radar being planned for installation at Lena Point fits into the wider program that has been underway for several years in Alaska, - at the Kodiak Launch site and at Fort Greely. She is the founder and coordinator of No Nukes North and a board member of the Global Network against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. NNN is an also an active member group of the Global Network against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space (www.space4peace.org) Stacey is a graduate student at UAF where she studies the impacts of Alaskan and Arctic militarization.

Last Tuesday, the representatives of the Missile Defense Agency met with a group of Lena Point residents to describe the radar installation. But in response to the urging of Rep. Andrea Doll they have agreed to return to Juneau on September 13th (save the date) for a community-wide meeting to better inform the Juneau public about their plans. We will be asking that they be prepared to respond to questions about not just the radar installation but about the entire missile defense system, since the Juneau facility was not included in the environmental assessment of the radar installations and the Juneau public has not had an opportunity to comment on the plans for the Juneau facility or the system of which it is a part.

In the meantime, for a succinct video graphic description and critique of the missile defense system that is happening here in Alaska [Kodiak, Fort Greely, Cordova, Shemya, and elsewhere] see the short 4 minute video prepared by the Union of Concern Scientists. Go to the link on NoNukesNorth.net and click on the link there to watch with Real audio.
Or find it here: http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/missile_defense/countermeasures-video.html

REGULAR JPPJ meeting on Tuesday, August 28th, 5:15 pm at Northern Light United Church, 400 W. 11th Street. Call Amy for more information - 586-4409

Rally and Welcome The Nation cruisers

2007-07-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

MONDAY, JULY 30 5:00 PM MARINE PARK

Please join VETERANS FOR PEACE to welcome The Nation cruisers to Juneau! Confirmed speakers include The Nation Editor.Publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, and actor.education Richard Dreyfuss; also invited are Ralph Nader, Robert Scheer, and Patricia Williams.
The Rally is to support The Nation's editorial stand on the war in Iraq: "The Nation ... takes the following stand: We will not support any candidate for National office who does not make speedy end to the war in Iraq a major issue of his or her campaign. We urge all voters to join us in adopting this position."

4th of July Parade - Veterans For Peace Chapter 100 and JPPJ Combine Efforts

2007-07-11T21:02:00.000-08:00

The colorful paper cranes made their appearance again this year. Many thanks to Judith Maier - "The Crane Lady" - seen in the photo by John Palmes - for organizing paper crane folding parties, and to all of you who joined us this year.

We were pleased to be part of the Veterans For Peace parade entry, following behind the inspired "float" that carried "Lady Liberty in the Chains of War, Fear, Lies and Torture" (in the person of Donna Anderson) and "Unchain Our Freedom - Stop the War".

Our regular weekly meetings will resume Tuesday, August 7th at 5:15 pm at Northern Light United Church, 400 W. 11th Street1th Street.

4th of July Parade

2007-06-17T16:43:00.000-08:00

Juneau has come to expect to see us there and we need you all to come out in force! We Need Everyone of You to Be There!!! It is not the time to sit back and despair because this madness goes on. Even if just walking in a parade seems pointless in terms of getting the troops out of Iraq, we need to be there to bear witness to our faith that we can and will change how the U.S. interacts with the rest of the world and how we deal with conflict in the world and at home.

This year's parade theme is "Freedom is not free". We need help in designing the JPPJ message. Please plan to attend the next JPPJ meeting on Tuesday, June 19th at 5:15 pm. If you can't make the meeting, but have ideas to share please call me, Amy (586-4409) or Judith (789-9229).

A JPPJ-sponsored Petition calling for a prompt and safe withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq, etc, will not be pursued at this time.

JPPJ Plans for 4th of July

2007-06-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

Plans are underway to prepare for JPPJ's annual 4th of July Parade. There will be two paper crane folding sessions - Tuesday, June 19th - 2:30 - 5:30 pm at Northern Light United Church, and Wednesday, June 20th - 3:00 - 7:00 pm at Mendenhall Public Library. We need people to help. Call Judith Maier at 789-9229 for details.

Also we are planning to initiate a Petition Calling for prompt and safe withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, transfer of control of all military bases to the Iraqi people, reallocation of military funds earmarked for Iraq to post-war reconstruction in Iraq and domestic needs in the U.S., and for Iraqi people to retain control of all decisions pertaining to their own oil and other natural resources.

We need at least 50 people to volunteer to circulate and collect signatures on the petition during the summer. We plan to publish the entire petition and list of signers in the Juneau Empire this fall, and to seek sponsorship of the Petition in Anchorage, Fairbanks and other Alaska towns and villages. Please contact Amy (586-4409) or plan to attend the next JPPJ meeting, Tuesday, June 12th at 5:15 pm.

Don Muller on civil disobedience

2007-06-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

Don Muller of Sitka wrote in response to my email:

I think you're right, Amy--most people don't seem to keep up with what's going on, don't seem interested. Or something. As a bookseller, I think most people simply don't read enough--not enough history, and, in the case of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, certainly not enough history about that subject. Have people never read Gandhi, King, the Berrigans, anything about the women's movement, anything about animal rights, even anything about Thoreau??? Are people simply not aware that every single significant social change in the U.S. is accompanied by civil disobedience?

When people claim that CD accomplishes little, I am sure they are measuring the wrong thing, and there is a perfect King quote that captures this: “The nonviolent approach does not immediately change the heart of the oppressor. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage that they did not know they had. Finally it reaches the opponent and so stirs his conscience that reconciliation becomes a reality.” Wendell Berry goes even farther: "Protest that endures...is moved by a hope far more modest than that of public success: namely, the hope of preserving qualities in one's own heart and spirit that would be destroyed by acquiescence." Is that selfish? Hey, if so, it's the most unselfish selfishness. When people expect the war to end after their first arrest, well, they will be sorely disappointed.

But EVENTUALLY the war will end. If not, we have ourselves to blame. The more people do CD, the MORE PEOPLE DO CD, and pretty soon change comes about. But it won't happen when people have the wrong expectations. I also think Alaskans, for some reason, fear simple embarrassment if they take part in an action involving arrest. Maybe this is true of all conservative people. Well, read the above King quote again. I guarantee--and Rob will confirm this--you won't be embarrassed. I suppose one could be embarrassed if the action is done stupidly. But that's why people plan. And read and listen to what others have done. Hey, if you're embarrassed to do civil disobedience in Anchorage, go to DC--there are lots of opportunites there! No one can use the excuse that information, mentors, and opportunites don't exist.

Of course, there are many other reasons that people don't particiapte in nonviolent CD. And most are probably good honest reasons. But I think ultimately, on examination, these reasons can be countered with good reasons TO do CD, usually by people with a lot of experience (e.g. Martin Luther King, Jr.!!). I have heard people say that they feel they can't ask others to be nonviolent when they still have violence within themselves, that they must change themselves first. A good first response to that claim is: you will wait a lifetime if you expect to remove any potential violence from yourself before asking others. Again, King: “Admittedly, nonviolence in the truest sense is not a strategy that one uses simply because it is expedient at the moment; nonviolence is ultimately a way of life that men live by because of the sheer morality of its claim. But even granting this, the willingness to use nonviolence as a technique is a step forward. For he who goes this far is more likely to adopt nonviolence later as a way of life.” Can anyone out there say it more clearly? Sometimes I think (in dismay) that most people don't even know what nonviolent civil disobedience IS! Is that possible? Do most people equate CD with anti-abortionists? Anarchists in black face covers? The KKK? I have friends who really don't understand what it means, think that it is simply carrying a sign and getting arrested, the goal being to get arrested.

I'm not sure what the solution to this is: more workshops? more visiting speakers? more actions? Probably a combination of all these. I have a quote from someone named True: “Some generations appear to have learned little from the ones that went before about the power of nonviolence and the skills essential to conducting campaigns for social change: vigils, marches, boycotts, strikes, sit-downs, mediation….While other important achievements in American culture…pass from one generation to the next, refined by each, nonviolence has to be relearned, almost from scratch.” The idea of the Department of Peace, I'm sure, is based on this unfortunate fact. And governments know that's true and that's why governments--especially ours--never have a Department of Peace.

I am ranting now. I think we need to ask how to proceed. If there is not interest among those on this list, there must be others we know who can be recruited, encouraged, educated. Any ideas out there?

A good closing quote by Daniel Berrigan: "We have assumed the name of peacemaker, but we have been, by and large, unwilling to pay any significant price. And because we want peace with half a heart and half a life and will, the war of course, continues, because the waging of war, by its nature, is total, but the waging of peace, by our own cowardice, is partial.....We cry peace and cry peace and there is not peace. There is no peace because the making of peace is at least as costly as the
making of war, at least as exigent, at least as disruptive, at least as liable to bring disgrace, prison, and death in its wake"

Don

Can we work together?

2007-06-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Rob for his steadfast determination to challenge Stevens, Murkowski and Young. I certainly appreciate his views about the nature of the struggle. I have continually brought up the Occupation Project to the few people who are coming to our weekly meetings. I sometimes think few people on the JPPJ list look at the internet or try to keep up to date about the war and the various efforts of peace activists around the country, and here in Alaska in Fairbanks and Anchorage.

Also it seems people here are just not able to take the step to civil disobedience or see the effectiveness of it - not any more effective than writing letters or signing petitions. And petitions do seem a lame approach. We have very few letters to the editor about the war or the corrupt administration. The idea of an initiative was that it would give people who are not able to bring themselves to demonstrate in the street an opportunity to express their opposition to the war. But an opinion poll might serve the same purpose - that is to show the delegation that a majority of Alaskans are opposed to the war and Bush's policies. Of course they could probably disregard it anyway.

How do we get more Alaskans engaged to even express opposition, let alone get more to show it publicly - either lawfully or otherwise? How do we articulate an alternative vision of an America at peace in the world? I, like you, am in this for the long haul. I devote much of my time to the issue of truth in recruiting, and in trying to speak out about the militarism of our society. But I fear my voice is very small, and I don't do nearly enough.

It seems to me that many anti-war activists and peace activists are at a point of reflection and re-evaluation of strategies. I am afraid many Americans do not question the role of corporations in government and public life, or American exceptionalism. I suspect many see the need for oil as a legitimate reason to use our military force around the world. Few question the capitalist economic system. Altogether a pretty depressing state of affairs. I think we have a lot of word to do to educate the general public about all this.

Good luck to Rob for his court appearance. Of course I know it involves more than luck. I know he has done a lot of work developing his brief. It would be a great thing for him to prevail on the issue of the illegality of the war. Thanks also to Don Muller for joining Rob.

In solidarity,

Amy

Marcus Eriksen Reading excerpts from his book "My River Home" at Rainy Day Books in Juneau

2007-05-31T09:29:00.000-08:00

Rainy Day Books is delighted to host a reading by author Marcus Eriksen of excerpts from his book, My River Home, on Tuesday evening, June 5th at 7:00 p.m.

"Veteran Marcus Eriksen set off on a journey down the entire length of the great Mississippi River on a homemade raft kept afloat by 232 empty soda bottles, recycled junk, and a dose of ingenuity. Though he had never made such a trip, he had dreamed of doing it a decade earlier as a marine in the Gulf War. While struggling against a river with an unpredictable personality, Eriksen recounts a personal shift from proud soldier to self-destructive veteran to engaged activist protesting the injustices of the Iraq War. Startlingly honest and warm with affection for the people he meets, Eriksen explains, through his own story, the allure of the military, the tragedy of modern war, and the courage it takes to fulfill a dream."

See http://leftbank.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp?s=storeevents&eventId=345487

for a fuller discussion of Mr. Eriksen and his work.

You are invited to come by, meet Marcus and listen as he shares his experiences.

Don Birdseye

Rainy Day Books

113 N Seward

463-2665

A positive alternative vision of a workable peaceful world

2007-05-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

Peace activist John Bostrom, who participated with me in the September 2005 civil disobedience at the White House has offered a thoughtful statement and critique of efforts of peace activists working to end the Iraq war and occupation that I would like to share:

I'm tired of asking people to call Congress. Congress may be listening, but most of them appear to be listening just enough to stay elected, while not upsetting the profitable militarized corporate applecart with anything but the occassional charade of a slap on the wrist. Our calls and letters make very little difference except when we're in the majority of a district or state - in which case, we've already elected one of our own.

But shouldn't we also face the fact that "mass" actions don't make much difference either? We've been trying to "do something really big this time" for decades. It's just not enough.

The lack of effective numbers isn't the problem. It's just a symptom of a deeper problem: the lack of an effective strategy. The real problem is that the peace movemen has become almost entirely reactive. We don't promote a specific positive alternative vision of a workable peaceful world in practical and especially economic terms. Almost entirely, we protest against what the corporate war machine, or their government lackeys, are doing. We get distracted over and over again into reactive outrage. Over and over and over, we say NO. We have no big, attractive YES as a real alternative.

Until we come up with a positive, workable economic alternative, and keep promoting that over and over, building the vision for it, proactively, saying YES to it over and over and over regardless of anything else, we're going to be seen as nothing but "protestors." We have to stay focused on that positive vision regardless of whatever else happens. Including the election of a proto-fascist. Including an attack on Iran. Including another terrorist attack, no matter how horrible. Any protest against the government has to be relegated to second place - merely the latest evidence, in a long chain, that war doesn't work, and that what is needed is our positive alternative. We have to find our YES, and start saying it over and over and over.

Even the most committed civil disobedience is only as effective as the positive vision it promotes. Saying NO is certainly morally worthwhile, but it isn't enough to replace a vision as identifiable, workable, practical, and organized as the vision of the corporate war machine. We need our own identifiable, workable, practical, and organized vision for a peaceful economy.

My starting point for that YES is the conversion of all nuclear bases and research labs to centers for an economy based on peace. Alternative energy research - wind, solar, and biomass. The rehabilitation of American manufacturing. The reclamation of the environment. And the maintenance and reconstruction of our failing infrastructure. A New New Deal for Real Peace.

John Bostrom

What do you think?

Continuing Discussion about Next Steps to Peace

2007-05-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

We had a valuable discussion last Thursday, but are still seeking broader input to the conversation about what Juneau and Alaskans can do to heighten popular awareness of the costs of war and occupation and the need to bring the troops and contractors home. We expect to schedule several community meetings in the coming weeks, and to moderate a discussion and call-in show on KTOO's PeaceTalk program on May 21st at 7:00 pm.
You are invited to share your thoughts by commenting to this post, by attending the up-coming community meetings and calling in during PeaceTalk on Monday, May 21st.

Help find Effective Strategy

2007-04-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,
There will be a meeting Thursday, May 3rd at 7 pm at Northern Light United Church (400 W. 11th Street) for JPPJ supporters, Veterans for Peace Chapter 100, and NOW-Juneau to seek consensus on a strategy for action. You are invited to join the conversation. If you cannot make the meeting but have ideas to contribute, you can post comments to this posting by registering first here at Blogspot.com (easy).

Are We Politicians or Citizens?

Howard Zinn
April 16, 2007

Howard Zinn is the author, most recently, of A Power Governments Cannot Suppress. This article was originally published in The Progressive.

As I write this, Congress is debating timetables for withdrawal from Iraq. In response to the Bush Administration’s “surge” of troops, and the Republicans’ refusal to limit our occupation, the Democrats are behaving with their customary timidity, proposing withdrawal, but only after a year, or eighteen months. And it seems they expect the anti-war movement to support them.

That was suggested in a recent message from MoveOn, which polled its members on the Democrat proposal, saying that progressives in Congress, “like many of us, don’t think the bill goes far enough, but see it as the first concrete step to ending the war.”

Ironically, and shockingly, the same bill appropriates $124 billion in more funds to carry the war. It’s as if, before the Civil War, abolitionists agreed to postpone the emancipation of the slaves for a year, or two years, or five years, and coupled this with an appropriation of funds to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act.

When a social movement adopts the compromises of legislators, it has forgotten its role, which is to push and challenge the politicians, not to fall in meekly behind them.
Read complete article

How do we find the path to peace?

2007-04-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,
At Juneau People for Peace and Justice we have begun discussions to try to begin to clarify how we should move forward most effectively in challenging the Iraq war and occupation, and to build a community of nonviolence. Several us believe we could have a much bigger impact if our efforts were combined and in sync with folks around Alaska - more likely to influence our congressional delegation, and to draw more of our fellow Alaskans into the effort, more and better media coverage of our efforts too.

We imagine you may be debating such matters as well. Can we join the discussion somehow? There are folks in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Homer, Haines, Sitka, Ketchikan, Gustavus that I know of, and undoubtedly more in other communities who have been very active doing a variety of things to raise the consciences of our communities and our congressional delegation. Some are confronting the delegation directly through office occupations, others are working to educate the neighbors - bringing speakers, showing films, putting on plays and art shows, vigils, counter-recruiting work and more.

We propose that as many of us as possible join in a conversation to explore how to focus our work. Please share your thoughts by adding your comments to this blog. You might want to share what you have been doing so far, where you live, and your general level of interest and time for this work.

Some questions and ideas put forward include:

focus on Congress (on our delegation)
focus on our communities through education
direct action
more vigils
letters to the editor
ballot initiatives
city resolutions

We may need to continue with all of the above in our individual communities, but is there a way we can coordinate our efforts statewide to be more effective?

2007-03-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

Opposing the Iraq Supplemental & Iran Threats | Institute for Policy Studies | 26 March 2007 | By Phyllis Bennis

The Congressional resolution passed last week gives Bush another $100 billion to continue the U.S. occupation of Iraq. That much is now guaranteed. The timelines and restrictions included in the bill – clearly responding to the strong public support for ending the war— were weakened almost to the disappearing point to allow the razor-thin vote. Very few of those toothless restrictions will likely make it into the final bill that must survive a super-majority in the Senate, a House-Senate conference committee, and a likely Bush veto.

But the effort to hold Congressmembers to their electoral mandate must be continued and ratcheted up, not abandoned, even as we look towards pressing alternative centers of power (city councils, state legislatures, mayors and governors, newspaper editorial boards, influential clergy, etc.) as instruments to pressure Congress from new directions.
Read complete article

2007-03-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

Where do we go from here?

What do supporters of Juneau People for Peace and Justice think about goals and objective for the Juneau peace community?
How can we connect with others around the state to augment our work for an end to the occupation and war in Iraq and beyond?
How can we use the democratic processes to advance our goals?
What strategies and tactics should we adopt in moving forward?
How can we be more effective?

These are a few of the questions being raised at our weekly meetings. Please come and join the conversation. We meet every Tuesday at 5:15 pm at Northern Light United Church, 400 W. 11th Street. We need your input and energies!

2007-03-28T17:23:00.000-08:00

Restoring America’s Moral Authority: A 10-Point Plan of Action

By Mark Agrast / The Center for American Progress Action Fund
February 28, 2007
As the nations of the world emerged from the devastation of the Second World War, they looked to America for moral leadership. The U.S. heeded the call, playing a pivotal role in codifying international norms for the protection of human rights—from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the 1949 Geneva Conventions—and in creating permanent institutions to uphold those norms and punish those who violate them.

Today, America’s moral authority lies in ruins. The Bush administration’s unilateralist policies and contempt for the law have weakened the international system and the standards of civilized conduct which our nation did so much to put in place. The U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay is a betrayal of everything America fought for 60 years ago, which is why the Center for American Progress Action Fund has joined with leading human rights, civil liberties and religious organizations to urge congressional leaders to adopt a 10-point plan for restoring America’s moral authority.

Read complete article

2007-03-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

Regional Implications of the Iraq War
Chris Toensing | March 27, 2007 | Foreign Policy In Focus
Editor: Erik Leaver, Institute for Policy Studies

President George W. Bush’s vision for the Iraq War was nothing if not expansive. Liberal democracy and popular sovereignty were to supplant tyranny not only in Baghdad, but in nearby capitals as well. And the force of U.S. arms would not be needed to accomplish the latter missions. As Bush asserted to eager applause at the American Enterprise Institute on February 25, 2003, “a new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region.” Democracy, the war party believed, would be contagious.
Read complete article

2007-03-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

Published on Thursday, March 22, 2007 by CommonDreams.org
A Time For Anger, A Call To Action by Bill Moyers
The following is a transcript of a speech given on February 7, 2007 at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

"When Woodrow Wilson spoke of democracy releasing the energies of every human being, he was declaring that we cannot leave our destiny to politicians, elites, and experts; either we take democracy into our own hands, or others will take democracy from us.
We do not have much time. Our political system is melting down, right here where you live."

Read complete article

2007-03-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

Give Us Some Real Political Leaders

Inter Press Service
Ali al-Fadhily*

BAGHDAD, Mar 15 (IPS) - Many Iraqis are now looking to local political leadership to fill wide gaps in a fractured government that is failing to provide security and basic needs.

"Iraqis feel lost amongst too many political currents that blew their country away with their narrow sectarian and personal interests," Mohammad Jaafar, a Baghdad-based politician formerly involved in the interim government told IPS.

"I am ashamed to say that I am or even was an Iraqi politician after all the damage to our country that we caused. It is entirely our fault and there is no question about that."

Many politicians feel similarly. Read story on Dahr Jamail's website

2007-03-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

In Washington: Congress debates war funding

Today, the House Appropriations Committee, under new leadership, will complete their work on approving an additional $100 billion for war. Then the entire House of Representatives will have a floor debate. This is a moment for the country to take another step toward peace.

Many groups and people from many walks of life are united in a simple message:

We want no further spending that keeps Iraqi civilians and U.S. troops in harm’s way. Instead, the U.S. should invest in diplomatic strategies, multilateralism, compensation for losses and injuries, and an Iraqi-led reconstruction. These are the first steps on what will be a difficult road to peace and stability in Iraq and the entire region.

Next week begins year five of the war and occupation of Iraq. Right now, we have a big moment to stand up for peace.

Please call your Representative today to ask him or her to replace the violence of the occupation with reconstruction. Also, insist on language that prevents the Bush Administration from attacking Iran without explicit Congressional approval. If we get the language impeding the Administration’s aggression toward Iran into the bill before it makes it to the House floor, we have a good chance to make a big statement.

Call your Representative today

2007-03-13T09:11:00.000-08:00

Action: Iran – Congress Can Stop the Slide to War

Your phone calls in the next 48 hours could stop the administration from rushing into military action against Iran.

Members of Congress from both major political parties are concerned that, given the administration’s track record leading up to the Iraq war, President Bush will authorize military action against Iran. Last week the House leadership designed a legislative provision to require the president to seek congressional authorization before launching a military attack against Iran. They attached that provision to the draft Iraq war supplemental spending bill. The provision would require the administration to make a full, public explanation of the need for war and gain congressional approval before launching new military action against Iran.

But, on Monday, the House leadership deleted the no war with Iran provision from the supplemental funding bill. The congressional leadership is counting votes. Apparently, they believe there is not sufficient support in Congress to approve a bar on military attacks on Iran without congressional approval.

Take Action - Call Your Representative Today

The first vote on the Iraq supplemental bill could happen as soon as this Thursday, March 15. Please call your representative today. Ask her or him to publicly ask the congressional leadership to include language in the Iraq supplemental bill that would require the president to seek congressional approval before going to war with Iran.

FCNL has set up a special, toll free number that you can use to reach the Capitol Hill switchboard: 1-800-903-0682. When you reach the switchboard, ask for Congressman Don Young

Read full action alert at http://www.fcnl.org/action/2007/lam0313.htm

2007-03-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

Op-Ed Contributor
New York Times

Whose Oil Is It, Anyway?

By ANTONIA JUHASZ

Published: March 13, 2007

San Francisco

TODAY more than three-quarters of the world’s oil is owned and controlled by governments. It wasn’t always this way.

Until about 35 years ago, the world’s oil was largely in the hands of seven corporations based in the United States and Europe. Those seven have since merged into four: ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and BP. They are among the world’s largest and most powerful financial empires. But ever since they lost their exclusive control of the oil to the governments, the companies have been trying to get it back. Click here to read full article.

Occupation Project Fairbanks, Alaska

2007-03-12T17:34:00.000-08:00

Press Release 3/12/07

Nonviolent Action - Tue. Mar. 13, 12:45 p.m. End the Iraq War!

Meet at Federal Bld. (101, 12th Ave. Fbks. AK)

Next week Congress votes on President Bush's $93,000,000,000.00 Iraq War and Occupation Supplemental Spending Bill.

Join with us. Tell Don Young:
Support our troops! Bring them home now!
Provide them full benefits, adequate healthcare, and other support!
Spend not one penny more for War!

During his allotted five minutes of comment concerning the recent House Resolution declaring President Bush's plan to "surge" the number of troops in Iraq as not in the United States best interest, Congressman Young misquoted President Lincoln as having said "'Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged.'" When he was shown that this was not a quote attributable to President Lincoln he said that he would not use it anymore but that he stands behind the point that he was making.

Abraham Lincoln was a pacific man; he denounced war and military glory. When he was a Congressman Lincoln said of Polk, his president, our armed forces' commander-in-chief: "Trusting to escape scrutiny by fixing the public gaze upon the exceeding brightness of military glory, that attractive rainbow that rises in showers of blood — that serpent's eye, that charms to destroy, he plunged into war." Would Don have had Honest Abe "exiled or hanged"?

Another Abe Lincoln quote that Congressman Young should take to heart is: "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King and Gandhi, some may be moved to acts of Peaceful Nonviolent Civil Disobedience. Civil Disobedience is not a requirement to participate.

Action initiated by: Voices for Creative Nonviolence Endorsed by: the Declaration of Peace, Alaska Peace Center, North Star Veterans for Peace, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, CODE PINK, After Downing Street, Voters for Peace, and others.

Local Contact: Rob Mulford, 907-457-5578, mulford.rob@gmail.com

2007-03-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

Juneau People for Peace and Justice and Veterans for Peace Chapter 100 are planning for a week of events surrounding the 4th anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq . An art show - "Visions for Peace" will be on display during the entire week beginning Saturday, March 17 at the Nugget Mall. A march, rally and community gathering and potluck on Sunday, March 18th, followed by a reading of the names of Iraqi war dead on Monday, March 19th, a presentation of "What I Heard About Iraq", films and culminating on Thursday, March 22nd with a talk by author and scholar Antonia Juhasz. See Events for details

2007-01-29T20:12:00.000-09:00

Turn Your Protest into Policy
A delegation of JPPJ delivered petitions calling on our Congressional delegtion to support resolutions relating to the Iraq policy to "de-escalate, negotiate and withdraw". More than 100 Juneau citizens signed the petition at a gathering on Saturday, January 27th at Northern Light United Church following the Rally earlier that day.

2007-01-27T20:11:00.000-09:00

JUNEAU RALLY - TELL CONGRESS - STOP THE WAR! NO FUNDING FOR ESCALTION! BRING THE TROOPS HOME!
Over 200 people gathered at the Dimond Court House Plaza at 4th & Main Street in downtown Juneau in support for the mobilization in Washington DC. Claire Richardson served as MC and Father Tom Weise, Elaine Schroeder and Miguel Rohrbacher spoke to the crowd about the need to pressure Congress to take responsibility of oversight of the Iraq war and occupation and to call for de-escaltion, negotiation and withdrawal.

2007-01-18T20:07:00.000-09:00

Fairbanks peace activists issue press release about plan to get Alaska congressional delegation to act
On Thursday, January 18th Fairbanks peace activists plan to visit the Fairbanks Congressional Office at 101 12th Ave. to take the demand that our representative and senators publicly pledge to: discontinue funding for military purposes in Iraq except the safe withdraw of all U.S. forces; Support an Iraqi led reconciliation process; Investigate and prosecute war profiteers; Commit significant funds to the reconstruction of Iraq, under the control and direction of Iraqis; and Provide funding for full benefits, adequate healthcare, and other support for returning servicemen and women. See details at Fairbanks 1-15-07 press release

2007-01-15T20:10:00.000-09:00

The Occupation Project A Campaign of Sustained Nonviolent Resistance To End the Iraq War

For Immediate Release: January 15, 2007
Contact: Rob Mulford, 907-457-5578, mulford.rob@gmail.com

On Thursday, January 18th @ 9:00 a.m. members of North Star Veterans for Peace and others will deliver following message to the local offices (Federal Building, 101, 12th Ave. , Fbks. AK) of Senators Murkowski and Stevens and Representative Young. We will return on Feb. 5th and then periodically, in the following weeks, to reiterate. On the return dates, in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King and Gandhi, some may be moved to acts of Peaceful Nonviolent Civil Disobedience (not a requirement to participate). We sincerely request the support and or the participation all who seek a just and peaceful world.

Whereas:
The Iraq war was launched under a cloud of lies and false pretenses and was an act of aggression against a country that was not a threat to the U.S.

Whereas: Over 3,000 American Servicemen and Women and possibly 600,000 Iraqis have lost their lives to the violence of war.

Whereas: Tens of thousands American Servicemen and Women have been horribly physically disabled.

Whereas: The horror of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is destroying the lives of heros, wrecking families, and turning many out with Less Than Honorable Discharges to suffer without remedy.

Whereas: The insanity of Sectarian Violence was made inevitable and has been exasperated by U.S. meddling in the internal laws and political economic structure (in violation of international law) of an occupied state.

Whereas: We are not safer due to the war in Iraq and the so-called "War On Terror". Freedom is increasingly more threatened by our own government than by some outside "enemy".

Whereas: Wealthy people and greedy corporations profit from lucrative no bid contracts and swoon over profits to be made from the Production Sharing Agreements and Iraq's rewritten oil laws.

Therefore:
We as Peace Loving Americans and Alaskan Residents, do demand that our Representative Don Young, our Senator Lisa Murkowski, and our Senator Ted Stevens publicly pledge to: discontinue funding for military purposes in Iraq except the safe withdraw of all U.S. forces; Support an Iraqi led reconciliation process; Investigate and prosecute war profiteers; Commit significant funds to the reconstruction of Iraq, under the control and direction of Iraqis; and Provide funding for full benefits, adequate healthcare, and other support for returning servicemen and women.

Action initiated by: Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Endorsed by: the Declaration of Peace, Veterans for Peace, CODE PINK, After Downing Street, the Granny Peace Brigade, Voters for Peace, and others.

2007-01-10T20:05:00.000-09:00

Skip Schiel, photojournalist , speaking on "The Hydropolitics of Israel & Palestine" at the CBJ Assembly Chambers . Sponsored by Juneau World Affairs Council

2007-01-09T19:43:00.000-09:00

Two Free Screenings of "VOICES IN WARTIME" at the Goldtown Nickelodeon Theater hosted by: Veterans for Peace Chapter 100