Syracuse Peace Council Page
Compiled by Carol Baum and Andy Mager
Speak Up: The Bush Agenda and You
The Bush Administration’s agenda has been devastating both at home and
abroad. Most Central New Yorkers directly feel the negative effects of these
policies.
Learn about the struggles your neighbors are facing and show your solidarity
by coming to a Town Meeting called Speak Up: The Bush Agenda and You. Hear a
wide-range of Syracuse-area organizations and individuals share their concerns
and ideas for building a more humane world, and share yours too. It is Wednesday,
November 12 from 7-9 pm at South Presbyterian Church, S. Salina and Colvin Streets,
Syracuse.
Initiated and coordinated by the Syracuse Peace Council, the event is now co-sponsored
by Syracuse United Neighbors, CNY National Organization for Women, Caribbean
and Latin America Coalition, Colombia Support Network, La Estancia Sister Community,
Peace Action, Plymouth Congregational Church, School of the Americas Abolitionists,
and the Stonewall Committee.
The program will be moderated by Julius Edwards, former director of Project
Hope. The evening will begin with brief presentations by representatives of
local community groups, followed by open mic time for individuals to “speak
up,” and conclude with informal networking and refreshments. Organizational
endorsements and support for the event are still welcome. Please get your union
local, neighborhood group or faith community to support this effort. Contact
Andy Mager at the Peace Council, 472-5478.
Iraq Activism
Cynthia Banas and Ed Kinane, Central New York’s people in Baghdad, will
return home in early November. SPC is helping them set up speaking engagements.
Please contact Jessica Maxwell if you would like one or both of them to come
to your group. And be sure to visit the SPC website <www.peacecouncil. net>
to read Ed’s ongoing Iraq journal. See page 5 for a recent article by Ed.
On October 25, SPC sent one very full bus to Washington, DC. The March called
for an end to the US occupation of Iraq, as well as a shifting of budget priorities
away from war to human needs, and fighting back against the Patriot Act.
Time Change for Weekly Peace Outreach
With the fall and it getting dark earlier, comes a change in hours for the weekly
peace outreach. Instead of catching people after work, we’ll see them before
work, on Tuesdays from 7:45 am – 8:30 am. Please join us!
• Nov. 4 Onondaga Rd. and W. Genesee St. (Camillus)
• Nov. 11 Teall Ave. and Rt. 690 (Eastside)
• Nov. 18 Adams St. and Rt. 81 (Downtown)
• Nov. 25 James St. and Thompson Rd. (North-side)
• Dec. 2 Rt. 57, Village of Liverpool (near skating rink)
Time to Get Those Constant Star Tickets
SPC is using the Saturday, November 15 matinee performance (3 pm) of Syracuse
Stage’s Constant Star as a fundraiser. Join us for the story of Ida B.
Wells (1862-1931) and her crusade for the rights of African Americans and women.
Wells is portrayed by African American actresses who weave twenty spirituals
sung a capella in five-part harmony throughout the story. A reception for everyone
attending as part of the SPC group follows the performance.
In order to benefit the Peace Council, you must order the tickets through us.
Tickets are $28; send a check payable to SPC to the office. Contact Carol Baum
for more information.
SPC Gets New Fiscal Sponsor … and a Grant
SPC lost its tax-exempt status during the Nixon era and since then has had to
work through other tax-exempt organizations in applying for grants. We have
finally found an organization willing to do that for us on a regular basis –
the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute. We are fortunate to find an organization
that is such a good fit. The Institute was organized to focus on the link between
nonviolence and social change.
The Institute has also granted us $1500 to organize a regional training for
nonviolence trainers, to be held in the early spring. If you are interested
in participating, contact Jessica Maxwell or Andy Mager.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to SPC of $50 or more,
please make a check out to the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute, with “SPC”
on the memo line, and send it to the Peace Council office. These donations will
be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the IRS.
November Program on the FTAA
People are mobilizing against the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) November
19 – 21 in Miami, where trade ministers are meeting to continue negotiations
on the agreement. SPC’s November program will focus on “The Costs
of ‘Free’ Trade: the FTAA and You.” Please join us Thursday,
November 18 from 7 – 9 pm at the Westcott Community Center for a panel
discussion and refreshments.
Please note that we have decided not to do potlucks before the program anymore
– few people have been regularly attending the potluck. Instead, we are
trying out the idea of having the program from 7 – 8:30, with social time
afterwards. Let us know what you think.
Study Group on US Global Agenda
The study group meets every other week on Mondays from 7 – 8:30 pm. We
have been slowly reading Power Trip, a collection of essays on US unilateralism
and global strategy after 9/11/01. Please join us for interesting conversations
on important topics – come try it out! Contact Carol Baum for more information.
Plowshares Craftsfair
Mark your calendars for the weekend of December 6-7. Saturday hours are 10 am
– 5 pm; Sunday we’ll be opening earlier than usual, going from 11
am – 5 pm, so people can come for lunch. A new treat is the addition of
the Rochester Folk Art Guild – see page 12 for details.
This Old SPC House
With winter coming, SPC has been scurrying to complete several large projects.
Many hours of dedicated volunteer labor have replaced the northwest portion
of the Peace Council’s roof. The commercial estimates were all over $4,000.
Fortunately, Jim Brown, a small contractor, offered to coordinate a weekend
work project for us and kept the total cost to $1700. As sometimes happens,
it has taken more than a weekend, and volunteers have persisted. Thanks so much
to Jim for coordinating, and the mountain goat team of Herm Bieling, Chris Spies-Rusk,
Lanny Freshman, Brian Post, Lance Hogan, Paul Frazier, Paul Pearce, Mark Hubbard,
Gary Bonaparte and Andy Mager for providing the labor.
For the last several weeks, every nice day has found the mother-in-law/ daughter-in-law
team of Ann and Patty Tiffany outside painting the house. Thanks to them, the
wooden exterior of the house is now protected, as well as looking a lot nicer.
SPC now has hot water, thanks to Peter Crane, who replaced the hot water heater.
And the heat can be on guilt-free, since Rae Kramer, Dave Griola and Ann Tiffany
put plastic on the windows (after washing them first!).
Steering Committee Members Sought
Every January some steering committee members’ terms are up, and new people
are needed to join. If you would like to help set direction for the Peace Council,
agree with the statement of purpose, and can come to several meetings a month,
you may enjoy being on the steering committee. Contact the office for more details.
An Early Fall Full of Events
SPC has organized three major events since late September.
Michael Klare, Nation columnist and professor, spoke on “Oil and the New
American Empire.” He arranged the puzzle pieces of oil, US foreign policy,
and the Middle East into a coherent picture.
Two weeks later, feminist global justice activist and pagan Starhawk facilitated
a workshop on “Another World is Possible: Spirit and Social Action”
to a packed house. The evening began with a discussion of what’s sacred
to each of us and ended with a spiral dance.
Political comedian and songwriter/satirist Dave Lippman (a.k.a. George Shrub)
joined us for an evening of hilarity in mid October. Dave stayed the next day,
working on a piece for Free Speech Radio News on Syracuse’s Bill of Rights
Defense Campaign.
Thanks to My Sisters’ Words
The Peace Council would like to acknowledge the great appreciation and respect
we have had for My Sisters’ Words Bookstore and its owner, Mary Ellen Kavanaugh.
We celebrate and cherish that there has been a wonderful women’s / progressive
bookstore in Syracuse for 16 years; we mourn that the store is yet another victim
of the increasing large corporate control of the media and will close in late
November. Even in its last months, Mary Ellen was busily ordering books for
the SPC study group (and giving members a discount), and tabling at Starhawk
and Michael Klare events (and donated a part of her profits to SPC).
We wish you the best, Mary Ellen.