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May - June 2002 Newsletter |
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May - June 2002 Newsletter |
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ACTION Things you can do... From
the Hope
Magazine
Q: What kind of feedback on the prayer have you received? A: Within a little more than three weeks, I've had over 15,000 messages, some of them quite lengthy, from people all around the country, and I would say that 98 percent of them have been positive. The response is so powerful that it led me to create a separate Web site with the speech on it and a place for follow-up discussions: www.thespiritoffreedom.com .... Many members of Congress have been deluged with e-mails [about the prayer] from their own constituents. As a result,...we've had many discussions on the floor. Q: At this point, can you foresee legislative action developing out of it? A: [T]he speech provided an opportunity for a consciousness raising, first of all with respect to the challenge to our civil liberties and then with respect to the scope of the war. And it was an opportunity to begin to resensitize Congress to its responsibility for the conduct of the nation.... [Our country's] founders were very concerned that America not be placed in the condition that the British monarchy was, where the king was committing vast armies to battle, and [so] the founders of the nation gave Congress the authority to declare war. In fact, Congress has never declared war in this matter. We didn't have a declaration of war; we gave the president the ability to respond to the terrorists. ...There needs to be a greater awareness among the members of the administration of the impact of their statements and their actions on the people of this country and the people of the world.... [They] generate a level of fear that makes it very difficult for the kind of rational decision making which is needed to sustain a democracy. Q: For citizens who agree with you that curbing civil liberties and creating a permanent war economy could destroy the foundations of our country, what actions are most important for individuals to take now? A: First of all, it's urgent to contact members of Congress and let [them] know how you feel about actions of government. But beyond that, it's important just to come together--for people to meet and discuss how they feel, to have rallies and marches and vigils, and to create a new consciousness for peace. We have to begin to think peace and speak peace and act for peace. Q: What concrete results do you hope will come out of your proposal to create a Department of Peace? A:
The whole idea of a Department of Peace is to make nonviolence an organizing
principle in our society, to help create peace in our homes and our families
and our schools and our neighborhoods and our cities and our nation, to
create peace within and to create peace worldwide. It's a very practical
vision. We have an opportunity [to] seize this rather grim moment and ...
change it into a possibility for a new America and a new world. It becomes
particularly important that we do so when we're faced with a resurrection of
thinking about nuclear war. We're at a moment of transformation. It's a
question of whether we can recreate the spirit of the times from one of fear
to one of faith and belief in our capacity to make this a better world. --LF MORE
INFORMATION:
Educate Yourself
Books
and Articles
Class War in America : How Economic and Political Conservatives Are Exploiting Low- And Middle-Income American Families -- by Charles M. Kelly Propaganda, Inc.: Selling America's Culture to the World by Nancy Snow, et al Manufacturing Consent : The Political Economy of the Mass Media -- Edward S. Herman, Noam Chomsky Rogue States : The Rule of Force in World Affairs -- Noam
Chomsky 9-11
-- by Noam Chomsky
Websites and Groups... The Spirit of Freedom website. Read about The Department of Peace and what you can do to support it and other peace and freedom measures. U.S.
Constitution and Amendments U.S.
Constitution and Amendments - page 2 of 2 Objectivist
Center American Center for Law and Justice - engages in litigation, provides legal services, and supports attorneys who are involved in fighting the erosion of religious and civil liberties. Creating Religious Acceptance Freedom & Tolerance (CRAFT) - devoted to protecting the separation of Church and State and the First Amendment freedom of religion rights of US citizens. Freedom of Religion or Belief - includes a country-by-country analysis of freedom of religion, news, an organizational database, and full-text documents. International Coalition for Religious Freedom - features a country by country report, monthly newsletter, and other articles. Liberty Counsel - a nonprofit civil liberties education and legal defense organization established to preserve religious freedom. Religious Freedom [religious-freedom.org] - non-denominational information about religious liberty in U.S. and other nations. Religious Freedom Page - includes nation profiles, court decisions, information on new religions, and more. Religious Freedom Restoraction Act of 1993 Religious Rights - information on societies characterized by ethnic, religious and linguistic pluralism from the MOST clearing house. Rutherford Institute - nonprofit, legal and educational organization that specializing in the defense of religious liberty and human rights Freedom
Forum - devoted to promoting free press, free speech and free spirit
for all people. Freedom
House Freedom House, a
non-profit, nonpartisan organization, is a clear voice for democracy and freedom
around the world. Through a vast array of international programs and
publications, Freedom House is working to advance the remarkable worldwide
expansion of political and economic freedom. Women's
International League for Peace and Freedom - United States -
works to ensure social and economic justice for all people. International
Freedom of Expression Exchange - access accurate and up-to-date
information on freedom of expression issues and abuses through this site
that links freedom of expression groups around the world. ACLU
National Freedom Scorecard - helps you keep track of how your
individual representatives and senators are voting on legislation that impacts
our rights and freedom. Progress
and Freedom Foundation - studies the digital revolution and its
implications. Office
for Intellectual Freedom - promoting freedom of speech
and educating librarians and the public about the importance of intellectual freedom
in libraries.
http://www.pbs.org/harrymoore/harry/index.html Harry T. Moore paved the way for the '60s civil rights movement by championing equal pay for black teachers, organizing the black vote, and publicly condemning racist attitudes and actions of local, state and national officials. For a printable version of this page click here ARCHIVES of past newsletters
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IN
JULY 2001, CONGRESSMAN DENNIS J. KUCINICH (Democrat, Ohio) established
himself as an independent thinker by introducing HR 2459, which would create
a Department of Peace at the cabinet level--and after September 11 he's not
backing down. More recently, in February he challenged the Patriot Act's
erosion of civil liberties as well as the broadening war effort in a speech
he gave to the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action. The text
for that speech, "A Prayer for America," immediately began moving
across Web sites and e-lists.
