How can I find out about NJ protests and rallies?

[NJCher]

I teach a course on social activism. I've assigned my students to attend a protest or rally, which they have to do before mid-April. I have NJ Peace Action's ongoing Iraq protests. What else is going on?



Cher

[jhain]

1. try here:

http://www.njpeacesites.org/

http://www.njpeaceaction.org/

http://www.njpeace.org/index.htm

http://bringtroopshomenj.org/

that one has a list here:
http://bringtroopshomenj.org/events.html

[NJCher]

2. Thanks!

That's a big help!



Cher

[jhain]

3. Another :

Dear Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) Contact,

CFPA is issuing a Call to a Moratorium to be observed on Wednesday, March 19, the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War. This Call comes out of a discussion that began with a CFPA Steering Committee Retreat on January 12, at which many of our 17 chapters, officers, committee chairs and other leaders were represented. Some of you may remember that Moratoria were used occasionally to oppose the Vietnam War, and our CFPA leaders felt it was time to call for one in opposition to the Iraq War.

See details about the Moratorium, and the activities we are encouraging our supporters to take, at the links below. The first is an html version on our web site; the second is a PDF version you can download and distribute. Please forward both these links widely; we hope that many supporters and groups throughout the region and across the country will join us in this effort! Please let us know what activities you or your group plan as part of the Moratorium.

http://www.peacecoalition.org/action/cfpa/080319_moratorium_regional_000.aspx

http://www.ufpj-dvn.org/pdf_call_moratorium.pdf

Please begin your planning for the Moratorium Day NOW. If you need to request the day off, please make sure you do so with enough advance notice--that is one reason we are sending this initial version of the Call now. Some more activities are still in the planning stages, and will be included in future versions of the Call. But the ones on the links above are the ones we know of now.

The Rev. Robert Moore
Executive Director
Coalition for Peace Action
40 Witherspoon Street
Princeton, NJ 08542
[phone] Office Phone
[phone] Home Phone
[phone] Cell Phone

[jhain]

4. Pax Christi NJ’s Spring Assembly

All are welcome to attend Pax Christi NJ’s Spring Assembly Saturday April 19th at St. Patrick’s Church and School in Jersey City. The topic this year is solidarity, migration and reconciliation. We have a wonderful program planned with several dynamic speakers including Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, the former president of Bread for the World and Juan Carlos Ruiz from the New Sanctuary Movement.



Theme-

Although Americans view immigration as “the problem “it is just as much, or perhaps more so, the problems of extreme poverty and political conditions in the countries which cause people to migrate. This migration creates both a positive impact in the form of money being sent back and a negative impact in the “brain drain”. This relationship along with the issues of US foreign and trade policies and unfair immigration policies will be examined. We will also discuss the ideas that come from developing countries such as micro credit (Muhammed Yunus, Bangladesh) that have the potential to help everyone.



Keynote Speaker - Bishop Thomas Gumbleton

A longtime national and international activist in the peace movement, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton is an outspoken critic of violence and militarism. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, and has published numerous articles and reports.

Former President of Bread for the World

Founding President of Pax Christi, USA

Co-Founder of Michigan Coalition for Human Rights

Board Member: Lambi Fund of Haiti, U.S. El Salvador Institute; Fellowship of Reconciliation; National Agenda for Peace in El Salvador; Witness for Peace; Nicaragua-U.S. Friendship Office; World Conference on Religion and Peace (Office of the Secretary General of the UN)



Workshop Topics (Partial List)-



CREATING A WORLD WITHOUT POVERTY:

By giving poor people the power to help themselves, the micro-credit revolution has offered them something more valuable then food – security, hope and self-esteem. This is a how to workshop built on Tonie Malone’s 14 years of experience in Haiti.



FORGIVENESS RECONCILIATION AND HEALING:

Two different experiences will be shared about FRH

1) Rwanda’s experience by Fr. Sabune Petero

2) South Africa’s experience by Georgette Delinois

Participants will be able to explore ways to duplicate the FRH concept in places where individuals have experienced violence and are emotionally, psychologically, spiritually or physically wounded. They will hopefully additional gain insight into effective ways to best help people heal themselves consequently their countries.



What We Need is Peace The plea of Iraqi refugees in Lebanon and Syria
This workshop will give an overview of the reality and concerns of Iraqi refugees in Lebanon and Syria with discussion of our response as American citizens. Presented by Clare Nolan. Clare was a member of CRS delegation of religious women to Iraq and Syria in January 2008. Clare is the NGO representative for the Sisters of the Good shepherd at the UN in New York. Good Shepherd has Lebanese and Syrian sisters with projects in both countries responding to our brothers and sisters from Iraq.



The US Immigration Detention System:

Talk will be given by Father Juan Carlos Ruiz, an ordained Roman Catholic priest and the founding director of the Asociacion Tepayac Bronx Community Center. He is currently lead organizer for New Sanctuary Movement activities in New York City.





Full brochures for pre-registration will be available by the end of the month.



Whatever you can do to help spread the word would be greatly appreciated.



Peace & God bless,

Kathy O'Leary
State Council Member – Pax Christi NJ
Chapter Coordinator-Pax Christi Summit
(a local chapter of Pax Christi USA www.paxchristiusa.org )
908-273-0751
www.paxsummit.blogspot.com

"We need no rifles or pistols for battle, but instead spiritual weapons; and the foremost among these is prayer." - Franz Jaegerstaetter



“We Suffer & Rejoice

With Our Brothers & Sisters”



Pax Christi NJ

Spring Assembly 2008

Co-sponsored by

Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast

Please join us for a day of prayer and education on

◊ solidarity, migration and reconciliation ◊



Saturday, April 19th

9:30 am to 5:00 pm*

St. Patrick’s Church & School

492 Bramhall Ave.

Jersey City, NJ



Keynote Speaker:

Bishop Thomas Gumbleton

Founding Bishop President of Pax Christi USA



In Special Honor of :

Fr. Gene Squeo

Pax Christi NJ Dorothy Day Peacemaker of the Year

Award Recipient for 2007



Workshops topics:

The Immigration Detention System, Iraqi Refugee Crisis, Micro Credit, Forgiveness, Reconciliation & Healing



Cost $35 (includes lunch), $20 for Senior Citizens and Students



*reception for Fr. Squeo to follow



For more info contact: Kathy O’Leary 908-273-0751 [e-mail]





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[NJCher]

5. a big thank you

I put these on my teacher's blog for the students and will also talk to them about the one with Bishop Tom Gumbleton. Wow, what a background he has. I would love for my students to meet this person.



Cher

[jhain]

6. You are *very* welcome

Happy to help!

[metamars]

7. Are single-issue protests a waste of time?

While there's no denying that single issue protests have made a difference in America - consider women's suffrage and civil rights - how much of a difference have antiwar and anti-militarism protests ever made, with the exception of Vietnam?

On the Randi Rhodes forum, I have tried to get seemingly progressive, mostly pro-Democrat posters interested in the PDA (Progressive Democrats of America: http://www.pdamerica.org ), or at least explain to me why they do not get involved with it. It's almost screamingly obvious that Congress, whose members are the real gatekeepers of power (along with the Executive Branch, and Legislative Branch), are the problem, and if they were on board with running the country more as a benign, cooperative actor rather than a hypocritical, heartless bully, we wouldn't need to beg them to do their jobs.

Hence, instead of endlessly pleading with them to do their jobs, DOESN'T IT MAKE MORE SENSE TO REPLACE THEM? An organization like the PDA exists for the purpose of reforming the Democratic Party, and, unlike the Democratic Party as a whole, they are not shy about articulating a consistent, progressive set of policy goals which they pursue irrespective of election cycles. Were the majority of Congressional Democrats on board with the PDA, activists would not need to beg them on a single issue basis - usually to little effect.

Ralph Nader has spoken about the "center of gravity" of the government, and how lobbyists and other special interests are forever trying to tilt the government in their favor. He has rightfully called for citizens to push back, with similar tenacity. Unfortunately, Ralph Nader doesn't seem to do much in the way of either (third) party building, or party (Democrat and Republican) reforming. With the exception of his own candidacies, he doesn't emphasize (to my satisfaction) the need to replace the people we have in power now, with people very, very different.

So, the corollary question I have for you is, "Why do activists not SIMULTANEOUSLY push reform efforts (such as the PDA) when they participate in protests and rallies, whose goal is meaningful reform of existing parties, to wit, replacement of irredeemable Congresspersons must be a priority?"

How hard would it be for progressive peace activists to bring PDA literature and signs to their protests? How hard would it be for activists to make it their business to spread the meme that the public needs to FIRE irresponsible members of Congress, and they can only do that by 1)organizing (e.g., via the PDA) 2)not waiting for election cycles and 3)finding a way to communicate their knowledge of 'retirement-worthy' Congress critters to their not-politically-aware constituents? (See, e.g., my call for a modern version of ostracism: http://forums.therandirhodesshow.com/index.php?showtopic=126390 )

I had a chat with a supporter of Ralph Nader in '00, the day before the election, and she told me that citizens should "pick an issue, and fix it". I claim that this attitude is extremely unproductive, as is suggested by the extremely poor results that activists have gotten, over all, over the last 50 years. I myself have participated in anti-war marches, and I am certainly not discouraging same. But having seen how they were marginalized by the media, and how our political leaders just did whatever they wanted to, regardless of the will of the people, the rule of law, or human decency, I think a sober re-assessment of priorities is not only called for, but a moral imperative. The wasting of activists' energy by solely pursuing single issues seems immoral to me. It's immoral because the continuing failure of reform efforts means more 100's of thousands of dead Iraqis, more depleted uranium, more hatred of the United States, and more war.

So, I would plead with anti-war marchers and other activists to not spend all of their time and energy that they allot for activism to be for just one issue or another, but to also spend time getting bad Congress critters out of office. If they do that, they won't waste the opportunities that anti-war marches represent just to express their views on the current war, but also to help point out the larger issues and their solution, which would go far to prevent future wars.

If we pull out of Iraq this month, and essentially the same bozos that got us stuck in Iraq decide to do the same to Iran next month, what will we have gained?

[cascadiance]

8. If you are at Seton Hall you and your students have a chance to be national heroes on Monday!

I'm trying to perk interest over there over this announcement that just came out over the wires a while ago that the traitor Marc Grossman, who's allegedly sold nuclear and other WMD secrets to Turkish and Israeli moles who funneled them to Pakistan, and who's also likely exposed Valerie Plame's CIA operation (Brewster Jennings) before Scooter Libby did!

He's speaking at Seton Hall on Monday at 4 PM. I would think it would be good to get a bunch of students organized to make this a project if you have time to get ahold of them before that time on Monday!

GE thread on this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2945694&mesg_id=2945694