OMNI NEWSLETTER: EVENTS, ACTIONS, COMMENT
BUILDING A CULTURE OF PEACE

APRIL 7, 2005



"The world is dangerous not because of those who do harm, but because of those who look at it without doing anything." - Albert Einstein



MAKE EVERY MEETING AN ACTION

WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES…do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.


APRIL 7, THURSDAY, ACLU BANQUET, CLARION HOTEL

6PM social hour, 7PM dinner. Speaker: Barry Hargrove, ACLU national office. For tickets contact Ann Heffernan heffernanann@aol.com; 582-1154.



APRIL 9, Saturday, 8PM, FEMINIST PLAY Vagina Monologues, EUREKA SPRINGS CITY AUDITORIUM

One night only, benefit for Benton County Women’s Shelter. Janet Alexander at 253-7788.



APRIL 10, SUNDAY, Video Underground “911 In Plane Site.”
' 911 In Plane Site' uses news footage from all of the major news sources in an in-depth analysis which shows that what was originally reported on the morning of September 11, 2001 is not what has become the official story of that day. This video is a 70 minute documentary. It will be 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. This event will begin at 7:00 pm. Admission is free, donations are welcomed.
View the Video Underground's entire video schedule at: http://omni-vu-films.blogspot.com
View the Video Underground's lending library list: http://omni-vu-films.blogspot.comflib.htm



APRIL 14, THURSDAY, OMNI STEERING COMMITTEE (advanced a week)

OMNI 5:30 potluck, 6:00 business. All invited, come be involved.



WOMEN’S ART
"Through the Eyes of Women," a women's art show featuring local artists, will be held through the month of April at Iris Gallery, 330 N. West Ave, Fayetteville.



NUCLEAR WEAPONS WATCH

Ira Chernus and Monika Szymurska, "US Plans Tidal Wave of Nuclear Proliferation," The Human Quest (March-April 2005)(from CommonDreams.org): criticism of Bush nuclear policies and failure of mainstream media to report and evaluate them. chernus@colorado.edu; mszymurska@gracelinks.org

WAL-MART PETITION

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/abcnews

BOOZMAN WATCH

We must continue writing and calling Congressman Boozman. He is not closed to us completely, but we must choose our tactics carefully. We cannot expect him to be globally empathic or compassionate. In TMN 3-27 he was quoted as saying, about the Bush Admin.’s cutting of funds to services that operate locally, “’The fact that the president said that ‘I’m not supportive of COPS’ doesn’t mean anything,’” because the programs ‘”have helped our local people on the ground’” and ‘”We’ll be working with the appropriators to make sure that they understand this.’” When you contact him and his staff (who need to be better informed just as much as our Congressman does), connect what you say with local needs and desires. I am glad to announce that Phil Lancaster has taken on the coordination of our Boozman Watch activities. You will be hearing from him soon and in the future.

DEFEND THE UNITED NATIONS

http://www.stopbolton.org/

FREE SPEECH TV

From Jim Hale: “I watched this free on Free Speech TV, Dish Network. http://winwithlanguage.com/
Watch it if you get FSTV, tell your friends. The conservatives own the newspapers, TV, radio, and then frame the debate. No wonder they control politics so well.” The week of March 28-, Prof. Ward Churchill defends himself well. This week: Lynne Stewart (being prosecuted for her work as a defense lawyer to a Muslim terrorist); Mustafa Barghouthi analyzing Palestinian and Israeli conflict and future; “Save the Seals” campaign in Canada; “Rising Up 9” about Camp Harmony where children are taught peace and justice; and much more. OMNI finances FSTV on CAT.

ARKANSAS PEACE, JUSTICE, ECOLOGY MOVEMENT GROWING: HOT SPRINGS AND WALDRON

The new Hot Springs Justice, Peace, and Ecology Center invites the public to attend a screening and discussion of Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror, a filmed talk given at Harvard University by MIT Professor Noam Chomsky in the wake of 9/11. The Hot Springs Justice, Peace, and Ecology Center is located in the basement of the Universalist Unitarian Church, 100 Norwalk St. (corner of Spring and Norwalk), in Hot Springs.

April 22nd - Earth Day Event, Waldron, AR, sponsored by the Scott County Organization to Protect the Environment (SCOPE) - celebrate the expansion of recycling services in Waldron with a community art show. Following an artist residency with Alice Guffey Miller, the event will feature a parade down Main Street at 1:00, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony at the transfer station at 1:30.

OPEN MIC 4-3-05

Wonderful singers and songs: Kelly and Donna with environmental songs (“Chickadee,” “Liberty Tree,” Reindeer Song,” “A Hard Rain Is Gonna Fall”; Em with her new song “In These Times”; Jori Costello, “Mountain Song” and “Kentucky Woman,” and “I Have Dreamed” about a connected world; Joanie telling about a community of living things as taught in Wild Neighbors; Steve Nichols’ haikus; Robin Rues’ “God Bless My SUV.” And more. Excellent food, a full meal thanks to Melanie. A fine OMNI Coffee House.

MEDIA WATCH: JUNK NEWS CONTEST

http://www.projectcensored.org/nominate/vote_junk_abuse.html

Media activists are invited to Vote on the Junk Food News stories and the News Abuse stories of the Year for the Censored 2006 yearbook (Fall 05 Seven Stories Press). Feel Free to nominate other stories. Send your votes to: britann@gmail.com College and High School Instructors are welcome to have your students participant in the vote. One E-mail return address for each person voting is allowed. Final vote Date: April 22, 2005

TRANSPORTATION ACTION

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission is conducting a 5-year regional transportation survey that will help guide the future of NW Arkansas. It's important that people who support rational transportation planning participate in the survey. You can participate by going to http://www.nwarpc.com/transportation.htm . Art Hobson

Eleanor Roosevelt, in her last book "Tomorrow Is Now,” published posthumously in 1963, wrote:
"Long ago, there was a noble word, LIBERAL, which derives from the word FREE. Now a strange thing
happened to that word. A man named Hitler made it a term of abuse, a matter of suspicion, because those
who were not with him were against him, and liberals had no use for Hitler. And then a man named McCarthy
cast the same opprobrium on the word. Indeed, there was a time-- a short but dismaying time-- when many
Americans began to distrust the word which derived from FREE. One thing we must all do. We must cherish
and honor the word FREE or it will cease to apply to us." From Darrel Henschell; source: Blanche Weisen Cook, The Nation, Dec. 20, 04 (p.24) OMNI should have created a campaign for that noble word a long time ago. Volunteer to lead it now?

OMNI SEEKS A WORLD FREE OF WAR AND THE THREAT OF WAR, A SOCIETY WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERY PERSON’S POTENTIAL MAY BE FULFILLED, AN EARTH RESTORED. WORLD PEACE, HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL JUSTICE, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. Thanks to FCNL and AFSC.