"Talking Justice, Talking War -- Community Conversations on War and Justice"
Francis Kromkowski
~~ Philip Berrigan: "Change your heart, your life, your community, the system -- in that order." (Berrigan's answer to my question -- "How do we change the world?" -- put to him in 1976 when he came to Helena.) http://www.jonahhouse.org/archive/phil.htm
~~ John Macmurray (in Persons in Relation) “All meaningful knowledge is for the sake of action, and all meaningful action for the sake of friendship.” http://www.giffordlectures.org/Browse.asp?PubID=TPPIRE&Cover=TRUE and http://www.giffordlectures.org/Browse.asp?PubID=TPPIRE&Volume=0&Issue=0&ArticleID=1
~~ Eileen Caddy: "No one knows what this year will bring, but your attitude towards it can make it the most glorious of years. Waste no time listening to predictions for the coming year, simply hold in your consciousness that this will be the most wonderful year possible and so help bring it about. Your whole attitude and outlook are so vitally important; otherwise you fall into the trap of thinking like the rest of humankind and allow yourself to become part of the chaos and confusion which is everywhere rampant in the world at this time." Eileen Caddy, formerly of the Findhorn Foundation, http://www.findhorn.org/index.php?tz=420
From: Francis Kromkowski [mailto:f.krom...@bresnan.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2013 2:06 AM
To: Friends of Helena SERPAJ (Service for Peace and Justice) blind copy
Subject: TONIGHT/ THURSDAY, JULY 18: "A Conversation on Gaza" presentation by Johnny Barber, (Co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence) -- "Talking Justice, Talking War -- Community Conversations on War and Justice"
· July 18 – Johnny Barber, A Conversation on Gaza Barber is a Co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, http://vcnv.org.
· Barber has traveled to try to make peace in wars zones such as Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza), Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan — going as he said, “to bear witness and document the suffering of people who are affected by war. I advocate for reconciliation and nonviolent strategies in the face of violence and oppression.”
· Read Barber’s latest article from Gaza, Tonight I am confused, http://vcnv.org/tonight-i-am-confused (text below).
· July 18 – at Lewis and Clark Library, 7pm -- More about Johnny Barber and his talk below.
For more information about the Helena SERPAJ “Talking Justice, Talking War” series, contact the Helena Service for Peace and Justice via e-mail at Helena...@gmail.com, via phone at 406- 443-0843 or visit the Helena SERPAJ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HelenaSERPAJ.+
· July 18 – Johnny Barber, A Conversation on Gaza
Barber is a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, http://vcnv.org, and has traveled to try to make peace in wars zones such as Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza), Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan — going as he said, “to bear witness and document the suffering of people who are affected by war. I advocate for reconciliation and nonviolent strategies in the face of violence and oppression.” http://vcnv.org/speakers-bureau. Read Barber’s latest article from Gaza, Tonight I am confused., http://vcnv.org/tonight-i-am-confused (text below). July 18 – at Lewis and Clark Library, 7pm
“A Conversation About Gaza”
Barber’s talk will focus on the daily struggle of the farmers, fishermen, and the wider community of Gaza in the face of constant, daily Israeli aggression.
He will share 3 or 4 short video clips, (about 6 min each), and will also share photos and talk about the ongoing ceasefire violations of the Israeli military, and the struggle of the Gazan people to survive the siege.
Barber spent 2 months in Gaza in the Summer of 2011 before traveling to Greece to participate in the flotilla to break the siege of Gaza. He returned to Gaza for 2 months in the spring of 2012, and once again immediately after the cease fire was signed in late Nov 2012.
Barber worked with Palestinian farmers harvesting their wheat, and fishermen attempting to fish, and he interviewed families who lost loved ones during the Israeli “Cast Lead” military attacks as well as family members who lost loved ones in Israeli military operation “Pillar of Cloud” so people could hear their stories directly.
Biography:
Barber is a peace and justice activist from Montana who works with Voices for Creative Nonviolence (http://vcnv.org). Barber became more deeply involved in human rights activism in the aftermath of Sept 11, 2001, making his first trip to Palestine in Jan 2002 with the Fellowship of Reconciliation. He first got involved with Voices for Creative Nonviolence in the run up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, spending time in Iraq with Voices and the Christian Peacemaker Teams. Since that time Barber has spent time in the West Bank, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Gaza – and spent a short time in Jordan and Syria interviewing Iraqi refugees as well.
You can find some of Barber’s work at http://vcnv.org/category/writings-by-johnny-barber ,
www.oneBrightpearl-jb.blogspot.com and
at his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/johnny.barber.391
“Tonight I am confused” by Johnny Barber -- http://vcnv.org/tonight-i-am-confused.
Odai’s cousin, Mohamed, talks about the bombing that killed his cousin as we stand near the crater left by the bomb.
December 1, 2012
Tonight I am confused.
I have been in Gaza for five days now and I am having difficulty understanding the 8-day war and the subsequent ceasefire. Let me explain the difficulty I am having. The Israeli Offensive Forces insist they protect civilians in Gaza, only targeting terrorists. They have several methods to protect innocent civilians. One method is to call the civilians on the phone, another method is to drop leaflets telling them to flee for their lives, as an attack is imminent. During the latest offensive, Israeli dropped leaflets in the rural areas telling people to flee to the city. In Gaza City, leaflets were dropped warning people to flee to the rural areas. A new, ingenious method they use to protect civilians is to drop ‘loud, non-lethal bombs’ on a home as a warning for the inhabitants as to what will come. They even have a name for this warning. They call it ‘roof tapping’. Then anywhere from 3 minutes to 20 minutes pass before they bomb the house from F-16’s. These bombs are a very large and very lethal. The homes I have seen today have been completely flattened, and the houses around the target are also rendered uninhabitable.
The ‘non-lethal bombs’ penetrate rooftops and can travel through 4 stories. Children or other civilians sitting under these bombs lose limbs, suffer head trauma, shrapnel wounds, and other injuries. The idea behind these warnings is that inhabitants will flee their homes once they are warned. If elders, small children, newborns, or disabled people are in the home, this can be a difficult endeavor. If a child suffers an amputation, fleeing will take a little more precious time. But lets ignore these complications as they just muddy the waters. I am amazed at the generosity of the Israeli occupiers. You see, they are the “Most moral army in the world,” everyone knows this. The generals and politicians have been saying this for decades!
But this is my consternation. If you are so bent on protecting civilians and killing ‘terrorists’ why warn civilians to leave? Do they think the terrorists, who everyone knows hide behind civilians, will remain behind after the warning?
An even more confounding question remains. Why flatten an empty home?
After the most recent ceasefire agreement, it was stated that farmers would be able to reach their lands in the buffer zone that Israel established after they so generously abandoned their illegal settlements in Gaza. The farmers were thrilled that they would be able to farm on the 300-meter swath of land known as the buffer zone- better known here in Gaza as the no go zone, because if they dared try to access this land they were immediately targeted by Israeli snipers, but I digress.
On Wednesday we accompanied farmers to the buffer zone in Johr el Deek. It was amazing! We walked right up to the razor wire barrier! We watched as 2 Israeli jeeps approached the fence. I was smiling as they got out of their jeeps, but my smile was erased as they lifted their weapons and fired toward us. Of course, they didn’t shoot us, the ceasefire was in effect for an entire week! I was confused though, as they lobbed tear gas canisters at us, and continued firing over our heads as we retreated. Perhaps the soldiers were as confused as I was about the details of the agreement. After all, unfettered access to the land is a little vague. Perhaps the farmers misunderstood.
The fishermen faced a similar dilemma. After the ceasefire was announced, the fishermen were told that Israel, in it’s magnanimity, would allow the fishermen to fish in Gazan waters up to 6 nautical miles from the shore. This was double, (yes double!) the limit that has been in effect for the past 6 years. The fishermen were happy. They would have an opportunity to provide for their families. Never mind that the Oslo Accords stated fishermen would have access to 20 nautical miles of the sea. That was way back in 1993. Who could expect agreements so old to be respected now?
The fishermen I spoke with said they had access to the 6-mile limit for two whole days. Two days of fishing without risking their lives to feed their kids! It was great. So I was astonished to learn that on Wednesday, exactly one week after the ceasefire agreement, numerous fishing boats, in waters from 3 nautical miles to 6 nautical miles came under heavy attack by the Israeli Navy. One boat was sunk, 3 boats had their engines destroyed by gunfire, one trawler was confiscated and 9 fishermen were arrested. Of course, the Israeli officers made sure the fishermen stripped and jumped into the sea before they sunk the boat. They were safely in custody on the Israeli gunboat before the Israeli Navy blasted the fishing boat to smithereens.
The fishermen received no warnings. Of course everyone realizes that cell phones don’t work so far from shore and dropping leaflets would be impractical as most of the leaflets would fall into the water. And even I know ‘roof tapping’ at sea would be way too dangerous, as the possibility of harming the civilian fishermen would be high.
The best approach is to simply start firing from hundreds of meters away as the gunboats accelerate toward the fishing trawlers. This gives the fishermen at least 3 minutes to pull up their nets and escape back to port. I am not certain what changed on the third day for these fishermen, but few fish were caught.
We also visited the homes of 2 children who were killed. One was 15 year old, Hassan Jamal Nasser. The other child was 9-year old Fares al-Basyouni. Both were killed in their homes as they slept.
The father of Fares stands near where the shrapnel penetrated his home and decapitated his son.
Shrapnel that penetrated the wall decapitated Fares. His father described the horrific scene. ‘We didn’t hear the bombs. We woke to the sound of windows shattering and the house shaking. The house was full of smoke. My daughters and sons were screaming as I moved from room to room to find them.’ Fare’s lifeless torso landed on top of his 14-year old brother, who ran screaming from the house into the night.
I thought this was impossible- didn’t they receive the warnings? Hassan’s cousin Mohammed confirmed leaflets fell from the sky 20 minutes after the attack. So, you see, they were warned.
One thing is certain. Israel has a right to defend itself. President Obama said, ‘There’s no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders.’ I agree with this wholeheartedly, who can deny it? I also understand that Israel has to teach its enemies a lesson from time to time, and I imagine the sooner the better. They certainly don’t want the people of Gaza to imagine what it must be like to be free, this would only encourage the terrorists.
So you see my dilemma. What I read in the corporate media and what I hear from my government and Israeli politicians doesn’t quite square with the eyewitness accounts on the ground. Maybe the IOF can drop some leaflets and set me straight.
Johnny Barber Co-coordinates Voices For Creative Nonviolence. All photo credits: Johnny Barber
Upcoming: Saturday, July 27:
The Helena Service for Peace and Justice (Helena SERPAJ) will hold a Helena community dialogue, "A Call for Justice for PFC Bradley Manning: A Courageous Whistleblower, An Altruistic Soldier"
Helena peace and justice activists Frank Kromkowski and Paul Edwards and others will speak about army whistleblower and Nobel Peace Prize nominee PFC Bradley Manning. who is now facing a military trial.
Speakers will describe Manning’s background, his military service, his troubles in Iraq, his decision to blow the whistle on the lies and deceptions of the US government and the military concerning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his betrayal, arrest, confinement, mistreatment and eventual trial. Bradley’s judge is expected to read her final sentencing verdict sometime in August. July 27 will be the date of the last internationally coordinated show of support for Bradley before the end of his trial, with in communities across the globe. http://www.bradleymanning.org/
Frank Kromkowski of the Helena Service for Peace and Justice stated the reasons for the July 27Helena community dialogue, "A Call for Justice for PFC Bradley Manning:
Nobel Peace Prize nominee PFC Bradley Manning, a 25-year-old Army intelligence analyst, released the Collateral Murder video showing the killing of unarmed civilians and two Reuters journalists by a US Apache helicopter crew in Iraq. Manning also shared documents known as the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, and series of embarrassing US diplomatic cables. These documents were published by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, and they have illuminated such issues as the true number and cause of civilian casualties in Iraq, along with a number of human rights abuses by U.S.-funded contractors and foreign militaries, and the role that spying and bribes play in international diplomacy. Given the war crimes exposed by these documents, PFC Bradley Manning should be given a medal of honor. Not a single person has been harmed by the release of this information. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has called the effect of WikiLeaks’ releases on U.S. foreign relations “fairly modest.” Yet the Obama administration has chosen to persecute the whistle-blower rather than prosecute the war criminals who were exposed. While the prosecution has declared it does not intend to seek the death penalty, they do seek to lock PFC Bradley Manning away for life, with the most ridiculous charge of ‘aiding the enemy,’ even though chat logs attributed to Bradley by the FBI clearly show intent only to inform the public and promote “discussion, debates, and reforms.” For additional information about Bradley Manning, visit: http://www.bradleymanning.org/
Earlier presentation in the series:
July 8 – Dr. Jake Donaldson, Our Longest War: The Impact of America’s War on Terror in Afghanistan (just back from Afghanistan with a peace delegation organized by Voices for Creative Nonviolence)
July 11 – Rev. Sam Smith, The Militarization of American Youth and the “I Will NOT Kill” Campaign (Chair of the Chicago Chapter of the FOR, Fellowship of Reconciliation, ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren, one of the historic peace churches)
Helena SERPAJ News: May 2013
Helena Service for Peace and Justice/SERPAJ
… We, the people of the Helena Service for Peace and Justice, are a community of persons committed to working nonviolently for peace, justice and ecological responsibility.
Because we are people with hope, we have organized ourselves as a grassroots community of peace and justice workers.
Our hope is grounded in the truth that peace, justice and nonviolent living are possible …
(from the Helena SERPAJ statement of purpose, on–line at https://www.facebook.com/HelenaSERPAJ and http://forusa.org/groups/affiliate-groups/helena-service-for-peace-justice
§ Helena SERPAJ is on-line:
o Helena SERPAJ has set up an On-line Discussion Group -- to allow members and friends of Helena SERPAJ to send and receive e-mails in a common democratic forum -- to discuss important issues, to share links to valuable articles and websites, to post meeting announcements for SERPAJ as a whole and for SERPAJ committees, and for other communications that further SERPAJ goals. See https://groups.google.com/d/forum/helena-serpaj, where you can find information to join the group. Invitations to join the group will also be sent to all persons who have asked (at a SERPAJ event or in some other way) to be placed on SERPAJ’s e-mail list.
o Helena SERPAJ also has a Facebook page that can be used for announcements and comments -- https://www.facebook.com/HelenaSERPAJ
o Helena SERPAJ, a local affiliate of the FOR (Fellowship of Reconciliation) since 1994 has an FOR website: http://forusa.org/groups/affiliate-groups/helena-service-for-peace-justice
§ If you would like to be removed from the Helena SERPAJ Mailing list, all you need to do is send a brief e-mail with “remove” in the Subject heading to Helena...@gmail.com
§ Monday, May 20: Helena SERPAJ showed the Palestinian film 5 BROKEN CAMERAS by Palestinian Emad Burnat and Israeli Guy Davidi. Academy Award Best Documentary nominee and Sundance Film Festival-- a first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil'in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching illegal Israeli settlements and by the Israeli military's occupying troops. At the Lewis and Clark Library, 7pm.
o 5 BROKEN CAMERAS was a very moving and powerful portrait of the courage and persistent nonviolence of Emad Burnat and the other Palestinian villagers of Bil'in and of dangers of resistance to the brutal Israeli military occupation of the area.
o About 45 people attended this event in Helena, sponsored by the Helena SERPAJ, our local affiliate of the FOR, Fellowship of Reconciliation, http://forusa.org/groups/affiliate-groups/helena-service-for-peace-justice, where our Helena SERPAJ Statement of Purpose can be found.
o If you attended the event and/or have seen 5 BROKEN CAMERAS, you can send your comments to Emad Burnat via his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EmadBurnat?fref=ts
§ Helena SERPAJ member Will Boland (who has visited Palestine/Israel three times) published an op-ed article in Helena's Independent Record newspaper on May 20: "Rethinking U.S. foreign policy in Israel"
§ Helena SERPAJ recently organized a Montana speaking tour (April 25 - May 1) about the deficiencies of Palestine-Israeli news coverage by Alison Weir of If Americans Knew -- Billings: April 25 -- Helena: April 26 -- Missoula: April 27 -- Hamilton: April 28 -- Polson: April 30th -- Kalispell: Monday, April 29 -- Butte: May 1.
o If Americans Knew: http://ifamericansknew.org/
o Watch Alison Weir being interviewed by Don Dunwell of Helena's Beartooth NBC Dunwell Report, arranged by Helena SERPAJ: http://www.beartoothnbc.com/about/our-people/thedunwellreport/34816-alison-weir.html
o Weir was also interviewed by The Helena Vigilante newspaper in Helena (http://helenavigilante.com/). See the May issue (hard copy edition).
§ May and June: Helena Service for Peace and Justice Billboards: "Tell Congress: Spend our money at home, not on the Israeli military."
o We have begun an exciting billboard campaign in Helena calling on the United States to end $30 billion in military aid to Israel until Israel complies with international law and human rights law.
o Helena SERPAJ’s billboards are going up in Helena (first one went up May 20 and a second will be up on May 27).
o We are working with the Coalition to Stop $30 Billion to Israel, an organization which has placed these billboards all over the country. These billboards cost approximately $760 each and the Coalition to Stop $30 Billion to Israel is willing to pay half the cost. Please check their website -- http://stop30billion.org/.
o If you are interested in helping to pay for the billboards, you can make a donation via a check payable to Helena Service for Peace and Justice, 1207 Hauser Blvd, Helena MT 59601. Donations to SERPAJ are tax deductible, thanks to the fact that Helena SERPAJ is an affiliate of the national FOR, Fellowship of Reconciliation.
§ July 7-14: Helena SERPAJ will arrange workshops across Montana on Militarism and Youth in America -- featuring Rev. Sam Smith, Chair of the FOR (Fellowship of Reconciliation) Chicago Chapter and an FOR Freeman Fellow.
o The Spring 2013 issue of FOR’s WITNESS magazine features a lead article by Sam Smith of FOR’s Chicago Chapter on this topic. The article (“The Militarization of our Youth and the FOR’S I WILL NOT KILL campaign”) can be found at http://forusa.org/multimedia/witness and https://www.facebook.com/IWILLNOTKILL
§ July 16-27: Helena SERPA will arrange workshops across Montana by Johnny Barber of the Voices for Creative Nonviolence on the conditions in Gaza, Palestine.
o Johnny Barber is a peace and justice activist from Montana who works with Voices for Creative Nonviolence (http://vcnv.org). Barber has traveled to try to make peace in wars zones such as Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza), Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan — going as he said, “to bear witness and document the suffering of people who are affected by war. I advocate for reconciliation and nonviolent strategies in the face of violence and oppression.” http://vcnv.org/speakers-bureau
o Barber will share a photo presentation as well as some videos about Gaza. Barber’s latest article from Gaza -- http://vcnv.org/tonight-i-am-confused
o You can find some of Barber’s work at http://vcnv.org/category/writings-by-johnny-barber and www.oneBrightpearl.com and www.oneBrightpearl-jb.blogspot.com and at his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/johnny.barber.391
o Another member of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Kathy Kelly, toured Montana in 2005 and was awarded the 2005 Peace Seeker of the Year Award by the Montana Peace Seekers Network (of which Helena SERPAJ is a member), http://www.montanapeaceseekers.org/common/documents/KathyKelly-PeaceSeekersAward.pdf
§ HELENA SERPAJ STATEMENT OF PURPOSE, adopted October1990:
We, the people of the Helena Service for Peace and Justice, are a community of persons committed to working nonviolently for peace, justice and ecological responsibility.
Because we are people with hope, we have organized ourselves as a grassroots community of peace and justice workers. Our hope is grounded in the truth that peace, justice and nonviolent living are possible.
Our actions flow from our belief that real peace is the fruit of social and economic justice, democratic empowerment of people and ecological responsibility.
We come together out of love for each other, for our children, for our sisters and brothers all across the earth, and for our planet and its precious variety of living beings. Therefore, out of love for our country, for justice and for democratic values, we commit ourselves to community service for changes that will build democratic structures which will help to put an end to the use of war and repression as methods of resolving human conflict.
Reclaiming our right and ability to live nonviolently as individuals, we reclaim our right to work democratically and nonviolently to create a society that lives nonviolently as well. We commit ourselves to actions to bring about peace, justice and creative change in our individual hearts and lives, in our communities, in the system and in the world.
Our work as members of Helena SERPAJ is urgent. The current system in our country and abroad is still fundamentally characterized by involvement in wars and preparation for wars, by foreign policies of our nation and others that override democratic values and processes, and by massive social and economic and ecological injustice. This situation is not an accident. It is the logical outcome of a way of life that must be understood and then changed by the service of persons who love justice, democratic processes and ecological stewardship if peace is ever to be achieved.
Helena SERPAJ members are people committed to realizing a vision of a new and just world order which includes:
o A new U.S. foreign policy that is compassionate, democratically-controlled, noninterventionist and based on a respect for human rights, economic justice and international law.
o A new foreign policy in which relations between nations are based on reconciliation, generosity and respect for international law rather than on geopolitical greed and threats of military intervention.
o A new U.S. domestic policy that is economically and socially just and converts unnecessary military, nuclear and other weapons facilities and industries into ones which meet peaceful, civilian, human needs and promote ecological stewardship.
As a democratically-controlled membership organization and grassroots community, all our projects and policies are determined and shaped by the members of the Helena Service for Peace and Justice. Valuing the contributions of each and every individual SERPAJ member, we work to empower each member of our community for the sustained, nonviolent, democratic action needed to achieve our goals of peace with justice and democracy and love of the earth. ~~ October 1990
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§ Helena SERPAJ chose its name to honor the nonviolent peace and justice action groups “Servicio Paz y Justicia”(“SERPAJ”) all across Latin America, http://www.serpajamericalatina.org/home.htm. Latin American SERPAJ groups are affiliates of the International FOR (IFOR), http://www.ifor.org/, which has branches, affiliates and groups in over 40 countries around the world. In 1994 Helena SERPAJ became a local affiliate of the FOR, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, http://forusa.org/about/sop.
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