After the end of World War II, the Japanese constitution, written by the United States for the defeated Japanese, rejected war as a solution for conflict. Article 9 states: “Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.”
Welcome to the Washington Peace Center
Submitted by jspri on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 1:11pm.Thank you for visiting. Scroll down for the good stuff.
To gain access to all this site has to offer, please register. It's free, simple, and enables you to participate. Registered users can access the blog, add events, vote in polls, and more in the future. To register, just click on "Create new account" in the left side column under the "User Login" link. (We regret that access cannot be granted immediately. Please allow up to 48hrs for activation.)
ALSO, if you would like to subscribe to our email list and receive weekly updates about peace related events in the area, and occasional bulletins, please send us an email at wpc@igc.org (subject line: SUBSCRIBE) and we will add your name to our list. (We will never sell or give your email to anyone else. We support the First Amendment; we don't believe in peace through spam.)
Washington Peace Center is Hiring!
Co-Coordinators -- The Washington Peace Center, a 45 year-old
progressive nonprofit, is hiring for two part-time (20 hours per week) co-coordinators. One will focus on the weekly Activist Alert, and the other would focus on coordinating the quarterly Peace Letter. Co-coordinators to divide and share organizing of events and promotion of WPC programs. Other duties include developing the organization's Web site, city-wide coalition building, grant writing in consultation with Coordinating Board. Both will join board members in collaborative efforts and act as a catalysts for the organization's programs and strategies. Strong communication skills and organizing experience preferred.Please send cover letter and resume to: Attn: Recruitment CommitteeWashington Peace Center P.O. Box 50032
Peace Prevails! Help Tell The Story. . .
Submitted by jaymarx on Sun, 09/09/2007 - 3:23am.It's election season, summer's coming, the War and Occupation in Iraq continues at a cost of $720 million a day (!), and Congress is about to sign another $100+ Billion blank check. Meanwhile, the hard and creative work of pro-peace mobilization continues across the city and the region. The mainstream media ignores us furiously, but the Washington Peace Letter wants to tell the full story--and we need your help.
If you were at an event--demonstration, cultural action, workshop, speech, government fiasco--anything that interested you and that you think others should know about, then TELL US ABOUT IT. The Peace Letter is written and edited by volunteers like you. You can send us any story (ideally between 200 and 2000 words--clarity and brevity are always appreciated) and we can put it in print or make it appear on the blog below. ALL SUBMISSIONS APPRECIATED AND CONSIDERED. (wpc@igc.org Subject line: NEWS- [your headline])
Activist Alert!
Find out what's going on this week for Peace and Justice this week in Washington, DC.
You can join our listserve to recieve weekly notice of updates.
Email requests to wpc@igc.org with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
Despite Bush Administration Pressure, the Japanese People Continue to Say ‘No More War’
Submitted by jaymarx on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 6:43pm.Hillary confronted on her threat to attack Iran
WASHINGTON — Seconds into HIllary Clinton’s remarks at a fundraiser for women in Washington, she was greeted with a silent protest by one of the few men in attendance — who stood on his chair to unfurl a huge black banner reading “Obliterate Iran? Apologize” in bold pink lettering. Shirin Ebadi wants Americans to do what they can to stop the Bush administration’s threats to bomb Iran as punishment for presumably making nuclear weapons. “Nuclear weapons are not a daily concern of the people,” said Ebadi. “They want jobs; they want houses; they want health; they want more freedom.” However, she predicted that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would whip up nationalistic support if Iran were forced into a face-off with the United States, just as it did when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980. The invasion resulted in an eight-year war between the two countries. By ANGELA LEVIN - More by this author » Last updated at 00:06am on 4th May 2008 The sands are white, the sea laps gently and crowds of bronzed Americans laze in the Caribbean sunshine. Al-Nakba Comemoration: Palestine, 60 Years of Ethnic Cleansing 1948 – 2008 Where: Washington, DC On the National Mall. West of the Reflecting Pool in view of the U.S. Capitol, Jefferson Dr SW and 3rd St SW When: Saturday May 17th, 2008 Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM As Israel celebrates its 60th birthday, Palestinians worldwide commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nakba "the catastrophe": The expulsion and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and land, and the destruction of their villages in 1948. Hello friends,Are you ready to express your complete opposition to state-sponsoredtorture, extraordinary rendition and continual detention in Guantanamo and nefarious black sites without official charge? Join us as we take our message to The CIA: TORTURE IS TERRORISM!11 months ago we held a 10-hour vigil in front of the CIA on Dolley Madison Blvd (193), and CLOSED their entrance. We did not enter onto their property, but were simply adjacent to it. At times there were as many police as there were vigilers. Some wore orange jumpsuits and black hoods, others simply carried signs or banners. We stayed in the brutal sun that day, and thousands passing by had to notice -- including CIA employees turned away from this main entrance.That was the first time in 20 years the CIA closed one of its entrances. Let's do it again, nonviolently but with passion in our hearts!pax,Pete Washington Peace Center Coordinator Jay Marx and Proposition One Committee Director Ellen Thomas are presently in Japan for the Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War. They arrived on Friday, May 2, and the conference runs from Sunday, May 4, until Tuesday, May 6.As they have time, Jay and Ellen will post reports, photos, and other information to this blog, and they will deliver a full report-back about the Conference and their other journeys upon their return.Please continue checking below for updates.Cheers! JM & ET 40 Years ago on May 17th, Catonsville 9 action happened. This is where peace activists, including the great Berrigan Brothers, burned draft files during the Vietnam War as one of the most powerful acts of Nonviolent Resistance to War ever. We are therefore postponing our vigil at the CIA until Saturday May 31 at 11 a.m. This is when we will take our message to The Agency in Langley: Torture is Terrorism! So please join us in Temple Hills, Md. on the 17th for... Saturday, May 17, Witness at Andrews AFB From my sisters Teresa of Calcutta and Nancy: From the National Prayer Breakfast Teresa of Calcutta MEETING ABOUT THE MAYOR'S HOUSING PLAN: If you have comments: A. Contact Sanja Partalo, Chief, Office of Policy, Research and Analysis. Address: District of Columbia Department of Human Services, 64 New York Ave. N.E. , 6th Floor, Room 6150, Washington DC 20002 What: The Nakba: What Happened to the Palestinians When the Israeli State Was Established?Where: Howard County Public Library, East Columbia Branch, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045When: 7:00pm - 9:00pmContact(s): Joanne Heisel hcceio@yahoo.comSponsor(s): Howard County Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation May 15 is Nakba Day, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. In 1948, the newly-created State of Israel destroyed hundreds of Palestinian villages, and caused to flee or exiled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. These refugees and their descendents number today in the millions as Israel continues to deny them their right of return. From now until the end of May, events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Nakba will be taking place throughout the United States. More video interviews with participants can be found at this website link: http://www.youtube.com/user/StartLoving1 Thanks to all who turned out to make the first Impeach for Peace Picnic of 2008 such a success! MORE PICTURES at our WPC PictureTrail site: Click here. We played music, had an open-mic for Impeachment, Peace and Social Justice, engaged hundreds of tourists (many thumbs up!), played frisbee and phantom soccer, drank iced tea and lemonade, ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and other picnic delicacies, made a giant peace sign on the grass, and generally had so much fun that we decided to do it again next month! We are now planning Impeach for Peace Picnics for the last Sunday of every month, for as long as necessary (at least through the summer). Stay tuned for upcoming details. . . Aung San Suu Kyi will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. A group of D.C. peace and justice activists will be meeting to strategize, and plan future actions. All activists welcome. Sick of War and Occupation. To express your disgust with the war and occupation of Iraq, do not go to work! Also, do not shop today!
Iran Protesters Interrupt Clinton Fundraiser
by Aaron Bruns
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Doesn’t Mince Words About War and Justice
Submitted by jaymarx on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 10:34am.
by Olga Bonfiglio
Greetings from Guantanamo Bay ... and the sickest souvenir shop in the world
Submitted by jaymarx on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 8:42am.
Mockery: A child's T-shirt proclaiming the camp a tourist spot
They have a cinema, a golf course and, naturally, a gift shop stocked with mugs, jaunty T-shirts and racks of postcards showing perfect sunsets and bright green iguanas.
Only the barbed wire decoration, a recurring motif, hints at anything wrong.
Welcome to "Taliban Towers" at Guantanamo Bay, the most ghoulishly distasteful tourist destination on the planet.
As these astonishing mementoes show, the US authorities are promoting the world's most notorious prison camp as a cheap hideaway for American sunseekers – a revelation that has drawn international anger and condemnation.
Just yards from the shelves of specially branded mugs and cuddly toys, nearly 300 "enemy combatants" lie sweltering in a waking nightmare.
It is six years since foreign prisoners, many captured in Afghanistan, were first taken to this US-occupied corner of Cuba. Yet even now, no charges have been brought against them.
While the detainees lie incarcerated, visitors can windsurf, take boat trips and go fishing for grouper, tuna, red snapper and swordfish.
The United States' 1.5million service personnel and Guantanamo's 3,000 construction workers are eligible to visit the "resort", which boasts a McDonald's, KFC and a bowling alley.
They even have a Wal-Mart supermarket.
The vacation comes at a knock-down price: just $42 (£20) per night for a suite of air-conditioned rooms, including a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedrooms.
But it is the souvenirs that have led to the greatest criticism. One T-shirt from the gift shop is decorated with a guard tower and barbed wire. It reads: "The Taliban Towers at Guantanamo Bay, the Caribbean's Newest 5-star Resort."
Another praises "the proud protectors of freedom". A third displays a garish picture of an iguana and states: "Greetings from paradise GTMO resort and spa fun in the Cuban sun."
A child-sized shirt says: "Someone who loves me got me this T-shirt in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
Scroll down for more...
Exposed: An array of the ghoulish gifts on sale at the Guantanamo Bay 'resort' catering for American sunseekers
Al-Nakba Comemoration: Palestine, 60 Years of Ethnic Cleansing
Submitted by dove16 on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 1:41pm.
Torture is Terrorism Vigil: CIA
Submitted by PeteinDC on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 10:27am.
May 31 2008 - 11:00amMay 31 2008 - 5:00pmEtc/GMT-5
Article 9 Conference: Updates from Japan
Submitted by jaymarx on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 4:27pm.
Catonsville 9 Anniversary at Andrews AFB!
Peace? What Peace?
Submitted by Start Loving on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 11:15am.
"Whatever You Did Unto One of the Least, You Did Unto Me"
by Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Washington, D.C., February, 1994
"He came not to give the peace of the world
which is only that we don't bother each other.
He came to give the Peace of heart
which comes from loving - from doing good to others."
Fight for the Homeless, NOW. Eric Sheptock
Submitted by Start Loving on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 10:43am.
A Revolution of Democracy for U.S. - George Ripley
Submitted by Start Loving on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 10:41am.
The Nakba: What Happened to the Palestinians When the Israeli State Was Established?
Submitted by PeteinDC on Wed, 04/30/2008 - 6:29am.
May 12 2008 - 7:00pmMay 12 2008 - 9:00pmEtc/GMT-5
Nakba -- 60 years of ethnic cleansing in Palestine
Impeach for Peace Picnic Videos
Submitted by jaymarx on Mon, 04/28/2008 - 8:27pm.
Impeach for Peace Picnic April 2008
» 3 comments | read more
Big Burma News: House votes 400-0 to award Aung San Suu Kyi Congressional Gold Medal
This is a historic vote because Aung San Suu Kyi is the first person in the 232-year history of the award to be granted the honor while imprisoned. And hopefully, with the vast international attention from this award, increased pressure will expedite her release.
By being awarded this honor, Aung San Suu Kyi joins the ranks of many great people in history including George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Elie Wiesel, and Mother Theresa.
The Burmese military generals have tried to isolate Aung San Suu Kyi from her own people and from the international community by keeping her under house arrest for over 12 years. However, the generals, who control around 400,000 soldiers, are losing a battle with a single, unarmed woman. Her only tools are courage and loving kindness, yet she has captured the hearts and loyalty of the people of Burma.
Congress usually only gives one or two awards per year, and sparingly to people in other countries. In the entire history of the award (George Washington was granted the first award), only 30 people from other countries have been granted the award.
In a world in which public heroes are few and far between, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the greatest people of our time; she richly deserves this award, an award we hope will show the people of Burma they are not alone in their struggle.
Many special thanks go to Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY), who conceptualized and launched this effort along with Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL). In the US Senate, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) spearheaded, led, and worked very hard to award Aung San Suu Kyi this honor.
Thank you again for supporting the US Campaign for Burma and for all the help in shedding light on Aung San Suu Kyi and the struggle for human rights and democracy in Burma!
Sincerely,
The Woman Who Nearly Stopped the War
Submitted by Aaron Penny on Thu, 04/24/2008 - 2:56pm.
The Woman Who Nearly Stopped the War
By Martin Bright
The New Statesman
Wednesday 19 March 2008
Five years ago, Katharine Gun, a translator at GCHQ, learned something
so outrageous that she sacrificed her career to tell the truth. Martin
Bright on a brave deed that should not be forgotten
Of all the stories told on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War, there
is one important episode that took place during the build-up to the conflict
that has gone largely unreported. It concerns a young woman who was a
witness to something so outrageous, something so contrary to the principles
Counter-Recruitment Is Not Counter-Military: A Letter From a Colonel
Submitted by Aaron Penny on Thu, 04/24/2008 - 2:39pm.
by Ann Wright
As a 29 year US Army/Army Reserves Colonel and a U.S. diplomat who
resigned in March 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq, I am very proud
of the city of Berkeley, California. Berkeley and her citizenry have had
the courage to stand on their peace convictions and declare that it does
not want its youth recruited into the illegal Iraq war. Neither the
action of Berkeley City council, nor the actions of the anti-war groups
that oppose the location of the office in Berkeley, mean they are
anti-military, or that they are "traitors" to their country. Rather, the
The Dilbert Strategy
Submitted by Aaron Penny on Thu, 04/24/2008 - 2:09pm.
The Dilbert Strategy
By Paul Krugman
The New York Times
Monday 31 March 2008
Anyone who has worked in a large organization - or, for that matter,
reads the comic strip "Dilbert" - is familiar with the "org chart" strategy.
To hide their lack of any actual ideas about what to do, managers sometimes
make a big show of rearranging the boxes and lines that say who reports to
whom.
You now understand the principle behind the Bush administration's new
proposal for financial reform, which will be formally announced today: it's
Historian Plows Through New Assassination Research
Submitted by Aaron Penny on Thu, 04/24/2008 - 1:58pm.
Historian plows through new research
By Roman Modrowski
History Unfolding - March 23, 2008
historyunfolding.blogspot.com
http://historyunfolding.blogspot.com/2008/03/review-of-road-to-dallas.html
There have been so many analyses, fantasies and theories devoted to the
assassination of John F.Kennedy that anything purporting itself as a fresh
perspective runs the risk
of suffocation. Anything less than a smoking gun -- or two -- will cause
The Greenback Effect
Submitted by Aaron Penny on Thu, 04/24/2008 - 1:43pm.
By Bill McKibben
Mother Jones
May/June 2008 Issue
Greed has helped destroy the planet - maybe now it can help save it.
Since I spend most of my time haplessly battling global warming, I
encounter a fair number of climate-change skeptics. They're usually
clutching some tattered study about tropospheric temperatures from six years
back, or muttering about sunspots, but they're almost never carefully
weighing the actual current science. The wellspring of their skepticism lies
not in chemistry or in physics but in ideology, and their syllogism goes
Science and Politics at the EPA (Union of Concerned Scientists)
Reports and Research
Interference at the EPA
Science and Politics at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Union of Concerned Scientists
Citizens Scientists for Environmental Solutions
http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/interference/interference-at-the-epa.html
Click here to download a pdf of the report.
http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/scientific_integrity/Interference-at-the-EPA.pdf
DC Anti-War Coalition Meeting
Submitted by PeteinDC on Sun, 04/20/2008 - 1:51am.
May 8 2008 - 7:30pmMay 8 2008 - 9:00pmEtc/GMT-5
General Strike Against the War
Submitted by PeteinDC on Sun, 04/20/2008 - 1:46am.
May 1 2008 - 6:00amMay 1 2008 - 6:00pmEtc/GMT-5
