October 2002

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

SHORT TAKES

"We Call to the World's Youth," Klaus Staeck, Offset, 1988, Germany

Join ACT UP, Health GAP, & other global AIDS organizations by participating in actions against Coca-Cola for refusing to pay for AIDS drugs for all but a few of its 100,000 employees in Africa (using its franchise system as protection, the company provides coverage only to its 1500 "direct employees" in Africa); Coca-Cola must take responsibility & ensure that all HIV-infected workers, & their dependents, have access to AIDS treatment & care; for information contact Sharonann Lynch, Health GAP, 212/674-9598; info@healthgap.org; www.healthgap.org

The 'War on Terrorism' and US Hegemony--What Have we Learned? Keynote by Michael Albert (ZNet); with Randall Forsberg, M.V. Ramana, Irene Gendzier, Barbara Hildt, Manning Marable, & many more speakers & workshop leaders; to be held at Simmons College, Boston MA; register now! Co-sponsored by AFSC, 2161 Mass. Ave., Cambridge MA 02140; 617/661-6130; www.afsc.org/pes.htm

LETTER: Chris Harris, Lexington, MA

Aside from its many other flaws (reliance on testing, funding of "faith based initiatives"), the Bush Administration's recent "Leave no Child Behind" legislation has some hidden features we should all be aware of. Under this legislation, unless parents specifically instruct their child's school not to, high school administrators are now required to give any child's contact and general information (the same information that they release to colleges) to any branch of the military that requests it. As we learned from our son's school, all the military branches have already done so.

Given the recent horror stories in Maine of military recruiters harrassing teenages to enlist, parents may want to be concerned about this provision, and take action to protect their child's privacy.

Frances Jarvis is a member of the Cambridge Peace Commission and a Peacework volunteer.

"Never doubt that a group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead

Many activists are familiar with this quotation, but for several Cambridge progressives, it is an actual lived experienc. Today, the Cambridge Peace Commission celebrates twenty years of working for peace, justice, solidarity, and equality with an ongoing support network of committed and dedicated peace activests throughout Cambridge.

Mark Levine, one of the Commission's founders, describes the context out of which a Peace Commission came into being:"In the spring of 1982, President Reagan was gearing up the cold war and stoking fears of Soviet missiles raining on our cities.
Locally, the President's national/foreign security policy arrived on our City Councillors' desks in the form of a Civil Defense evacuation plan for the city in the event of a nuclear strike--identifying as an escape destination, Greenfield, Massachusetts, 100 miles to the west."

Recognizing the absurdity of the situation at once was Councillor Saundra Graham and soon other Councillors became skeptical as well. According to Levine, the Council then distributed a pamphlet called "Cambridge and Nuclear War," to every resident in Cambridge.

"That pamphlet helped to raise both awareness and shock at our government's attempts to say a nuclear war was winnable. And the notion that Greenfield was adequate to protect us was equally laughable. Even an elementary student could figure out what was going on." (Indeed, this writer was an elementary student at the time and remembers the pamphlet well--oh, the nightmares!)

The Cambridge Peace Education Project, a citizens' group, brought forward for ratification the Ordinance of a Commission on Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Education. It passed. Known today simply as the Peace Commission, it could not maintain its mission without the vision and hard work of Cathy Hoffman, present director and longtime activist, and its Commissioners, a group of activist volunteers.

**Please Join the Peace Commission as it celebrates its 20th Anniversary of Peacemaking on Oct. 20, 6:00 PM, at Episcopal Divinity School, 99 Brattle Street, just outside Harvard Square. Reminisce and look ahead.

Comedian Jimmy Tingle, music by Taproot and Sol y Canto; inspirational words by Laura Soul Brown; Suggested donation $10 for adults, $5 for children under 10. RSVP by October 13. Childcare on request to the Cambridge Peace Commission at 617/349-4694.

Previous Article