Summer is practically upon us. Many of us are spending time in our gardens, planting tomatoes, corn, beans, squash and the like, pulling weeds and adding soil amendments to help our fledgling seedlings grow.

This also needs to be a time for us progressives to plant the seeds and nourish the sprouts to grow a strong, empowered movement for real change.

Those of us who know that real peace, social justice and ecological sanity won't come from simply electing a different president, but rather will require a massive transformation of consciousness and--building on this--a redefinition of power relations in our nation, need to be working hard, day-in and day-out, to facilitate this transformation.

Those of us who understand that a sustainable future will only be possible if we can build a culture of cooperation, sharing, creativity and simplicity, need to be organizing and reaching out to our neighbors. There are lots of people unhappy with gas prices, but they need to understand that the answers won't come from drilling in the Arctic or building new nukes. They certainly won't come from attacking Iran or attempting to enforce global hegemony.

There are solutions, and they are within the reach of an organized, effective mass movement. Our job is to build that movement. This takes reaching out to our neighbors. It takes both living our vision--to the extent that we can--and sharing our sense of hope, optimism and possibility.

This summer we will be holding more events than usual. Over the next few weeks we'll have an informational program on Iran with Lily Tinker Fortel (6/10), a Bike Ride followed by a Potluck and Discussion Salon (6/15), a Sol-a-bration on the Summer Solstice (6/21), an evening with Scott Ritter and Lizzie West & Baba Buffalo (6/22). We'll also be out reaching out to our fellow citizens at Twilight Fests, Art in the Park, PrideFest and more.

Our presence and our outreach are all about the possibility for real change. We will share our sense that the needed changes are possible; that each of us can play a meaningful role; that the time for action is now and that together we can...

What are you waiting for? If being part of such a movement speaks to something in you, please speak with us and let's talk about how we can work together to make that real difference.



Hang on to your hats and jump on board. Things are moving forward rapidly and there's plenty of room for you on this train.

2008 is a "political year," which to most people means we'll be having a major national election. Politics, however, is much more than elections. Those of us committed to the causes of peace, sustainability and social justice always have the opportunity to focus public attention on our issues. Election years, however, are a time when many more people pay attention to questions of public policy, and thus we can address a broader audience.

This year we need to invite and encourage as many of our fellow citizens as possible to join in the process of insisting that elected officials and those who seek to serve in elected office recognize the need for making thoroughgoing change.

This change has to be more rhetorical. We can not accept an economic system is predicated on militarism, unsustainable in virtually every regard and seriously skewed in terms of distribution of wealth and power. We must consistently work to raise our concerns and expand the parameters of public discourse.

There will be many, many opportunities to move forward a progressive agenda this year regardless of who the candidates for office are. We hope you will take seriously the opportunities that participating in the 2008 elections offer--limited as these might be--and that you will also do more than just get involved with candidate campaigns. Peaceworks invites you to join us in building public support for a far more progressive agenda than any of the candidates will be offering.

A real shift in the political center of gravity will only be effected if we get out in front of the process and articulate a truly visionary approach to addressing foreign policy, the economy, energy and the other interconnected issues that should be the focus of public attention in this political year.

In the near term we hope you will sign up to be a participant in "1,000 Strong for Peace" on March 16. We encourage you to become an organizer for this hopefully massive gathering. Moreover, we invite you to get involved in the day-to-day work for peace. There will be numerous opportunities in the weeks and months ahead. We also encourage you to get active with our sustainability work. Missourians for Safe Energy and our Center for Sustainable Living are both looking for more active participants. The time is now. The opportunities are there. Let us know that you are read to get on board.



As we enter the holiday season, we here at Peaceworks want to thank all of you for your participation and support and wish you and yours all the best for a season of joy and a new year that is growthful and fulfilling.

We would also like to remind you of the ongoing need for activism, even during times when many of our co-workers, friends and neighbors seem focused almost solely on socializing and procuring gifts.

There is nothing in any way wrong with taking time with loved ones over the holidays. We surely encourage and support this. And, even though overconsumption taxes our budgets as well as the planet's resources, and in many ways generates stress, there is absolutely nothing wrong with sharing thoughtful gifts with friends and family. (The key here is to do it in moderation and to think through what gifts you really want to share.) We even hope you will come by the Peace Nook and see the wonderful books, fair trade imports and other excellent gift items we've got available in our non-profit store, where all proceeds supports our work to make the world a cleaner, greener and more peaceful place.

Our message regarding activism is that it needs to go on during this season as well. How ironic that for most in our culture this solstice season is observed as a celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace, but there is so little attention to peacemaking, peace advocacy, peaceful witness and the like. Certainly, if we are to honor Jesus, we should honor his message of peace and love.

Likewise, almost all traditions celebrate this as a season of light in the darkness. Whatever our background--religious or not--we can each take steps to make ourselves lights in this current time of darkness; lights for social and economic justice, lights for sustainability, lights for peace.

So, perhaps you'd like to host a Holiday House Party. Just contact Lily. here at Peaceworks and she can fill you in on the details. Maybe you'd like to send holiday cards with expressions of your concerns to your Congresspeople. Maybe you'd like to bring the whole family out to a peace vigil during the holiday season. Perhaps you could help support Peaceworks by sending a year-end contribution our way.

There are so many ways to get involved. We hope you will consider what fits your personal situation and help in what ways you can.

Many thanks,
Your friends at Peaceworks



When wars drag on, the way that the U.S. imperial adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan have done, it is hard for many of us to maintain our sense of engaged participation in the peace movement. A combination of jadedness, frustration and disempowerment tend to afflict those who have given so much time and effort already. We tend to feel overwhelmed that the violence continues unabated.

We, at Peaceworks, urge you to take heart, to keep strong, to keep active and to find solidarity in working with movement allies. Our efforts are making a difference. We are reaching our neighbors. Anti-war sentiment continues to grow. While we can't promise complete success or immediate results, we can say that the broader and more vocal our movement is, the more likely we are to turn things around.

If you check the calendar at the left, you will see several important peace events coming up in the very near future. We strongly encourage you to attend what you can and to bring friends, family, co-workers and others. Each one can reach several and our ranks can continue to grow.

We thank you for all you've done already and hope to see you very soon.



For at least two years our government has been quietly moving toward an attack on Iran. Voices in the know have sounded a warning, but unfortunately, the public seems either oblivious or disconnected, not aware of the power we have collectively to prevent this. Just like they did five years ago, when they attempted to justify launching a war of aggression on Iraq, the U.S government is focusing on the supposed threat of weapons of mass destruction.

The hypocrisy here is rank. Of course, Iran has no nuclear weapons, while the U.S. and several of our major allies, including regional powerhouse Israel, do. Moreover, our nation is the only country to ever use nuclear weapons in war, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese civilians at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Further, the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that the U.S. signed and ratified close to forty years ago, commits the U.S. and all nuclear weapons states to eliminate our arsenals, while it provides assurances that non-nuclear weapons states have the right to develop and utilize fuel cycle technology, including uranium enrichment, provided they agree to inspections. So, the U.S., which has absolutely no intention of ever living up to its NPT obligation by eliminating its vast arsenal of n-weapons, is vilifying Iran for doing something it is actually permitted to do under the NPT.

Given the obvious lack of legal standing under internationally law, of late our government has been focusing on Iran's alleged intervention in Iraq. While they have made repeated claims that Iran is supplying weapons to insurgent groups in Iraq, there has been no documentation. Moreover, even if the allegations are true, isn't this the classic case of the pot calling the kettle black? The illegal actions of the U.S. in invading Iraq and maintaining an occupation for four and a half years dwarf any possible meddling by Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or any other nations in the region.

Our government, on the other hand, has been alleged by several credible sources, to be funding, arming and training armed groups--Kurds and other ethnic minorities--to destabilize Iran. These sources also maintain that U.S. covert ops forces are already on the ground in Iran.

It really appears that Bush and Cheney are looking for some provocation to justify launching an attack. While many of us hoped that a new Congress would put the brakes on Bush's push for a wider war, this, unfortunately, has not been the case. As the Democratic-majority House debated the war funding resolution, Speaker Nancy Pelosi removed a provision that would have required Bush to come to Congress for approval before attacking Iran. The Dems have, it appears, in addition to fully funding the ongoing Iraq War, have given the administration a blank check to go to war with Iran.

The consequences of this course of action would be disastrous. If the U.S. bombs Iran's nuclear facilities, there will be massive "collateral damage." Moreover, the Iranians are unlikely to let the U.S. bomb their nation without responding. The resulting war could lead to a far greater bloodbath in Iraq, where Iran has influential allies. to the blocking of oil shipments out of the Persian Gulf, and possibly to a regional war that would bring in other powers. The Bushies have miscalculated before, but this is a mistake waiting to happen that would make their attack on Iraq look like a stroke of brilliance.

WE MUST STOP THIS:

While many of us are dead-set against an attack on Iran, our government either doesn't seem to recognize this, or doesn't seem to care. And after the massive groundswell of public opposition to an attack on Iraq four years ago failed to stop Bush and Co., many are dispirited and think nothing we do will make an difference anyway, so why bother.

This is exactly what they want us to feel. And we can't afford to let our past frustrations stop us from taking action now. While there is no guarantee that our actions will succeed, if those in power think they can launch another war of aggression and pay no political price, they almost surely will.

SPECIFIC STEPS:

** Make your voice heard through writing letters to the editor and calling your Congressional delegation. You can letters to nearly all Missouri daily papers (Click Here) and communicate with your elected officials (Click Here)

** Join in visible demonstrations. We strongly urge you to come out any Wednesday for any time between 4:15-5:45 p.m. to the Rush Hour Peace Demonstration at B'way & Providence. We especially encourage folks to turn out the first Wednesday of each month--including Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5--as these are larger demonstrations that really get the public's attention. We also support the weekly peace vigil at the Columbia Post Office each Saturday, 10-11 a.m.

** Urge others to join in speaking out. Talk this up at your house of worship, at you workplace or school, with your family and/or neighbors, etc. Urge all to be as outspoken as possible on this matter. This is no time to be shy or to hesitate.

** Become better informed. There are lots of excellent resources on the Iran situation. On the web check out:

United for Peace & Justice Iran resources.

Council for a Livable World Iran resources.

WikIran.

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Iran resources.

Hands off Iran.


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