Thursday, May 22, 2008

Body of War at Bear Tooth on Mon. eve. 5/26

Times: 5:30 pm & 7:45 pm Bear Tooth Movies

body of war

Body of War is a documentary following Tomas Young, an Iraq War veteran paralyzed from a bullet to the spine, on a physical and emotional journey as he adapts to his new body and begins to question the decision to go to war in Iraq. From soldier to anti-war activist, the film takes an unflinching view of the physical and emotional aftermath of war through the eyes of an American hero. The film unfolds on two parallel tracks. On the one hand, we see Tomas evolving into a powerful voice against the war as he struggles to deal with the complexities of a paralyzed body. And on the other hand, we see the historic debate unfolding in the Congress about going to war in Iraq.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

FW: VFP Action Alert - Call on Senators to End the War

 


From: Veterans For Peace [mailto:vfp@veteransforpeace.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 5:10 PM
To: jon4paz@acsalaska.net
Subject: VFP Action Alert - Call on Senators to End the War



The following is an email from our partner organization, Military Families Speak Out.  Please do what you can to help oppose this war and occupation by taking action!

There is a way for Congress to end the war in Iraq NOW. Military Families Speak Out is launching a campaign this week to call on Senators who claim to oppose the war in Iraq - including Senators Clinton and Obama --  to lead and sustain a filibuster that will prevent the Senate from passing President Bush's latest funding request to continue the war in Iraq.

This week General Petraeus will come before Congress with the kind of mistruths that facilitated the U.S. invasion of Iraq and have served to keep this unjustifiable war going. Within days or weeks, Congress will be voting on President Bush's most recent war funding request. Elected officials who say they are opposed to the war in Iraq are telling us to elect a new president and in January, 2009 there will be a new strategy to start bringing some troops home. Meanwhile, every day this illegal, immoral war continues,  more of our troops' lives and lives of Iraqi children, women and men of Iraq are lost or put in jeopardy. The time to end the war is NOW, and the only funding that is needed is funding for the swift and safe return of all of our troops, and the care they need when they get home.

Here is what you can do NOW to help:

  • Call Senator Clinton, Senator Obama and your own two Senators and tell them you want them to filibuster the war spending bill. (Phone numbers are below.)
  • Click here to sign MFSO's online petition  supporting a Senate filibuster, and get others to sign on too by forwarding this message to everyone you know..
  • Click here to download our leaflet from our website and pass it out at meetings, concerts, baseball games, the post office -- anywhere people gather in your town.
  • Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper calling on people in your community to press Senator Clinton, Senator Obama, and your Senators to filibuster the war spending bill.
  • If you have a blog or a website, add a links to MFSO's "Call to Action"  and the petition.
  • Click here to make a donation to help support this campaign and all of the work of Military Families Speak Out.

No Senator who says she or he opposes the war should continue to fund it. The filibuster is a tool that all Senators are familiar with, and that can now be used to block the funding that would allow this war to continue. Speak out now and let these Senators hear the powerful voices of military families from across the country, and the voices of our families, neighbors, co-workers and friends delivering the clear message that funding the war is killing our troops!

In Peace and Solidarity,
Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson
Co-founders, Military Families Speak Out
mfso@mfso.org
www.mfso.org

_____________________________________________________________

CALL TO ACTION!

CALL ON SENATOR CLINTON AND SENATOR OBAMA NOW
TO USE THEIR LEADERSHIP
TO END THE WAR IN IRAQ
!


"Let me be clear: there is no military solution in
Iraq, and there never was. The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year - now."
-- Sen. Barack Obama,September 12, 2007

"Our message to the president is clear. It is time to begin ending this war -- not next year, not next month -- but today."
-- Sen. Hillary Clinton,July 10, 2007

On the campaign trail, Senator Obama and Senator Clinton both say that the war in Iraq needs to end. Military Families Speak Out has one question for them: what are they doing now as sitting United States Senators, to bring our loved ones home from Iraq?

Military Families Speak Out is an organization of almost 4,000 military families with loved ones who are serving in Iraq, ready to deploy or re-deploy, have been wounded physically and/or psychologically, or have died as a result of the war in Iraq.  We know first hand the devastation of this war.

We are more than five years into a war that Clinton and Obama say should never have begun. Over 4,000 U.S. troops and, by some estimates, over a million Iraqi children, women, and men have died in this unjustifiable war. Countless more have sustained devastating life long injuries to their bodies, minds, and spirits. More are killed and wounded every day. The suicide rate among active duty and returned Veterans is skyrocketing. We simply can't wait nine more months for a new President to begin a process for ending this war.

And we don't have to: Congress has the power to end the war in Iraq now. The President can't spend a dime on this war without the approval of both houses of Congress. 

A single act of bold leadership by Senator Clinton or Senator Obama could be instrumental in ending this war. When the Senate takes up the next war funding bill, either one of them could lead a filibuster, refusing to stand down until their colleagues agree to vote against any bill that provides funding to continue the war rather than funding specifically for the swift and safe return of all our troops from Iraq. They wouldn't even need a majority of their colleagues to back them up -- all they need is 40 Senators prepared to unite behind their leadership and block additional funding to continue the war from making it through the Senate.

Democrats and Republicans alike have routinely used filibusters and the threat of filibusters around important issues. What could be more important that ending the war in Iraq?

If Senator Clinton and Senator Obama aren't willing to use the power they have now as U.S. Senators to end the war, what makes anyone think they will exercise bold leadership on January 20, 2009? If they fail to take action to stop funding the war that is killing our troops and the Iraqi people, we can only conclude that when their campaigns talk about ending the war, they are just using the memory of the fallen, the sacrifices of our troops, and the grief and pain of our families, for political gain.  

As military families, we appeal to the American people: Call Senator Clinton, Senator, Obama, and your own two Senators and urge them to use the power of the filibuster to block any bill that continues to fund the war in Iraq rather than funding the swift and safe return of our troops. We also call on Congress to appropriate the funds needed for our troops to get the care they need when they return.  

Senator Hillary Clinton -- (202) 224-4451
Senator Barack Obama -- (202) 224-2854
Senate Switchboard -- (800) 828-0498

Click here to find out who your Senators are. 

Click here to sign our online petition.

MILITARY FAMILIES SPEAK OUT
mfso@mfso.org
http://www.mfso.org 


VETERANS WORKING TOGETHER FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE THROUGH NON-VIOLENCE.
Veterans For Peace, 216 S. Meramec, St. Louis, MO 63105, 314-725-6005
www.veteransforpeace.org

 

Veterans For Peace appreciates your generous donations.

We also encourage you to join our ranks.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

FW: [Fwd: Request to Show "Body of War" in Anchorage]

Vets,

I am forwarding a message I received from a local vet who is interested in
working with veterans. I am leaving town on Apr. 10 for a couple of weeks.
If any of you are interested in the suggested direction, please contact
Barbara. Why don't we shoot for a meeting in early May to just touch base
and see if we have any ideas on which to work.

My friend Harry Brod is working with Move-On to get to the congressional
delegation on the cost of the war sometime in April--watch for it.

-----Original Message-----
From: barbara@efn.org [mailto:barbara@efn.org]
Subject: [Fwd: Request to Show "Body of War" in Anchorage]

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Request to Show "Body of War" in Anchorage
From: barbara@efn.org
Date: Wed, March 26, 2008 9:19 pm
To: info@bodyofwar.com
Cc: barbara@efn.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello all,

I am a service-connected disabled veteran (at 40% due to orthopedic
problems) living in Anchorage. The Veterans clinic here (we have no VA
hospital) grossly under serves or just plain does not serve the many Alaska
veterans I have come to know or know about. In particular, I am concerned
about women veterans who experience military service and sexual trauma,
while on active duty, differently from veterans who are men. I have a heart
for the many women veterans who experienced PTSD due to MST (military sexual
trauma) and who have disappeared themselves, largely due to their inability
to arrange VA treatment and compassion because of their invisible wounds and
injuries. Many of these veterans simply cannot manage to put their lives
back together on their own; they just need assistance in arranging the
services they need. The Anchorage VA is just awful.

The circumstance for these women is a problem in my state, but also in our
country. Many women cannot cope after initial attempts at the VA are
followed by humiliating and disrespectful behaviors from VA staff members,
"patient advocates", service organizations, our congressional delegation,
etc.. I haven't even mentioned the misinformation that some VA personnel
perpetrate, so veterans will go away.

In response to all of this, I am working with the Anchorage Small Business
Administration to develop my business. We agree that women are not treated
equitably at the VA and that this is harming a significant number of
returning veterans.

Last evening I learned about the film "Body of War" while listening to
Democracy Now. I was "blown away" as kids say these days. Now I wonder
whether we (me and others in Alaska) could put together a plan for Tomas
(Phil and others?) to visit Anchorage, give a presentation, and show the
remarkable film "Body of War". Such a program would be a fabulous experience
for many of us who who strongly oppose the war (the winners in our primary
elections were Barak Obama and Ron Paul). Not only would this be informative
about something we as voters must know, but it could also serve as a way to
raise money for the many veterans' unmet needs. Does this sound do-able?

I'd like to hear back from you after you are able to consider my request.
I think it is terrific idea that would "work" in Alaska.

Thank you very much, Barbara Bachmeier

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

FW: Please Help, Winter Soldiers - Alaska

 


From: Rob Mulford [mailto:mulford.rob@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 1:14 PM
To: Michael McPhearson; Betsy Reznicek, VFP; Phil Smith; John Dunker; Jon Lockert
Subject: Please Help, Winter Soldiers - Alaska

Peaceful Friends,
 
The recent Winter Soldier hearings will prove, i believe, to be one of the most significant events to date in the antiwar movement.
 
The North Star Chapter (146) of Veterans for Peace is initiating an outreach campaign to engage service persons stationed in Alaska.
We will do what ever we can to facilitate the resistance up here. If there is anyone who cares to share with us their experience, advice or anything useful please contact me at mulford.rob@gmail.com or 907-457-5578.
 
 
 
Thank You for Your Service,
Wage Peace,
rob mulford, North Star Chapter (146) Contact, VFP 

Body of War

 
new film about Iraq veteran by Phil Donohue

Stop Loss

Sunday, March 16, 2008

5th Anniv. Vigil on Wed. 3/19

The candlelight vigil on the early evening of the 19th is being organized by
my friend Harry Brod as part of a nationwide effort sponsored by MoveOn. I
certainly plan on going. However, I find it curious that MoveOn is now
appealing to our economic self-interest--the billions could be better spent
here at home. Maybe this is the angle that will get the people's attention.
Apparently 5 years of clueless military occupation (to say nothing of the
immorality) isn't enough.
 
For those of you who missed Rory Stewart's talk on his experiences in Iraq, he
quietly urged humility. I took this to mean that we have to be willing to
accept that we cannot fix what we have never understood, despite having broken
it with a vengeance.
 
Wednesday, March 19, 5-6 PM  
 
CONTACT:  Harry Brod, 351-2710
                                                 
ANCHORAGE RESIDENTS Gather to Mark 5 Years of Devastating War
 
MoveOn Members in Anchorage urge Congress: "Invest in America, Not Endless War
in Iraq"
 
Candlelight vigil participants will gather in front of Café Felix in the Metro
Mall on Benson Blvd at 5 PM. They will then proceed to the corner of Benson
and New Seward to honor the sacrifices made by our military personnel.
 
ANCHORAGE – Residents of Anchorage will hold a vigil Wednesday to mark the
end of the 5th year that the US has been mired in the devastating war in Iraq.
The event will honor the sacrifice of American soldiers killed in Iraq and
participants will read personal accounts written by veterans and members of
military families affected by the war.
 
In the past five years, our nation has lost nearly 4,000 American
soldiers--and many more Iraqi civilians have been killed in the fighting. With no political
progress in sight and a sinking economy, American voters are questioning the
priorities of leaders who squander billions of dollars in Iraq while leaving
basic needs at home unmet.
 
"It is time to end the war in Iraq and set new priorities for America" said
Harry Brod, a MoveOn.org Political Action member. "We urge Senators Murkowski
and Stevens to pass legislation to begin redeploying American troops out of
Iraq this year and start investing to help folks who are hurting at home."
 
People will gather at candlelight vigils holding signs that say "Invest In
America, Not Endless War In Iraq" and "Keep 'em safe, Bring 'em home."
 
Vigil details:
 
Who: Residents of Anchorage, members of MoveOn.org, members of Alaskans for
Peace and Justice
 
Where: Outside Café Felix in the Metro Mall on Benson Blvd; procession to
Corner of Benson and New Seward
 
When:           Wednesday, March 19, 2008 5-6:00 PM
 
Excellent visuals. People gathering with candles, signs, flowers, and photos.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Donation from VFP to Friendship Village in Vietnam

Vets,
 
I received the following request for donation from one of our members, Judith Moss. Let me know if you have any objections to donating the $100 she is requesting. -- Jon
 
 I am traveling to Vietnam next month for our biennial International Board meeting and 10th anniversary celebration for Friendship Village. I am hoping VFP could donate a small sponsorship so that I might bring some gifts with me (this is importnat protocol for the Vietnamese). We have $395.00 in our account, $100.00 would be nice but any amount would be appreciated. I would tell everyone that our chapter helped! Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Judy

Sunday, February 17, 2008

FUND NOTIFICATION DEPOSIT.

DR. BRIAN ADAMS
Manchester M27 5FX,
United Kingdom.
Tel:+44 70457 19965
An official notification of funds deposited in your name. This fund is already deposited with a security company in Malaysia as a family treasure / Family valuebles for security reasons.Therefore we now wish to inform you that the funds of US$15 Million has been approved for immediate delivery to you as a diplomatic relief package through the help of a diplomatic courier company.
The Requested Information is to ensure that no mistake or error is made and it should be forwarded in the manner stated below:

Your Full Name: __________________________________

Your Complete Address : __________________________

Name of City of Residence: ___________________________
Name of Closest Airport to City of Residence:__________________
Direct Telephone Number: ___________________________

Mobile Number:___ ________________________________

Fax Number:______ ________________________________

Copy of int'l passport,drivers license,or any valid ID card.with Zip Code so that there will be no error during the delivery of the funds to you in your country of residence.

Thank you and I sincerely remain

DR BRIAN ADAMS.