March 2002

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

Short Takes

The Community of Sant'Egidio is a worldwide community of more than 40,000 members who work for the cause of peace in more than 60 countries around the globe. Founded in 1968 and based in Rome, the Community draws from a Catholic tradition and describes itself as a 'community without borders or walls.' In 1992, the Community negotiated and mediated a comprehensive agreement between the government in Mozambique and the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), an opposition guerrilla party. In Guatemala in 1995, representatives facilitated confidential talks between the President and leftist guerrillas, getting the UN talks back on track.

From the AFSC nomination letter: "The Community of Sant'Egidio's conflict resolution methods are marked by meticulous non-partisanship, careful communication with all concerned, an extensive network of contacts, sustained and collective effort, pragmatism, confidentiality, and an efficient absence of bureaucracy."

Additional information about the Community of Sant'Egidio can be found at www.santegidio.org

Stop the War, at Home & Abroad! March on Washington April 20; Join us to demand a US foreign policy based on social & economic justice, not military & corporate oppression; an end to racial profiling & military recruitment targeting youth of color; full disclosure of military contracts with universities; government funding for programs to benefit the economic victims of the 9/11 attacks and the recession; <aprilmobilization@riseup.net> or contact AFSC, 2161 Mass. Ave., Cambridge MA 02140; 617/661-6130

Join the Colombia Mobilization! April 19-22 The National Mobilization on Colombia is a coalition of over 60 organizations and thousands of individuals working to transform US policy toward Colombia and the Andean region. We will gather in Washington DC, 4/19-22, 2002 for lobbying, vigils, workshops, a teach-in, nonviolence training, and a Festival of Hope & Resistance; on 4/22 we will hold a march and nonviolent direct action; for a complete schedule of events, with locations, contact Witness for Peace, 1229 15th St NW, Washington DC 20005; 202/588-1471; www.witnessforpeace.org or www.colombiamobilization.org for details and suggestions on housing and transportation

Videotapes of the plenary events are now available from this important conference, held December 7-8, 2001. The conference was sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and the Tufts Peace Education Studies Department.

The videotapes are available for purchase for $25 each. Make checks payable to AFSC/Peace & Economic Security Program, and send payment with your order to AFSC, 2161 Mass. Ave., Cambridge MA 02140.

You can also rent the videotapes for $10 per night (or weekend) from AFSC's Video and Film Library at the same address, checks payable to AFSC/Film Library. For more information on video rental, contact Paul Shannon, at 617/497-5273; pshannon@afsc.org.

Was War Necessary? Jennifer Hirano, Joseph Gerson, Doug Hostetter, David McReynolds, Patricia Mische, and Paul Watanabe

The World After September 11 Amber & Ryan Amundson, Noam Chomsky

Recent US Policy in the Middle East & South & Central Asia Zia Mian, Lamis Andoni, and Michael Klare

Islam & Islamic Fundamentalism Modhumita Roy, Ali Benuazizi, Farzin Vahdat

Domestic Blowback Nancy Murray, Merrie Najimy, Chuck Turner, and Frank Ackerman

• Boycotts R Us: links to many boycott pages. <www.daddyo.net/rama/boycotts.htm>
• Boycott Resources: links to environmental and labor boycotts throughout the world. <www.envirolink.org/boycotts>
• The Boycott News: furthers communication about boycotts past, present, and future. <www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/3199/index.html>
• Revolt against the Empire: Welcome to the Great Boycott of Dow, DuPont, Monsanto, and Bayer. <home.earthlink.net/~alto/boycott.html>
• AFL-CIO National Boycott List: list of AFL-CIO endorsed boycotts at the request of affiliated international and national unions. <www.unionlabel.org/donotbuy/default.htm>
  
  From "Axis of Just as Evil"

Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the "Axis of Evil," Libya, China, and Syria today announced they had formed the "Axis of Just as Evil," which they said would be way eviler than that stupid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of his State of the Union address.

Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are Just as Evil... in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils... best at being evil... we're the best." Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the Axis of Evil. "They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "An Axis can't have more than three countries," explained Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So you can only have three. And a secret handshake. Ours is wicked cool."

--Excerpt from "Axis of Just as Evil," which is to be found at SatireWire.com

A day for community organizers & activists to make connections, create new groups, and organize collectively and creatively for the "long haul" around Bush's war and its implications for our communities. Child care available upon request. Sponsored by the United for Justice with Peace Coalition & AFSC; contact Annie Bartos at AFSC for more information, at 617/661-6130 or abartos@afsc.org

Followed by a Concert:

Following the September 11 attacks and US response, Clear Channel Communications (a media conglomerate with control of over 1200 US radio stations) put out a list of 200 "questionable songs" which were then pulled by the hundreds off radio stations under their control. Songs included "Blowin' in the Wind," "Imagine," and everything by Rage Against the Machine. This banning of songs parallels the banning of peace-making as national policy and the banning of civil liberties for foreigners and US citizens under the USA Patriot Act.

To take back our liberties, the Cambridge Peace Commission and United for Justice for Peace are hosting a concert of music and ideas "banned in the US."

Contact the Cambridge Peace Commission, 51 Inman St., Cambridge MA 02139; 617/349-4694

A number of friends have sent us this item. We cannot verify its source.

Traditional Capitalism:
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

Enron Venture Capitalism:
You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company.

The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. Sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release.

The public buys your bull.

Steve Joshua Heims, Gloucester MA

It is not so easy to formulate a coherent and rational alternative to present government policies. I would like to call readers' special attention to the last paragraph of Joseph Gerson's article (Dec-Jan Peacework) in which, after reviewing US policies in East Asia, he says:

"There are, of course, alternatives. They begin with commitments to common security, to the rule of law--including the World Court and the International Criminal Court--to a dialogue among civilizations, and to 'green' energy and transportation policies that decrease the perceived need to dominate others and which hold the promise of security for future generations of humankind and other living things."

The statement reminds us how large the community is that is somehow engaged in one facet or another of an alternative. One person working to enhance the status and acceptance of the International Criminal Court, and another working for a "green" transportation policy, are part of the same movement. The statement quoted could serve as a basis for developing a wide-ranging program of action to help implement an alternative to current large-scale violence. May such an alternative capture the imagination of more and more people, and snowball!

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) www.wilpf.org

Stop the War! Invest in Caring, Not Killing

WILPF has put out a call to women all over the world who oppose the bombing in Afghanistan to refuse the propaganda that killing civilians is a sane response to the loss of life of people from many countries in the world during the September 11th attacks. Women don't want bombs dropped on a country where 7 million people already face starvation, 60% of them women and children. Nor can women ignore that every day 35,000 children in the world die from starvation without a single mention in the global media. While the UN estimates that $80 billion a year would provide universal access to basic services and alleviate income poverty for everyone in the world, the US has chosen to spend $40 billion on cruise missiles and bombs for Afghanistan--on top of the $800 billion invested every year in world-wide military budgets. WILPF demands that the resources being lavished on killing be invested instead in life and caring. We call on all justice movements to stand with the Caring Not Killing Campaign. http://womenstrike8m.server101.com/

The Women of Bat Shalom www.batshalom.org Use the Global to Change the Local: March 8th

The Women of Bat Shalom are sending delegations to foreign consulates and embassies bearing Bat Shalom's demands for international intervention in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, international protection for the Palestinian people, and assistance in dismantling the structure of violence in the region. To participate, notify Jessica at <batshalo@netvision.net.il and write MARCH 8th in the subject line.

UNIFEM (the United National Development Fund for Women) www.unifem.undp.org

UNIFEM has assisted women in conflict situations all over the world and supported their participation in peace processes.

And don't forget to check out the Women's Resources on AFSC's Peace Response web page! www.peaceresponse.org/women.shtml

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