Friday, March 30, 2007

Nonviolent Action to End Funding for the War in Iraq



Dear Sisters and Brothers,

There is a vibrant and grassroots campaign in swing to pressure Congress to end funding for the war.  Given the votes this week, let's hope that their ears may be at least pricking up a little.
        You can find reports about many local campaigns and activities by visiting the website for The Occupation Project: A Campaign of Sustained Nonviolent Civil Disobedience to End the Iraq War, a campaign of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, at http://vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project

Here's a story about what happened yesterday in Fort Wayne, Indiana (news story below). 
        Three were arrested while singing and "praying for a miracle" in the halls of the federal building Fort Wayne. Two were members of the Church of the Brethren (Cliff and Nick), and one was Old Brethren (James).  
        Even as I write this, they are in court this morning, so please send up a little prayer that their witness will be heard and their spirits will be strong.  May they feel connected the scriptural precedents for preaching and praying about the message of Life, and being punished for it -- and continuing to witness, anyway: 
Acts 5:41-42 "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."
Yours,

Matt Guynn
On Earth Peace


3 demonstrators held after local Iraq protest, meeting
Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette
March 30, 2007
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/16997759.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Three people were arrested Thursday inside the E. Ross Adair Federal Building after a demonstration that called for Sens. Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar to stop supporting funding for the war in Iraq.

A group of about 30 protesters gathered outside of the building on South Harrison Street beginning about 11 a.m. Several of the demonstrators also met with Lugar's staff inside the building to send their message to the senator.

The outdoor protest was peaceful. The participants stood silently in front of the Federal Building holding large banners and smaller placards calling for the funding to stop. A few cars honked as they drove by the group. By 2:30 p.m., the group had left.

Protester Rachel Gross of North Manchester said many of the demonstrators, who included Concerned Citizens of Indiana and Fort Wayne Peace Action members, had gone to Powers Hamburgers to eat while three of their group remained in Lugar's Fort Wayne district office. When the group returned to the federal building about 4 p.m., they learned their friends had been arrested, Gross said.

Cliff Kindy of North Manchester, James Cooper of Warsaw and Nicolas Kauffman, a Manchester College student from Goshen, were taken to the Allen County Lockup, Gross and organizer Dave Lambert said.

It was unclear what charges they face.

Fort Wayne police dispatchers said two city officers were sent to the Federal Building about 3 p.m. for a report of an unwanted party. They remained on that assignment until about 3:45 p.m.

Gross was told the three men were praying and making their presence known in the hall outside of the senator's office when they were arrested.

Phil Shaull, Lugar's regional director, met with the three men for more than two hours. Shaull said he then had to leave and did not witness the arrests.

He did not know what prompted the arrests.

Shaull said the demonstrators' message was heard and that Lugar appreciates their viewpoint. Lugar has emphasized the need for diplomacy in the region, which includes talking with Syria and Iran and looking at the region as a whole, Shaull said.

The group of protesters also supports bringing U.S. troops stationed in Iraq home and ensuring they are properly cared for upon their return, Kindy told The Journal Gazette earlier in the day.

Kindy encouraged injured soldiers to call the Wounded Warrior Casualty Program to get the help they need.

Many of the demonstrators wore a strip of duct tape on their arm bearing the number of U.S. soldiers killed since the war began, Kindy said.

Joshua Archer, a Manchester College student from Fort Wayne, said he supported the war in the beginning because the reasons behind the war – fighting terrorism and weapons of mass destruction – seemed valid. But four years later, the U.S.-led effort has achieved nothing, Archer said.

Archer said he believes the war cannot be won. He called for pulling the troops out of Iraq.

aiacone@jg.net

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Blind advocates protest in Tallahassee, Florida



Sisters and brothers,

Greetings to the more than ten new members to the list in the last few days. . . & thanks to Pace e Bene for this news item!

~Matt Guynn


Blind advocates protest in Tallahassee today

The News-Press
March 22, 2007

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – About 50 advocates for the blind and visually impaired converge on the Capitol today with a mission to lobby for more services and protest legislation.

"We are going to specifically be talking about the Braille issue that we have for our children," said Sabrina Deaton, a spokesperson for the National Federation of the Blind of Florida.

Wielding white-tipped canes and aided by service dogs, the group will meet with House leaders, including Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, who is considered a champion of their issues.

The adoptive father of a blind son, Baxley is the speaker pro tempore and last year formed the "Vision Caucus," a group of 25 lawmakers who focus their attention on blind and visually impaired issues.

Deaton said the group wants to defeat a bill that would make it more difficult for blind students in public schools to get Braille instruction.

Florida law requires a team of four to evaluate blind students, and calls for Braille instruction if only one of them, usually a parent, demands it. The bill would require the team to vote unanimously for the service, Deaton said.

"Braille is our lifeline, our literacy," she said.


The News- Press

Monday, March 19, 2007

March 27-28 truth-in-recruiting networking calls


Hello friends,

Truth-in-recruiting efforts present "the rest of the story" to young people who are thinking about joining the military, but who may not know all their rights or options.  At its best, it combines an emphasis on limiting the access of military recruiters to our communities with presenting positive alternatives to young people and helping them find a life with meaning -- not in the military.

To find out more, please visit:
http://www.brethren.org/oepa/CounterRecruitment.html

Every six to eight weeks, On Earth Peace sponsors conference calls for individuals and groups who are doing truth-in-recruitment organizing, or who want to get started.  Since April 2005, more than 75 people have participated. Last month's calls connected 13 people from seven states, from coast to coast.

Can you join us for this month's calls?

A) Tuesday, March 27, 7:00-8:30PM EASTERN
B) Wednesday, March 28, 1:00-2:30PM EASTERN

The calls' purposes are 1) to learn from each other and grow in strategic reflection about our work, 2) to join together for inspiration and spiritual support, and 3) to strengthen the truth-in-recruiting movement as a whole by increasing our connections with each other.  

Our calls are especially focused on supporting those working from the basis of Christian faith, although all are warmly welcomed to participate. On Earth Peace is the peace education and action agency of the Church of the Brethren.

The March 2007 calls will feature:
(1) a chance to share and hear stories with other organizers around the country,
(2) Christian theological reflection on counter-recruitment,
(3) highlights of recent resources and new developments in the truth-in-recruiting movement, and
(4) reflection on themes and common challenges that emerge from the call,
(5) the explanation of one strategy tool you can use in your work. [This month's tool is a way to think outside the box to identify possible allies for your organizing].

There will be eight slots available for each call.  We have found it's best to limit the number of participants in order to deepen the sharing and conversation that can take place.

Please send an e-mail to mattguynn@earthlink.net to join this month's calls!

Call Facilitators:

Matt Guynn
Coordinator of Peace Witness
On Earth Peace ~ www.onearthpeace.org
Richmond, Indiana

Deb Oskin
Peace Minister, Living Peace Church of the Brethren
Columbus, Ohio

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Greenham Common Womens' Peace Camp




Friends,

Happy International Womens' Day!

To commemorate, I am sending you the story of the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp, and amazing story of twenty years of resistance during the 1980s and 1990s.

Blessings on all women reading this, and all women in our lives,

Matt Guynn
On Earth Peace




Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
Sarah Hipperson
http://www.greenhamwpc.org.uk/

On the 5th September 1981, the Welsh group "Women for Life on Earth" arrived on Greenham Common, Berkshire, England. They marched from Cardiff with the intention of challenging, by debate, the decision to site 96 Cruise nuclear missiles there. On arrival they delivered a letter to the Base Commander which among other things stated 'We fear for the future of all our children and for the future of the living world which is the basis of all life'.

[]  

When their request for a debate was ignored they set up a Peace Camp just outside the fence surrounding RAF Greenham Common Airbase. They took the authorities by surprise and set the tone for a most audacious and lengthy protest that lasted 19 years. Within 6 months the camp became known as the Women's Peace Camp and gained recognition both nationally and internationally by drawing attention to the base with well publicised imaginitive gatherings. This unique initiative threw a spotlight on 'Cruise' making it a national and international political issue throughout the 80s and early 90s.
 
The presence of women living outside an operational nuclear base 24 hours a day, brought a new perspective to the peace movement - giving it leadership and a continuous focus. At a time when the USA and the USSR were competing for nuclear superiority in Europe, the Women's Peace Camp on Greenham Common was seen as an edifying influence. The commitment to non-violence and non-alignment gave the protest an authority that was difficult to dismiss – journalists from almost every corner of the globe found their way to the camp and reported on the happenings and events taking place there.
 
Living conditions were primitive. Living outside in all kinds of weather especially in the winter and rainy seasons was testing. Without electricity, telephone, running water etc, frequent evictions and vigilante attacks, life was difficult. In spite of the conditions women, from many parts of the UK and abroad, came to spend time at the camp to be part of the resistance to nuclear weapons. It was a case of giving up comfort for commitment.

[]  
 

The protest, committed to disrupting the exercises of the USAF, was highly effective. Nuclear convoys leaving the base to practice nuclear war, were blockaded, tracked to their practice area and disrupted.Taking non-violent direct action meant that women were arrested, taken to court and sent to prison.

The conduct and integrity of the protest mounted by the Women's Peace Camp was instrumental in the decision to remove the Cruise Missiles from Greenham Common. Under the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the missiles were flown back to the USA along with the USAF personnel in 91/92. The Treaty signed by the USA and the USSR in 1987, is in accord with the stated position held by women, in defence of their actions on arrest, when it states :

"Conscious that nuclear weapons would have devastating consequences for all mankind"

A number of initiatives were made by women in Court testing the legality of nuclear weapons. Also, challenges to the conduct and stewardship of the Ministry of Defence as landlords of Greenham Common. In 1992 Lord Taylor, Lord Chief Justice, delivering the Richard Dimbleby Lecture for the BBC, referring to the Bylaws case (won by Greenham women in the House of Lords in 1990) said '…it would be difficult to suggest a group whose cause and lifestyle were less likely to excite the sympathies and approval of five elderly judges. Yet it was five Law Lords who allowed the Appeal and held that the Minister had exceeded his powers in framing the byelaws so as to prevent access to common land'.

The Camp was brought to a close in 2000 to make way for the Commemorative and Historic Site on the land that housed the original Women's Peace Camp at Yellow Gate Greenham Common between the years 1981 – 2000.

Sarah Hipperson

http://www.greenhamwpc.org.uk/

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Mother's Day: Stand in the Park for Peace



Brothers and sisters,

I received this today.  Do you have plans for Mother's Day yet?  Maybe you will choose to stand in a local park as a sign of your concern for peace!

For your interest, I've included Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day declaration (1870) at the bottom of this message.  To read a brief history of the feminist and peace-oriented origins of Mother's Day, please visit about.com.

Peace and grace,

Matt Guynn
On Earth Peace


<><><><><><><><><><><

Apparently received from: Teena Booth, Phoenix, AZ

Hello!  As you are someone who has been putting a lot of effort into creating peace, I want to let you know about another peace-making opportunity at http://www.standintheparkforpeace.org

 It is an invitation to participate in a nationwide Mother's Day peace event that will take place within walking distance of you (or at least very nearby).  Called "Stand in the Park for Peace," it is inspired by my friend Sharon Mehdi's book, The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering.  It is not intended as a protest, but as a non-political way to embody peace in our local communities.  Sharon tells me there are groups all over the country and in Canada planning to stand on Mother's Day at the same time.

 Please take a look at the site, and if you think it is a worthwhile effort, I ask your help in getting the word out to your organization, your readers, your mailing list, your family, your friends, your neighbors... To anyone who will feel relief at having the chance to express their desire for peace in a simple and respectful way.  No organizing is needed.  Just spread the word and we may see people everywhere, standing with quiet conviction in support of peace, in parks all over the country, all at the same time.

 Recently I learned that Mother's Day was first envisioned in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe as a day for mothers and women to gather together in support of peace.  I love the idea of honoring the original intent of the day….

 I hope you will feel equally inspired.  I hope you can help get the word out.

 Thanks so much,

Teena Booth
Phoenix, AZ

http://standintheparkforpeace.org/

<><><><><><><><><><>
MOTHER'S DAY DECLARATION
JULIA WARD HOWE, 1870


Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Shareholder activism on salaries for corporate executives


Friends,

Shareholder activism is a significant path to curbing corporations in their unfettered search for profit.   Brethren Benefit Trust, an organization providing financial services to Church of the Brethren employees and members, currently manages investments of $415 million on behalf of members.  BBT has a commitment to gentle and persistent activism on behalf of their shareholders, guided by the values of the Church of the Brethren.

Here's a story about a recent BBT victory, related to CEO salaries.

If you have investments, who manages them?  Are your investment managers proactively representing your values?

~Matt Guynn
coordinator of peace witness
On Earth Peace

<><><><><><><><><><><>
 


Brethren Benefit Trust and Boston Common celebrate Aflac's decision to give shareholders a say on pay
http://www.brethrenbenefittrust.org/news/newsindex.html
Feb.  28, 2007
Elgin, Ill.

It was a quack heard �round the business world.

On Feb.  14, Aflac Incorporated, the insurance giant famous for using a duck in its television commercials, announced that its board had approved a resolution making it the first major U.S.  company that will give shareholders an advisory vote on the compensation it pays its executives.

It was Brethren Benefit Trust�s shares as an Aflac investor and advocacy work by Boston Common Asset Management that helped prompt Aflac into agreeing to give its shareholders such a vote.

�This is a landmark decision pertaining to an issue of justice,� said Nevin Dulabaum, BBT�s director of Communications and interim director of Socially Responsible Investing.  �It is common to think of unfair wages being paid in developing countries, but one does not have to look beyond the U.S.  border to find salary and benefits inequities that rise to the obscene.�

In 1962, chief executive officers earned, on average, 24 times that of the average hourly worker, according to an Economic Policy Institute study.  In 2005, the ratio of CEOs� pay within the U.S.  to that of the average worker had skyrocketed to 262 to 1.

One of the recent jaw-dropping examples of compensation disparity was Home Depot�s Robert L.  Nardelli, who resigned as chairman and chief executive at the beginning of this year, taking with him a �golden parachute� retirement package worth in excess of $200 million.  During Nardelli�s six-year tenure, he received an additional $200 million in compensation and perks.  Although revenues grew 12 percent each year and profits doubled during that timespan, the company�s total return to shareholders was down 13 percent.

The issue with Aflac actually began last October when Brethren Benefit Trust and Boston Common Asset Management co-signed a letter with the 275-member Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) that was sent to about 150 large firms.  The letter asked for shareholders to be given a �say on pay,� that is, the opportunity to cast advisory votes on their respective company�s executive compensation report.

�We believe that there are real and significant concerns about excessive executive compensation practices that call for investors to become actively involved,� the letter stated.  �In some cases, escalating executive compensation appears to bear little relationship to company financial performance.  Additionally, consultant-driven compensation recommendations that advocate for top-tier pay packages create a spiraling-up effect.  These concerns are amplified against a backdrop of stagnant wage growth for the average employee.�

ICCR staff subsequently identified firms that did not respond to the letter and asked its member organizations to engage in dialog with one or more of the companies.  Boston Common picked Aflac, which long had been held in the BBT portfolio.  Boston Common is one of BBT�s eight investment managers and works closely with BBT on a number of socially responsible investing initiatives.

Dawn Wolfe, a social researcher and shareholder advocate for Boston Common, twice attempted to contact Aflac.  Receiving no response, Boston Common used BBT�s Aflac holdings to file a shareholder resolution to pressure the firm into giving shareholders a nonbinding say on pay.

�They were very surprised to receive the resolution from us,� Wolfe said.  �One of the reasons was that they believe they have exemplary practices when it comes to pay-for-performance, and so they believed our filing of the proposal was essentially unwarranted.�

Over the span of about a dozen phone conversations and many e-mails, Boston Common learned of the metrics the insurance giant uses in establishing its executive compensation.  Top Aflac officials, in turn, learned that the firm had not been targeted because they had a severe divergence between pay and performance, but because Boston Common believes shareholders have the right to express their views on executive pay.

The Aflac board ultimately decided to allow the shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation, but not until 2009 when new executive compensation disclosure rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission will be fully implemented.  Being the first Fortune 500 company to make this decision, the announcement made major headlines.  The story received page one coverage from USA Today, and was picked up by National Public Radio�s �Marketplace,� the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and a number of other national, regional, and local media outlets.

�Aflac is the first major U.S.  company to agree to allow its shareholders to voice their opinions with regard to the firm�s executive compensation,� Dulabaum said.  �Shareholder advocates nationwide hope that Aflac�s move will prompt other companies to agree to such nonbinding votes as well.�

All companies make decisions as corporate citizens as to how they treat their employees, their suppliers, and the environment.  �I think it is important for shareholders to ask their firms to do more because these businesses impact our lives in so many ways,� Wolfe said.  �We need to hold them to high standards.�

The task can be daunting.  Those who engage in socially responsible investing initiatives can find the work to be long and tedious with often little to show from the endeavor.  That is why Boston Common and Brethren Benefit Trust celebrate Aflac�s decision.

�I think it�s a great story, what BBT�s ownership in Aflac enabled Boston Common to do,� said Wolfe.  �Without BBT�s consent to use its shares, we would not have been able to file the resolution that led to Aflac agreeing to allow shareholders to vote on a nonbinding executive compensation resolution.�

Brethren Benefit Trust manages $415 million for more than 5,000 Church of the Brethren Pension Plan and Insurance members and Brethren Foundation clients.  All of these funds are invested in a socially responsible manner, with investment screens and activist initiatives guided by Church of the Brethren Annual Conference statements and guidelines.

www.brethrenbenefittrust.org

Friday, March 02, 2007

Indonesia Catholic Church Promotes Training in Active Nonviolence



Hello sisters and brothers,

Thanks to our friends at Pace e Bene Nonviolence News Service for this inspiring article! 

If you are interested in training in active nonviolence from a Christian perspective, let me know.  That is part of On Earth Peace´s work, and we can provide it or refer you to our allies and partners who also offer such training.

Blessings on you,
Matt Guynn
coordinator of peace witness
On Earth Peace



Indonesia Catholic Church Promotes Training in Active Nonviolence

Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News)
February 26, 2007

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Widespread societal violence has prompted the Indonesian Catholic Church to promote peace nationwide and to make 2007 the "Year of the Active Nonviolence Movement."

The Indonesia bishops' Justice and Peace Commission "is concerned about 'a new culture' emerging in this country in which people solve every problem with violence, as if human life is worthless," Holy Cross Father Serafin Dany Sanusi, its secretary, told UCA News.

The commission is holding a national workshop Feb. 26-March 1 for 60 delegates from dioceses across the country. The goal is for them to become better at promoting and implementing the theory and methods of active nonviolence in their respective areas, Father Sanusi said.

"We will try to find a proper approach so that people will not be easily provoked to serve the interests of certain parties," he promised.

The workshop in Depok, 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) south of Jakarta, plans to declare 2007 the "Year of the Active Non-Violence Movement," culminating in simultaneous events, seminars and workshops on Dec. 10, Human Rights Day.

In preparation for the national meeting, the bishops' commission held training sessions in 2006 for more than 500 Catholics from the Java, Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara and Sulawesi areas. Clergy, religious and laity including young people took part in these sessions, organized around the motto Robur Pacis Veritas (truth is the pillar of peace).

The motto, from the late Pope John Paul II, was chosen because the bishops' commission sees violence as a problem that eliminates the search for truth. The bishops' Commission for Youth helped facilitate the program

Father Sanusi explained that besides developing an understanding of the nonviolence movement, the current workshop also includes spiritual reflection on incarnational theology. Calling this the core spirit of the training, he explained that it means all human beings have "the face of God" within them, which eliminates violence as an option in dealing with others.

"We want to train people to prevent violence from becoming their daily meal. We want to make them realize that violence cannot be resolved with more violence," he continued. The workshop focuses on ways promoters can continue the movement in their own areas, in real situations.

In December, as part of the regional programs, Purwokerto Diocese in central Java conducted a three-day training session for 30 representatives from all its parishes. Father Sanusi and Robertus Maria Kusumaningrat Dian Sulistyo from the bishops' commission joined Sacred Heart Father Jovinus Rahailwarin and Father Paulus Christian Siswantoko from the diocese's justice and peace commission in leading the program.

"We hope the training will produce concerned individuals who want to get involved in resolving and preventing violence, so that violence will not spread," Father Siswantoko said.

Caritas Brother Cornelius Kusmiyadi, a participant, told UCA News he wants to invite Catholic students and teachers from the diocese to promote nonviolence. "Violence will never resolve problems. A proper way to end the cycle of violence is needed," the 45-year-old Religious insisted.

Purwokerto Diocese is based about 270 kilometers (about 170 miles) southeast of Jakarta.

HEBRON/ AT-TUWANI URGENT ACTION: Stop construction of wall in Bi'lin


CPTnet
1 March 2007

HEBRON/ AT-TUWANI URGENT ACTION:  Stop construction of wall in Bi'lin

 Please sign the online petition against the construction of the separation
wall in the Palestinian village of Bi'lin, found at
www.petitiononline.com/Bilin/petition.html

The current route of the wall will gobble up over half of the village's
land, stifling its agricultural economy.  The Israeli government will use
the confiscated land for the "largest ever illegal construction project in
the West Bank," according to the Sunday, 25 February issue of the Israeli
newspaper, Haaretz.

Last Friday, four CPTers--Janet Benvie, Abigail Ozanne, Seán O'Neill, and
Heidi Schramm--participated in the demonstration in Bi'lin marking the
second anniversary of weekly rallies against the wall.  Around 1000 people
participated, including Mustafa Barghouti, expected to be a minister in the
new Palestinian Authority cabinet, and Israeli author Uri Avnery.

The Israeli military tried to break up the demonstration, using tear gas,
percussion grenades, and a water cannon. The CPTers joined a circle of
Israeli, Palestinian, and international activists sitting with arms locked
in front of the line of soldiers.  The soldiers tried to break up the circle
using the water cannon. Several demonstrators were taken away in ambulances
due to injuries inflicted by the Israeli army.


While some Palestinian youth threw stones, the army's reaction seemed
terribly disproportionate and was directed at all demonstrators, the vast
majority of whom were behaving nonviolently. According to Haaretz, Military
Judge Colonel Shmuel Kedar, upon seeing video of a previous demonstration at
Bi'lin, remarked "there is more violence on the part of security forces than
demonstrators.  Although the soldiers see the cameras, (they) do not
restrain themselves from showing an ugly face to demonstrators who have come
to protest in a democratic way," (Haaretz 25/2/07.)


The weekly demonstrations started in April 2004 as the initiative of the
village council in Bi'lin.  When the village heard about the amount of land
it would lose to the Separation Barrier, they formed a Popular Committee to
plan regular nonviolent actions and legal suits against the wall and to
maintain relationships with other Palestinian, Israeli, and international
activists to that end.  The majority of the village's land, 2300 dunams
(almost 600 acres) including some 100,000 -150,000 olive trees, lies on the
Israeli side of the wall and will be used for the expansion of three
settlements already built on Bi'lin's land.  (Palestine Times 23/2/07).

Interested people can view video of the 23 February 2007 demonstration on
the Gush Shalom website at
http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/video/117235828

They can see CPT's photographs from the February 2007 demonstration at

http://www.chttp://www.cpt.org/gallery/hebronpt.org/gallery/hebron

http://www.cpt.org/gallery/hebron


Useful strategy pamphlet



Friends,

In case you haven't yet seen it, please check out the strategy pamphlet recently written by Beyond the Choir.  It is a provocative and thoughtful read about how the anti-war movement can be more powerful and effective in 2007.   Whether or not you are actively participating in anti-war organizing, it also contains very insightful and useful concepts about how social change happens, that are worth your time to read.

You can read it online, but you can also order a print copy for FREE before March 5 (see below).  I would recommend getting a copy to hold in your hands, to write notes on, and to wrestle with.  More info below.

Be well,
Matt Guynn
On Earth Peace

www.beyondthechoir.org

"I find the strategy pamphlet of Beyond the Choir both bold and practical.
It gets to the heart of the problem, and proposes sensible approaches."
-Howard Zinn

New strategy pamphlet available - FREE individual copies by mail for limited
time (order by March 5th).

A large majority of Americans now oppose the Iraq war, but why hasn't that
translated yet into a movement strong enough to end the war? This new
antiwar strategy pamphlet from Beyond the Choir presents organizing concepts
and tools to help local antiwar groups increase the effectiveness of their
work.

One copy = FREE if you order by Monday, March 5!
(normally $1.00)

10 copies = $3.50 (35¢ a copy)
20 copies = $5.00 (25¢ a copy)
100 copies = $10.00 (10¢ a copy)
Costs cover shipping.  Rates are within the U.S.


To order copies (individual or bulk), email info[at]beyondthechoir.org.
Please write "ORDER" in the subject line, and indicate the number you want.
Payment for bulk orders can be made by following the paypal link on our
site. For more info or to read the pamphlet online, visit
http://www.beyondthechoir.org

Feel free to forward.