DECEMBER CHRISTMAS: WAR TOYS FOR JESUS
This annual Christmas campaign, promoted by the War Resisters League and other groups, may be too late for this year unless someone well-motivated wants to take it on. And someone interested for 2004?  OMNI seeks to change the war system into a peace culture by exposing all manifestations of war/violence propaganda and conditioning, and replacing them with symbols and structures of nonviolent peacemaking. 
 
INTERFAITH SEMINAR ON ABRAHAM
A seminar on Abraham, the Patriarch, will occur at 3:30 Thurs. Dec. 4 at the UA Student Union Theater.  Co-sponsored by Al-Islam, Hillel Jewish Students, St. Martin's Episcopal-Lutheran UA Center, and UA Multicultural Center.
 
OMNI ON CAT
Here are OMNI programs to be shown on CAT. Channel 8 or 18.
Dec. 5 Friday
>        10:00 am  HOGEYE BILL ON INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
  Dec. 6 Saturday
>          4:30 pm OMNI OPEN MIC FOR NOV.
OPEN MIC SUNDAY:  Inviting all young poets and songwriters!
December Peace Coffeehouse & Open Mic
Sunday, December 7, 7-9pm
Hosted by Donna Henschell & Kelly Mulhollen
featuring members of Fayetteville High's Amnesty International
   Omni's Open Mice for Peace has been a vital part of our community for over 2 years now. On the 1st Sunday of each month, songwriters and poets have come together to share their words on social issues, peace, justice and ecology. The Deep End Coffee House (where the Omni Center is located) has a rich history of being a gathering place for activists. It is said that Peter, Paul and Mary performed there back in the 60's! As as this event has been, there is one element that has been largely missingand that is the voice of the younger generation. That is about to change!
    Kelly and Donna (founders of the Open Mic) of Still on the Hill (aka Mouthpeace) and the OMNI Center, are determined to bridge this gap at the December Peace Open Mic, Dec. 2nd at 7:00 P.M. We invite all young poets and songwriters to come share their wisdom with us!
    The Omni Center is on the NW corner of Maple and Storer across from the university in the United Campus Ministries Building (around the back and downstairs).
Refreshments will be served.
 
 
NOW MEETING
Tuesday, December 9, 2003 6:30 p.m.
Jones Center for Families(Room222)
Corner of Emma and Highway 265, Springdale, Arkansas
"March for Choice - Saving Women’s Lives"
Video about the April 25, 2004 March in Washington, D.C.
 
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY DECEMBER 10
 
UNDERGROUND VIDEO DECEMBER 12
APPROACH OF DAWN
A Gayla Jamison Film

ÒApproach of DawnÓ tells the story of the advancements in humans rights and civil liberties that have been made in Guatemala as a result of the women's groups working with labor organizations there. It tells about the heroic work being done by women in a country that has suffered under a brutal US supported military dictatorship. Run time is 52 minutes. No admission fee, but donations are welcome.
 
ACLU BILL OF RIGHTS POTLUCK
 Our ACLU annual Bill of Rights Day Potluck will be on Sunday, December 14
at 4:00-6:00pm, at the Ozark Mountain Smokehouse on Dickson Street (where the Ozark Natural Food Co-op used to be). The delightful Emily Kaitz will perform music.
Plus poetry, food, fun.
 
BILL OF RIGHTS DAY DECEMBER 15
 
OMNI STEERING COMMITTEE at OMNI DECEMBER 18 (every 3rd Thursday) 6:30, all members urged to attend, all visitors welcome.  You'll find no sentimental peacemakers there. 
 
UNITED NATIONS
On January 21, the League of Women Voters will sponsor a lecture by Prof. Steve Sheppard, UA law professor, on the subject of "United Nations: Life Ring or Dead Weight."  At the Fayetteville Public Library Community Room, 6:30 p.m.
 
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS
The League will also sponsor a lecture on "Keys to the Presidency and Predictions" by Todd Shields, Chair of Political Science at UA, FPL Community Room, February 18 at 6:30.

PEACEWRITING NEEDS READERS
The first three unpublilshed books have arrived for the PeaceWriting 2004 contest, and Dick seeks second readers to evaluate each.
Archer, Gregory, Private Heller’s Diary: An American Medic in World War One.
Novel (a medic's gung-ho enthusiasm changes at the front lines).
Hill, Mary Louise, Past Remedies.
Novel (conflicting relationships in Cyprus, the consequence of the old war between Greece and Turkey over the island)
Hungerford, Mark C. The Quiet Bower.
Novel (WWII soldier is attached to the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal, through which his life makes a turn).

BUY NOTHING DAY. BNDay is the day after Thanksgiving. Does this arrest someone’s interest enough to lead a sustained effort for OMNI in 2004?  Confronting the commodification system (everything exploited for profit) in order to reinforce ethics and to redirect our priorities. 
AMERICORPS
   If Americorps funding is increased, will someone with experience lead an effort to acquire an Americorps volunteer for OMNI?
 
Don't Buy Wal-Mart for the Holidays
Wal-Mart engages in some of the worst labor practices in the country: paying its employees substandard wages, forcing unpaid overtime on its workers and refusing to provide affordable health insurance.
This holiday season, pledge not to shop at Wal-Mart and to ask your friends and families not to buy you gifts from Wal-Mart until the chain:
• Pays its one million workers a living wage
• Provides affordable health insurance to its employees
• Stops discriminating against women
• Stops attacking employees who want to be represented by a union
• Ceases forcing unpaid overtime on its employees
• Stops pressuring suppliers to lower their labor costs
• Tell Wal-Mart that until it changes its ways, you will take your holiday shopping to other stores and will urge your friends and family to do the same.
Click here to take action!

WAR OR PEACE MEMORIALS?
The little town of Keo, AR (236 people) is spending $150,000 to construct a war memorial (Ark. D-G 11-10-03, 6B).  (Bella Vista is building one too.)  Yes, a memorial to glorify war veterans and US wars.  The memorial will include three granite columns with soldiers' names etched in gold.  Why such single-minded devotion to patriotism, nationalism, and aggression?  (But of course these advocates of violence say they were and are defending US freedom!)  According to the adjutant of the Ark. chapter of the American Legion, "recent wars have caused Arkansans to appreciate and remember veterans more than they have in the past."  "'It started during the Persian Gulf War.  It caused a renewal in people's patriotism.'"  In Keo, "veterans are local celebrities.  The mayor often asks them to recount their war stories....Photos of the veterans in their youth hang...on the wall of the ...City Hall."  One Keo vet is quoted as saying that his military service had "'made a man out of me.'"   What's left out here?  That most US wars post-WWII have been unjustified and in violation of international treaties the US has signed. 
What to do?  Don't be a sentimental peacemaker of talk without action.  Two main responses are open to us. 
 Join OMNI's writers and speakers.  Write and speak out in newspapers and over Community Access TV against these war memorials that glorify and perpetuate wars.  Help OMNI purchase ads and billboards exposing their militarism.   Protest city officials: for cities already committed to a war memorial, try to alter its purpose away from praising all wars; for cities not yet committed, try to prevent them.
Support OMNI's program of constructing peace memorials.  Buy peace poles for OMNI and help arrange for their placement where they can be seen by many each day (Fayetteville now has 5: let's aim for 20).  Help OMNI persuade your city to name a garden or park for peace (Fayetteville now has a Community Peace Garden at the corner of West and Spring, we hope for more).  Give or buy land for an international peace garden, or peace prairie.  Create a peace place in your yard. 
Protest wars, celebrate peace.  Take action.
 
KUCINICH'S DEPARTMENT OF PEACE
The Campaign to Establish the U. S. Department of Peace (www.dopcampaign.org)/Global Reanissance Alliance is selling excellent holidays cards at a very attractive price.  on the front page: "One Humanity, One Hope.  Peace on Earth" with earth at center.  Inside: "May love light your way and peace follow your footsteps."  (UNICEF, Fellowship of Reconciliation, and other peace and justice organizations also sell cards.)
 
EDUCATING OUR CONGRESSPEOPLE
ACTION:  Begin planning now to visit your members of Congress when they return home for congressional recess.  OMNI needs someone to coordinate delegations, to call the local offices of our senators and representative to schedule a visit now.  But each individual can speak to your legislators about the ongoing war in Iraq and civil liberties and other peace, justice, and ecology issues.  And don't forget congressional aides: they need education too.  Get informed on an issue and talk to them.  See OMNI's web site, which contains several dozens of ample files on key subjects.
This Quaker source can help too: To check FCNL's web site for Iraq, click here http://www.fcnl.org/issues/issue.php?issue_id=35, and for information on civil liberties, click here http://www.fcnl.org/issues/issue.php?issue_id=67.
CONTACTING LEGISLATORS: Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Information on your members is available on FCNL's web site:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/directory/directory.dbq
CONTACTING THE ADMINISTRATION
White House Comment Desk: 202-456-1111
FAX: 202-456-2461
E-MAIL: president@whitehouse.gov
WEB PAGE: http://www.whitehouse.gov
 
NEW LOCAL G-L WEBSITE
Denise at Ron's Place now has a really cool website giving all kinds of info about what is relevant to our community.  Please check it out at www.gadar.org.  Also, please let her know if there are any events going on so she can keep our community informed. Her email address is lezbfranz@yahoo.com.   Thanks.  Martha

NEW CLERGY GROUP OPPOSES BUSH RE-ELECTION
Fri Nov 21, 6:46 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo! New Clergy Group Opposes Bush Re-Election
By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Aiming to become the Christian Coalition of the left, liberal and moderate religious leaders are founding a political group to oppose President Bush (news - web sites)'s re-election and try to turn their congregations into election-year activists.
The Clergy Leadership Network will help churches, temples and mosques develop voter registration programs, run its own get-out-the-vote drives and, if it can generate enough money, air issue ads, the Rev. Albert Pennybacker, the group's president and chief executive and former president of the Interfaith Alliance, said Friday.
(This is for action--they seek members and local activists, sorry, I don't have an address.  D)

 JUSTICE ONLINE FROM PUBLIC CITIZEN
 www.whitehouseforsale.org  tracks and analyzes the special-interest contributions to Pres. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.
www.bushsecrecy.org  examines all the ways Pres. Bush has tightened the government's control of information.
Public Citizen was founded by Ralph Nader (www.citizen.org; public_citizen@citizen.org)

MEDIA:  ABOUT DEMOCRACY NOW!
Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on over 170 stations in North America. Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., Democracy Now! is broadcast on Pacifica, community, and National Public Radio stations, public access cable television stations, satellite television (on Free Speech TV, channel 9415 of the DISH Network), shortwave radio and the internet. The program is hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
Democracy Now! runs on CAT (cable channel 18):
Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 7am
Saturday & Sunday at 6pm