Thursday, March 9, 2023

Book Review: Birds in the Morning, Frogs at Night by Iowan Author, Maureen McCue

By Christine Sheller 


Birds in the Morning, Frogs at Night- Sharing Life Along the Road  by Iowan author Maureen McCue is interesting and reflective, while being inspiring and motivating.  Maureen McCue is a physician practicing in Iowa City, a professor, and is an active member and Board Chair of PSR- Iowa (Physicians for Social Responsibility- Iowa).  This book was published in 2021.

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

A Call to Reconcile

 

By Frank Cordaro

 Except from Frank's "Road Trip Report: Oct 2022 National CW (Catholic Worker) Gathering Mustard Seed CW 50th Aniv, Worcester MA" https://groups.google.com/g/National-CW-E-mail-List/c/ah4jfrVCDAU; reprinted with permission

 


 My workshop was titled “Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya’s Witness against the Dakota Access Pipeline” In it, I tried to place Jess and Ruby’s Witness in the context of the CW (Catholic Worker) & Plowshares movements by telling the story of how Jess and Ruby came to do their actions as members of the DMCW (Des Moines Catholic Worker). 

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

The Monroe Doctrine Is Thriving and Must Be Undone

 

https://worldbeyondwar.org/the-monroe-doctrine-is-thriving-and-must-be-undone

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, January 22, 2023; reprinted with permission

David Swanson is the author of the new book The Monroe Doctrine at 200 and What to Replace It With.

 

                                                    (World Beyond War)

A poorly maintained tradition begun with the Monroe Doctrine was that of supporting Latin American democracies. This was the popular tradition that sprinkled the U.S. landscape with monuments to Simón Bolívar, a man once treated in the United States as a revolutionary hero on the model of George Washington despite widespread prejudices toward foreigners and Catholics.

The Monroe Doctrine Is 200 and Should Not Reach 201

https://worldbeyondwar.org/the-monroe-doctrine-is-200-and-should-not-reach-201/

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, January 17, 2023; reprinted with permission. 

David Swanson is the author of the new book The Monroe Doctrine at 200 and What to Replace It With.

                                                                (World Beyond War)


The Monroe Doctrine was and is a justification for actions, some good, some indifferent, but the overwhelming bulk reprehensible. The Monroe Doctrine remains in place, both explicitly and dressed up in novel language. Additional doctrines have been built on its foundations.

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Critique of the Israeli Government’s Actions Toward Palestinians Is Not Hatred Toward Jews

 by Genie Silver, Jan Corderman, Louise Lisi, & Tura Campanella Cook

WILPF (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom) US Middle East Peace & Justice Action Committee Leadership Team, January 2023; reprinted with permission.  First published for WILPF US E-News.

 

Antisemitism signifies hatred of Jews and the ways that hatred is perpetuated, not just through age-old conspiracy theories but also their modern variants espoused on social media and elsewhere. But the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) supports defining antisemitism in a way that would consider political discourse critical of the Israeli government as antisemitism.

Thursday, December 22, 2022

1000 Faith Leaders Call for a Christmas Truce in Ukraine

 

SPONSORS:  FOR (Fellowship of Reconciliation), Codepink, National Council of Elders, and Peace in Ukraine

(Editor’s Note:  Iowa Peace Network signed on as a faith organization/ faith leader, today, December 22, 2022.)

Inspired by the miraculous Christmas truce of 1914, leaders petition the Biden administration to push for negotiations
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Contact: Ariel Gold | ariel@forusa.org | 510 599 5330
Bill McGarvey | bill@mcg-media.com | 201-725-4202123

Friday, December 9, 2022

IPN Annual Holiday Open House and Alternative Gift Fair Held Dec. 3, 2022

 

By Christine Sheller

Iowa Peace Network again held its Annual Open House and Alternative Gift Fair this December.  Saturday, December 3rd, persons in the Des Moines’ peace community gathered at the Des Moines Mennonite Church, where the IPN office is located, for refreshments and fellowship, fair trade shopping, and to hear Dr. Maria Corona, Executive Director, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (ICADV), speak. 

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Book Review: How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

 By Christine Sheller

 

Kendi melded his memoir with research on racism in a very thoughtful, provoking, and intellectually stimulating manner which touches the heart and mind.  The book is built around the word in the title, antiracism, and how he defines antiracism.

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Tent of Nations in Palestine update

 Dear Friends of Tent of Nations—


I have just learned from Tent of Nation’s Facebook page that the re-registration hearing scheduled for earlier today has again been postponed and rescheduled for January 16, 2023.  Below is the update from Atty. Sani Khoury who represents TON.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

What’s Worse Than Risking Nuclear Apocalypse?

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, October 6, 2022

(Author's note: Together with several other people, I sent this note to the Washington Post, asking for a meeting with their editorial board and criticizing their atrocious reporting on Ukraine. They declined to meet and suggested we send an op-ed. I send them an op-ed and they complained that I’d referenced this poll which they dismissed as being from “an advocacy organization.” I resubmitted (as below) without mentioning the poll, or trying to explain its value, and they still said no. I encourage others to try, and to send to World BEYOND War to publish what the WaPo refuses — we’ll add a “Washington Post Rejected” badge of honor at the top.)



See article here as well:  https://worldbeyondwar.org/whats-worse-than-risking-nuclear-apocalypse/

What is worse than risking the obliteration of life on Earth through nuclear war and the creation of a nuclear winter? What is more important than protecting the world from the climate collapse on fast-forward that would be a nuclear apocalypse?