OMNI NEWSLETTER: EVENTS, ACTIONS, COMMENT


BUILDING A CULTURE OF PEACE

MAY 4, 2005

Everyone can be a peace leader and peace educator. All members of the Culture of Peace movement have to be leaders in their own right, drawing on their own potential and inner strengths, galvanizing, inspiring and energizing the peace movement.



MAY 2 UN commences the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference. www.unitedforpeace.org The Treaty provided essentially for three programs: 1) non-proliferation of nuclear weapons to additional countries; 2) disarmament by the nucleaar armed countries; and 3) permission for countries without nuclear power to develop it. The U. S. has repudiated the treaty. See the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s Briefing Booklet for the 2005 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference is available for downloading from the Foundation’s website at www.wagingpeace.org. Contact your representatives.



MAY 4, Wed., ARKANSAS CITIZENS FIRST, Powerhouse 4:30 pm

Discuss future of Vista Volunteer; ACF priorities.



MAY 4, PROMISE KEEPERS PLANNING COMMITTEE

Wed., tonight, 7pm at OMNI/UCM Sanctuary.



MAY 4, SIERRA CLUB

The first ever, super duper, life altering, mind awakening Sierra Club Book Club will kick off tomorrow evening, Wednesday, 4 May, at 7:00 p.m. at the Sierra Clubhouse, just off the Fayetteville town square on Meadow St.
The featured reading is Dr. J. Horne's, The Next Green Revolution, and will follow up nicely the talk by Dr. Horne on Earth Day sponsored by the OMNI Center and Ozark Natural Foods. Karen Faupel will lead the discussion.
There is real interest in getting good food locally , and getting it into our schools and our restaurants. Join the discussion tomorrow about how we can live better, eat better and support local growers. Drop me a note or give me a call (home: 479-443-0423) if you have questions. Cheers, Cindy



MAY 7, OMNI’S 2ND ANNUAL JULIA WARD HOWE’S MOTHER’S DAY LUNCHEON FOR PEACE At Emilia’s on Dickson at 12 noon Saturday. All attending are invited to give their thoughts about mothers and war and/or to tell about their mother’s views. We need to have some idea how many are coming: contact Bettie Lu Lancaster, or Jo Bennett, Anne Prichard, Melanie Dietzel, all in the phone directory.



MAY 7, RAPID RESPONSE WRITERS, 11:30 at Ozark Mt. Smokehouse on Dickson

Fran Free will speak.



MAY 8, 7PM Video Underground Presents:“Berkeley in the Sixties”
Showing at the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology, Free Admission.
The 1960's come to life in this gripping film. Berkeley in the Sixties captures the decade's events - the birth of the Free Speech Movement, civil rights marches, anti-Vietnam War protest, the counter-culture, the women's movement, and the rise of the Black Panthers - in all their immediacy and passion. Dramatic archival footage interwoven with present-day interviews and 18 songs from the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, The Band and the Jefferson Airplane make Berkeley in the Sixties "probably the best documentary on the Sixties to date!" (Village Voice). Show Time: 117 Minutes Contact: Greg, (479) 841-2855
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 ourwebsite: www.northwest-ark.com/vu.



MAY 13 The second Free Press Media Reform Convention will run over the weekend of 13 - 15 May 2005 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in St. Louis, MO. The event was founded by Robert McChesney, faculty of Communications and Media Research, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL. Again this year, about 2000 people are expected along with all the big names in progressive media/journalism including Amy Goodman, Al Franken, Jim Hightower, Naomi Klein, Media Benjamin, two Democrat FCC Commissioners, and many, many more. http://www.freepress.net/conference Carl Barnwell is going and invites others to ride with him: cbarnw "AT character" centurytel.net
MAY 14, ROGERS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

Saturday 11 to 5 at Lake Atalanta. Non-profit organizations invited and free. You will represent OMNI?



MAY 21 Raw Ozarks potluck at Barbara's. For info on these gatherings,
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RawOzarks/



RESOLUTION AGAINST PATRIOT ACT
Patriots for Civil Liberties has written a resolution in response to the Patriot Act. The resolution would ensure the United States Constitution is followed within Fayetteville. To read the resolution and sign the petition that will be presented to the city council visit the website at: http://www.northwest-ark.com/pfcl/ .
The PfCL Committee welcomes additional members. Contact Pippin Lowe, Ann Heffernan, Michael Heffernan, Melanie Dietzel, Gladys Tiffany, Darla Newman, Carl Barnwell, Dick Bennett.

A BIG WEEK

Beginning April 19, OMNI beat the drum loudly for a Culture of Peace. Voices in the Wilderness bus tour, Wheels for Justice, arrived the 19th for a day of advocacy for the people of Palestine and Iraq. Omni provided them dinner (thanks to all the potluck contributors: Gladys, Marion,???) and a place to stay (thanks to Maureen Mullen and Dick). The 20th was marked by the dedication of our new World Peace Wetland Prairie (thanks to Aubrey Shepherd, Lauren Hawkins, and Jennifer Creel and the Town Branch Neighborhood; Melissa Terry and Fran Free of Audubon; and all those who financed the purchase of the wetland—OMNI, Shepherd, City, Tyson). On the 21st, Gladys presented our 3rd Middle Eastern Conversation. Two young men, a Palestinian and a local Jew, presented their histories of the P-I conflict, followed by vigorous comments from the audience. Friday the 22nd was our 2nd Annual Earth Day Celebration, with a table at ONF in the afternoon (thank you Aubrey Shepherd and Gladys), an excellent vegetarian dinner at ONF, and an equally excellent talk by Dr. James Horne on (title of his book) “The Next Green Revolution” (thanks to Jerry Huddleston of ONF for arranging so much of it all and for giving us $100 for expenses, and to Karen Faupel for arranging for Dr. Horne to come and for introducing him; Sierra Club was our co-sponsor). Saturday the 23rd involved so much I could spend a page describing everybody who made our Rose Garden SpringFest a resounding success. Jamie Ulick organized and did most of the set-up—tents, large sign on sidewalk, the children’s posters from the contest, sound system—next time you see him buy him anything he wants; Kim Kimrey arranged for the two tents! of paintings by school children about war and peace; thanks to Rachel Markham for organizing greeters for the entrances and for the table managers; to Cliff Mikkelson for the balloons; and Greg Moore, Ann Ayers, Lauren Hawkins, Aubrey Shepherd, Marion Orton, Leonard Schulte, John Ray, Linda Barnes, Steven Skattebo, Larry Faulks, Dick). Also on 23rd was OMNI’s PeaceOut Peace Arts Contest awards presentations at Bud Walton Arena, thanks to Karen Clark, Sharon Brooks, Gladys, Steven, and Dick. And then on the 24th we filled OMNI’s “Deep End” to see the comprehensively damning film, “The Corporation” (find a copy today)(thank you Pippin for getting it and Greg for PR and being mc). To all others who helped with these wonderful events, thanks!



NORTHWEST ARKANSAS MUSIC AWARDS TO OMNI SUPPORTERS
Strange Heroes all-around excellence (their peace album published by OMNI); Jori Costello favorite female singer/songwriter; Papa Rap Lifetime Achievement Award.



FREE SPEECH TV (FSTV)

Note that FSTV will not be shown until the 14th because of their fundraising. Exception: Amy Goodman’s “Democracy Now” (www.democracynow.org)(her program 5-4 included a long section on the Kent State killings 35 years ago).

Recent documentaries: Berlin, its extraordinary artistic vitality, and its struggle with its anti-Semitic past; “Global Warming,” produced by Leonardo DeCaprio, on destructions caused by oil-based sewer of 700 billion tons of toxic pollution (www.treemedia.com); “The Last Stand,” LA citizens saving the last of the Ballona Welands, San Diego citizens saving the Famosa Slough; “Democracy Now” at 7a.m. every morning, Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales (e.g. reporting the protest at last Sunday’s Nuclear Proliferation Treaty Conference at the UN; abolition2000.org, reachingforcriticalwill.org, united for peace.org); “Rainmaker” on a Harlem poet, former gang member now peacemaker; “Doula” midwifery providing support to pregnant women;



MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX RIDING HIGH/the WAR BUDGET

War contractors Raytheon and Northrop Grumman report “sharp increases in first-quarter earning…amid rising [war] spending and President Bush urging a further increase.” The report in TMN (4-29) notes that the 4% increase in the war budget “does not count the tens of billions of dollars the president will request for war and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Newsletter editor’s note: Of course TMN always says “defense,” when it is talking about war. I trust all readers of this Newsletter join the editor in never again using the expression “defense,” but replacing it with WAR. It’s the WAR Department, right?

Will YOU lead a committee to educate NWA about the military-industrial-corporate-White House-mainstream media WAR complex?



PEACE Models
The Bruderhof Peacemakers Guide offers a catalog of peacemakers past and present, famous and not so famous. Each profile features original portraits, quotes, and links for further reading. + Blessed are the peacemakers



OPEN MIC MAY 1

OMNI’s Coffee House for Peace was packed to hear Jori Costello’s fine voice and original songs (“I Have Dreams”) backed up by drummer Kristar Miller, and other singers; song writers: Geoff Oelsner, Bill Orton. The Open Mic also drew several readers and speakers: Tom Brown on Genesis and chemical war; Eileen Wetherall, Diana Rivers, and Joanie Connors together reading a “Goddess” script by Diana; Path Walker, Larry Crosson.



OMNI’S PEACEWRITING WINNERS 2005

OMNI’s contest for unpublished books on peace and war (begun in 1999) gave three cash awards this year, all for books about war:

Non-fiction: Jan Sherbin, “Under Fire,” personal accounts by 25 Soviet girls and young women combat fighters during WWII (also for young people).

Poetry: David Krieger, “Today Is Not a Good Day for War,” poems covering events from Hiroshima through the Iraq War.

Young people: Stanley Opalka, “Escape from Russia,” memoir for young people ages 6 and over, about a Polish family forced to relocate from Poland to Siberia in 1940 and their subsequent difficulties.

Readers are invited for 2006 submissions.



OMNI’s MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. AWARDS

The www.helpbuildthedream.org web site, which solicits money for his memorial, focuses on King’s civil rights Dream speech, with no mention of his criticism of the Vietnam War or U. S. wars of his criticism of U.S. capitalism and the plight of the poor in the U.S. OMNI’s awards do a great service to King and to our country by remembering the real, whole MLKJr.—opponent of racial discrimination, poverty, and imperialistic wars. You are invited to join our committee.

Related: Tammy Stamps-Heise, regular Religion 101 columnist for TMN on 4-30 wrote an impressive appeal to Protestants to get educated about the facts and experiences of poverty, and to”demand justice for all Americans.” A student, I assume, of MLKJr.



OUR REPRESENTATIVE LINDSLEY SMITH FOR TAX JUSTICE

She writes: “I'm still hopeful that I can get the constitutional amendment for a 3/5 equalization of the tax vote
passed and to the voters. Right now in Arkansas, it takes only a simple majority in each house of 51% to pass a sales tax, but it takes 3/4 a vote to pass other taxes (thus resulting in Arkansas' highly regressive sales tax
that is about #5 in the nation on the regressive scale).”



GRASSROOTS MILITARISM/MEDIA WATCH

TMN continues its infatuation with indoctrinating people by playing war. 4-30 under the headline “Rallying Cry for Dixie” contains a large photo of Van Buren children in Confederate uniforms, holding wooden rifles (and one sword raised in air), fists raised, and singing “Dixie” during a Civil War re-enactment. “The children worked on the event for several weeks in advance as part of their Civil War studies.” Residents from VB and FS, call the school Superintendant and School Board Chair. Elsewhere protest to the TMN its uncritical love of Civil War reenactment.



Local CORPORATE CRIME/MEDIA WATCH

Tyson Foods was fined $1.5 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for Tyson’s illegal perks given to Don Tyson. The company neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing! The report in TMN though brief seemed to cover the essentials, including noting that the payment “amounts to about 30 minutes’ worth of sales at the world’s largest meat processor,” and that Don was fined $700,000 for illegally being paid $3,000,000. Big corp execs feel free to violate the laws (ordinarily called felonies) because the penalties on being caught are a slap on the hand? You Media Watchers, send your observations and comments to OMNI’s Newsletter and to the newspapers.

CONGRESS WATCH


DARFUR (SUDAN), BOOZMAN, LINCOLN, PRYOR WATCH

As you recall, OMNI supporters met for lunch to write letters (and sign a petition) to our Washington representatives urging them take action to stop the genocide in Darfur. I have received replies from Lincoln and Boozman so far. Both have supported resolutions and actions to help the people of Darfur. For example, Lincoln co-sponsored the Sudan Peace Act of Oct. 2002, and Boozman personally urged the head of the African Union to take action. I will be glad to send you a copy of the letters. The problem is, the genocide continues, and the refugees now number 2,000,000, double the number over last year. If you write and call again, or for the first time, you will want to thank them for what they have done, but stress that much more is needed to stop the killings and to help the refugees (Cong. Boozman said the US had given $200 million “in aid to Sudan” and “over $25 million in aid to Chad.” But it wasn’t clear that this money was entirely for Darfur relief.)


BOOZMAN WATCH

CONTACT CONG. BOOZMAN TO CLOSE THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAS/WHINSEC

100 cosponsors are signed on to Rep. McGovern's new bill, HR 1217, to suspend operations at the SOA/
WHINSEC. Call Representative Boozman. Each phone call a representative receives directly impacts whether he or she will cosponsor HR 1217 AND vote to suspend operations at the SOA/ WHINSEC. Please Call the Capitol
Switchboard for Cong. Boozman (202-224-3121) and ask for his foreign policy legislative assistant.


LINCOLN WATCH

Senator Lincoln has opened a field office in Fayetteville, at 4 South College, Suite 205 in the Historic Courthouse. Staff: John Hicks. Get acquainted with Mr. Hicks, and through him with Sen. Lincoln. Let them know your views about world peace, social justice, and environmental stewardship.



GRASSROOTS MILITARISM/BOOZMAN, LINCOLN, PRYOR WATCH

From VFW bingo to base closings. The Pentagon is planning to close some unnecessary bases to divert the money to Star Wars, Special Forces, and other imperial expenses. Who oppose the closings? Senators and Congresspersons. The military system works party through jobs provided by the bases, and our representatives are elected partly on the basis of the amount of pork they provide their constituents. Tell your reps. what you think. TMN (4-26-05).



TORTURE: LINCOLN, PRYOR, BOOZMAN WATCH

Action alert: Support Senate, House bills to ban 'outsourcing' of torture
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has introduced a new bill to ban "torture by proxy.” Under this practice, a person detained abroad or in the United States under suspicion of terrorist links may be sent to a third country for interrogation even though that country is well known for its use of torture. This is similar to the bill introduced in March by U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. Please call and write your senators and representatives now to express your vigorous support for Sen. Leahy's Convention Against Torture Implementation Act, and Rep. Markey's "The Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act." For more information or to send an immediate message to your members of Congress, visit: http://www.uusc.org/news/alert042705.html.



NEW NUCLEAR WEAPONS/BOOZMAN, LINCOLN, PRYOR WATCH

STOP THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Congress wisely voted down the funding of plans for new categories of nuclear weapons, including a “ROBUST NUCLEAR EARTH PENETRATOR” for use against “hardened” underground targets, and miniaturized warheads for battlefield use. But the Bush Admin. and the Pentagon continue to push for them. Developing such new categories of nuclear weapons would be a tragic error.
? Increased risk of use of nuclear weapons: Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, despite some narrow escapes, the world has maintained the taboo against actually using atomic arms in combat. That taboo could be weakened by developing new categories of “miniature” nuclear weapons.
? The danger of nuclear accidents: Even the most carefully planned bombing campaign is likely to hit some of the wrong targets by mistake (Recall the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade and the Red Cross depot in Kabul.) The results of such a mistake with a nuclear warhead would be too horrible to contemplate, and the political consequences would be devastating.
? The danger of nuclear fallout: Even if a nuclear earth penetrator could be exploded at a depth where it is theoretically “contained,” some of the radioactivity would be forced back up the “chimney” created by the penetration device. Princeton physicist Robert Nelson has estimated that the fallout could kill forty to fifty thousand people, while the blast would risk spreading the chemical or biological agents the weapon was intended to destroy.
? The risk of nuclear proliferation: Developing a new class of nuclear weapons would directly violate U.S. obligations under the Nonproliferation Treaty. It would threaten to unravel the whole nonproliferation system, and encourage other countries to develop their own nuclear deterrents.
? Pressure to resume testing: Pentagon officials have already suggested that development of the “mini-nukes” may require a resumption of nuclear testing. If the U.S. breaks the current testing moratorium, it is likely to provoke new testing by Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and perhaps others.
- Urge your Senators and Representatives to oppose appropriations for developing new categories of nuclear weapons. The addresses are:

Hon. ______________ , U.S. Senate , Washington D.C. 20510 (Dear Senator ______________)

Hon. _____________, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515 (Dear Congress (wo)man)

Any member of Congress can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121. For the e-mail address of your U.S. senators and representatives, go to www.senate.gov and www.house.gov. If you do not know the name of your representative or your congressional district, go to www.house.gov/writerep Sample message: Please oppose any appropriations for the “NUCLEAR EARTH PENETRATOR”. We should be seeking to reduce reliance on nuclear weapons, not increase it.





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.



"Each time [a person] stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
- Robert F. Kennedy