As veterans we know that a day that celebrates peace, not war, is the best way to honor the sacrifices of veterans. We want generations after us to never know the destruction war has wrought on people and the earth.
Veterans For Peace
Armistice Day 2021
UFPJ presents: The Costs of War at Home
Thursday, November 18, 2021; 5 pm PST/8 pm EST
Our webinar will highlight UFPJ member groups' and allies' work to raise awareness of the impacts of war industries in communities around the U.S., including approaches ranging from focusing on particular armament companies to the use of local resolutions to educate publics about endless funding for the military while the frontline services provided by local government are short-changed. Register here and learn from other activists about campaigns and strategies you can take back to your community. We're thrilled that our keynote speaker will be Rev. Liz Theoharis, National Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
Other presenters include:
Carley Towne, with Code Pink's Divest From the War Machine campaign
Ken Jones, with the campaign against Raytheon in Asheville, NC
Denise Duffield, with the Back From the Brink campaign
Jackie Cabasso, UFPJ National Co-convener, with Mayors for Peace
Helen Jacquard with the Veterans for Peace Golden Rule Peace Boat project
George Friday, UFPJ's National Organizer, on Seeding Young Peacekeepers
Don't miss this! Register now.
Hold the Pentagon Accountable for August 29 Drone Strike
On August 29, 10 members of the Ahmadi family, seven of them children, were killed by a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Pentagon investigated itself for killing 10 innocent civilians and found no negligence and no need for disciplinary action. This cannot stand. The Ahmadi family and all innocent civilians who have been killed by U.S. drone strikes need justice. Congressman Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Senator Jack Reed, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have the power to make sure there is an independent investigation into this horrific crime. Sign the petition and we will deliver it directly to them both.
President Biden and Congress: Listen to the Poor People's Campaign!
The Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is keeping up the pressure on President Biden and Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act and voting protections to save our democracy from coordinated attacks across the country. The largest investment in people by the U.S. government in a generation is on the line in Washington, DC with the reconciliation package. The Build Back Better (BBB) Legislation is nowhere near what we need to fully address poverty and low-wealth in this nation. But it is an important step and will result in a massive investment in the people. This is a critical period for our movement and this country, and we can have an impact through a coordinated, strategic arc of actions which will show our power. READ MORE
Webinar: U.S., China & Taiwan: The World's More Dangerous Flashpoint?
This webinar featured Zhu Zhiqun, Professor of Political Science and International Relations and Chair of the Department of International Relations at Bucknell University, Brian Chee-Shing Hioe, Founding Editor of New Bloom and a freelance writer living in Taiwan, focusing on social movements and politics, and Michael Klare, The Nation's defense correspondent and senior visiting fellow at the Arms Control Association in Washington, D.C. A recording of this webinar is available now from the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security.
Tell Rep. Luria, U.S. Military Interventions Don't Make the World Safer
They Endanger Us All!
U.S. Congress Member and Navy Veteran Elaine Luria (D-VA) wants to give President Biden the power to go to war with China without Congressional approval. Luria is advocating for passage of Republican Senator Rick Scott's Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act. The bill would endanger the entire planet by expanding President Biden's authority to go to war with China over Taiwan. This is a page right out of the U.S. Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex's playbook. Tell Rep. Luria to stop advocating for war with China while U.S. citizens are suffering at home! Ask her to support life-affirming policies instead!
GITMO's 20th Anniversary Approaches and the Policies of Endless War Persist
Lack of accountability for egregious torture and the continuing detention without charge of Muslim men in the prison facilities at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base remain as two legacies of the illegal and immoral policies of America's "War on Terror." Endless wars cannot end until we end the policies they engendered. In the last several weeks, dramatic events in the Military Commissions at Guantanamo, and in cases proceeding slowly through the federal courts, offer paths towards vitally needed redress. READ MORE
Fate Of Anti-War Journalism Lies in Upcoming Assange Hearings
In October, the United States once again made its case in a UK court that it has a right to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be tried under the Espionage Act. These hearings, which took place on October 27 and 28, were an attempt to appeal the decision that Judge Vanessa Baraitser made earlier this year to not extradite Assange to the United States because it is likely he will commit suicide if subjected to the inhumane conditions of the U.S. prison system. However, while this decision was focused on his health, these hearings are really about what the Assange case has always been about: the United States' determination to silence anyone who exposes the crimes of the U.S. empire. READ MORE
Reclaim Armistice Day November 11, 2021 -- Veterans For Peace & Peaceworks KC
In 1918, the world celebrated peace as a universal principal. The first World War had just ended and nations mourning their dead collectively called for an end to all wars. Armistice Day was born, designated as "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated." It is time to Reclaim Armistice Day and prioritize peace. The United States must stop trying to control the world at any cost and start cooperating with it. War, the war economy, and militarism are literally killing all of us. The U.S. has militarized the police and our borders; we now treat just about everyone as a threat, or an enemy. The U.S. military is the largest single entity spewing carbon emissions and the deadly toxins of war both overseas and here at home. READ ABOUT RECENT ARMISTICE DAY ACTIONS HERE and HERE
UFPJ Launches Seeding Young Peacekeepers Project
Last month, UFPJ's initial group of young peacekeepers began their six-month training program with UFPJ's National Organizer, George Friday. Participants are sponsored by UFPJ member groups from around the country. These young activists grew up in a country at war: they have not known peace in their lifetimes. They are now meeting online every two weeks to learn organizing techniques, strategic planning, and movement building with a central anti-oppression and anti-racism theme. In the early months of 2022 teams will organize and hold events or actions in their local area or state. READ MORE
You Donated, We Delivered to Cuba!
Generosity, just like solidarity, has no borders. Thank you for helping CODEPINK fight the 'us vs. them' narrative and standing with the people of Cuba! Your generous donation to the fundraiser we organized together with Puentes de Amor and The People's Forum allowed us to gather 18,000 pounds of food - canned tuna, pasta, and powdered milk - and ship it to Cuba this month. The brutal embargo has been crippling the Cuban economy for decades, constituting a form of collective punishment. Thanks to everyone who donated or shared this donation drive for standing in solidarity against economic warfare and saying this policy doesn't represent our true humanity! But we can't stop here! Urge your Representative to sign onto a letter drafted by Representatives Jim McGovern, Barbara Lee, Gregory Meeks and Bobby Rush.
The UFPJ Newsletter and Web Site -- Resources (we hope!) to Strengthen Our Work Together
In March 2020, the UFPJ Coordinating Committee initiated a monthly newsletter to keep our member groups posted on the work of the network. This is our 21st newsletter; we hope you find it useful. We value your feedback and would like to see more member groups providing information about their activities for the newsletter. If you would like to announce an event or report on your organization's activities, please contact us at ufpjnewsletter(at)gmail.com. We will send you information regarding format for web posts, short newsletter articles, and accompanying images. We recently have added a Member Group Resource Page to our web site, which we hope might contribute to groups with similar concerns finding ways to work together. Check it out and send us an entry for your organization!
The Power of the Pen
In recent weeks UFPJ signed onto two important civil society statements addressed to the governments meeting at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (CoP 26) that just concluded in Glasgow, Scotland. UFPJ was among 469 organizations in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Africa, South America and the U.S. that signed onto Don't Nuke the Climate's CoP 26 Civil Society Statement. It explains: "Every dollar invested in nuclear power makes the climate crisis worse by diverting investment from renewable energy technology. Nuclear is increasingly unsafe and unreliable in a warming world with more frequent shutdowns and an inability to operate safely under changed climate conditions." The Statement catalogues the pitfalls of nuclear energy, describing how it is dirty and dangerous, unsustainable, unjust, slow, expensive, a security risk, aging or unproven, and not carbon neutral. UFPJ was also among more than 200 nongovernmental organizations that joined the call for action by the Conflict and Environmental Observatory for the parties to the 2015 Paris Agreement to commit during COP26 to reducing their militaries' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It states: "Governments must use COP26 to commit to reducing military GHG emissions" through specific "credible and meaningful" commitments.
UFPJ is a diverse network of peace and justice organizations. If your organization is interested in joining UFPJ, please read our Unity Statement, and if it is consistent with your principles click here to join.
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