NEWS

Poster title for the February 2016 Nuclear Free Future event in Ashland, Oregon.

By Carol Urner, for the Disarm/End Wars Issue Committee

“One Sunny Day” by Hideko Snider is recommended reading as we work for nuclear weapons abolition during the Chain Reaction Campaign between now and October 2. This is the story of Hideko’s own struggle to stay alive, alone at age eleven after her mother, relatives, and friends were all killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Look also for “When A Peace Tree Blooms,” also written by Hideko, and probably best read by an adult and child together because of its gentle introduction to the tragedy of Hiroshima with which we all must now live.

Ellen Thomas and Carol Urner concluded their East Coast Nuclear Free Future Tour by May 6 and now are both engaged in follow-up and planning for a Midwest tour. But they also need time to recover from the West and East Coast journeys. Ellen, especially, suffered from all of the driving and lifting of luggage and book boxes. She has since needed shoulder replacement surgery and now suffers a detached retina that has left her blind (we trust temporarily) in one eye. But, for all of that, the trips were wonderful, productive, and we learned so much from each of you! Your own Branch report should arrive soon for additions and corrections.

Our committee is co-sponsoring the international Chain Reaction 2016 campaign, July 8 through October 2, on behalf of WILPF US. Details can be found on the Chain Reaction website. Increased calls for nuclear weapons abolition are needed from all of us during this time of extreme danger of nuclear war by design or accident. This period will include the International Day of Peace (September 21) and the UN International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (September 26), as well as Hiroshima and Nagasaki memorials, the UN Open-Ended Working Group final 2016 sessions, opening debate in the General Assembly, and Gandhi’s birthday, the UN’s International Day for Non-Violence (October 2).

For Hiroshima/Nagasaki memorials and remembrances, August 5 though 9, report your events to the Nuclear Free Future website developed for all of us by United for Peace and Justice. Submit an event on the website. (Our committee has helped fund and develop this important website for the entire US Peace Movement over the past four years.)

WILPF is one of the key partners responsible for development of the World Beyond War conference in Washington, D.C., September 23-25. For more information, see the related article in this issue of E-News and explore the World Beyond War website to get a sense of this collaborative effort to end wars. You will see that most of the US Peace Movement leadership is planning to be there! WOW! We can also help develop the new, revised “A Global Security System: Alternative to War” handbook. For example, Tucson WILPF is developing materials on patriarchy. And how great if every WILPF US Branch could help at least one or two member(s) attend! This is our great opportunity to forge the alliances needed if we are to really work together effectively to end the scourge of war!

In August, we expect to send around posters, flyers, and action materials for Keep Space for Peace Week, October 1-8, 2016. This year, this week, which has long been a major one on our committee agenda, will focus on the current aggressive role of profit-hungry military corporations and investor hawks in the United States, pushing the earth’s many nations into more weapons and worldwide war. We hope the materials and events can be used to help more of our fellow citizens (and corporations!) break free of the propaganda bubble in which too many now dwell. There is so much good in our own people. Surely we can help draw it to the surface and build together on it before it is too late.

Newly enfranchised women voting in the recall election of Hiram Gill as mayor of Seattle, Washington, February 1911. Credit: “McClure’s,” October 1911, p. 655, photographed at Seattle Public Library. Wikimedia Commons.

by WILPF US National Nominating Committee

Do you want to take your WILPF membership to another level? We encourage you to run for any of the five board positions that will be open in January 2017. We need enthusiastic, active members to serve on the board and help lead our organization. The deadline for applications is September 18. To apply for the fall 2016 board election or to nominate someone you think would be a great candidate, click on the links below for details:

• PDF download
• DOCx download

These are demanding times for activists in the United States and for WILPF US. This calls for board candidates with special qualities of passion, clear-sightedness, and leadership abilities. Four three-year positions are open: Treasurer, Personnel Committee Chair, Program Committee Chair, and Membership Development Committee Chair. One of the At-Large Board Member positions is also available; the person elected to this position will serve the third and final year of a three-year position.

Here are extremely brief overviews of each position’s role:

• The Treasurer is the chief fiscal officer of the Section and chair of the Finance Committee.
• Similarly, the Personnel Chair chairs the Personnel Committee, which ensures that personnel issues, including hiring and evaluations, are addressed and all personnel policies are implemented.
• The Program Chair works with a co-chair to oversee the Program Committee and assist and direct it in its responsibility for ensuring the integrity and effectiveness of WILPF’s programmatic activities, including fostering broad member participation in these activities.
• The Membership Development Committee Chair and committee support the growth, sustainability, and development of WILPF US membership and ongoing contact with branches.
• The At-Large Board Member board position is designed to attract younger and/or busier WILPF US members and give them the experience of board membership with a lower level of responsibility than other board positions. Although their duties are, intentionally, not specified, the At-Large members are encouraged to volunteer for various board committees and tasks that arise in the course of their term.

If you have any questions, contact the Nominating Committee at Nominatingcommittee@wilpfus.org.

Still from “Crude Beyond Belief,” with Tom Frantz, far left, and tour participants. Credit: CMAC, Fresno.

By Jean Hays, WILPF Fresno Earth Democracy

On July 19, the Fresno Branch of WILPF US held its DVD premiere of “Crude Beyond Belief.” This video was the outcome of a fracking tour led by Kern County water and air expert Tom Frantz and filmed by our local Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC).

In November 2015, the WILPF Fresno Branch received a minigrant from National WILPF to organize and film this fracking tour in California’s Kern County. Co-contributors to the venture included Fresnans Against Fracking and Tehipite Chapter of the Sierra Club. We toured various fracking sites, open-pit holding ponds, and injection well sites near Bakersfield, Wasco, and Shafter.

The documentary was shown to one and all on July 19. Stars of the film, besides Tom Frantz and the CMAC team, were the 30 tour participants from Fresno and Reedley. The film premiere was a huge success. Seeing what fracking truly looks like is a real eye-opener. Remembering the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” film attendees were amazed, saddened, and angered at what has been done to Mother Earth in the name of monetary profit and with no thought given to the long-term effects on the health and well-being of all inhabitants of the planet.

WILPF Fresno is offering copies of the DVD for sale to branches and other interested groups or individuals. Contact Jean Hays at skyhorse3593@sbcglobal.net.

Peggy Olsen, on left, and Sue Hubbard, right, carry the Monterey County Branch WILPF US banner during the July 4 parade. Credit: Sylvia Shih, WILPF US Monterey Branch member.
 

By Peggy Olsen, Co-Chair, WILPF Monterey County Branch
 

The Monterey County Branch was delighted to have a visit with WILPF US President Mary Hanson Harrison. We so appreciated this connection!

Following the California primary, Peggy Olsen of our chapter presented a talk and discussion on electronic voting, with emphasis on the many irregularities of the primary in California.

The Monterey County chapter has worked for years to bring attention to the danger of using electronic voting machines. Votes can be, and are, flipped without any trace. Election results have been unreliable since the inception of these machines.

Greg Palast, investigative reporter, said this was one of the most biased elections yet in the United States. He was shocked at what went on in California, where the Election Integrity Project reported significant altering of the voter rolls with large number of voters disenfranchised and with excessive numbers of voters forced into using provisional ballots, which are often not counted.

Lack of media coverage about this fraud is cause for great concern. When cheating is passed over as if it didn't exist, our democratic system is at great risk.

The nonpartisan watchdog organization Election Justice USA has produced a 100-page report, “Democracy Lost: A Report on the Fatally Flawed 2016 Democratic Primaries.” A summary was posted on Election Justice USA’s Facebook page on July 25 and can be found by going to Facebook.com/electionjusticeusa.

The Monterey County Branch with WILPF US President Mary Hanson Harrison. Credit: Sylvia Shih.