 Historic Sailboat Project Supports UN Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons
Golden Rule S/V Crew member and Golden Rule Project Ambassador, Zoe Byrd, will show the 25-minute documentary, “Making Waves: Rebirth of the Golden Rule” about four Quaker peace activists, led by Navy veteran Albert Bigelow, who in 1958 set sail to the Marshall Islands influencing public demand that ended underwater, atmospheric, and outer space nuclear bomb tests in 1963. The historic peace boat later sank, in 2010, and was rebuilt in Humboldt Bay, California. The Golden Rule, a Project of Veterans For Peace, is once again “Sailing for a Nuclear-Free World and a Peaceful, Sustainable Future.” Zoe Byrd, involved in the peace movement since 1977, and an avid “Peace Walker”, as well as sailor, will take questions after the film, about the Golden Rule, opportunities to crew on the peace vessel, and more. Zoe is excited to present the ICAN Cities Appeal, where all over the world, cities are taking the lead and calling on their governments to join the UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Highly regarded guest speaker, Peter Lumsdaine, a member of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR)’s Nuclear Weapons Abolition Task Force and of national PSR’s Committee to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, has worked for over two decades in the nuclear resistance and global eco-justice movements, including on the staff of leading-edge NGOs. This work has taken him from the military conflict zones of Mexico, the Philippines, Korea, and occupied Iraq to the the inner security areas of US Strategic Command bases and the cell-blocks of the American prison system. Peter will speak about the inspiring heritage of, and urgent potential for, mass nonviolent direct action to push toward nuclear abolition – and about how we can curb the rise of corporate/military Artificial Intelligence systems that are rapidly automating global conflict and the command of nuclear arsenals. * This educational, fundraising event is a call to action and is free to the public Donations to the Golden Rule Project 2019 sailing season are appreciated Film screening event in Bellingham Wednesday February 20 8–9:30 p.m. The Alternative Library (Karate Church) 519 E Maple Street, Bellingham This VFP – Golden Rule Project event is Sponsored by: Veterans For Peace – CPL Jonathan J. Santos Memorial Chapter #111 Whatcom Peace & Justice Center Bellingham Film Coalition The Golden Rule Project is preparing for an epic voyage around the Pacific – to Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Guam, Okinawa, Korea, Japan and more. The spring 2019 crossing to Hawaii will take about a month. The Pacific voyage will bring attention to the ongoing effects of nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific, and to the environmental and human impacts of hundreds of military bases in the Pacific Islands. The team plans to be in Japan in August 2020 for the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then sail back to California in the spring and summer of 2021. With tensions so high between nuclear armed nations, it is more important than ever to bring a message of peace into the Pacific. “The possibility of nuclear war today is all too real,” says Gerry Condon of Veterans For Peace. “It is time to abolish nuclear weapons once and for all. The U.S. can show leadership by being the first nuclear power to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” Come learn about what you can do to support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty and the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Press interviews encouraged! Registered voters can go to https://weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/MyVote to see a list of their elected officials at every level of government. (If you are eligible to vote but not registered, or need to update your address, do so via the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office: https://www.whatcomcounty.us/1832/Register-to-Vote.)
State government representatives In addition to statewide elected positions like governor and secretary of state, residents of Washington are represented in the state legislature by three people from their district: one senator who is elected for a four-year term, and two representatives who are elected for two-year terms. Whatcom County residents are part of either the 40th or 42nd legislative districts. 40th district Senator Currently vacant. Representative Debra Lekanoff (D) 422 John L. O'Brien Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504 (360) 786-7800 Email (1000-character limit): https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/40/1 Committees:
Representative Jeff Morris (D) 436A Legislative Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504 (360) 786-7970 Email (1000-character limit): https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/40/2 Committees:
42nd district Senator Doug Ericksen (R) 414 Legislative Building PO Box 40442 Olympia, WA 98504 (360) 786-7682 Email (1000-character limit): https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/42/0 Committees:
Representative Sharon Shewmake (D) 310 John L. O'Brien Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504 (360) 786-7854 Email (1000-character limit): https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/42/2 Committees:
Representative Luanne Van Werven (R) 419 John L. O'Brien Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504 (360) 786-7980 Email (1000-character limit): https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/42/1 Committees:
Here are some suggestions on how to contact your state legislators. Photos by Roshni Adi Jokhi Video by Ellen Clark and Bellingham Access team  An Evening with Dr. Yoav Litvin, Israeli-American Psychologist and Neuroscientist 7 p.m., Wednesday, November 7
Garden Street United Methodist Church Fireside Room 1326 N. Garden St, Bellingham Bellingham, WA – Bellingham's Veterans For Peace and Whatcom Peace and Justice Center are hosting author, psychologist and nueroscientist Dr. Yoav Litvin at Garden Street Methodist Fireside Room on Wednesday, November 7 at 7 p.m. Dr. Litvin will examine the results to date of Zionism within a historical framework. How have over a century of settler colonial policies affected the Israeli and Palestinian collective psyches? Can a study of neural systems of emotion inform our understanding of the ongoing oppression of Palestinians and the potential for a just resolution? Litvin will address these questions and speak of their urgency in light of the current rise of white supremacy and global neo-fascism. Specializing in the behavioral neuroscience of fear, stress, social behaviors, aggression and trauma, Litvin has investigated the neurobehavioral pathways involved in bullying, aggression and defense from the aspects of both aggressor and victim. He has found that studying the science of trauma and its healing can benefit our efforts to find a potential route to justice and reconciliation. "As humans, our survival instincts render us susceptible to manipulations by fear-mongering politicians," says Dr Litvin. "A scared populace readily accepts and sustains cycles of oppression and privilege. It is morally essential to overcome fear and demand truth, accountability, justice and equality." Dr. Litvin, an Israeli-American psychologist and neuroscientist, integrates his knowledge of biobehavioral mechanisms with a unique perspective as a former Israel Defense Force soldier, now dissident. His work has appeared in outlets such as Salon, Truthout, Truthdig, teleSur English, Mondoweissand Counterpunch. For more see yoavlitvin.com. Ed. note: Print copies will be available at from Alternatives to Military Service and Whatcom Peace & Justice Center at community events including Sept. 21's International Day of Peace, Sept. 24-25's Red Square Info Fair, and Sept. 28's Birchwood International Market.  I decided to do an infographic on immigrants in the military because it’s a topic that is not often talked about. Throughout U.S. history, we have recruited immigrants from all over the world to serve in the U.S. military. As a DACA recipient who considered the military as my only pathway toward attaining citizenship, I quickly realized that was not the case. DACA recipients who join the military do not have a set pathway towards citizenship. In fact, the U.S. has deported American veterans because of their status, after dedicating their lives to this country. What really encouraged me to make this infographic was a speaker that came to WWU, Margaret D Scott. Though I strongly disagreed with her conclusions, I found her talk (online here: HTTPS://FAIRHAVEN.WWU.EDU/IMMIGRANTS-US-MILITARY) very informative, and used many of the data to find other resources to create this. Written by Victoria Matey-Mendoza[She/Her/Hers] Victoria is a recent graduate from Western Washington University. She joined the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center in 2015 as the student representative. She has been involved in many efforts specifically around immigration and undocumented folks. Through various forms of organizing -- institutional and grassroots -- she has helped many students get civically engaged. Victoria offers various workshops around challenging narratives of undocumented immigrants. In her spare time she enjoys camping, swimming and spending time with her community. Jennifer Ávila, Honduran journalist, artist, and documentary filmmaker, will speak in Bellingham, Washington, on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church (2600 Lakeway Drive). Ávila is the co-founder of Contra Corriente, a multimedia, youth and women-led media platform.
Everyone is invited to a "not-luck" meal (you are NOT expected to bring any food, but you may if you wish) served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., to be followed by Jennifer Ávila’s presentation, “The Silencing of Dissent: How Freedom of the Press is Threatened in Honduras.” Ávila is the featured speaker in Witness for Peace Northwest’s 2018 tour and is hosted locally by the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center and the Justice Seekers of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church. Ávila’s award-winning work has been shown in international film festivals, and has represented a crucial documentation of the ways U.S. and Honduran policy from deportations to mega-projects have affected the most vulnerable Hondurans. Ávila spent six years at Radio Progreso, an essential bulwark of freedom of expression in an increasingly hostile environment for journalism, before co-founding Contra Corriente in 2017. While at Radio Progreso, she directed “Guardiana de los Ríos” (about the defense of rivers incarnated by Berta Cáceres), “No Se Van” (about the whys and hows of migration), and “Libertad Tiene Nombre de Mujer” (about women organizing to protect community territory). The week prior to her visit, the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center will host a screening of “Guardiana de los Ríos” on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at the Alternative Library (519 E. Maple) at 8 p.m. |
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The Whatcom Peace & Justice Center calls on our government and society to disavow policies of violence and seek a culture of peace.
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