I heard this on 91.7FM today. It is about war and peace, healing and reconciliation, and the potential for transformation of enemies into friendship.

From Peace Talks Radio: Healing Journey's to Vietnam.

Pericval Landing peace vigil, Friday 17 June 2011, Olympia!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7vGqVJhF0o

More information about Richard's travel to Gaza: lopeztogaza.wordpress.com/

For those of you who missed it, Congressman Kucinich visited Olympia this past President's Day, Monday the 21st of February. He attended a labor rally in the Legislative Building, and then he spoke at the Capitol Theater to benefit the Olympia chapters of FOR (Fellowship of Reconciliation, Olympia FOR) and VFP (Veterans for Peace VFP 109.) The Capitol Theater event is available for viewing on TCTV (Thurston Community Television) as well as on the Internet. Internet embeds are included here, with link to the blip pages. Also included below the fold are the scheduled airtimes on TCTV!

The True Cost of War - Rep. Dennis Kucinich

Rep. Dennis Kucinich - Q &A "The True Cost of War"

Quote by Gandhi
Photo from Pacific Ocean Beach at Ocean Shores, December 2009

I watched the 9/11 truth Oly FOR program today at Glen's house, and I recommend it. (He's also telling the truth about the free popcorn.) The TV program is very thoughtful. It does honor to those who were killed on 9/11/01. And it lends credibility to the movement investigating 9/11 for public accountability. I received this via email from Glen Anderson:

“9-11 Truth: Is It OK to Ask Questions?” You have two more opportunities (THURS SEPT 25 at 9:00 p.m. and MON SEPT 29 at 1:30 p.m.) to watch the Olympia FOR’s TCTV programs about what really happened on 9-11-2001. In case you don’t have cable or live outside of Thurston County, you may borrow a DVD or VHS copy, or you may watch it at Glen Anderson’s home with free popcorn.

For more than 21 years the Olympia FOR has produced one-hour TV programs on issues related to peace, social justice, economics, the environment, and nonviolence. The Olympia FOR’s program airs on Thurston Community Television (TCTV), channel 22 for Thurston County’s cable TV subscribers. Each program airs EVERY Monday at 1:30 p.m. and EVERY Thursday at 9:00 p.m. for a full month. This creates many opportunities to watch each program.

“9-11 Truth: Is It OK to Ask Questions?”

I saw this at the movie theater in Lacey:

Join the National Guard - it's practically like being a race car driver or a rock star.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold it right there!

- Actually, when you join the military, you will be trained to kill human beings.

While there are some similarities with race car driving, the truth is that it's very, very different.

I lined up for this photograph after the regularly scheduled Friday evening Percival Landing peace vigil. The vigil is sponsored by the Olympia F.O.R.. The Friday afternoon/evening vigil has been ongoing on a weekly basis for almost 10 years (since November 1998.)

A similar weekly vigil occurs on Wednesdays from 12 o'clock Noon until 1 pm at the corner of Capitol Way and Legion Avenue, Sylvester Park. The Wednesday vigil has been ongoing weekly for over 28 years, since March 5th, 1980.

Here's me in the picture.

Photo and sign by Glen Anderson of the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation.

Insist that public officials tell the truth.

Stop the war! and...

Create a culture of peace, justice, nonviolence and sustainability!

more information about the t-shirt, including how you can purchase your own: Bush Lied: They Died

May Day 2008 in Olympia Washington went down with a bang when a (fractional) faction of the protest turned violent. Members of the "Black Bloc" threw rocks at several windows on at least two different bank buildings. Bank employees and customers were inside the buildings when this happened.

I was there - the whole afternoon. Up until the broken windows, the protests were peaceful and nonviolent. Although some of the speeches made me uncomfortable, and some of the speakers made statements that I certainly wasn't in complete agreement with, I felt enough solidarity to stick with the protest even after the Capitol Building was defaced with graffiti.

In fact, I wasn't really uncomfortable with the demeanor of the protest (besides the graffiti on the Capitol Building) until about 10 minutes prior to the first rock throwing incident. I noticed feelings of discomfort in regard to the tone of the protest when a certain vocal group (identity unknown to me) decided to lead the march down a one-way street directionally opposed to the flow of traffic. This move seemed somewhat unsafe, and it also seemed antagonistic toward drivers on 4th Ave, who had varying degrees of understanding about, and appreciation for, the protesters who were marching. I would have felt more comfortable and would have preferred, for example, to take State Ave. West, instead of marching in opposition to the one-way flow of traffic, and then to do a loop back toward the East on 4th Ave. My discomfort makes me curious; I wonder if anyone else was made uncomfortable by this decision to march against the flow of traffic. I was also additionally uncomfortable with the antagonistic and hostile chanting (yelling) of the slogan "Tear it down". Does that slogan possibly scare people and does it turn people off to the movement?

From The Olympian:

go to original

...

Bush asked for $70 billion as an "emergency allowance" for war costs for the first part of the budget year, which begins Oct. 1, and the White House said, without citing a specific figure, that it would request more for 2009 "once the specific needs of our troops are better known." If the current rate of war spending is a guide, the additional request for 2009 is likely to exceed $100 billion.

...

"The specific needs of our troops..."!?

The specific need of our troops is to be protected from assault and abuse - and all enemies (including political enemies) foreign and domestic.

I allege that certain members of the Bush Administration are the enemies of the troops because those officials have lied to our uniformed service personnel repeatedly in re: the necessity of war in Iraq.

Iraq did not pose a threat. The war is about global domination (of which oil is a necessary ingredient.)

Our troops need the truth! They need an end to illegal and unjustified military aggression!

Many of society's current stresses and strains can be traced to unethical behavior. Some are quick to assume personal benefit - even if it is at the sake of another's well-being.

The planet is suffering. The oceans' fish stocks are in decline and commercial fishing (of wild stock) is expected to fail before mid-century. Human society is causing global warming, the pH of oceans is rising with the absorption of massive amounts of carbon. Humans kill each other over territory and resources. Innocent people are hurting because of the specific actions of others.

I am interested in discussing how ethical decision making (or the lack thereof) in business and government affects the individual and society.