Author: Kent Busse

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Amplify your voice: Say no to war with Iran

Rabbi Michael Lerner, through TIKKUN Magazine and its interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives, has disseminated a full-page print ad asking the country to turn away from the direction of a war with Iran.  The ad promotes constructive attitudes and alternative approaches which can accomplish much more than the objectives of war—right actions for the right reasons.  Individuals are asked at least to read the ad, and to consider signing it if they are in agreement.  This can be done (at the bottom of the web page) without making any financial contribution: www.tikkun.org/iran.

This effort is an excellent exposure to an ongoing effort that frequently makes common cause with the work of ILYM Peace Resources Committee.  Here lies an opportunity for us to amplify our voice and to benefit from the companion work of Rabbi Lerner and TIKKUN.

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The spiritual fire of George Fox himself: World Conference of Friends

It is finally here! After five years of planning, in a few short weeks Illinois Yearly Meeting is sending four representatives to a once-in-a-generation, global gathering of Quakers: the Sixth World Conference of Friends, to be held in Nakuru, Kenya starting April 17th.

The last World Conference was in 1991, and there hasn’t been a conference of this size since 1967!

We urge you to unite in spirit with our representatives, Adrian Nelson, Rose Dennis, Mark Amos and Dawn Rubbert, as they cross the oceans and continents to worship and seek the Spirit with 1,000 Quakers from Africa, Asia, the West Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Every kind of Quaker worship style will be practiced, and every kind of Quaker way of living will be witnessed. I can affirm that the spiritual fire of George Fox himself can be experienced in a gathering like this.

A large percentage of the delegates are young adults, so this promises to inspire the next generation of Quakers to bring their share of Truth and vitality to the Religious Society of Friends and the Quaker Church.

You and your meeting can stay involved by using the study booklet at
http://www.saltandlight2012.org/materials, and by watching the official conference site, the FWCC Section of the Americas site, or the ongoing Global Change Initiative site where you are likely to find live blogs, transcripts, reports, minutes and other forms of Friends’ witness.

Many of you have contributed to help ensure the diversity of this gathering, and it is not too late to chip in to the world travel fund. You can do it online at http://saltandlight2012.org/donate.html.

Please hold all the world’s Friends in the Light and in your prayers during this blessed time.

Dawn Amos
past ILYM representative to Friends World Committee for Consultation

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Find out more: Catholics for nuke cuts

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is calling on Catholics to “urge [the president] to end outdated US nuclear war-fighting strategy, dramatically reduce the number of US nuclear weapons and the number of submarines, missiles, and bombers that carry those weapons, and take US nuclear weapons off high alert.”

Click here to read the full letter and add your name.

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Learn to develop good relations with your elected officials: workshop details

The Oak Park Friends Meeting would like to extend an invitation to a unique interfaith opportunity being sponsored by the Meeting: a training workshop designed to help persons of faith develop good relations with their elected officials. The leader of the session will be Jim Cason, the Associate Executive Secretary of Friends Committee on National Legislation in Washington DC .  FCNL is the largest peace lobby group in the USA , and Jim has had many years of leadership experience in this area.  We are very excited he has agreed to visit us in Oak Park and facilitate the workshop.

The training session will be held on Saturday, March 10 from 9:30 AM until 12:30 PM at the Oak Park Main Library at 834 Lake Street. Garage parking is available and it is about one block from the Oak Park Avenue stop on the Green CTA line. The training workshop is free and open to the public. There will be light refreshments during the session and an optional Dutch Treat luncheon following at a local Thai Restaurant.

We hope that a group of persons from your faith committee will plan on attending. If you need any additional details, please send queries to Wil Rutt (willrutt @sbcglobal.net) or call Kelly Maynard at (773) 824-0722.

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Hosting AFSC’s Eyes Wide Open Exhibit

This document is a manual of instruction for a community or faith community or organization hosting the AFSC Eyes Wide Open Exhibit.

Eyes Wide Open is an exhibition on the human cost of war:  Over 230 pairs of empty boots-tagged with names of Illinois soldiers who have died in the Iraq war-will be displayed, together with a visual representation of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have died during the conflict.

AFSC_EWO-pamphlet (download here)

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Chicago City Council Anti-Torture Resolution Passed!

It was good news to read the celebratory note forwarded by Judy Erickson expressing thanks to the many Quakers who signed the online petition:

Victory – Victoria!

Today the Chicago City Council unanimously passed the ICAT Anti-Torture Resolution!  This is a major victory!  Each one of you played an important role and helped it to happen.

Our work does not end here.  We need to make sure that people know about this and that the City implements the resolution in practice.  We also encourge other cities to do the same (and we will help if we can)!  Thank you everyone; we should all pause to celebrate this achievement!

Hoy día el Consejo de la ciudad de Chicago votó con unanimidad a favor de la resolución contra la tortura.  Esta es una victoria importante.  Cada uno de ustedes contribuyó y ayudó a la victoria. Nuestro trabajo no termine ahora.  Tenemos que asegurar que la gente sepa de la resolución y la victoria y que la ciudad implemente la resolución en su practica cotidiana.  También queremos alentar a compañeros en otras ciudades a hacer lo mismo y estamos despuestos a ayudarles a realizer una campaña como la que hemos desarrollado aquí en Chicago.  Muchas gracias a todos!

Thank you everyone,
Margaret Power for the Illinois Coalition Against Torture

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Ending Solitary Starts With Your Signature!

TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE

Dear Friends,

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) has collected 3,000 nationwide endorsements of our Statement Against Prolonged Solitary Confinement.  Help reach 2,011 more by the end of 2011 by signing this statement today! 

Prolonged solitary confinement desecrates a person’s inherent dignity and denies the essential human need for spiritual community.  Inmates in solitary experience paranoia, delusions, and other long-term mental effects. Experts estimate that at least 36,000 people in the U.S. criminal justice system are currently held in solitary confinement, a condition in which they are confined alone in a windowless cell for 23 hours per day and exercise alone for the remaining hour.

Juan Mendez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, stated in his recent report on solitary confinement to the U.N. General Assembly that, “Considering the severe mental pain or suffering solitary confinement may cause… it can amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

NRCAT is working to end prolonged solitary confinement and you can help by signing the statement and then spreading the word.  If we reach 500 signatures in your state, we will send the statement and the signatures to your governor, state legislators and department of corrections officials.  You can learn more about NRCAT’s state campaigns to end solitary confinement and access other resources at http://www.nrcat.org/prisons.

Thank you for lifting your voice for the voiceless.

Linda Gustitus, President
Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director

Questions? Please email campaign@nrcat.org
National Religious Campaign Against Torture: www.tortureisamoralissue.org

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You agree to pay for the killing of one person. Just one.

The Committee on Conscientious Objection to Paying for War of New York Yearly Meeting is bringing this query before New York Yearly Meeting:

If I promised you a life of comfort, a good family, membership in a wonderful church, meaningful work, college education for your children and energetic defense of your human rights in exchange for one small thing:

You agree to pay for the killing of one person. Just one. Nobody you know.
And you won’t be the only one. Everybody is chipping in.
You don’t actually have to do it yourself, just make a small contribution.
Would you do it?

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The Pentagon is starting to get nervous

Author: Wilmer Rutt, Kevin Brubaker
Brad Ogilivie, Tom Simpson

Dear Friends,
As your ILYM General Committee members to FCNL, we urge you to prayerfully consider speaking Truth to Power. Please share with your Meeting if possible. And please hold us in the Light as we attend the National Lobby Day and the Annual Meeting starting Nov. 3 in Washington.

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The Pentagon is starting to get nervous.

Last week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was on Capitol Hill telling Congress that the Pentagon can’t afford deep budget cuts by the congressional supercommittee. He found a receptive audience with the House Armed Services Committee, whose chair is also dismayed that curtailing federal spending would require cuts to the Pentagon. Military contractors have hundreds of paid lobbyists working against deficit reduction measures that would affect their financial interests.

What does all this mean? It means your lobbying is making a difference. Members of Congress are hearing from people like you that the Pentagon budget is too big, too bloated and too unaccountable to leave off the table when budgets need to be cut back. Some of the Occupy Wall Street protesters throughout the country are also vocal on these issues.

Next week, the Senate is out of session, and many senators will be back home for the break. This week, please make a plan to get in touch with your senators, or their offices, while they are home.

Protests covered in the media can help, but your lobbying as a constituent for cuts to Pentagon spending continues to be crucial. The congressional supercommittee will make its report to Congress by November 23, and then the full Congress will need to vote on this proposal by December 23. If the Pentagon budget is to be cut significantly, your members of Congress need to continue to see the support this issue has from you and others in your community.

Here are the steps we’d like you to take:

Print out a copy of the Sustainable Defense Task Force report.

Write a personal note that tells your senator why you want to give her or him a copy of this report.

Look up the location of your senator’s nearest office to you on our website. Put in your calendar a date and time you could drop by this office with the copy of the report.

When you visit the office, let the receptionist know that you are a constituent. Ask for a couple of minutes of time from a staff member who will carry your concern to the elected member and leave the report, along with your note.

Let us know how your visit went!

If you have the time, please consider trying to organize an appointment with your senator over the recess. We have advice and fact sheets on how to make your visit and what specific points you might use on our website or contact the FCNL office for more information.

Your emails and letters are important and can be influential, but surveys of congressional staff consistently show that the most effective way to influence your member of Congress is through an in person visit to his or her office.

Together we can convince Congress to cut $1 trillion from the Pentagon budget over the next ten years.

Sincerely,

Diane Randall
Executive Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation
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