OMNI NEWSLETTER August 4, 2006

AUGUST 4, 2006   CREATING A CULTURE OF PEACE

Editor: Dick Bennett

OMNI is located in the United Campus Ministry (Presbyterian Student Center) 902 W. Maple, corner of Maple and Storer, just north of UA’s Old Main.   The main entrance is on the west side.  Parking in back.  Look for OMNI’s portable outdoor signs.

These newsletters are intended not only to inform, but to provide ideas and materials for your actions--for letters to editors and to our congressional delegation, for resolutions in your organizations, for questions to politicians at meetings.   You are welcome to all the contents.   All entries are written or revised by Dick Bennett unless otherwise noted.

TOLL-FREE NUMBERS to call Congress: 888-355-3588 and 800-828-0498.  See end for details on Lincoln, Pryor, and Boozman.

Contents:

Past Events

Current Events

Fayetteville

NWA

Arkansas

USA  (Bush)

World (Iraq, Lebanon)

PAST EVENTS

CHENEY DEMONSTRATION July 24, 2006At least 45 protesters attended today's Antiwar Demonstration at Springdale's Northwest Arkansas Convention Center.   Several protesters were interviewed by local KNWA TV. A group from out of town called World Can't Wait joined us. For more info on World Can't Wait, go to www.worldcantwait.net/     You can view photos at the following link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/omnipix/sets/72157594210455673/  (from Chris)

CURRENT EVENTS

AUGUST 5, SATURDAY

FIRST SATURDAY DEMONSTRATION AND RAPID RESPONSE

DEMONSTRATION AT JOYCE AND MALL, 10:30 TO NOON

Across from McDonald’s.   Join us to oppose this heinous war that has killed so many innocent civilians and our soldiers.  Make your voice heard with a sign.

RAPID RESPONSE WRITERS THIS SATURDAY AT FIRE MT. BUFFET

Next to Home Depot, south of Dixie Café.  11:30 in reserved dining room.  Join us to share ideas about writing reasonable, persuasive letters to the warmakers, totalitarians, land and species destroyers in power and in our society. 

AUGUST 5, SATURDAY, PETITIONS AT FARMER’S MARKET

Join us at the SW corner of Fayetteville Square to solicit signatures on petititions to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan (the chaos and killing have only worsened), not to invade Iran, to impeach Pres. Bush, and our latest: ceasefire in Lebanon.   Each week we send these signatures to our Congressional Delegation, and we intend to keep it up until they take action for peace.    We should also demonstrate at the offices of our congressman and senators, and we need a coordinator.   Will you find a few hours a week for these actions?

August 5, 10 a.m.,  Paige Mulhollan lecture on butterflies at Shilow Museum.

AUGUST 6, HIROSHIMA-NAGASAKI REMEMBRANCE

5:00 p.m. Setting up tables

5:45 Preparing procession

6:00 p.m. Procession led by Giant Peace Crane from intersection of  Arkansas  Ave. and Lafayette St. to Old Main, around building to  Fulbright Fountain.   (Dick: All of you who have walked ever since we began the procession please come again, and all you who have not, welcome.  We can represent the presence of peace by our number.)

6:30 p.m. Welcome: Melanie Dietzel

                -- Hiroshima Prayer: Responsive Reading lead by Rev. Libby Lizarrago

               -- Proclamation from Representative of the Mayor's Office, Council Member Lionel Jordan

7:00 p.m. Brenda Coda singing  From Belfast to Boston by James Taylor, accompanied by Kelly Mulhollan and Donna Stjerna

               --Traditional Japanese Music on the Koto from Chiko Sekiguchi

               --Poem by Toge Sankichi:Hibakusha (A bomb survivor) read by Joe Guinn

7:20 pm. Reading of Names of Iraqi War Dead ------Raiya Ebini

              Reading of Names of U.S. Troops War Dead   ----Nora Skattebo

7:30p.m. Comments from Dick Bennett, President of the Omni Center

               Kelly Mulhollan and Donna Stjerna performing  Please, Pass the Peace

Please stop by the Organization Tables

Join us following the program for light refreshments at the Omni Center located at Presbyterian United Campus Ministry, 902 W. Maple

 AUGUST 7 & 8, FILMING SHORT TAKES AT CAT.  Here is OMNI’s special TV opportunity, where you can make your voice heard in the homes of Fayetteville and Springdale.  Speak your views or read something on peace, justice, and ecology.

AUGUST 9, NAGASAKI DESTROYED BY NUCLEAR BOMB

AUGUST 11, OMNI PRESENTATION AT BUTTERFIELD TRAIL, 7PM

Gladys Tiffany created the power point history of OMNI.  Dick will intro. and discuss.

AUGUST 12 AND ALL SATURDAYS, PETITION TABLE AT FARMER’S MARKET 7am to noon.     Come sign to remove our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, decry invasion of Iran, cease fighting in Lebanon, impeach Pres. Bush.  Join us for an hour or two.  The more volunteers we have, the more signatures, for people do not just walk up to the table.

August 12  “National Emergency March on Washington will bring together people from all over the United States. Initiated by the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism), the National Council of Arab Americans (NCA), and the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation.  This is not simply an Israeli assault -- this a joint partnership between the Israeli government and the Bush Administration. We, in the United States, must do everything in our power to build the largest possible mass opposition to this war against the people of Lebanon and Palestine.”

AUGUST 13, SUNDAY, VIDEO UNDERGROUND

Based on the best-selling John le Carré novel and from the Academy Award-nominated director of "City of God." In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is found brutally murdered. Tessa's companion, a doctor, appears to have fled the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa's widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife's infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth - a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.
Show Time: 129 Minutes

AUGUST 14 AND 15 FILMING SHORT TAKES

A special opportunity advocate world peace, social and economic justice, human rights, and environmental stewardship.

AUGUST 17, THURSDAY, OMNI STEERING COMMITTEE

5:30potluck, 6:00 business.  All welcome.  Participate in your peace, justice, ecology organization. 

AUGUST 19, SATURDAY, Petitions at Fayetteville Square, 7 to noon.  Have you signed our petitions yet?  Will you help solicit signatures an hour?

AUGUST 20, SUNDAY, at 6:30 pm.   HOWL: women's open mic!
Join us for HOWL, our monthly 3rd Sunday celebration of women's words at the OMNI center. Women are invited to read poems (their own or another woman writer), share short prose, do storytelling, sing songs, etc. Men and women are warmly invited to attend. Reading starts at 6:30pm; doors open about 6pm. HOWL is a co-production of Herwords and the Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology.
The main entrance is on the west side. Reading held on the lower level.   Parking in back and along Storer.
Please tell your writing friends about HOWL. They can get on the mailing list by sending a request to howl@herwords.org

August 21, UA classes resume.

August 23, Sierra Club

August 25, Unity of Fayetteville presents a film based on the universal Law of Attraction called " The Secret"  Friday, Aug 25th 7pm  4880 W Wedington Dr     479-442-0680.  Donation.  Refreshments.

AUGUST 27, VIDEO UNDERGROUND

September 2, Arkansas UN/USA at Maumelle.  Keep alive the great hopes of the UN and its many humanitarian agencies and activities.    Would be good to have an OMNI member attend.

SEPTEMBER 3, SUNDAY, OPEN MIC RESUMES 7PM

September 11, 100^th anniversary of Gandhi’s first nonviolent action.  Also Patriot Day, a good time to explain what true patriotism, in contrast to flag patriotism, is.

SEPTEMBER 10, VIDEO UNDERGROUND

SEPTEMBER 16, SATURDAY, UA OMNI’S PEACE ON EARTH MUSIC FESTIVAL

Greek Amphitheatre, UofA.

September 16,  Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas  organizing the 2006 HWOA conference at the University of Akansas at the continuing Education Building.

SEPTEMBER 17, SUNDAY, HOWL

SEPTEMBER 21, THURSDAY, OMNI’S STEERING COMMITTEE

SEPTEMBER 21, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE, WORLDWIDE CEASEFIRE DAY

SEPTEMBER 23, SATURDAY, RELIGIOUS PEACE TRADITIONS ROUNDTABLE

Hindu: Murthy Kolluru, Catholic: Dr. Anne Marie Candido, Episcopal: Rev. Joslin, and others.

September 23-30, Banned Books Week

SEPTEMBER 24, VIDEO UNDERGROUND

SEPTEMBER 26, Washington, DC , mass rally as part of the Declaration of Peace, which pledges nonviolent actions for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq if Congress has not begun to end the war by September 21, International Peace Day.    Organized by the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance.   Peacemakers are urgedto pressure their congressional representatives to promote and vote for legislation that cuts off funding for the war and brings the troops home.  info@declarationofpeace.org   (from The Nuclear Resister).  [OMNI has been gathering signatures for withdrawal for 4 months, each week sending a new batch to our senators and congressman..  We hope to have an event Sept. 21

October 7, 9 to 6, Natural State Expo 2006,  Statehouse Convention Center, showcases the sustainable side of Arkansas.  www.naturalstateexpo.org

October 15-17, ACLU Membership Conference, Washington, DC, “Stop the Abuse of Power”

www.aclu.org/conference

November 17-19, annual nonviolent vigil and direct action to close the School of the Americas/WHINSEC.  Call 202-234-3440, www.soaw.org   From Jack Gilroy in Witness: Fr. Roy Bourgeois persuaded Pres. Chavez of Venezuela, and the presidents of Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina to remove his troops from Ft. Benning, and will go to Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Paraguay this August. 

MAY  1-7, 2007, BIKERS FOR PEACE

Cyclists from NYC to DC, especially to denounce nuclear weapons and to support the victims of Semipalatinsk, Nevada, Chernobyl.  www.bikeforpeace.no (from The Nuclear Resister).  Be OMNI’s representative?

FAYETTEVILLE

CAT COMMUNITY ACCESS TELEVISION ORIENTATION IS FREE

Twice each month, 1^st Wednesday from 6 to 7pm, and 3^rd Saturday from 12 noon to 1pm.

UA INCREASES FUNDING FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

From $6,000 to $311,000, and with a new director, History  Prof. Charles Robinson II, UA students will have many more opportunities  in a minor or combined major from African American History to African Religions.

MALLS AND FREE SPEECH

Access to speech is guaranteed on the “public fora” sidewalks of USA.  But those fora were drastically decreased when private malls replaced city downtowns.  Free speech is not allowed at the NWA Mall.  But I wonder if its “Wing Fest” Aug. 19 opens it to challenge.  The Mall has persuaded area restaurants to offer chicken wings to raise money for US soldiers in Iraq, a partisan political activity.  (TMN 7-30).  Someone check out the law?

Fayetteville peacemaker’s new book

Cliff Mikkelson, Gospel of One/Letters of Aul.  Trafford, 2006.  To purchase a copy contact the author:  clffmkk@hotmail.com    “—Cliff:   “I see it as a book with solutions for our problems because the viewpoint is the oneness of all life.  We can go on and on about the faults of politicians and religious fanatics and warmongers and others, but I believe the solutions are in correcting our own  faults and seeing everyone as part of the one life of the Creator.  This is not to say that exposing the truth (and the lies and propaganda) about governments and big corporations isn't important. It is.” 

[Understanding oneness of species will require a change of perception.  In the animated film, “The Ant Bully, an ant colony rebels against a 10-year-old tormentor by shrinking the boy to their size and making him see how they live.]

NWA

OMNI’S PEACE POLES

Are sold as soon as they appear at ONF.  Give thanks to Donna and Kelly who originated them and painted so many, to all who have contributed to their construction (the carpenter Jeffrey Seidensticker, some 2000 by now, a positive, popular aspect of OMNI’s Culture of Peace), and to Leonard Schulte, who during the past year has painted hundreds by himself.  Now Leonard is returning to teaching at NWAAC and would appreciate help.  He offers to continue painting the stakes white, but asks for others to paint the red and blue and “peace.”  Will one or two of you coordinate that?  Call Leonard.

PUBLIC RELATIONS.   We have not included NWACC in our publicity scope.  Will you, or do you have a friend who works at NWACC who will help us advert. OMNI's activities?  Reply to Dick.   [Since writing this I have written to several faculty there and to Mr. Jim Hall.   What other suggestions?]

COUNTERING GRASSROOTS MILITARISM.  

---TMN’s weekly glorification of war continues in its “Front Lines” stories of soldiers.  Send your story about a peacemaker to Dick for a collection.  Send to a magazine; e.g. Ozarks Magazine (www.ozarksmagazine.com).  Comment: Day after day, page after page, we read in our newspapers about petty criminals.  Never do the papers give us information about the numerous peace heroes who illuminate our nation.  That is why The Nuclear Resister is so important, for every issue vibrates with the stories of resisters for peace and justice, including up to date information about political prisoners in US jails and prisons.  And the magazine is made illustrious for a second reason: It has been edited for over a decade by Jack and Felice Cohen-Joppa, whose self-lessness is extraordinary.  Call Dick to borrow an issue of the magazine, to support Jack and Felice and the prisoners.  And write your peacemaker story!

---Vietnam War Art, at Rogers Historical Museum exclusively by and about US.  The traveling exhibit, “The Vietnam Experience,”  portrays the experience of only our side, and specifically of the U.S. Navy.  Where is the Vietnamese experience?  So long as nations exhibit only their perception of a war (Got Mit Uns), wars will continue.   Presenting both experiences is possible and is being done in collections of poems and stories and in novels and histories, and in the great cemetery on Okinawa where all the combatants and civilians killed in the WWII battle are commemorated.  This jingoistic article promoting the art show is written by the director of the Museum, Gaye Bland .  How best reply to it/him?      (TMN 7-24, 3D).

---The Harrison Post Office is to be named for former congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt, who never saw a military appropriation or weapon he didn’t like.  The new Fayetteville PO was named after a Congr. Medal of Honor winner.   Let us continue to promote peacemakers until the Hammerschmidts are no longer appropriate appropriate for our goverernment buildings.

RADIO COMPUTER STREAMING

  Attached is a stream link to OMNI Free Radio for beta-testing.
    We will broadcast every afternoon from 4 PM or so until late night when I am home.      If link doesn't work, go to this site:       http://orchidville.homedns.org:8000       and click listen       OR      open a media player (e.g., Windows Media Player) , click   File -> Open (or Open URL)    and copy/paste this URL above into the text box.        Due to lack of adequate surge protection and no UPS, OFR shuts down during thunder storms, tornados, when I'm not home, and over-night.       –Carl

ECOLOGY

NWA AIR QUALITY?

Maryland passed strong legislation to reduce emissions of four pollutants from the state’s power plants (mercury, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide).  How does NWA compare to Maryland”s?  What is NWA air quality now as compared to quality prior to the power plant in Gentry?   What is air quality along I-540?   How IS water being affected?   What is being done to decrease these pollutants?

SPRINGDALE’S PASSES HUGE BOND ISSUE FOR A BASEBAL STADIUM THAT SEATS 6000 PEOPLE.  Great for business and fun-seekers, ouch for the farmland, oops for the increased traffic/CO2, and so what  about NWA’s real needs.

BOTTLED WATER: DON’T BUY STOCK IN BW

1.6 gallons per capita bottled water consumed in US in 1976.  26.1 gallons in 2005.  $10 billion value of bottled-water market in US in 2005.  But this profit will surely plummet.  BW is not as safe as regulated public water;  its bottles are made from plastic, made from oil; for which the US is invading and bombing; and they are transported long distances by gas guzzling, CO2 emitting trucks.   The public is growing aware of the irrational self-wounding of bottled water, so sell your stock.

Brenda Blagg in “Water Allows Growth” (TMN  8-4) well defends watersheds and warns about growth that damages watersheds and water.  She does not mention gobal warming, which must and will be added to all such arguments regarding growth. 

THE LARGER PICTURE: AIR AND WATER, NWA WETLAND, FARMLAND, BYPASS

“Over the last  two centuries, the continental United States has lost more than 50 percent of its original wetlands” (Nat. Wildlife,  Aug.-Sept.).   Is NWA better or worse?   What is being done to prevent further loss throughout NWA?  Or is the “saving” mainly cant?  Same questions to be asked about farmland.  Leaders have not yet begun to engage GLOBAL WARMING either.  Discussion is under way whether to build a bypass around Prairie Grove or improve the highway along the existing route.  (TMN 8-2).   The bypass will promote sprawl, decrease wetland and farmland, increase traffic and speed, increase air  and water pollution, increase warming (CO2), and enrich realtors, developers, highway contractors, and bankers.  The old route will restrain sprawl, promote density,  destroy less wetland and farmland, create less traffic and CO2, less air and water pollution, and enrich realtors, developers, highway contractors, and bankers, but perhaps not as much.  OMNI and the NWA environmental movement needs someone to coordinate resistance to bypass sprawling. 

ARKANSAS

ARKANSAS NEEDS

---“Deprived Youths Lose Funds to Free Summer Program,” (ADG 7-9): “Congress cut [the National Youth Sports program’s] funding from the fiscal year 2006 budgeet to allocate more money to war efforts, Hurrican Katrina relief, and homeland security….”  The program “has served at least 30,000 of the sstate’s children since the program began in Pine Bluff in 1969.”

---“A Surplus Idea” by Dana Kelley (ADG 7-28), advocates spending Arkansas’ budget surplus on “a passenger railroad program to and from select cities.”  The worsening traffic will eventually be desperate.  (He could have made a stronger case by mentioning global warming/CO2 from the traffic.)  Meanwhile the federal government subsidizes airlines/CO2 with $14 billion a year and auto/CO2 with $40 billion.  But only one billion for Amtrak.

---“Beebe Proposes Statewide Prekindergarten” (TMN 8-2).   Beebe proposed a $40 million expansion of voluntary prekindergarten classes to reach the $100 million necessary for the entire state.

ARKANSAS POLITICIANS, VEHICLE FUEL, WARMING

Both gubernatorial candidates, Beebe and Hutchinson, support converting state vehicles to biodiesel, “to save the state money and help out Arkansas farmers,” Beebe said.  They should be applauded for making this start.  And we should be prepared to question them:  How much money?  How help farmers?  Make food soy and corn scarce and raise price?  Affect on the poor?  They don’t mention global warming.  How much will the biodiesel decrease CO2?  Two radical moves will be necessary to reduce       much  cleaner fuel and severely decreased consumption of fossil fuels.  What are their proposals on consumption?

USA

ORGANIC FARMING

Washington State U is starting our country’s first organic  organic farming degree.  A univ. in Canada and one in Wales already offer degrees.  Michigan SU and Colorado State are preparing.  ADG (7-9-06).  And UofA?

RED TIDE, POPULATION, WARMING

Red tide is worsening in Florida because of an increase of human population and their sewage, fertilizer, and other nutrients in Florida’s waters.   The red tide in 2005 covered some 25,000 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico, and its financial impact was an est. $49 to $240 million. (“Scientist Challenges…” TMN 7-31).  POPULATION—people producing CO2-- is obviously also a major cause of GLOBAL WARMING.  China’s population and industrial growth could quadruple its pollution during the next 15 years, surpassing the U.S. as the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, if not checked.  (“China’s Air Pollution…” TMN 7-31).

OIL, WARMING

Offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. advanced with a Senate bill to expand leasing in an 8.3 million-acre protected area.   Senators Lincoln and Pryor voted to begin debate (TMN 7-30).    The WARMING fossil fuel regime continues.   The House earlier approved lifting the quarter-century drilling freeze in Pacific and Atlantic coastal waters.  “Lobbying powerhouses” like the NAM and US CofC “have led the charge.” (“Interest Intensifies…”    TMN 7-31). 

WAL-MART

WakeUpWalMart.com, launched in 2005 by the United Food and Commercial Workers union,  is traveling the nation by bus calling on Wal-Mart for higher pay and better health insurance for workers.  (TMN 7-31). 

BUSH

IMPEACH BUSH, CHENEY, ET AL.

FELONIES

--It is a felony to present false or misleading information to Congress.  The film Uncoverred: The War on Iraq by Robert Greenwald presents some two dozen former government officials testifying to the lies and misinformation regarding the invasion of Iraq by Pres. Bush, VP Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfowitz, Powell, et al.  They decided to invade Iraq and then manipulated evidence to justify it (e.g., altering the National Intelligence Estimate) and exalted the reliability of lying Iraqi defectors such as Ahmad Chalabi, who sought to regain their former power in Iraq.  OMNI owns this powerful film, but if you can afford it buy a copy yourself and show it at a party at your house, or give it to a school, anything to get it shown.  Two of the former officials in the film are Ann Wright and Ray McGovern.  OMNI was to bring Ms. Wright here August 6, and McGovern Oct. 6, but Ms. Wright had to cancel.

--An American Bar Association task force “in a highly critical” report says that Pres. Bush’s “penchant for writing exceptions to laws he has just signed violates the Constitution.”  TMN (7-24-06) 2B.  From Barbara J:    “The American Bar Association has come out against the President's use of "signing statements" as unconstitional. A link to their report is below.  Damning.”

Shortcut to:

http://www.abanet.org/op/signingstatements/aba_final_signing_statements_recommendation-report_7-24-06.pdf

--Illegal Invasion.  Recognition of US violation of UN charter by invading a non-threatening nation and by disregarding the UN Security Council is widening.  John Butler of Rogers denounced the Pres. (TMN 7-25-06) for rejecting the UN’s plan for Iraq and deciding “instead, to make the U. S. an aggressor nation.”

--Recognition also of Bush’s violations of U.S. Constitution growing; e.g., Greg Weymann, Green Forest, in ADG (7-11):  Article I, Section 8, only Congress has power to declare war; only Congress has power to make rules dealing with enemies seized during war. 

--“Rendition” for TORTURE (i.e., outsourcing torture)  Amnesty International reported torture of terrorism suspects in Jordan “on behalf of the United States in hopes of forcing confessions.”   ”  …more than 100 defendants in terrorism-related trials in Jordan have complained….”  

--Rejection and undermining of science, scientific method, and scientific data.  Marsha Mercer in TMN, “Pictures Don’t Tell Whole Stem Cell Story,” (7-25)  condemns Bush’s vetoing of the stem cell research bill for its ignorance, deception, and negative consequences for the “millions of Americans with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, juvenile diabetes, some cancers and other conditions….”

---9-11:  “Loose Change 1,” “Loose Change 2.”  Films.  www.loosechange911.com   See also the American Scholars Symposium on C-SPAN.   And read Webster Tarpley, 9-11 Sunthetic Terror: Made in USA and George Buish: The Unauthorized Biography.

--Increasing no. of people perceive the deep and wide scope of Pres. Bush’s wrongdoings: debt, corruption, wiretaps, torture, etc. (letter to ADG  by Steven Owen, NLR, 3-22). 

--MILITARISM.  Much of the above is about militarism USA.  Another example: rape in military.  Amy Goodman in “Democracy Now” interviewed Susan Avila Smith of Women Organizing Women, a support group for women raped during military service.  Example: Army Spec. Suzanne Swift, www.suzanneswift.org   Rape more frequent during war, but it is present in military bases through the U.S. during peacetime too.

--- See "The Talk of the Town" analysis of Cheney (New Yorker March 13) listing  faults and his low favorability rating of 23%.

--Read www.newamericancentury.org to remember this Admin.’s plan to dominate the world.

--FSTV presented a program 8-2 on Bush Admin. war crimes (violations of Geneva Conventions) in Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantanamo, and elsewhere.  “Enemy combatant” is a subterfuge to evade prosecution under Geneva Conventions; “extraordinary rendition” is a euphemism for outsourcing torture; utter disregard of the International Criminal Court (where US criminals would be tried); US atrocities reflect Bush Admin. contempt for other peoples as lesser humans and for the rule of law.  I missed the title, but the director and producer is  Christine Rose.

ARE YOU TALKING WITH LINCOLN, PRYOR, AND BOOZMAN?

PENTAGON/THE WAR DEPARTMENT BUDGET

TMN (8-4, 2B): The enormous bi-partisan Pentagon 2006-07 budget of $453 billion is going up again and again, and the separate costs of the Afghan and Iraq invasions and occupations are rising (already $450 billion and more to come in the next budget)..  Are the Democrats helping?  They proposed $10 billion more to repair and replace equipment  damaged in Iraq.  (A Republican upped the amount to $13 billion.  Each party—together the WAR Party-- tries to out-military the other.) 

CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM

Michelle Goldberg, “Saving Secular Society,” In these Times (June 2006): “The influence of Christian nationalism in public schools, courts, social services, and doctors’ offices will deform American life, renddering it ever more pinched, mean, and divided.”

WORLD

UN FUNDS FOR HUMANITARIAN AID

Only one-third of the budget needed for aid in 2006 (Darfur, etc.)  has been given, or only $1.7 billion of $4.8 billion.  That’s the “equivalent of 48 hours of worldwide military spending,” the majority of that by the US, which will spend over $500 billion on the illegal, atrociousl invasion and occupation of Iraq.  Write and call your congressional delegation.

SUPPORT THE UN.  “UNICEF is committed to creating a world where children can grow up happy, healthy, and hopeful, where they can learn with pride and live with dignity, where every child is free simply to be a child.”

Support a DEPARTMENT OF PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE

Peaceful approaches to global problems has been reasserted by Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio in H.R. 3760 with 59 co-sponsors to establish a Dept. of Peace and Nonviolence.  “This legislation will raise prevention of domestic and international conflict, and working for nonviolent resolutions to conflict…to the same or higher level of governmental priority as violent or repressive responses.”  See Witness: Newsletter of FOR (Summer 2006).

Democracynow.org  for important stories and perspectives that are not otherwise getting much if any coverage. it offers truly excellent reporting and interviews on this situation and iraq and all news of the day.   IF YOU DON’T SEE IT ON CAT:   it's heard/seen mon thru fri on Pacifica radio stations, some npr and community tv stations, on DirecTV and dish network and other satellite tv, and online, of course
to find a station in your area go to:  http://www.democracynow.org/stations.pl?op=fullsearch&broadcast=all   (from Lisa M)

ISLAM AND USA from FSTV

FSTV Rapid Response Programs

GLOBAL WARMING/CO2

--MILITARISM, WARS, OIL

The military is one of the greatest users of oil and therefore a great source of CO2 in the atmosphere.  “Oil on Ice” (FSTV) protests drilling in our nature preserve.  Pressure for drilling comes from the military-industrial complex.  See:  www.action,freespeech.org

---ALASKA, “Alaska Meltdown” (National Wildlife, Aug.-Sept. 2006):  “Across our northernmost state, ponds and wetlands vital to wildlife are draining away as global warming melts underlying permafrost.”

--“Baked Alaska,” FSTV, consequences of CO2 warming on Alaska.

INDIVIDUAL AND ECOLOGICAL WELLBEING

HAPPY PLANET INDEX  use google for full explanation  (from John Ward)

How it is calculated

The HPI incorporates three separate indicators: ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life expectancy. The statistical calculations that underlie the HPI are quite complex. However conceptually, it is straight forward and intuitive:

The HPI reflects the average years of happy life produced by a given society, nation or group of nations, per unit of planetary resources consumed. Put another way, it represents the efficiency with which countries convert the earth’s finite resources into well-being experienced by their citizens.

US INVADES IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

--OMNI’s Steering Committee has decided to advocate withdrawal from Afghanistan also.   Our peitition this Sat. August 5 will ask the Bush Admin. to leave both Iraq and Afghanistan, an experiment to see what is the response.  Mike Trammil has gathered a host of argument in support of Afghan. withdrawal:  wheeler65@gmail.com   Please send him and Chris Delacruz  materials and your opinion.    

--OIL AND US MIDDLE EAST POLICIES: FILM SYRIANA

USA Weekend July 21-23 interviewed Joseph Romm on the accuracy of George Clooney’s Syriana:  “the basic idea that our foreign policy has been corrupted by our addiction to oil is true.”

---Molly Ivins, “Eye to Eye in Iraq” (6-15-06): Iraq “is a putrid human, social, and political disaster, and getting worse, not better.  The people who got us into this should not be forgiven.”

---OIL AND INVASION

The former Oil Minister of Saudia Arabia in a documentary on FSTV said that the desire for oil and defense o f Israel generated U. S. Middle East policy, and oil was the reason for the invasion of Iraq.  (I missed the title, but it was by Nordic Films/Pandora Films.

--OIL AND CORPORATE PROFITS

“Chevron Net Hits Record High,” TMN (7-29-06).  Chevron netted $4.35 billion during the 2^nd quarter, April-June, “an 18% increase” over same time last year and “the largest three-month profit in Chevron’s 127-year history.”

“Oil Companies’ Profit Soars,” TMN 7-28: ExxonMobil netted more than $10 billion in the second quarter, a 36% quarterly earnings boost.

POWER POINT LECTURES ON IRAQ WAR (thanks to Chris) Dear Folks,
I found these PowerPoint presentations with Google's advanced search page.

Here's a link to my google search of PowerPoint presentations with the keywords "Iraq" and "antiwar"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&as_qdr=all&q=iraq+antiwar+filetype%3Appt&btnG=Search

Here's a link to a free download of MicroSoft's PowerPoint viewer
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=428d5727-43ab-4f24-90b7-a94784af71a4&DisplayLang=en

[PPT] Media Democracy

[PPT] War Reporting I – From the Falklands to Gulf War I

[PPT] Slide 1

[PPT] A Working Vision

[PPT] www.motherearth.org/fme/foei.ppt

[PPT] sdf

[PPT] Affirming a Plurality of Voices: The Global Independent Media ...

[PPT] Are you lost?

[PPT] An Introduction to Maneuver Warfare

[PPT] NO MORE NUCLEAR EXCUSES FOR WAR!

---Chris Toensing, “Why Exiting Iraq Won’t Be Easy,” In TheseTtimes (June 2006).  “The U.S. occupation…is still one of the causes [of violence], and it cannot be the cure.  The one partial blessing the United States can bestow on Iraq is to remove itself….”

ISRAEL INVADES LEBANON

----(following from Judith L; for full report see below)  Jewish-Arab Center for Peace, 25 July, 2006   A statement by Givat Haviva on the current situation:  Here at Givat Haviva we try, despite it all, to continue to implement the regular activity of the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace There are programs for youth…. in addition, we are making strenuous efforts to continue our contacts with our friends in Israel and around the world, and even with our Palestinian neighbors as far as possible.    We are fearful, along with all residents and citizens of the country, Jews and Arabs, about the fate of the residents of [Lebanon] and hope and pray for a speedy end to this horrible war. David Amitai, Givat Haviva Spokesperson,   Tel: +972-(0)4-6309241 Fax:
+972-(0)4-6309305 Mobile: +972-(0)52-4475458   dovergh@givathaviva.org.il www.givathaviva.org.il

--COMBATANTS FOR PEACE

Amy Goodman on “Democracy Now” (FSTV)  interviewed former Israeli AF pilot Yonatan Shapira about Israeli military who have refused to participate in terroristic bombings of civilians and  assassinations .  Shapira denounced the illegal invasion of Lebanon as a war crime.  See: www.democracynow.org   

---CONGRESSMAN KUCINICH’S RESOLUTION

The next day (7-26) Goodman interviewed Cong. Kucinich, who has presented a bill asking the Bush Admin. to support an immediate ceasefire (see the July 23 Newsletter).   The USA refuses to support a ceasefire in order go give Israel time to eradicate Hezbolla and devastate Lebanon.

Contact Boozman, Pryor, Lincoln, our state legislators. 

--- LISA’S APPEAL (from Lisa Martinovich, for several years our Poetry Collective’s MC):  “please, friends, whatever you think about who is right and who is wrong, surely we  must start by supporting a ceasefire, and stopping the destruction of a country, the slaughter of civilians who had no say-so in Hezbolla's actions.  please take a moment to call your legislators and tell them to stand up and speak out for a peaceful solution”.  [D: and allow no cant].
---View this clip,  sign on (takes just a sec) because of the disturbing images.  if you don't want to sign up, just go to youtube.com and type "lebanon" in their search box for the less intense stuff.
http://youtube.com/watch?search=Lebanon&mode=related&v=vP2cuAPG_3g

--Following up Prof. Swedenburg’s and Prof. Ghadbian’s presentation on CAT, 2 short articles recommend by Swedenburg:         http://www.counterpunch.org/lin07252006.html

http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn07212006.html

Lebanon/Palestine Reports

Related Stories

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Find more videos and stories from other Special Reports.

US THREATENS IRAN

I watched a brilliant panel on the US and Iran this morning at 6 on FSTV Ch. 18.  One of the panelists, and the best informed, was David Robinson, Exec. Dir. of Pax Christi USA.  He explained and defended (among other topics)  Iran regarding their approach to uranium enrichment for domestic power under the established international inspection regime.  The panel was sponsored by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, www.congressionalprogressivecaucus.org  and was entitled "Would War With Iran Help or Hurt U.S. National Security?" July 21, 2006.  Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey is Co-Chair of the Caucus.

CONNECTING

With so many issues calling urgently for our attention, our ability to understand their connections empowers us.  Coherence is a great energizer.  For example, understanding that the U.S. economy has been increasingly militarized beginning with WWII (now the Pentagon budget is $500 billion for 2006-7, and the war in Iraq to cost $1 trillion) and that military activities are major sources of CO2/greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, explains the relationship between U.S. militarism and global warming.

Use the book The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for  Jews, Muslims, and Christians (Beacon Press, 2006) as a guidebook to bringing American Jews, Christians, & Muslims together for discussion and after deep connection, possible action for peace. You can buy the book at 10% discount and free shipping by clicking to --
http://www.beacon.org/tentofabraham

A U.S. FOREIGN POLICY FOR PEACE

The essay by Rosa Brooks of the L A Times in TMN (7-29) provides a cogent advocacy of a revamped U.S. foreign policy “to dramatically increase our focus on foreign aid, disaster relief, conflict prevention, humanitarian interventions, peacekeeping, reconstruction, economic development, publid heal and environmental challenges, democracy, and promotion of the rule of law” and “a rrenewed commitment to the international institutions [Bush] has recently scorned.”

FOREIGN POLICY AND ISLAM

The U. S. Institute of Peace Special Report 164 (July 2006) (www.usip.org), “American Foreign Policy and Islamic Renewal” by Abdeslam M. Maghraoui, argues: “The single most important initiative the U. S. can take to combat Islamist extremism is to support “Islamic renewal,” a moderating, modernizing social, political, and intellectual movement that has a long history within Islam.  Armed force, supporting authoritarian Islamic regimes, aggressive democracy promotion fail to attract Islamic reformers.  Islamic renewal seeks to reclaim the religion’s heritage from extremist, traditionalist, and fundamentalist groups, and the US should give them major support.

CONTACT YOUR  CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
 --Senator Blanche Lincoln: Web Site (they have contact links): www.lincoln.senate.gov; http://www.lincoln.senate.gov/index.cfm; http://www.lincoln.senate.gov/webform.html
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 (see contact link):   www.pryor.senate.gov ;  http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/
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.  Web site (with contact link):  http://www.boozman.house.gov/     Heath Hasenbeck, intern (one of them).  Boozman's new office in Lowell is located at 213 West Monroe in Lowell between I 540 and Business 71.  To reach that office take Exit 78 off I - 540 and go  east. You will be on Hwy 264 which is also West Monroe. The office 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 South 6^th 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, appointments secretary: 202-225-4301.