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(LAST MONTH: May 25, 2010) Somos
todos "Texans"
Desde chicos aprendimos, a querernos
como hermanos
El futball y las canicas,
A los buenos y a los malos
Muchas veces nos peleamos, otras veces ni hablamos,
Pero aun sigo siendo amigo del que es como mi hermano
En momentos presentimos
Que solos nos encontramos
Es alli donde aparecen los que son mas que hermanos
Los regalos que no dimos, las palabras que callamos
Los abrazos que negamos al que hoy no estan a tu lado
Pero aun afuera hay muchos
Esperando de un abrazo
Necesitan de aquel que se ha de llamar hermano
Amigo tu, Amigo yo
Perdoname si te he fallado
Lo se muy bien, lo sabes tu
Siempre estare cerca, a tu lado.
Quiero estar y compartir, momentos buenos y los malos;
Quiero reir, tal vez llorar
Amigos que... nunca olvidamos
-- Amigos
de Alex Campos
Texas is more than a place. It's also
'state of mind' where everything is bigger, brasher...and friendlier.
Perhaps our immigrant foreparents were looking ahead when they
adopted "friendship" (Tejas) as
our state motto. from the first people living here.
Living in this "little bit of
heaven on earth", we know that being Texan is more than just
citizenship in this great state. Who is a Texan? A "Texan"
is anyone who lives, or has ever lived (or even so much as traveled)
to Texas and holds that bond of friendship in their heart. This
includes tourists, former-residents and the entire currently population.
Here in the Lone Star State, we are all neighbors and friends.
We are all "Texans".
However, apparently our neighbors in
Arizona think a little differently when it comes to those living
in their state.
Led by former residents from Midwestern states,
the newest emigrés of Arizona seem intent on rejecting
the language, culture and diversity that has enriched that land
for generations. Their thinly-veiled racist ideology and
recent legislation against undocumented residents in the name
of "the law" has created a scandalous issue
from what has never been a problem in the first place.
For decades, citizens and "illegal" residents
have lived and worked side by side in Arizona, as they have in
Texas and many other states. Millions of undocumented workers
have obtained false social security documents (and pay federal
taxes without any hope of getting a refund) in an attempt to better
themselves.
Countless families have overstayed their legal visas
or crossed the borders illegally in order to ensure that their
children could live a better life - access to quality schools,
good community water and health, and the hope that they would
have a better - and longer - life. Others came here to escape
terrible political and economic conditions in their native land
with the hope that their descendents would enjoy the blessings
of liberty that attracts so many around the world to the
"American dream".
To all, Texans say you are welcome here.
The modern state of Texas was born from Mexico and
the cultures, traditions and economic relationship of our nearest
foreign neighbor have helped
to make Texans wealthy beyond dreams (The per capita .GDP
of Texas - greater than Germany's - is due in no small part due
the to commerce and workforce that comes from the south) e
all Texans ....(continued from Page 1)
Businesses in Texas willingly hire hundreds of thousands
of foreign workers - many knowing that their papers may be false
- and bring their families into their occupation. Immigration
has been a boon to our state.
While Arizona has a lsizeable border with Mexico,
it does not have the tremendous
amount of trade and interaction that Texas does. Only
states that border Canada have a foreign experience similar to
Texas' - and you don't see them trying to restrict "illegal"
immigration.
Many illegal immigrant families, using the same
process of obtaining false social security cards, have also purchased
autos, homes, insurance and everything else that a "legal"
citizen may do. They pay local property taxes, start business
and otherwise contribute to the social fabric of the community
putting in their own fair share.
Xenophobes
try to claim that illegal immigrants are stealing "American"
jobs or pose a threat to national security. However, Wall Street
and Washington D.C. politicians have been more responsible for
weakening the U.S. economy and the economic downturn - through
the creation of unregulated "financial instruments"
and reckless military spending - than any other force.
Security? When is the last time that a Canadian,
Guatemalan, Colombian or Salvadorian killed masses of people in
this country? Many of the families who come here from those countries
are fleeing violence and want peace. Others come so that they
won't starve. Security isn't an issue, with the exception of drug
cartels and their (legal citizen) U.S. partners who have created
a multi-billion dollar industry.
Besides the obvious economic benefits of a porous
border with Mexico and Canada, the issue of illegal immigration
is one of justice.
Children who are born in America automatically become
U.S. citizens (thanks
to the 14th Amendment to the Constitution!). However,
they may not have legal papers due to a variety of reasons. Also,
many of their siblings, parents or grandparents may be living
with the fear that they can someday be repatriated back to another
country. For this reason, no school would want to take their students
on a field trip to Arizona - one never knows if their star athlete
is such an "undocumented" American .
Likewise, no one wants to be uprooted from a community
in which they have lived for years (or decades) because of some
change in the "law". It's neither right nor just - and
defies common sense. Why would any state want to suddenly create
turmoil and fear among its residents?
To be blunt, many of those who oppose "illegal
immigration" are simply racist - despite their claims. Having
lived in Arizona I have heard to many caustic remarks about the
"brown-skinned" and still remember how people - many
citizens for generations - are treated there.
In one instance, after giving a speech to a local
fraternal organization, an elderly woman came up to me and spoke
to me in heavily-accented English. "Shouldn't we do something
about the millions of illegal aliens pouring across the border?"
she asked. She said that she had arrived in the U.S. as a child
after fleeing Germany. I gently reminded her that once she too
was a stranger in a new land
only to see her march off in
a huff.
Thank goodness I live in Texas where a person is
more likely to be judged on how well he or she works or helps
his neighbors than where she comes from.
Here, we will NOT allow the creation of laws like
in Arizona - we're the friendly state.
We've spent decades trying to rid our state of racist,
reactionary hate-mongers and the parties to which they belong.
While the struggle isn't over, the ranks of kind, friendly and
tolerant Texans hold the majority across the political spectrum.
Ant-immigration sentiment has no place in a state
where "All
free men [sic], when they form a social compact, have equal rights...."
Just as Texans have come to aid the struggle for human rights
in the South in the past, so too can you expect to see us getting
involved in the Southwest. We know that an injustice anywhere
is a threat to us everywhere.
From El Paso to Texarkana we welcome our new neighbors
from the west with open arms. Arizona's loss is our gain. When
you arrive, know that we expect continued hard work, contributions
to your local community, kindness to your neighbors and activities
to make our state and world a better place in which to live and
work.
We are all together in this in Texas. Somos todos
"Texans".
Time to abolish the SBOE
The Texas
State Board of Education (SBOE) has become such am embarrassment
to the state - recently
allowing evangelicals to rewrite history - that it no
longer serves a useful purpose. Texans for Peace has joined others
in callling for the Texas Legislature to eliminate this elected
board.
Slave trade? No longer part of the curriculum. It's
now been renamed "the
Atlantic triangular trade". Susan B. Anthony, Upton
Sinclair, Civil Rights...minimized.
The same neocons who want to eliminate government
altogether apparently also want to thwart the study of America's
history as well. Join the FB
Cause to Abolish the SBOE.
BP-Houston protested
British Petroleum (BP)'s U.S. headquarters was
the scene of recent protest by Americans fed up with deregulated
oil drilling and ecocide at the hands of companies in Texas. Along
with BP, Halliburton
and Transocean
are also culpable in the recent disaster in the Gulf.
The "naked truth" protests are a "crude
awakening that our country is on the wrong track, that we need
an energy system that doesn't kill workers, that doesn't destroy
our ocean and that works with nature, not against nature,"
say Code Pink co-founder Madea Benjamin
Texas peacemakers honored
Texas State Representative Lon Burnam recently
retired after serving 10 years as Executive Director of the Dallas
Peace Center. He was honored by his fellowsfor his bold dedication
in standing up for Texans - in DFW and around throughout the state.
The Fort Worth Democrat was also co-founder of the Crawford Peace
House and plans to remain active in peace issues for a long time
to come.
Margret Hofmann was recently honored by the City
of Austin with
a small park named in her honor. Margret, a former Austin
City Council member, and a founder of the Fellowship
of Reconciliation (FOR) of Central Texas. A member of
the Friends Meeting
(Quaker) of Austin, Margret
also writes regularly.
Both Lon and Margret are active members of Texans
for Peace and we look forward to their continuing contributions
to peace and justice throughout Texas.
Alto Arizona May 29
Civil rights activists from throughout the U.S.
will converge on Phoenix on May 29 for the Alto
Arizona march against SB1070. A Festival of Human Rights
is scheduled on Friday May 28, the day before the march. Marches
are also planned throughout Mexico and in other countries.
Mexican President, in a visit to Washington last
week, called
upon President Obama and Congress to pass comprehensive immigration
reform.
(ARCHIVES: March 9, 2010) Healing
the Hurts: Addressing the Human Toll of War
The U.S. has been at constant war for
the past nine years and the human toll continues to grow. Even
as these overseas wars continue, it is time to consider how we
as peacemakers will help to heal the personal, family and global
injuries that war have caused.
At least 1 million Americans have been
to Iraq and Afghanistan as soldiers or contractors. More than
5,300 have already died
there. In addition to those who have been killed, there are about
16
soldiers wounded for each who dies.
Within those countries 62 million local
citizens have also been directly exposed to combat, and millions
killed, injured and made homeless as well.
Untold numbers of people, both soldiers
andcivilians, have torn limbs and troubled minds. The impacts
from these injuries will ripple throughout a generation or more,
just as those from WWII, Korea and Vietnam altered the social
fabric of America and the war-torn nations.
Throughout Texas, on street corners
and in homeless shelters, veterans of wars - past and present
- live in desperation and insanity. Many once had families and
people who loved them, now they struggle just to get the next
meal. Others wonder -
like Timothy Pridey and his wife - how to support their
family in a down economy.
In low-rent apartments in our biggest
cities, a few thousand "lucky" refugees from Iraq try
to rebuild their lives. Facing a strange new society, they try
to help their children adjust to a world much different than the
one they left. The Dallas Metroplex even now has its own fledgling
"Little
Baghdad". Among Iraqis in their own country, the
psychological scars of war run particularly deep.
"I
was sitting on the couch the other day, and all I could do was
cry and wish that I was dead," says Senaa Tahir Abid,
after seeing her husband and sister's husband killed.
Thousands of U.S. soldiers and hundreds of thousands
of civilians have been killed in the past nine years. Their only
legacy is the tragic faces and broken hearts of those left behind
adding
even more victims to the cost of war.
Those military veterans who are fortunate to still
be alive and with no physical injuries, often carry the psychological
scars of war throughout their lives. War is a debilitating experience
where the brain is constantly occupied with fear and death. Combat
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the current term given
to a traumatized psyche and tortured "soul". Their
parents ask "why?"
The New
England Journal of Medicine studied four combat units
and found that 17% of Iraq war veterans and 11% of Afghanistan
war veterans suffered Hurts from PTSD
while a similar study by the RAND
Corporation put the number at 20%. The Pentagon has acknowledged
that the suicide rate for soldiers is growing and far exceeds
the suicide rate in the general population.
Mick, a 20-year-old GI in Killeen says that part
of the problem is due to trying to struggle with the mental images
of war while integrating back into "normal" society.
"They expect you to be the perfect soldier and the perfect
civilian," he said. "The
government expects us to be bipolar, to separate work life from
home life."
The medical costs of treating PTSD, even though
they are only part of the social costs, are expected to grow dramatically
in coming years. According to the Washington Post, "about
300,000 U.S. military personnel who have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan
are suffering from post-traumatic stress or major depression,
a mental toll that may
cost the nation as much as $6.2 billion over two years."
Like the returning soldiers, the millions of men,
women and children of Afghanistan and Iraq are likely to suffer
even more in coming decades. They've seen their cities and towns
ripped apart, destruction and dead bodies littering streets. At
least 8 million have had to flee and become refugees - many living
in camps - at some point during the past decade. There are at
least 6.6
million who still live as refugees or internally displaced persons
(IDPs) in the two nations. Families without the comfort and safety
of homes. Children without schools and the security of normal
life. Neighborhoods and social life fragmented. The effects of
munitions, like depleted
uranium (DU) and other WMDs left behind by U.S. troops,
will scar the landscape and generations to come.
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Unlike many Iraqi mothers, Um Haider, who fled Baghdad
to Houston, is one of the fortunate ones. Her children are all
well and without injury, but she worries for the cousins left
behind. "The situation in Iraq is terrible," she says.
"Everywhere there is destruction, walls, burned buildings
and ruined lives." Um Haider doesn't know if she'll ever
be able to return, but unsure how she will support her family
in their new home of Texas.
While Americans watch movies like The
Hurt Locker, most real
images of war are sanitized and removed from view. The
victims of war are forgotten, even when they walk among us. Do
not look away.
However, we have a civic and moral obligation to
help to heal the wounds and hearts of this human tragedy. Even
more so since, as a nation, we are the ones directly responsible
for their injuries in the first place. We must accept responsibility
for the returning troops and for the civilian victims left in
their wake. They shouldn't have to do it alone.
Even more, as Texans who believe in peace and social
justice, we have an even greater challenge to salve war's wounds.
Peacemakers are directed not only to help end, or prevent, wars
but are also called to be healers. Some,
like Peggy Kelsey, are in Afghanistan right now.
In Texas, we have a particular need to be involved.
Not only has this state sent the largest groups of soldiers off
to war, who are now returning as veterans, but we are
also becoming home to tens of thousands of Iraqis and
Afghans. These neighbors will need to get along and, as in Vietnam,
soldiers of conscience will want to revisit and rebuild the countries
they destroyed. Even when the war is over, the work of peace won't
be "done". As peacemakers we not only need to empathize
with both victims and perpetrators we have to help "mend
the pieces". It is our way. And, afterall, these are your
sons and daughters.
There are many resources and organizations that
focus on the aftermath of war: Veteran's groups, support organizations,
Iraq and Afghan societies, and humanitarian organizations. All
could use volunteers and financial resources. At the same time,
peace and social justice organizations - some working directly
in the "red" zones - also need your support.
Listed below is a small selection of organizations
that you can become involved with. Together, we can help heal
the hurts.
U.S. VETERANS
Coalition
for Veterans
Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America
Iraq Veterans Against War
Farmer-Veteran Coalition
Injured Marines Fund
Laptops for the
Wounded
Our Military Kids
Swords to Plowshares
TexVet
Tragedy Assistance Program for
Survivors (TAPS)
Under the Hood
Veterans for Peace
IRAQIS/AFGHANS
Afghan
Women's Mission
Global Exchange
Help the Afghan
Children
Help the Refugees in San Antonio (FB Group)
Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston
International
Rescue Committee (IRC)
Iraqi-American Association
of North Texas Iraqi
Red Crescent
Women for Women International
Neocons on their way out of SBOE?
Conservative and Liberal Texans alike have had
their fill of know-nothing members of the State Board of Education
who have been trying water down the curriculum and textbooks by
watering down evolution and other scientific principles.
From Amarillo
to Houston,
concerned parents have been urging that "sanity" be
returned to the SBOE. These elected officeholders don't generally
receive much review at election time, but this year, might be
near the top of the "issues" that will bring voters
to the polls as they say "don't mess with Texas education".
Border violence growing
There are concerns that recent battles between rival
drug cartels in Mexico will spill over into Texas. There have
been recent increases in border violence in towns from Juarez
to Matamoros.
The most recent escalation in drug wars appears to be around Nuevo
Laredo and Reynosa. In some cases, Mexican parents have
had to keep their children out of school for fear of almost-daily
shootings.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) provided
an unusual warning to college students to stay away from the border
during Spring Break. Hildalgo's
Border Festival has been shortened. Tourism, already down
because of the economy and H1N1 flu, is expected to suffer
from the ongoing threat of violence as the U.S. State
Department issues travel warnings. Journalists have been targeted,
creating
some news blackouts.
However, citizens in those same border communities
are standing up to the violence. Some are turning
to online activism, others are taking to the streets to
protest both the violence and the militarization of their
cities.
End the War Protests Continue
Even as Operation Enduring Disaster in Afghanistan
continues into its 9th year and the war in Iraq into its 7th,
peace activists and antiwar protesters continue to demonstrate
against the war and call for peaceful solutions.
On March 20, there will be a Million
Musicians for Peace march in Austin from the Capitol to
City Hall. In Houston, a National
Day of Protest rally at Mason Park. In the Valley (McAllen)
a Special Protest Against the War 11am-noon, McAllen, right in
front of Bentsen Tower at Bus. 83 & Bicentennial. In Arlington,
on the 19th, an "I
Stand for Peace" gathering. There will also planned
large demonstrations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington,
DC. and other towns and cities around the world. Denton
will have a "Funk
the War" march on March 28.
Celebrate César Chávez
Texans everywhere will be celebrating the legacy
of civil rights activist and founder of the United
Farm Workers, César Chávez, on March 26-27.
There's a special reason for those in the Metroplex to celebrate
after Dallas
renamed a major street to honor Chavez. In San Antonio,
the state's
largest march will be held on the 27th.
The Willacy County Processing Center is the largest
immigrant detention center in the U.S. and harkens back to the
days during WWII when Japanese-Americans were locked up in South
Texas. Owned by the Utah-based Management and Training Corporation
(MTC), Tent City is one of many detention centers run for profit
and with little federal oversight.
Close Texas prison camps April 10
A broad coaltion of organizations is calling for
the closure of the Texas prison camp in Raymondville and
planing an April 10th demonstration at the site.
The Willacy County Processing Center is the largest
immigrant detention center in the U.S. and harkens back to the
days during WWII when Japanese-Americans were locked up in South
Texas. Owned by the Utah-based Management and Training Corporation
(MTC), Tent City is one of many detention centers run for profit
and with little federal oversight.
(LAST MONTH: January 3, 2010)
Light a candle in 2010
The analogies are many: Children of
Light, Candle in the Darkness, Keepers of the Flame, Warm Hearts
.These
Torch Bearers are the individuals who lead the way down the path
of peace and social justice, as they have done since time immemorial.
They can be found in the darkest recesses, unflaggingly daring
to illumine the truth at any cost. Indeed, in the words of Robert
Altinger "the darkness of the whole world cannot swallow
the glowing of a [their] candle."
During the past year, we have seen
many examples of such Pillars of Fire working on issues ranging
from immigrant rights to working to end the death penalty. I hope
you take inspiration from their stories.
Principled Leadership - Lucy Davila Hakemack
School leadership takes more than just understanding
of curriculum, pedagogy and learning philosophy. It also takes
compassion and willingness to "go the extra mile" to
help children succeed. Lucy Davila Hakemack, Principal of H.
Grady Spruce High School in Dallas ISD know this all too
well. Test
scores are up, and students feel like they can have a positive
high school experience. Through her leadership Dr. Hakemack
has helped transform a troubled school to one where teachers,
staff and students have come to believe in their own success and
education in Texas is one step better.
Transforming Homelessness - Ron Hall and Denver
Moore
Denver Moore was a homeless man
from Louisiana living on the streets of Fort Worth. Ron Hall was
a successful local millionaire. Then, both of their lives were
changed by a chance meeting. While volunteering at the Union Gospel
Mission in 1998, Hall and his wife Debbie met Moore and curious
about his circumstances got to know him better. Ron and Denver
ended up collaborating on a book "Same
Kinda Different As Me," and
since have raise more than $31 million to help end homelessness
in their community.
Confronting Presidents' Wars - Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite was a luminary in American life
and letters. One of the best loved broadcasters for decades, Cronkite
was well known for speaking the truth - including his 1968 opinion
on Vietnam. "With each escalation, the world comes closer
to the brink of cosmic disaster. To say that we are closer to
victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the
optimists who have been wrong in the past." Several weeks
later following this report candle....(continued
from Page 1)
President Johnson announced that
he would not seek re-election. Texan Cronkite continued to speak
out against war - and another Texas president - prior to his death
in 2009. "Our
Troops Must Leave Iraq," he wrote and he urged the
American people to "make their voices heard with unmistakable
clarity."
People's Magistrate - Ernie
L. Glenn
San Antonio is known for having judges who both
understand the law, but rule with compassion. Such is the case
for Judges Ernine L. Glenn. Glen, of the Bexar County Drug Court,
tries to help those who come before his court to overcome their
addictions and realize that their lives could be better. Such
was the case with Cassie LaVernia who
went from living under a freeway bridge as homeless drug addict
to living responsibly and helping others. Because Judge
Glen was willing to see beyond her problems and get Cassie involved
in drug education she now is a hope, not a burden to others in
San Antonio.
Workplace Dignity - Proyecto Defensa Laboral
(Workers Defense Project)
Undocumented workers have trying circumstances.
Willing to work, they often are taken advantage of by their employers
and frequently unpaid for their services. Few are willing to speak
out. The Workers Defense
Project empowers low-wage workers to act collectively
for racial and economic justice in the workplace through leadership
development, education, organizing and collaborating with strategic
allies. Last year they were successful in getting thousands of
dollars that was stolen in wage thefts back into the hands of
workers and changes in building inspections in Austin after the
death of a worker. Now they have embarked to open a community/cultural
center which will have Spanish-English literacy classes, low-income
work assistance and cooperative business development.
Freeing the Neighborhood - Lenwood E. Johnson
Lenwood E. Johnson has helped to preserve the historic
nature of the Freedman's Town, one of the oldest neighborhoods
in Houston. When the City of Houston wanted to tear up historic
brick streets laid by freed slaves in order to install new sewer
and water lines, he went to work. Johnson
rallied the neighborhood and media - and won! The City
agreed not to tear up the streets and help bring attention to
local - and often forgotten - stories of early Houston. Freedmen's
Town, established after news of the Emancipation Proclamation
reached Texas in 1865, became a thriving center of jazz, arts,
and business, hailed by many as the "Harlem of the South"
and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Coming Forward for GLBT Rights - Jon Nelson
Last June, on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall
Rebellion in NY, a Fort Worth gay bar was raided by local
police and the TABC. The incident sparked outrage across Texas
and the nation, as patrons were injured and jailed. Attorney John
Nelson came forward to ensure that to speak out that in his city
"discrimination is wrong, and would not be tolerated here."
He
also helped found a new group - Fairness Fort Worth -
to "to help facilitate the process for witnesses to the Rainbow
Lounge raid to come forward and give testimony." Although
investigations are still ongoing, the raid has already resulted
in the suspensions of a sergeant and two police officers and admission
and disciplinary actions and acknowledgement of violations by
the TABC Chief.
No Borders - Jay Johnson-Castro
Along the Texas-Mexico border, a vocal group of
activists have been challenging the building of the "Wall".
These Texas "border
ambassadors" work with local officials and community
activists to build opposition to the "ugly
and acrimonious barrier" that will divide the two nations.
Johnson-Castro turned from running a bed-and-breakfast
to leading walks from city to city along the border, organizing
rallies, and helping to bring attention to Washington about this
"Concrete Curtain" that is being built. Jay has also
been instrumental in actions against the Texas prison camps where
immigrant families are held for months.
Writing and Publishing to Succeed - Melanie Moore
Several years ago, weary of layoffs in high-tech,
Melanie
Moore decided to pursue her dream of helping children
with literacy while "amplifying the voices of the disenfranchised,
the marginalized, the international" writers who may be ignored
by market-driven publishing.
The result was the creation of Badgerdog, a place where
young writers are cultivated and published. During the past year,
Badgerdog worked with students in several Central Texas school
districts to be confident - and published - authors. This "organization
run by poets and fiction writers" has become instrumental
in the resurgence of print works and helping others to "find
their voice".
Cleansing Coal - Clean Economy Coalition of Corpus
Christi
When Las Brisas Energy (Chase Power) proposed to
build a $3 billion 1200 MW petroleum coke-fired power plant in
Corpus Christi, local citizens organized. They formed Clean
Energy Corpus to advocate for cleaner and more economically
sound energy for the city. With the help of National organizations
(Environmental Defense Fund , Sierra Club) they have argued against
permitting by the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality. In December the TECQ
found, "the applicant has not proven that the emissions from
the permit will not cause adverse impacts to human health,"
in large part to testimony from local doctors concerned about
the already high levels of asthmas in the area and the data that
shows Corpus already has the highest level of birth defects in
Texas. Local leaders plan to continue to try to stop the plant
in 2010.
Hope for Texas - Kid's Against the Death Penalty
University students have long been active in the
push to eliminate the death penalty in Texas. But, now they've
been joined by their younger siblings - Kids
Against the Death Penalty (KADP). KADP kids have been
organizing online, attending rallies and helping to educate their
peers about Texas executions. Several members of KADP are relatives
of Jeff Wood,
currently on death row even though he never killed anyone. KADP
members have marched for miles along Texas streets holding anti-death
penalty signs, visited the Legislature and Rick Perry, and continue
to press for justice. They courageously speak out on an issue
in which too few Texans, whether adults or children, have found
the time or the courage to address. They are even inspiring kids
in other states to join the anti-death penalty movement.
International Action for Freedom
- Diane Baker
Rev. Diane Baker, a Dallas hospice chaplain, has
aided the souls and spirits of peacemakers in struggles for peace
and justice. The 62-year-old grandmother has been a strong advocate
of human rights throughout Texas and the globe and has taken stands
for freedom in Cuba, farm workers in California and victims of
violence in Mexico. She is currently part
of the 8-person Texas delegation participating in the
Gaza
Freedom March in Egypt and joined the fast to force the
Egyptian government
to allow their march to proceed and not be penned in by riot police.
As one year ends and a new one begins, we can
take heart in knowing that there will be even more inspiring stories
in the weeks and months ahead. But, you don't need to wait to read
them here
get out there and write your own.
Light a candle. Better yet, start a
bonfire!
Interfaith vigil to close Texas prison camp - Jan
9
Faith leaders, churches and peace and justice activists
will
gather at the Willacy County Processing Center in Raymondville
on Jan. 9 to vigil and continue to demand that the Obama
Administration shut down this prison camp and let these non-criminal
families go home to await their immigration hearings.
Holding 3,000 detainees, the "for-profit"
Willacy Center is the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's
(ICE) largest immigrant detention center. Since "Ritmo"
opened, detainees have suffered sexual abuse, negligence in medical
care, unhygienic facilities, spoiled and rotten food, inappropriate
use of solitary confinement, and inadequate access to representation
and services. Immigration detention separates families and stands
between noncitizens and the communities that provide them emotional,
spiritual, and legal
support. In Florida, detainees' families are fasting in non-violent
opposition to ICE's inhumane immigration enforcement system.
National student peace conference coming to Texas
The
2010 Student Peace Alliance National Conference will be held February
26-28 at Southwestern University in Georgetown. The conference,
whose theme is "Extreme Makeover: Peace in the 21st Century"
will bring together youth peace leaders from throughout the nation
to "focus on evidence-based programs that are effectively
reducing and preventing violence both at an international and
domestic level."
The three days of conference speakers and attendee
collaboration will highlight effective domestic and international
peacebuilding programs; provide grassroots organizing, community
peacebuilding, and lobbying training; and empower young people
to be citizen peacebuilders and advocates. Your help, and donations
are needed. Encourage students in your community to attend. Sponsor
scholarships and show students of the nation a true Texas welcome.
Texans for Peace has signed on as a sponsor of this
conference. Rob Atkinson, a member of Texans for Peace, was instrumental
in getting SPA organized before his tragic death in December 2008.
New Ways of Looking at Water
Peace, social justice and environmental activists
in San Antonio will hold a "New
Ways of Looking at Water" conference February 14-16
at Trinity University. The conference is for the entire community
to "explore The science, politics, law, history, poetry,
music, art, spirituality, architecture, fashion, use, misuse,
past, present, future, here, there and everywhere of water."
It is free and open to the public.
Iraqi refugees in Texas
The first wave of Iraqi refugees, like war refugees
before them, has come to Texas. As
many as 100 Iraqi families have already relocated to Texas, most
to big cities and are struggling to make a new life here.
They generally find themselves living in low-rent apartments competing
for jobs with immigrants from other countries.
They are generally ignored by the media, and those
who wreaked havoc on their country. However, social service agencies
and non-profits work to assist them, as they do to support anyone
in need. More to come.
FB for Texas News
More and more, those interested in peace and social
justice are turning to social media - particularly Facebook -
to keep up with activities and the latest information. Texans
for Peace invites you to join one of several FB pages used to
communicate throughout the state:
Texans
for Peace FB Main
Texans
for Peace - Austin Area
Texans
for Peace - Corpus Christi and the Valley
Texans
for Peace - DFW and North Texas
Texans
for Peace - Houston Area
Texans
for Peace - San Antonio Area
You can also keep up with news via
Twitter

(ARCHIVES: December 1, 2009)
Citizen Future: Demolishing Fantasy USA
Last week 83-year-old
Sister Anne Montgomery, along
with a group of 4 others, was arrested at the Kitsap-Bangor
Naval Base near Seattle, after cutting through fences, entering
the base and scattering sunflower seeds to
protest nuclear weapons and help demolish the current
US fantasy of empire.
Fantasy USA, like Fantasy
Football, is a game in which adults daydream about being
"owners" along with their made-up "teams"
and virtual players. Like popular computer games, Bingo parlors,
Texas hold'em and "reality" t.v., Fantasy USA has become
a widespread and popular phenomena. Many Americans have joined
the ranks of the "fantasy world" in attempts to feel
more in control of their personal lives and external world events.
While there's nothing wrong with diversions, amusements and entertainment,
it can get out of hand when an entire nation embarks on a fantasy
empire.
Such is the state of the USA
today - including government, politics and economics - where Americans
have placed their hope into
"Empires of Illusion", American "exceptionalism"
and electroal "hope" with as little basis in reality
as the "fantasy points" in a fantasy football league.
The very concept of the United
States as an autonomous political entity, self-contained "American"
business markets and individual political exercise mean little
when the "World
is Flat" and we are interconnected with every other
society on the planet. Nevertheless, millions of Americans continue
to fall prey to the illusions of tricksters who make promises
that are neither meaningful nor permanent - we can "win"
in Afghanistan, America will always be the "land of the free",
etc.
Meanwhile, thoughtful citizens work
towards sensible progress based on the realities of the world
in which we live today. Some cut through the mirages and hallucinations
to "wake up" their fellows from the dreams in which
they have become increasingly ensnared. Others put their bodies
on the line to physically challenge and help tear down the walls
of empire.
Anne Montgomery is part of a growing movement of
faith leaders and secular activists who are willing to challenge
the empire directly.
In addition to her recent Ploughshares
action in Bangor, she has gone to Guantanamo
to demand the release of prisoners and traveled extensively throughout
Iraq and Israel/Palestine to work with the people who have been
victimized by war. These citizens know that "Fantasy USA"
and its manufacture, deployment and use of weapons of mass destruction
is both "immoral and criminal" and that as citizens
we are responsible to resist. Unlike the real principles upon
which the nation was founded, this "Fantasy USA" along
with its destructive empire is "a blasphemy against the Creator
of life, imaged in each human being."
Mahatma
Gandhi and his followers in India, early in the 20th century,
destroyed the "Fantasy UK" when they threw off the yoke
of British empire and colonialism. Other fantasy regimes were
changed throughout the world - from the Ottoman Empire to dictatorships
in the Philippines and elsewhere. This week, millions will celebrate
the end of "Fantasy USSR" with the symbolic fall of
the Berlin Wall.
Meanwhile in the U.S., the empire of illusion -
political, military and economic - continues to be as a threat
to free citizens at home and abroad. The charlatans of Wall Street
and Washington openly plunder the public treasury for their own
interests, escalate the destruction of countries overseas and
- along with their media counterparts - provide only pablum and
promises. The puppet masters who control politics and politicians
say, "wait until the next election (or candidate)".
"Change" is their mantra but support of empire is their
goal.
Even the most ardent supporters of the Our-Way-of-Life-Free-Market-Capitalism
and American "superiority" have come to understand that
something is fundamentally wrong. How can the largest corporations
go from making record profits to near collapse? How does racking
up trillions of dollars in dept fighting overseas wars add to
the long-term security and "common defense"? Does the
winner-take-all ethos of the current political process really
"establish justice", "insure domestic tranquility",
"promote the general welfare" and secure "blessings
of liberty"? How long will we allow those who have shown
themselves willing to follow dreams of dominance and hegemony
no matter how high the risks to remain in power? Not forever,
since
our very survival is at stake.
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Many citizens are beginning to see through the illusion
of empire and are speaking out, and working directly, to replace
Fantasy USA with a nation that is more just and rewarding for
all. Phyllis
Bennis notes, "we are at a moment when this movement
is rising" and people are demanding social and economic rights
and defying US power. We need to challenge the empire. Indeed,
if no US citizens, who? If not now, when?
In late November, thousands
of citizens will converge on Ft. Benning in Georgia in continuing
vigils and civil disobedience actions to close the School of the
Assassins (SOA) and stop US military interventions in
Latin America. Among the crowds will be Texans
from around the state. They know that democracy can't
be spread through the "barrel of a gun" and are willing
to nonviolently challenge the policies of the Pentagon, Congress
and the President. "It is up to us to hold those responsible
accountable and to push for to closing of the School of the Americas
and a change in US foreign policy" says Father
Roy Bourgeois. "Too many have died and continue to
suffer at the hands of graduates of this notorious institute."
Others, from peace groups to anti-tax protestors,
will march on Washington next year to bring about needed change
- from increasing civil rights to shutting down the war machine.
As their numbers grow, politicians and pundits may find that their
patronage is at risk and that "The People" - not the
empire - come first.
In Soul
of A Citizen, author Paul Rogat Loeb discusses how
people of conviction can continue to work towards peace and social
justice by inspiring one another and working to build human bonds.
"There are elements of the road that we build as we go. Even
in the most difficult situations, we can construct such self-made
routes towards freedom and justice." He recalls the leadership
of Henri
Nouwen, Winston
Willis, Desmond
Tutu, Thomas
Merton and others and how peacemakers can take advantage
of the "fullness of time", "radical patience",
"Power of stubbornness", "slow-burning fires"
to bring about change. While acknowledging that "cynics will
continue to smirk, insisting that our efforts are futile,"
he reminds us that "we're never truly alone when we act with
courage and vision."
Bringing an end to Fantasy USA, and replacing it
with a "more
perfect union" won't be easy, but we never know what
we might create unless we try. This is the future of citizenship
and patriotism in our nation.
Sr. Anne is one citizen who is trying. So should
we.
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Texans mourn Ft. Hood tragedy
Texans, and non-Texans alike,
are mourning the recent massacre at Fort Hood
in Killeen. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, stands
accused of shooting to death 13 people and wounding
38 more when he began shooting on his own base
last week.
The dead include: Michael Grant
Cahill, 62, of Cameron, TX was a physician's
assistant and retired CWO who was working on
the post as a contracted civilian. The soldiers
who died:
Major L. Eduardo Caraveo, 52,
of Woodbridge, VA
Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow, 32, of Plymouth,
IN
Capt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, of San Diego, CA
Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City,
TN
Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, of Tillman, OK
Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, WS
Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, of W. Jordan,
UT
Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, IL
Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, WS
Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago. She was
pregnant.
Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, 55, of Havre de Grace,
MD
Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, MN
Because the attacker, who was
injured, was Muslim, some attention has been
drawn to the 20,000 other Muslim-Americans who
serve in the U.S. military. However, many soldiers
say that the stress of this shooting can be
directly tied to the stress that multiple deployments
to Iraq and Afghanistan have generated throughout
the military and the determination of the Obama
administration to continue the war and occupation
without an endpoint.
Exxon inks "oil-for-blood"
deal
Dallas based Exxon-Mobil remains
the world's largest publicly traded oil company
with 2008
profits of $45.2 billion and has been
an active player in Washington's foreign policy
decisions. Last week the multi-national corporation
signed its first contract to develop Iraq's
West Qurna oil fields since they were nationalized
by Saddam Hussein more than 30 years ago.
With reserves of 8.7 billion barrels,
West Qurna is among the prized Iraqi fields
eyed by Western oil majors who are thankful
that Western soldiers were able to secure after
the invasion of 2003. The pact comes after British
oil major BP and China's CNPC signed Iraq's
first major new oil deal since the 2003 U.S.
invasion for the Rumaila field.
Houston based Shell is a partner
with Exxon in the Qurna deal that beat out a
consortium of Russia's LUKOIL, ConocoPhillips,
France's Total and China's CNPC. The Exxon-Shell
group plans to raise the field's output nearly
five-fold to 2.325 million barrels per day (bpd)
from less than 500,000 bpd at present. The consortium
will receive a remuneration of $1.90 per barrel
through the life of the 20-year contract.
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500,000 war forces in Afghanistan
Hey, Hey, Obama man
We want out of Afhanistan
The Pentagon has announced plans
to increase U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan
to 100,000 by the end of 2012 and has requested
NATO partners to provide up to 150,000 additional
soldiers. Along with 250,000 "defense"
contractors and paramilitary personnel, this
would be largest military escalation since Vietnam
in 1968.
Both President Obama and the Democratic-controlled
Congress are not only expected to support this
dramatic escalation in the war, but also to
poney up additional hundreds of billions of
dollars to finance it, making "Operation
Enduring Disaster" the longest war and
second most costly in U.S. history, despite
the public who want the war ended.
Dallas Peacemaker Awards Dinner
North Texans will celebrate peace
during Peacemaker Awards dinner in Dallas on
December 3 at the DoubleTree Hotel at Midway
and LBJ.
This year's dinner will honor
Carol
Crabtree Donovan, KinderUSA and Rita Clarke
and is an annual event to help fund the Dallas
Peace Center. Reserve
your tickets today.
So-called "Patriot"
Act to continue
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
and Congress want to extend key provisions of
the Patriot Act, originally passed after 9-11,
which was set to expire this year. Holder wrote
to Senate Judiciary Committee members that he
offers strong support extending
theAct, which would reauthorize the lone
wolf, records and roving wiretap
powers:
Lone wolf: Allows government
to track a target without any discernible affiliation
to a foreign power, such as an international
terrorist group.
Business records: Allows investigators
to compel third parties, including financial
services and travel and telephone companies,
to provide them access to a suspects records
without the suspects knowledge.
Roving wiretaps: Allows the government
to monitor phone lines or Internet accounts
that a terrorism suspect may be using, whether
or not others who are not suspects also regularly
use them.
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