Peace, reconciliation, a shared sense of humanity can triumph over the hatred, violence and guilt that currently dominate the war. Let us be reminded that we are all humans and that war and destruction against one another is senseless.
International Appeal for a Christmas Truce in Ukraine
RECORD-HIGH Military Budget Passes
The House has passed the largest military budget in U.S. history, coming in at $858.4 billion. This military budget, which is $45 billion more than Biden requested, represents massive profits for the war industry at the expense of our communities. 101 members of Congress voted No, while 329 voted Yes -- and, according to a recent study by Stephen Semler, House members who voted for the $858 billion military budget received 6.9 times more money from war profiteers than House members who voted no. This military budget spells out sky-high profits for the arms industry, and for the politicians who voted Yes as well. Read CODEPINK's press release here, and if you live in NY, Georgia, Arizona, Massachusetts, Oregon, Ohio, or Michigan, please urge your Senators to take action to get military money out of politics.
Sign the International Appeal for a Christmas Truce in Ukraine
1000 faith leaders in the U.S., representing believers from every major tradition, have signed onto a Christmas Truce statement demanding a temporary ceasefire in the War in Ukraine. The Christmas Truce for Ukraine, sponsored by FOR-USA and others, is inspired by the miraculous Christmas truce of 1914, in which 100,000 German and British soldiers ceased fire and participated in a brief and spontaneous peace along the Western Front. Emerging from their trenches, soldiers ventured into the “no man's land” where they shared food and drink, sang Christmas carols, and even played soccer together. It was a potent example of how the human spirit can be a powerful force that transcends hate and division in the promotion of peace. A secular, global call for a Christmas Truce has been launched by the International Peace Bureau. ADD YOUR NAME HERE.
Throughout 2022, the activists and member organizations of UFPJ have worked on a variety of campaigns and issues united in our opposition to the senseless death and destruction of war and the need to make our work for peace a force for social and economic justice in the U.S. and abroad. If you have not yet done so, please donate today to support UFPJ and make 2023 a year of peace and justice.
Efforts to Win Congressional Approval for the Yemen War Powers Resolution Falter
Senator Bernie Sanders and the Biden Administration clashed last week on Yemen policy. Sanders was promoting the Yemen War Powers Resolution, to end U.S. involvement in the Saudi war in Yemen. A Senate vote might have succeeded as politicians on the left and the right increasingly oppose the war. But Biden insisted that despite the end of a UN truce in October, warring factions were negotiating; he threatened a veto. Sanders then withdrew, saying he would seek compromise language. Meanwhile, Jamal Benomar, former UN special envoy for Yemen, denied any diplomatic progress and Biden's own Yemen envoy, Tim Lenderking, warned that failure to reach a new agreement would precipitate a "return to war." UNICEF reported that 2.2 million Yemeni children are malnourished and over 11,000 have been killed or maimed. READ MORE.
Zaporizhzhia: Facing the Dangers of Nuclear Plants in War and Peace -- Webinar Recording
With battles continuing to rage in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, in a webinar sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action on December 11, Oleg Bodrov, an engineer-physicist with the Council of the South Coast of Finland in St. Petersburg and Coordinator of the Northwest Russia Peace Movement, and Linda Pentz Gunter of Beyond Nuclear International, described the potential dangers posed by the plant -- far worse than the Nagasaki A-Bomb -- and the dangers posed by every other nuclear power plant in times of peace and war. They also critiqued the inability of the IAEA to protect the Zaporizhzhia plant and the need to abandon nuclear power, and for an end to the Ukraine war. Watch the recording here. Read Oleg Bodrov's opening remarks here.
Help Prevent a Global Catastrophe at a Nuclear Plant in Ukraine
Among the most immediate threats faced by Ukrainians is the release of a nuclear dirty bomb by an intentional or accidental mishap at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which could create a Chernobyl-like disaster of far larger proportions. Due to shelling near the plant which caused damage to infrastructure, the plant shut down the last of its six reactors, but continued military activity has repeatedly destroyed power lines required to maintain the cooling systems for reactors and waste storage. The plant remains a considerable danger to the world, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency which urgently called for establishing a nuclear safety and security protection zone. World Beyond War is working on a proposal to establish an Unarmed Civilian Protection team to prevent a nuclear explosion in Ukraine. Learn more.
If Biden Doesn't Close Guantanamo, What President Will? Take Action Today!
On January 11, 2023, the detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base will turn twenty-one. Over its disgraceful years of operation, it has detained 779 Muslim men from nations across the world. Today 35 men remain at Guantanamo; 20 of them are cleared for immediate transfer. All are survivors of torture and other extreme trauma. The continued operation of the detention facility is an ever-present reminder of the profound human rights abuses and violations of international law the U.S. engaged in following the 9/11 attacks. The extra-legal military commissions at Guantanamo have failed to deliver justice or accountability. Organizations and groups are encouraged to add their names to an organizational sign-on letter telling President Biden to finally Close Guantanamo. READ MORE.
Ukraine: More Resources for Understanding a Complex Conflict
United for Peace and Justice continues to add new items to its Ukraine Resource Page. These include articles, statements by governments and organizations, webinars, and resource collections maintained by others. Recent additions include Q&A: Navigating the Left's Ukraine Debate, by UFPJ co-founder Bill Fletcher Jr. and Elly Leary, "Russia Is Losing the War": Russian Marxist Boris Kagarlitsky on Ukraine and What Comes After Putin, a Democracy Now interview, and the National Security Archive Ukraine Cyber Project, a wide array of resources on the cyber component of the Ukraine conflict, regularly updated. For more, visit UFPJ's The Ukraine crisis: commentary, responses, and background.
The Resurgence of Arms Racing in Europe
In his recent article "Sky Shield & the Spiraling U.S.-NATO Arms Race," Joseph Gerson, President of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, warns of the potential for a new arms race in Europe. "Initiated by Germany," he writes, "NATO is in the process of ratcheting up spiraling nuclear and 'conventional' arms races with Russia, with plans to deploy a multi-billion euro 'missile shield.' It is important for people to know about and begin debating this escalation of the new Cold War." This initiative would entail a vast expansion of air and missile defenses, further committing the NATO governments to long-term military rather than diplomatic solutions to Europe's complex security issues. "The existential challenge we face," writes Gerson, "is to envision and create a 21st century Common Security order." READ MORE.
Student Turned Soldier Released from Death Row in Donetsk Thanks UFPJ Activists for Support, Speaks Out on POW Abuses, Murder
Greetings, my name is Brahim Saadoune also known as Brian, I am a 22-year-old Moroccan who was studying in Ukraine and subsequently served in the Ukrainian Marines. I was captured during the siege of the city of Mariupol and sentenced to death by a Russian-backed court. I would like to thank UFPJ and the many other grassroots organizations and activists who helped keep my story in focus and demanded my release from this unlawful detention and political sentencing that could have taken my life. Luckily, I was released and am now with my family. During my service period and duration in captivity, I witnessed various events that have changed the way I look at things and helped motivate me more to oppose the Russian invasion and war against Ukraine. READ MORE.
Join Us as We Build the Third Reconstruction
UFPJ is a proud mobilizing partner with the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Drawing on the transformational history of the First Reconstruction following the Civil War and the Second Reconstruction of the 20th century civil rights struggles, the Third Reconstruction is a revival of our Constitutional commitment to establish justice, provide for the general welfare, and end decades of austerity, including by cutting the military budget. This spring, Poor People's Campaign Co-Chairs, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, joined Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Barbara Lee as they introduced a Congressional resolution, titled Third Reconstruction: Fully Addressing Poverty & Low Wages From the Bottom Up. The resolution will be introduced again in 2023. Learn more and get involved here.
CODEPINK Disrupts War Profiteers at the New York Times
New York CODEPINK and Peace Action activists disrupted the New York Times DealBook summit which was hosting Mike Pence, Larry Fink, Benjamin Netanyahu, and other climate and war criminals at the beginning of the month, blocking an elevator in the building. Larry Fink is the CEO of Blackrock, an asset management company that supports major military contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, whose technologies wreak death and destruction worldwide. "They're using buzzwords to make us think that the billions and trillions of dollars they manage are not actively destroying the planet" states Teddy Ogborn, CODEPINK War Is Not Green campaign coordinator. Read more here.
Clean Energy or Weapons? What the 'Breakthrough' in Nuclear Fusion Really Means
There has been a blitz of media coverage in response to the Dec. 13 announcement that after several decades, scientists at the Livermore National Laboratory have for the first time achieved nuclear fusion. This achievement is being widely hailed as a major breakthrough in carbon-free fusion energy that could solve the climate crisis. But as physicist M.V. Ramana explains in his Dec. 15 article, Clean Energy or Weapons? What the 'Breakthrough' in Nuclear Fusion Really Means, "[I]n truth, generating electrical power from fusion commercially or at an industrial scale is likely unattainable in any realistic sense, at least within the lifetimes of most readers of this article. At the same time, this experiment will contribute far more to US efforts to further develop its terrifyingly destructive nuclear weapons arsenal." Read the full article.
Commute Daniel Hale's Sentence!
Daniel Hale's family, friends, and allies joined for a powerful press conference on Dec. 15 pushing for Biden to commute Daniel Hale's sentence and release him from prison. Speakers included Representative Ilhan Omar, investigative journalist Spencer Ackerman, Daniel Ellsberg of the Pentagon Papers, Steven Donziger of the Chevron lawsuit, Daniel Hale's sister Ruth Bray, and Natasha Erskine of About Face: Veterans Against the War. Years ago, Daniel Hale blew the whistle on the U.S. drone program, revealing the scope of civilian casualties that it causes. He was sentenced to 45 months in prison and is currently held in a heavily monitored unit -- but his prosecutors were never able to prove that his leaks hurt anyone. You can watch the press conference here, and sign this petition to President Biden to commute Daniel's sentence here.
Philadelphia Moves Closer to Divesting from Nuclear Weapons
In a recent press release, the Divest Philadelphia from the War Machine coalition announced that it has grown to 25 groups, most recently including Philly DSA. The growth of the Divest Philly coalition indicates growing political readiness to divest from nuclear weapons. Just this past month, the city of Spokane updated its municipal code to divest city funds from, and prevent the city from doing any future business with, the companies connected to nuclear weapons. As the press release highlights, "January 22 will be the second anniversary of the UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entering into force and finally making nuclear weapons illegal," which Philadelphia has already supported through City Council resolution #190841. "Now is the time for the City of Brotherly Love to walk the walk by acting consistently with its stated beliefs. Divest now!" Read more here -- and if you live in the area, please message the Philadelphia Board of Pensions.
Solidarity with the People of Peru Fighting for the Return of Democracy
This has been a rocky week in Latin America, with Peruvian president Pedro Castillo deposed in a legislative coup and Argentina's Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner sentenced to six years in prison on corruption and fraud charges. In Peru, tens of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets calling for Castillo's release, the dissolution of the current Congress, and the installation of a new constitutional assembly. These protestors have been met with harsh and violent repression under coup president Dina Boluarte - at least 4 people, all teenagers, have been killed thus far. Read more about the backgrounds of the current protests, and CODEPINK's demand that the U.S. not interfere as Peruvians fight to stabilize their democracy, here.
UFPJ Welcomes FOR to Its Coordinating Committee!
United for Peace & Justice is pleased to welcome the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) to our Coordinating Committee. The International FOR was founded in 1914 in response to the horrors of World War I in Europe. Established in 1916, FOR-USA is the largest, oldest interfaith peace and justice organization in the United States. While it has always been vigorous in its opposition to war, FOR-USA has insisted equally that this effort must be based on a commitment to the achieving of a just and peaceful world community, with full dignity and freedom for every human being. FOR, a founding member of UFPJ, will be represented on the Coordinating Committee by its National Organizing Director, Ethan Vesely-Flad, with Executive Director, Ariel Gold, and Director of Operations, Susan Smith, serving as alternates.
UFPJ is a diverse network of peace and justice organizations. Click here to see the Benefits of Membership. If your organization is interested in joining UFPJ, please read our Unity Statement, and if it is consistent with your organization's principles CLICK HERE TO JOIN.
