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PEACE CENTER ACTIVIST ALERT
Week of February 17th
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17th, 4 - 5 PM
A DEMONSTRATION OF COMMUNITY
on PRESIDENTS' DAY!
MEET AT THE CORNER OF
MT DIABLO BLVD & MORAGA ROAD
LAFAYETTE
Join our community in asking our national leaders to show
compassion, honesty and commitment to a better future for our
planet and all of its inhabitants.
Share your thoughts and feelings with the broader community
on hand held signs. Focus not on who was elected, but on what
unelected leaders are doing and should be doing for our country!
Ask our own legislators to continue the work of building a
prosperous, equitable, caring and healthy country for all.
JOIN US!
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17th, 6 PM
MCC - EAST BAY - CONFERENCE ROOM
5724 W. LAS POSITAS BLVD. PLEASANTON
IN PERSON or ONLINE
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18th
5 - 6 PM - ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Join CODEPINK Congress as we educate, activate and mobilize for peace legislation!
Amid Trump’s war on immigrants, the Department of Public Education, Department of Justice and agencies too numerous to name, the President made one positive move: calling for an end to the war in Ukraine. Trump told reporters he had a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, during which the leaders agreed to “immediately” start negotiations to end the war.
The same day Trump and Putin spoke by phone, the new US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told America’s European allies, “…we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
In remarks before a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Hegseth said Kyiv joining NATO is “unrealistic” and hinted the US would no longer pick up Ukraine’s security tab, which is now at $175 billion. For the Trump White House, Ukraine is Europe’s headache. The new President has other priorities, namely sending ICE into schools, churches and neighborhoods to arrest immigrants, and confronting China.
Meanwhile, Trump says he wants to restart nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China to cut nuclear budgets in half–a statement in a stark departure from Trump’s withdrawal from nuclear arms control treaties in the past.
Join us as we discuss the outlines of a Putin-Trump-Zelinsky peace deal and the possibility of denuclearization.
RSVP: Grace Siegelman · grace@codepink.org
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WENESDAY, FEBRUARY 19th,
11 AM - 1:30 PM
INTERFAITH MOVEMENT FOR
HUMAN INTEGRITY
ADDRESSING SANCTUARY MOVEMENT
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20th, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
SODA ACTIVITY CENTER, St. MARY'S COLLEGE
1928 ST. MARY'S ROAD, MORAGA
CONGRESSMAN DESAULNIER HOSTS A TOWN HALL
CLICK HERE TO RSVP
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd, 12 - 6 PM
5724 W. Las Positas Blvd., #300, Pleasanton
Pre-Ramadan Fundraiser/Bazaar
GATHER FOR GAZA
Join us for a Fundraising Festival in support of Gaza, featuring MCC’s annual pre-Ramadan Bazaar.
Our family-friendly and free festival will include storytime, rock painting, crafts for children, face painting, henna, spoken word, dabke performances and more.
We will have a diverse array of vendors present. You can purchase food, drinks, apartheid-free cola, hijabs, abayas, products from Palestine, bukhoor, artwork, apartheid-free dates, desi clothes, jewelry and more.
MORE INFO CLICK HERE
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd
WORLDWIDE
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON LOCAL ACTION
MAIN GATE AT TRAVIS AFB - FAIRFIELD CA,
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd, 2 PM
Imagine if on one day people on all continents and in all countries turned out to rally against and demand the closure of all military bases.
Don't just imagine it!
Find the event nearest you or let us help you create one and add it to the map!
The Earth is coated in military bases, spreading like a pandemic: foreign ones, domestic ones, famous ones, secret ones — part of a growing and disastrous global increase in spending on wars and preparations for wars that make wars more, not less, likely. And prime targets in wars are bases and anything near them.
Bases are many of the worst environmental disaster sites, polluting air, soil, and water, and generating horrific noise pollution.
Foreign bases are often mini-apartheid states with second-class status for locals and criminal immunity for militaries — a situation that can often be traced back to stolen land and other injustices.
Check out and share the new video at DayToCloseBases.org.
Through public pressure, bases have been closed, plans for bases have been blocked, and bases have been converted to other purposes, superior environmentally, economically, and in terms of achieving peace.
On February 23 people will be protesting bases with nonviolent actions around the world: rallies, vigils, peace festivals, protests, lobby visits, demonstrations, flyering at gates, teach-ins, and celebrations where bases have been prevented or closed and converted into something useful.
Find an event near you or see how easy it is to create one at DayToCloseBases.org.
Some of the many organizations involved are:
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Suggested readings/videos/podcasts:
"A rapid series of events over just the past few days has some political analysts saying the 80-year, U.S.-dominated Western alliance is crumbling under the force of a radical break by the new Trump administration with the decades-old Atlantic consensus after just three weeks in office.
A phone call between the U.S. and Russian presidents, a remark by Trump to cut military spending by half, an address at NATO HQ by the new U.S. secretary of defense, a provocative speech by the U.S. vice president at the Munich Security Conference, the beginning of U.S.-Russia peace talks without Ukraine or Europe and U.S.-Russian discussions on lifting sanctions this week has left the Western World spinning. Is the Post-War Alliance Doomed? Is the West Dead?"
Guests: Scott Ritter, Ray McGovern, Patrick Lawrence. Hosts: Joe Lauria and Elizabeth Vos. Producer: Cathy Vogan. 3hrs 15m
"The path from the atrocities of Nuremberg and Tuskegee to today’s robust ethics of medical research has not been easy.
In response to these horrific events, a remarkable global consensus emerged, across countries in very different parts of the world and with very different types of governments: Medical researchers, and the institutions and companies who fund their work, are bound by a series of ethical obligations. These obligations are designed to protect and respect the interests of people who participate in their research. They include minimizing foreseeable harms to participants and keeping the promises that researchers make to study volunteers."
"Staff layoffs. Slashed budgets. Canceled conferences. We take a look at the effects of the Trump administration’s defunding of health and science research with science reporter Angus Chen. Chen, who reports on cancer research, says cuts to the National Institutes of Health are creating a “really serious chilling effect on the scientific community,” and warns that “the loss of research in the U.S. would not just be a loss to American patients, but to people all around the world.”
From last week:
DEMOCRACY NOW - AMY GOODMAN INTERVIEWS PETER BEINHART ON HIS NEW BOOK, "BEING JEWISH AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF GAZA, A RECKONING"
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IT WAS A BUSY YEAR!
Thanks to the regular support of our members, other donors and fundraising events, we've managed to initiate and/or assist in the organization of a good number of important events and impactful programming.
PEACE CENTER EVENTS FROM 2024 THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE!
Now, more than ever, we must coordinate our community efforts towards making the world a more peaceful and safer place to live.
WOULD YOU CONSIDER MAKING A
DONATION TO THE CENTER?
WE THANK YOU!
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As a small non-profit, we rely heavily on donations to keep our doors open!
Use the QR code below or access the donation link on our website: https://ourpeacecenter.org/donate/
To send checks directly to the Center -
Make payable to: Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center
and mail to our address at 1035 Carol Lane - Lafayette, CA 94549.
The Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center is a tax-deductible 501 (c)(3) non-profit.
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ADDITIONAL ONLINE SOURCES FOR ACTIONS and INFORMATION ON PALESTINE/GAZA | |
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World BEYOND War has
a DIVESTMENT campaign!
About the Campaign
Grassroots-led war divestment campaigns are springing up all over the world, from students organizing to divest university endowments, to municipalities and states coming together to divest public pension funds. Divestment means organizing to remove public and private assets from weapons manufacturers, military contractors, and war profiteers.
Public pension and retirement funds especially are often invested, directly and indirectly, in weapons companies. Teachers and other public servants whose interests lie with promoting human needs have their retirement security tied up with maintaining or enlarging the war industry. Every dollar currently invested in weapons and war is a dollar that could be better spent on job creation, education, housing, healthcare, food security, and so much more.
War profiteering is largely normalized today. We’re working to stigmatize the war machine. World BEYOND War assists divestment campaigns led by our chapters, affiliates, other coalitions, and individuals around the world.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN HERE
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NOW WHAT????
The Frontlines event on May 4th was very powerful and emotional.
FRONTLINE EVENT WAS REPORTED ON LOCAL NEWS!
We heard from several attendees that they felt compelled to act in a meaningful way. Sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming... where do we start?
In terms of direct aid going to Gaza specifically, we recommend Baitulmaal, who have been able to get aid in.
The other organization we recommend is HEAL Palestine which is focused on rebuilding and rehabilitating Gaza. Its founders are the same founders of PCRF.
There is also Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) which evacuates children who are in need of medical treatment abroad and Medical Aid for Palestinians which offers medical services to Palestinians in Palestine and Palestinian refugees in neighboring countries.
For a full list of resources, you can access the document we put together: tinyurl.com/FrontlinesResources
One thing we are asked to do, again and again, from the people in Gaza is to raise awareness about their situation. Talk to your nearest and dearest about the ongoing genocide.
Remember, we all have a role to play and collectively, our small actions add up. Don't give up, keep raising awareness, keep boycotting, keep donating, keep advocating, KEEP CALLING YOUR LOCAL REPS!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
- From the Frontlines Organization Team
MORE UPDATES COMING SOON! WATCH THIS SPACE!
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This website provides comprehensive information including events & campaigns
CHECK HERE FOR LINKS TO REACH OUT TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES!
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Includes a frequently updated
calendar of local events
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Peace work in the Quaker tradition
American Friends Service Committee
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BOYCOTT
DIVESTMENT and SANCTIONS!
CHECK OUT THIS HANDY APP!
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Peace is Possible!
Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center
at Creekside Commons
1035 Carol Lane
Lafayette, CA 94549
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