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News: 2007, No. 3 (April and May)
May 31, 2007
Telephone Briefing on Nuclear Weapons for Constituents of Sen. Byron Dorgan - FCNL
How many of you have heard of the Reliable Replacement Warhead? It's one of the administration's new nuclear bomb designs for which millions of dollars are being requested. North Dakota's Sen. Byron Dorgan has a key position as the chair of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, the committee that funds these weapons. In fact, Sen. Dorgan is more than key; he is the most powerful Senator on the funding of nuclear weapons.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) would like you to participate in a toll-free telephone briefing and question and answer session on new nuclear weapons. This briefing will provide you with first-hand information from experts in the nuclear disarmament field, including David Culp of Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Robert Nelson of the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Jessica Wilbanks of the National Religious Partnership on the Nuclear Weapons Danger. The briefing session will include a question and answer period during which participants will ask questions of our three resource people, so that they can be sufficiently informed to write a meaningful personal message to the Senator concerning this important issue.
Monday, June 4, from 7:30-8:15 p.m. (CDT)
Toll-free phone number: (800) 218-8862
May 31, 2007
“Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait”
This is an exhibit, opening in New York this summer, our readers may be interested in. Artist Chris Jordan examines the vast scale of consumption in the U.S. through a series of large prints, each depicting a specific quantity of something, eg. two million plastic beverage bottles (the number used in the U.S. every five minutes).
For up-to-date information on showings, and for images of the series, visit chrisjordan.com.
May 15, 2007 (2)
Nuclear Weapons: Is it Time to Build More?
And Why North Dakotans Play a Key Role Answering this Question
Local meetings on U.S. nuclear weapons issues are being held in Fargo on May 23rd and Bismarck on May 24th. Devin Helfrich, Legislative Assistant for the Friends Committee on National Legislation (a Quaker lobby based in Washington, D.C.) will be speaking and answering questions.
May 15, 2007 (1)
Impeach Cheney
On April 24, 2007, Rep. Dennis Kucinich filed an impeachment request, House Resolution H. Res. 333, to impeach Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. In an intensive, impressive documentation, Kucinich establishes 6 articles that clearly show Vice President Cheney in violation of his constitutional oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Kucinich shows that Cheney has purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and the Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security interests. Kucinich shows that Cheney has deceived us about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda. . Kucinich shows that Cheney has openly threatened aggression against the Republic of Iran absent of any real threat to the U.S. and has done so with the United States proven capability to carry out such threats, thus undermining our national security. You can read resolution 333 at www.kucinich.house.gov. Hit issues, impeachment.
With great love for our country and the experiment of democracy, the North Dakota Peace Coalition has voted to support Congressman Kucinich's resolution, H.RES. 333 . We do so not from the stand point of personal feelings about President Bush or Mr. Cheney but because we believe that it is vital for Americans, as a civil society, to begin the process to correct the course of our nation's wayward movement by asking ourselves "Who are we as an American people? What are our standards? What is it that we expect from public officials? What should be the conduct of an individual who holds the office of President or Vice President?" Our President and his Vice President have provided us with a great opportunity to remember our Constitution and to make a choice to participate in the checks and balances it provides for keeping it intact and sacred to our nation. We urge those of you of same mind to contact Rep. Earl Pomeroy, urging him to support this courageous resolution and to let him know we will back him in his stand for justice ( D.C.# 202-225-2611...send email at www.pomeroy.house.gov). It is time to hold our governmental officials accountable.
May 3, 2007
Resisting Fear: the Iraqi Week of Nonviolence
From April 29 to May 6 in Iraq not only the rumble of bombs will be heard. A network of associations of the Iraqi civil society, belonging to different political and religious affiliations, will carry on peace initiatives on the whole national territory within the Iraqi Week of Nonviolence. This event will take place while the Iraqi government meets in Sharm el-Sheikh (May 3-4) representative of the neighbouring countries, plus the G5 and G8, in the ministerial meeting that aims to restore security in Iraq. But is a top-down peace process feasible in a country traumatized by violence and insulted by military occupation like today's Iraq? The Iraqi civil society asserts to have the duty and the capability to bring its own contribution. Given the high danger faced by those who organize public events in these times, this is a courageous venture that the international community must know about, an act of civil resistance to terror and militarism.
April 4, 2007
ND Legislature Passes Peace Resolution
“We did it!” says Senator Tim Mathern. Congratulations to all who helped gain passage of North Dakota's own Peace Resolution! This important piece of legislation urges the pursuit of peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, calling for return of our troops even without a "successful" conclusion of their efforts.
The text of the final version of the Peace Resolution is now available.
Please Note: You will be invited to a Peace Resolution Celebration in the near future. More soon...