May , 2013
Nonviolent Peacemaking Programs
Many Ways of Peace

Tuesday, May 21, Noon - 1PM, Peace Cafe, "Fresh, Local Food for Everyone: Eagle River Farmers Market", with John Seward, Director of Eagle River Revitalization Program and Gary Fawcett, Farmers Market manager. $6 /person. Call 715.480.4697 or email us for reservations.

Thursday, May 23, 6:30PM, The True Cost of Mining for Jobs, with Tyler of the Beehive Design Collective of Machias, Maine. This high energy, interactive graphics-based picture-lecture will focus on mining in Wisconsin. With a gigantic portable mural teeming with intricate images of native plants and animals Wisconsinites will instantly recognize, the Bees' mission is to "cross-pollinate the grassroots," drawing audiences together around common experiences and hopeful possibilities for collective action.

Thursday, May 30, 6:30-8:00PM, Fresh Tips for Making the Most of Summer's Vegetables with Jenny Tuckey of Everygood Far and Debiee Jircik of Many Ways of Peace/Seed to Seed Edible Garden Program. Recipes and samples to try.

Monday, May 13, 2-4PM, Protecting Palestinian Childdren and Human Rights in the West Bank. Cassandra Dixon just returned from her eighth trip to the West Bank as a member of a Christian Peacemaker Team which provides protective presence and human rights documentation with a focus on children in the city of Hebron. Hear heart-rending stories of human rights abuses of Palestinian children and efforts to aid them.

Monday, May 6, 6:30-8:30PM, FIVE BROKEN CAMERAS. This Sundance Festival Award-winning film presents a personal first-hand account of the life and nonviolence resistance in a West Bank viullage surrounded by Israeli settlements. The film was shot by Palestinia farmer Emad Burnat, who co-directed the film with Iraeli Guy Davidi.

Wednesdays, 11:30AM-12:50PM, Yoga with Betsy Schussler, registered Yoga teacher (Yoga Alliance RYT-500). Newcomers and beginners are always welcome. $8/session, 50% of revenue is returned to Many Ways of Peace to support programs. Class meets upper level, outside stairs at back of building.

On-going programs you're welcome to join anytime:

Mondays, 9-10AM, Guided Sitting and Walking Meditation in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, conducted by Mary Jo Berner

Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30PM, Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful Gardening, led by Debbie Jircik amd LynnAnn Thomas

Tuesdays, 1:30-3PM: Compassionate Communication, learning and practice sessions based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg, author of Nonviolent Communication: a Language of Life. Coordinated by Lyn Pietela and Donna DePape.

 

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By: Mary Jo Berner, creator and producer of the series

For four Monday nights--January 28 through February 18--we came to Many Ways of Peace to learn about drones. You might have heard of the administration's "kill list". You've certainly heard about drones. But much about our government's deployment of drones remains shrouded in secrecy. What is not a secret, however, is the rapid rise of drones as the "weapon of choice" by the military and CIA following 9/11.

After Pat Chaffee's presentation (January 28) about her visit to Pakistan and what life is like for Pakistanis living under our drones 24/7, we began to have a sense that there is more to drones than we had anticipated. Pat is a sister in the Dominican order located in Racine. She went to Pakistan in October, 2012, with a Code Pink delegation to protest US drone strikes in that country. Here is a link to an important and revealing BBC special report,
"The Secret Drone War", she showed us.
Even if you watched it once, it's worth seeing again!

Ethan Cummings, moderartor and facilitator for the entire KILLING BY
REMOTE CONTROL: DRONE WARFARE series, conducted the second program, Drones 101: how they evolved into killing machines in remotely piloted war (February 4). Ethan's presentation was packed with information critical to a basic understanding the issues swirling around the use of drones primarily by the military, CIA, and the State department. Ethan's program primed us for the Senate Intelligence committee's hearing later that same week on the Obama administration's nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA. Brennan serves as Obama's counter-terrorism chief, with responsibility for the drone program. Here are links to the videos shown during the program::

Code Pink's Medea Benjamin Brings Voices of Pakistani Drone Victims to Obama Inauguration

Drone Strikes: Where Are Obama's Tears for Those Child Victims?

Drones: Less Distance from War

Living Under Drones

The third program (February 11) featured a panel discussion on drones with area religious leaders. Seated from left, Fr. Dean Einerson, rector of St. Augustine's Episcopal church in Rhinelander; Dale Bishop, former pastor of First Congregational-UCC church in Rhinelander; and Jerry Woolpy, who is active in the Jewish Reform congregation in Wausau. Fr. Robert Koszarek, pastor of St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic parish in Eagle River, was unable to participate on the panel because of a family funeral. Following presentations by each of the panelists, the audience was invited to ask questions and make comments.

Our guests for the final program on February 18 were activists from No Drones Wisconsin and WI Coalition to Ground the Drones and Stop the
Wars. Lars Prip, left, and David Soumis brought the Reaper drone replica to display for the evening's program.

Bonnie Block is a longtime peace activist who explained she works to ground the drones because she thinks they are illegal, immoral, and ineffective. "I want a safer, more just, and peaceful world for my grandchildren to live in."

Joining Bonnie were Lars Prip of Janesville and David Soumis of Madison, who started the Drone Working Group within national Veterans for Peace. David also attended the International Drone Summit in Washington, DC, and runs No Drones Wisconsin. David says we need to stop the militarization of the United States, bring our troops home, and bring peace and harmony to all on the earth.

If you attended any of the programs in the series, your feedback would be most appreciated.

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