May 2023
In FY 2023, out of a $1.8 trillion federal discretionary budget, $1.1 trillion -- or 62 percent-- was for militarized programs. . . . The U.S. spent $16 on the military and war for every $1 that was spent on diplomacy and humanitarian foreign aid.
The National Priorities Project of the Institute for Policy Studies
New Report: The Warfare State--How Funding for Militarism Compromises Our Welfare
A new report by the National Priorities Project of the Institute for Policy Studies, The Warfare State: How Funding for Militarism Compromises our Welfare, lays out in devastating detail just how militarized the budget Congress sets each year already is. When you factor in the Pentagon budget, nuclear weapons, border militarization, and the necessary care for veterans of our endless wars, the report finds that militarized spending takes up fully 62 percent of the discretionary budget. That leaves barely a third for education, regulation, research, many anti-poverty initiatives, and other popular programs. "Yet the same legislators demanding billions in discretionary savings have vowed to exempt militarized spending from any cuts," the authors write. "Instead, they've targeted the much smaller portion that funds human and community needs for even deeper cuts." Read more.
Webinar: Growing Support for Nuclear Abolition, Wednesday, May 31 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT
United for Peace & Justice is one of over 150 organizations on record in support of H. Res. 77, an important Back from the Brink (BftB)-led organizing vehicle that is helping to elevate Congressional debate and leadership on nuclear disarmament and risk reduction. Wed. May 31 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, join Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), H. Res. 77's lead sponsor, via Zoom, for Growing Support for Nuclear Abolition, a serious discussion about how we can get more members of Congress to make diplomacy, arms control, and nuclear abolition a priority. Register here. H. Res. 77 calls on the United States to embrace the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to adopt BftB's five point policy agenda to prevent nuclear war and achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. There are currently 24 co-sponsors. Learn more.
Speaking Truth to Power: Daniel Ellsberg's Legacy of Courage and Conscience
In early March, renowned Pentagon whistleblower and anti-nuclear activist Daniel Ellsberg announced that he had been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer and given only months to live. To honor Dan for his incredible leadership and activism, Diffuse Nuclear War declared April 24 -- April 30 "Daniel Ellsberg Week" and called for a week of education and action. The call generated city proclamations, articles, op-eds, and videos. Seeking "to honor peacemaking and whistleblowing," the cities of Albuquerque, NM, and San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, issued proclamations designating April 24 - 30 as Daniel Ellsberg Week. Additionally, The Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence presented Ellsberg with their annual award. Watch Dan's inspiring interview by Christian Amanpour. Read Dan's articles, see videos, and listen to his podcast.
Update from the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
United for Peace & Justice is a proud mobilizing partner with the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. This June 19 -- 22, the Poor People's Campaign will bring together hundreds of poor and low-income people, clergy, faith leaders, social justice advocates and activists from across the country to Washington, D.C. for the Moral Action Congress. Participants will gather to strategize, learn, share lessons and experiences, and act. The Congress will include workshops and plenary sessions that support social justice movement building, as well as panels and discussions on critical policy issues. To get involved, join your State Committee. Watch a recording of the Florida Poor People's Campaign May 25 Mass Meeting, "The DeSantis Deflection and Deception: We Demand Truth and Justice: Our Lives Depend On It!" Read more.
International Summit for Peace in Ukraine -- Vienna, Austria, June 10 -11, 2023
The International Peace Bureau, CODEPINK, Assembly of the World Social Forum, Transform Europe, Europe for Peace, International Fellowship of Reconciliation Italy, Peace in Ukraine, Campaign for Peace Disarmament and Common Security, and Prague Spring 2 will convene an International Summit for Peace in Ukraine June 10 -- 11 in Vienna, Austria, with an opportunity to participate virtually. The conference will discuss the controversial questions related to the Russian-Ukrainian war and listen to civil society representatives from Russia, Ukraine, and NATO countries. The conference will focus not only on critique and analysis, but also on creative solutions and ways to end the war and prepare negotiations. This is not only the task of states and diplomats but more and more also of global civil society. Find out more and register.
Webinar: Breaking the Silence on Decolonization -- Friday, June 14, 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT
What does it mean to decolonize land, peoples, bodies, minds, spirits:? Whether we are discussing Native Americans in the United States, Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, natural resources in Africa and Latin America, or global climate collapse, the implications of colonization have manifested themselves in countless places around the world stretching back many centuries -- all of which are rooted in Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s triple evils of racism, militarism, and materialism. The King and Breaking Silence coalition invites you to join them on Friday, June 14 at 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT to discuss decolonization through numerous lenses. Register here.
UFPJ Ukraine Resource Page Recent Additions: The Ukraine War and Decolonization
Much discourse about the Ukraine war frames it as a geopolitical struggle between "great powers" over "spheres of influence." But the war also can be viewed through the lens of decolonization. In The Case Against the Russian Federation: One Year Later, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleksiy Radynski argues that decolonial discourse has been "Western-centric," ignoring "other forms of colonial domination that do not fit the established patterns." In What kind of decolonization do we need? Russian social theorist Ilya Budraitskis observes that "[d]riven by imperial ressentiment, elites regard decolonization as a weapon in the hands of geopolitical rivals:. In this sense, Russian revanchism, which sees the emergence of new post-Soviet states as a ‘geopolitical catastrophe,' is no exception." More new updates here.
Ceasefire Petition Advertised in The Hill Delivered to Congressional Reps on Capitol Hill and Across the United States
On May 24, representatives of the Peace in Ukraine Coalition visited Capitol Hill and Congressional offices across the U.S. to deliver copies of a petition advertised in The Hill urging Biden, Putin, and Zelensky to support peace talks and a ceasefire in Ukraine. They also shared a copy of the recently-published Eisenhower Media Network ad, a call for peace in Ukraine authored by national security experts. That same day, CODEPINK members in DC took a giant blank check made out to the Pentagon to the office of House Speaker McCarthy, who had asserted that he would not write a "blank check" for Ukraine if Republicans won a House majority, but is now supporting a Pentagon budget for 2024 that is close to a trillion dollars. Join these activists and make your voice heard by signing onto the Peace in Ukraine petition here!
Webinar Recording: "Ukraine: 2014, Today, What Next?"
Presented on May 3 by the Veterans for Peace Ukraine working group as part of its peace solidarity webinar series, this webinar featured Carl Mirra, Veterans for Peace, writer and historian with a report back from Ukraine; Dr. Oksana Dudko, historian, Center for Urban History (Lviv, Ukraine); and John Spitzberg, Veterans for Peace, with a brief report back from Odessa, Ukraine. The webinar was moderated by Sasha Kanster, Feminist Workshop (Lviv, Ukraine), and hosted by Jeff Paterson and Jeremiah Knowles, Veterans for Peace National Board members. View the webinar recording here.
Mother's Day 2023: Faith Leaders Demand End to Gun Worship
Between May 1 and May 24, over 1,200 people in the U.S. died from gun violence. So-called Christian Nationalism is fueling this epidemic of violence by distorting sacred scripture and religious traditions, while elevating a warped interpretation of the 2nd Amendment above the protection of life and community. In response, more than 700 interfaith leaders and 170 faith communities nationwide issued an urgent Mother's Day appeal to political and religious leaders to end the worship of guns and to heal the country's soul. The statement, coordinated by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, reached President Biden and was published in the Congressional Record. A list of faith-based resources for ending gun violence created by FOR-USA has continuing use for national #WearOrange Day (June 2) and throughout Gun Violence Awareness Month (June).
Golden Rule Peace Boat Tours the Northeast
The Golden Rule peace boat reached thousands of people as it sailed to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City. The Swarthmore College Peace Collection held an event featuring photos and articles from the Golden Rule's 1958 voyage to stop U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. Mexico's UN Mission hosted a meeting with representatives of a dozen countries, followed by a meeting with the Marshall Islands Ambassador and a visit to the boat by Cuba's Ambassador. There was excellent coverage in the Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Inquirer and Jersey Journal. Families of the original Golden Rule crew sailed on the boat, which also made an appearance in New York's Fleet Week "Parade of Ships." Nonviolence guru George Lakey examined the Golden Rule's legacy. Learn more about on the continuing voyage of the Golden Rule.
Palestine & the Nakba -- 75 Years of Resistance
This year's Nakba Day on May 15 marked 75 years of ongoing ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel, beginning with the series of mass atrocities committed by Zionist forces in 1948 that resulted in the murder of over 15,000 Palestinians and the violent expulsion of over 750,000. The Nakba isn't an event that ended in 1948. It continues every day as Palestinians are expelled from their homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank so that Jewish-only settlements can be built (all on the American taxpayers' dime). Check out this recording of Palestine & the Nakba - 75 Years of Resistance to learn more. To take action, please join CODEPINK in calling for the JNF and JUF to stop funding Birthright and RSVP for the upcoming Not Just a Free Trip: How Birthright Perpetuates the Occupation of Palestine on June 15.
Zoom Briefing: Can Nuclear Energy Help Meet U.S. Climate Goals? Friday, June 2, 1:30 pm ET/10:30 am PT
From the Inflation Reduction Act to Oliver Stone's new film, there's a renewed discussion about the role nuclear energy might play in the climate fight. On Friday June 2, join an expert briefing drilling down on the issue. Highly qualified presenters, former chair of the NRC, Gregory Jaczjo, Dr. Mark Jacobson, and Dr. M. V. Ramana, will present evidence showing the evolution of nuclear power's costs and risks, and discuss how to meet America's low-carbon energy needs. This briefing is designed for members of Congress, their staff, relevant agencies, and the media, but interested members of the public are invited. Register here, and find more details here.
China Is Not Our Enemy
Throughout Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the China Is Not Our Enemy campaign at CODEPINK has been hard at work drawing the connections between mounting U.S. militarism aimed at China and its impacts on the AAPI community in the U.S. Wei Yu, the China Is Not Our Enemy campaign coordinator at CODEPINK, wrote an excellent piece this month about this very topic and what a sports jersey has to do with it. Check it out here. To get more involved, make sure to watch U.S. Foreign Policy Towards China and Its Impact on Racism Against Asians Nationally and in Boston and tell your member of Congress to stop using TikTok to drive fear and war towards China!
92% of BlackRock Shareholders Turn Blind Eye to Funding the Climate Crisis
April 25 was BlackRock's annual general meeting where shareholders voted on several resolutions, including a resolution authored by CODEPINK's War Is Not Green (WING) campaign entitled Impact Report for Climate-Related Human Risks of iShares U.S. Aerospace and Defense Exchange-Traded Fund (ITA). The resolution called on BlackRock to research and publish the climate impacts of its weapons investment offerings, while not requiring any changes to the composition of ITA (their defense and aerospace investment vehicle). Despite that, BlackRock's Board unanimously recommended voting against the resolution, and it received only 8% of the shareholder vote. WING campaigner Teddy Ogborn joined a protest following the vote and read a defense statement to rally participants, which you can read here. Learn more about the WING campaign here.
In Search of a New US Policy for a New Latin America & Caribbean: Burying 200 Years of the Monroe Doctrine
On April 28 - 29, CODEPINK and over 50 organizations brought together hundreds of passionate activists and intellectuals to bury the Monroe Doctrine on its 200th anniversary. Throughout In Search of a New U.S. Policy for a New Latin America: Burying 200 Years of the Monroe Doctrine, academics and activists exposed the U.S. interventionist policies in the Americas and centered on the people's struggle to build a more just multipolar world. Speakers included award-winning journalist Juan Gonzalez, Belly of the Beast's Liz Oliva Fernández, renowned Mexican scholar Jorge Zuñiga, and Nick Estes, founder of Red Nation. For those who couldn't join in person, the panels can be viewed online here. After you watch, take action for a more just U.S. policy towards Cuba by asking your representative to vote NO on H.R. 314 and S.538!
Newsletter Readers: A Few Dollars Can Make a Difference!
We hope you are enjoying the UFPJ newsletter. It's a way for our member groups to get the word out about their activities, and a monthly sampling of the peace and justice work going on around the country. UFPJ is a network of organizations, and the work of keeping it going--maintaining the website, putting out the newsletter, organizing member group gatherings and other events--is done by our National Organizer, George Friday, together with members of the UFPJ Coordinating Committee, people from member organizations who donate their time. This lean model allows UFPJ to operate on a very spare budget--so spare that if everyone who opens this newsletter donates $5 just once a year, it would fund our annual budget! So please think about helping out--a little goes a long way for UFPJ. Donate here.
