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Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine
170 Park Street, Bangor, ME 04401
942-9343
info@peacectr.org
News and Views, our monthly newsletter and calendar




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The Democracy Street Theater presented its world premier performance in honor of the Senate debate on the nomination of Alberto Gonzales ( aka "Torture is Legal" ) for Attorney General of the United States.





This week's events:
Ongoing:

Sunday, February 20:

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PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER FILM SERIES -- Be sure to check the full list of films
PEACE AND JUSTICE CENTER OF EASTERN MAINE, 170 PARK STREET, BANGOR, 942-9343
SUNDAY,  FEBRUARY 20, 6:00 p.m.
Discussion After Each Film, Phone Ahead For Childcare
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AMANDLA: REVOLUTION IN FOUR-PART HARMONY

Critical role music played in South African struggle against apartheid from 1948 to 1994.”This documentary is a marvel, an extraordinary achievement. While it is the story of South Africa, the message is universal. Not one person should miss this film. Not one.” (Dave Matthews) Part of Black History Month.

The Peace & Justice Hour, Public Access Cable TV  (Ch 2), 7-8pm

Monday, February 21:

Tuesday, February 22:

Social Security Forum with Congressman Mike Michaud, 1:00-3:00pm, Hammond Street Senior Center, 2 Hammond Street, Bangor. With Congressman Tom Allen.

Tuesday, February 15 (+ next 14 Tuesdays): “New Ventures” programs for women in starting a business, 9:30 AM-3 PM, University College, Bangor. Similar Women, Work, and Community programs are offered in various centers around the state and on topics such as “self-esteem,” “assertive communication,” “career exploration,” and “financing your future.” For information on the Bangor and other programs, call 800-442-2092 or www.womenworkandcommunity.org.

Iraq: UN in, US out
Support our troops, bring them home!
Join us to create a constant presence for peace and justice in Bangor.
We will hold a vigil every Tuesday, 5-6pm at the Federal Building, Harlow Street, Bangor

The Peace & Justice Hour, Public Access Cable TV  (Ch 2), 7-8pm

Wednesday, February 23:

Peace Choir rehearsal. The Peace Choir will meet twice a month, second and fourth Wednesdays. 5:30pm until 7:30 at the Peace and Justice Center.  Please join us.  Bring favorites you'd like to sing as well as musical instruments you may enjoy playing. FMI: Marty Kelley martylhk@yahoo.com

Challenging Girls' Constructions of Femininity in the Wilderness, Anja Whittington, Graduate Student in Education. 12:15 - 1:30 pm, Bangor Room, Memorial Union. Part of the Women in the Curriculum and Women's Studies Lunch Series.

Thursday, February 24:

Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods (MAIN) Statewide Monthly Meeting, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, Maine Equal Justice office - 126 Sewall St., Augusta (more info including directions below). Reimbursement for travel and child care expenses is available at the meeting. IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER, CALL TO MAKE SURE WE WILL STILL BE MEETING. Toll-free 1-866-626-7059 EXT 204 (There will be a message if the meeting is cancelled)
Judy Guay, krjguay@excel.com

A NATION DRUNK ON ILLUSIONS: THE AMERICAN IMPERIAL PROJECT AND ITS INEVITABLE FAILURE. Professor Burt Hatlen, English. Socialist and Marxist Studies Series (Controversy Series), 12:30-1:45 P.M., Bangor Room, Memorial Union, University of Maine, Orono. 

Salt of the Earth -- Maine Peace Action Committee 2005 Peace and Justice Film Series. 7:00 p.m. 110 Little Hall, University of Maine, Orono Based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico, the film deals with the prejudice against the Mexican-American workers. The film is an early treatment of feminism, because the wives of the miners play a pivotal role in the strike, against their husbands' wishes. This film was written, directed, and produced by members of the original "Hollywood Ten", who were blacklisted during the McCarthy era. Discussion follows film. Free Admission.

Film "The Future of Food", Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, 6pm. Co-sponsored by GE Free Maine. Followed by a discussion with Rob Fish - Campaign Manager for GE Free Maine. "The Future of Food" provides an in-depth investigation and critique of genetically engineered foods and crops, including interviews with farmer activists such as Percy Schmeiser. According to the Telluride Daily Planet, "This stylish film is not just for food faddists and nutritionists. It is a look at something we might not want to see: Monsanto, Roundup and Roundup-resistant seeds, collectively wreaking havoc on American farmers and our agricultural neighbors around the world. In the end, this documentary is a eloquent call to action." For more information call the GE Free Maine Campaign Headquarters at 244-0908 or Sandy at the Peace & Justice Center 942-9343. See also see http://www.gefreemaine.org

The Peace & Justice Hour, Public Access Cable TV  (Ch 2), 7-8pm

Friday, February 25:

Friday-Sunday, February 25-27: (Plus many related events earlier in February): Camden Conference’s “The Middle East: Compromise or Conflagration,” Opera House, 29 Elm St., Camden. CC, 236-1034, info@camdenconference.org or www.camdenconference.org

Brown bag discussions on peace and justice topics, noon, Peace and Justice Center, 170 Park St., Bangor. Call 942-9343.

Saturday, February 26:

Friday-Sunday, February 25-27: (Plus many related events earlier in February): Camden Conference’s “The Middle East: Compromise or Conflagration,” Opera House, 29 Elm St., Camden. CC, 236-1034, info@camdenconference.org or www.camdenconference.org

Sunday, February 27:

Friday-Sunday, February 25-27: (Plus many related events earlier in February): Camden Conference’s “The Middle East: Compromise or Conflagration,” Opera House, 29 Elm St., Camden. CC, 236-1034, info@camdenconference.org or www.camdenconference.org

Monday, February 28:



Upcoming events (check back for more details as we get them

Monday, March 7: Legislative Issues Forum with area legislators. 7-9pm, (check back for exact location) University College of Bangor. Cosponsored by Maine People's Alliance, Maine Citizen Leadership Fund, Maine Progressive Caucus and others.

Sunday, March 13: Penobscot Progressive Caucus, local chapter of Maine Progressive Caucus, 1pm, location TBA, join us to discuss and plan our local progressive program.

Saturday-Sunday, March 19-20: Second Anniversary of the U.S. Bombing and Invasion of Iraq, A Day of Global Protest. United for Peace and Justice calls on supporters of peace and justice in every corner of the country to organize local protests against the war. Keep in touch with the Center!



Saturday March 26:
The Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine presents Active Community Training Workshop VII (ACT VII) Creative Dissent for Sustainable Security *Featuring Bread and Puppet Theater*. Memorial Union, University of Maine, Orono (map). Active Community Training Workshops, 1:30PM - 5:30pm, registration 1:00PM - 1:30pm. Please pre-register and save! Suggested donation on the day of workshop/performance: $5.00. Note: No one will be denied admission because the donation is un-affordable. Make checks payable to Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine and mail to: Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, 170 Park Street, Bangor, ME 04401, (207) 942-9343;  info@peacectr.org. (click to download mail-in registration form)
  • Art for Peace
  • Music for Peace
  • Poetry for Peace
  • Yoga for Peace
  • and "On the Street," a workshop offered by Bread and Puppet Theater
Evening Performance by Bread and Puppet Theater, "How to turn distress into Success" Minsky Recital Hall, Class of  1944 Building (map), University of Maine, 7:00pm


Saturday, April 23: To celebrate the work of so many people and groups in Eastern Maine, the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine will again sponsor its annual HOPE Festival (Help Organize Peace Earthwide). The 11th annual HOPE Festival will take place at the University of Maine Field House in Orono on April 23rd, (celebrating Earth Day) from 10 AM to  4 PM .  We hope the new venue will encourage more involvement by young people and mitigate problems with organization's representatives holding  conversations  with participants during musical performances. The event will offer a wide variety of information, education, and entertainment for adults and children. We expect to have at least sixty non-profit organizations represented with information tables and displays. In addition, there will be music and other entertainment, an extensive children's program, food, special events, and much more. (click for more info) The goals of the HOPE festival are:

  • to provide resources and information on peace, justice, and environmental advocacy to the people of Eastern Maine;
  • to explore relationships and connections among groups working toward these ends;
  • to encourage individuals to become active in the organizations represented;
  • to have fun, celebrate our efforts, and to offer HOPE of a more peaceful, just, and environmentally secure community, bioregion, and planet.
July 31-August 11: EXPERIENCE SOLAR CULTURE IN NICARAGUA. An opportunity to offer your hands, heart, and a unique gift: Solar Energy to a rural community in Nicaragua! The Grupo Fenix invites interested parties to participate directly in its development and vision. We  offer a 12-day workshop/tour in which participants learn about solar energy systems, study applications specific to Central America, visit renewable energy installations, and install a PV lighting system in a rural village.  The program includes recreational and cultural activities. The next 12-day workshop will run from the 31st of July thru the 11th of August. (more info below)


Thursday, February 24: Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods (MAIN) Statewide Monthly Meeting, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, Maine Equal Justice office - 126 Sewall St., Augusta (directions below). Reimbursement for travel and child care expenses is available at the meeting. IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER, CALL TO MAKE SURE WE WILL STILL BE MEETING. Toll-free 1-866-626-7059 EXT 204 (I'll leave a message on my voice mail if the meeting is cancelled) Judy Guay, krjguay@excel.com

AGENDA
  1. Introductions:  your chance to let us know what's going on in your life personally and/or about social justice work in your community.
  2. Brief Legislative Update
  3. Reports from around the state.  Find out what Northern Regional MAIN, Midcoast MAIN and other member organizations are doing around the state.
  4. Pine Tree Legal Assistance Fair Housing Testing Program
  5. Voter Engagement: We just finished on election but it's never too early to plan for the next.   We'll talk about continuing our work of empowering low-income people to get informed,get involved and to get to the polls.  Two MAIN members wish to discuss MassVote (a voter engagement project in    Massachusetts)  [ http://www.massvote.net/ ]http://www.massvote.net
  6. MAIN Website:  Updates to the MAIN website will begin soon. Do you have any ideas for changes that will make it more inviting, easy to use and helpful?

Agenda items can be add at the meeting but if you have something you want to discuss that will take more than 10 minutes, please call Chris Rusnov 1-866-626-7059 EXT 204.

Directions to MAIN meeting at MEJP
From I - 95
Take Exit 109 Augusta. On the ramp there is a fork, bear right (Augusta) onto Western Avenue. Take Western Avenue to the 3rd set of traffic lights (The Armory will be on your left and Fire Station and Buker School on your Right).  Go right onto Capitol Street. Capitol Street will lead you left around a big corner and down a hill to the traffic light at the intersection with Sewall Street. You will see the State House with the Dome. Go right on Sewall and down to MEJP at 126 Sewall, right hand side, grey house.  (Look for MAIN sign on telephone pole.)  If the parking lot is full, park across the street in the state office parking lot.

This message is brought to you in solidarity for peace, bread & justice by:
Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods (MAIN)
Judy Guay, President
P.O. Box 2711
Bangor, ME 04402
(207) 947-4371
krjguay@excel.com



EXPERIENCE SOLAR CULTURE IN NICARAGUA

An opportunity to offer your hands, heart, and a unique gift: Solar Energy to a rural community in Nicaragua!

 
The Grupo Fenix invites interested parties to participate directly in its development and vision. We  offer a 12-day workshop/tour in which participants learn about solar energy systems, study applications specific to Central America, visit renewable energy installations, and install a PV lighting system in a rural village.  The program includes recreational and cultural activities. The next 12-day workshop will run from the 31st of July thru the 11th of August, 2005.  The cost of the entire trip, excluding air fare and airport expenses, is $1050 per person, which includes a $300 subsidy towards solar equipment for the villages and to development funds for the places where Fenix is working. The course is taught in English and Spanish with simultaneous translation into English. (Spanish ability greatly enhances your experience of Nicaragua, and the Summer course will be taught mostly by Nicaraguans and include more Spanish.)  The course design for 2005 includes new hands on experiences and highlights the socio economic impact Grupo Fenix has had in the process of implementing renewable energy for sustainable development. New students welcome and previous students encouraged to return.
 
A PROBLEM: More than 60% of Nicaragua's rural population have no electricity,  and the cost of electricity is high for poor Nicaraguans. Rural poor rely on wood to fuel in-home stoves for cooking, and more than half of the energy consumed in the country is for firewood for cooking. The resultant deforestation has caused the drying up local rivers, serious erosion and loss of top soil, and mud slides that have killed thousands. Campesinos must walk progressively farther to encounter firewood or purchase the wood at rising cost. Health concerns related to cooking with firewood include respiratory diseases, which now leads contaminated water as a major cause of illness and death. These problems particularly affect women and children, who are most likely to spend significant time in smoke-filled kitchens.
 
A SOLUTION: Grupo Fenix was started in 1996 by a group of enthusiastic engineering students at the National Engineering University (UNI).  They chose the name "Grupo Fenix" receiving inspiration from the mythical bird of Egyptian sun worship, the Phoenix, which is forever renewed, and expresses the hope of these young Nicaraguans that their poor, strife-torn country would rise from the ashes of war and build an enlightened society.  Since 1996, Grupo Fenix has developed into an association of member organizations with academic, non profit and business affiliations which  have been promoting, researching and implementing the use of renewable energy resources in Nicaragua, especially in rural areas. Grupo Fenix counts among its accomplishments:
  • Establishment of two solar cooker workshops, one in the Capital city Managua and one in the countryside.
  • Design of over 16 new types of solar cookers.
  • Construction and repair of over  80 solar cookers.
  • Construction of  several styles of solar water heaters.
  • Construction of  three solar dryers.
  • Construction of  prototypes for solar instrument sterilizer and solar bee's wax melter.
  • Establishment of two workshops for local manufacture of photovoltaic (PV) panels, the first a small business in Managua and the second run by land mine survivors in a remote village.
  • The construction of more than 300 PV panels
  • The construction of several hundred ballasts for 12 volt fluorescent lighting.
  • The development of inexpensive LED reading lights for students in remote villages.
  • Installation of hundreds of PV systems in towns without previous access to electricity.
  • Installation of a  microhydro system, several others in design stage.
  • Creation of two village solar water pumping systems
  • Construction of  5 Biogas systems.
  • Providing over a thousand  hours of training in the use and construction of renewable energy technologies to all levels of participants, from campesinos to scientists. 
  • Organization and hosting for eight years of  Nicaragua's only annual Renewable Energy Fair.
  • Presentation of monthly popular education conferences on renewable energy themes, almost without interruption since1996
Highlights of Course:
  • Visit  the Grupo Fenix Renewable Energy educational and production centers in the city of Managua, learn about the variety of activities involved in making renewable energy a part of life in Nicaragua.
  • Spend  a week in remote rural communities where Grupo Fenix has installed renewable energy systems, gaining intimate knowledge about the community, and experience the impact of solar energy on their lives.
  • Learn about the history and philosophy of using solar energy, principles of design for solar cookers, water and air heaters, and food driers, and the latest advances in the field of photovoltaics.  
  • Hands on experience installing a PV solar electric system in a remote village.
  • Hands on experience building and testing permanent solar box cookers.
  • Solar cooked meals.
  • Celebrate the sun with locally written songs, poems, dancing and cultural exchange. (You are invited to share songs, dance, juggling in the culture nights. 
  • In depth discussions with villagers and local non-profits on problems, successes and future possibilities of renewable energy as a part of local sustainable development.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS: 
  • The Solar Culture Course is offered twice yearly, after August the following session of the course will be from the 2nd through the 13th of January 2006.  Intensive one week Courses in Solar Spanish in the village of Unile, $150.00 (See http://www.grupofenix.org/ )
  • Option of individual non-structured stay in the village for holidays, at $15.00 a day or a total of $105.00 per week.  Proceeds go to the development of the Village Solar Training Centers.
  • Weekend Tour after the Solar-Cultural Course to a site selected by your group.  Options include twin volcanic island of Ometepe and Microhydro site,  Colonial Granada, the deep volcanic lake of Laguna de Apoya, fishing village and estuaries, or other options depending on course participants.(Additional costs involved). 
THE INSTRUCTORS: 
     Richard Komp, Ph.D., the course advisor and instructor for the January sessions, is the author of PRACTICAL PHOTOVOLTAICS and has been working on solar cells since 1960. He has taught numerous courses and workshops on solar energy all over the world; is currently the president of the Maine Solar Energy association and has a small photovoltaic company, Sun Watt Corporation. Richard also teaches graduate courses on Solar Energy at the UNI.
     Susan Kinne, initiator of the solar cultural/course, has been on staff at the UNI for the past  15 years, and is currently director of the Fenix Program for Alternative Energy.
      Nicaraguan Grupo FENIX staff consists of pre-grad and young engineers and technicians who have made renewable energy their life mission. The rural staff now includes land mine survivors who were trained as solar technicians during the 1999- 2001 project directed to FENIX thru Falls Brook Centre of Canada.
 
PAYMENT: A $50 deposit or full payment of $1050 by July 15th 2005 will save you a place in the course, which will be limited to a total of 15 participants. Checks should be made out to SKYHEAT ASSOCIATES and sent to: Richard Komp, Skyheat Associates, 17 Rockwell Rd. SE, Jonesport ME 04649. If you only pay the deposit by check, the remaining amount is to be paid the first day of the course in cash (U.S. dollars).
 
AIR TRAVEL:  We can recommend a "Green" travel agency, EARTH ROUTES, travel@earthroutes.net 207-326-8635, RFD 1, Box 22-B, Penobscot ME 04476.  Each airline ticket plants three trees through the non-profit Seed Tree.
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Richard Komp (primary contact) e-mail: sunwatt@juno.com, phone: 207-497-2204, or Susan Kinne in Nicaragua, e-mail: skinne1@juno.com  Website: http://www.grupofenix.org


Resources & ideas for tsunami relief

The first part of this is an appeal forwarded to us by Peter Rees from Tobert Kates.
The second part is from Move-on.org, and discusses ways we can encourage our government to provide more relief to the tsunami victims.

Action Alert: List of Agencies for Donations to Aid Tsunami Relief in Asia
27 December 2004
There is no darkness greater at this time than the devastation that has hit Asia.
LightUpTheDarkness.org has compiled a list of agencies and organizations that are involved in relief efforts

Part 1

To: rees909@midmaine.com
From: Peter Rees <rees909@midmaine.com>
Subject: HCCN: A WORTHY TSUNAMI CONTRIBUTION

Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 07:55:13 -0500
From: Robert Kates <rkates@acadia.net>

Dear Friends:

It is always difficult to know how to respond to overwhelming disasters such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami.  But a friend sent me a message that she received from the U.S. Support group for Sarvodaya, a Sri Lankan non-governmental organization that has worked for peace in the never-ending Sri Lankan conflict, ending hunger, and supporting the marginal and poorest people.

I first came across Sarvodaya and its amazing leader Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne in 1986 when the Alan Shawn Feinstein World hunger Program awarded him and his organization the first of its World Hunger Awards. I have not kept up with them  over the last ten years, but I think if you are considering support here is a small but unique group to whom to entrust your modest gifts.

Here is the extract from the note sent by: Richard Brooks < rbrooks@dcs.wisc.edu>

“THE TIDAL WAVE

But the absolutely terrifying news of the earthquake and tidal wave keeps getting worse and worse.  The idea of thousands of people drowning and hundreds of thousands--or millions--being affected is just too much to absorb. I have had emails from Tamil and Sinhala friends alike. International aid agencies are rushing to the rescue and Sarvodaya's reach will be more important than ever.

In a disaster, our first concerns are always for people we know and love.  I immediately wanted to hear from the Ariyaratne family...and of course, the first message was from Ari, with a plea for help. I thought of so many Sarvodaya friends and wondered how their families fared; the Suwasetha home for teenage mothers, the home for malnourished and abandoned children; and the Nonviolent Peace Force's Rita Webb (she's okay) as well as other volunteers. Then I began remembering the shacks of poor people living on the beaches by the railroad tracks, and houses on the river banks.  The grounds of the Matara center and all the villages along the coast where the tsunami must have swept almost everything away.

The purpose of this email is to provide instructions on what we can do.

But one of the most powerful messages of Sarvodaya  is that we are all one family, so the sadness we feel extends far beyond the people whose names we know.  We have been asked to help.  Even though international aid agencies and governments will surely contribute, our gift has to be more personal.  In village after village, the rebuilding of lives offers opportunities to nurture the sense of community that Sarvodaya has always been about.

What We Can Do Right Now

1. Send a check to:  Sarvodaya USA, 5716 Manchester Avenue #3, Los Angeles, CA 90045.  D.J. Mitchell, our accountant and a longtime friend of Sarvodaya, will wire funds to Sarvodaya every few days. Your contribution will be tax-deductible this year if it is postmarked before January 1.  Otherwise, it will be tax-deductible in 2005.  Either way, it is needed immediately.  If you send a check, please let me know < rbrooks@dcs.wisc.edu> and we will make doubly sure it is acknowledged.”

With warm regard
Bob Kates

Part 2

From: "Wes Boyd, MoveOn.org" <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Subject: How to help with tsunami relief

Millions of lives are on the line. The U.S. government can lead billions of dollars of aid into the tsunami relief effort, if it chooses. Let Congress and the President know that Americans are supporting strong leadership in this relief effort.

Take Action

The tsunami in southern Asia and Africa may be the worst natural disaster of our time. More than 116,000 lives were wiped out within hours. The toll in death and suffering from smashed cities, broken families, rampant disease, and crippled economies cannot even be calculated. In the face of this horror, MoveOn members have poured in requests to help, asking how we can push through our sadness and lend a hand.

Rising to this challenge is at the heart of global leadership, and the world is depending on us. The U.S. government can lead billions of dollars of aid into this relief effort, if it chooses. Americans are generous and ready to step forward, but the U.S. Congress and the Bush administration have made a weak initial contribution to the effort -- first offering $15 million and then $35 million when they came under pressure. Clearly, we can do more.

Let Congress and the President know that Americans are supporting strong leadership in this relief effort -- that millions of lives are at stake and we have to help. In this hour of need, if America chooses to embrace our role as a world leader, we can have an unparalleled impact. Send a message to our leaders at:
http://www.moveon.org/tsunamirelief/

But we can't just wait for this Congress to move. We can help directly, as individuals, and save lives today. Our friends at Oxfam are already scrambling on the front lines to fight off starvation and disease -- and beginning to rebuild. Because Oxfam has worked for years with grassroots groups in the hardest hit areas, they were able to mobilize local leadership to help survivors immediately after the tsunami hit. And Oxfam will be there for the long-term, helping communities recover and regain their ability to meet basic needs. Oxfam needs to raise $5 million immediately to provide safe water, sanitation, food, shelter, and clothing to 36,000 families in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India. Your contribution can make this possible.

Please give what you can, at:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=631

Of course, Oxfam is only one of dozens of great organizations, like UNICEF, CARE, and the Red Cross/Red Crescent, rushing to help with the immediate need. Their efforts give the victims a head start, but it won't be enough unless the great nations of the world step forward in a big way for the long-term challenges.

Indonesia, by far the hardest hit country, is also the world's largest Muslim nation. Their estimated death toll stands at 85,000 -- in some areas, 1 out of 4 people have already been killed. Now it's time for America to show its true colors. We want to be known as a nation that leads the world with compassion, generosity, and community -- not with disastrous foreign military adventures. We are a nation that values human life, family, and extending freedom and opportunity to where it is most needed. We must now reach out in a serious way to do just that.

The $35 million offered by the Bush administration seems like a lot of money, but it's insignificant compared to what's needed in a disaster relief effort than spans continents and is expected to be the most expensive in history. To put it in perspective, we're spending $35 million in Iraq every 7 hours. (The Bush administration is about to ask for another $80 billion to cover the next installment of this tragic occupation.) [Bush Says America Will Lead Global Relief Effort, Washington Post, December 30, 2004 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33290-2004Dec29.html ]

We can and will do better. Thanks for doing your part to show the true generosity of the American spirit.

Sincerely,
Adam, Ben, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Justin, Laura, Mari, Noah, Rosalyn, and Wes
  The MoveOn.org Team
  December 30th, 2004

P.S. Just as we were finalizing this email, we received a note from 17-year-old MoveOn member Annalise Blum, who has a great idea for New Year's Eve parties. Here's her email:

Dear Joan and Wes,

We arrived in Cambodia today and turned on the TV in our hotel room to learn more about the Tsunami. It has been horrifying to follow the rising death toll and especially learn about all of the children who have died. I really wanted to do something when I learned that just as many more people could die from lack of access to clean water and the spread of disease if not enough is done quickly.

I realized that New Years Eve Parties would be a perfect place to have people contribute online to the relief effort. Someone in our group came up with the name "Throw out a lifeline Online."

If MoveOn were to send out a message to its members suggesting that they turn on a computer and donate money to one of the relief organizations at their new years eves parties, it could save thousands of lives. Maybe this sort of message would be a welcome opportunity for its members to help people directly. I would greatly appreciate anything you could do to help.

Below I have written a message I am planning send to my friends. MoveOn, if interested, could send out something similar.

Throw Out A Lifeline Online

Help the Victims of the South Asian Tsunami

As most of you undoubtedly know, many parts of the eastern coastal regions of South Asia were hit on Sunday, December 26th, with one of the largest tsunamis in recent history. The death toll of the tsunami, caused by an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude, has already risen to over 60,000 people. All regions affected are in desperate need of clean water, food, temporary shelter and medical help to the survivors. Some estimate that one third of the dead are children.

World Health Organization expert David Nabarro told reporters "there is certainly a chance that we could have as many dying from communicable diseases as from the tsunami".

Start this year off by contributing money to an effective aid organization to prevent this humanitarian catastrophe from getting even worse. If you are going to a New Year's Eve Party, make it meaningful by turning on a computer and encouraging everyone to donate.



From: "Peter Schurman, MoveOn.org" <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>

A major human tragedy is unfolding in Sudan, one that has reportedly claimed at least 30,000 lives, and could claim hundreds of thousands more unless the world community works together, starting immediately, to end it.
http://www.moveon.org/news/sudan.html

Although Secretary of State Colin Powell is in Sudan now, he has yet to declare that the atrocities there constitute genocide [1].  Such recognition would make a huge difference, catalyzing the world  community to help stop the bloodshed.  Powell should also publicly condemn the genocide.  But so far, he has stopped short of this.

Yesterday on NPR, Powell said: "Why would we call it a genocide when the genocide definition has to meet certain legal tests and based on what we have seen there were some indicators but there was certainly no full accounting of all indicators that lead to a legal definition of genocide and that's the advice of my lawyers..." [2]

Please call Powell today at:

  Secretary of State Colin Powell
  202-647-4000 or 202-647-6607 or 202-647-6575

  Urge him to:
  - Immediately declare the atrocities in Sudan to be "Genocide"; and
  - Publicly condemn them.

Please also call your Senators and Representative:

  Senator Olympia J. Snowe
  Washington, DC: 202-224-5344

  Senator Susan M. Collins
  Washington, DC: 202-224-2523

  Congressman Michael H Michaud
  Washington, DC: 202-225-6306

Urge them to demand that the United States recognize the genocide and condemn it.

Calls for action from newspapers throughout the country have been compiled by the Center for American Progress, at:
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=97645

Footnotes:

[1] Genocide is commonly defined as "the systematic and planned extermination of an entire national, racial, political, or ethnic group."  - Dictionary.com
The formal definition of genocide, under the United Nations' 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, is:
"any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
  (a) Killing members of the group;
  (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
  (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
  (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
  (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."
Source: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/p_genoci.htm

[2] http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3057010


Public Access Cable TV  (Ch 2) Peace & Justice Programs on Sundays, Tuesdyas and Thursdays
The Peace & Justice Hour is shown Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from  7-8 p.m. 
Current programs (which rotate) include:
  • "Gold in the Streets of Baghdad" on the rally/press conference at the University of Maine to protest the Doing Business in Iraq conference;
  • The two-hour teach-in on "Doing Business in Iraq" at the University of Maine;
  • Iraq Ventures with Peter Millard and Doug Allen talking about U.S. Foreign Policy in Iraq;
  • Takes on the Patriot Act;
  • Alex Grab on the Isreali-Palestinian Conflict;
  • Veterans for Peace.
If you would like to show these videotapes in your  school, community, church group or at house party, we would be happy to lend them to you. These  videos  and others are also available for sale ($10,or more if you can afford it,to cover the costs of the tapes and shipping). Thanks to Paul Perreualt and Bill Phillips for continuing to volunteer their time to video-tape and edit the peace & justice activities in our region.  If you would like to help with videotaping, editing or distribution, please contact the Center at 942-9343.

Working together for SMART security
by Ilze Petersons and Doug Allen (members of the Education Committee of the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine)
Thursday, May 13, 2004
http://www.bangornews.com/editorialnews/article.cfm?ID=422449
Attn: see below for action planned for May 14 at UMaine
Gov. John Baldacci and Sen. Susan Collins will present the State of Maine Homeland Security Conference on May l3 and 14 at the University of Maine. We understand the focus of the conference is sharing information about federal government policies and grant opportunities and not about administration policies. However, the conference provides an opportunity to raise questions about whether the current administration's policies are actually contributing to our homeland security or making us less secure...

As we consider Homeland Security measures to protect citizens one year after the president declared "mission accomplished," our troops in Iraq continue to sacrifice their lives, innocent Iraqi civilians continue to die, and humanitarian relief organizations and some allies are forced to withdraw because of the danger they face. Moreover, here at home, the people of Maine continue to face insecurity as we struggle to find ways to fund education, health care and support services for the neediest because federal dollars are drained by increased military spending and huge tax breaks go to the wealthiest and least needy.

Those of us who have opposed President Bush's pre-emptive war believe that the exploration of "Homeland Security" measures must not divert us from seeking alternatives that deal with root causes of terrorism and have real likelihood of increasing long-term security. During the height of the Cold War, civilian defense planning shifted attention to ineffective measures to be taken in case of nuclear attack, rather than focusing on nuclear disarmament as the only truly effective way to provide real safety...

They also urge an examination of policies and practices that have contributed to and encouraged oppressive regimes and terrorist networks to develop. Contact the Peace & Justice Center at 942-9343 for a copy of the pamphlet "Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict" or visit the FCNL Web site at www.fcnl.org

As we consider "Homeland Security" we invite you to join us to encourage our representatives to support a resolution introduced in Congress (H.Con. Res.392) that incorporates alternatives suggested by the FCNL. The resolution calls for "the adoption of a Sensible, Multilateral American Response to Terrorism (SMART) security platform for the 21st Century." The resolution "embraces international law and cooperation, reduces the proliferation of weapons, demonstrates respect for human rights, promotes democracy and sustainable development, and addresses emerging threats early and effectively before they reach crisis level."


Smoking While Iraq Burns
By Naomi Klein
The Guardian U.K.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1359871,00.html
Friday 26 November 2004
    Its idolization of 'the face of Falluja' shows how numb the US is to everyone's pain but its own.

Iraq: The Uncounted
60 Minutes
CBS News
Sunday 21 November 2004
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/19/60minutes/main656756.shtml
How many injured and ill soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines... are left off the Pentagon's casualty count?
Would you believe 15,000?

Household Survey Sees 100,000 Iraqi Deaths

Thu Oct 28, 3:37 PM ET
By EMMA ROSS, AP Medical Writer
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&u=/ap/20041028/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_death_toll_5&printer=1
LONDON - A survey of deaths in Iraqi households estimates that as many as 100,000 more people may have died throughout the country in the 18 months since the U.S.-led invasion than would be expected based on the death rate before the war.

Bush Supporters Misread Many of His Foreign Policy Positions
Press release: http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Pres_Election_04/PressRelease09_29_04.pdf

Majorities of Bush supporters incorrectly assumed that Bush favors including labor and environmental standards in trade agreements (84%), and the US being part of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (69%), the International Criminal Court (66%), the treaty banning land mines (72%), and the Kyoto Treaty on global warming (51%). They were divided between those who knew that Bush favors building a new missile defense system now (44%) and those who incorrectly believe he wishes to do more research until its capabilities are proven (41%).

More information: http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Pres_Election_04/html/new_9_29_04.html#1

As the nation prepares to watch the presidential candidates debate foreign policy issues, a new PIPA-Knowledge Networks poll finds that Americans who plan to vote for President Bush have many incorrect assumptions about his foreign policy positions. Kerry supporters, on the other hand, are largely accurate in their assessments. The uncommitted also tend to misperceive Bush’s positions, though to a smaller extent than Bush supporters, and to perceive Kerry’s positions correctly. Steven Kull, director of PIPA, comments: “What is striking is that even after nearly four years President Bush’s foreign policy positions are so widely misread, while Senator Kerry, who is relatively new to the public and reputed to be unclear about his positions, is read correctly.”

PIPA is a joint program of the Center on Policy Attitudes (COPA) and the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland.

Outsourcing the Pentagon: Who's Winning the  Big Contracts?
http://www.publicintegrity.org/pns/

WASHINGTON, September 29, 2004 - No-bid contracts have accounted for more than 40 percent of Pentagon contracting since 1998, the Center for Public Integrity revealed today in an exhaustive reports on Defense Department contracting.

Over the past six years, the Pentagon has awarded some $362 billion to companies without competitive bidding. In fact, of the top ten contractors, only one, SAIC, won more than half its dollars through full and open competition. All the others won a majority of their dollars through sole source and other no-bid contracts.

The report, which covers the period 1998-2003, also documents the extent to which the Defense Department has become dependent on outside contractors, finding that every annual increase in defense spending has been matched by an equal increase in contracting. Fully half the Defense Department budget-some $900 billion since 1998-has gone out the door to contractors rather than paying for direct costs such as payrolls for the uniformed armed services.

  • How can America get out of Iraq?
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4922055-110878,00.html
    Wednesday May 12, 2004

    As the situation in Iraq goes from bad to worse, Noam Chomsky, Jonathan Schell, Howard Zinn and William Polk outline possible exit strategies for the US
    • Jonathan Schell : Let the Iraqis build their own future
    • Noam Chomsky: Transfer real sovereignty
    • Howard Zinn: Let the UN broker power
    • William R Polk: UN trusteeship is the best answer
  • How to Get Out of Iraq
    A Forum
    by Various Contributors
    Posted May 6, 2004
    http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040524&s=forum

    As the situation in Iraq goes from bad to worse, many Americans who opposed the war, including Nation editors and writers, understand that the country must find a way to extricate itself from the disaster they predicted. There is, however, no agreement or even clarity about such an exit strategy. Nor is any leadership on this crucial issue coming from the Bush Administration or as yet, alas, from the presumptive Democratic candidate, Senator John Kerry. With a sense of obligation and urgency, The Nation, has asked a range of writers, both regular and new contributors to the magazine, for their ideas on America's way out of Iraq. Some responded with short essays, while others were interviewed by contributing writer Scott Sherman, who transcribed and edited their remarks. We hope that what follows is the beginning toward a necessary end. And we invite readers to respond; we will publish an exchange in an upcoming issue.   --The Editors
The Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy In Focus just released a new study titled "PAYING THE PRICE: The Mounting Costs of the Iraq War" that examines the costs of the war and occupation in terms of lives, the increased military budget demands and the stripping of the domestic budget.

Among the report's findings: (Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies spoke on DemocracyNow! on June 24

  • Total number of coalition military deaths between the start of war and June 16, 2004: 952 (853 U.S.)
  • Of those 952, the number killed after President George W. Bush declared "an end to combat operations" on May 1, 2003: 693
  • Number of U.S. troops wounded since the war began: 5,134
  • Number of U.S. troops wounded since President George W. Bush declared "an end to combat operations" on May 1, 2003: 4,593
  • Number of civilian contractors, missionaries, and civilian workers killed: 50-90
  • Number of international media workers killed in Iraq: 30 (21 since the "end of combat operations")
  • Iraqi civilians killed: 9,436 to 11,317
  • Iraqi civilians injured: 40,000 (est.)
  • Iraqi soldiers and insurgents killed prior to "end of combat operations" May 1, 2003: 4,895 to 6,370
  • The bill so far: $126.1 billion
  • Additional amount to cover operations through 2004: $25 billion
  • What $151 billion could have paid for in the U.S.: Housing vouchers: 23 million
  • Health care for uninsured Americans: 27 mil.
  • Salaries for elementary school teachers: 3 mil.
  • New fire engines: 678,200
  • Head Start slots: 20 million
  • Estimated long-term cost of war to every U.S. household: $3,415
  • Amount contractor Halliburton is alleged to have charged for meals never served to troops and for cost overruns on fuel deliveries: $221 million
  • Kickbacks received by Halliburton employees from subcontractors: $6 million
  • Percentage of Americans who now feel that "the situation in Iraq was not worth going to war over.": 54
  • Percentage of Iraqis who said they would feel safer if U.S. and other foreign troops left the country immediately: 55
  • Percentage of U.S. soldiers in Iraq reporting low morale: 52
  • Percentage of soldiers who said they would not re- enlist: 50
  • Percentage of wounded unable to return to duty: 64
  • Number of soldiers whose tours of duty have been extended by the Army: 20,000
  • Percentage of reserve troops who earn lower salaries while on deployment: 30-40
  • Fraction of National Guard troops among U.S. force now in Iraq: 1/3
  • Percentage of U.S. police departments missing officers due to Iraq deployments: 44
  • Effect on al Qaeda of the Iraq war, according to International Institute for Strategic Studies: "Accelerated recruitment"
  • Estimated number of al Qaeda terrorists as of May 2004: 18,000 with 1,000 active in Iraq
  • Percentage of Iraqis expressing "no confidence" in U.S. civilian authorities or coalition forces: 80
  • Iraq's oil production in 2002: 2.04 mil. barrels/day
  • Iraq's oil production in 2003: 1.33 mil. barrels/day
  • Price of a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. in May 2004: more than $2
Iraq: Civilians killed by UK Armed Forces and armed groups
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
11 May 2004
http://web.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGMDE140192004

UK Armed Forces in Iraq have shot and killed Iraqi civilians, including an eight-year-old girl and a guest at a wedding celebration, in situations where there was no apparent threat to themselves or others, says a new report from Amnesty International.

The report also details political and so-called 'moral' killings in the UK-administered south, by armed groups and individuals: former Ba'athists, professionals, alcohol sellers and shopkeepers selling music and videos have reportedly been killed, yet no prosecutions have been brought.

Many cases of civilian killings by UK Armed Forces have not even been investigated. Investigations by the Royal Military Police (RMP) have been secretive, with families given little or no information about their progress. Amnesty International is calling for a civilian-led investigation into all killings by UK Armed Forces, with the findings made public.

Wolfie's Fuzzy Math

By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: May 2, 2004
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/02/opinion/02DOWD.html
Asked during a Congressional budget hearing on Thursday how many American troops had been killed in Iraq, Mr. Wolfowitz missed by more than 30 percent. [emphasis added] "It's approximately 500, of which — I can get the exact numbers — approximately 350 are combat deaths," he said.
As of Thursday, there were 722 deaths, 521 in combat. The No. 2 man at the Pentagon was oblivious in the bloodiest month of the war, [emphasis added] with the number of Americans killed in April overtaking those killed in the six-week siege of Baghdad last year.
  • Green electricity is now available in Maine! 
    • Like many other states, Maine has an abundant and sustainable supply of water, wood, wind and sun energy.  Maine already buys 20% of its electricity from these "green" sources.  In fact, these sources could perpetually power our electricity grid many times over.  Now individuals and organizations in Maine can go 100% green for the electricity they buy.

      Generating more electricity from renewable sources creates good jobs, promotes independence from unreliable and costly foreign sources of oil, gas and uranium, and improves public health by protecting clean air, water and food supplies.  For just few cents a day, you can eliminate the need for dirty coal plants or dangerous nuclear power plants to generate the electricity you use.

      To learn more or to sign up, visit Maine Interfaith Power & Light at www.MeIPL.org or the Maine Green Power Connection at www.MaineGreenPower.org.
The private contractor-GOP gravy train
From Blackwater to CACI, mercenary companies in Iraq have a warm and cozy relationship with the Republican politicians who are employing them.

By Robert Schlesinger
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/051204E.shtml

May 11, 2004  |  Private armies have become ubiquitous in Iraq, supplying everything from support services to mercenary soldiers to interrogators. While Halliburton's contracts for logistical support have been widely reported, until the firefight in Fallujah in late March left four Blackwater Security employees dead, the public knew little about the extent to which the estimated 20,000 private military forces in Iraq are participating in direct military action.

The shocking photographs of the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison raise anew questions about the U.S. military's use of private contractors. Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba's report about practices at the prison contained information that two CACI employees "were either directly or indirectly responsible for the abuses at Abu Ghraib." Contractors from Titan International were also present during the abuses.

"This industry really didn't exist 10 years ago," says Peter Singer, a national security fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of "Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry." A decade ago, mercenary soldiering was less the stuff of corporate America than the inspiration for Soldier of Fortune fantasies. Now, as Singer reported in Salon, the industry generates over $100 billion annually worldwide.

Private Contractors and Torture at Abu Ghraib, Iraq
By Pratap Chatterjee and A.C. Thompson
Special to CorpWatch
May 7, 2004
http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PRT.jsp?articleid=10828
Two private military contractors are being investigated for their role in torture allegations at the Abu Ghraib prison, Iraq: CACI International, Inc. from Arlington, Virginia, and Titan of San Diego, California. CACI supplied at least one interrogator while Titan supplied at least two translators named in a 53-page classified internal Army report written by Major General Antonio Taguba that have dominated news coverage all over the world.

AP: 10 U.S. Contractors in Iraq Penalized

By MATT KELLEY
Associated Press Writer
Published April 26, 2004, 10:16 PM CDT
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-iraq-punished-contractors,1,1107717.story?coll=chi-business-hed
WASHINGTON -- Ten companies with billions of dollars in U.S. contracts for Iraq reconstruction have paid more than $300 million in penalties since 2000 to resolve allegations of bid rigging, fraud, delivery of faulty military parts and environmental damage.


UMaine MAKING A KILLING ON IRAQ Conference postponed!
Iraq for Sale
Media Credit: Holly Barber (from Maine Campus)
  • Read BDN account of protest here.
  • Read The Maine Campus report of protest here.