Pieces
October 99

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

Rally to Free Lori Berenson, 10/10, 1-4:30 pm, Lafayette Park, Washington, DC. (in front of the White House); Lori Berenson has been incarcerated in Peru for over three years without due process & the Peruvian government continues to stall on formal hearings planned by the Organization of American States; come show your support for Berenson & all political prisoners; urge President Clinton to exert pressure! For more information, www.freelori.org

The Power of One: Peace & Social Justice Events at Rivier College, Nashua NH; 10/5, 7 pm, "From Vietnam to Kosovo: Lessons for the US & the International Community" with Nobel Peace Laureate Robert Muller; 10/12, 7 pm, "Every Country is My Country Now: Distant Genocide & Local Action" with Cambodian cultural leader Arn Chorn Pond; 10/21, 7 pm, "How to Be a True Peacemaker" with Colman McCarthy (founder of Center for Teaching Peace); November, date TBA, "Living Martin Luther King’s Dream: An Evening with Congressman John Lewis"; 11/16, 12:30 pm, "Remembering the Jesuit Martyrs of the University of Central America"; 12/2, 12:30 pm, "A Message too Precious to be Silenced: Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Dorothy Kazel, Jean Donovan"; Rivier College Center for Peace & Justice, 420 Main St., Nashua NH 03060-5086; 603/897-8481; jannis@rivier.edu

Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgendered Parents & their Families, a book-signing with photographer Gigi Kaeser & editor Peggy Gillespie, 10/9, noon-2 pm; New Words Bookstore, 186 Hampshire St., Cambridge MA 02139; 617/876-5310

Who Gets the Housing? Affordable Housing after Rent Control, 10/10, 10:30 am; Longy School of Music, 1 Follen St., Cambridge MA; with Jeffrey Purcell, Greater Boston Legal Services; child care provided; sponsored by the Ethical Society of Boston, 1 Follen St., Cambridge MA 02138

Raytheon Protesters on Trial, 10/13, 9 am; Lawrence District Court, 2 Appleton Way, Lawrence MA; 6 activists, arrested for blocking the entrance to Raytheon, will use the trial to admit breaking the law, explain their reasons to the jury, & put Raytheon on trial as a weapons manufacturer & a criminal corporation; audience participation encouraged! Contact Merrimack Valley Greens, POB 43, Lawrence MA 01842; 978/688-3569; lgi@igc.org

Mobilizing Resentment: Conservative Resurgence from the John Birch Society to the Promise Keepers, a reading by author Jean Hardisty, 10/14, 6 pm; New Words, 186 Hampshire St., Cambridge MA; Hardisty , founder of Political Research Associates, offers an in-depth portrait of the political right, with lessons and and tools for progressives to engage the right in more productive ways; New Words Bookstore, 186 Hampshire St., Cambridge MA 02139;
617/876-5310

Workshop with Colman McCarthy,
10/22, 9 am-3 pm; Rivier College, Nashua NH; for high school & college students, & anyone interested in addressing the issue of violence in our society; topics include basics of conflict resolution, easing workplace tensions, & resisting the culture of violence; Center for Peace & Social Justice, Rivier College, 420 Main St., Nashua NH 03060

Peace and Justice Awards, Cambridge Peace Commission, 10/24; Dinner, presentations, community sharing, $15, Episcopal Divinity School, 99 Brattle St., Cambridge, RSVP: Peace Commission, 57 Inman St., Cambridge, MA 02139; 617/349-4694

North Country Coalition for Justice & Peace Events: 10/26, "The Livable Wage: Economic & Social Justice for All" with Dean Corren, Vermont State Legislator, 7:30, Breslin Hall, Lydonville VT; 11/16, "Single Payer Health Care" with Dr. Deborah Richter, president of Physicians for a National Health Plan, 7:30 pm, North Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury VT; NCCJP c/o Eleanor Bonney Simons, 186 Overcliff Rd., St. Johnsbury VT 05819; 802/748-3663

Restorative Justice: Building Partnerships, 11/11, 7 pm; Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington St., Boston; Howard Zehr, John Paul Lederach, Kay Pranis, & Judge Barry Stuart will present principles of a new movement which would transform our justice system & empower communities; followed by 2-day training; sponsored by Suffolk University’s Center for Restorative Justice & Boston Theological Institute, 210 Herrick Road, Newton MA 02459; 617/527-4880; mainoffice@bostontheological.org

Place 2 Place: An Evening of Perception, Passion, & Politics with Two Ecopsychologists, 10/26, 7-9 pm; $10; Sperry Room, Andover Hall, 45 Francis Ave., Cambridge MA; with Chellis Glendinning & Laura Sewell; sponsored by the Center for Psychology and Social Change, POB 398080, Cambridge MA 02139; 617/497-1553; cpsc@igc.apc.org; www.cpschange.org

Bunting Fellowship Program Colloquia: 11/3, "Richard Wright: Hounded by the FBI?" with Hazel Rowley; 11/10, "The Silencing of Maya Women from Mama Maquin to Rigoberta Menchu" with Victoria Sanford; both at 4 pm, at The Bunting, 34 Concord Ave., Cambridge MA; a brown-bag lunch discussion follows each the next day from 12:30 pm to 2; 617/495-8212; www.whatever.org

The Traumatization of Art: Focus on Cambodian America, 11/20, 5-9 pm, Cambridge MA; a panel discussion that explores the effects of trauma on art in the Cambodian community; Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge MA 02141; 617/577-1400

RESOURCES

Ancient Land, Forgotten People: The Human Face of Iraq, special September issue of New Internationalist, records the multi-faceted voices of Iraq, including the story of the Kurds of Northern Iraq, the effects of depleted uranium on people & the environment, & an interview with ex-UN arms inspector Scott Ritter; NI, POB 1143, Lewiston NY 14092; 800/661-8700; magazines@indas.on.ca

American Capitalism and the Changing of Government, Harry Shaffer, 152 pp.; $55 hb, $18.95 pb + $4 s&h; Shaffer dispels myths about the American economy topic by topic, from the fundamental theory of free market economics to specific socioeconomic problems; Greenwood Publishing, 88 Post Rd. W., Westport CT 06881; 800/225-5800

Energy Star Program; The National Council of Churches has resources for congregations who want to reduce energy consumption & practice earth stewardship; NCC Energy Star Program, Center for Energy & Environmental Education, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls IA 50614; 800/288-1346

WomenIn, a coalition of women’s organizations & activists working to increase the role of progressive women in politics, offers resources including fundraising help, internships/mentoring, political skills training, & campaign, advocacy, & support for candidates; WomenIn c/o Commonwealth Coalition, 37 Temple Place, Floor 5, Boston MA 02111; 617/422-0118; comcoal@aol.com

Rich Media, Poor Democracy, Robert W. McChesney, 424 pp; $25.95 hb + $3.50 s&h; McChesney argues that the media have become an anti-democratic force world-wide, & chronicles media mergers & acquisitions & public policies on the Internet & broadcasting; University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak St., Champaign IL 61820; 800/545/4703

The Third Wave Foundation supports social justice work & focuses on reproductive rights, scholarships, & organizing & advocacy, providing grants from $100-$5000 for projects which benefit, target, & are devised & led by women aged 15-30; TWF, 116 E 16th St. #7, New York, NY 10003; 212/388-1898; thirdwave@aol.com; www.feminist.com/3wave.htm

No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City, Katherine Newman; 388 pp. incl. index; $27.45 hb; Newman dismantles prevailing stereotypes about work & family life in the inner city, arguing that attention to the jobless poor has blinded us to the very different workaday reality of life in the ghetto; copublished by Alfred A. Knopf & the Russell Sage Foundation; 800/733-3000 or 800/524-6401

The Great Corporate Social Security Sting, Virginia Rasmussen, centerfold article of By What Authority, a publication of the Program on Corporations, Law & Democracy, vol. 1, no. 3, summer 1999, $30/year; challenges the assumption that the Social Security system is in crisis & questions privatization proposals; POCLAD, POB 246, S. Yarmouth MA 02664-0246; 508/398-1145; www.poclad.org

Intercultural Press offers cross-cultural & diversity training resources, including Experiential Activities for Intercultural Learning, Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication, & The Whole World Guide to Language Learning; for catalogue, IP Inc., POB 700, Yarmouth ME 04096-0700; 800/370-2665

Political Research Associates catalogue provides help in understanding & challenging the political right; newsletters, action kits, study guides, books, & reports; PRA, 120 Beacon St., #202, Somerville MA 02143;
617/661-9313; www.publiceye.org

The Small Publishers Co-Op, a group of independent publishers of alternative magazines, comics & catalogues who gang press runs to achieve volume discounts, invites you to join; SPC, 2670 Clematis St., Sarasota FL 34239; 941/922-0844; spcoop@flnet.com

Alternatives for Simple Living, a non-profit that equips people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly, & celebrate responsibly; sells books on simple living & related topics, incl. "How to Organize an Alternative Christmas Community Festival" ; for a catalogue of resources for Christmas & year-round use, ASL, POB 2857, Sioux City IA 51106; 712/274-8875 or 800/821-6153; www.simpleliving.org

Cambridge, Massachusetts to Vote on Nuclear Weapons Issue in November; The Cambridge City Council has placed a Citizen's Advisory Question on the November ballot; the advisory asks President Clinton to initiate treaty negotiations for the elimination of nuclear weapons; for information on this and similar city campaigns, contact Mass Peace Action, 1st Church Congregational, 11 Garden St., Cambridge MA 02138; 617/354-2169

Support Anti-Violence Programs for Women; Urge your members of Congress to cosponsor HR.357, HR.1248, & S.51, bills that reauthorize & expand funding for programs funded by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994; for more info, contact United Church of Christ Justice & Peace Ministry, 700 Prospect Ave., Cleveland OH 44115; 216/736-2178; jpmin@ucc.org

Star Wars is Back! The US Space Command, in its publication "Vision for 2020," calls for "domination" of the earth & space in order to protect US interests & investments; Congress has now given the green light to deployment of Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) "as soon as technically feasible." With a series of actions April 14-17, 2000 in Washington, DC, we hope to escalate the level of opposition to this new arms race. Events will include rallies & vigils at the Treasury & the White House, & a 1-day conference, "Star Wars Revisited: An International Conference on Preventing an Arms Race In Space"; Bruce Gagnon, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, POB 90083, Gainesville FL 32607; 352/337-9274; www.globenet.free-online.co.uk/

Gatherings

Mobilizing for the Millennium: National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness Annual Conference, 10/28-31; Trinity College, Hartford CT; workshops, discussion groups, opportunities fair, & community service plunge; NSCAHH, Trinity College, Box 702575, 300 Summit St., Hartford CT 06106; 800/664-8647; nscah@aol.com; www.pirg.org/nscahh

New England War Tax Resisters Gathering, 11/12-14; Equity Trust, Voluntown CT; for information contact Maine WTR, POB 776, Monroe ME 04951; 207/525-7776

To Promote the General Welfare: Ending Women’s Poverty, 3/6-7/00; Georgetown University Law Center, Washington DC; experts & activists from across the country will join with national advocacy leaders & policy makers, to take stock of where we are and formulate new strategies to enable women & their families successfully escape poverty; sponsored by NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund, 395 Hudson, 5th fl., New York NY 10014; contact Amy Lowenstein, 212/925-6635; alowenstein@nowldef.org

Congress of Racial Equality Reunion,
10/24-26; Cabrini Retreat Center, Des Plaines IL; Jim Robinson, 5 Riverside Drive #18-C, New York NY 10023;212/799-7130

Agape Nonviolence Retreat for College Students, 11/5-7; Ware MA; for reflection on Christian nonviolence & the issues of our day, songs, silence, prayer, forest walks; $60; Agape, 2062 Greenwich Rd., Ware MA 01082;
413/967-9369

National Strategy & Coordination Conference, 11/12-14; $75; Chicago IL; will address the need for coordination of strategies of diverse campaigns (Jubilee 2000, WTO, Right to Organize, etc.) & formation of a strong interracial, interfaith, & international movement; Matt Siegel, World Economy Project, Preamble Center, 1737 21st St. NW, Washington DC 20009; 202/265-3263; wep@preamble.org; www.preamble.org

Close the School of the Americas, nonviolence training & civil disobedience/vigil; 11/19-21; Columbus GA; 10th anniversary of assassination of 6 Jesuit priests by SOA graduates; 10,000 to stand vigil, 5,000 to risk arrest, & 100 to risk prison (CD training for all risking arrest); for details including lodging options, transportation, & nonviolence training packet, contact SOA Watch, POB 4566, Washington DC 20017; 202-234-3440

International Conference on War Tax Resistance & Peace Tax Campaigns,
7/6-9/00; Catholic University of America, Washington DC; meet people of conscience from around the world; register by 1/1/00; Peace Tax Foundation, 2121 Decatur Place NW, Washington DC 20008; 202/483-3751; peacetaxfund@igc.org

OPPORTUNITIES

Massachussetts Council of Churches seeks Associate Director; resume, letter, & references by 11/15 to MCC, 14 Beacon St. #416, Boston MA 02108; 617/523-2771

American Friends Service Committee seeks Andean Quaker International Affairs Representative(s); letter & resume by 10/15 to Elizabeth Stegner, AFSC-HR, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia PA 19102-1479; fax 215/241-7247; tmaguire@afsc.org

Physicians for Social Responsibility seeks Associate Director of Security Programs, who will have responsibilities for Research & Policy (research & provide expertise on a broad range of nuclear weapons) & Organizing & Education (enlarge & strengthen PSR’s activist network on nuclear issues); resume to Robert Tiller, PSR, 1101 14th St. NW, Washington DC 20005; btiller@psr.org

In These Times seeks Assistant to the Publisher to assist with the business side of nonprofit publishing; letter & resume to Beth Schulman, 2040 N. Milwaukee, Chicago IL 60647

The Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights at Colby College seeks nominations for Human Rights Fellowship; Fellows will take a sabbatical leave from their work and serve as scholar-in-residence at Colby, with time for reflection, research, & writing; stipend, housing, & research support provided; nominations due 11/1 to Kenneth Rodman, Government Dept., Colby College, Waterville ME 04901; 07/872-3813; oakhr@colby.edu; www.colby.edu/oak

Swackhamer Peace Essay Contest; High school students are invited to submit an essay recommending specific actions that young people can take to help build a Culture of Peace globally; deadline 6/1/00; for rules, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, 1187 Coast Village Rd. #1, Santa Barbara CA 93108-2794; 805/965-3443; www.wagingpeace.org

Peace Brigades International invites you to join a Delegation of International Concern & Accompaniment to Guatemala, 11/1-12; coinciding with the first presidential elections since the signing of the Peace Accords, to support peace & democratic reform; $800; contact PBI-USA, 1904 Franklin St. #505, Oakland CA 94612; 510/663/2362

Letter

Claire Schaeffer-Duffy, St. Francis and Therese Catholic Worker House, Worcester, MA

In mid-September, the front page of the Boston Globe carried a photo of an ardent East Timorese demonstrating in front of the US Embassy in London. He held a placard with the words, "US We Want You in East Timor NOW" beneath a pointing Uncle Sam. For the proponents of "humanitarian" military intervention, the image is fodder for the argument. For those of us who recoil at the engagement of any US weaponry, the photo has captured a pathetic paradox—the victim petitioning the very government that subsidized and armed their oppressors. Regardless of our interpretation, the urgency of the appeal for intervention cannot be ignored.

Intervention is a problematic concept for peacemakers. We associate it with the bloody practices of the imperialists who manipulate regional conflicts according to their agenda. Much of the work of the American peace movement has been to expose the hazards of US intervention. Our critique, given in word and deed, of the omnipresent Pentagon must continue. It is essential for weaning this country from its addiction to militarism.

But when the paramilitaries and the local thugs begin their massacres, then what? Can the anti-militarists offer a coherent, nonviolent response? The question haunts Minnesota activist Mel Duncan and David Hartsough of the San Francisco- based Peaceworkers. In consultation with 100 activists from around the world, the two have drafted a proposal for a Peace Force. This nonviolent "army" would initially be composed of 200 "active duty" members serving two-year terms, 400 "reservists" available for two- to three-month stints, and 500 "supporters" providing financial backing. Over a six-year period, the Force would build to a level of 2000 active, 4000 reservists, and 5000 supporters. Although still very much a rough draft, the proposal wrestles with questions of funding, training, strategies, relationship to governments, and composition.

During the Bosnian war, when the city of Mostar had turned on itself, Croats from the western side fired on the beseiged Muslims inhabiting the eastern banks of the Nerevta River. My husband and 17 other internationals included the city in a modest intervention called Seeds for Peace. They stopped to offer an ecumenical prayer service, a daily ritual of their program, in the courtyard just behind the Croatian front lines. As the activists circled, they could hear the continuous popping of sniper guns firing across the river. Then an unexpected lull. The combatants, who were stationed on the upper balconies of surrounding buildings, stopped to observe the service. Five of them left their posts and joined the circle. Peace did not instantly descend on Mostar but the peacemakers offered a moment of possibility amidst an impossible situation.

The Mostar moment is only one of countless stories, and their prevalence indicates a growing experimentation with nonviolent strategies in war zones. The Peace Force seeks to garner the collective wisdom of strategists like Christian Peacemakers, Peace Brigades International, Witness for Peace, the Balkan Peace Team, (the list goes on and on) and broaden its application. These organizations have honed the tools of accompaniment, monitoring, and advocacy, and developed nonviolent tactics of intervention. Hartsough's and Duncan’s proposal merits our serious consideration because it articulates a practical hope—an essential ingredient for eradicating violence.

Film

"Guttaperc," Producer/Director: Andrew Millington, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,10/22/99, 8:00 pm and 10/30/99, 10:30 am

A rare film that succeeds in combining personal storytelling with political awareness, without compromising either. Ten-year-old Eric (played by Richard Weekes) is on holiday with his grandparents. The Caribbean village where they live is in turmoil with the government planning to build a tourist resort there. Eric, an introverted child who likes to spend his time reading, is caught in the middle through his friendship with Sister Pam (Jamaican actress Leone Forbes), the village wise woman and development opponent, who tells Eric stories about the village’s real and mythical history.

Through these stories Eric acquires a sense of connectedness with the village and its people. He realizes that his grandfather (Clairmont Taitt) will be a major beneficiary of the project. The filmmaker uses Eric’s conflicted relationship with his grandfather and his blossoming relationship with Sister Pam to explore tensions between personal attachment and political consciousness. The resolution of these tensions is not the usual "we can all get along." Rather, through the image of the guttaperc (the Bajan word for slingshot) we are reminded that we, like Eric, live between poles of contradiction that pull us in different directions and that our decision as to which way we will go also has repercussions.

The filmmaker, Andrew Millington, a native of Barbados, is a graduate of Howard University Graduate film school and has worked with filmmakers Raoul Peck and Haile Gerima. He was a member of the Mypheduh Films team that produced the internationally acclaimed film Sankofa. Currently, Millington is an Assistant Professor of Film at Emerson College, Boston. Guttaperc (84 min) is his first feature-length film. The filmmaker is available for interview and speaking engagements and will attend the screening.

The third paragraph of the essay by Juliet Schor (p. 4, Peacework, Sept. 1999) should read: "Shifting Fortunes completes the picture. It reveals that financial security has become more elusive for most families and that the economic boom has been built on the sweat of the 30% of American workers who earn poverty or near-poverty wages." The essay was reprinted with permission from Shifting Fortunes: The Perils of the Growing American Wealth Gap, which is © United for a Fair Economy and Holly Sklar.

The cover photograph of the September 1999 issue—"A typical Palestinian refugee camp, winter 1948" which appears in Walid Khalidi’s Before Their Diaspora—is drawn from a collection; the photographer is apparently unknown.

The Defense Department has announced plans to convert eight Trident nuclear submarines: the Navy plans to convert four, based in Bangor ME, to carry Trident-2 missiles; a study is in progress for four others to carry up to 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles each. Cessation of these programs would avoid confusion in current arms reduction treaties, save taxpayers $15 billion, and help contain the American "culture of violence." A campaign to block this Trident initiative comprises:

A) Education/Outreach: Trident Information Network will be reestablished. Call 203/777-3849 to be placed on the mailing list.

B) Legislative/Lobbying: Confront Congress with fiscal waste, etc.

C) Direct Action: Focus on Trident bases in Bangor ME and King’s Bay ME, the Electric Boat shipyard in Groton CT, and defense contractors such as General Dynamics in Pittsfield MA involved in the program. Contact Stephen Kobasa, 46 Hobart St., New Haven, CT 06511; 203/777-3849, skobasa@snet.net