PDX Peace
Member Newsletter &
PDX Peace Action Alerts
PDXRadio PDX Peace is a Portland, Oregon area
coalition focused on the immediate goal of ending the war in Iraq and
bringing US troops home. We are committed to U.S. policies based on
democratic principles, human rights, and nonviolent resolution to
conflict.
What does the recent
national election
mean to the anti-war
movement?
6:30-7:30
UFPJ Discussion
PDX Peace recently
joined
United for Peace and
Justice
In this hour we will
discuss sending
delegates to the
national convention
and compile feedback
for UFPJ National
Conference. Review
draft documents.
7:30-9:00
Post-Election
discussion. How do
the election results
affect PDX Peace
work? What is our
best strategy for
ending the wars in
Iraq and
Afghanistan?
Multnomah
Friends Meetinghouse
4312 SE. Stark
Street, Portland
Monday, November 17,
2008 - 6:30pm
The next meeting for PDX Peace will be Monday, November
17th at Multnomah
Friends Meeting House on
SE 43rd Ave & SE Stark
St. The UFPJ Discussion
will begin at 6:30pm and
run until 7:30pm. The
Post-Election Discussion
will be from
7:30-9:00pm. If you are
planning to attend the
meeting (one or both
parts) please read the
information below. Due
to time constraints,
both sessions include
some homework that will
need to be done in
advance, so please come
prepared!! See you
Monday!
PDX Peace
Meeting
Monday,
November 17th
Multnomah Friends
Meeting House
SE 43rd Ave. and SE
Stark St.
UFPJ Discussion
6:30pm-7:30pm
Facilitator: Kelly
Campbell
I. Overview &
Introductions (10)
II. Unity Statement &
Strategic Framework (20)
III. Voting for
Representatives for UFPJ
Conference (10)
IV. Program Outline (20)
*Homework: Please
review the UFPJ
materials and discussion
questions. There are
three documents for your
review: the Unity
Statement, the Strategic
Framework, and the 2009
Program Outline. You can
follow the links on the
page above to access
these documents. Please
review the documents
carefully and then
consider the discussion
questions which are
included on the page
linked above. Since this
meeting is only one
hour, we will not have
time to review the
documents at the
meeting. Please be sure
to read the documents in
advance and come with
specific feedback
related to the
discussion questions in
order to move the
meeting along quickly.
There are further
instructions on the
website. If you have any
questions, please
contact the Coordinating
Committee at
coordinatingcommittee@lists.pdxpeace.org.
Post-Election
Discussion
7:30pm-9:00pm
Facilitator: Alex Cooper
I. Overview,
Introductions, Ground
Rules (10)
II. Brainstorm: How do
the election results
impact the work of the
peace movement and PDX
Peace? How will they
impact the three major
projects of PDX Peace:
the Sanctuary City
Campaign, the Keep the
Guard Home Campaign, and
a potential Spring 2009
mobilization?
a. What
openings/opportunities
have been created? (20)
b. What challenges might
exist? (20)
c. What issues/topics
should we take on in the
coming year? (20)
d. What are the best
strategies/tactics to
use? (20)
III. Wrap-Up
*Homework: Please
carefully consider the
questions listed under
agenda item II above.
Please bring specific
ideas and feedback
related to these
questions to share with
the group. If you are
unable to attend the
meeting but would like
to share feedback on
these questions, please
contact the Coordinating
Committee at
coordinatingcommittee@lists.pdxpeace.org.
Want to End the War?Make Portland a Sanctuary for GI
Resisters!
We are working to
create a sanctuary city for members of
the US military who are exercising their
rights to object to an illegal war. The
PDX Peace coalition is asking Portland
City Council to adopt an ordinance
instructing city police to not act on
federal absent without leave (AWOL)
orders. We are developing resources to
assist soldiers and veterans in the
Portland area. For more information
check out the Sanctuary City FAQ.
Exit Wounds: Combat Trauma and Trials of Homecoming
Photos of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans by
Jim Lommasson.
Over two thousand photos by the soldiers taken while
in country, including interviews and writing by the
soldiers.
New American Art Union
October 17 to November 30, 2008
Reception: Friday, October 17, 6-9.
922 SE Ankeny Street
Portland, OR 97214
Thursday - Sunday, Noon - 6PM + By appointment.
The Myth of Return
Photographer Jim Lommasson will present a
series of photographs and interviews with American
veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The
soldiers speak the truth about war, their
participation, and the effects on themselves and
those caught in the crossfire. This exhibit
examines and raises questions about a generation of
soldiers largely invisible to the American public.
The stories are profound and timeless. Returning
soldiers have always had to process the real and
transformative traumas of battle while integrating
into a new civilian culture that lacks the clarity,
meaning, and sense of ‘mission’ that war can
provide. But how will these returning ‘silent
warriors’ shape the social fabric into which they
must now incorporate? With bodies and minds
completely attuned to the violence and exigencies of
war, what is the psychic space these young veterans
inhabit after their tours? What happens when
battle-bred virtues, such as a heroic disregard for
one’s life and pain, become a liability or even
contemptible in their new home? Exit Wounds looks at
some of the trials of reintegration for this
generation of invisible warriors and asks whether
they do in fact get to ‘come home.’
Help the PDX Peace Coalition plan where we go next
on our campaign to make Portland a sanctuary city
for GI resisters and supporting the statewide
camapign to keep the Oregon National Guard in
Oregon. We will be meeting at the American Friends
Service Committee office, 2249 E. Burnside, Portland
7:30 pm. All PDX Peace members are welcome to
attend!
Where:
Pioneer Courthouse Square, SW Broadway and
Morrison.
Organization: Women’s International League for
Peace and Freedom.
Contact: (503) 595-5390
Website: http://portland.wilpf.org/
Voices of Veterans: A Welcome Home Ceremony
For veterans from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other wars
First Unitarian Church ~ Portland, OR
On Veterans
Day, Tuesday, November 11th at the First Unitarian
Church in Portland, Oregon, Mosaic Multicultural
Foundation presents a public gathering that brings
together veterans of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and community members in a ceremony of
honoring, healing, and welcoming home. Such a
welcoming involves a community conversation that
moves beyond politics and goes deeper than the
rhetoric of war; it requires courage and is
too-often avoided. It begins with tragedy and loss,
the aftermath of any war, and requires the language
of poetry and story as well as the dignity of
ceremony.
Voices of Veterans: A Welcome Home Ceremony
allows citizens to become compassionate witnesses
and agents in the healing that can happen when the
burdens of war becomes shared by the larger
community. As one veteran writes in a poem:
"Can we create a village as strong as a war?"
The Welcome Home Ceremony will draw upon
intensive work with veterans that begins in a five
day retreat that focuses upon healing from the
effects of combat and dealing with the
post-traumatic stresses that follow exposure to
modern warfare. The retreat will be facilitated by
Michael Meade, a Vietnam era veteran, noted
mythologist, author, and storyteller, along with
veterans from other wars and experts in the field of
trauma recovery.
To arrange interviews with Michael Meade,
veterans from past retreats, or for more information
please contact Peter Fedofsky at Mosaic
Multicultural Foundation 206-935-3665 or email
info@mosaicvoices.org.
Exit Wounds: Combat Trauma and Trials of Homecoming
Photos of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans by
Jim Lommasson.
Over two thousand photos by the soldiers taken while
in country, including interviews and writing by the
soldiers.
New American Art Union
October 17 to November 30, 2008
Reception: Friday, October 17, 6-9.
922 SE Ankeny Street
Portland, OR 97214
Thursday - Sunday, Noon - 6PM + By appointment.
The Myth of Return
Photographer Jim Lommasson will present a
series of photographs and interviews with American
veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The
soldiers speak the truth about war, their
participation, and the effects on themselves and
those caught in the crossfire. This exhibit
examines and raises questions about a generation of
soldiers largely invisible to the American public.
The stories are profound and timeless. Returning
soldiers have always had to process the real and
transformative traumas of battle while integrating
into a new civilian culture that lacks the clarity,
meaning, and sense of ‘mission’ that war can
provide. But how will these returning ‘silent
warriors’ shape the social fabric into which they
must now incorporate? With bodies and minds
completely attuned to the violence and exigencies of
war, what is the psychic space these young veterans
inhabit after their tours? What happens when
battle-bred virtues, such as a heroic disregard for
one’s life and pain, become a liability or even
contemptible in their new home? Exit Wounds looks at
some of the trials of reintegration for this
generation of invisible warriors and asks whether
they do in fact get to ‘come home.’
Exit Wounds: Combat Trauma and Trials of Homecoming
