Dr. Who's Reading Room

Sending Congratulations and Many Thanks to the 50,000 peacemakers who signed RootsAction.org petition calling for an end to NBC’s Reality Show “Stars Earn Stripes” -a show that distorted the reality of war. NBC has ended “Stars Earn Stripes” with no intention of renewing! We are eternally grateful that Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Jody Williams, banded together with 9 other Nobel Peace Laureates to send a letter to NBC demanding they cancel this show. Desmond Tutu’s signature on this letter brought worldwide attention to our cause. (via “Peace Makers” Earn Stripes: Congratulations You Made This Happen! | United For Peace and Justice)

Chicago, IL — After holding NATO protesters for up to 48 hours, and releasing 6 out of 9 arrestees without any charges, the City of Chicago filed state charges last night against 3 Occupy activists from Florida, including possession of explosives or incendiary devices, material support for terrorism, and conspiracy. On Wednesday night at approximately 11:30pm, police raided a house in the Bridgeport neighborhood, detained several people in multiple apartments, and arrested 9 activists. Police broke down doors with guns drawn and searched residences without a warrant or consent.

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—	NLG Opposes “Terrorism” Charges Against Occupy Activists \| nlgchicago.org It’s unbelievable that this should happen in the USA, in the President’s own hometown. The whole world’s watching’.

What We Do

Just like the old days. I’m an alum (‘84) of MC, and was active on such issues back then. I was there when Cornerstone was named (1980). It’s so cool to see the traditions carried on.

mcjustpeace:

Just Peace is a social action group here at Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY working towards peace and justice in our world. We are passionate about a wide array of issues including (but not limited to) war and peace, human rights, fair trade, human tracking, and hunger and homelessness. We currently meet every Wednesday at 4pm in Cornerstone (MGL 209) ALL ARE WELCOME

Brian Arredondo, R.I.P.

I wrote about my feelings about this earlier in the week. Here’s what Cindy Sheehan said.

via UJP

“He Suffered So Much”

May 10, 1987 to December 19, 2011
by Cindy Sheehan

Brian Arredondo was 17 when his 20 year-old brother, Alex, a U.S. Marine, was killed in Iraq on 25 August, 2004. He was 24 this past Monday, 19 December, when he took his own life.

To remember Brian Arredondo Carlos Arredondo, the father of Alex and Brian, his only children, was so distraught when the Marines came to tell him that his oldest son was killed, he caught their van and himself on fire, burning over 26% of his body. His recovery from his physical wounds was long and difficult, but his emotional wounds from having his son killed by the U.S. government in its illegal and immoral war in Iraq will never completely heal. However, I know since my son, Casey, was killed in Iraq only four months before Alex, that Carlos was beginning to be able to get through his days without overwhelming pain before his other son committed suicide.

Carlos, and his wife, Melida (stepmother to the boys) are part of our Camp Casey family and the wider peace movement. Carlos credits Camp Casey with giving him his “voice” to be able to speak for Alex and against the war that took his life. When we held our Camp Casey gatherings, Carlos would always be there with his rolling monument to his son, Alex, and he would often be the first one to get up in the morning and the last one to go to bed—he was always working and there for me when I needed a bottle of water, a plate of food, or a hug. However, Carlos could always take a break to talk to a visitor to make him/her feel welcome, and share his son’s story.

Carlos and Melida are wonderful people who have sacrificed much for peace—and even though I wouldn’t wish this kind of pain on anybody—they did not deserve to bury even one son, let alone two.

Honoring Brian Arredondo

Brian Arredondo’s wakewill be held Tuesday, December 27, 4 to 9 pm, Mann and Rodgers Funeral Home, 44 Perkins St, Jamaica Plain.

A funeral mass will be held Wednesday, December 28, at 10am, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, 97 South St., Jamaica Plain.

The funeral mass will be followed by a procession and interment at Rural Cemetery at intersection of Pemberton and North Streets, Walpole. Brian will be laid to rest next to his brother Alexander.

The peace movement will sponsor a reception after the interment, 3pm-6pm, at First Church in Jamaica Plain (Unitarian-Universalist), 6 Eliot St. The church was the scene of the candle-light vigil the night after Brian’s death, and its lawn is home to Camp Alex, a display of antiwar messages created by Carlos Arredondo. Members of the peace movement are requested to bring food to the reception or donate money towards refreshments.

If you are in position to do so, please send a donation to help cover funeral expenses to: Brian Arredondo Memorial Fund, c/o The Cooperative Bank, 40 Belgrade Avenue, Roslindale, MA 02131.

Civil Society and “Arab Spring” in Iraq

Terry Rockefeller – 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 1pm
First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, 11 Garden Street, Hastings Room • Harvard Square T

A Peace Action Lunchtime Seminar • $5 donation requested for the light lunch

Terry Rockefeller will report back on her recent trip to Iraq, where she attended the Third Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI), an international conference in Erbil. Under the theme “Another Iraq is Possible with Peace and Human Rights,” ICSSI was attended by about 150 Iraqi and 100 representatives of international civil society organizations. At the meeting participants discussed the challenges that Iraqi people are facing, the issues on which Iraqi civil society is now working, and the kinds of solidarity needed among Iraqi NGOs and international organizations to bring about democratic change, social justice, human rights, freedom, and dignity for all Iraqis.

She will particularly address:

• anger and a search for how to address pollution and the grave health affects due to war damages
• Iraqis’ discussions of privatization of oil resources
• Ongoing obstacles to having a free civil society
• Iraqis’ thoughts on withdrawal of US troops; US peace and justice activists’ need to monitor practices of private security contractors

Listen to Terry Rockefeller’s interview with Callie Crossley on WGBH, September 7, 2011.

Senator Kerry, Represent US!

The Super Committee is due to report its $1.5 trillion budget cutting plan in only one month, and it’s important that Senator Kerry hear from thousands of people across Massachusetts!

A Massachusetts Peace Action delegation (left), including visiting Guardian correspondent Jonathan Steele, turned in 600 petition signatures and 150 hand-written postcards last Wednesday to Ed Birce of Sen. Kerry’s Boston office.

Saying “Don’t Balance the Budget on our Backs!”, the petitions and cards from Massachusetts voters call on Sen. Kerry to end wars, cut military spending, create jobs, preserve services and benefits, and restore tax fairness.

Give your input to Senator Kerry! Send him an online postcard, sign our petition, or read about other ways you can participate in the campaign!

Join Massachusetts Peace Action - or renew your membership today for 2011!
Dues are $40/year or $10 for student/unemployed/low income. Your financial support makes this work possible!

Massachusetts Peace Action, 11 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138
617-354-2169 • info@masspeaceaction.org • Follow us on Facebook or Twitter

Tonight!

icancstructures:

Women, War & Peace, a five-part PBS special, premieres Oct. 11, 2011. The series continues on Tuesday nights at 10:00 p.m. through Nov. 8.

(via Women, War & Peace Series Trailer | Women, War and Peace | PBS

)

Pat Scanlon is a friend of mine, fellow member of Merrimack Valley People for Peace, and coordinator of the Smedley Butler Brigade of Veterans for Peace. I see so many familiar faces in this video. We’re still here trying to sing louder than the guns. War has become such a fixture in our society it is becoming normalized. What is the toll on our souls?

For those of you who haven’t touched HTML, much less SGML or XML, this is an “end tag,” so the sign means “End war!”

The sign-holder is a liminal figure, spanning two communities, in this case, technical and anti-war. At The Considered Kula I have blogged about the power of liminality, of being “betwixt and between.”

pantslessprogressive:

This is how a geek protests (via a3o4, nooop)

Islamophobia: Manufacturing the “Muslim Menace” | United for Justice with Peace »

Good stuff.

When: Sunday, June 26, 2011, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pmWhere: Grace Church (Newton Corner) • 76 Eldredge Street, Newton Corner • Newton
This program will explore the efforts of the Federal government to isolate, harass, and intimidate American Muslims in the name of “Homeland Security”. Entrapment and dramatic media-assisted raids have allowed the government to present a picture of the American Muslim community as a breeding ground for dangerous terrorists. Subsequent, often questionable, prosecutions have led to some convictions, some charges being dismissed and some accused accepted guilty pleas to dramatically reduced charges under the threat of long prison sentences. The unsuccessful prosecutions have had much less media attention.

Thomas Cincotta director of Political Research Associates’ nationwide investigation of regional counterintelligence strategies and member of the Board of the National Lawyers Guild

Nancy Murray of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

Laila Murad, a Muslim Arab-American organizer who will address the case of Tarek Mehanna, a young Arab-American pharmacist from Sudbury, MA accused of being part of a conspiracy “to kill Americans in shopping malls”.

read more (including a downloadable flyer)