My two weeks away was just what I needed to regroup, recharge and recommit.
I promise I was not idle. I had the important task of making sure that the Pacific Ocean was doing its job: that tides went in and out on time, and that the waves met QA standards. I am happy to report that there were no management issues and all went according to God's plan.
I came home to find that there is no dearth of opportunities to witness for peace and make it a reality (thank you Jesus!). There are a couple of major national and international opportunities to witness and work for peace happening on the East Coast in March and April.
“Peace of the Action,” a major witness and action for peace spearheaded by Cindy Sheehan, will begin its Camp “Out Now” on March 15 in Washington, DC. The mission is to bring awareness to the American public on the real costs of this American Empire and its wars/occupations. They are erecting a tent city at the Washington Monument. Go to www.peaceoftheaction.org for more information. Local peace activist Jeffry Halpern has been active in helping to plan this action and we are grateful for his time and efforts.
March 20 will see a national rally in Washington. Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace (BNP) is organizing a bus to go down to DC for the day. They are getting an excellent response from SUNYA, RPI and high school students – prompting organizer Joe Lombardo to ask, “Where are the older folks?” BNP hopes that more experienced activists can join them to talk to the students who will be attending. Many of the students need financial help to cover the cost of the bus. If you can make a contribution, please send a check to BNP, PO Box 475, Delmar, NY 12054. Make the check out to BNP and indicate that it is a contribution for the bus to Washington. Additionally, if you want a seat on the bus, make out a check to BNP for $60. Include your name, e-mail address and phone number. Joe's contact email is jlombard@nycap.rr.com
Locally, at 5 p.m. on March 19, people will meet at the steps in the West Capitol Park across from the Smith Building. Peace witnesses will march through the Albany downtown area with signs and displays. Please bring signs. To tell the truth and personalize the violence and destruction, displays with the names of Americans, Iraqis and Afghans who have been killed in the wars will also be carried. These displays will be constructed in Guilderland on Thursday evening, March 18. Lots of help is needed. I'll post the information about the time and place soon. The displays are being coordinated by Steve Wickham of Guilderland Neighbors for Peace. You can contact Steve through Facebook.
An international conference “For a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World” will be held in NYC at Riverside Church this April 30 & May 1. (Riverside Church had long been a beacon of and inspiration for progressive Christian action.)
The following day, May 2, the International Day of Action rally, march and festival will take place in Mid-town Manhattan just across from the United Nations.
In addition to the four Buddhist peace walks across New England, and from Washington, DC to New York City, the Japanese partners of the conference will be bringing the largest delegation of A- and H- Bomb survivors ever to visit the United States, 2,000 other peace activists and millions of petition signatures to press the Nuclear Proliferations Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to launch negotiations for a nuclear weapons abolition treaty. Detailed information about our events, including preliminary lists of speakers, flyers, etc. can be found at www.peaceandjusticenow.org.
There are four critical things you need to know if you plan on attending:
1) Conference Registration: It is important that those who plan to attend the April 30 & May 1 conference register as soon as possible. At the moment, the number of people able to be accommodated in the plenary hall is limited to 800 people, and conference organizers are expecting a full house. To ensure a seat please complete and send in copies of the attached conference registration form as soon as possible.
2) Proposing Conference Workshops: The conference planning committee has set a deadline of Monday, March 22, for the receipt of workshop proposals. You can find information about the criteria for workshops and the link to send in your proposal HERE.
3) Outreach with our Petition and Flyers: The petition addressed to President Obama is a vital tool for doing outreach, helping neighbors and members of peace organizations and communities understand the importance of nuclear weapons abolition. It gives these ordinary citizens a chance to send a message to the president and the NPT Review Conference. You can circulate it electronically, door to door, or on street corners. You’ll find the petition and outreach flyers at www.peaceandjusticenow.org.
4) The conference needs financial help. I am fond of saying that the peace movement does things on a shoestring budget – and most of us wear loafers. If you're a member of a peace organization (like a church or synagogue – we forget that “peace” was the original mission of these organizations) funds are needed to pay for the dedicated short-term staff, the sound system, the conference site, etc. Conference organizers need to raise at least $10,000 from endorsing organizations and private donations. They are asking organizations to contribute on a sliding scale of between $50 and $500, depending on ability. As an incentive, organizations which contribute $500 will be given a full page advertising space in the conference booklet. Those that contribute $250 half a page, $150 a quarter page, and $100 an eighth of a page. Checks should be made out to the Peace Action Fund of New York State, the fiscal sponsor, and sent to P.O. Box 600, JAF Station, New York, NY 10116. Make sure the memo line says NPTR-IPC.
If anyone is reading this blog from outside the USA, you can arrange bank transfers of US dollars made to: TD Bank, 582-586 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10036, account name: The Peace Action Fund of New York State, Account number: 7917983616, Routing number: 026013673, Code: NRTHUS33. Please send an e-mail note to Joseph Gerson (JGerson@afsc. org) letting him know that you are arranging the transfer so that it can be properly tracked.
