OMNI NEWSLETTER: EVENTS, ACTIONS, COMMENT

NOVEMBER 26, 2005, BUILDING A CULTURE OF PEACE


"When the power of love becomes stronger than the love of power, we will have peace." Jimi Hendrix. OMNI embraces this belief in peace through love and criticism of power, the cornerstones for a Culture of Peace.

If you’d prefer to have you name removed from this mailing list, let me know. No offense will be taken.



UPCOMING EVENTS

PROTEST

Monthly: Every first Saturday of the month from 10:30am to 12 Noon at the corners of North Mall and Joyce Boulevard (near the Wal-Mart Supercenter) in Fayetteville. Weekly: Sundays at College & Dickson
Nov. 27 to Dec. 11: 11am - 1:30pm
Dec. 18 to Jan. 1: There are no planned protests by OMNI during this period.
Jan. 8 to Mar. 12: 11am - 1:30pm
Chris has made new flyers to announce these new times and has posted them at http://www.geocities.com/omniprotest/calendar.html
http://www.geocities.com/omniprotest/flyers.htm



November 26, 2:30, Saturday, Fayetteville Freethinkers

Lecture by Prof. Plavcan on “Intelligent Design” as another Non-scientific Creationism.

The Blair Municipal Library. 401 W. Mountain St. (two blocks west of the town square). Precisely 2:30pm. Afterward Prof. Harter will continue his discussion of quantum physics.



November 26 Sufi Zikr with Talat Halman and friends
Saturday, November 26, 2005, 7-9pm at Unity of Fayetteville, 4880 Wedington Drive.



NOVEMBER 27, SUNDAY, PROTEST THE WAR

New time 11 to 1:30, College & Dickson.



November 28, 12 noon, First of series of forums on CAT sponsored by OMNI.

Profs. Swedenburg, Gordon, and Ghadbian will discuss the Middle East. The program will be recorded and shown next week. If you wish to create a forum for this series, write or call Casey or Sara Milford (sara@everydaysimple.org) or Dick 442-4600.



November 28, Eric Nance will be executed at Cummins Prison

Murder and War: When there is a murder, two families are seized by tragedy and grief: the family of the victim and the family of the killer. Both families need our love and concern and prayers. Where there is an execution for that murder (some of us consider it judicial murder), the tragedy and grief are compounded. Where there is a war, when there are invasion and bombings, soldiers on both sides are killed, and often civilians by much larger numbers, and sometimes on only one side. Again the families on both sides of the war feel the tragedy and grieve, and again the families on both sides deserve our concern, love, and prayers.



November 28, 8p.m., WAC, Seymour Hersh speaks, sponsored by UA Distinguished Lectures Committee.



November 28-9, film Short Takes at CAT. Read, speak for peace, justice, and environment.



November 29, Tuesday, 6-7 p.m. Livable Future Community Networking Meeting

Fayetteville Library Community Room (downstairs)

This is a chance for you to share information about anything which contributes to a sustainable world, both in a networking atmosphere and to be aired on public access television. You will have 30 seconds to share information. We encourage you to prepare a written statement which you time to make sure you stay within the time limit. A brief sharing gives people just enough to know if they want to contact you more during the open networking time after the session. Also you may want to put pertinent details on a poster board so television viewers may easily write down the information. Contact: Patricia Mikkelson LivableFuture@yahoo.com



DECEMBER 1, Thursday, 5:30-7:30, World AIDS Day 2005

Silent Art Auction to benefit the Washington County HIV Clinic and NWA REACH. Anne Kittrell Gallery, 4th floor of the U of A Union. Musical performances by Claudia Burson and Holly Gash. Hors d'oeuvres will be served. The Public is invited.

AIDS in S. Africa: new film “Yesterday” by Darrell James Roodt and Anant Singh about Zululand in S. Africa, “a country with more HIV-positive people than anywere in the world, yet with only one physician for every 18,000 people.” The film was nominated for an Academy Award. (TMN 11-26, p. 5E).


DECEMBER 3, SATURDAY, 11:30, RAPID RESPONSE WRITERS

Ozark Smokehouse on Dickson in Fayetteville. Larry Woodall.



DECEMBER 3, PROTEST THE WAR, 10:30-12 NOON.

Joyce and Mall at McDonald’s east of Wal-Mart. (For those who plan to attend the Rapid Response Writers Lunch at 11:30, please feel free to join us and then leave early for the meeting.)

DECEMBER 4, 7PM, OMNI, OPEN MIC AND SILENT AUCTION
Open Mic: contact Kelly Mulhollan and Donna Stjerna.
The response to the silent auction fundraiser for OMNI has been terrific so
far..thanks so much to all of you who have donated goods or services. for
those of you who are waiting to do so, now is the time! the more donated
stuff we have, the more money we'll raise to use in service of our
community. we are also still in need of a few folks to help out with set
up and clean up during and after the event on December 4. If you feel
you'd like to contribute in this very important way, please contact karen
kimrey at karenkimrey@cox.net to let her know. She'll be thrilled to hear
from you. please take a few minutes to do this now.

December 5-6, Mon. 5:30, Tues. 12, film your Short Take at CAT.



December 5, 11 to 3, OMNI Books and Films Libraries Open

First and Third Mondays 11 to 3. Rachel Townsend-Moore 521-4706.



CLEANING SUPPLIES TO NO

Dec 1-10 donations will be accepted for New Orleans Clean Up at the Omni Center, KUAF office on campus, Teatro Scarpino's (on west st). For more information contact Rachel at 200-0642 or rachelandgregmoore@yahoo.com Dec 10 Last day to donate goods or money for clean up in New Orleans for more information contact Rachel at 200-0642 or rachelandgregmoore@yahoo.com



December 10, Saturday, Radio Broadcast of The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial on KUAF 91.3 (the ad did not give the time).

DECEMBER 10, SATURDAY, HUMAN RIGHTS DAY (UDHR)

DECEMBER 11, SUNDAY, VIDEO UNDERGROUND, OMNI/UCM 7PM

December 11, 12:40, UUFF Social Concerns Committee

DECEMBER 15, THURSDAY, BILL OF RIGHTS DAY

DECEMBER 15, OMNI STEERING COMMITTEE
OMNI/UCM 5:30 potluck, 6:00 meeting.

December 23, Humanlight, new holiday celebrating Humanist values (www.humanlight.org).

DECEMBER 25, Christmas

DECEMBER 25, Hanukka/Chanuka starts on the evening of Dec. 25, and lasts for 8 days.

ANN COULTER TO UA

UA's Traveler reported that Ann Coulter would be coming here, at $10,000 plus. For information, read Al Franken’s chapter on her in Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.

ONGOING EVENTS
CHRISTOPHER MIKKELSON’S CARTOON DISPLAY
At UCM’s bulletin board see Chris’s selections of cartoons about peace, justice, and ecology, and especially about how animals are portrayed.

FROM MOSHE AND HAMSA NEWMARK: Purify the water in your life while supporting the Omni Peace Center. Purchase an affordable water filter for your drinking, showering and / or bathing at NATURE’S WATER and they will give 30% of the total sale to Omni. Visit them at 275 Huntsville Rd., Fayetteville – 521-7786 between 10am – 4pm M-F. Or, you can view all of their wonderful filters for the kitchen, shower, bath and whole house at www.newmarketnaturals.com Be sure to mention this notice so OMNI receives the donation.

FAYETTEVILLE, NWA, ARKANSAS

UNITED CAMPUS MINISTRY OFFICE HOURS
Holly will be there M-Thurs 10-3: 442-8041.
OMNI OFFICE
Rachel will be there Mondays 11am to 3pm. 521-4706.

OMNI’S HOME PEACE PLACES
Our home peace gardens network continues to grow, with one more added this past week (Harrison Family Peace Garden). Become a part of this easy to join yet important peace advocacy when each becomes a part of the whole. Send Dick the name of your garden, year established, and a brief description.

NEW BOOKS FOR OMNI’S LIBRARY
We Gave Away a Fortune by Christopher Mogil and Anne Stepian with Peter Woodrow won the American Book Award. It is a collection of stories about people who have devoted themselves and their wealth to peace, justice and a healthy environment. Thanks to Connie and Tim Hendrix-Kral.
Sojourner Truth by Nell Painter. Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to…to the Surrender of Germany by Stephen Ambrose.
ESSENTIAL BOOKS IN OUR LIBRARY
One of the main causes of U. S. unlawful imperial interventions is the myth of U. S. moral superiority. A major remedy to this illusion are the books by William Blum: Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II and Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower, which report over 50 illegal invasions or interventions committed by the U. S. since 1945. Buy them if you can, for Mr. Blum is an ndependent scholar who depends upon the income of his writings.

Alternatives to our commodified Jesus
An Academy Award Nominated documentary filmmaker is traveling the country interviewing families who celebrate Christmas without all the "shop 'til you drop" frenzy. If your family celebrates Christmas in an "alternative" manner, they want to hear your story. Please contact Carmen Cuba at xmastime2005@aol.com.



ARKANSAS UN/USA CHAPTER: ICC INITIATIVE

The Chapter has created the Alliance for the International Criminal Court (AAICC). The AAICC will seek to bring together individuals and groups within Arkansas that support the goals of the ICC and support the eventual (re)signing and ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC by the U.S. Professor Ken Gallant of UALR school of law has already agreed to serve on the advisory board of the AAICC. We are looking for additional members of the advisory board. In addition, we are looking for someone(s) who might be interested in serving as the director of the AAICC beginning on January 1, 2006. If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, please let me know in the next few weeks. Mark Mullenbach: Markmullenbach@aol.com



FREE SPEECH TV (www.freespeech.org)
FSTV was not shown for 2 weeks during their fundraiser period. Examples of programs since resuming programming (compare to the networks and CNN, and you may want to answer the critics of FSTV: Joey Dutton attacked FSTV and CAT for showing nudity and engaging in “sexual discourse”!, and Dale Holland compared FSTV docs. to canned letters to the editor):
--Palestinian/Israeli dialog (I missed the title, but it was produced by Alternative Focus: www.alternativefocus.org). One idea from one speaker: Nationalism is a manifestation of individuals’ insecurity, which causes people to seek (succumb) to violent leaders and slogans, but creating and sustaining peace are the responsibility of the people.
--The maker of the film The Future of Food discussed her film, especially emphasizing the harms deriving from genetic engineering and seed patenting by corporations (mainly chemical/pesticide companies like Monsanto). How feed the hungry millions? There’s plenty of food, the problem is distribution and access, and GE and patenting only worsen the situation.
--“The Culture of Resistance”: poetry and music benefit for Katrina victims.
--“Apocalypse Cow,” a 2-part program by Dr. Suzuki’s The Nature of Things. Clear, powerful scientific explanation of how Bovine Spongiform Encaphalopathy (BSE) mutation leaped to humans in the form of Variant Creutzfeld Jacob Disease (CJD) and equally effective explanation of the political causes: corporate industrial farming without strong governmental regulation.
--“Manufacturing Consent,” excellent documentary on life and work of Noam Chomsky.
--From SourceCode a documentary on people’s rights, showing their decline (the Patriot Act “the largest assault on people’s rights” in nation’s history) while rights and powers of corporations continue to rise. With Jim Hightower, Bernie Sanders, and others. www.ccr.ny.org
--A critical examination of the push by corporations and some scientists to master the genetic code (e.g. of seeds) in order to control the code through patents, the main value of which is profits for the corporations. www.bullfrogfilms.com
--“Deadly Arrogance,” studies Bush Admin.’s belief that nuclear war can be won.
--“Poisoned: The Workers of Brush Wellman.” BW is a toxic beryllium polluting company in south Tuscon that is polluting air and water and crippling its employees and poor neighbors.
--“The Meatrix,” animated film on the harms of factory farming—overuse of antibiotics, air and water pollution, further destruction of family farms, etc.
--Short film on global prostitution.



DEFENDING CAT AND FSTV
CAT and FSTV are under attack by those who wish to restrict community tv to the narrow range of views familiar to us on mainstream tv. Already the rural communities have been removed from CAT. Join with Dick in creating a FSTV support group. jbennet@uark.edu, 442-4600. Write and call the mayor and council your support.

OMNI NEEDS TV PRODUCERS
We could be presenting forums and lectures live on CAT. Also, more videos of OMNI’s programs could be shown on CAT. IF we had producers and editors. Without them we can do nothing. Please volunteer. If you are not yet trained, call 444-33433 to take a Workshop at CAT. For OMNI’s hoped-for future series contact Casey and Sara Milford sara@everydaysimple.org Turn your talk into your walk.

WAR AND MILITARISM

GRASSROOTS MILITARISM: RATIONALIZING WAR
At our Forum on the Dept. of War, three former military personnel claimed they were for peace, when in fact they supported war: they defended the constantly enlarging military budget, had made no effort to prevent the unlawful and deceitful U. S. invasions, and after the invasions occurred they insisted on continuing the wars because we should support the troops. One loved the Department of Defense because it would prevent from happening what happened in 1939 to P.M. Chamberlain and England against Hitler almost 70 years ago. Next time you are at OMNI, buy our bumper sticker that says “Department of Defense” with the Defense crossed over and the word WAR added.

GRASSROOTS MILITARISM: TELLING THE STORIES OF WARRIORS INSTEAD OF PEACE AND JUSTICE MAKERS
TMN (11-13), “War Stories Wanted: Veterans Encouraged to Share Memories with Readers.” Will you ask the editor to ask also for stories from peacemakers, justicemakers, stewards of the environment, human rights defenders? Contact living@nwaonline.net with Front Lines in the subject line.

GRASSROOTS MILITARISM: NEWS OF THE SOLDIERS
Every Sunday TMN reports “about a family member or friend serving in the Middle East, Afghanistan, or the Balkans,” and urges readers to send in news. Why is there not a parallel column for people serving in those places for social and economic justice, for human rights, for species and earth protection? Or does TMN think these nonviolent peaceworkers of less worth than the warriors?

GRASSROOTS MILITARISM: MARINE CORPS MUSEUM
Harrison’s business square includes the “Marine Corps Legacy Museum,” maintained by the Association for the Preservation of U. S. Marine Corps History Inc. A fundraising letter from the Museum to my Dad proudly revealed that 4 new USPS stamps honoring 4 more marines would be sold on First Day Issue only at Marine hdqs. In D.C. and in the Museum in Harrison. There was also to be a ceremony at the John Paul Hammerschmidt Conference Center at North Arkansas College in Harrison. Hammerschmidt was a prominent congressional GOP hawk, who never saw a weapons system he didn’t like. Had enough? That night the Marine Corps Birthday Ball capped the happy day. Well, that’s a tiny aspect of the Warfare State/National Security State USA spread throughout the towns and cities of the nation. Now let’s get serious about creating a Culture of Peace.

GRASSROOTS MILITARISM: RECRUITING
The Dept. of War spends at least $16,000 in promotional costs alone for each soldier signed up—one and a half times the amount the Chicago Public School System spent in 2002 to educate a child. The Dept. of War has a database of 30 million 16 to 25 year-olds, combining names with birth dates, addresses, SS numbers, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, field of academic study, grade-point averages, height, and weight. The Dept. of War estimates that 40% of all JROTC (high school) participants enlists after graduation. (stats from AFSC)



ECOLOGY
Lying about Environmentalists:
R.R. “Ron” Goforth in TMN (11-13) employed the acronym BANANA to “emphasize the foibles of the opposition [to sprawl]”: Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything. Of course, nobody opposes all development. Rather, advocates of planned growth would preserve some greenspace (and their species), including wetland, protect watersheds (and their species), and reduce cars and their air and water pollution. What acronym describes Goforth?

CAPITALISM USA

THANKS TO THE MORNING NEWS
The Fayetteville Free Weekly sold OMNI's Video Underground a $135 ad promoting its Nov. 13th screening of "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.” When FFW came out on Thursday the 10th, we were shocked to find that our ad did not appear. Instead there were 2 ads promoting the pro-WM film! When queried by Video Underground co-organizer Greg Moore, FFW apologized and agreed to print the OMNI ad twice in TMN (FFW and TMN are owned by Stephens Inc.) These ads appeared Sat. the 12th and Sun. the 13th; each ad is worth about $220. Thank Susan Porter when you have the chance.
COMMODIFYING EVERYTHING?
TMN (11-13) had an ad extolling frozen dinner rolls. “Love” (one of our culture’s highest values) has been used to sell countless products; in this ad we are called upon to “Add a little love” to baking the rolls.
REPORTING WAL-MART
Wesley Brown, Business Editor for the Arkansas News Bureau in LR (wbrown@arkansasnews.com) is one of the rare business writers in Arkansas to expose corporate and other business abuse and crime. But in TMN (11-13) he stumbles in his defense of Wal-Mart. His title gives away his game: “Noise from Wal-Mart Haters Drowns Out Positive Messages.” Critics of W-M utter “noise,” W-M speaks “positive message.” His text is no better: two propositions followed by an example. 1) “there is a growing culture of Wal-Mart bashers who see evil behind every Wal-Mart deed,” and 2)”the company’s earnest goodwill…is seen as something sinister by the ever-growing number of Wal-Mart hate groups.” The example: opposition to W-M’s application to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to form a charter bank in Utah. Here is a textbook case of overgeneralization: one example does not prove that opponents of W-M consider all of W-M evil, and certainly they do not, nor that W-M’s instances of goodwill (its reponse to Katrina victims) are sinister. How might he have expressed his idea objectively? “There is a growing culture of Wal-Mart critics who find flaws in W-M’ s treatment of its workers and small business competitors.” Brown will have to work hard in the future to restore his good reputation for journalistic independence.

ARKANSAS PRIORITIES
TMN 11-13, “State Colleges Spending More on Athletics”: “Overall athletic spending at Arkansas-supported universities increased by $5.3 million to $77.6 million for fiscal 2005,” but money from ticket sales rose by about that amount, and “transfers of money from unrestricted state educational funds to athletic funds went up $100,000 to $5.7 million.” Meanwhile, how help poor people, needy children? TMN 11-13: “Fund-Raiser to Benefit Students”: TMN advertises and congratulates itself daily for its “Community Christmas Card Helps Families” drive. How’s it doing? It is sorely needed, since “26% of Arkansas’ children live in poverty, compared to a national average of 18%.” Bentonville’s Needy Children Fund received $723 from last year’s Community Christmas Card drive.” Did they say $723?! I remember when I was a child in Harrison, AR, my mother drove to a few homes of poor people with Christmas baskets, and we all felt pretty good about it. And still poverty is treated to the old failed charity, instead of building a national jobs program, and reducing athletics.

GENOCIDE
From Prof. Sam Totten: The situation in Darfur has degenerated and the Government of Sudan troops and Janjaweed are committing an ever-increasing number of atrocities. I am still trying to collect hundreds, if not thousands, of signatures on a petition. I am thinking that if members of OMNI have good contacts with different churches in the area that might be a way to go to get the petitions signed. Do you think that is feasible? (Please contact Prof. Totten at: stotten@uark.edu)



Perpetuate Thomas Paine’s legacy - A Thomas Paine Day! Those that appreciate Thomas Paine and want to perpetuate his legacy should contact your Arkansas State Rep. and Senator asking for a Proclamation to be enacted recognizing January 29 every year as THOMAS PAINE DAY. WHY? - BECAUSE OF THIS: “Without the pen of Paine the Sword of Washington would have been wielded in vein!” …John Adams. And “With his name left out … the history of Liberty cannot be written.” …Robert G. Ingersoll. A proposed Proclamation and further information can be obtained from Jack Makens, 444-8149 or moral_capitalism@juno.com Also there will be a table having mementoes, books and handouts at the Farmers Market Sat. the 19th. This effort is backed by Thomas Paine Friends, Inc. www.thomaspainefriends.org - Their efforts have resulted in 9 States issuing a Proclamation. Make Arkansas the 10th!



USA, WORLD

Click http://www.millionphonemarch.com/patriot.htm to oppose the Patriot Act

Click http://www.nocrony.com/no_conservative.htm to oppose the Alito Nomination



SUPPORTING THE TROOPS: STARTING A DIALOG
I suspect many of us wonder how a peace organization might respond to Veterans
Day. On that Day we are called upon to remember and celebrate veterans’ sacrifices. If we protest the war, we are subject to Pres. Nixon’s standard criticism of opponents of the war. In the Nixon Oval Office tapes at the National Archives, on 2 May 1970, Nixon told his aides that protesters were to be accused of “giving aid and comfort to the enemy.” On 9 May, Nixon’s enforcer Chuck Colson told the FBI to send its Fonda files directly to the White House. The question for us becomes then: How might we repudiate illegal and brutal wars, without necessarily condemning the soldiers ordered to fight them by their chauvinistic, imperialistic civilian and military commanders? I have seen the slogan, “Honor the Warrior Not the War.” But OMNI adheres to a nonviolent (though not pacifist) philosophy. We honor peacemakers not warriors. We can conceive of the soldiers as victims, for many went to war simply because they were ordered to, or were deceived by the nation’s leaders to believe the cause was just. But what about the soldiers who were eager and willing supporters of the war, who believed in the invasions and the nation right or wrong? Can we consider them victims? Should we support them? The call to “support the troops” has an immense political importance also beyond sympathy for the soldiers, for once the war has started—no matter how illegally and fraudulently—the public’s abililty to stop it is almost nullified by the call to patriotically support the troops. And the peace movement’s slogan, expressed in a famous song, “Support the Troops, Bring Them Home,” has so far not inspired popular conviction. Send me your thoughts for this Newsletter if wish or just as a private communication which I might summarize.

TERRORISM
Why did terrorists led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi bomb the hotels in Jordan? Let’s share what we learn, to help make sense of it. An AP writer in TMN (11-14) gave these 3 motives or goals: “toppling pro-American Arab rulers, erecting an Islamic caliphate, and targeting Israel.” Fred Ghitis in ADG (11-11) wrote: “the real objective is to undermine and ultimately depose the secular Jordanian government of King Abdullah II.”



TORTURE
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/051114fa_fact
amazing and extremely disturbing article from the New Yorker: “A Deadly Interrogation: Can the C.I.A. legally kill a prisoner?” by Jane Mayer



HABEAS CORPUS, EISENHOWER, AND BUSH
AT the end of the film (still showing at Fiesta Square), “Good Night, Good Luck,” Pres. Eisenhower is shown denouncing Senator McCarthy for McCarthy’s attacks on habeas corpus, the foundation of criminal justice. Now Pres. Bush advocates its elimination for the Guantanamo prisoners.

HUMAN RIGHTS: A BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTURE USA
”The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation.” “The right of every family to a decent home.” “The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health.” “The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment.” “The right to a good education” For more see Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union address, Jan. 11, 1944.



VIOLENCE
NATIONAL INDEX FINDS TREND OF LESSENING VIOLENCE AND HARM IN THE U.S.
TREATMENT OF MOST VULNERABLE A NOTABLE EXCEPTION
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. (November 12, 2005) – According to the National Index of Violence and Harm (NIVAH) people in the U.S. are experiencing less violence and harm than a decade ago. Overall there has been improvement in fourteen of the nineteen variables measured over the period studied (1995-2003), with twelve of these positive trends being statistically significant.* Furthermore, 13 of the 19 improved from 2002 to 2003. One notable exception is in how we treat our most vulnerable. This is seen in an increase in those without health insurance and a dramatic rise in hunger and homelessness.
IF YOU WISH TO RECEIVE PERIODIC UPDATES ON THE NATIONAL INDEX OF VIOLENCE AND HARM, WRITE "mailto:NJWOLLMAN@MANCHESTER.EDU" WITH “SEND NIVAH UPDATES” IN THE SUBJECT LINE.
US NATIONAL AND PERSONAL DEBTS
Time for another party
My figures may not be exact, but in general George W. Bush has put Americans in debt to foreigners more than $ 1. 2 trillion. That’s $ 30, 000 per average American family of four, climbing by $ 4, 500 per year. By the time Bush is out of office, just the interest on what Americans owe to foreigners will be more than what they pay for food, heating oil or even their house mortgage. Each family will owe $ 30, 000 at least, more than many owe on their homes. Bush claims the war is to spread democracy and freedom, but it is being financed by the Chinese and Saudis…. The average American taxpayer now pays more in taxes to foreigners, as interest on the debt, than the average American colonist had to pay to King George at the time of the tea party and revolution. It is time for another tea party. Marianne Beasley, Fayetteville, ADG 11-12



ELECTIONS

“Powerful Government Accountability Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings”
by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman October 26, 2005

article can be found at: http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1529

The GAO report sited can be found at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05956.pdf



SOCIAL JUSTICE

TMN (8-31), “Poverty Continues to Increase” by AP writer Jennifer Kerr. “…the number of Americans who fell into poverty rose to 37 million--up 1.1 million from 2003—according to Census Bureau figures,” and of those living below the poverty level “close to a third were children.” Also, “the number of people without health insurance edged up by about 800,000 to 45.8 million people.” What are your priorities? What are Arkansas’?




TAKE ACTION

CONTACTING OUR POLITICAL LEADERS

Check out http://www.congress.org . Congress.org is a service of Capitol Advantage, a private, non-partisan company facilitating civic participation. Congress.org allows users to:
-Identify and contact leaders in Congress, the White House, and state legislatures.- Post letters online in Letters to Leaders and read what other Americans are saying to elected officials.- Create and post Soapbox action alerts to enlist others on your issue.- Have letters printed and hand-delivered to Congress.- Find and contact local and national media by ZIP code or by state with Media Guide.- Have your representative's votes sent to you weekly via e-mail with MegaVote.- Search alerts and take action in the Issues and Action area Go to http://www.capitoladvantage.com/capwiz/contact.html to get your organization's alerts on Congress.org, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL and more sites). (thanks to Chris D)



--Senator Blanche Lincoln: Web Site: www.lincoln.senate.gov
Washington Office:355 Dirksen Senate Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20510-0404
Phone: (202) 224-4843 Fax: (202) 228-1371. Fayetteville office: 251-1380;.

--Senator Mark Pryor: Web Site: pryor.senate.gov
Washington Office:217 Russell Senate Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20510-0403
Phone: (202) 224-2353 Fax: (202) 228-0908
Main District Office:700 W. Capitol, Rm. 2527 Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: (501) 324-6336 Fax: (501) 324-5320



--Congressman John Boozman, District 3, 12 counties from Benton to Washington

Lowell office: 479-725-0400. 213 W. Monroe, Suite K, 72745. Steve Gray, coodinator of office. Heath Hasenbeck, intern (one of them). Boozman's new office in Lowell is in the Puppy Creek Plaza, past the McDonald's on the right. His suite is in the back of the complex to the left.

Ft. Smith office: 479-782-7787; 30 Soutt 6th St. Rm 240, Ft. Smith 72901.

Harrison office: 870-741-6900; 402 N. Walnut, Suite 210, Harrison 72601.

DC address: 1708 Longworth House Office Bldng., Washington, DC 20515; 202-225-4301. Leslie Parker, in charge of scheduling: 202-225-4301.




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. GRASSROOTS NONVIOLENCE, WORLD PEACE, HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL and ECONOMIC JUSTICE, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PROTECTING SPECIES AND THE EARTH.


From Howard Zinn: "To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of
compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in
this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it
destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places
- and there are so many - where people have behaved magnificently, this
gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this
spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in
however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future.
The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we
think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is
itself a marvelous victory" (in You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A
personal history of our times, p. 208)