Texans for Peace News Last Week

(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.

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.

(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.

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.

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.

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 suspect’s records without the suspect’s 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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