July 2023
I regard the employment of the atom bomb for the wholesale destruction of men, women and children as the most diabolical use of science…. nonviolence is the only thing that is now left in the field. It is the only thing that the atom bomb cannot destroy.
Mahatma Gandhi
George Martin ¡Presente!
Livelong activist and former UFPJ leader, George Martin, joined the ancestors on July 16, 2023. George was prominent nationally, and internationally as an anti-war, nonviolence, environmental, and social justice activist. He had a great impact on many people. From 2004 until 2008 George was a Co-Chair of UFPJ along with Judith LeBlanc and George Friday. He was honored while in Ghana to be designated a chief: Nii Adjetey. In Milwaukee, George was an active leader of Peace Action Wisconsin for many years. For over 20 years he co-led the Martin Luther King Justice Coalition organizing an MLK Day ceremony and march every year. Most recently George organized within the environmental justice movement. He served on the Boards of Pace e Bene's Campaign Nonviolence and Peace Action Wisconsin. His death is a severe blow to many of us. George Martin's legacy of love endures!!
No More Hiroshimas! No More Nagasakis!
As the 78th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug. 9) approach, all of the nuclear-armed states are doubling down on the centrality of nuclear weapons in their national security policies and modernizing their nuclear arsenals. With Russia's illegal war of aggression in Ukraine, its repeated overt threats to use nuclear weapons, and other potential nuclear flashpoints including Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, South Asia, and the Middle East, the specter of nuclear war has risen to its highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. This August 6 - 9, groups across the country and around the world will be taking action to raise awareness and demand the elimination of nuclear weapons – before they eliminate us. Find an event near you (courtesy of Physicians for Social Responsibility.)
Remembering Dan Ellsberg, Nonviolent Activist: Zoom event Wed. Aug. 9, 7 pm ET
Since Dan Ellsberg's passing, dozens of news stories and commentaries have focused primarily on his role as whistleblower and the impact of his courageous release of the Pentagon Papers. Missing from these accounts has been an appreciation of the decades of Dan's active engagement in antiwar and antinuclear campaigns, in which he was arrested more than 80 times. On Wed. Aug. 9, the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, fellow activists will share anecdotes about Dan's participation in a wide variety of anti-nuclear and antiwar campaigns. The objective is both to document this part of Dan's life and to inspire others with his example. Speakers will include Patricia Ellsberg, Dan's wife, and Bob Eaton, a draft resister who inspired Dan's decision to release the Pentagon Papers. Additional information is available here. Register here.
Abolition 2000 at the NPT PrepCom
The first Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting for the 2026 Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) takes place from July 31 – August 11 in Vienna, Austria. The NPT includes the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the five original nuclear-armed States - the U.S., UK, USSR/Russia, France, and China, who pledged "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament." The NPT became law in 1970. States parties meet every five years at a Review Conference (RevCon). The Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons, founded at the 1995 NPT RevCon, has a program of activities at the upcoming Vienna PrepCom to demand full implementation of the disarmament obligation.
"Oppenheimer" - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The much-hyped Hollywood blockbuster film, "Oppenheimer," a biographical drama about the "father" of the atomic bomb, directed by Christopher Nolan, opened July 21. A number of anti-nuclear groups saw the release as an opportunity to educate the public about current nuclear dangers and the ongoing health impacts of uranium mining and nuclear testing, especially for Indigenous people. Neither of these issues is covered, and though there were a few references to the fact that Japan was already defeated, the (untrue) claim that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary to end World War II and save American lives got a lot of play. Reviews (by activists) have been mixed. Will the film advance the cause of nuclear disarmament and environmental justice? Click here for more information, including educational and advocacy materials.
A Moral Declaration for America: On Our Shared Task of Building the Nation That's Never Yet Been
On July 4, Bishop William Barber, Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, issued "A Moral Declaration for America: On Our Shared Task of Building the Nation That's Never Yet Been," directed to the U.S. President and Congress, and "to all the people of this Republic who claim to be on the side of love, truth, and justice". Citing recent regressive Supreme Court decisions, the declaration addresses the attacks on civil and human rights that are tearing apart our democracy and calls for a moral fusion response. "Racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the continued oppression of Indigenous people, the denial of health care, the lack of living wages, the war economy, regressive immigration policies, mass incarceration, LGBTQ+ discrimination, and all other forms of oppression - we must tackle them together."
Ukraine Resources: The Wagner Rebellion and More Nuclear Threats
The Ukraine now has gone on for over 500 days. Recent additions to UFPJ's Ukraine resources page include perspectives from Russian analysts on the Wagner revolt, Wagnerization: How Putin Degraded the Russian State and "If the authorities had rallied around Putin, Prigozhin wouldn't have even reached Rostov." A prominent Russian foreign policy analyst has ignited further nuclear fears by arguing that to end support of Ukraine by Western governments, the Russian Federation must "make nuclear deterrence a convincing argument again by lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons," standing ready to "hit a bunch of targets in a number of countries in order to bring those who have lost their mind to reason." For more on the debate this sparked both inside and outside Russia, go to the Ukraine crisis and nuclear weapons and scroll down to find many articles on this topic.
Former U.S. Ambassadors to Laos and Cambodia Ask President Biden to Reconsider Sending Cluster Munitions to Ukraine
Nine former ambassadors to Laos and Cambodia who witnessed the human toll of U.S. cluster munitions dropped on those countries during the Vietnam War have written to President Biden, urging him to reconsider his decision and to "seek to support Ukraine's legitimate efforts to defend itself through other means than using cluster munitions." The former ambassadors to Laos noted that "over the past decades until today, thousands of civilian Laotian lives -- men, women and children -- have been lost or severely damaged by these pernicious weapons." Transfer of these weapons to Ukraine, "is completely inconsistent with commendable U.S. and NATO condemnation of Russia's own use of cluster munitions in its war of aggression against Ukraine." Read the letters from former ambassadors to Cambodia here and from former ambassadors to Laos  here.
The Golden Rule Anti-Nuclear Sailboat: On to the Great Lakes!
The Golden Rule anti-nuclear sailboat continued her epic voyage throughout the U.S., as it sailed up the New England coast to Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. The historic wooden ketch then sailed back down to New York and up the Hudson River, where she visited with Pete Seeger's boats, the Clearwater and the Woody Guthrie. Her masts were removed so she could pass under the low bridges and many locks on the Erie Canal. The "peace boat" is currently in Rochester, New York, and will be sailing to Toronto and throughout the Great Lakes for the rest of the summer. The reception has been terrific, with great events and excellent media. "People are hungry for hope and inspiration," said Gerry Condon of Veterans For Peace. "The Golden Rule brings plenty of both." Find more information here.
Veterans for Peace National Convention -- August 25-27
The Veterans For Peace National Convention will be held August 25-27. For the third year in a row, it will be held online due to continuing concerns about Covid-19. VFP's online conventions have been terrific, and accessible to even more VFP members, friends, and allies. This convention promises to be particularly outstanding and will include keynote addresses from Irish Member of the European Parliament, Clare Daly, international economist Jeffrey Sachs, and nonviolence activist Kathy Kelly. There will also be excellent panel presentations on a variety of urgent situations facing the world today. Find more information on the Convention schedule and how you can participate here.
Summer of Peace with CODEPINK!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told us that "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal." This summer, join CODEPINK and partners to educate, activate, and inspire peace in your community and around the world. Sign our Pledge to do one action and engage 5 friends in the Summer of Peace. You can start by putting a peace flag in your window, wheat paste peace messages in your area, put up CODEPINK stickers, hand out flyers supporting peace through diplomacy in Ukraine, and organize a peace walk at your local farmers market. You can upload your summer of peace actions and creativity here. Check out our current summer of peace creations here!
Tell your Senator: Oppose the Elliott Abrams Nomination
This month the White House shockingly announced the nomination of Elliott Abrams to serve on the State Department's Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. A neoconservative leader for decades, Abrams' reactionary policies have undermined human rights and strengthened right-wing dictatorships across Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. The litany of his abuses includes covering up Archbishop Oscar Romero's assassination, being convicted of lying to Congress about the U.S. support of the Contras in Nicaragua, and cheerleading the Iraq war. Contact your U.S. Senators to oppose this immoral nomination, and urge your groups to endorse an organizational sign-on letter that will be delivered to Congress. [Abrams, center, in photo by Gage Skidmore/CC]
Webinar Recording -- NWC Reset: Frameworks for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World
On July 12, the Abolition 2000 Working Group on the UN Disarmament Agenda and a Nuclear Weapons Convention (NWC) hosted a webinar to explore the legal, technical, and institutional measures and frameworks to facilitate the global elimination of nuclear weapons. The webinar included discussion of NWC Reset: Frameworks for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World, a working paper to be distributed at the August 2023 Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting for the 2026 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. The working paper includes reflections on the political environment for comprehensive nuclear disarmament, an outline of possible approaches for establishing the framework for a nuclear-weapon-free world, and recommendations to the 2023 NPT PrepCom. Watch Session 1. (Session 1 presenters.) Watch Session 2. (Session 2 presenters.)
Webinar Recording -- Global NATO: History, Doctrines, Expansion, Wars & Future
At its July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the NATO alliance made plans for its continued support of Ukraine and its further global expansion. In this webinar Joseph Gerson, president of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security (CPDCS) provides a crash course on NATO and an evaluation of the results of the Vilnius summit. Joseph is a founding member of the No to War No to NATO Network, and has participated in numerous NATO counter-summit conferences and protests. He recently returned from the International Summit for Peace in Ukraine, held in Vienna on June 10-11. Watch the webinar, sponsored by CPDCS and Massachusetts Peace Action, here. A recent article by Joseph is "Ukraine: The Deepening Euro-Atlantic Crisis and Common Security Possibilities."
Webinar Recording -- Ending Climate and Nuclear Crises for the Next Generations
This webinar addressed the twin existential threats of the climate emergency and nuclear weapons. It provided an overview of the increasing threats of the climate emergency, a critique of international climate conferences, an encouraging overview of constructive climate sustainability initiatives, and common security approaches to reducing the increasing risk of nuclear war. Keynote speakers were Dr. Timmon Milne Wallis, Executive Director of NuclearBan.US and author of Warheads to Windmills and Joseph Gerson, President of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security. The program also featured an interview by Coalition for Peace Action's summer intern, Sofia DaCruz, with youth peace activist Okezue Bell, who discussed his experience at last November's Global Climate Conference in Egypt as Youth Climate Ambassador. Watch the webinar here.
Americans Calling for Peace in Ukraine
As of July 13, CODEPINK's dynamic phonebanking team had made over 600 calls to important members of Congress calling for Peace in Ukraine. In response to the Biden Administration's announcement that the U.S. would be sending cluster munitions, an indiscriminate weapon banned by over 111 countries, to Ukraine, the phonebanking team kicked into action and called every member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, once, twice, sometimes three times. Anyone in the U.S. can join the team and commit to making 5-10 calls a week, adding to the daily pressure to end the war and to stop sending funding and arms for warfare. Sign up to phonebank with CODEPINK here, and read testimonials from current phonebank team members here.
Remembering Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz; A Reading of Her Work -- Video Recording
During an online event held on July 11, Leslie Cagan, Barbara Smith, Esther Kaplan, Aurora Levins Morales, Jenny Romaine, Kathy Engel, Roni Natov, Alisa Solomon, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Helena Lipstadt and Megan Madison read from the work of Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz. Melanie was UFPJ co-founder and former National Organizer Leslie Cagan's long-time life partner. A prolific writer, over the course of a lifetime of activism, artistic work and teaching, Melanie wrote poetry, fiction, and analytical material. Her fervent, anti-racist activism grounded all of her work, and her articulation of Diasporism as a conscious alternative to Zionism has had a deep impact within the Jewish left. Melanie's work on gender and sexuality has touched the lives of women since the early 1970s. Here's the link to the video recording.
A Month of Anti-imperialism Struggles Across the Americas
July is a month marked by historical events for anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggles across Latin America and the Caribbean. Independence anniversaries, the births of important revolutionaries, and the anniversaries of pivotal anti-imperialist actions fill the month of July and serve as occasions to remember and honor the achievements of the movement against imperialism. CODEPINK celebrates past and present leaders who dared to resist imperialism and fight for a more just and freer world for all. Check out this piece by CODEPINK staffer Samantha Wherry.
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