WILPF NEWS
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
East Bay Branch
Visit our web page www.WILPFEastBay.org
Contact us at wilpf@wilpfeastbay.org
Meetings are 2nd Saturday of the Month 10am-noon
110 41st St. (Piedmont Gardens) just off Piedmont Avenue in Oakland.
You are invited to join us Saturday
November 10, 10:00 AM meeting
National Election Tuesday, November 6th Vote!!!
Last Monday, East Bay WILPFers handed out state voter guides at Rockridge BART and Kaiser Hospital. (See guide below) Folks seemed grateful to get peace women’s recommendations. We will be handing them out again the day before the election, Monday, November 5th from 5-6pm at Rockridge BART. Come join us. If you need a ride, email us at wilpf@wilpfeastbay.org
East Bay WILPF suggests vote NO on Prop 35 – WILPF has long help positions against human trafficking, but this proposition expands the definition of human trafficking and will lump unsophisticated street level criminals in with highly organized trafficking cartels. It could also put people who are working with sex workers and other victims at risk of being labelled sex traffickers themselves. For a thoughtful analysis of this and other propositions, go to the Friends Committee on Legislation:
www.FCLCA.org/legislative-issues/ballot-propositions.html
Ban Uranium Weapons
Change the US UN vote on depleted uranium weapons this Fall
Depleted uranium (DU) weapons are chemically toxic and radioactive conventional weapons designed to pierce armor. They were used by the US in the 1991 Gulf War, in the Balkans in the mid and late 1990’s and again in Iraq in the 2003 occupation. Upon impact with hard targets, DU munitions burn generating a fine dust that may be inhaled by civilians and soldiers alike. Intact munitions or fragments slowly break down, contaminating soils and groundwater. Since 1991, reports have come from Iraq of increasing numbers of cases of childhood leukemia and birth defects which may be the result of DU exposure. DU contaminates the environment and is very expensive and difficult to clean up. These weapons are inherently indiscriminate and need to be banned. Other countries are moving to prohibit the use of DU weapons but the US and other DU users are standing in the way of progress.
ACTION: Go to http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/change-the-us-un-vote-on-depleted-uranium-weapons-this-fall sign the petition to the UN banning depleted uranium. This was started by a WILPF Cluster.
POETS AGAINST THE WAR
Nancy Hanawi, former professor of Peace Studies at UC Berkeley, in her monthly presentation on Peace at our meeting on Saturday introduced us to Sam Hamill’s Poets Against the War. This is a selection from over 11,000 poems and statements of conscience that were sent to the White House in response to Barbara Bush’s proposed White House poetry conference in 2003 during the Iraq War. This outpouring of anti-war sentiment resulted in the White House canceling the event.
SUPPORT A STRONG VOICE FOR PEACE IN WASHINGTON
Support the creation of a cabinet level Department of Peace,
HR 808 Department of Peace Act of 2011, introduced in 2011 by Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] with 63 cosponsors.
The Department of Peace and Nonviolence would serve to promote non-violence as an organizing principle in our society, and help to create the conditions for a more peaceful world. It would include the establishment of a “Peace Day,” in which all citizens will be encouraged to observe and celebrate the blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace on that day.
Additionally, in the 111th Congress the bill language was updated to reflect the many advances in the study of conflict resolution and analysis since 2001. Congressman Kucinich has added a “Cultural Diplomacy for Peace Grant” program under which the Secretary shall make grants to schools, non-profits, and non-governmental organizations to develop international cultural exchanges, including the arts and sports. Congressman Kucinich is hopeful that this grant program will promote diplomacy and cultural understanding between the United States and members of the international community.
From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World
16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
WILPF-US joins the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) at Rutgars University. They are pleased to share with you the Take Action Kit for the 2012 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign Nov 25-Dec 10. This year’s Campaign continues with the global theme, “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World,” and marks our third year of advocacy on the intersections of gender-based violence and militarism. Militarism remains a key source of gender-based violence, and has grave consequences for the safety and security of our society as a whole, including women, children, and men. As the Campaign’s global coordinator, CWGL looks forward to engaging with participants to challenge militarism and explore the deep socioeconomic structures that perpetuate gender-based violence.
Building on feedback from participants during the 2011 Campaign, this year’s 16 Days Campaign highlights three priority areas: (a) violence perpetuated by state actors; (b) domestic violence and the role of small arms; and (c) sexual violence during and after conflict.
The 16 Days Campaign provides an opportunity to reflect on what we, as women’s rights activists, can do to hold our governments to account and challenge the structures that allow gender-based violence to continue. As always, CWGL encourages activists to utilize the 16 Days Campaign to focus on the issues that are most relevant to their local contexts.
From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World:
Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!
Links to all of the materials in the Kit are available online at:
http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/2012-campaign/2012-take-action-kit.
Minutes of October 13, 2013
Voted to approve the endorsement of state propositions printed above. Voted to endorse New Priorities.
For Non-Partisan analysis of the 2012 ballot measures
Legislative Analyst’s Office
www.lao.ca.gov
Friends Committee on Legislation
www.FCLCA.org/legislative-issues/ballot-propositions.html
League of Women Voters
www.ca.lwv.org/action/prop1211/index.html
Project Vote Smart
www.votesmart.org
Important Dates for 2012 General Election
Monday October 22
Last day to register to vote
Tuesday October 30
Last day to apply for a
vote-by-mail ballot by mail
Tuesday November 6
Election Day
Polls open 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
WILPF-CALIFORNIA supports YES on Props 36, 37 and 40, NO on Prop 32.
East Bay WILPF supports the following propositions and Urges you to vote:
YES on Prop 30 – temporary education tax.
NO on Prop 31 – state taxes and local government.
NO! on Prop 32 – bans union payroll deductions for political purposes but doesn’t control corporate spending on elections.
NO on Prop 33 – auto insurance pricing.
YES on Prop 34 – death penalty repeal.
NO on Prop 35 – human trafficking penalties.
YES! on Prop 36 – revises the three strikes law.
YES! on Prop 37 – mandates labeling of all GMO altered foods.
NO on Prop 38 – tax for education
YES on Prop 39 – multi-state business tax.
YES! on Prop 40 – keeps the State Senate Districts drawn by the Citizen’s Commission in 2011.
