Peace Council Pages

Educate, Agitate, Organize
SPC IN ACTION

compiled by Jessica Maxwell

	Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia We thank you for defending freedom by serving 9 months in prison for opposing the (illegal,unjust) Iraq war and occupation. With Respect, Dik Cool
The Syracuse Post-Standard refused to print this ad in its special Veterans Day section, insisting it was “political” while other ads were not.

35th Annual Plowshares Craftsfair
As usual, our December centerfold is dedicated to the Plowshares Craftsfair – a listing of participants and performers, schedule of events and more! Last year’s festival had been our biggest ever, but this year’s is even larger. We stand in awe and appreciation of the tremendous work done by the all-volunteer committee to make Plowshares a success. It is not only SPC’s largest fundraiser of the year, but also a crucial venue for many local artisans and crafters, a community gathering place and a glimpse of what a more just economic system might offer.

Many thanks to the Plowshares Com ­mittee members: Andy Molloy, Beth Mosley, Barbara Floch, Lanny Freshman, Karen Kerney, Mardea Warner, Marie Summer ­wood, Rae Kramer and Sam Tarbania.

NOON Reaches Out
Community outreach and education remain the focus of Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON). Despite the shifting legal landscape regarding Haudenosaunee claims for land, education about the basis and purpose of the Onondaga Land Rights Action is vital.

NOON has presented to several church groups and about half of the TNT (Tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Today) groups in Syracuse. Several Rotary presentations are also planned. In addition, NOON is working with over 20 departments and organizations at Syracuse University to plan Onondaga Land Rights and Our Common Future, a major educational series set to run from February-November 2006. Full details will be available in January.

To schedule a presentation, contact Chris Sauter at 449-9346 or nooneducation@yahoo.com.

Not Your Soldier
The Military Alternatives Education Project (MAEP) is battling military recruiters and educating about the draft and Selective Service. With the CNY chapter of the ACLU, MAEP is pushing the Syracuse City School District to change their policy in relation to the No Child Left Behind Act so that students will have meaningful opportunities to opt-out of having their contact information released to military recruiters. On November 17, the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition’s “Not Your Soldier” Day, MAEP coalition partner SEAC (Student Environmental Action Coalition) held a guerilla theater action at Syracuse University. Tabling in local high schools continues, with recent visits to Corcoran and Henninger, as well as making Selective Service and draft presentations. Our next meeting is December 5 at the Peace Action/AFSC offices(2013E.GeneseeSt.) 7 pm. Contact Candace.

SPC MONTHLY PROGRAM

(Spanish with English subtitles, 74 min.) Two independent film makers from Ireland were inside the Venezuelan presidential palace on April 11, 2002, when Hugo Chavez was forcibly removed from office.They were also present 48 hours later when, remarkably, he returned to power. Their film records what was probably history’s shortest-lived coup d’état. It’s a unique documentary about political maneuvering, US intervention and the role of the media in shaping public perception. Thursday, December 15 7-8:30 pm Westcott Community Center (corner of Euclid and Westcott, Syracuse) followed by refreshments & discussion. FREE

SPC Advisory Committee
SPC’s Advisory Committee met on November 7 to share ideas about program plans for 2006 and the site search. This committee provides input to the Steering Committee that makes decisions for SPC.

Some key points raised:
• Without the work of the peace movement, support for the war would not have eroded the way it has.

•We should prioritize reaching teachers who in turn reach tens of thousands of students in our region.

• We need to find creative and dramatic ways to demonstrate the horrific costsof the war.

• We must undertake program work realistic for our resource base.

SPC’s Wish List
If you tend to give gifts around the winter holiday season, consider a gift to SPC. While we always appreciate financial contributions, there are many other ways you can support our work. A few are listed below (more are listed on our website).
• A small hand truck (for moving all of our tabling supplies to and from events!)
• Scrapbooks to preserve news clippings, flyers,etc.
• Good progressive films/documentarieson DVD
• A volunteer to help maintain SPC press clippings
• A volunteer to coordinate the free distribution of PNLs locally
• Quality folding or stackable officechairs

Activist Appreciation: Tim Muller

Weekly Peace Outreach

Be a visible part of the growing opposition to the war on Iraq. Every Thursday noon to 12:45 pm (note change in date and time). • December 1 Rt. 57 and Vine St. (Village of Liverpool) • December 8 Seneca Tpk. and S. Salina St. (Valley) • December 15 James St. and Thompson Rd. (Northside) • December 22 Rt. 11, in front of Northern Lights Shopping Center (Mattydale) • December 29 E. Genesee St. and Erie Blvd. E. (Dewitt)

To be effective, social change organizations need to identify supporters, stay in touch with them, and help them find a way to participate. When there are many people involved, like at the Peace Council, human brains can’t hold all the needed information. So, we rely on databases, which are only as good as their design and data entry.

SPC’s database had gotten outdated and unwieldy – that is, until Tim Muller stepped in to help. For over six months he has come in every Friday afternoon, first to clean up the database, and then to teach himself our database program so he could design a new section for volunteers. He is persistent, meticulous, and always good-humored, even in the face of such a daunting and often frustrating task.

Tim, we thank you for helping SPC’s database become a more powerful organizing tool.

A Dedication to Jolie Christine Rickman
The War Resisters League 2006 datebook, Peace-Loving Nations, features songs of peace and social justice and is dedicated to Jolie Christine Rickman. The Syracuse Cultural Workers 2006 Women Artists Datebook is also dedicated to Jolie.

Jolie lived several years in Syracuse and her amazing energy, creativity and clear political thinking inspired many activists and musicians.

Peace-Loving Nations ($14) is available for purchase at the SPC office and will also be available at the Plowshares Craftsfair. You can view selections from the datebook at the WRL website: www.warresisters.org. For the Cultural Workers Datebook ($13.95), call 315-474-1132 or see www.syrculturalworkers.com.

Please Respond to Fall Fundraising
November and December are typically our largest fund-raising months – due to the Fall Fund Appeal and Plowshares. However, excluding the Bentley bequest, we’ll have to do extremely well in order to break even this year. The bequest helped us stay afloat during recent lean months, but, it is important to the long-term financial health of the Peace Council to use it for investments (like a building), rather than operating expenses.

Please respond as generously as you can to the fund appeal – even if you did not get one in the mail. Donations of $50 or more can be made out to the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute (please write SPCon the memo line); these will be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the IRS.

2006 Program Plan
Using feedback from the October 5 forum at the Westcott Community Center, the SPC Program Committee drafted an ambitious plan for 2006, to be discussed at the December Steering Committee meeting. At the heart of the proposal is a “Local Cost of the War” campaign that seeks to connect with local programs suffering as a result of the bloated war budget (such as low-income housing, education, healthcare, etc). The goal is to form strategic alliances to raise visibility of the cost of the war and to challenge its impact on our community.

We have also proposed that SPC convene a committee to evaluate and redesign SPC’s approach to the media – including SPC media like the PNL and website, as well as our interaction with other alternative and mainstream media. Once the plan is finalized, we will need your help to make it all happen. Look for an update soon!

SPC Staffer Carol Baum Honored by NOW
On November 5, the CNY chapter of the National Organization for Women honored SPC staff person Carol Baum, as one of this year’s “Unsung Heroines.” Cheered on by some of her many friends and admirers, Carol received the “Community Activist of Honor” award for “improving the community through peace and justice.” Her accomplishments were introduced through a brief description of the real history of the late, and deeply honored Rosa Parks, who did not have a sudden moment of glory as is inaccurately described in many history books, but who was a dedicated, persistent, and lifelong worker in the civil rights movement.

With her usual grace and clarity, Carol accepted with acknowledgement for all who are “unsung,” unnoticed, and unappreciated for their efforts. “Sung” or “unsung,” Carol works incredibly hard, and persists in honoring her own commitment to doing what is right and what needs to be done. We are proud of her, and glad that she has been recognized for the extraordinary contributions she makes.
- Carole Resnick