Thank you for a successful Peace Party!

Dear Friends,
The words, “thank you” do not come close to expressing the emotion, the gratitude and the pride I feel
as I look back to the generous contributions of time, energy, money, muscle, food, services, gifts and so much
more that was given to us last Sunday to make our peace party a success. And it was a very wonderful
success. We had a record number of donations and close to 100 volunteers that made it all come together on
Sunday. It was a perfect example of community. Many people do not know that the Peace Center relies
entirely on the money we receive from the public to survive. And for 23 years, the public – our community –
has come through for us, throughout the year in memberships and donations and especially at the peace
party. Check out the list of donors and volunteers at
http://www.jrpc.org/pdf_files/Peace%20Party/2009/Donor%20list.pdf – and make a point to thank them
yourself! Thanks to all of you, we will forge ahead into the future to teach our children, to learn and to work
alongside you in order to leave a better world to those who come behind us.
With much gratitude for each and every one of you,
Betsy

Community Building/ Peace Party!

Dear peace community,

To make peace, we must build community. And each of us must know that we “belong” to this community we are building. For the past weeks, I’ve been experiencing a community take shape around me. Every year, I wonder and worry if everything will get done and come together for the peace party, because we count on this event to help us make ends meet through the year. But most important, this event celebrates us as a community. It is important that we find what feeds us for the journey we are on – whether that is fun, camaraderie or that special auction item – the peace party must also nurture us as individuals and as a community. There are few times that we all come together to see ourselves as a group and know that we are part of something much bigger than one individual or idea. I’ve watched as the hard-working volunteers and council members arranged all the details of Sunday’s party (see the calendar listing below). I’ve said “thank you” as a near record number of donations comes in to support our event. And I’ve delighted to see familiar faces – my friends and community — come in to buy tickets. And what fun it has been to hear everyone planning their 1969 outfits! “You, who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by and so become yourself…” Teaching our children well, that is our theme and the reason we all do this work, so our children know about building community and making peace. Don’t let us miss you on Sunday, Come to Caras Park from 4 to 9 pm and join the circle of peace, love and music. Better yet, expand the community by bringing your friends.

I’ll be waiting to see you,
Betsy

Betsy Mulligan-Dague’s speech to EWAM at the Festival of Peace

Click to view Betsy’s speech from the Festival of Peace on 9/6/09.

Betsy Mulligan-Dague – Peace Festival 9/6/2009 from Harold Shinsato on Vimeo.

Confronting our Nation’s Issues with open hearts and minds

Dear Friends,
As we proceed to fall of 2009, it seems like another roller coaster year! Could we say the same about
this decade? Starting with y2k scare, Sept 11th and other events, we seem to be constantly surrounded with
uncertainty and unease. Whether it is terrorism, economy, wars, global warming or health care reform, the
discussions seem to lead to our habits, fears and costs. As a nation, we have endured a lot this decade. With
our nerves frayed on issues and solutions, we are constantly asked to adapt and change. What is a new
normal to some is an overwhelming change to others. All of these changes are slowly morphing into “fear of
any change” and some of our reactions show it. It is understandable, given the complex issues. Maybe they
are asking for time to comprehend the changes and understand the consequences of any actions. We have
been there! As a peace community, we talked long and hard about the alternatives, before and after Iraq war
or the way we are conducting ourselves in Afghanistan. Then our leaders extolled how these terrorists or
some nation states hated our freedom. It seems we then slowly proceeded to lose some of our freedom and
privacy because of fear or perceived security. Some have instinctively backed the “tough guy-no limits”
approach, but if the powers listened to all sides with an open mind and let good solutions percolate up, we
could have avoided some of the issues. With the health care discussion, it seems we are once again stuck in
our trenches taking potshots. It will be unfortunate to label people who are for or against this reform, the
same way the peace community was labeled as “weak” or “unpatriotic” in confronting terrorism. What we
need is “discuss and inform” rather than “explode and impose”. It will be a mistake to propose a “take it or
leave it” approach to health care reform or other issues facing us. There will be fear mongers who spread
rumors or label people to get their way, but that is a sign of weakness rather than strength.
We have spent eight years confronting September 11th this way and some are eager to continue it that
way, but we need to confront some of our manufactured divisions through discussions. Can we challenge our
thoughts and actions or do we want to stay in the comfort of our differences? Our capacity to adapt and
change is what made us a global powerhouse. As a leading nation, every problem seems to demand our
attention and every solution has critics and cheerleaders. But our solutions should always strive for a better
community. It is easy to get caught up in these spin cycles of doomsday scenarios and divisions, but informed
decision-making is better than quick decisions. Let us strive for open hearts and minds to discuss and confront
the issues facing us. We have created most of them and we have a responsibility to solve them.
Srini Mondava
Coordinating council Chair

Peace Party at Caras Park – September 20th

Dear Friends,
Recently I listened to a debate which centered on the question of the possibility of victory in Afghanistan. One issue of agreement was that there has been very little progress in recent years and at this time we may be headed in the wrong direction. After 8 years of war the best we can hope for now would be that the area does not return to a stronghold for terrorist camps. It seems to me that for every person we kill in the region we grow several more terrorist fueled by contempt for an occupying army. As history proves there is no possibility of peace while a foreign army resides in Afghanistan.
Right now there are many distractions in our lives; the economy, health care, and many more but none of these are as important as putting an end to foreign aggression. As Amy Goodman reminded us this spring we must continue to stand up to the madness. On Sept 20th the peace center will be holding its annual Party at Caras Park. Plan to join us for an evening with friends and fun with people who are working for peace.

Walter Honan, Coordinating Council member