SPRING 2013

counseling departments are posters that push signing up for the military as a “one stop success center” especially for “kids at risk.” And the No Child Left Behind Act and the ASFAB Tests allow military recruiters unprecedented access to our schools and mailing lists of students and their families.

Thus enters the work of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and its I WILL NOT KILL campaign as engaged by the FOR Chicago Chapter. Within this campaign, students who are continually exposed to the glamorization and the sanitization of warfare in the world are taught the realities of military engagement. Pacifistic in nature, the I WILL NOT KILL campaign questions and challenges the militarization of our youth. It is designed to help young people think critically in regards to the military with nonviolent approaches presented as the the way to problem solving. Conflict Resolution today

“To become militarized is to adopt militaristic values and priorities as one’s own, to see military solutions as particularly effective, to see the world as a dangerous place BEST APPROACHED with militaristic values.” (Militarization and Globalization: Feminists Make the Link by Cynthia Enloe, 2007). In such a world as Enloe describes, creative and peaceful means of conflict resolution will find it harder to compete with military approaches and solutions, and may be silenced altogether. Today … we live in just such a world.

One primary objective of the U.S. government has become the project of infusing a military mindset into our educational system, wherever possible. In doing so, our nation is led to believe that as one militarizes the educational system; our students will be enabled to a higher standard of socialization. Key social skills such as “loyalty, resilience, courage, and teamwork” are promised to be the results. ROTC and JR ROTC programs are presented as assets for our youth. On the walls of our high school

The Militarization of Our Youth and I WILL NOT KILL by Rev. Sam Smith, FOR Chicago Chapter Chair

has become more commonly equated with military force. I WILL NOT KILL says, “Let’s Give PEACE A Chance FIRST!!”

In northern Illinois, FOR Chicago Chapter members work closely with DePaul University’s Peace Studies Department to promote I WILL NOT KILL to young people through direct engagement methods as one of the Service Learner components to DePaul’s PAX 200 classes. With the support of the chapter, I also speak widely on the campaign and other forms of active nonviolence at schools, music festivals, coffeehouses, youth groups, churches etc. We welcome the partnership and support of fellow FOR members nationwide: Contact : forchicago@comcast.net or visit http://forusa.org/groups/local

chapters/chicago-for.

FOR Chicago DePaul University

Service Learners, Fall 2012.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

See Page 7

Page 2 FOR Witness Spring 2013

Saif Alsaegh, a delegate to FOR’s February 2013 Young, Pacifist and Proud organizing event, is a young Iraqi Christian refugee currently living in the United States. His poetry speaks to the devastation of war and the bitterness that it generates in the hearts of its victims. Saif devotes much of his time to writing and performing his poetry and to working in multi-faith and multicultural contexts to create alternatives to violence and promote peace.

Nyack, New York, February 15-18, 2013

Ages 18 -25

The composition of YPP is an essential organizing element. Young Pacifist and Proud is designed to bring young people together, aged 18-30, interested in exploring or expanding a commitment to active nonviolence, social movement building, and social change skills acquisition in a multi-faith, multi-generational and multi-cultural context.

Contact: shauenp@forusa.org, or

lgottlieg@forusa.org.

“Anonymous” by Saif Alsaegh Because I've lost my identity card And didn't seal my pocket To prevent the vanishing of my soul Anonymous Because I've lost the trace of foot prints Leading to my country Anonymous Because I've never had a family Nor a friend, nor a soft pillow Anonymous Because I consorted with wars, rottenly Until I gave birth to my insanity Anonymous Because through my earthly journey I saw nobody, And I didn't grin to nature Anonymous Because I didn't cry in her hand Or draw her a painting Anonymous Because I over-thought Until my breath ... stopped I am, an anonymous I didn't carry a passport, the border guards didn't stop me As I left earth, with no pain

Caption describing picture or graphic.

The Adventist Peace Fellowship (APF) has a new director. Ronald Osborn, a former APF board member, in his new role is responsible for coordinating board recruitment and expanding APF’s focus to include a wider range of social justice and environmental issues. As a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of Southern California, Osborn helped found APF in 2002, drafting its vision statement and covenant. Then at Washington Adventist University, he collaborated with Douglas Morgan, a history professor and the first director of APF. Osborn is also the author of Anarchy and Apocalypse (2011, Wipf & Stock). APF was organized a decade ago when Seventh-day Adventist Church members began discussing their faith in the context of the “war on terrorism.” Our denomination had emerged in the 1860s and voted at one of its first General Conference sessions to officially declare itself a “peace church” in 1867 in a statement to the U.S. Congress.

Adventists refused to fight in the Civil War despite their anti-slavery views. We maintained a pacifist stance until World War II, when members were encouraged to accept the draft as noncombatant troops. Many Adventists served as medics during that war, and one, Desmond Doss, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Many Adventists see the denomination in danger of losing its pacifist heritage as it has grown to an estimated 30 million adherents worldwide. APF was formed as a network of those Adventists who still believe in peacemaking as a tenet of our faith. Along with publishing The Peace Messenger newsletter; in 2005, APF published The Peacemaking Remnant, edited by Douglas Morgan. The book is a compilation of writings by contemporary and historical authors, including essays by Morgan, Osborn, Charles Bradford (retired president of the Adventist Church in North America), Charles Scriven, Kendra Haloviak, Keith Burton, Zdravko Plantak, and Ryan Bell. Historical documents Include: General Conference

session resolutions on peace and nonviolence from 1865, 1867, 1868, and 1985; a "Letter on Disarmament" from church leaders to President Harding (1921); "A Seventh-day Adventist Call to Peace" (2002); and articles by 19th-century pioneers Ellen G. White, Joseph Bates, Alonzo T. Jones, and George W. Amadon. APF has joined the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and Christian Peace Witness, and is one of a dozen religious peace fellowships formally associated with the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Contact:

info@adventistpeace.org;

http://adventistpeace.org.

Adventist Peace Fellowship: Changes in Leadership by Monte Sahlin, APF advisory board member

FOR Witness Spring 2013 Page 3

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The Legacy and Future of the Rockland Coalition for Peace & Justice

A year ago, after more than nine years of holding weekly peace vigils in Nanuet, New York –the Rockland Coalition for Peace & Justice decided to suspend its weekly action.

But this phenomenal, grassroots organization hasn’t disappeared. Realizing that our peace and anti-war community needs to be flexible and strategic, staff member Jonette O’Kelley Miller interviewed Nancy Tsou to discuss RCP&J’s shift and the importance of sustained advocacy and activism. Following are excerpts from that conversation.

Left: Group photo of the Rockland Coalition of Peace & Justice at the corner of Rt. 59 and Middletown Rd. Nancy Tsou on the far left, Mark C. Johnson, 2

nd from left. Right: Collage of Rockland children and youth who have grown

up with RCP&J.

FOR: RCP&J was on the frontlines holding peace vigils since 2002. Why were those visible vigils discontinued?

NT: There are two main reasons: the war has become privatized and is increasingly fought by unmanned drones; because of this, there is a detachment - not only physical, but there’s also a mental disconnect from the war. People now say, “There is no war - the Iraq war is finished and the Afghanistan war is winding down … Why do you continue to stand there?”

The second reason has to do with the impact of the recession on the American people. Twenty percent of U.S. families don’t have enough money for food; they need help…. over half of American children need food stamps. And also the unemployment rate is sky high. With this kind of backdrop, RCP&J realized the reality that people are struggling to make ends meet. In other words, “The war is not my priority.” Although, because RCP&J works with national groups and aligns with groups around

the world, in reality, we know all of these issues are interconnected.

FOR: What current and future actions will the members of RCP&J be involved in?

NT: Even though we’re no longer visible on the streets, we are still active within our local community and seeking to support national and international initiatives. I am very proud of RCP&J people - because they never give up. Locally, many of us are involved with Occupy Pfizer, Occupy Walmart, and the East Ramapo School District. Where the most unjust things are happening - that’s where we seek to be. We haven’t stopped. We are still exploring what specific initiatives our members are interested in.

FOR: Given the country’s current “state of affairs,” what should ‘we, the people’ be focusing on?

NT We need to have a global view, thinking globally. And we must re-awaken our humanity. With evolving military technology, there are no longer geographical borders. It’s time to recognize and advocate for each other’s humanity.

Contact: Nancy Tsou, lythn@aol.com.

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FOR Witness Spring 2013 Page 5

ACP&J member Dr. Martha C. Beck, professor of philosophy at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, spent six months in Bandung, Indonesia last year, teaching “Western Thought” at an Islamic state university through a Fulbright Fellowship. While overseas, she began to understand the global importance of Indonesia’s efforts to develop a democratic culture. She made clear to Indonesians that the rest of the world, especially the United States, needs their nation to succeed. Upon returning home, she has committed herself to helping ensure that American citizens understand what is going on in Indonesia and why the ambitions of that little-known country are so important. Indonesia is the fourth largest nation in the world, with 250 million people. Eighty-eight percent of Indonesians are Muslim and about 90% of Indonesian Muslims are committed to developing a democratic and religiously, pluralistic society. Since 1995, traditional Islamic schools have received government funding in exchange for adding classes such as world religions, feminist studies, and multicultural studies. Indonesia has established its own unique model for development in this era of globalization. Its “Declaration of Independence,” Pancasila, sets out the nation’s political ideology. The first principle, “belief in God,” includes religious traditions that have played a major role in Indonesia’s history and culture: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Islam. The other four principles are similar to the political philosophy of the Ancient Greeks. Since her area of specialization is Ancient Greek philosophy and culture, Dr. Beck was able to link Indonesian culture with Ancient Western civilization, rather than with the Enlightenment or post-modernism, a connection Indonesians greatly appreciated. Dr. Beck believes it is particularly important that Indonesians are able to nurture their particular kind of democratic society, showing that the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation is deeply committed to democracy and religious pluralism. She has begun this work through her teaching and through ACPJ, a long-time FOR affiliated group.

Contact: Martha Beck, martha.beck@lyon.edu.

Arkansas Professor Builds Bridges Between U.S. and Indonesia Arkansas Coalition for Peace & Justice

Dr. Martha C. Beck, center, surrounded by students from the Sunan Gunung Djati Islamic State University in Bandung, Java, Indonesia.

Page 6 FOR Witness Spring 2013

PEACE Goes to the Airwaves: New FOR Radio Show in Ithaca

by Jim Murphy, Veterans FOR chapter coordinator and National Council member On Monday, March 4, 2013, the Veterans FOR national chapter launched the “Fellowship of Reconciliation Peace Activism Show” on WRFI in the Southern Finger Lakes Region of New York State. WRFI-FM radio serves the area from Cortland, Ithaca, Watkins Glen, and Odessa/Montour Falls through three FM affiliates in the region, under the tag line “Radio for the People, by the People.” The purpose of the FOR Peace Activism Show is to increase awareness of FOR’s current and historical anti-war initiatives. The initial show highlighted the Colombia Peace Accompaniment Program that has worked in support of the peace community of San José de Apartadó for the past decade. Also featured during the inaugural Veterans FOR segment was the Warrior Writers Program which serves war veterans from Iraq/Afghanistan, Vietnam, and World War II.

Veterans FOR supports and is involved in Combat Paper (making paper for writing poetry and for art out of combat fatigues) and Veterans Sanctuary, a local organic farming initiative for veterans working with community members and students from local high schools and colleges.

Contact: Jim Murphy, murphy@ithacaradio.org. Our Communities, Our Media! by Jared Zarantonello, FOR Louisville, Co-Chair, WFOR

Never before in our history has there been so much potential for communication! Never have we had such open access to tools that enable us to connect meaningfully with our fellow people, and to participate in, what I think, is the characterizing trait of our era, a sense of global solidarity. Those of us that work for global justice feel this trait so deeply and it surely plays an integral part in our actions for creating peace and equality.

Unfortunately, our era is also characterized by a widespread abuse of power. While we have never

had so much potential for positive change through media, never before have so much coercive power

and so many resources been mobilized to thwart our communication. Every day, control of the media

is further consolidated into the hands of an elite power-holding class. We see our media contoured to

serve the interests of a powerful minority, instead of the interests of the common majority. We see the

proliferation of mis-information and an oversaturation of distraction while crucial stories go untold and

unheard. This ultimately amounts to the distortion of the human experience. As the people attempt to

speak, we are met by interference and static from the overwhelming voices of authoritarian power.

In this moment in history, we have an opportunity to restore media to its rightful position as the voice of the people. In 2010, the Community Radio Act was signed by Congress, freeing up room on the radio dials for new Low Power FM community stations. Members of the Louisville FOR Chapter have seized this opportunity to build a community-wide grassroots media/radio project, WFOR: Forward Radio.

Our vision is simple: social justice media. We hope to build strong support for community powered media, and submit our application for broadcast to the FCC when the filing window opens in Fall of 2013. By training community members in using widely accessible, new media technologies, we can help raise the voices of those who are systematically denied access to media platforms. However, we don’t only desire a free, people-focused media for our own community. We urge all concerned people to consider the effect of grassroots media their communities and to look into the prospects of Low Power FM in their own neighborhoods.

Contact: www.wforradio.org; Jared Zarantonello, jaredzarantonello@gmail.com.

HUDSON VALLEY FOR Update!

For 2013, our first large event will again start with our Earth Day celebration in April at FOR’s national headquarters, Shadowcliff, in Upper Nyack, NY.

As part of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Hudson Valley FOR envisions a world of security, freedom, justice and peace. Our focus is to involve the community thru awareness, education, participation and loving action to help attain FOR’s vision locally. We invite all people who share this vision of peace to join us in creating a transformative shift for the benefit of all.

Contact: www.hudvalfor.org, Cass McVety, cmcvety@me.com; President, Harry Zupnik, CFO, bhzupnik@yahoo.com; 845-300-0739 845-358-4601, Ext. 41.

FOR Witness Spring 2013 Page 7

▬ ● ▬ ● ▬ ● ▬ ● ▬ SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ▬ ● ▬ ● ▬ ● ▬ ● ▬ The Fellowship of Reconciliation is seeking an Executive Director to lead FOR into the next generation of peace-building. Applications are due March 25, 2013. Building on many areas of organizational strength, the Director will also be coming on board at a time of transition and opportunity as FOR grapples with the realities of an aging membership, a tighter budget, and a desire to better integrate its diverse programmatic efforts into a common framework. For details and the full job posting visit http://forusa.org/2013EDsearch or contact Ralph McFadden search consultant, at FORsearch@sbcglobal.net or 847-622-1677.

by Catherine McVety, President

The Hudson Valley Chapter of FOR is alive and well! Our membership is growing and core members are working hard to make things happen in the Hudson Valley region. Last year our activities included: a monthly “Concerts for Peace” series, Compassionate Communication Workshops, an Earth Day celebration, participation in the 2012 Clearwater Festival, and a number of other events that brought awareness of HudValFOR to our local community.

HUDVAL FOR Concerts for Peace: left to right: Paul Speziale on bass and Jon Rucker on piano.

Fellowship of Reconciliation 521 No. Broadway

P.O. Box 271 Nyack, NY 10960

T:845.358.4601 / F:845.358.4924 www.forusa.org / for@forusa.org

Harnessing Outrage and Compassion: Awakening the Power of Nonviolence by Ellen Finklestein, WWFOR Coordinator

“Harnessing Outrage and Compassion: Awakening the Power of Nonviolence” is the theme of FOR’s 2013 Pacific Northwest Regional Conference held this year from July 4 to 7. This annual conference (our 55th!) draws about 200 people and is organized in alternate years by Western Washington FOR and Oregon FOR.

Join us for three inspiring days of learning and sharing, renewal and fun as we explore the power of nonviolence — how it can be used to harness our outrage at injustice and express our compassion toward all. This year we especially welcome members from around the country of the

dozen Religious Peace Fellowships affiliated with FOR. You will enjoy workshops, keynotes, music, fun, and fellowship in the beautiful natural setting of the Seabeck Conference Center on Hood Canal with the Olympic Mountains as backdrop.

The keynote speakers for 2013 will be Kazu Haga (Bay Area coordinator for Positive Peace Warrior Network, where he offers Kingian Nonviolence Trainings to prisoners, youth, and community activists; founding member of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice); Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb (author, storyteller, and activist; co-founder of the Muslim-Jewish Peacewalk; co-coordinator of FOR's Interfaith Peacewalks and FOR’s Mural Arts in Palestine Delegations; and a facilitator of FOR’s inaugural Young, Pacifist, and Proud initiative); and Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm (FOR National Council member, Kingian Nonviolence Trainer, Seattle Chapter Coordinator of CISPES, and artist activist with Student Debt Noise Brigade).

Choose from over 20 workshops on a broad range of peace and justice issues, some geared especially to Religious Peace Fellowship members. Youth and children’s programs are offered. There will be outstanding music, several activities in the arts, and great meals, including the popular salmon bake. Leave with renewed commitment and insights to continue our work.

Interested in joining us? (You know you are!) Contact: Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation at wwfor@wwfor.org or 206-789-5565, www.wwfor.org.

FOR HAPPENINGS