Medea Benjamin speaks at the United National Peace Conference 7/23/2010

True Patriotism: Bring the troops home and spend the money on our libraries, education, jobs -- Code Pink's Medea Benjamin at the United National Peace Conference 7/23/2010 [under five minutes]:



Speak up -- "Funding the war is making us poor". Tell our Congress critters: "You are unAmerican if you are taking our tax dollars to bomb people overseas instead of using it to fund our local programs."

Check out Mediasanctuary's page on YouTube for lots of good treats from the Conference.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

John Dear S.J.: "End all These Evil Wars!"

Fr. John Dear, SJ, inspired my involvement with the interfaith Fellowship of Reconciliation. His words at this June 13, 2010 event in Lafayette Park in Washington DC sponsored by the Network of Spiritual Progressives (NSP) should be given wide play and we should hold President Obama accountable for spending more on nuclear arms than any president since Ronald Reagan (counter to his words about a nuclear free future). Listen and act, please and thank you.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

For a Nuclear-Free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World

Sally with Elaine, Sarah, and Mark Klein
The International Conference for a Nuclear-Free, Peaceful, Just, and Sustainable World has begun at the Riverside Church, New York City. Suddenly I was re-energized as I stood in line with Mark, Elaine, and Sarah Klein who got us to sing Down by the Riverside -- with an extra chorus sang for the benefit of a Japanese video. Doretta and Lucille marked the beginning of the Green Line and we got in and I found myself seated by Sr. Eileen Storey's friend Anne Montgomery and Catholic Worker Kathy Boylan as the First Plenary began.

Vinie Burrows at the Conference

Vinie Burrows gave a dramatic rendition of Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, Terumi Tanaka gave a Hibakusha Testimony, and my old FOR friend Ibrahim Ramey, now of Washington DC, spoke On Martin Luther King's Dream and Ours. I tweeted comments (as PeaceHugs) through the evening, but Ibrahim's closing remarks were apt but a little long for a tweet, almost a poem:

We have dreams to dream
We have work to do
We have a world to transform
Let's get busy....

Zia Mian impressed me in his talk. He said it isn't just nukes, it is the war mentality -- the use of force, violence, weapons -- and who decides. How we relate to nature and the planet. Profitability: who makes it and who takes it. Another quotation, I tweeted: Keeping some nuclear weapons in case someone cheats is not our vision of abolishing nukes.

I also tweeted on John Burroughs remarks: Hearing John Burroughs I see Obama's nuclear policy is abominable - obamanable? Peace means NO nukes.

Catherine Lecoq sang and Natalia Mironova spoke. We ended with Tomas Magnusson, Vision of a Nuclear Free World which made me tweet: Language is devalued. Despite the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty the US proliferates.

Ami and Ibrahim Ramey

Despite the serious topics, it was good to be with people of peace -- old friends and new. And yes, as Ibrahim said, Let's get busy. (For those who care to stream or download them, the plenary sessions are available both live and later via the Riverside Church website.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Peace Action this weekend -- and Everyday

There's a peace and nuclear disarmament conference at Riverside Church this weekend culminating in an interfaith convocation on Sunday at the United Nations church center -- 777 UN Plaza at 44th St. and First Ave, Noon to 1 PM, then a Rally and March at Time Square area (7th Ave, South of 41st), and a Peace and Music Festival at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (47th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave.) 4-6 pm. BECAUSE

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?" -- Eleanor Roosevelt

We must remind President Obama (and Congress) of that, and remind him of the vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. who called for peace and for ending war so as to spend money on HELPING people. Let us remind President Obama/Congress that ...

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." -- MLK, Jr.

Out into the streets Sunday -- and everyday -- for peace and justice and a better world.

(And yes, I wear peace buttons and actions buttons as I walk in mid-town Manhattan amidst the tourists -- not just on rally days.)

We must be the change we wish to see in the world, Gandhi said. Be peace. Be as positive as we can be to bring some much needed light to this world. Do what we can to change the world this weekend and every day.

I am trying. Please join me.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Disarm Now! For Peace and Human Needs

I've been quietly seeking peace, de-stressing and meditating. There is much more to be done on that front but I am also far enough along to reach out in a gentle way to get back into blogging peace. (I have been tweeting it as PeaceHugs, fyi -- and offering QuickTAKES on peace and various subjects.) I am looking forward now to the conference at the end of the month at Riverside Church which seeks to get the US and other nations to Disarm Now! For Peace and Human Needs - April 30-May 1st. There will also be a special May 2nd March - Rally - Peace Fair to promote awareness. Now is the time to talk up both of these events and what they represent: peace, justice and a nuclear free world. Please spread the news and the links. Thanks, and...

Peace hugs,

Kate Anne

Celebration of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence

The World March for Peace and Nonviolence was here in NYC last week and the march was celebrated at an event Dec. 2nd at All Souls in Manhattan, sponsored by their Peace Task Force and co-sponsored by other groups including Fellowship of Reconciliation, Peace Action for New York State, Metro New York Religious Campaign Against Torture, Code Pink, and Brooklyn For Peace. Joe Friendly filmed the event and made this composite video which portrays the good flavor of the evening's 2+ hour program in only 11:17 minutes. Thanks to All Souls Unitarian Church for hosting and Joe Friendly for filming -- and of course the World March for Peace and Nonviolence for marching!

The downer for the evening was the Afghanistan surge announcement -- and the fact that this long announced event conflicted with the United for Peace and Justice impromptu rally at Time Square to oppose the surge. Both events were for peace and sanity and NYFOR's listserv let their members and friends choose. Ah for the ability to bi-locate! And whether or not you were at either event, please stay in touch with peace happenings via the FORpeace.net blog, the United for Peace and Justice website, and reading CommonDreams.org regularly.

Yes, I took some photos -- downloading them is on my "to do" list.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Beyond War, A New Economy is Possible

Yes, there were thousands (not hundreds as AP and Reuters reported) at the United for Peace and Justice April 4th National March on Wall Street, with its commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Beyond Vietnam speech by presenting his vision of a world without poverty, war and racism through the message, "Beyond War, A New Economy is Possible". Long sentence and a long busy week but I have finally uploaded my photos of the march to Flickr and have documented some other good pictures on Flickr from the day because the corporate media did not provide much documentation.

Of particular note is Diane Green Lent's Beyond War set. And Wesley Chen had some great photos in his National March on Wall Street set. Tom Davis from Wilmington DE had some beauties in his set, also entitled, National March on Wall Street. [Be sure to check out his other stuff: wow!] Okay, it was Toronto but Jason Ainsworth documented a Toronto April 4th peace march/anti-war protest. And covering the Friday Wall Street event was a graphic arts student Hushable, who included some National March on Wall Street April 3rd pix along with some pillow fight 2009 pix in her NYC set, but directly at this tagged link.



Howard, Margaret, and Pierre

As for me, on the actual day I was happy snapping photos and happier still to meet up with fellow NYFOR member and playwright Howard Pflanzer. He introduced me to Margaret and Pierre from Baltimore and I wish I had their picture of both of us together but we have a photo of them with Howard. On the march Howard also clued me in on the Stella D'Oro cookie factory strike and boycott, so appropriate to the message of the day and there were members of their union marching. [See strike website for further info.]





NY Fellowship of Reconciliation's Kate Anne

Reaching Battery Park, we encountered Button Buddha (and Buddhist Peace Fellowship member) Ruth Klein who was having trouble displaying her wonderful buttons with the 30 mile per hour gusts of wind. My friend needed me so that is where I ended my march and it was a good place to see other marchers enter the park: thousands, not hundreds. Ah, the corporate media. But let's speak up for truth and a peace economy which values and benefits the working people of the U.S.A. (and the world) more than corporations.




Ruth Klein and button lover
We need money less for Wall Street and more for healthcare, education, and non-armament industry U.S. jobs. If there is no new war then we can shut down some of those armament plants -- and couldn't we put the employees to work doing something else that is life-giving and/or life preserving? We need a good trade policy that keeps good jobs here. Let's demand it. We did on April 4th and we must continue this righteous demand for Martin Luther King's dream for a better America and a better world, without war, poverty and racism.

Amen! And peace hugs,
Kate Anne

PS Just found another good Flickr set from April 4th, that of Michael Borkson of Boston.

Earth Hour: March 28, 8:30-9:30 PM

Care to show support for action on global climate change? VOTE EARTH! Watch the video on last year's effort, then go to EarthHour.org OR EarthHourUS.org to register for THIS year's Earth Hour, March 28, from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. Commit to turn off lights (and/or as much non-essential electricity as feasible) for just one hour to make a statement. Other action ideas are suggested including following EarthHour and EarthHourUS on Twitter and joining the FaceBook page(s). And like Earth Day making everyday Earth Day, let's make every hour Earth Hour by saving as much electricity as possible and by going as green as possible.




UPDATE: New York City is NOW listed as a sponsor/supporter, HURRAH, along with a number of US cities who have joined this international effort to shut off non-essential lighting. FYI, there is an alternate intertwined site, VoteEarth2009.org, which says, "THIS IS THE WORLD’S FIRST GLOBAL ELECTION, BETWEEN EARTH AND GLOBAL WARMING". Your light switch is your ballot -- and mine too!

MY ACTION PLAN: I've registered. I've signed up to follow both Twitterers: EarthHour and EarthHourUS. I've added the badge to QuickTAKES and am blogging about the event. I've posted stuff on Facebook and signed up for two related Facebook groups. I'm trying to find the best significant event page. I've also linked to Earth Hour Global's Flickr page and subscribed to the YouTube page. and I am blogging here.

Bottom Line: This is a symbolic effort, to get people thinking and acting in small ways together to urge greater action. Please join me/us and do what you can. I will likely post some additional ideas/links as I uncover more especially significant ones. As an international event, there are a lot of choices out there. Choice is good. Together, let's work to make positive change. One way to do so is register to take part in Earth Hour, March 28, 8:30 to 9:30 pm (local time) to show support for action on global climate change. And please talk up the event with your friends, online and off. Thanks!!

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Shad Fest: Spirit in the Rain

Bobby Kennedy Jr.
The 19th Annual Riverkeeper Shad Fest and Hudson River Celebration took place yesterday (May 18, 2008) at Boscobel Restoration, near Cold Spring New York. The day started as overcast when Queens CB2 Environmental Committee chair Dorothy Morehead and I arrived and we were happy to take in some great informational and green-friendly products booths and a falcon demonstration before we headed to the wine and food tents, which we were pleased to find were part of our $75 pre-sale admission fee. But the day got grayer and wetter. We met some nice folk, including NY Assembly candidate Jonathan Smith [102nd District], his wife Catherine, and their friend Jonathan Wright. And the sky opened up, dampening the fesitival grounds but not our spirits. Dorothy and I toured the beautiful restored home and finished in time hear the last part of Bobby Kennedy Jr.'s talk to the crowd. Then we gathered closer to the stage to join others under umbrellas (and kind enough to share them) in pouring rain to enjoy the Bacon Brothers Band, with Kevin Bacon rightfully getting a lot of attention but older brother Michael Bacon offering a lot of talent to the band as well.

Kevin and Michael Bacon with fiddler Carrie Rodriguez
Bobby came back to introduce a surprise guest, Dan Aykroyd, who joined the band and fiddler Carrie Rodriguez for a Rolling Stone number. Wow! We were all wet but very happy!


Jon Wright, Catherine and Jonathan Smith

I've posted a whole bunch more pictures at my Flickr site, conveniently in a Shad Fest set. Suffice it to say, the rain was a challenge, but in the end, it thinned out the crowds a bit and allowed us the opportunity to be able to get closer to the stage. I count my blessings and am thankful to my friend Dorothy for offering me company and transportation to this great event. We are already looking forward to the 20th annual Shad Fest and plan to bring more of our friends with us to support Riverkeeper's environmental efforts. Couldn't go? Donate anyway -- and talk to me about joining us next year.

Peace hugs,

Kate Anne

Dan Aykroyd