The Interfaith Resource Center for Peace and Justice
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The official registration and financial information of the Interfaith Resource Center for Peace and Justice may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania 1-800-732-0999.
Registration does not imply endorsement.
Get involved with the Peace & Popcorn Film Series!
Wanted: passionate, self-motivated, well organized individuals to suggest and enjoy unique movies based on issues of peace, the common good, and justice.
We need you! A donation of $35 or more lists you (or your group) as a patron of the current film. Please contact the Peace and Justice Center immediately: peacewb@verizon.net 570-823-9977
(Thanks in advance.)
Saturday, January 21, 2012 The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Patrons: Diane Smith
John Ford's classic social commentary on the plight of the tenant farmer stars Henry Fonda as the eldest son of the Joads, a poor family from the dust bowl of Oklahoma who struggle to maintain their dignity while on a grueling trek to California during the Great Depression. Co-stars Oscar-winner Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Charley Grapewin; adapted from John Steinbeck's novel. 129 min. Best Supporting Actress (Jane Darwell), Best Director (John Ford) Nominee: Best Picture, Best Actor (Henry Fonda), Best Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Editing The Grapes of Wrath is a 1940 drama film directed by John Ford. It was based on John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson and the executive producer was Darryl F. Zanuck. The film tells the story of the Joads, an Oklahoma family, who, after losing their farm during the Great Depression in the 1930s, become migrant workers and end up in California. The motion picture details their arduous journey across the United States as they travel to California in search of work and opportunities for the family members. In 1989, this film was one of the first 25 films to be selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
It was great to see so many people at the Barnes & Noble on November 30th for our first Luzerne County Bikes (& Walks) meeting. And it was great when everyone put their hand up-- agreeing that we really want to create an organization to build a bicycle culture in Luzerne County. Here are some notes and links from the meeting. Agenda. Click to view. The breakdown of topics could become our committees? Organizing, Education & Advocacy, Bicycle & Ped Infrastructure, Fun and Fundraising. To find out more generally, click for our Bicycle, Pedestrian & Transportation resource list. Survey. We need to know more about what we want to do and be and who we are. If you have a question you want included on the survey, please email it to Michele Schasberger. We have 5 survey committee members who will be putting the survey together and sending out an email blast by the end of December. Wilkes-Barre Bicycle Ordinance. This has to be re-presented to the newly elected City Council members in January. Please click header to review. It updates WB rules to comply with PA vehicle rules, stating that bicycles are appropriately in the streets downtown, not on the sidewalks. There are other parts to it as well. We will send out dates when this is being presented so we can coordinate support . Webinar. On Tuesday December 13th, 7:00pm, 411 Stark Learning Center, Wilkes University, we are showing a free webinar on urban bike lanes and buffering for parking or traffic or both. Please email Michele if you'd like to attend so we have a headcount. Luzerne County Transit Authority: All 32 of the LCTA busses are equipped with dual bike racks. Let's put them to use!
PEACE RALLY SCHEDULED AT MARYWOOD Local peace activists will rally on Friday evening at Marywood University as part of an international effort to close the School for the Americas. In 1989, terrorists trained by the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas (SOA) at Ft. Benning, Georgia murdered six Jesuit priests, their co-worker and her teenage daughter in El Salvador. To call attention to the murders and hundreds of other atrocities committed over the last few decades by SOA graduates against missionaries, teachers, and activists, in 1990 SOA Watch, lead by Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois, began an annual November protest at the military base. SOA Watch is now diverse movement whose goal is to close the school and to change U.S. foreign policy in Latin America by educating the public, lobbying Congress and participating in creative, nonviolent resistance. In 2001, the Pentagon responded to the movement only by changing the school’s name to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Congress is currently reviewing the Latin America Military Training Review Act (HR 3368), a bill that proposes that the school be closed and its links to terrorism in Latin American be investigated. The Marywood event will start at the Swartz Center at 7 PM. Speakers will include Marie Karam, who has experience linking local university students to peers in El Salvador, and Dr. Michael Allison, a professor of Latin American Studies at the University of Scranton. After the presentations and a prayer service, those assembled will process to the university’s commons where they will place crosses bearing the names of hundreds of people killed by SOA graduates. The local rally will include representatives of the Sisters of the IHM, Sisters of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, Jesuit volunteers, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Pax Christi USA and NEPA, Witness for Peace, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Church of the Brethren, Presbyterian Church, Catholic Worker communities, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalists, and Veterans for Peace. The public is welcome.
WAYNEPEACE PRESS RELEASE For immediate release For more information, contact Skip Mendler, smendler@yahoo.com, 570-251-3637 WAYNEPEACE TO "OCCUPY HONESDALE" THIS WEEKEND
(HONESDALE) Members of the local peace activist group Waynepeace will be staging an encampment in Honesdale's Central Park this weekend in support of the worldwide "Occupy" movement. The encampment will last from 6 PM this Friday, November 18, through 10 AM on Sunday, November 20.
In mid-September, activists began "occupying" a park near Wall Street in New York City to call attention to economic inequality, political corruption, and corporate excesses. The movement quickly spread to other cities in the United States and around the world, and in some places has led to incidents of violent repression by police.
The 40-hour encampment in Honesdale will include discussions of economic topics and community-building activities. "The power of Wall Street reaches into Main Street," said organizer and Waynepeace co-founder Skip Mendler, "and affects the lives of everyone in every town and city, however small. But the other way around? What influence, what control does Main Street have over Wall Street? Not so much. As the present economic crisis shows, we've largely lost control of our financial institutions. This is a balance that needs to be restored."
For more information, contact Waynepeace at 570-251-3637, or visit www.waynepeace.org. --30--
Peace Pilgrims, It's that time of year again. Please join us Saturday December 10 for the 52nd Annual Peace Pilgrimage from Nazereth to Bethlehem, Pa. Buses begin leaving 520 East Broad St., Bethlehem at 10:45 a.m. for Nazareth Moravian Church where the walk begins at Noon. Please see the website below more detailed information. http://www.peacewalk.org/ Those of you who live in the South Central Pennsylvania region can contact me at the number below or by replying to this email for information on transportation to the Peace Walk.
Peace!
-- J. G. Bergdoll, Esquire 300 West Market Street York, Pennsylvania 17401 Phone: 717-845-5225 Fax: 717-854-7533 email: jgbergdoll@gmail.com
I have a block of rooms reserved in Columbus, Ga for November 19/20th. The rooms are at the Hojo which is walking distance from where most workshops will occur at the Convention Center. The main gate of Ft Benning is a drive of about four miles from the Hojo. The main gate area is where Fr Bourgeois lives, where the stage is constructed for music and speeches and the long line of tables. On Friday night, Nov 18th Pax Christi will hold its very large annual Ft Benning meeting in the Convention Center at 6PM. Right after that our Franz Jagerstatter Breaking the Silence group will conduct Ground the Drones, a dramatization of the Creech 14 trial this past year.
Also, if anyone you know plans on going to the annual Jesuit student conference in Washington DC Nov. 12/13, (once held in Columbus, Ga) we have a play sponsored by our Friends of Franz (not the Franz Jagerstatter play) called The Predator. We need four women for the cast and hope to land Le Moyne students for at least two roles to be read. We need a good Kathy Kelly role (the person is called Kelly Maguire in the play—but Kathy read the play and likes it). Scranton will have two delegations going down, one from the University of Scranton and one from Scranton Prep. Do any of you know contacts there who would be willing to urge female students to take a role? It would be good to have Scranton students to be part of play or to go to the play and engage the players in questions and answers after the second act. If so, please let me know soon. Jack Gilroy, jgilroy1@stny.rr.com Home 607 748 8105 cell 607 321 8537
The Wilkes-Barre NAACP will be holding its second and last Meet-the-Candidates Forum before the May 17th Primary on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 105 Hill Street, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. This forum will be for the Judicial, and Magistrate candidates. As well as for the Mayoral, City Council, and Wilkes-Barre Area School Board candidates who did not attend the first Meet-the-Candidates Forum held on Saturday, April 16, 2011. Unfortunately, due to the large number of candidates running for Luzerne County Council, and the tight time constraints, we cannot guarantee an opportunity for them to speak. However, those candidates are more than welcome to attend.
The event is open to the general public, and there will be lite snacks and refreshments.
Is Healthcare a justice issue?
Health Care Information Session - Learn all about the Affordable Care Act - Plus the Auditor General's Hearing on Tobacco Dollars comes to Scranton!
Get ready! Two important health care events are coming to your town on Tuesday, May 3rd.
Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner released a report last month detailing how $1.3 billion of the Tobacco Settlement Fund has been used to plug holes in the General Fund budget since 2005. Now, Gov. Corbett is looking to completely transfer all of the Tobacco Fund dollars into the General Fund, and take $220 million of it to start a new, state-subsidized lending program for business. This $220 million could fund adultBasic for another 2 years, even without additional contributions from the Blues. We need you to stand with us to shine a light on Gov. Corbett’s raid of the Tobacco Fund!
Join us at a public hearing this coming Tuesday (5/3) to speak out about the need to keep Tobacco Funds with adultBasic and other health programs. Tuesday, May 3rd 10am-2pm Scranton City Council Chambers: 340 N Washington Ave, Scranton
We want to pack as many people inside as possible, and have a contingent of folks outside with signs and flyers calling out the Governor’s callous actions. For more information email Athena at aford@pahealthaccess.org
THEN from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM join experts from PHAN to learn about the new health care law and what it will mean for you, Seniors, people on Medicaid, people with pre-existing conditions and more, including how it's paid for.
In addition to the above information, you'll receive a resource packet and the latest updates from DC and Harrisburg. RSVP today by clicking here
5/3/2011, 5:30 - 7:00 PM @ Northern Lights Espresso, 536 Spruce Street, Scranton, 18503 For more information contact Athena at aford@pahealthaccess.org
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP - NEW MEDIA RELEASE Open Letter to the UN Security Council on the Situation in Libya Brussels, 16 March 2011: Excellency, In light of the grave situation in Libya, we urge Security Council Members to take immediate effective action aimed at achieving a ceasefire in place and initiating negotiations to secure a transition to a legitimate and representative government. This action should be backed by the credible threat of appropriate military intervention, as a last resort, to prevent mass atrocities. We welcome the steps taken thus far by the Security Council, including an asset freeze, arms embargo and the threat of prosecution for war crimes. These were adopted in response to widespread abuses against civilians and were meant to prevent a humanitarian disaster. But the situation has now evolved into a full-scale civil war. The most urgent goal now must be to end the violence and halt further loss of life, while paving the way toward a political transition, objectives that require a different response. Imposing a no-flight zone, which many have been advocating, would, in and of itself, achieve neither of these. It would not stop the violence or accelerate a peaceful resolution. Nor would it materially impede the regime from crushing resistance. Government forces appear to be gaining the advantage mainly on account of their superiority on the ground, not air power. In short, a no-flight zone under existing circumstances would not address the threat of mass atrocities it purports to tackle. The debate over this issue is inhibiting the necessary reflection on the best course of action. If the objective is, as it should be, first and foremost to end the killing, there are only two genuine options. One is an international military intervention explicitly on the side of the revolt with the avowed goal of ensuring its victory or, at a minimum, preventing its defeat. Given widespread lack of knowledge of the situation on the ground, it is unclear what it will take to achieve this. At a minimum, however, this would involve providing the rebel forces with substantial military assistance and taking action against Qaddafi's forces. Should those measures not suffice, it could well require direct military involvement on the ground. It is incumbent on those pressing this view to think through its logical imp lications;= 0it would be reckless to enter a military confrontation on the optimistic assumption that it will be ended quickly, only to see it turn into a bloody, protracted war. Although there are legitimate arguments for a swift and massive military intervention on the opposition's behalf, it presents considerable risks. Besides the obvious downsides entailed in what could well come to be viewed as another Western military engagement in a Muslim country and the Middle East and North Africa region, it could also lead to large-scale loss of life as well as precipitate a political vacuum in Libya in which various forces engage in a potentially prolonged and violent struggle for supremacy before anything resembling a state and stable government are reestablished. Such a situation could lead to wider regional instability and could be exploited by terrorist movements, notably Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The alternative option, which Crisis Group has advocated, is to engage in a vigorous political effort to achieve an immediate ceasefire in place to be followed by the prompt opening of a dialogue on the modalities of a transition to a new government that the Libyan people will accept as legitimate. To that end, we urge the Council to delegate a regional contact group composed of officials or respected personalities drawn from Arab and African countries, including Libya's neighbours, to initiate discussions with the regime and the opposition without delay. Their mandate would be to secure agreement on: • An immediate ceasefire in place, which respects international humanitarian law; • Dispatch of a peacekeeping force drawn primarily from the armed forces of regional states to act as a buffer, operating under a Security Council mandate and with the support of the Arab League and African Union; • Initiation of a dialogue between the regime and opposition aimed at definitively ending the bloodshed and beginning the necessary transition to representative, accountable and legitimate government To enhance the credibility of the threat to use all necessary means -- including military steps beyond the imposition of a no-flight zone – to protect against mass atrocities, member states should begin planning for such an eventuality. The Security Council has a responsibility to live up to its commitments, even and especially if a member state does not. Crisis Group’s proposal addresses head-on the overwhelming priorities of stopping the bloodshed and initiating the necessary political transition in a way that avoids the dangerous prospect of a political vacuum and is in line with both the African Union’s proposal for African mediation and the Arab League’s recognition that Arab countries have a role to play. It further backs up the vital and long overdue political effort we have called for with the only kind of military deployment that can help end the violence rather than aggravate it. We urge the Security Council to adopt this proposal and to take immediate steps to put it into effect. Sincere regards, Louise Arbour President and CEO International Crisis Group
Please attend the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board meeting. Go directly to the Administration Building at 730 South Main Street. Get there by 5:30 p.m. Remember to bring a friend. We should get there by 5:30 p.m. We have name tags available with the slogan:
“If You’re Not Connected, You Won’t Get Selected, If You’re Not Family or Friend, You Won’t Get In, Wilkes-Barre Area School District Hiring Policy”
[below is a letter Diane has mailed. Please be aware of the link above.]
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Denise Barnes
3247 Elrod Avenue
Quantico, VA 22134
Re: Treatment of PFC Manning
Dear Commander;
It is my sincere hope that you realize the extent to which the actions of those in command at Quantico Brig are being watched by all of America. Here in Pennsylvania, I am asked daily how an American could be subjected to such conditions without having incurred any sentence. I have explained repeatedly that the military justice system is substantially different from the civilian one, that military personnel accept this system when they enlist, and that the Prevention of Injury (POI) measures are meant to protect, rather than punish, the accused.
However, if even one-half of the published accounts of the treatment of PFC Manning are accurate, I must admit, I have run out of explanations for these actions. I am joining the call for a complete investigation into the reason POI measures were used despite the contrary finding by the brig psychiatrists.
I have read that the military’s claim is that PFC Manning is a threat to National Security. Given that it would be impossible for PFC Manning to commit any act similar to those of which he is accused from within a Medium Custody situation, what is the justification for holding him in Maximum Custody? I have great respect for our military and for Quantico. I believe it to be absolutely unbelievable that America’s “National Security” could be at risk from prisoners held from within Medium Custody at Quantico Brig.
The conditions of PFC Manning’s detention should not, as I read the regulations, be punitive. Punishment is not to be meted out at this pre court-martial phase. Moreover, Under SECNAVINST 1649.9C, 1201 “discipline is to be administered on a corrective rather than a punitive basis.” Additionally SECNAVINST 1649.9C, 7202.2.i states “no persons, while being held for trial may be subjected to punishment or penalty other than arrest or confinement, nor shall the arrest or confinement imposed upon them be any more rigorous than the circumstances require.”
Given these regulations, could you please explain what circumstances require that a man cannot have unlimited access to a pillow, his eyeglasses, or sheets? Why must his interaction with fellow human beings, visitors and even passive media be so severely restricted? Indeed, is not treatment of this the sort one might use to destroy the mind of someone, rather than to protect it?
The United Nations and Amnesty International have both raised concerns. I urge you to be reasonable, and to please recall that not merely citizens in small towns in Pennsylvania, but the world is watching.
Sincerely yours,
Diane M. Smith, Esq.
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Steamtown National Historic Site 150 South Washington Avenue Scranton, PA 18503-2018
570-340-5200 phone 570-340-5235 fax
Steamtown National Historic Site News Release
For Immediate Release Mark Brennan 570-340-5244
Steamtown NHS to Screen “Dreams of Equality” Documentary for Women’s History Month
SCRANTON, Pa. – Steamtown National Historic Site, downtown Scranton, Pa., in partnership with Women’s Rights National Historical Park, will screen the film documentary, “Dreams of Equality” to help celebrate “Women’s History Month” during March. The 27-minute film will be screened at 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays, March 12 and 19, and is included in the park’s daily Entrance Fee. “Dreams of Equality,” which was commissioned by the National Park Service for Women’s Rights National Historical Park’s Visitor Center in Seneca Falls, New York, is a “documentary drama that chronicles the early struggles of the Women's Rights Movement and personalizes them through an exchange of letters between a sister and brother. History comes to life as dramatic recreations of the First Women's Rights Convention held in 1848 and other historical events are combined with contemporary segments in which young people engage in candid exchanges about the roles of men and women. Issues of political equity, traditional women's roles, marital finances and educational opportunities for girls are still relevant today - almost 160 years later.” Located in downtown Scranton, Pa., Steamtown National Historic Site is open 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. From Interstate 81, exit 185 (Central Scranton Expressway), follow signs to the main entrance at Lackawanna Avenue and Cliff Street. Additional details regarding interpretive and educational programs and activities, along with weather-related cancellations, may be obtained by calling (570) 340-5200 or by visiting the Steamtown NHS web site at www.nps.gov/stea.
- NPS –
Dear Peace Center Steering Committee Members, Past Board Members, and Friends,
This is an urgent, personal letter from your Treasurer.
Once again the Peace Center finds its operating account close to rock bottom levels. There is barely enough for the Center to keep its doors open for another month. I am not kidding.
Your help is very much needed. If you are buying gifts for loved ones and friends this holiday season, I implore you to also put the Peace Center on your list. If you are spending $10 or $15 or $25,for a gift for Aunt Mary, or Cousin Bob, or your Mother, or children, or office mates and colleagues, then please also NOW send, say, $15 or other amount to the Peace Center. This I KNOW you can do. It is so easy to do. And it would make such a difference.
If you are making your year-end tax-deductible Charitable Contributions, by all means, please make a contribution to the Peace Center. The Peace Center as you know is a bona fide non profit charitable organization. Any donation you make to the Peace Center is DEDUCTIBLE on Schedule A. Practically speaking, if you are say in the 33% tax bracket, this means for every $100.00 you give to the Peace Center, you get $33 back! Now is that a good deal or what?
As a Board Member, you, yes, Sweet, Dear Wonderful, Kindly and Charitable and Civic-Minded, YOU , then you represent one of the richest and most valuable sources of funds, as in $MONEY$, to keep the Peace Center running. Over the past year, you may have not have had the time to devote as much of your time as you would have liked, to the efforts of the Peace Center. This is understandable! Well, here and now is your opportunity to show your support for the Peace Center! TODAY, please write a check and mail it to the Peace Center, to:
The Peace & Justice Center 63 NORTH FRANKLIN ST WILKES-BARRE PA 18701-1317
or go online to this link, and make a contribution by PayPal/ Cdt Card:
Using either link will take you 5 minutes tops! IT’S THAT EASY.
Again, if we don’t get emergency donations into our coffers, NOW, I don’t know if the Peace Center will see February 2011. YOU, yes Well-Meaning, Altruistic & Wonderful You , can help the Peace Center running and doing PeaceFul tasks for our community, and in that way can make a difference in so many others’ lives by making your contribution today.
In sum: Do you REALLY want to promote peace in your community? Do you REALLY want to show your support for your local Peace Center? When you signed up to be a Board Member you pledged your support to help promote peace in our community. Well then. Here now is an EXCELLENT, HONORABLE, PEACEFUL, SUPPORTIVE, AND DIRECT way to show that support. So: If you don’t want to see the Peace Center close its doors, and YOU want to do something about it, now more than ever, you can help by sending in $10, $15, $25, $50, $100, or whatever amount you wish. Please take just 5 minutes and do this today. Your contribution may not buy Peace on Earth, but it will surely help support Peace in the Wyoming Valley!
With much Gratitude and Best Wishes for a Peaceful holiday season,
- Brad Kurlancheek
Hello everyone!
I’ve gotten in touch with you because I thought that you might be interested in working with us to oppose the private detention facility in Upper Mt. Bethel Township in Northampton County (north of Easton). This facility would house 2500 people and be run by GEO, a private corporation that has a history of human rights abuses as well as paying poor wages to their workers and creating barriers for visitors including clergy people to enter. We need to get together to lay out the many reasons that we should not allow a privately-run prison into our community.
I will be bringing with me some materials created by other communities who have fought to keep the prison business out of their towns.
The meeting against the private detention center will be held on Friday November 5th at 2:30pm.
The location will be the Hispanic Center (formerly the Council of Spanish Speaking Orgs) at 520 East 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015
At the meeting, we will work together to coordinate a message to bring to the scheduled Mt. Bethel Township Meeting (Nov 8th at 7pm at 387 Ye Olde Highway, Mt. Bethel PA) and to the Public Hearing (To be announced).
Please forward this message to others that might be interested in attending and working together to stop the detention center!
If you are unable to attend but would like to be involved in this effort, please send me an email to let me know! Similarly, if you don’t want any more emails from me about this issue, let me know. You can get in touch with me with any questions by email or at my cell phone (215-435-1574).
Emma Cleveland Community Organizer ACLU of Pennsylvania, Immigrants' Rights Project P.O. Box 663, Allentown PA 18101 484.350.3767
The Iron Triangle neighborhood is getting a fabulous gift on October 7th -- a new playground is being built at Hickory and Metcalf Streets in the city’s Iron Triangle neighborhood where there is currently no safe play or public recreation space.
This new KaBOOM playground is being funded by the City of Wilkes-Barre, Kraft Foods Foundation, and the Goals Foundation with the help of volunteers from this neighborhood. We need a lot of volunteers to make this project a success. This is a great way to bring a very diverse population together to work on something that will benefit everyone; when people work side-by-side on a common project, wonderful things can happen. What a great way to make the neighborhood a great place to live and meet your neighbors at the same time. There are also plans for a community garden there too.
Please share this with your contacts, especially reach out to the Hispanic community – Holy Rosary on Park Ave. serves this neighborhood.
Thanks so much. Let me know if you have any questions.
Carol Hussa
NEPA Organizing Center Event Announcement Community Journalism: Telling the Untold Stories
- Media Mobilizing Project of NEPA: Orientation Event and Training - Sat, Sept 11, 2-5, NEPA Organizing Center, 198 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 - Now is the time to join our Community Journalism Program!
Are you a media maker, artist, writer, journalist or activist seeking to volunteer?
Join us at our Orientation Event and help us build a public voice for local issues through our Community Journalism program!
We will be rolling out our work in September, so now is the perfect time to get involved!
Event will include:
- A presentation of our work so far, and discussion of our upcoming Issue Campaigns (Housing Rights, Gas Drilling Awareness, and others) - Screening of MMPTV production from the Philadelphia Media Mobilizing Project - Discuss next steps: Weblog and media production training, events, and trips - Free time, music, and refreshments
As many of you know I work as a policy advocate around issues of the built environment and health. One of the policy changes that we are working on is the "Complete Streets" model of transportation planning which allows for shared pedestrian, bike, public and vehicular use of roadways.
There is a Master Plan for Trails and Greenways for both Wilkes-Barre and the West Side and we are advocating for it's promotion and adoption. I think you would be impressed with its vision and scope.
This bicycle petition requesting Wilkes Barre to incorporate bike lanes on its city streets will take you less time than its taken for you to read this message. We need to let our decision makers know that there are people who ride bikes and believe that it should be a safe, accessable transportation choice.
Please lend your name, along with mine, and say yes when you sign the petition. You don't have to live in Wilkes-Barre, remember, on any given day there are more than 15,000 people who commute into the city to work. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to ride your bike to Luzerne on the West Side Trail, then put it on a bike rack on the LCTA bus and continue on to your job in the city. If you sign the petition, you can offer a comment too.
I have just read and signed the online petition: "BikeWB.org - Help Bring Bicycle/Pedestrian Lanes to Downtown Wilkes-Barre" hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition service, at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/bikewb/
I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing yourself.
Best wishes, John
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Below is a message from Susan Shoval – let’s all vote, vote daily, and please help get this notice to go viral!
(Thanks in advance)
=========== I'm sure most of us from the Wilkes-Barre are have seen, and hopefully taken advantage of, the beautiful on-going revitalization happening at the River Common. The Cultural Council of Luzerne County is looking to help our entire community enjoy this resource and has entered a submission into PepsiCo's “Refresh Project!” -- which allows us to compete for a $50,000 grant that will be used to sponsor free, season-long cultural events that will take place in the downtown area, on the banks of the Susquehanna River! The top 10 project ideas (those receiving the most votes in the month of May) will be funded. Right now, we are #130, so we really need help to get enough votes to win!!! To cast your ballot for “Host Free, Cultural Events in a Community Park in Northeastern PA,” click the following link: http://www.refresheverything.com/rivercommon. The process is fast, easy, and potentially very rewarding. Once you’ve landed on the page, select “Vote for this idea.” I did it; it's easy! I promise that you can do it, too... Remember, everyone can (and is encouraged to) vote once a day/every day during the month of May. One more request - please send this message along to friends and family members and ask them to do the same! We need all the votes we can get... Thank you so much, Susan ============
On Tuesday, May 4 at noon, in the lobby of the F. M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on Public Square, the Ethics Institute of Northeastern Pennsylvania and Leadership Wilkes-Barre will launch the Ethics Awareness Initiative for the People of Luzerne County. I encourage you to join us for this significant moment in the transition from a culture of corruption to a culture of ethics in Luzerne County. Please see the linked flyer and pass it along to your family, friends, and neighbors. >>>Ethics Awareness Initiative
Sincerely,
Margarita M. Rose, Ph.D. Chair, Board of Directors Ethics Institute of Northeastern Pennsylvania at Misericordia University
[The following from Rita:] Hello: Wouldn’t it be refreshing to think positively about restoring integrity to our community? I’m one of many people who have been working on an Ethics Awareness Initiative for Luzerne County. The Initiative, cosponsored by the Ethics Institute of NEPA and Leadership Wilkes-Barre, aims to raise awareness of the value of ethics and integrity in public life here in Luzerne County.
As our local public corruption scandal deepens, those of us working on this Initiative recognize that people in positions of power and influence, not ordinary citizens, have committed these crimes. However, ordinary citizens have accepted or tolerated dishonesty and corruption as part of our local culture. Isn’t it time for ordinary citizens to change the cultural norms and accepted behaviors of our community, by recognizing and rewarding honest and ethical behavior and by refusing to tolerate dishonesty and abuse of power in public life?
The Initiative begins with a kick-off event next Tuesday, May 4th at the Kirby Center from noon to 1 pm. Our goal, by the end of 2010, is to have hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals sign an Ethics Pledge (attached). I hope you are among the signers. Beginning May 4th, the Ethics Pledge can be downloaded or signed at www.ethicsawarenessluzerne.com. This Website will include discussion guides for all ages to jumpstart discussions in workplaces, schools, community meeting rooms, places of worship, clubs, social organizations and living rooms across Luzerne County. The Website will also list everyone who signs the Ethics Pledge. (Public officials and candidates, please take note!)
You’ll be seeing more about the Ethics Awareness Initiative in the local media. Please help spread the word, use the Website, and let us know your thoughts or suggestions about next steps. Many thanks. Rita
Dear Friends, There are moments in history when our nation's character is tested. In these times, the country needs to stand together to uphold our most cherished values and to protect our proudest tradition as a nation of immigrants. In doing so, we must pay tribute to those generations who struggled and endured before us to cultivate the rights we all enjoy and deserve today. And while hatred and bigotry currently rule the day in Arizona, we have 90 days to stop SB 1070's implementation, to defend civil rights, and to set federal immigration reform efforts in the right direction. We will not fail in this call.
People in Arizona have experienced a profound range of emotions in recent weeks. On Friday, Governor Jan Brewer joined the ranks of George Wallace and others like him who sought to gain political advantage by encouraging hatred and bigotry. And while Brewer and Sheriff Joe Arpaio may have written themselves into the history books by supporting this repugnant law, they will appear as nothing more than a footnote. Indeed, this chapter of history will be written by the millions of immigrants who assert their place in the American story like all others who came before them. This chapter will be written by a new generation of fearless leaders, like the thousands of high school students who walked out in Phoenix and Tucson, and the nine brave leaders who sacrificed their freedom to prevent and protest the enactment of an unjust and unconstitutional law. It will be written by all of us.
Arizona's immigrant community is organizing and preparing to mount the political, legal, and economic pressure needed to restore constitutional protections to the state. They need the nation's help to change the federal policy that allowed for the formation of SB 1070. The simple fact is that the President of the United States has the moral authority and legal obligation to intervene and put an end to SB 1070. As Congressman Gutierrez said in his electrifying speech to thousands yesterday,"Every time the federal government said that you could carry out 287(g) and sanctioned it you gave AZ an excuse to do SB1070…And it really isn't that difficult, to take the pen and a signature to say that the police do not have an inherent right to carry out immigration policy, it is the responsibility of the federal government." We are asking you to answer Arizona's call. Specifically, we ask that you take three simple steps: 1. Take 1 Minute to send and urgent appeal to President Barack Obama, demanding federal intervention to defend civil rights in Arizona. 2. Consider making a donationto support litigation and organizing in defense of Arizona's communities. 3. Join us for a national conference call on Wednesday, April 28, at 10am PST//1pm EST to discuss national and local response efforts and to learn how you can help. RSVP for the call by emailing Yadira Hernandez. The road ahead will be long, but together we will turn the tide. Sincerely, Pablo Alvarado Director, National Day Laborer Organizing Network
In recognition today of the 259th birthday of James Madison, the principal writer of the Constitution and the fourth President of the United States, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves visited Montpelier — Madison's colonial home near Orange, Va. Groves stood in Madison's library, the very room that one of the Founding Fathers used to draft the Virginia Plan that became the Constitution.
As each U.S. household receives a 2010 Census form, every resident is encouraged to participate in a process that is as old as the nation itself. That process is the decennial census, mandated in Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, mainly written by James Madison, one of our nation's founders and our fourth president. U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves recently visited Madison's historic home, Montpelier, in Orange, Va., and stood in the room that was the library where Madison drafted the Virginia Plan that became the Constitution. Groves paused to reflect on his own obligation to participate in the 2010 Census and to "ensure that we get it right."
Please view and share this video with family, friends, neighbors, and networking community.
Please go online and make a donation benefitting The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) to help meet the expenses for this important rally in New York City.
The 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review International Planning Committee, comprised of NGO’s from the United States, Europe and Asia is organizing a day and a half long international conference on Nuclear Abolition, Peace and Disarmament on May 1, 2010, the eve of the NPT Review Conference at the United Nations.
The conference will be held in the Riverside Church in New York City and will include between 800 and 1,000 participants.
Also, it is important to sign the online petition to call upon President Obama to fulfill his good faith efforts toward nuclear non-proliferation.
We wholeheartedly applaud the President for declaring in Prague, “I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.”
We commend him for his courageous and historic recognition that “as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act.”
We, at The Peace and Justice Center, call on the President to make good on that commitment and fulfill that responsibility by announcing at the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.
Please forward this notice to your peace community networks.
Support the SOA Watch Prisoner of Conscience. Call Congress Now: 1-800-473-6711
One way you can support the prisoners of conscience and their message of the importance of closing and investigating the SOA/ WHINSEC is to take an easy legislative action at home. Please take the time to make a quick call to Congress and to send an automatic email and fax to your House Rep! You can contact the DC office of your Representative by calling the Capitol Hill Switchboard toll free at 1-800-473-6711, (or 202-224-3121). Ask to speak with the foreign affairs legislative assistant and here is a suggested message for you to convey:
"As a constituent living in _________, I am calling Congressman/woman ________ to urge him/her to contact Rep. McGovern and ask to be a cosponsor of the Latin America Military Training Review Act, also known as HR 2567. This legislation would suspend operations at the School of the Americas, renamed WHINSEC, and investigate the history of human rights abuses and failed policies of the institution. Yesterday, three activists were sentenced to 6 months in prison for speaking out against the injustices of the SOA/ WHINSEC and now it is more important than ever that you join the others in Congress in opposing this school.
The recent coup in Honduras was led by graduates of the SOA/ WHINSEC, research confirms that the school has allowed known human rights abusers to instruct and receive training, and five countries have made public announcements they will no longer send students to the school citing the negative image and history of this institution.
I urge you to contact Cindy Buhl in Representative McGovern's office and ask that your boss join 97 other Representatives and be added as a cosponsor HR 2567. I hope you will represent my views in Washington and cosponsor this bill immediately."
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Pax Christi USA and several of our partner groups are mobilizing our memberships to impact the White House's decision on Afghanistan.
We need you to take action NOW!
Today, Monday. Nov. 23 through Wednesday, Nov. 25, between the hours of 9am and 5pm EST, we ask you to call the White House and tell them NO MORE TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN!
The number to call is 202-456-1111.
During these next 3 days, we are hoping to flood the White House with calls asking that no more troops be sent to Afghanistan and that the troops that are there now be brought home! If you cannot get through on Monday, call on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Call NOW and let your voice be heard!
We can influence this decision. The President must know that there is NOT support for continuing this war.
Call the White House at 202-456-1111 and tell President Obama:
1) No additional troops to be sent to Afghanistan.
2) Start the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
3) Begin serious diplomacy and dialogue with all parties to the conflict, internal and external, as well as independent Afghan women leaders, without preconditions.
4) Redirect the tens of billions of dollars spent yearly on Afghanistan war funding to human needs in Afghanistan and at home.
If President Obama orders more troops to Afghanistan, United for Peace and Justice is calling for protests at Federal buildings or other public places the day of, or the day after, the decision is announced. Check the listings to find out what's planned in your area or organize a protest if none has been planned yet, and post the activity you have planned here.
In peace, Johnny Zokovitch Director of Communications, Pax Christi USA
Dear Senator:
Please include Immigrants in Health-care Justice For Immigrants
Ask Your Senators to Include Immigrants in Health-care
Background: On November 7, the U.S. House of Representatives passed health-care reform legislation which permits undocumented immigrants to access health-care coverage using their own funds. The legislation also provides subsidies to legal immigrants who make up to 400 percent of the poverty level to help them purchase health-care. The legislation did not lift the five-year ban on legal immigrants accessing federal health-care programs such as Medicaid.
The U.S. Senate must now take up health care legislation. In legislation passed by the Senate Finance Committee, undocumented immigrants are barred from purchasing health care in the new health care exchange, even if they use their own money. The Senate bill also does not lift the five-year bar on legal immigrants accessing Medicaid, impacting about 600,000 legal immigrants per year. The Senate has yet to "merge" the bills reported out by various Senate committees into one bill.
Action: We must communicate to our Senators that immigrants should not be left out of health-care coverage. We must urge them to: Permit undocumented immigrants to use their own money to purchase health-care coverage in the new health-care exchange; and Lift the five-year ban on legal immigrants accessing federal means-tested health programs such as Medicaid. Please call (202-224-3121) or write your Senators (U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510) with the above message. Below please find talking points and a sample letter for your use.
TALKING POINTS: I ask that you support the inclusion of immigrants in health-care legislation now being considered by the U.S. Senate. Specifically, I ask that you support permitting undocumented persons to use their own money to purchase health-care coverage through the new health-care exchange. I also ask that you support lifting the five-year bar on legal immigrants accessing health care through the Medicaid program. By permitting undocumented immigrants to purchase health-care coverage, the cost of health-care for all Americans will decrease. They will be able to access preventive care, thus reducing uncompensated care costs passed through to Americans in higher insurance rates or taxes. Immigrants are younger and healthier than U.S. citizens, and thus will pay into the system without using health-care services as U.S. citizens. Legal immigrants, who work and pay taxes, should be able to access the programs they help pay for. Poor immigrants near the poverty level will be unable to afford health-care coverage, even if they do qualify for subsidies provided in the bill. Co-pays and deductibles make purchasing health-care a burden on working poor legal immigrant families, who have to purchase other necessities to support their families.
Dear Friend,
You and I know that one of the best ways to stop the spread of any flu (like H1N1) is for sick people to stay home[1]. But the New York Times just reported [2] that Wal-Mart gives employees "demerits" that can lead to termination if they call in sick. That's right, calling in sick gets you in trouble at Wal-Mart.
I think the real demerits should go to Wal-Mart for their terrible sick days policy, which risks making the public sick and their employees sicker.
That's why I just signed on to the MomsRising petition to give Wal-Mart a "Demerit badge," and you can, too! MomsRising will deliver our signatures, along with real demerit badges, to the executives of Wal-Mart USA to call them out for their terrible sick days policies.
* As kids, many of us got merit badges for doing good things, like learning a new skill or helping others. You can give Wal-Mart a DE-merit badge today for doing just the opposite -- hurting others with their bad policies. Forward this email to your friends so they can send a DE-merit badge too!
Punishing employees for taking paid sick days is backward and bad for public health. It has the result of pressuring sick Wal-Mart employees to come to work anyhow, putting other employees and Wal-Mart's millions of customers at risk. As one Wal-Mart employee said in the New York Times article: “There are a lot of people who have swine flu right now who are going in because they worry about getting fired for having too many [demerit] points."
If we're serious about stopping the spread of the flu (and preventing all the costs associated with so many people getting sick), we need employers to step up and make sure their policies support employees making the right decision to stay home when they're sick. As one of the largest employers in the country, Wal-Mart's policies set the tone for other employers, and are critical to our nation's health and financial security.
Tell Wal-Mart to stop punishing employees for staying home when they're sick! Send them a demerit badge today!
Are we… RECOVERING FROM RACISM ? OPPORTUNITY: You might be interested in an educational workshop for the community that will be provided on Saturday, October 24, 2009 by Pax Christi USA and Pax Christi of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
GOAL: The goal of the workshop will be to prepare participants - individuals who interact with the public on a regular basis, such as police, government workers, business persons, educators, medical personnel, clergy, students, etc. – with techniques they can use to react to racist comments and actions they confront in their daily lives and thus cooperate in a community-wide healing effort to recover from racism.
PRESENTERS: Presenters will include Bill Marx and Altonette Stone of PCUSA’s National Anti-Racism Team. Our special guest will be Rafael Samanez, Director of NY City’s VAMOS Unidos Project.
DETAILS: The workshop will take place at Lackawanna College’s Lyceum (the former CYC). Registration will begin at 8 AM. The program will start at 8:30 AM and run ‘til 5 PM with a break for lunch (which will be provided). The workshop and lunch are free to members of our community.
REGISTRATION: Space is limited. Register by October 15 by calling 570.558.5050, emailing joerogan@verizon.net, or writing to Pax Christi NEPA, P.O. Box 168, Clarks Summit, PA 18411. Group registrations are welcome.
Pax Christi NEPA
Please sign on to a healthcare message to Congress
If you believe that healthcare reform cannot wait any longer, please sign on to our message to congressional leaders to let them know.
We will deliver the message to congressional leaders on October 20 as part of the national day of action for healthcare reform.
You'll be hearing more from us about other ways to observe the national day of action, but we urge you to take this one action now. We want to get as many (electronic) signatures as we can before October 20. So please sign on now and ask your friends, family, and co-workers to sign on. The more names we have, the more impact we will have.
Today, on October 20, numerous state and national faith-based organizations are joining together for a national day of remembrance for those who have died due to lack of healthcare. We have gathered our voices together to bring to you this message from the American people: Healthcare reform cannot wait any longer!
The United States is the only industrialized democracy in the world that has not made the commitment to ensure healthcare coverage for all its people. We find this to be a moral scandal, and we call on Congress to approve a reform plan that guarantees accessible, affordable, quality care for everyone in the U.S.
We have an opportunity now to fix the broken system that has left people ill and dying without basic care. We must pass a reform plan that provides all people with the coverage they need. Do not let this historic moment pass us by!
Please take this action now, and then forward this message to 10 (or more) other people.
Thanks!
Please save this date for an important event.
Date: Friday, July 17, at the new River Front Park in Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes side, 5:45 PM.
Event: Peace Vigil
We are calling for a peace vigil to note the anniversary of the tragic murder of Luis Ramirez. Ramirez, a father of three, was beaten to death in the streets of Pennsylvania by several young men.
Please forward this to as many people as possible.
Location: River Commons for the Candlelight Vigil on July 17th @ 6:00 PM. We will close with a Jewish tradition of tossing bread into the river, led by Rabbi Lerner, who will explain the symbolism.
The Interfaith Council Planning Team is the host organization for this event.
peace, rod
Friends and Family,
Unbelievable!
Last week, we launched the campaign to Reform Immigration For America with a huge Summit in DC, a national Town Hall meeting, and 44 local launches across the country.
We asked you to help us make a splash with Congress by sending 20,000 faxes and making 2,500 calls in one week. Instead, you knocked our socks off by sending more than 125,000 faxes to Congress and making 7,500 phone calls to Congressional leaders. Wow, wow, wow. Thank you.
Here's the challenge: the numbers were SO impressive, we're worried Congress won't understand all those faxes were from real people. Can you take a moment to personalize your message to Congress? Please tell your Representatives why you cared enough about reforming immigration to send them a fax last week:
It doesn't have to be fancy. It can be one sentence. The grammar doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be from the heart.
Our goal is to show Congress that we are not just numbers, we're real people that are affected -- directly and indirectly -- by a broken immigration system that is hurting our families and slowing down our economic recovery.
Over the coming months, we're going to be asking you to pitch in at critical moments to help show Congress and President Obama the power and depth of this grassroots movement for immigration reform. As we said last week, it's all about getting to the 279 votes we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform: 218 US Representatives + 60 Senators + the President's signature. Last week was an amazing demonstration of our collective power. Now let's show them the depth of our commitment.
Thank you, again, from the bottom of my heart.
I am so proud to be part of an inspiring and important movement for change.