News

News from KNOW – Sept. 18, 2014

In this issue:

Nuns on the bus

KNOW pot luck

Capitol Day 2014

Stop US intervention

Landscape love

Tar sands under the bridge

People’s Climate March video

New Kalamazoo Peace Center space

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“Nuns on the Bus” is coming to town to mobilize “We the People, We the Voters!”

Join Us

Friday, September 26, 2014

2:00 pm

Martin Luther King Park

Rally for the Vote

What is important to you?

When “We the People” vote, politicians will:

Mend the Wealth Gap Enact a Living Wage

Craft a Faithful Budget that Benefits the 100%

Secure Healthcare for All Protect Immigrant Rights

Promote Nonviolent Solutions to Conflict

Nuns on the Bus is a campaign of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, which was founded by 47 Catholic Sisters more than 40 years ago. Our mission is to be a Catholic leader in the global movement for justice and peace — that educates, organizes and lobbies for economic and social transformation.

Today, NETWORK is also highly visible and active on other critical issues such as peacemaking, comprehensive immigration reform, housing, poverty, federal budget priorities, trade and hunger. It is because of the continued involvement of hundreds of congregations of women religious and thousands of individual Sisters, as well as that of parishes, small faith communities, religious congregations of brothers and priests, and thousands of individual activists that NETWORK continues to be effective and faithful to its mission of lobbying, organizing and educating for a nation and world rooted in justice.

More info:     http://www.networklobby.org/bus2014

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KNOW potluck!

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 25, starting at 5 pm, at the First Presbyterian Church downtown Kalamazoo.  Park and enter in the rear of the building, the pot luck will be on the third floor, elevator available.

Support the Joe & Jean Gump Peacemakers Scholarship Fund!

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CAPITOL DAY 2014 Tuesday, September 30th

Every election, we vote for candidates who we want to represent our voice and our communities. Too often, we never see or hear from a representative once they get elected.

Capitol Day 2014 is an opportunity for Michigan people to speak directly with our elected representatives about the issues that affect us the most:

  • · Fair Elections & Non-Partisan Redistricting
  • · Mass Incarceration & Prisoner Reentry

*TUESDAY*, September 30th

@

Central United Methodist Church

215 N Capitol Ave, Lansing, MI 48933

Buses leave Kalamazoo @ 7am

St. Joseph’s Church

930 Lake Street

Kalamazoo, MI 49001

Buses leave from Lansing @ 4:00pm

Transportation? Yes! Bus transportation from Kalamazoo & Detroit to Lansing will leave their respective cities at 7:00am. Buses will leave Lansing at 4:00pm. Please indicate your departure city on the registration form.

Additional questions or for more information contact our office, 269-344-2423, or email meredith@miunited.org.

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In the wake of the terrible and sadistic beheadings of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, war hawks have ramped up pressure to commit to a long-term campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — no matter how dim the prospects for long-term success.

After President Obama’s address to the nation, it’s clear that he’s caving to pressure to abandon caution and resort to military intervention no matter the cost or outcome. President Obama announced last night that the U.S. intends to lead what recent history has shown will be a costly and doomed effort to destroy ISIS by launching even more airstrikes in Iraq, putting more U.S. boots on the ground, and expanding U.S. intervention across the Iraq border into Syria.

When it comes to the current brutal conflict, rooted in centuries of religious hostilities in Iraq and Syria, there is no solution that American leadership can offer. It’s a total mess, and anyone who says otherwise is simply wrong.

The sad and simple truth is that the United States cannot lead any intervention without making a terrible situation even worse. And at this point in the conflict there is no viable campaign for peace and stability initiated by any other international or regional actor that the U.S. can join in support.

Tell President Obama: Don’t bomb Syria, or provide arms and training that may later be put to use advancing the repulsive agenda of ISIS.

http://act.credoaction.com/sign/dont_bomb_syria_2014/?t=7&akid=11702.3346180.WS87tY

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The work to provide landscaping love and care for MLK Park is continuing!

If you can help RSVP to Karen Chadwick:  karen.chadwick@gmail.com

Next work dates:
Saturday, October 11, 1:30 p.

Sunday, November 9, 1:30 p.

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Did you know that there is a Tar Sands Time Bomb in the Great Lakes, under the straits of Mackinac ?

An oil company plans to send more tar sands crude through aging pipelines, putting human and ecological health at risk :

http://www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/national-wildlife/animals/archives/2013/great%20lakes%20tar%20sands%20pipelines.aspx

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If you can’t go to the People’s Climate March in New York City this weekend, you can watch the inspirational video here:

http://watchdisruption.com

‘When it comes to climate change, why do we do so little when we know so much?’

Through a relentless investigation to find the answer, Disruption takes an unflinching look at the devastating consequences of our inaction.

The exploration lays bare the terrifying science, the shattered political process, the unrelenting industry special interests and the civic stasis that have brought us to this social, moral and ecological crossroads.  The film also takes us behind-the-scenes of the efforts to organize the largest climate rally in the history of the planet during the UN world climate summit.

This is the story of our unique moment in history. We are living through an age of tipping points and rapid social and planetary change. We’re the first generation to feel the impacts of climate disruption, and the last generation that can do something about it. The film enlarges the issue beyond climate impacts and makes a compelling call for bold action that is strong enough to tip the balance to build a clean energy future.

http://watchdisruption.com

A public meeting is being planned featuring local participants in the march.

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Some background of the project to create a new Kalamazoo Peace Center office space:

From http://peacecenter.wordpress.com/

The Kalamazoo Peace Center located on WMU’s campus works to educate and empower students by providing the tools, knowledge and space necessary for mobilizing around issues of justice and peace and creating effective and positive changes in our community and on our campus. By acting in solidarity on a local level, we hope to contribute to the achievement of social, environmental and economical justice worldwide.

The Wesley Foundation of Kalamazoo has, for the past twenty years, been kind enough to house the Peace Center free of charge in a basement office within their Ministry Center, near the center of WMU’s campus. Use of this office has played a vital role in the Peace Center’s mission. The office provides a place to meet and plan, houses integral resources, and serves as a safe-space on campus. Both student organizations and community groups alike are encouraged to make use of the myriad resources available through the office. In this way, the Peace Center office has become a hub for activism in Kalamazoo.

However, our time in this office will soon be coming to a close, as the Wesley Foundation prepares to move to a new building. Over recent decades, as WMU’s campus has greatly expanded, the current site of the Wesley Foundation has been entirely surrounded by WMU property. Moreover, the existing Wesley Foundation building is in dire need of renovation, which would cost more $1 million in order to bring the building up to modern standards of energy efficiency and accessibility for those with physical disabilities. As it stands, the Wesley Foundation building has three floors, with the restrooms located in the basement and no elevator. Because the Peace Center is located in the basement, it is inaccessible to those who are unable to use the stairs.

Western Michigan University has offered a parcel of land it holds contiguous with the expanded WMU main campus in exchange for the Wesley Foundation’s current building and property, and the Wesley foundation has accepted the proposal. The new building will still be located near the center of WMU’s campus, and the Peace Center’s new office within this building will be an even more welcoming location for student and community activists.

The Kalamazoo Peace Center needs your help to raise $50,000 for the construction of a new office!  That’s a lot of money, but significant progress has already been made toward this investment in a permanent peace and justice space for our community.

Checks for Tax Deductible donations can be made out to the “Wesley Foundation”-simply write “peace center” on the memo line and mail it to:

The Kalamazoo Peace Center, 2101 Wilbur Ave, Kalamazoo Mi, 49007.

Stay tuned for many capital fundraising events in the coming months and a new video appeal.

Kalamazoo needs to keep this resource for peace and justice alive for our community!  Let’s all lend a hand however we can.

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Thanks for all you do,

Daniel Smith

Communications Chair, Kalamazoo Nonviolent Opponents of War (KNOW)

www.kzoo4peace.org

https://www.facebook.com/KalamazooNonviolentOpponentsOfWar