Of course, we're always trying to stop this war and prevent the next one, and we understand that it takes a sustained effort to do so. The Administration is about to demand more money for war, so there's a lot of actions about that.
Plus, there's some local stuff to check out. There's a lot to do here, so i'll reiterate my mantra:
Do only what you can. Do only what moves you.
And use the links below this paragraph to jump there without scrolling.
Enjoy!
in Peace,
-evan austin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CPR presents Nuclear Taxes tonight!
Every April, Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions/CPR calculates Ventura County's tax contribution to the military budget devoted exclusively to nuclear weapons. As the midnight deadline for 2007 IRS income tax returns approaches, we will meet at the Main Post Office in Oxnard to suggest better uses for our tax dollars.
Join us as we consider how we can work toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and spend our hard-earned money for peaceful and productive purposes.
WHERE: Main Post Office, 1961 North C Street, Oxnard
WHEN: Tuesday April 15th from 9pm to the midnight IRS fiing deadline
(our recent war tax resistance & counter-recruitment presentation/discussion went very well! i have educational materials on these topics if you're interested.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stop Wal-Mart, Support Local Businesses!
There is an urgent meeting of Ventura's "Stop Wal-Mart Coalition" on Wednesday April 16th at 7:00pm at Poinsettia Elementary School cafetorium, 350 N. Victoria Ave in Ventura.
Come to learn about the campaign's progress and what you can do to help!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ending the War (Requires Constant Pressure!)
With generals admitting there are no solutions in Iraq and the President demanding more money for it, there are plenty of ways to call for an end to this (and future) war:
· Sign on to an open letter to Rep. John Murtha urging Congress to STOP PAYING FOR THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ!
· Become a Citizen-cosponsor of True Majority's "Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq" [Download the full plan HERE]
· Call Elton Gallegly's office at 1-202-225-5811 and urge him to vote NO on additional war funding and YES on funding of domestic needs.
· Become a regularly-donating Peace Partner to the Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace!
· Sign the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's appeal to the next U.S. president, calling for a U.S.-led end to nuclear weapons! [i've already signed us on as an org, but we can still all sign as individuals!]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Congressional Report Card
How do our representatives in Congress stack up with the values expressed by Citizens for Global Solutions? According to their newest report card, Senators Feinstein and Boxer both received grades of A+, while Representative Gallegly came in with a D.
Check out the report HERE, where you can also download the whole thing as a pdf.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Senate: Go Digital!
Did you know that the inefficiencies and redundancies of our government - specifically the campaign finance report system - costs taxpayers $250,000 annually...and it can be MONTHS before the public even sees the campaign disclosures!
The "Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act" (S. 223) seeks to bring senators into the digital era, save paper and money, and get campaign finance information to the public faster. But someone's trying to block it, of course.
· CALL DIANNE FEINSTEIN at 1-202-224-3841 and urge her to support this bill.
· CALL BARBARA BOXER at 1-202-224-3553 and urge her to support this bill.
· REGISTER YOUR CALLS with Public Citizen so that our Senators' positions can be known!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Impeachment
The Ojai Peace Coalition has partnered with Citizens for Impeachment, Integrity Now, VC Stop the War, and others to present
ARE PEACE AND IMPEACHMENT POSSIBLE?
Strategies for Saving our Constitution, Economy, and Environment
WHEN: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 5:30pmStrategies for Saving our Constitution, Economy, and Environment
WHERE: Ojai Retreat, 160 Besant Road
WHO: David Swanson, co-founder of afterdowningstreet.org and a leading Constitutional Advocate from Washington, D.C.
and
Phil Cohen, local member of Iraq Veterans Against the War
WHAT: Reception begins at 5:30pm with food and drinks, followed by lecture promptly at 7:00pm, and a town-hall open mike beginning at 8:00pm
OUR OPPORTUNITIES:
If you have the energy to support a gathering like this, there are a few ways to contribute:
· prepare a potluck-style dish to bring and share (cookies, salad, etc)
· bring drinks to share
· spread the word to friends, family, coworkers, etc
· come early to help set up
· stay or come late to help clean up
if you can help in any of these ways, PLEASE LET ME KNOW NOW so that i can connect you to the right organizer! THANKS!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Put Your Activism Where Your Mouth Is
Kristofer and Joanne Young, of Ojai, are planning a locavore project in the Ojai Valley for the entire year of 2009.
A locavore is a person who pays attention to where her/his food comes from and commits to eating local food as much as possible.
We are looking for 100, or more, folks to join us in this adventure.
Our project is called EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR ~ BE THE CHANGE OJAI .
This year-long project will be the subject of a documentary film by Quarter Mile Films, Inc.
Learn more about the project, and see if it rings your bell, at our introductory and discussion meeting on Saturday, May 10th at 7:00 PM at the Young's house in Ojai. This meeting will be filmed.
Register to attend this meeting at: http://groups.google.com/group/eat-local-one-year
by joining the group, or call us at 640-7629.
We look forward to your joyful and cooperative energy!!!
Kris and Jo
