OMNI NEWSLETTER: EVENTS, ACTIONS, COMMENT
February 25, 2005

Corner of Maple and Storer in Fayetteville in Presbyterian and Disciples Student Center
OMNI contact, Dick Bennett, jbennet@uark.edu (479) 442-4600 (website: www.omnicenter.org)
Changing Society for a Culture of Peace. Since peace is not the absence of war, but is the active presence of justice and compassion, a Culture of Peace is created by countering the War System in
all of its manifestations. U. S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121.



FEBRUARY 26, LECTURE BY LISA BURKE ON ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES

Lisa Burks is national coordinator for the National Coalition for Verified Voting and 2004 U.S. Senatorial candidate. http://www.verifiedvoting.org/article.php?id=1127

Date: Saturday 2/26. Time: 1-3 pm

Place: University of Arkansas Student Union, Epley Board Room, Rm. 504

http://union.uark.edu/index.htm

Please RSVP:

http://dfa.meetup.com/351/events/4262555/


FEBRUARY 26, SATURDAY, FAYETTEVILLE FREETHINKERS

When: February 26th. Where: The Blair Municipal Library. 401 W. Mountain St. (two blocks west of the town square). Time: 2:30pm to 4:30pm. Room: Willard and Pat Walker Meeting Room. (Walk in the front door, through the lobby and go to your right).


FEBRUARY 26, SATURDAY, 7PM, FAYETTEVILLE DANCES OF PEACE

Please join us for an evening of dancing, fellowship and fun! at Unity of Fayetteville, 4880 Wedington Dr. Jamila



FEBRUARY 27, VIDEO UNDERGROUND, 7 PM OMNI
"Voices of Dissent: Activism and American Democracy" Showing at the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology. Free Admission.
This is a new 42-minute documentary about defending our American heritage of civil liberties against the current administration's attempts to repress authentic democracy and our freedom to dissent. Using events, theater, song, dance, satire, music, interviews with many well-known personalities and the wisdom of our founding fathers, VOICES reminds us of our roots and the importance of protecting authentic democracy. It challenges anyone who would limit the freedoms granted in the Constitution and Bill of Rights as fundamentally un-American, even if they are our own leaders, and inspires viewers to speak out, vote and actively protect our heritage of democracy, before we lose it.
Video Underground shows political, fictional, and current event videos every second and fourth Sunday of the month at 7:00pm. These videos are shown at the OMNI CENTER FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND ECOLOGY located at 902 W. Maple in Fayetteville, in the basement of the Presbyterian and Disciples Student Center. To see a listing of upcoming shows, please visit our website: www.northwest-ark.com/vu. Thanks, Greg Moore

FEBRUARY 28, MEDIA WATCH COMMITTEE, 6PM POTLUCK AT DICK’S

Our Rapid Response Writers answer letters and columnists in the newspapers. This committee will examine the reporting of news. At this initial meeting we will chart our course. RSVP would be helpful. 442-4600.



MARCH 1: FORUM ON PRES. BUSH AND SCIENCE IS POSTPONED TO APRIL 26.


MARCH 3, THURSDAY, RAPID RESPONSE WRITERS, Ozark

Art Hobson, retired physics professor and environmental columnist for NWAT will be our featured guest. Art will conduct a question-answer type of discussion. Contact Larry Woodall.


MARCH 6, SUNDAY, OPEN MIC PEACE COFFEEHOUSE, 7PM

Contact Kelly Mulhollan.



MARCH 8, TUESDAY, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, OMNI 7PM

Women will tell about their favorite woman advocate for world peace, social justice, and environmental stewardship. Contact Rev. Libby Lizzaraga.



MARCH 10, MENTAL HEALTH ASSOC. PANEL ON HORTICULTURAL THERAPY

Thursday March 10, 2005 6:00 pm to 7:45 pm Fayetteville Public Library 401 Mountain Street, Fayetteville.



MARCH 13, SUNDAY, VIDEO UNDERGROUND, OMNI 7PM

Contact Pippin Lowe, Greg Moore.



MARCH 15, TUESDAY, NUCLEAR NATIONS FORUM, at OMNI 7PM

Contact Dick Bennett.



MARCH 17, THURSDAY, OMNI STEERING COMMITTEE, 5:30

Contact Dick Bennett



MARCH 20, SUNDAY, REMEMBERING THE INVASION

Contact Melanie Dietzel.



DEATH PENALTY FOR JUVENILES

The juvenile exemption from the death penalty bill passed the Senate this afternoon with a vote of 24-9 and 2 not voting. The bill is now in the House and there will be a more difficult challenge there.

Please give thanks to those who supported the bill. See the attached list. I have included those who voted nay and who didn't vote--no action requested on them, however. Betsey Wright betseyw@specent.com



ARCTIC WILDERNESS/BOOZMAN, PRYOR, LINCOLN WATCH

In the next two weeks, oil-friendly members of the House and Senate will try a sneaky backdoor trick to pass their unpopular proposal to drill for oil in the pristine Arctic Refuge by inserting it into the must-pass federal budget bill.
Take Action NOW! Send your letter. Help protect caribou, polar bears, grizzlies, musk oxen, wolves, and millions of migratory birds. click here http://capwiz.com/lcv/utr/2/?a=7091131&i=57141496 If your email program does not recognize the URL as a link, copy the entire URL and paste it into your Web browser. from Joanie Patterson



FREE SPEECH TV, CAT 3AM TO 9AM: Resisting the Gov’t/Media Memory Hole

And Amy Goodman’s “Democracy Now” is at 7AM and (I think) 5PM. Examples of recent programs: Interview of Chomsky: “Crimes and Imperial Phantasies” on US invasions and atrocities in Latin America--Ronald Reagan, Negroponte, Nicaragua, etc. Documentary on Israel terrorism and killings in Gaza. Doris Haddock, Granny D, walking US for campaign reform to resist corporate domination (only a few minutes long). “European Newsreal”: negative aspects of Athens Olympic Games 2004. Creation and transportation of toxic wastes in Europe. Corporate control (DuPont, Monslanto) by control of seeds via industrialization of seeds, patents, transgenic plants, terminator seeds, surveillance and enforcement: confiscation of food part of corporate takeover of government and deformation of democracy, government and science increasingly in service of industrial interests. “Jerusalem After Oslo” No Justice No Peace”: one of a series by Partneers for Peace, written and directed by John Tyler. Documentary on Argentinian socialist filmmaker, Raymundo Gleyzer.



OMNI’S LIBRARY

New acquisition: Behind the Invasion of Iraq by the Research Unit for Political Economy, Mumbai/Bombay, India. Monthly Rev. P, 2003.



FOLLOW UP ON PATRIOTISM

Carl Rowan wrote this in 1988 about the Cold War: “But ‘patriotism’ prevents millions of Americans from acknowledging, let alone talking and writing about, how much we have let ideological and strategic fears make us act like the Russians.”



COST OF WAR

National Priorities Project

this link will take ya to the individual PDF's. This publication analyzes the Administration's recent supplemental request of $82 billion for war-related funding. State and city cost of war numbers are available.



GOOD NEWS FROM CANADA

Canada rejected the U.S. "Defense Shield," the billions of dollars boondoggle. Cheers to Prime Minister Paul Martin, who rejected U.S. and arms industry pressures to weaponize space leading to another arms race.



NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES


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WRITE A REVIEW ANYONE?
Hello, I am a former United States political prisoner. I have written a few novels dealing with politics and prisons in America. Just wondering if you or someone you might know would be interested in reviewing any of these.
KGB - prisoners plan to bring justice to these United States.
The Last Liberal Outlaw - editor tries to stop prison construction
Twins - priest fights his brother the warden
More info about me and about the books available at www.iowapeace.com
Mike Palecek, Sheldon, Iowa
[Palecek is a former federal prisoner for peace, small-town newspaper reporter, and was the Iowa Democratic Party nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives, 5th District, 2000 election. He received 67,500 votes on an anti-military, anti-prison, pro-Hispanic platform in a conservative district.]