APC news week of Nov 5, 2017

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Heather Koponen

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Nov 5, 2017, 1:48:21 PM11/5/17

to Apc

Alaska Peace Center Community News & Opportunities for Action,

reporting on issues of peace, justice, and sustainability affecting us in Alaska,

now broadcasting on KWRK-LP 90.9 FM Radio in Fairbanks, Alaska, Sundays, 8am & 6pm.

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 5^th, 2017 Be ready for opportunities to participate!

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BRIEFLY:

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IN THE RECENT PAST: --Alaska Peace Center mtg rescheduled

-- :: Interior Department Scrubs Climate Change from its Five-Year Plan.

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

--“URGENT! plan to kill net neutrality: -urge Sens. Murkowski & Sullivan to change their stance and oppose this plan

--“Daylight Savings Time” ends today

--online: discuss the War Economy.

-- The Alaska Legislature 4^th Special Session continues...employment tax bill:

-- Fairbanks City Council mtg,

-- Fairbanks Activists Forum mtg canceled: FAF Facilitators will meet

-- Fairbanks North Star Borough regular Assembly mtg

-- Gender Pioneers Ally Training

--11:00am Ring In Peace Armistice Day

--Alaska Peace Center mtg

--whether to endorse the:Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases Unity Statement

--Night for the North at Raven Landing

EVENTS IN HISTORY for the week

AFTER THIS WEEK:

-- ::Nov 14-15: NPS Hosts Gates of the Arctic Subsistence Resource Commission Mtg.

-- Nov. 14 - City Diversity Council mtg, 5:30-7pm at City Hall.

-- Nov. 14 - Monthly IWW Fairbanks mtg, 6-7pm at Stone Soup Cafe, 507 Gaffney Rd.

-- Nov. 15 - Inu-Yupiaq Dance & “We Breathe Again” film screening 6-8pm at UAF Wood Center Arctic Java.

-- Nov. 17 - Community Convergence, 6-8pm 4448 Pikes Landing Rd.

-- Nov. 18 - Women in Agriculture Conference

ONGOING Community News and Opportunities for Action:

-- Planning a Just Transition in Alaska-

-- Ambler Road Public Scoping Mtgs

-- Arctic Refuge

--Alaska’s Congressional delegation contacts:

NOT so SPECIFIC TO ALASKA

-- Clovis has withdrawn his nomination to be Under Secretary of Agriculture

-- unwillingly complicit in war crimes...War Tax Resistance 101 on YouTube

-- Nov. 23-26: 4 Days for Peace

-- ban on transgender service members was blocked

10-yr-old with cerebral palsy seized by U.S. Border Patrol in a hospital, currently jailed alone and without her parents

new video about plan to gut core voting protections

reigning in abuse of power by prosecutors and District Attorneys.
train the next generation of social justice advocates

--TODAY, Sunday, Nov 5^th, 2pm Poor People’s Campaign (PPC): the War Economy. ONLINE

--Nov 6=International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

--Nov 6-11 - National Mobilization to Stop War on Korea

-- Nov. 11 -Reclaim Armistice Day:

-- Sign up for the #ReclaimArmisticeDay Thunderclap

-- Nov 10-13 -School or the Americas/WINSEC Convergence

-- new edition A Global Security System: An Alternative to War

-- STUDY WAR NO MORE Spotlight!

-- World Beyond War Billboards Around the World

-- Conference call for Nonviolent Cities Project.

-- Video Shows Illegal Dumping of Toxic Liquid at Hanford

-- The Doomsday Machine: New Book by Daniel Ellsberg,

-- Take Action: [Contact Sens. Murkowski & Sullivan to support] restrictions on the President’s ability to use nuclear weapons first.

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Community News and Opportunities for Action IN MORE DETAIL:

IN THE RECENT PAST: An apology for the mistaken Nov mtg date & time; Alaska Peace Center mtg was rescheduled

to Nov. 11^th at 11:25am after the Armistice Day Ring In Peace.

-- :: Interior Department Scrubs Climate Change from its Five-Year Plan. A leaked draft, obtained by The Nation, of the Dept of the Interior’s strategic vision states that the DOI is committed to achieving “American energy dominance” through the exploitation of “vast amounts” of untapped energy reserves on public lands. Alarmingly, the policy blueprint—a 50-page document—does not once mention climate change or climate science. That’s a clear departure from current policy: The previous plan, covering 2014–18, referred to climate change 46 times and explicitly stated that the department was committed to improving resilience in those communities most directly affected by global warming. The Nation/ er...@northern.org

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

“URGENT! The FCC is about to announce a vote on its plan to kill net neutrality. We have just days to stop censorship, throttling, and extra fees online. Congress needs to hear from Internet users like you right now. Call, thank, and reinforce Rep. Don Young’s opposition; Call & strongly urge Sens. Murkowski & Sullivan to change their stance and oppose this plan. This could be your last chance to stop ISPs from messing up your Internet. The FCC slash to net neutrality rules would allow ISPs like Verizon to block apps, slow websites, and charge fees to control what you see & do online. Once they announce the vote, it's hard to stop. But if we flood them with calls now, Congress can stop the vote.” Learn more and use links at https://www.battleforthenet.com/#widget-learn-more

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5^th - So-called “Daylight Savings Time” ends today; At 2am, clocks got set back to 1am.

--2pm online: VFP member Matthew Hoh will join Bishop Wm Barber II & Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove to discuss the War Economy.

More detail will be listed toward the end of this news brief, under “from Veterans For Peace”.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6^th : -

-- The Alaska Legislature 4^th Special Session continues, with most mtgs accessible via teleconference. See the schedule at http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/index.php#tab2. Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee will discuss the employment tax bill: http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/30?Root=SB4001#tab1_4.

For information and input, call the Legislative Information Office: 452-4448.

-- 7pm - Fairbanks City Council mtg, City Hall, 800 Cushman st.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7^th:

-- Fairbanks Activists Forum mtg canceled: “November is FAF's one year anniversary. The founders of FAF are taking this time to review the past year and work with our FAF Facilitators on developing a strategic plan for our upcoming year. You can follow this process via our Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram accounts. If you are interested in having a more impactful role in FAF becoming a FAF Facilitator is a great option. The FAF Facilitators will be meeting Tues, Nov 7th, 2017 at The Hub. Stay strong Fairbanks.” 7:30-9pm

For more info: fairbanksac...@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8^th: No local events of peace, justice, and sustainability known.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9^th:

-- 6pm Fairbanks North Star Borough regular Assembly mtg. Public can testify at all regular Borough Assembly mtgs.

#6: “CITIZENS’ COMMENTS – Each person’s comments limited to 3 minutes (Comments shall recess at 6:50 p.m. for public hearing)

a. A citizen may speak on agenda items not scheduled for public hearing (Memorandums, Bid Awards, Unfinished Business [items postponed from previous mtgs, reconsideration, or notice of intent to rescind], Resolutions, or Ordinances being advanced to a public hearing on a different date). Citizens’ comments on Board of Adjustment matters are not permitted.

b. Items that are not scheduled on the agenda.

#19. CITIZENS’ COMMENTS – Each person’s comments limited to 3 min. on (b) Items other than those appearing on the agenda (this is the section to speak on anything Not Scheduled on the agenda).”

--For the agenda, the full agenda packet, and/or Assembly Voting Database - Ordinances and Resolutions (2003-Present), go to http://www.co.fairbanks.ak.us/assembly/Pages/Assembly-Meeting-Docuuments.aspx.

--7-9pm-Gender Pioneers Ally Training: Gender Pioneers is a peer-to-peer support group for all transgender, genderqueer, genderquestioning or otherwise gender-bending folks in Alaska's interior. In addition to monthly support group meetings we meet the third Thursday of each month to train allies and discuss outreach and activism. For location details please email genderp...@gmail.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10^th: No local events of peace, justice, and sustainability known.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11^th:

--11:00am Ring In Peace Armistice Day at Veterans Memorial Park, 700 Cushman St (Next to State Building)

--from Rob Mulford, of North Star Veterans for Peace & Alaska Peace Center:

Celebrate Armistice Day Ringing Bells for Peace and Signing a Peace Treaty With North Korea.

The celebrated writer of darkly humorous science fiction, Kurt Vonnegut, was held as a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany during WWII. He was present, protected, bunkered in an underground meat locker during the famous US bombing raid that created the horrific firestorm that totally destroyed that non-military target city. He described his experience of the aftermath, in his novel Slaughter House Five, through the eyes of his fictional character Billy Pilgrim,

“There were hundreds of corpse mines operating by and by. They didn’t smell bad at first, were wax museums. But then the bodies rotted and liquefied, and the stink was like roses and mustard gas.”

Directly after WWII, feeling its independence from its former imperial colonial ruler Japan, Korea elected a socialist government. This was to become short-lived, however. A couple of months later Stalin and Truman divided Korea at the 38 parallel, with the US controlling the southern part of the country and the Soviet Union the northern part. The US, subsequently expelled the socialist government and brought back the much of the former Japanese colonial regime. Many were forced to flee to the north. The division led to all out war.

The US jumped in with both feet of its military might, killing over 1.5 million civilians. General Curtis Iron Pants Lemay declared, “We burned down every town in North Korea … We killed over 20 percent of the population.”

This is personal history for the peoples of North Korea. To them the reenactment of their horrors is a real and present danger. Since the ceasefire agreement of 1953, there has not been a signing of an official treaty of peace respecting that nation’s security, only the continued presence of the adversary who killed, “Over 20 percent of their population.” The title of a “joint” US / South Korea exercise, “Operation Decapitation”, is telling. Can there any wonder in the origin of their government’s supposed rogue behavior, concerning their acquisition of nuclear weapons, a behavior they have offered to curtail if such a treaty is agreed upon.

In the introduction to his novel Breakfast of Champions, Vonnegut wrote:"…November eleventh, accidentally my birthday, was a sacred day called Armistice Day. When I was a boy all the people of all nations which had fought in the First World War were silent during the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of Armistice day, which was the eleventh day of the eleventh month." "It was during that minute in nineteen hundred and eighteen, that millions upon millions of human beings stopped butchering one another. I have talked to old men who were on battlefields during that minute. They have told me in one way or another that the sudden silence was the voice of God. So we still have among us some men who can remember when God spoke clearly to mankind."

In remembrance of the universal sense of joy felt around the world when World War I ended, and in renewal of the call for world peace, a world-wide tradition of ringing bells on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month was observed for over 35 yrs.

Congress declared November 11 a holiday in 1938, " …a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’."

On June 1, 1954, Congress amended the Act of 1938 by deleting the word “Armistice” and inserting the word “Veterans”.

With rhetoric and patriotic symbolism have we been distracting ourselves from recognizing the majority of war’s victims?

Can we envision a world without war and still appreciate friends, family, and neighbors who have made great sacrifice?

***** Maybe the best way we can honor our veterans is to focus on the original meaning of this day. *****

Please consider joining us in ringing bells for peace on November 11, at 11 AM at Veterans Park, downtown Fairbanks, across from City Hall. You have no bell to ring? Come anyway or be creative and make your own. This could be a great art project for children.

Possibly more importantly, you can help get the afore mentioned Korean Peace Treaty ball rolling by signing on to it yourself. It’s now time for of us to lead. Don’t wait for the politicians.

***** Alarmed by the threat of a nuclear war between the U.S. and North Korea, concerned U.S. peace groups have come together to send an open message to Washington and Pyongyang. Click here to add your name to the People's Peace Treaty. The People's Peace Treaty will be sent to the governments and peoples of Korea, as well as to the U.S. Government. It reads, in part:

Recalling that the United States currently possesses about 6,800 nuclear weapons, and has threatened the use of nuclear weapons against North Korea in the past, including the most recent threat made by the U.S. President in his terrifying speech to the United Nations (“totally destroy North Korea”);

Regretting that the U.S. Government has so far refused to negotiate a peace treaty to replace the temporary Korean War Armistice Agreement of 1953, although such a peace treaty has been proposed by Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) many times from 1974 on;

Convinced that ending the Korean War officially is an urgent, essential step for the establishment of enduring peace and mutual respect between the U.S. and DPRK, as well as for the North Korean people’s full enjoyment of their basic human rights to life, peace & development–ending their long sufferings from the harsh economic sanctions imposed on them by the US Government since 1950;

The People's Peace Treaty concludes:

NOW, THEREFORE, as a Concerned Person of the United States of America (or on behalf of a civil society organization), I hereby sign this People’s Peace Treaty with North Korea, dated November 11, 2017, Armistice Day (also Veterans Day in the U.S.), and

Declare to the world that the Korean War is over as far as I am concerned, and that I will live in “permanent peace and friendship” with the North Korean people (as promised in the 1882 U.S.-Korea Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce

and Navigation that opened the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Korea for the first time);

2) Express my deep apology to the North Korean people for the U.S. Government’s long, cruel and unjust hostility against them, including the near total destruction of North Korea due to the heavy U.S. bombings during the Korean War;

3) Urge Washington and Pyongyang to immediately stop their preemptive (or preventive) conventional/nuclear attack threats against each other and to sign the new UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;

4) Call upon the U.S. Government to stop its large-scale, joint war drills with the armed forces of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Japan, and commence a gradual withdrawal of the U.S. troops and weapons from South Korea;

5) Call upon the US Government to officially end the lingering & costly Korean War by concluding a peace treaty with theDPRK without further delay, to lift all sanctions against the country, & to join the 164 nations that have normal diplomatic relations with DPRK;

6) Pledge that I will do my best to end the Korean War, and to reach out to the North Korean people – in order to foster greater understanding, reconciliation and friendship.

Please sign this treaty before November 11. You can find it at worldbeyondwar.org and rootsaction.org.

--11:25am Alaska Peace Center brunch mtg, at LUNCH Cafe & Eatery, 206 Driveway St. Ste. A, (next to the News-Miner)

One of the items on the agenda will be whether to endorse the:

“Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases Unity Statement

We, the undersigned peace, justice & environmental organizations, and individuals, endorse the following Points of Unity and commit ourselves to working together by forming a Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases, with the goal of raising public awareness and organizing non-violent mass resistance against U.S. foreign military bases.

While we may have our differences on other issues, we all agree that U.S. foreign military bases are the principal instruments of imperial global domination and environmental damage through wars of aggression and occupation, and that the closure of U.S. foreign military bases is one of the first necessary steps toward a just, peaceful and sustainable world. Our belief in the urgency of this necessary step is based on the following facts:

1. While we are opposed to all foreign military bases, we do recognize that the United States maintains the highest number of military bases outside its territory, estimated at almost 1000 (95% of all foreign military bases in the world). Presently, there are U.S. military bases in every Persian Gulf country except Iran.

2. In addition, United States has 19 Naval air carriers (and 15 more planned), each as part of a Carrier Strike Group, composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, and a carrier air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft — each of which can be considered a floating military base.

3. These bases are centers of aggressive military actions, threats of political and economic expansion, sabotage and espionage, and crimes against local populations. In addition, these military bases are the largest users of fossil fuel in the world, heavily contributing to environmental degradation.

4. The annual cost of these bases to the American taxpayers is approximately $156 billion. The support of U.S. foreign military bases drains funds that can be used to fund human needs and enable our cities and States to provide necessary services for the people.

5. This has made the U.S. a more militarized society and has led to increased tensions between the U.S. and the rest of the world. Stationed throughout the world, almost 1000 in number, U.S. foreign military bases are symbols of the ability of the United States to intrude in the lives of sovereign nations and peoples.

6. Many individual national coalitions — for example, Okinawa, Italy, Jeju Island Korea, Diego Garcia, Cyprus, Greece, and Germany — are demanding closure of bases on their territory. The base that the U.S. has illegally occupied the longest, for over a century, is Guantánamo Bay, whose existence constitutes an imposition of the empire and a violation of International Law. Since 1959 the government and people of Cuba have demanded that the government of the U.S. return the Guantánamo territory to Cuba.

U.S. foreign military bases are NOT in defense of U.S. national, or global security. They are the military expression of U.S. intrusion in the lives of sovereign countries on behalf of the dominant financial, political, and military interests of the ruling elite. Whether invited in or not by domestic interests that have agreed to be junior partners, no country, no peoples, no government, can claim to be able to make decisions totally in the interest of their people, with foreign troops on their soil representing interests antagonistic to the national purpose. We must all unite to actively oppose the existence of U.S. foreign military bases and call for their immediate closure. We invite all forces of peace, social and environmental justice to join us in our renewed effort to achieve this shared goal.”

More information is at https://popularresistance.org/new-campaign-close-all-us-military-bases-on-foreign-soil/

--6-10pm - Night for the North at Raven Landing- an annual event to benefit the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. A fun night of bidding frenzy with friends, good food and drinks! Items for bid in the silent and outcry auctions will include outdoor gear - used and new, local produce, made in Alaska jewelry and crafts, Fairbanks services and unique one of a kind experiences. Help celebrate the work of the Center as we continue protecting the places we play. Get tickets here - http://conta.cc/2xcxW69

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12^th: No local events of peace, justice, and sustainability known.

EVENTS IN HISTORY for the week of Nov. 5-12, from War Resisters League Calendar:

--Socialist labor leader and anti-militarist Eugene V. Debs was born Nov. 5^th, 1855

--Gandhi led the1913 Great March of 2500 ethnic Indians from Natal into Transvaal, South Africa, challenging restrictive pass laws.

--1989 the Berlin Wall fell after sustained nonviolent resistance

AFTER THIS WEEK:

-- ::Nov 14-15: National Park Svc (NPS) Hosts Gates of the Arctic Subsistence Resource Commission Mtg. The NPS’s Gates of the Arctic National Park Subsistence Resource Commission will meet in Fbks on Tues, Nov 14 from 9am-5pm, & Wed, Nov 15 from 9- 11:30am, at the Sophie Station Hotel Board Rm, 1717 University Ave. Topics will include reports from the 9-member commission on subsistence issues & concerns & updates from NPS staff on management issues, wildlife research, monitoring activities, & changes to Federal wildlife regulations. This mtg is open to the public. Those who cannot attend in person can call in toll-free at 1-877-886-9352, code #1503732. For more info on the Commission or to receive a copy of the proposed agenda, please contact Marcy Okada, Subsistence Coordinator, at (907) 455-0639 or marcy...@nps.gov.

-- Nov. 14 - City Diversity Council mtg, 5:30-7pm at City Hall.

-- Nov. 14 - Monthly IWW Fairbanks mtg, 6-7pm at Stone Soup Cafe, 507 Gaffney Rd.

-- Nov. 15 - Inu-Yupiaq Dance & “We Breathe Again” film screening 6-8pm at UAF Wood Center Arctic Java.

-- Nov. 17 - Community Convergence, 6-8pm 4448 Pikes Landing Rd.

-- Nov. 18 - Women in Agriculture Conference... for women farmers & anyone who works with women farmers. If you have been farming for years, are a new & aspiring farmer, a banker, lender or in the agricultural industry. 7:30am-3pm videoconferencing in Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Palmer. Information or questions: Meriam Karlsson, mgkar...@alaska.edu

ONGOING Community News and Opportunities for Action:

--From Northern Alaska Environmental Center: Night for the North is just around the corner!

--Donations are still rolling in for the Night for the North, just over a week away! We're looking forward to this opportunity to connect with our members and supporters over food, music, and bidding on everything from awesome Alaska trip packages to a chance to try your hand milking a local goat (she's a very cute goat. You'll want in on this).

--Planning a Just Transition in Alaska- We're excited to share this report, prepared over the past year by the Center for Sustainable Economy for the Northern Center and Greenpeace USA. As the report states, the transition away from fossil fuels is inevitable; "justice is not." This report will help inform our work as we move forward.

Sustainable energy, food and manufacturing, cleanup of fossil fuel infrastructure, ecosystem protection, Indigenous tourism, sustainable fisheries, and human capital investment are all areas most equipped for economic growth when paired with strategic policy, according to the report authors. Center for a Sustainable Economy recommends cutting fossil fuel subsidies, fossil fuel risk bonds, a carbon fee and dividend, climate adaptation and mitigation funds for Alaska Native tribes, and expanding tribes’ eligibility for federal funding as possible strategies to accelerate Alaska’s growth beyond fossil fuels.

Read our press release. (er...@northern.org)

Ambler Road Public Scoping Mtgs - The Bureau of Land Management has scheduled these in communities along the route of the proposed Ambler Rd, as well as Fairbanks & Anchorage. The public scoping period is open until January 31, 2018. The National Park Svc is also accepting comments on the section of the proposed rd that passes through Gates of the Arctic National Preserve ‘til Jan 15, 2018.

The proposed Ambler Road intersects the migratory route of the 3 arctic caribou herds. It would cross 2900 streams, 11 major rivers and 1700 acres of wetland. This area is spawning ground for 3 species of salmon, sheefish, whitefish and more, and connects parks, wilderness areas, wildlife refuges and a national preserve. Allakaket, Bettles, Galena, Kobuk, Evansville, Evansville Inc., Brooks Range Council, and Tanana Chiefs Conference have passed statements of opposition. Last week, the Northwest Arctic Subsistence Regional Advisory Council spoke unanimously about the significant impacts the proposed road would have on subsistence resources.

Feel free to contact the Northern Center with questions and to learn more about how to get involved.

Though the Senate Arctic Refuge hearing is over, we ask that you keep calling your representatives in support of the Arctic Refuge. And [until Nov. 16], you can submit written comments. Address your comments to Chairman Murkowski, Ranking Member Cantwell, and Members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and title your comments "For Record of November 2, 2017 Hearing."

--Congress --Alaska’s Congressional delegation contacts:

Rep. Don Young in Fbks 456-0210, in D.C. 202-225-5765;

Sen. Lisa Murkowski 456-0233, in D.C. 202-224-6665;

Sen. Dan Sullivan 456-0261, in D.C. 202-224-3004.

NOT so SPECIFIC TO ALASKA

-- Thanks to all who contributed to this action: “Sam Clovis has withdrawn his nomination to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics. This is a huge victory for CSPI & the broad coalition of health and environmental organizations who led the fight against the Clovis nomination. We could not have won this fight without you. Clovis never should have been nominated in the first place. The law specifically requires that the Under Secretary be a “distinguished scientist,” yet Clovis had no relevant academic, scientific or agricultural experience...” from Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)

--As a tax-payer, are you morally offended at being unwillingly complicit in war crimes? Nov. 3-5, the 32^nd New England Regional Gathering of War Tax Resisters & Bi-Annual Gathering of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee included a number of discussions with student & community organizers about local & national struggles, as well as workshops on how to practice tax resistance as a form of civil disobedience. You can view War Tax Resistance 101 on YouTube via links at

https://nwtrcc.org/programs-events/gatherings-and-events/#nat.

-- Nov. 23-26: 4 Days for Peace: http://demilitarize.org/

-- from American Civil Liberties Union Foundation: This Monday, Trump's ban on transgender service members was blocked, with the judge saying that it did "not appear to be supported by any facts."

On Tuesday, we filed suit against the Office of Refugee Resettlement for detaining Rosa Maria Hernandez, a 10-yr-old with cerebral palsy. Rosa was seized by U.S. Border Patrol agents, who had no warrant, while she was in a hospital bed recovering from emergency surgery. She is currently jailed miles away, alone and without her parents, in a detention center for children.
The White House is putting elections in the hands of Kris Kobach, whose record on voting rights is alarming. Watch our new video to learn about Kobach's plan to gut core voting protections — revealed through an ACLU legal challenge.
The ACLU is on a campaign to reduce incarceration by 50%. The first step: reigning in abuse of power by prosecutors and District Attorneys. In New Orleans, we sued to stop the jailing of victims and witnesses.
Finally, help the ACLU train the next generation of social justice advocates! If you know a high school junior or senior, encourage them to apply to the ACLU Summer Advocacy Institute where they will develop their leadership skills and get extensive advocacy training.

-- From Veterans For Peace:

-- TODAY, Sunday, Nov 5^th, 2pm AST- Last year Veterans For Peace joined with the Poor People’s Campaign (PPC). The original PPC was launched in 1967 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This new campaign is addressing the triple evils described by Dr. King; militarism, poverty and bigotry. It is also taking on ecological devastation. Today, Veterans For Peace member Matthew Hoh will join Bishop William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove to discuss the War Economy. Where: ONLINE The US spends more $ on war than on programs to house, feed, provide health care for the people. Although we call our veterans the nation’s heroes, we fail to provide them & their families with adequate pay, quality health care, & other needed supports to prepare & return from war.

As people of conscience, we denounce war-mongering & efforts to create more conflict & division within & between nations, and demand that our legislators support programs that combat this resource inequality and instead promote the life & livelihood of all human beings. You can watch the livestream! When you watch:

Share the Poor People's Campaign memes on Peace (Here and here)
Tweet using hashtags #WarEconomy #PoorPeoplesCampaign #VeteransForPeace
Don't forget to tag @VFPNational!

The campaign provides you and VFP a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of issues with activists to push our nation towards positive change. As Dr. King put it, “We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values."

--Nov 6=International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

“On Nov 5, 2001, the UN General Assembly declared Nov 6^th of each year as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (A/RES/56/4).Though mankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment has often remained the unpublicized victim of war. Water wells have been polluted, crops torched, forests cut down, soils poisoned, and animals killed to gain military advantage. Furthermore, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has found that over the last 60 years, at least 40 percent of all internal conflicts have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources, whether high-value resources such as timber, diamonds, gold and oil, or scarce resources such as fertile land and water. Conflicts involving natural resources have also been found to be twice as likely to relapse. The United Nations attaches great importance to ensuring that action on the environment is part of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding strategies - because there can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed. On 27 May 2016, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted resolution UNEP/EA.2/Res.15, which recognized the role of healthy ecosystems and sustainably managed resources in reducing the risk of armed conflict, and reaffirmed its strong commitment to the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals listed in General Assembly resolution 70/1, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. http://www.un.org/en/events/environmentconflictday/

--Nov 6-11 - National Mobilization to Stop War on Korea

-- Nov. 11 -Reclaim Armistice Day: Veterans For Peace calls for keeping with the original intent of Armistice Day. [When] Congress decided to re-name Nov 11 as Veterans Day, honoring the warriors quickly morphed into honoring the military & glorifying war. Armistice Day... has been flipped from a day for peace into a day for displays of militarism: https://www.veteransforpeace.org/take-action/armistice-day/

· Sign up for the #ReclaimArmisticeDay Thunderclap, which will go out on Nov 11th at 11am. Write an op-ed or letter to the editor.
--Nov 10-13 -School or the Americas/WINSEC SOAW Convergence in Tucson, AZ. VFP enthusiastically supports this year's theme "Tear Down The Walls, Build Up The People." Please join us on the border, to expose, denounce, and end US militarization, oppressive policies & other forms of state violence in the Americas. Often these Latin American political & economic policies are directly linked to forced displacement, increased violence, and militarized borders...we also call for an end to state-sponsored terrorism and violence against our communities inside the United States.”

--This December, Veterans For Peace will deploy our 3^rd, largest Okinawa Solidarity Delegation (14 members) to join the Okinawan people’s resistance to U.S. military base expansion into what has been a pristine environment – Oura Bay at Henoko.
--Jan 12-14 - Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases Conference in Baltimore, MD

--From in...@worldbeyondwar.org: The new edition of our book, A Global Security System: An Alternative to War, has been getting rave reviews. Get the hardcopy or PDF here. STUDY WAR NO MORE Spotlight!

>>Click here to join the discussion on Alternative visions: Human Security and a Culture of Peace

The goals and objectives of this discussion are to:

· Become familiar with alternative visions of security, including The Culture of Peace and Human Security

· Identify guiding values and principles that inform a peace system

· Identify successful change efforts and explore possibilities for building upon their foundations

STUDY WAR NO MORE is a learning and action tool developed and produced by World Beyond War in partnership with the

Global Campaign for Peace Education. It is a companion guide to “A Global Security System: An Alternative to War.”

Study War No More provides guided inquiries and suggests practical actions for students and citizens to understand the nature of “the war system” and the possibilities for its transformation to an authentic “global security system” pursued via peaceful means.

World Beyond War Billboards Around the World - see https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/fund-world-beyond-war-billboards-around-the-world?link_id=1&can_id=212830e31c532ef86ba2262dac81260c&source=email-world-beyond-war-billboards-around-the-world&email_referrer=email_255799&email_subject=world-beyond-war-billboards-around-the-world

-- from Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence in...@paceebene.org: Conference call for Nonviolent Cities Project. So far over 50 cities have shown interest!... In Cincinnati, 350 people attended to begin working across the community to focus on ways nonviolent methods could be brought into areas such as policing, schools, homes and churches. ... If you are interested in hearing more about it, listen in. The call is scheduled for Nov. 7th at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern. RSVP Here!

--from Nuclear Age Peace Foundation: Video Shows Illegal Dumping of Toxic Liquid at Hanford Video taken in August 2017 shows contractors at the Hanford Site in Washington State illegally dumping rainwater from large metal containers containing radioactive waste. Hanford, the most contaminated site in the Western Hemisphere, was used primarily to produce plutonium for U.S. nuclear weapons from the mid-1940s to the mid-80s. The workers dumping this liquid were employed by Washington River Protection Solutions, a private contractor managing tens of millions of gallons of highly-radioactive waste at Hanford. Despite the United States' inability to properly deal with the huge amount of radioactive waste it has created through decades of past nuclear weapons development, the Trump administration has indicated that it favors renewed production of nuclear weapons and components. Susannah Frame, "Video Shows Illegal Dumping of Toxic Liquids at Hanford," KING 5, October 27, 2017.

-- The Doomsday Machine: New Book by NAPF Distinguished Fellow Daniel Ellsberg, is now available for pre-order. It will be released on Dec 5. Ellsberg, the legendary whistleblower who revealed the Pentagon Papers, was a presidential advisor & nuclear strategist. The Doomsday Machine is Ellsberg's hair-raising account of the most dangerous arms build-up in the history of civilization, whose legacy - and proposed renewal under the Trump administration - threatens the very survival of humanity.

-- Take Action: [Contact Sens. Murkowski & Sullivan to support] S.200, a bill currently before the senate, calls for restrictions on the President’s ability to use nuclear weapons first.

RESOURCES FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND SUSTAINABILITY; Legislative, congressional, and other contacts are listed at https://alaskapeace.wordpress.com/links/resources/

Alaska Peace Center works for peace, justice, and sustainability - individually, in our community, and globally - with a commitment to nonviolent conflict resolution. Email us at in...@alaskapeace.org Visit our website: www.alaskapeace.org

for more information and details, or to get on our email list, to which the expanded news brief is sent; also see Facebook.

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Feedback to, and Submissions for inclusion in, this weekly news brief are welcome. Please include “for news” in the subject line.

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This has been Alaska Peace Center Community News and Opportunities for Action for the week of NOVEMBER 5^th, 2017,

on KWRK-LP 90.9 FM Radio in Fairbanks, Alaska, where you hear news & views not presented in mainstream media.

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May Peace be with you! Have a good week!

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