VFP CHAPTERS
Editor: Woody Powell
woodypowell@gmail.com
Wednesday,
July 19, 2008
We were discussing the character of VFP, which defies any simple description. We are different things to different people at different stages of their lives, mostly because of generational gaps and cultural differences.
What keeps us together is our common interest in abolishing war. Right now we have the current set of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and the possible war with Iran in particular – that is absorbing our efforts.
But perhaps there is a need for a finer focus, something that Michael termed a SIGNATURE PROGRAM or PROJECT that we could all get behind and use to magnify our voice. I am not suggesting we abandon what we have learned to do well in our communities. I am suggesting we might be able to come up with a program that would define VETERANS FOR PEACE simply, in general terms, make it easier for all of us to respond to the question, “Well. What do you people do anyway?”
Whenever I’m asked that question, I have to pause and think over all the things we do, then try to come up with what I think would impress that person the most. I find myself hesitating, and then going through a list that may or may not resonate with my audience. I would like to say something like, Veterans For Peace is the organization behind _____________________. And here are some of the ways we are supporting that effort locally.
If you all could put your minds to it, perhaps we could come up with some approach to our common objectives that we could all get behind.
Again. A SIGNATURE PROGRAM or PROJECT. We want your ideas.
Woody Powell - Editor
CONVENTION NEWS
VFP Awards Policy!
In an effort to implement the VFP Awards Policy the Awards committee is seeking to thank members who have demonstrated exemplary service to Veterans For Peace in our pursuit of a more peaceful world. We would appreciate your providing us with the names of those who you think would be deserving of recognition ASAP so that we can see to it that they are properly honored at the Convention
If you have someone that you would like to nominate, please email Peter Bronson at pbronson1@verizon.net.
Convention Workshop Schedule
At this point it is still somewhat tentative, but far enough along for all of you to do your basic planning.
Thursday August 28, 2008
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Workshop 1 – Healing the Wounds of Torture / Jim McKenzie
Workshop 2 – IVAW
Workshop 3 – Women’s Caucus #1 / Ellen
Workshop 4 – Vets & Criminal Justice System / William Brown
Workshop 5 – Stopping Blackwater / Jim Brown
Workshop 6 – Agent Orange Responsibility Campaign / Paul Cox, J LaForge
Workshop 7 – Resource War-Global Warming etc / Overby
Workshop 8 – US Torture Policy / Dr. Steve Miles
Workshop 9 – MFSO Meet and Greet
Workshop 10 – Memoir Writing Chamberlain
Friday 9:00 – 10:15 AM
Workshop 1 – No Bases Movement / Dud Hendrick, Michael Uhl
Workshop 2 – IVAW
Workshop 3 – Creative Visuals / Elliott Adams
Workshop 4 – Gender / Ellen Barfield, Marticella Guzman
Workshop 5 – GI Rights Hotline / Geoff Lobensteine
Workshop 6 – Does VFP Walk Its’ Talk? / Tom Brinson, Covert Panel
Workshop 7 – Grieving & Healing / Elaine Johnson, Joan Najbar
Workshop 8 – Chapter Building / Paul Schaefer, Eve Trook
Workshop 9 – MFSO Meet & Greet
Friday 10:30 – 11:45 AM
Workshop 1 – Vietnam Quagmire / Michael Orange
Workshop 2 – IVAW
Workshop 3 – Non Violence etc Panel / Elliott Adams
Workshop 4 – Gender / Ellen Barfield, Stacy Hafley
Workshop 5 – Looking Toward 2009 / Aaron Hulse
Workshop 6 – Iraq Today / Sami Rasouli
Workshop 7 – Courage to Resist / Jeff Patterson
Workshop 8 – 8 Essentials of Healing / Penny Rock
Workshop 9 – OPEN
Friday 1:00 – 2:15 PM
Workshop 1 – Just War Theory / Dr Robert Kennedy
Workshop 2 – IVAW
Workshop 3 – PTSD Counseling VVAW / Ray Parrish
Workshop 4 – Gender / Ann Wright
Workshop 5 – Iraq Moratorium / Bill Christopherson
Workshop 6 – Democracy Based Organizing / Mike Ferner
Workshop 7 – Intro to Blockades / Elliott Adams
Workshop 8 – PTSD-Suicide Prevention / Penny Coleman
Workshop 9 – OPEN
Friday 2:30 – 3:45
Workshop 1 – Are We Just? / Richard Reedy
Workshop 2 – IVAW
Workshop 3 – US Torture Policy / Dr Steve Miles
Workshop 4 – Gender
Workshop 5 – Global Economics / Mike Miles, Bob Poteat
Workshop 6 – Chapter Building / Stanley Campbell, Bonnie Heilman
Workshop 7 – Letter Writing / Anita Foster
Workshop 8 – GI Organizing / Sandy Kelson
Workshop 9 – OPEN
IMPEACHMENT
This story involves many more chapters besides Chapter 16. VFP members came from far and wide to participate and more will do so on the 25th of July.
Chapter 16, District of Columbia - July 9, 2008
25 to 30 of us (almost all veterans) met with Judiciary Committee chair John Conyers and his staff today for 90+ minutes. A panel of Elliott Adams, Adam Kokesh, Tony Teolis, Joe Attamante, Tarak Kauff and Ron Fisher spoke. Conyers answered written and spoken questions from the audience, and invited us back for a noon meeting on Friday, July 25th.There is a subcommittee meeting (hearing?) prior to that, and he wants us to attend.
Many were unhappy with Conyers, feeling that he should commit himself more to impeachment. I hold a minority opinion for two reasons. I didn't expect much, knowing that most of the Democratic majority are of the invertebrate species, and that 'the wheels of injustice grind slowly'. More importantly, I had to ask myself, "Why did he invite us back so quickly?'
There are 36 co-sponsors of the impeachment resolution at this time, and he said that we need to grow that number to help push this thing forward. He also said that while impeachment is not on Pelosi's table, it could be on his. (He was the original sponsor of the Nixon impeachment proceedings.)
Conyers also believes that impeachment (after the current wars) is perhaps the 2nd most important issue before Congress. He believes that his legacy will be determined by how he acts on this issue, and that our passion is not going to move him. What will move him is coherent argument, more co-sponsors of the resolution, and heightened public awareness and movement on the issue.
I wonder if something might be about to break. One can pound away at a wall and not see a crack. Then the next hammer hit becomes a breakthrough. We should proceed with this as possibility. I say, all out for noon on Friday, July 25th!
Patrick McCann
Chapter 13 – Central Florida
Daytona International Speedway Antiwar Protest - July 5th, 2008
For the third year in a row, Central Florida Veterans For Peace and CODEPINK of East Central Florida held an Antiwar Protest and Call For Impeachment across from the Daytona International Speedway on the day of the annual July 4th weekend Firecracker 400 NASCAR Race ... the 2nd biggest race of the year at the Speedway, with over 100,000 fans attending.
This year we were joined by Military Families Speak Out - Florida and WeAreCHANGE - Florida, along with representing and promoting the "Honor Our Dead, Demand The Truth" and "Impeach Bush & Cheney" efforts of the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition. We were set up for approximately 5 hours in the 90+ degree heat from 3 to 8pm across from the main entrance to the Speedway and our signs, banners, tables, and comments were both visible and audible to thousands of race fans walking by. We engaged many passersby over the 5 hours without incident and once again the Daytona Beach Police Department was very good in ensuring that our 1st Amendment rights were protected and not infringed.
We set up tables with literature relating to our respective organizations and detailing the Downing Street Memos and other Bush Administration lies leading to the U.S. War on Iraq, along with literature explaining Impeachment and the numerous impeachable offenses of the Bush Administration.
Joe D. of WeAreCHANGE - Florida (www.wearechangefl.org) was also tabling with us and handing out flyers and literally hundreds of free DVD's of documentaries questioning the "official story" from the Bush White House in regards to the 9/11 attacks and was joined by us in calling for a new and independent investigation into the 9/11 attacks.
Central Florida News 13 came by to film and interview us for a segment to be broadcast later that evening on their evening news.
OUTREACH
Chapter 132 in Corvallis, Oregon
Department of Peace. VFP Chapter 132 has been working closely with local Department of Peace (HR 808) supporters—a handful of local activists—gathering signatures on a petition which asks our City Council to pass a resolution supporting the creation of a Department of Peace and Non-Violence. For over a year we have been tabling, talking about it, gathering signatures, etc.
About a 6 weeks ago, we presented the signatures to the City Council and several of us testified in support of the resolution. The Council referred the matter to their Legislative Committee, which met about a month later. Again we (including VFP) testified in support of the resolution. The Legislative Committee (composed of 3 Councilors) listened to our testimony, but only one of them was in favor of sending it back to the full Council with a “do pass” recommendation. They ended up sending it to the full Council for consideration. So, one more time, several of us testified in support of the resolution. There was no public testimony against the resolution. Three (of the 9 total) of the Councilors spoke against it, and in the end voted against it, however, it passed by a vote of 5-3. Here is a link to the front-page article which appeared in the local paper (the Corvallis Gazette-Times) the next day:
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/07/09/news/community/6aaa03_council.txt.
Unfortunately, the newspaper published an editorial the following day entitled “City Council Has Enough to do at Home.”
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2008/07/11/news/opinion/4edi01_council_0710.txt.
Since then there have been several letters to the editor back and forth. We are still working to get the paper to publish an article which really explains to the public what HR 808 is all about.
Bring the Guard Home Campaign. Oregon is kind of out in front on this campaign, because 3500 (over half) of our Guard troop strength are scheduled to be redeployed to Iraq next spring. We are working with a national organization (Liberty Tree Foundation) on a campaign to call for de-federalization of the National Guard. New Jersey is out in the lead with this—their state legislature has actually introduced legislation calling for this. In Oregon, we are working with one of our state representatives to draft legislation which will be introduced when they reconvene in January. In the meantime, we are gathering petition signatures. There are over 40 organizations across the state doing this, and we will continue throughout the summer and fall.
Local Peace and Justice Coalition. I am lucky to live in a town that has a lot of small activist groups who work on peace and social justice issues. The problem is that there is no central communication--we often duplicate efforts, schedule events on the same days, or have no idea what other groups are doing. I am forming a coalition of all the local peace and justice groups, and the project is starting to get a head of steam. There are over 20 groups who have already committed to it and I am getting a lot of positive feedback. The idea is that each organization will appoint a delegate to the Coalition’s Central Committee who will meet on a monthly basis. At these meetings, the delegates will report on what their organization is doing. After the meeting, the delegates will go back and report to their constituencies what all of the other organizations are doing. The idea is not to set policy or convince others to a way of thinking, but to help each other facilitate the work that we are doing. We can share resources, peoplepower, publicity, etc. At our last meeting, I handed out copies of the petition for the Bring the Guard Home Campaign. So now, instead of just having VFP members trying to get signatures, we have folks in churches and other peace groups publicizing this campaign and gathering signatures as well.
Face Book. OK, don’t laugh. Face Book is not just for college kids or teenagers. It is a very powerful networking and organizing tool (just ask Barack Obama). There are only a handful of VFPers on Face Book, and I myself have only had an account for 3 weeks or so, but it has already proved itself to me. There are lots of IVAW folks on Face Book, and they are able to quickly and efficiently get people informed on actions, news, campaigns, etc. I believe that we (as an organization) are really missing the boat on this one. I highly recommend that all VFP members, especially ones in leadership, open an account on Face Book as soon as possible! www.facebook.com.
In Solidarity, Leah Bolger
Midwest Region's Educational Outreach Program
Midwest VFP members met in St. Louis on June 7, 2008, for the Second Annual Midwest Regional VFP Conference. One of the many topics discussed was the continuing need to share information with high school and college students pertaining to war and the growing and persistent threat of universal militarism. Members also expressed a desire to present such information to adult audiences, including Lions Clubs, the Rotary, Chambers of Commerce, churches, and political clubs. With this need in mind, the Midwest VFP members decided to create a Speakers' Forum within each chapter.
The Speakers' Forum will present information on specific topics, utilizing the talents and expertise of each chapter's members. Formalizing contacts within schools and the community will be accomplished by both personal contact and by letter. Our dual goals are to provide information specifically dealing with the inherent inhumanity of war, and the social, economic and environmental threats created by militarism in general. We believe that such forums will be more balanced and instructive than the information students and community members receive from either recruiters or mainstream media sources. Our contact letter contains a list of possible topics for teachers / community members to select from, and also a space to include other topics not included in the list. It also lists the individual speakers, their areas of expertise, and their military and civic biographical information.
Other points of connection with junior high / senior high schools might be the inclusion of a VFP-sponsored participation in the National Peace Essay Contest. Chapters could also sponsor local "Peace Poetry Writing Contests" and provide scholarships to the winners. The goal of these activities would be to assist students in investigating and articulating the positive consequences of the quest for true peace. A third option would be for chapters to host film viewings and suppers with the proceeds going toward scholarships for local students.
We are also in the process of creating a list of resources to be shared with teachers, students and community members. Please feel free to make recommendations to this list by contacting:
Jerry Steele's email at vfp001@centurytel.net. Or, by calling 816-632-2332.
Chapter 119 – Tampa Bay, FL
Vigil for Peace
Intersection of Gandy Blvd & S. Dale Mabry Hwy Tampa, Florida
Saturday, July 12, 4 PM to 6PM
Join a monthly silent sign holding pro-peace activity in adherence to the principles of non-violence. Signs and banners are available. Ample parking is available. Please use caution at this busy intersection. Sponsors are concerned citizens like you. Vigil for Peace is located two kilometers north of the main gate of MacDill United States Air Force Base http://www.macdill.af.mil that hosts the Headquarters of Central Command www.centcom.mil and Special Operations http://www.socom.mil/.
Contacts:
Jay Alexander, 727-388 -3789 , jayalexus@yahoo.com
Mark Skogman , 727-861-7747, matrix02ms@aol.com
John Kieffer, 813-919-9161, john967458@aol.com
On this date in History the Birthdate of Bill Cosby and Julius Ceasar
The 1973 National Archives Fire, a severe blow to the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States, was a disastrous fire that occurred at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 12, 1973. NPRC, the custodian of military service records, lost approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files as a result of the fire.
CHAPTER BRIEFS
Chapter 56 – Humboldt County.
The Enlistment Guide originally put out by Humboldt County chapter has been revised and we will have it out in a few days. Each chapter can revise the links to their location. We have a page on the website that gives info for parents on alternatives to recruitment, another that provides for having a workshop and more info for parents. We have a member on the county veterans advisory board and when we table we have membership apps, books free literature, buttons tee-shirts, yard signs and other stuff for people to dig into.
See you in Minneapolis, Bill
Chapter 919 (in formation) Plattsburgh, NY
We had three Veterans for Peace members in the 4th of July parade in Plattsburgh -- Democracy for America was glad for us to join them.. Plattsburgh Veterans for Peace are planning on entering the September 11, Battle of Plattsburgh parade. This is a great parade international (War of 1812 ) in scope - Military representatives from the British and Canadian Military With many bands from U.S. and Canada.
Jim King
Chapter 911 (in formation) Rogue Valley, OR
Now some cup half full -- our friend Gerry Condon got on my pal Wes Brain's radio/FM show, www.kskq.org, the Brain Labor Report (M-F, 7:AM), and since Gerry had Wes fired up, I got permission from Wes to run our VFP banner at the 4th of July Ashland parade with Wes's labor contingent. And since Becky at HQ was so sweet to let us keep a second banner, I'm nearly positive we can get someone to proudly wave both :) !!! Fire season be hanged, there are a hell of a lot of people attending the Ashland 4th parade to see that banner and a patriotic Peace smile.
Also, Thursday we just held our 20th consecutive Stand for Peace here in GP (4th Thursdays), followed by the regular (4th Saturdays) Peace Rally at the Medford Mall, in which we got a tiny bit of coverage on Channel 10 TV (KDRV or KTVL?). Sadly/humorously, our gal who loves to run to the camera lens gave more of a sunscreen report than tools to make a difference, but (arggggh!) I'll have to re-kick the diplomatic lecture series on that one... d a m m m m m m m m m it.
Hal Anthony
Chapter 79 – Denver, CO
On July 9, 2008, members of Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War,
the American Friends Service Committee and other members of Colorado's Peace
and Justice Community gathered outside the offices of the Canadian Consul General
to express support for American war resisters seeking asylum in Canada.
Our contingent of about 20 held posters provided by Courage to Resist and home-made
signs bearing variations of our message: "Let them stay!".
Frank Bessinger of VFP Chapter 79 and Sarah Gill, AFSC's Regional Program Director, spoke with Canadian consuls and presented a stack of petitions.
MEMBERS OF DISTINCTION
Chapter 16 - Tony Teolis
I would nominate Tony Teolis from Washington DC. He came out of no where a year ago and has gone forward at a million miles an hour. He has successfully taken the lead on impeachment, demonstrations in Washington DC, fought to try to get VFP in the National Veterans Day Parade, etc.
Anonymous
Chapter 54 – Dr. A. I. Holz
VETERANS EXPOSED TO DEPLETED URANIUM: CHAPTER 54 OF THE VETERANS FOR PEACE NEEDS YOU
We are offering to help represent veterans who have been exposed to depleted uranium radiation and are suffering from cancer or other side effects. Our chapter has expertise in medical, legal and administrative law.
We as a chapter of the VFP have started a program and done research to develop a brief for presentation to the VA rating board to obtain service connection disability for the affected veteran. Gulf war I and II vets are encouraged to get in touch with us for information on this project.
A. I. Holtz, MD, FAAP has had seven years experience on the rating board in the Los Angeles office.
PLEASE CONTACT US WITH ANY QUESTIONS: vfpsb@vfpsb.org
TOOLS NEEDED – Ken Mayers, VFP Treasurer
I have been tasked with assembling a set of resources into a Chapter Toolkit which can be distributed to chapters on CDROM or DVD Disks (depending on how large the set of resources becomes.)
Naturally my starting point is a selection of resources which the Santa Fe Chapter has found useful over the past five years. The largest single category of these resources pertain to what we call Full Disclosure Recruiting and others call "Truth in Recruiting" or "counter-recruiting." Most are either Powerpoint, Word, or PDF files.
The purpose of this e-mail is to invite you to send me such electronic resources as you have found helpful in building your chapters and making them effective for inclusion in the toolkit. I plan to have a master disk compiled by July 23 so that disks can be put into production in time to distribute at the national convention.
At the Strategic Planning Meeting last October, a preliminary Tool Kit Workplan was conceived along the following lines. If your chapter has anything that fits into this spectrum, please send it along.
TOOL KIT CONCEPT
To create tools - and an eventual toolkit - for chapters to increase strategizing and support memberships, networking, name recognitionand the truth in recruiting and youth program goals.
SUGGESTED ELEMENTS AND/OR SOURCES
- Convention Guideline
- Full Disclosure Recruiting Sourcebook
- CCCO
- Army Recruiters Manuel
- New Membership Packet
- Welcome letter
- Organizational description
- Resource list Letters from Woody & Joan (What it means to be VFP)
- Slide Show -- Membership Recruiting
- Resource Directory
- Conflict Resolution Training
- No More Victims
- Training for Change
- Beyond intractability Centers of Influence
- Chapter Assets
- Chapter Development Tool Kits
- Liaison with vets groups
- Steal from the best from the chapters!
Thanks in advance for your cooperation in this venture.