OPC on Radio Ojai!
i wrote a song to celebrate the Unitarian Universalist holiday called Chalica, and it got me invited to appear on Radio Ojai, where i got to plug the Ojai Peace Coalition!
Listen to the song and interview HERE. Thanks again, Lisa!!
Marriage Equality: Invalid8!
Two Equality California-sponsored resolutions will make it official state policy, when they are approved by the Legislature, that Prop 8 should be overturned. Write your legislators now to urge them to support the invalidation of Prop 8 and vote for SR 7 (Leno) and AR 5 (Ammiano). Prop 8 eliminates the fundamental right to marry and allows a slim majority to take away the equal protections of a minority, which violates one of the founding principles of our Constitution. The resolutions state the measure should have been approved by a two-thirds vote in the Legislature before going to voters. Urge your representatives to support these resolutions by taking action HERE.
Today is also "Day Without A Gay", where supporters of marriage equality are organizing to take the day off from work and do community service instead. Can't get off work or hearing about this too late? They've got a page of suggestions of other supportive actions to take!
Some important links:
Equality California
Join The Impact
Courage Campaign's petition to repeal Prop 8
Int'l Human Rights Day!
Today is the 60th anniversary of the UN's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We've come so far, and clearly have so much more to do. Stay connected with the Day's happenings and read the Declaration at the official UN Human Rights Day site!
Green Coalition's "Day Without A Bag"
When you go to the store to shop for groceries on Saturday, Dec. 20, you will be offered a free reusable shopping bag, compliments of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition and its partners. Ojai's first Day Without A Bag is being staged to encourage the use of reusable bags, which will save landfill space, clean up our waterways, and reduce the amount of oil consumed and the amount of global greenhouse gases emitted in the manufacture of throw-away plastic bags.
Partners who helped underwrite the cost of the reusable bags include the City of Ojai, Ojai Certified Farmers' Market, Ken Wright & Sons, Harrison Industries, Consolidated Disposal Services, Water Conservation Technologies Inc., and Showerminder.
The Green Coalition tables offering the bags will be located at Vons, Starr, Rite Aid, Rainbow Bridge and Westridge Markets.
Wanna Work for Obama?
"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."
President-Elect Barack Obama
The transition team for the President-Elect is already working hard to enter the White House smoothly and efficiently, and they're using front-edge web technologies and presence to provide transparency and involve the American people in a way never before seen!
Visit Change.gov to learn about the Transition Team's progress and plans, make suggestions to the new administration, and even apply for a job!
(and for fun, check out Super Obama World, a web-based video game featuring our 44th president!)
Website Improvement Survey!
i've received some great feedback about what's important to you in a peace action website.
Well, from eleven of you.
Please take a moment to take the new survey (just four questions!) so you can help me decide what's valuable! There are nearly 400 addresses on this list! Please make your voice heard...i'd love to launch the new Action Blog at the beginning of the new year!
Happy Peacemas!
The HolyDays are upon us, and Peace is always in style! Visit The Official OPC Store and the PeaceHand Store for great holiday goodies that support the Ojai Peace Coalition!
(there's also a giant list of other peace-themed online retailers in the right-side column of this very page!)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Equality, Thanksgiving, and Federal Jobs
The election was bittersweet for me, as we in a single evening advanced civil rights nationally and denied them here in California. Nevertheless, HOPE seems to be the prevalent attitude among those who continue to struggle for justice and equality!
As has been my custom, i'll go on OPC-lite during the holidays, meaning that i'll likely send out just one email in December. In fact, i'll continue in that vein for several months, until my wife finishes nursing school, in order to budget more of my energy for family and home. i already know that you support me in that, so i thank you.
Peace,
-evan
Marriage Equality: Join the Impact!
Ever since Proposition 8's passage, rallies and protests have been held each day at various locations not only here in California, but across our nation! While the violence and vandalism that makes good news fodder does not reflect the Ojai Peace Coalition's values, there are plenty of opportunities to create meaningful protest that does.
TOMORROW, Saturday November 15th, is a national day of protest for people to march in support of marriage equality and civil rights. Ojai residents are being asked to join the Ventura march, beginning at 12:00 noon from Mission Park.
Some important links:
Join The Impact, official site
Ventura's event page, with map
Courage Campaign's petition to repeal Prop 8
AIR at Ojai Theatre, November 15th
The Ojai Valley Green Coalition will show the film 'Air' on November 15 at 4:30pm at the Ojai Theatre. The film was produced by the US EPA and the Ventura County Air Pollution District, among others. It presents the biography of air, current issues and solutions to problems in a 41-minute high definition format. It includes state-of-the-art film techniques that blend animation with footage of atmospheric phenomena and live-action re-creations. The program flyer is HERE.
(make note of their LED Holiday Light Strand Exchange on November 23rd, too!)
one day. one meal. one city.
"at the very foundations of our american story is a day of pause and of thanks where one shared a table with another. a day when color, class, and religion were laid down for the cause of solidarity. a day to embrace our neighbors, young and old, rich and poor, housed or not. ventura remembers this day with a one city thanksgiving day family celebration."
The City of Ventura is hosting a FREE Thanksgiving Day celebration from 11am to 2pm with live music, jolly jumps, crafts, and food! Meal is served at Knights of Columbus and activities are at Figueroa Plaza and Mission Park. More details HERE.
Wanna Work for Obama?
"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."
The transition team for the President-Elect is already working hard to enter the White House smoothly and efficiently, and they're using front-edge web technologies and presence to provide transparency and involve the American people in a way never before seen!
Visit Change.gov to learn about the Transition Team's progress and plans, make suggestions to the new administration, and even apply for a job!
(and for fun, check out Super Obama World, a web-based video game featuring our 44th president!)
Happy Peacemas!
The HolyDays are upon us, and Peace is always in style! Visit The Official OPC Store and the PeaceHand Store for great holiday goodies that support the Ojai Peace Coalition!
As has been my custom, i'll go on OPC-lite during the holidays, meaning that i'll likely send out just one email in December. In fact, i'll continue in that vein for several months, until my wife finishes nursing school, in order to budget more of my energy for family and home. i already know that you support me in that, so i thank you.
Peace,
-evan
Marriage Equality: Join the Impact!
Ever since Proposition 8's passage, rallies and protests have been held each day at various locations not only here in California, but across our nation! While the violence and vandalism that makes good news fodder does not reflect the Ojai Peace Coalition's values, there are plenty of opportunities to create meaningful protest that does.
TOMORROW, Saturday November 15th, is a national day of protest for people to march in support of marriage equality and civil rights. Ojai residents are being asked to join the Ventura march, beginning at 12:00 noon from Mission Park.
Some important links:
Join The Impact, official site
Ventura's event page, with map
Courage Campaign's petition to repeal Prop 8
AIR at Ojai Theatre, November 15th
The Ojai Valley Green Coalition will show the film 'Air' on November 15 at 4:30pm at the Ojai Theatre. The film was produced by the US EPA and the Ventura County Air Pollution District, among others. It presents the biography of air, current issues and solutions to problems in a 41-minute high definition format. It includes state-of-the-art film techniques that blend animation with footage of atmospheric phenomena and live-action re-creations. The program flyer is HERE.
(make note of their LED Holiday Light Strand Exchange on November 23rd, too!)
one day. one meal. one city.
"at the very foundations of our american story is a day of pause and of thanks where one shared a table with another. a day when color, class, and religion were laid down for the cause of solidarity. a day to embrace our neighbors, young and old, rich and poor, housed or not. ventura remembers this day with a one city thanksgiving day family celebration."
The City of Ventura is hosting a FREE Thanksgiving Day celebration from 11am to 2pm with live music, jolly jumps, crafts, and food! Meal is served at Knights of Columbus and activities are at Figueroa Plaza and Mission Park. More details HERE.
Wanna Work for Obama?
"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today."
President-Elect Barack Obama
The transition team for the President-Elect is already working hard to enter the White House smoothly and efficiently, and they're using front-edge web technologies and presence to provide transparency and involve the American people in a way never before seen!
Visit Change.gov to learn about the Transition Team's progress and plans, make suggestions to the new administration, and even apply for a job!
(and for fun, check out Super Obama World, a web-based video game featuring our 44th president!)
Happy Peacemas!
The HolyDays are upon us, and Peace is always in style! Visit The Official OPC Store and the PeaceHand Store for great holiday goodies that support the Ojai Peace Coalition!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Write To Marry Day!
Whaddaya say, Ojai Peace Coalition? What are the connections between Prop 8 and Peace?Tuesday, October 28, 2008
In With The New!
The end of the year approaches, bringing all things NEW! New members, new survey to build a new website, and new leadership and laws after the election!
Prop 8: Peaceful Protest This Thursday
If you're passionate about democracy, equal rights, and separation of church and state, please join us for a peaceful protest in opposition to Proposition 8 (same-sex marriage ban) on Thursday October 30th from 4:30 to 6:00pm at the Y intersection in Ojai. You may arrive and leave whenever you like and there will be signs available for you, but you may also make and bring your own!
The Obama office on Matilija Street and Montgomery has yard signs if you need one (or a dozen!).
Ojai Day Report-Out
Ojai Day was on Saturday the 18th, and the Ojai Peace Coalition had a nice presence inside Libbey Park. THANK YOU to all the volunteers who staffed the table throughout the day with smiles, information, and grace! THANK YOU as well to the 17 new members who signed up, and for whom this is your first OPC email! WELCOME!
Our main action was dramatically successful, with 70 new signatures gathered on our petition to the Ojai City Council to adopt a Resolution to End the War. i don't have a total signature count right now, but it's a LOT! After we see who our new councilmembers are (after the election) we'll be figuring out when a strategic time to present them our campaign might be. Meanwhile, you can sign it and share it via this link:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ojai_iraq/index.html
finally, participation in Ojai Day cost us $95 (plus a refunded $50 cleaning deposit), and we brought in $54 in donations. That means we invested $41 in being a part of our community's cultural event! Money well spent, methinks.
Happy Peacemas!
The HolyDays are upon us, and Peace is always in style! Visit The Official OPC Store and the PeaceHand Store for great holiday goodies that support the Ojai Peace Coalition!
(there's also a giant list of other peace-themed online retailers on our Action Blog)
Website Improvement Survey!
i've become familiar with some powerful new web tools that could improve our website tremendously. So, i've created a new survey so you can help me decide what's valuable! there are just four questions...please take a moment!
OPC 2008 Voting Guide
You can download our 2008 voting guide as a pdf HERE. My strongest recommendations are for Suza Francina for Ojai City Council, YES on Proposition 2, and NO on Proposition 8.
You can read about Suza Francina HERE.
You can read about Prop 2 HERE, and spk's insightful challenge of our Prop 11 recommendation HERE.
You can read a lengthy and enlightening discussion about Prop 8 HERE.
Prop 8: Peaceful Protest This Thursday
If you're passionate about democracy, equal rights, and separation of church and state, please join us for a peaceful protest in opposition to Proposition 8 (same-sex marriage ban) on Thursday October 30th from 4:30 to 6:00pm at the Y intersection in Ojai. You may arrive and leave whenever you like and there will be signs available for you, but you may also make and bring your own!
The Obama office on Matilija Street and Montgomery has yard signs if you need one (or a dozen!).
Ojai Day Report-Out
Ojai Day was on Saturday the 18th, and the Ojai Peace Coalition had a nice presence inside Libbey Park. THANK YOU to all the volunteers who staffed the table throughout the day with smiles, information, and grace! THANK YOU as well to the 17 new members who signed up, and for whom this is your first OPC email! WELCOME!
Our main action was dramatically successful, with 70 new signatures gathered on our petition to the Ojai City Council to adopt a Resolution to End the War. i don't have a total signature count right now, but it's a LOT! After we see who our new councilmembers are (after the election) we'll be figuring out when a strategic time to present them our campaign might be. Meanwhile, you can sign it and share it via this link:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ojai_iraq/index.html
finally, participation in Ojai Day cost us $95 (plus a refunded $50 cleaning deposit), and we brought in $54 in donations. That means we invested $41 in being a part of our community's cultural event! Money well spent, methinks.
Happy Peacemas!
The HolyDays are upon us, and Peace is always in style! Visit The Official OPC Store and the PeaceHand Store for great holiday goodies that support the Ojai Peace Coalition!
(there's also a giant list of other peace-themed online retailers on our Action Blog)
Website Improvement Survey!
i've become familiar with some powerful new web tools that could improve our website tremendously. So, i've created a new survey so you can help me decide what's valuable! there are just four questions...please take a moment!
OPC 2008 Voting Guide
You can download our 2008 voting guide as a pdf HERE. My strongest recommendations are for Suza Francina for Ojai City Council, YES on Proposition 2, and NO on Proposition 8.
You can read about Suza Francina HERE.
You can read about Prop 2 HERE, and spk's insightful challenge of our Prop 11 recommendation HERE.
You can read a lengthy and enlightening discussion about Prop 8 HERE.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Ojai Day for Peace!
Ojai Day is this Saturday October 18th, and the Ojai Peace Coalition has a space in Libbey Park! This message is all about volunteering to make Peace a visible part of our culture!
Peace,
-evan
In This Message:
Ojai Peace Vigil: New Hour
Ojai Day mandala
Ojai Day, Oct 18
OPC Voting Guide
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ojai Peace Vigil: New Hour
The Ojai Peace Vigil, held every Friday evening under the Pergola in front of Libbey Park, will change to winter hours - 5:00 to 6:00pm - starting this Friday October 17th.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ojai Day Mandala, Friday 17th
If you live in Ojai, you are probably familiar with the huge mandala that's painted in the main intersection of Ojai Ave and Signal Street every year for Ojai Day. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP CREATE IT??
Creation of the actual mandala itself will take place on Friday, October 17th at 10:30pm at Ojai Avenue and Signal Street! Children must be accompanied by an adult.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ojai Day, October 18th!!
Ojai Day is Saturday October 18th, and the Ojai Peace Coalition will be tabling in the Non-Profit section inside Libbey Park! We'll have some of our unique peace-goodies for sale, some materials to give away, and a petition or two to sign.
Please volunteer some time to staff the table, as it's required to be up all day long! We are in space #635 inside Libbey Park, and are required to set up between 8 and 9am. The event begins at 10am and ends at 5pm, and we are not allowed to break down before 5.
Here are the shifts that need filling, requiring at least two people each:
Setup: 8:30-9:30am
Shift 1: 9:30-11:30am
Shift 2: 11:30am-1:30pm
Shift 3: 1:30-3:30pm
Shift 4: 3:30-5:30pm
Breakdown: 5:00-6:00pm
Please email me right away with the shift(s) that you can fill...this is only a few days away, and i cannot be there all day! This job will require sitting, talking, and being peaceful. :)
If you can't do that, please consider sending a little cash our way to help defray the cost of participating!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OPC 2008 Voting Guide...coming NOW!
THANK YOU to the few who've let me know what you think about some of the persons and propositions that we'll be voting on soon!
After input from you and review of over a dozen sources that we commonly feature the actions of because we share values, here's the breakdown:
President and Vice President
Barack Obama & Joe Biden
State Assembly
Ferial Masry
United States Representative
Marta Ann Jorgensen
State Senator
Hannah-Beth Jackson
Ojai City Council (choose two)
Suza Francina
Propositions:
1 - High Speed Rail Bonds:NO
2 - Standards for Confining Farm Animals:YES
3 - Children's Hospital Bond Act:NO
4 - Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy:NO
5 - Nonviolent Drug Offenses, Sentencing, Parole, and Rehabilitation:YES
6 - Police and Law Enforcement Funding:NO
7 - Renewable Energy Generation:NO
8 - Eliminates Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry:NO
9 - Criminal Justice System, Victims' Rights, Parole:NO
10 - Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy:NO
11 - Redistricting:YES
12 - Veterans' Bond Act of 2008:YES
For those of you going to the polls on November 4th (as opposed to voting from home, which you can do now if you received your absentee ballot in the mail), i'll try to attach a printable pdf of these recommendations in my next message, so you can take it with you!
Sources include The Santa Barbara Independent, League of Women Voters, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry Action Network, Friends Committee on Legislation, Church IMPACT, American Civil Liberties Union, California Labor Federation, Sierra Club California, California Chamber of Commerce, and the League of Conservation Voters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace!
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
Peace,
-evan
In This Message:
Ojai Peace Vigil: New Hour
Ojai Day mandala
Ojai Day, Oct 18
OPC Voting Guide
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ojai Peace Vigil: New Hour
The Ojai Peace Vigil, held every Friday evening under the Pergola in front of Libbey Park, will change to winter hours - 5:00 to 6:00pm - starting this Friday October 17th.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ojai Day Mandala, Friday 17th
If you live in Ojai, you are probably familiar with the huge mandala that's painted in the main intersection of Ojai Ave and Signal Street every year for Ojai Day. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP CREATE IT??
Creation of the actual mandala itself will take place on Friday, October 17th at 10:30pm at Ojai Avenue and Signal Street! Children must be accompanied by an adult.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ojai Day, October 18th!!
Ojai Day is Saturday October 18th, and the Ojai Peace Coalition will be tabling in the Non-Profit section inside Libbey Park! We'll have some of our unique peace-goodies for sale, some materials to give away, and a petition or two to sign.
Please volunteer some time to staff the table, as it's required to be up all day long! We are in space #635 inside Libbey Park, and are required to set up between 8 and 9am. The event begins at 10am and ends at 5pm, and we are not allowed to break down before 5.
Here are the shifts that need filling, requiring at least two people each:
Setup: 8:30-9:30am
Shift 1: 9:30-11:30am
Shift 2: 11:30am-1:30pm
Shift 3: 1:30-3:30pm
Shift 4: 3:30-5:30pm
Breakdown: 5:00-6:00pm
Please email me right away with the shift(s) that you can fill...this is only a few days away, and i cannot be there all day! This job will require sitting, talking, and being peaceful. :)
If you can't do that, please consider sending a little cash our way to help defray the cost of participating!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OPC 2008 Voting Guide...coming NOW!
THANK YOU to the few who've let me know what you think about some of the persons and propositions that we'll be voting on soon!
After input from you and review of over a dozen sources that we commonly feature the actions of because we share values, here's the breakdown:
President and Vice President
Barack Obama & Joe Biden
State Assembly
Ferial Masry
United States Representative
Marta Ann Jorgensen
State Senator
Hannah-Beth Jackson
Ojai City Council (choose two)
Suza Francina
Propositions:
1 - High Speed Rail Bonds:NO
2 - Standards for Confining Farm Animals:YES
3 - Children's Hospital Bond Act:NO
4 - Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy:NO
5 - Nonviolent Drug Offenses, Sentencing, Parole, and Rehabilitation:YES
6 - Police and Law Enforcement Funding:NO
7 - Renewable Energy Generation:NO
8 - Eliminates Rights of Same-Sex Couples to Marry:NO
9 - Criminal Justice System, Victims' Rights, Parole:NO
10 - Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy:NO
11 - Redistricting:YES
12 - Veterans' Bond Act of 2008:YES
For those of you going to the polls on November 4th (as opposed to voting from home, which you can do now if you received your absentee ballot in the mail), i'll try to attach a printable pdf of these recommendations in my next message, so you can take it with you!
Sources include The Santa Barbara Independent, League of Women Voters, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry Action Network, Friends Committee on Legislation, Church IMPACT, American Civil Liberties Union, California Labor Federation, Sierra Club California, California Chamber of Commerce, and the League of Conservation Voters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace!
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Live and Garden Peace!
Today is the 63rd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan by the United States. In this Nuclear-Free Future Month, please find what you can do to rid our world of nuclear weapons. One idea is HERE.
in Peace,
-evan
IN THIS POST:
A Public Space for Peace
Living Peace in Ojai event!
Volunteers needed for Fair tabling!
Farmer's Market petitioning
Radio: Play "One Love" for Peace Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weekly Peace Vigil Time Change
From Clive and Marion Leeman:
Because of the summer heat, the Ojai Peace Vigil, which is now in its fifth year, will start at 6 pm (6-7 pm) next Friday, August 8. We will change back to 5 pm at the end of the Fall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Public Space for Peace
Ventura's Beyond War team, Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions, the Peace Coalition of Greater Ventura, and Ventura County Veterans for Peace will dedicate Ventura's first public peace garden and peace pole at the site of the city's historic rallies and marches to end war, as well as hold a commemoration and vigil on the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
BACKGROUND:
In order to create a public space for peace, honor our culture of nonviolence and beautify our community, the City of Ventura has approved two peace gardens and peace poles. The first one in Plaza Park is a circular garden with perennial flowers whose centerpiece is an 8-foot cedar peace pole, inscribed with "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in braille and eight languages: Hindi, English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Persian, the Venturan variant of Chumash, and Japanese.
The dedication of the peace garden coincides with CPR's annual observation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki days. August 9 is the 63rd anniversary of the use of nuclear weapons against a civilian population. CPR supports the abolition of nuclear weapons worldwide.
The event will include speakers, a white dove release, silent vigil, and a bell ceremony.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Living Peace In Ojai event!
The second-annual "Living Peace in Ojai" event is hot and heavy in the planning stages, and is scheduled for the weekend of September 19th through 21st, the last day being the actual International Day of Peace. There are lots of offerings this year that are new from last year, and this promises to be a great weekend!
The Ojai Peace Coalition has secured a traditional role as the keepers of the Friday-night opening ceremonies (last year we recieved a Proclamation from the City, awarded our first-ever Noble Peace Prize, and screened the film Peace One Day), and we're honored to be filling that role again this year. i have a vision for creating that evening, but i'd like more input and volunteers to help, particularly the Noble Peace Prize Action Team, whom i will email separately (if you wanna be on that Team, let me know!). IF YOU CAN HELP, PLEASE RESPOND AND WE'LL SET UP A MEETING.
What i DO know is that we'll again recieve a Proclamation from the City, award our second annual Noble Peace Prize, and screen either a film or some student videos.
THERE IS ALSO A GENERAL NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR AD SPACE IN THE PROGRAM BOOK!
· if you want to help put on this community event, please email Elizabeth or call her at 805-798-0626
· if you want to buy an ad, contact Diane at Soul Centered at 640-8222 or email
me for rates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Volunteers needed for Fair tabling!
Just outside the County Fair's main entrance gates is a "free speech zone" of sorts, where community groups are allowed to table for their various pursuits. Our local Veterans for Peace have been there for several years, and they are joined this year by two new friends: VC Stop the War and the Ventura Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War...and they need our help!
The Ventura County Committee to Stop the War, of which the OPC is a member organization, currently has a petition campaign underway to end military recruitment in Ventura County, and more specifically to CLOSE the Oxnard recruiting center. If this is a key issue to you, contact John to find out when you're needed!
Iraq Veterans Against the War has a small and relatively new chapter here in Ventura County, led by my good friend Cherish. i spent some time with them recently handing out informational material in downtown Ventura, and wrote about it on the Ojai Post. IVAW's three goals are:
· Immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq;
· Reparations for the human and structural damages Iraq has suffered, and stopping the corporate pillaging of Iraq so that their people can control their own lives and future; and
· Full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other supports for returning servicemen and women.
They will be tabling at the fair this coming Friday and Saturday to gather support and to raise funds to send one or more of their members to the upcoming IVAW Conference in Colorado. If you are supportive of their goals, contact Cherish to find out when you're needed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Farmer's Market petitioning
We still have an open campaign to gather signatures to petition the City of Ojai to adopt a resolution calling for an end to the War in Iraq. My goal is to present the gathered signatures sometime around International Peace Day, so we need to up the ante a little in terms of signature-gathering.
The petition exists online HERE, and you're welcome and encouraged to sign it there. In addition, i'd like to have some folks positioned at the Farmer's Market each Sunday until Peace Day to gather signatures from folks there (i'm open to more locations too, if there are volunteers at least in pairs). If this is something you have energy for, please let me know so i can schedule it!
email me
call: 805-746-3750
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Radio: Play "One Love" for Peace Day
A few folks from all over the planet have an idea: let's get radio stations around the world to all play Bob Marley's song "One Love" at the SAME TIME (9:21 GMT) on International Peace Day, Sunday September 21st!
SO...call or write your favorite radio station and ask them to get on board with this campaign! i wrote to KJEE, a rock station in Santa Barbara that plays Marley and has a reggae radio show on Sundays anyway!
here are your resources:
· write to KJEE 92.9
· the official campaign website
· the official petition
· the MySpace group
· the Facebook group
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace!
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
in Peace,
-evan
IN THIS POST:
A Public Space for Peace
Living Peace in Ojai event!
Volunteers needed for Fair tabling!
Farmer's Market petitioning
Radio: Play "One Love" for Peace Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weekly Peace Vigil Time Change
From Clive and Marion Leeman:
Because of the summer heat, the Ojai Peace Vigil, which is now in its fifth year, will start at 6 pm (6-7 pm) next Friday, August 8. We will change back to 5 pm at the end of the Fall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Public Space for Peace
Ventura's Beyond War team, Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions, the Peace Coalition of Greater Ventura, and Ventura County Veterans for Peace will dedicate Ventura's first public peace garden and peace pole at the site of the city's historic rallies and marches to end war, as well as hold a commemoration and vigil on the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
SATURDAY AUGUST 9 (NAGASAKI DAY), 1:00PM, PLAZA PARK - VENTURA
BACKGROUND:
In order to create a public space for peace, honor our culture of nonviolence and beautify our community, the City of Ventura has approved two peace gardens and peace poles. The first one in Plaza Park is a circular garden with perennial flowers whose centerpiece is an 8-foot cedar peace pole, inscribed with "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in braille and eight languages: Hindi, English, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Persian, the Venturan variant of Chumash, and Japanese.
The dedication of the peace garden coincides with CPR's annual observation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki days. August 9 is the 63rd anniversary of the use of nuclear weapons against a civilian population. CPR supports the abolition of nuclear weapons worldwide.
The event will include speakers, a white dove release, silent vigil, and a bell ceremony.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Living Peace In Ojai event!
The second-annual "Living Peace in Ojai" event is hot and heavy in the planning stages, and is scheduled for the weekend of September 19th through 21st, the last day being the actual International Day of Peace. There are lots of offerings this year that are new from last year, and this promises to be a great weekend!
The Ojai Peace Coalition has secured a traditional role as the keepers of the Friday-night opening ceremonies (last year we recieved a Proclamation from the City, awarded our first-ever Noble Peace Prize, and screened the film Peace One Day), and we're honored to be filling that role again this year. i have a vision for creating that evening, but i'd like more input and volunteers to help, particularly the Noble Peace Prize Action Team, whom i will email separately (if you wanna be on that Team, let me know!). IF YOU CAN HELP, PLEASE RESPOND AND WE'LL SET UP A MEETING.
What i DO know is that we'll again recieve a Proclamation from the City, award our second annual Noble Peace Prize, and screen either a film or some student videos.
THERE IS ALSO A GENERAL NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR AD SPACE IN THE PROGRAM BOOK!
· if you want to help put on this community event, please email Elizabeth or call her at 805-798-0626
· if you want to buy an ad, contact Diane at Soul Centered at 640-8222 or email
me for rates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Volunteers needed for Fair tabling!
Just outside the County Fair's main entrance gates is a "free speech zone" of sorts, where community groups are allowed to table for their various pursuits. Our local Veterans for Peace have been there for several years, and they are joined this year by two new friends: VC Stop the War and the Ventura Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War...and they need our help!
The Ventura County Committee to Stop the War, of which the OPC is a member organization, currently has a petition campaign underway to end military recruitment in Ventura County, and more specifically to CLOSE the Oxnard recruiting center. If this is a key issue to you, contact John to find out when you're needed!
Iraq Veterans Against the War has a small and relatively new chapter here in Ventura County, led by my good friend Cherish. i spent some time with them recently handing out informational material in downtown Ventura, and wrote about it on the Ojai Post. IVAW's three goals are:
· Immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq;
· Reparations for the human and structural damages Iraq has suffered, and stopping the corporate pillaging of Iraq so that their people can control their own lives and future; and
· Full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other supports for returning servicemen and women.
They will be tabling at the fair this coming Friday and Saturday to gather support and to raise funds to send one or more of their members to the upcoming IVAW Conference in Colorado. If you are supportive of their goals, contact Cherish to find out when you're needed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Farmer's Market petitioning
We still have an open campaign to gather signatures to petition the City of Ojai to adopt a resolution calling for an end to the War in Iraq. My goal is to present the gathered signatures sometime around International Peace Day, so we need to up the ante a little in terms of signature-gathering.
The petition exists online HERE, and you're welcome and encouraged to sign it there. In addition, i'd like to have some folks positioned at the Farmer's Market each Sunday until Peace Day to gather signatures from folks there (i'm open to more locations too, if there are volunteers at least in pairs). If this is something you have energy for, please let me know so i can schedule it!
email me
call: 805-746-3750
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Radio: Play "One Love" for Peace Day
A few folks from all over the planet have an idea: let's get radio stations around the world to all play Bob Marley's song "One Love" at the SAME TIME (9:21 GMT) on International Peace Day, Sunday September 21st!
SO...call or write your favorite radio station and ask them to get on board with this campaign! i wrote to KJEE, a rock station in Santa Barbara that plays Marley and has a reggae radio show on Sundays anyway!
here are your resources:
· write to KJEE 92.9
· the official campaign website
· the official petition
· the MySpace group
· the Facebook group
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace!
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
Friday, July 25, 2008
In This Post:
Another Great Parade!
Dear Army: Please Stop Shooting Pigs
Radio: Play "One Love" for Peace Day
Volunteers needed for Fair tabling!
Living Peace in Ojai needs volunteers!
Peace Pole update!!
Farmer's Market petitioning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another Great Parade!
Our entry felt really good to me and was well-received by the parade-watchers.
There's a clean, attractive energy to the whole "local food" thing, and the connections to Peace become more and more clear. For more photos, try THIS.
Of course, it takes many hands to make something like this happen! BIG THANKS and BIG LOVE go out to:
David for the use of the tractor
Ashly Piano Crafts for the use of the trailer
Kris for the inspiration, good energy, and hard work
Donna, Dallas, and Callie for painting the signs
MoveOn Ojai for financial support
Renee for the use of her Earth flag
McGrath Family Farms and Mud Creek Ranch for the cornstalks
ALL who carried signs, banners, and flags, helped construct and paint on the morning-of, made crafts and decorated bikes, and showed up with smiling faces for Peace!
Thanks also to Sue and Noel for hosting the peace-lovers' potluck that evening.
Brilliant community-building!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Army: Please Stop Shooting Pigs
As reported on the Ojai Post, the U.S. Army got approval from the Department of Agriculture to conduct medic training at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii by shooting live, anesthetized pigs with M4 and M16 rifles in order to train for managing traumatic battlefield wounds.
PETA and i wonder why other alternatives - such as sophisticated non-animal simulators or live training in inner-city hospitals - are not being used, and you can read a little more about the issue and send a message to some Army decision-makers HERE. If you're a Facebook user, you can also join this Group.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Radio: Play "One Love" for Peace Day
A few folks from all over the planet have an idea: let's get radio stations around the world to all play Bob Marley's song "One Love" at the SAME TIME (9:21 GMT) on International Peace Day, Sunday September 21st!
SO...call or write your favorite radio station and ask them to get on board with this campaign! i wrote to KJEE, a rock station in Santa Barbara that plays Marley and has a reggae radio show on Sundays anyway!
here are your resources:
· write to KJEE 92.9
· the official campaign website
· the official petition
· the MySpace group
· the Facebook group
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Volunteers needed for Fair tabling!
Just outside the County Fair's main entrance gates is a "free speech zone" of sorts, where community groups are allowed to table for their various pursuits. Our local Veterans for Peace have been there for several years, and they are joined this year by two new friends: VC Stop the War and the Ventura Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War...and they need our help!
The Ventura County Committee to Stop the War, of which the OPC is a member organization, currently has a petition campaign underway to end military recruitment in Ventura County, and more specifically to CLOSE the Oxnard recruiting center. If this is a key issue to you, contact John to find out when you're needed!
Iraq Veterans Against the War has a small and relatively new chapter here in Ventura County, led by my good friend Cherish. i spent some time with them recently handing out informational material in downtown Ventura, and wrote
about it on the Ojai Post. IVAW's three goals are:
· Immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq;
· Reparations for the human and structural damages Iraq has suffered, and stopping the corporate pillaging of Iraq so that their people can control their own lives and future; and
· Full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other supports for returning servicemen and women.
They will be tabling at the fair to gather support and to raise funds to send one or more of their members to the upcoming IVAW Conference in Colorado. If you are supportive of their goals, contact Cherish to find out when you're needed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Living Peace in Ojai needs volunteers!
Last year's first-ever "Living Peace in Ojai" event was a success by all measures, rain and all. For our part, the OPC held the first screening of the inspiring film "Peace One Day" and awarded our first Noble Peace Prize (we'll award our second this year...more to come!)
The peace energy and support for this event has been building ever since, and this year promises to offer more than last year. Consequently, it's going to require more! It takes a community to build Peace, and it'll take a community to build a Peace event. We have offerings planned for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday September 19-21, with the last day being the actual date of this year's International Peace Day. If you have ANY time, talent, or treasure that you can share in support of local Peace, please contact the Living Peace volunteer coordinator Elizabeth at 805-798-0626.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace Pole update!!
It's been slow going, but i'm excited to report that our Peace Pole is very nearly ready to be passed into the hands of the local artists who have generously volunteered to grace it with their craft. My new goal is to plant this pole at its new home - Ojai House, on Montgomery Street - on Friday September 19th as part of the opening afternoon/evening of the Living Peace in Ojai weekend! i want it to be a big deal, not only because i feel personally invested in this project, but because it's a tremendous gift to our community and has been specifically funded by some of you. It's also sparking new ideas for additional poles throughout the valley! You'll hear much more about it as the Living Peace weekend approaches.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Farmer's Market petitioning
We still have an open campaign to gather signatures to petition the City of Ojai to adopt a resolution calling for an end to the War in Iraq. My goal is to present the gathered signatures sometime around International Peace Day, so we need to up the ante a little in terms of signature-gathering.
The petition exists online HERE, and you're welcome and encouraged to sign it there. In addition, i'd like to have some folks positioned at the Farmer's Market each Sunday until Peace Day to gather signatures from folks there (i'm open to more locations too, if there are volunteers at least in pairs). If this is something have energy for, please let me know so i can schedule it!
email me
call: 805-746-3750
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace!
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
Another Great Parade!
Dear Army: Please Stop Shooting Pigs
Radio: Play "One Love" for Peace Day
Volunteers needed for Fair tabling!
Living Peace in Ojai needs volunteers!
Peace Pole update!!
Farmer's Market petitioning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another Great Parade!
Our entry felt really good to me and was well-received by the parade-watchers.
There's a clean, attractive energy to the whole "local food" thing, and the connections to Peace become more and more clear. For more photos, try THIS.
Of course, it takes many hands to make something like this happen! BIG THANKS and BIG LOVE go out to:
David for the use of the tractor
Ashly Piano Crafts for the use of the trailer
Kris for the inspiration, good energy, and hard work
Donna, Dallas, and Callie for painting the signs
MoveOn Ojai for financial support
Renee for the use of her Earth flag
McGrath Family Farms and Mud Creek Ranch for the cornstalks
ALL who carried signs, banners, and flags, helped construct and paint on the morning-of, made crafts and decorated bikes, and showed up with smiling faces for Peace!
Thanks also to Sue and Noel for hosting the peace-lovers' potluck that evening.
Brilliant community-building!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Army: Please Stop Shooting Pigs
As reported on the Ojai Post, the U.S. Army got approval from the Department of Agriculture to conduct medic training at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii by shooting live, anesthetized pigs with M4 and M16 rifles in order to train for managing traumatic battlefield wounds.
PETA and i wonder why other alternatives - such as sophisticated non-animal simulators or live training in inner-city hospitals - are not being used, and you can read a little more about the issue and send a message to some Army decision-makers HERE. If you're a Facebook user, you can also join this Group.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Radio: Play "One Love" for Peace Day
A few folks from all over the planet have an idea: let's get radio stations around the world to all play Bob Marley's song "One Love" at the SAME TIME (9:21 GMT) on International Peace Day, Sunday September 21st!
SO...call or write your favorite radio station and ask them to get on board with this campaign! i wrote to KJEE, a rock station in Santa Barbara that plays Marley and has a reggae radio show on Sundays anyway!
here are your resources:
· write to KJEE 92.9
· the official campaign website
· the official petition
· the MySpace group
· the Facebook group
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Volunteers needed for Fair tabling!
Just outside the County Fair's main entrance gates is a "free speech zone" of sorts, where community groups are allowed to table for their various pursuits. Our local Veterans for Peace have been there for several years, and they are joined this year by two new friends: VC Stop the War and the Ventura Chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War...and they need our help!
The Ventura County Committee to Stop the War, of which the OPC is a member organization, currently has a petition campaign underway to end military recruitment in Ventura County, and more specifically to CLOSE the Oxnard recruiting center. If this is a key issue to you, contact John to find out when you're needed!
Iraq Veterans Against the War has a small and relatively new chapter here in Ventura County, led by my good friend Cherish. i spent some time with them recently handing out informational material in downtown Ventura, and wrote
about it on the Ojai Post. IVAW's three goals are:
· Immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq;
· Reparations for the human and structural damages Iraq has suffered, and stopping the corporate pillaging of Iraq so that their people can control their own lives and future; and
· Full benefits, adequate healthcare (including mental health), and other supports for returning servicemen and women.
They will be tabling at the fair to gather support and to raise funds to send one or more of their members to the upcoming IVAW Conference in Colorado. If you are supportive of their goals, contact Cherish to find out when you're needed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Living Peace in Ojai needs volunteers!
Last year's first-ever "Living Peace in Ojai" event was a success by all measures, rain and all. For our part, the OPC held the first screening of the inspiring film "Peace One Day" and awarded our first Noble Peace Prize (we'll award our second this year...more to come!)
The peace energy and support for this event has been building ever since, and this year promises to offer more than last year. Consequently, it's going to require more! It takes a community to build Peace, and it'll take a community to build a Peace event. We have offerings planned for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday September 19-21, with the last day being the actual date of this year's International Peace Day. If you have ANY time, talent, or treasure that you can share in support of local Peace, please contact the Living Peace volunteer coordinator Elizabeth at 805-798-0626.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace Pole update!!
It's been slow going, but i'm excited to report that our Peace Pole is very nearly ready to be passed into the hands of the local artists who have generously volunteered to grace it with their craft. My new goal is to plant this pole at its new home - Ojai House, on Montgomery Street - on Friday September 19th as part of the opening afternoon/evening of the Living Peace in Ojai weekend! i want it to be a big deal, not only because i feel personally invested in this project, but because it's a tremendous gift to our community and has been specifically funded by some of you. It's also sparking new ideas for additional poles throughout the valley! You'll hear much more about it as the Living Peace weekend approaches.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Farmer's Market petitioning
We still have an open campaign to gather signatures to petition the City of Ojai to adopt a resolution calling for an end to the War in Iraq. My goal is to present the gathered signatures sometime around International Peace Day, so we need to up the ante a little in terms of signature-gathering.
The petition exists online HERE, and you're welcome and encouraged to sign it there. In addition, i'd like to have some folks positioned at the Farmer's Market each Sunday until Peace Day to gather signatures from folks there (i'm open to more locations too, if there are volunteers at least in pairs). If this is something have energy for, please let me know so i can schedule it!
email me
call: 805-746-3750
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace!
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
Monday, June 30, 2008
Final Parade Prep!
Many people have emailed to let me know why they would not be available to help with the parade, as well as to express some heartfelt appreciation for the Ojai Peace Coalition's presence and role in the parade and in our community. One of the elements of culture is our holidays and celebrations, and so of course i agree that making Peace a part of this holiday is very much about culture-building and is a worthwhile pursuit.
My tremendous thanks go out right now to Kris Young, who has stepped forward this year as inspiration and energy and who i consider almost entirely responsible for our entry this year so far. When you see him on the 4th (probably driving our tractor!), please say thanks.
Below you will find all the details i can manage right now for our presence downtown on Independence Day. Enjoy!
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday: Poster-Making!
We have a relatively low signage need this year, but we would still benefit from a time to get together and make them. Primarily our signs will consist of some of the advantages or issues that local eating brings along with it, such as greater security, energy conservation, and strengthened communities through personal relationships with our food providers.
If you can invest some time in making some of these signs, please meet at my home on Wednesday July 2 from 10am to noon. i live at 210 Grand Avenue, which is the apartment complex at the curve where Signal becomes Grand. i'll be there with posterboard, paints, markers, stapleguns, tape, and wood slats.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRIDAY is Independence Day!
This Friday is July 4th, and the parade begins at 10am. We will gather where we always have: at the eastern end of the Matilija Junior High School campus, at 9am.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace-Lover's Potluck after parade!
Sue Williamson is hosting a potluck party for all Peace and Freedom Lovers after the parade on Friday, complete with a spectacular view of the fireworks show!
The gathering is at 47 Taormina Lane at 6:30pm, and you're welcome to park on the Theosophical Community's Mesa so that the roads aren't too congested.
There will be a security guard at the entrance to Taormina, so give them Sue Williamson's name and the address: #47. Fireworks usually begin at 9pm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See you soon,
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
My tremendous thanks go out right now to Kris Young, who has stepped forward this year as inspiration and energy and who i consider almost entirely responsible for our entry this year so far. When you see him on the 4th (probably driving our tractor!), please say thanks.
Below you will find all the details i can manage right now for our presence downtown on Independence Day. Enjoy!
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday: Poster-Making!
We have a relatively low signage need this year, but we would still benefit from a time to get together and make them. Primarily our signs will consist of some of the advantages or issues that local eating brings along with it, such as greater security, energy conservation, and strengthened communities through personal relationships with our food providers.
If you can invest some time in making some of these signs, please meet at my home on Wednesday July 2 from 10am to noon. i live at 210 Grand Avenue, which is the apartment complex at the curve where Signal becomes Grand. i'll be there with posterboard, paints, markers, stapleguns, tape, and wood slats.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRIDAY is Independence Day!
This Friday is July 4th, and the parade begins at 10am. We will gather where we always have: at the eastern end of the Matilija Junior High School campus, at 9am.
- By that time, our float - a flatbed trailer pulled by a farm tractor - should be all put together and decorated. We will have a need for a few sign- and banner-carriers.
- We still need an Earth Flag!! If you have one you can lend for that day, please let me know NOW.
- I will have cold, distilled water for walkers, along with cups that i can collect afterwards for re-use.
- In solidarity with our theme of local agriculture, please dress as you might to work in the garden or on the farm (keeping in mind that it will be HOT that day!), including actual produce and gardening tools!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace-Lover's Potluck after parade!
Sue Williamson is hosting a potluck party for all Peace and Freedom Lovers after the parade on Friday, complete with a spectacular view of the fireworks show!
The gathering is at 47 Taormina Lane at 6:30pm, and you're welcome to park on the Theosophical Community's Mesa so that the roads aren't too congested.
There will be a security guard at the entrance to Taormina, so give them Sue Williamson's name and the address: #47. Fireworks usually begin at 9pm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See you soon,
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
It looks as though i have something like 6-8 confirmed volunteers with which to pull off this year's Independence Day parade entry from the OPC, and i'm related to 90% of them. i want to build a local culture of peace, and this was a good centerpiece for that at one time, but perhaps that time has passed.
We'll still do it this year, but then it's up for serious review. PLEASE, if you intend to be there and can help, let me know. i need to be reassured that we'll have what we need on the day of the parade...i'm not interested in being pleasantly surprised by a good turnout if it means days of worry and frustration beforehand. HOWEVER, i'm also not interested in poisoning our planet with guilt or fear...if you can help from a genuine place of solidarity, please do!!
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Peace One Day" at Ojai Retreat
This inspiring and very popular film was screened last year as part of the opening ceremonies of the valley's first Living Peace in Ojai weekend, which also included the awarding of the Ojai Peace Coalition's first-ever Noble Peace Prize (nominations still being accepted for this year's prize...see below!).
The film is being screened tomorrow, Wednesday June 25 at 7pm at the Ojai Retreat, 160 Besant Road, as a fundraiser and pre-publicity for this year's Living Peace event in September.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Independence Day Parade Entry
Under the official parade theme of "Fourth of July Memories", this year the OPC will urge our community to remember America's small family farms and the fresh, local produce that came/comes from them. We will use the opportunity to promote the "Eat Local One Year" project that's slated for 2009, and we will connect local eating to larger issues of peace and security.
immediately, i'm aware of a few needs:
· two people to bear the OPC banner
· one vibrant Earth flag
· 4-8 strong people to keep our "float" (a trailer) moving, since our environmental
values don't include an idling tow vehicle.
· 6-10 people to walk behind the float carrying signs representing the related issues.
remember: this is our peace community's most ready-made public opportunity to express our values in a patriotic setting, and our past appearances have been very well received! one or even a handful of people cannot do it alone...it requires a community, just like Peace itself.
watch for another email very soon about working parties to prepare our entry!
if you can help, please contact me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noble Peace Prize Nominations!
The Noble Peace Prize is awarded each year to an individual or entity that is working primarily within the Ojai Valley to create and promote cultural Peace.
MAKE YOUR NOMINATIONS HERE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CPR: Eat Local One Year
CITIZENS FOR PEACEFUL RESOLUTIONS Monthly Meeting
WHAT: EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR: A 2009 Locavore Project
Could you live for an entire year eating only food that was grown within 100 miles of your home? A spunky group of Ventura County residents are going to give it a try in 2009!
Ojai residents, Kristofer and Joanne Young, will speak about "EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR", the Ojai-centered, countywide, and nationwide locavore project they founded. They will discuss their inspiration in Barbara Kinsolver's book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," the groundrules for participation in EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR, and how you can be a part of this movement.
Local organic vegetable farmer Phil McGrath of McGrath Family Farms will discuss the importance and availability of local food.
Participants in the EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR project will share their motivation for committing to local eating for all of 2009.
Join us to help grow a safer, healthier and sustainable food system for our community and our nation!
WHEN: Sunday, July 6, 2008 - 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Foster Library's Topping Room, 651 E. Main St., Ventura, CA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Integrity Now meets July 6
The local movement that grew out of Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign continues to meet on the first Sunday of each month from 10am to 12pm at 207 North Ventura St. (former site of Ojai Creates!)
The next meeting is on Sunday July 6, 2008 and is open to all!
We'll still do it this year, but then it's up for serious review. PLEASE, if you intend to be there and can help, let me know. i need to be reassured that we'll have what we need on the day of the parade...i'm not interested in being pleasantly surprised by a good turnout if it means days of worry and frustration beforehand. HOWEVER, i'm also not interested in poisoning our planet with guilt or fear...if you can help from a genuine place of solidarity, please do!!
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Peace One Day" at Ojai Retreat
This inspiring and very popular film was screened last year as part of the opening ceremonies of the valley's first Living Peace in Ojai weekend, which also included the awarding of the Ojai Peace Coalition's first-ever Noble Peace Prize (nominations still being accepted for this year's prize...see below!).
The film is being screened tomorrow, Wednesday June 25 at 7pm at the Ojai Retreat, 160 Besant Road, as a fundraiser and pre-publicity for this year's Living Peace event in September.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Independence Day Parade Entry
Under the official parade theme of "Fourth of July Memories", this year the OPC will urge our community to remember America's small family farms and the fresh, local produce that came/comes from them. We will use the opportunity to promote the "Eat Local One Year" project that's slated for 2009, and we will connect local eating to larger issues of peace and security.
immediately, i'm aware of a few needs:
· two people to bear the OPC banner
· one vibrant Earth flag
· 4-8 strong people to keep our "float" (a trailer) moving, since our environmental
values don't include an idling tow vehicle.
· 6-10 people to walk behind the float carrying signs representing the related issues.
remember: this is our peace community's most ready-made public opportunity to express our values in a patriotic setting, and our past appearances have been very well received! one or even a handful of people cannot do it alone...it requires a community, just like Peace itself.
watch for another email very soon about working parties to prepare our entry!
if you can help, please contact me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noble Peace Prize Nominations!
The Noble Peace Prize is awarded each year to an individual or entity that is working primarily within the Ojai Valley to create and promote cultural Peace.
MAKE YOUR NOMINATIONS HERE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CPR: Eat Local One Year
CITIZENS FOR PEACEFUL RESOLUTIONS Monthly Meeting
WHAT: EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR: A 2009 Locavore Project
Could you live for an entire year eating only food that was grown within 100 miles of your home? A spunky group of Ventura County residents are going to give it a try in 2009!
Ojai residents, Kristofer and Joanne Young, will speak about "EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR", the Ojai-centered, countywide, and nationwide locavore project they founded. They will discuss their inspiration in Barbara Kinsolver's book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," the groundrules for participation in EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR, and how you can be a part of this movement.
Local organic vegetable farmer Phil McGrath of McGrath Family Farms will discuss the importance and availability of local food.
Participants in the EAT LOCAL ONE YEAR project will share their motivation for committing to local eating for all of 2009.
Join us to help grow a safer, healthier and sustainable food system for our community and our nation!
WHEN: Sunday, July 6, 2008 - 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Foster Library's Topping Room, 651 E. Main St., Ventura, CA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Integrity Now meets July 6
The local movement that grew out of Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign continues to meet on the first Sunday of each month from 10am to 12pm at 207 North Ventura St. (former site of Ojai Creates!)
The next meeting is on Sunday July 6, 2008 and is open to all!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Only two weeks left until Independence Day! We're forging ahead with our theme of remembering America's small family farms, connecting that to the effort to reclaim local eating, and connecting that to peace and security. i'll describe our remaining needs as i know and see them below.
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Independence Day Parade Entry
Under the official parade theme of "Fourth of July Memories", this year the OPC will urge our community to remember America's small family farms and the fresh, local produce that came/comes from them. We will use the opportunity to promote the "Eat Local One Year" project that's slated for 2009, and we will connect local eating to larger issues of peace and security. immediately, i'm aware of a few needs:
i know that more finely-tuned needs will surface in the coming days, but the core need for bodies to staff the key positions is primary in my mind. remember: this is our peace community's most ready-made public opportunity to express our values in a patriotic setting, and our past appearances have been very well received! one or even a handful of people cannot do it alone...it requires a community, just like Peace itself.
if you can help, please contact me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hungry for Change" Bake Sale
22 Jun, 10:00 AM
Von's Market at the "Y"
1125 Maricopa Hwy
Everyone loves a bake sale! Bring your yummiest offerings to our table at Von's and help MoveOn.org raise money to support Barack Obama's candidacy. Let's face it, we are all VERY hungry for change!
Address: 1125 Maricopa Hwy (Map)
Location: Ojai, CA 93023
Directions: Corner of Maricopa Hwy 150 and Hwy 33 in Ojai. Take 101 to the 33 East,
stay on that road and you can't miss it.
Host: Wendy Stroud
**REGISTER TO ATTEND BY CLICKING HERE**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Integrity Now meets July 6
The local movement that grew out of Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign continues to meet on the first Sunday of each month from 10am to 12pm at 207 North Ventura St. (former site of Ojai Creates!)
The next meeting is on Sunday July 6, 2008 and is open to all!
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Independence Day Parade Entry
Under the official parade theme of "Fourth of July Memories", this year the OPC will urge our community to remember America's small family farms and the fresh, local produce that came/comes from them. We will use the opportunity to promote the "Eat Local One Year" project that's slated for 2009, and we will connect local eating to larger issues of peace and security. immediately, i'm aware of a few needs:
· two people to bear the OPC banner
· one vibrant Earth flag
· 4-8 strong people to keep our "float" (a trailer) moving, since our environmental
values don't include an idling tow vehicle.
· 6-10 people to walk behind the float carrying signs representing the related issues.
i know that more finely-tuned needs will surface in the coming days, but the core need for bodies to staff the key positions is primary in my mind. remember: this is our peace community's most ready-made public opportunity to express our values in a patriotic setting, and our past appearances have been very well received! one or even a handful of people cannot do it alone...it requires a community, just like Peace itself.
if you can help, please contact me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hungry for Change" Bake Sale
22 Jun, 10:00 AM
Von's Market at the "Y"
1125 Maricopa Hwy
Everyone loves a bake sale! Bring your yummiest offerings to our table at Von's and help MoveOn.org raise money to support Barack Obama's candidacy. Let's face it, we are all VERY hungry for change!
Address: 1125 Maricopa Hwy (Map)
Location: Ojai, CA 93023
Directions: Corner of Maricopa Hwy 150 and Hwy 33 in Ojai. Take 101 to the 33 East,
stay on that road and you can't miss it.
Host: Wendy Stroud
**REGISTER TO ATTEND BY CLICKING HERE**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Integrity Now meets July 6
The local movement that grew out of Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign continues to meet on the first Sunday of each month from 10am to 12pm at 207 North Ventura St. (former site of Ojai Creates!)
The next meeting is on Sunday July 6, 2008 and is open to all!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Independence Day Prep + Films
Noble Peace Prize Nominations!
Thank you to those who have signed up for the Selection Team and who have sent in nominations! We could still use a couple more Team members and we could certainly use more nominations, so keep 'em comin'!
For Team members, i envision a live meeting sometime in early August to review the nominations, make a selection, and plan the ceremony. The celebration is being planned again on the weekend of International Peace Day, September 21.
The Noble Peace Prize is awarded each year to an individual or entity that is working primarily within the Ojai Valley to create and promote cultural Peace.
Thank you to those who have signed up for the Selection Team and who have sent in nominations! We could still use a couple more Team members and we could certainly use more nominations, so keep 'em comin'!
For Team members, i envision a live meeting sometime in early August to review the nominations, make a selection, and plan the ceremony. The celebration is being planned again on the weekend of International Peace Day, September 21.
The Noble Peace Prize is awarded each year to an individual or entity that is working primarily within the Ojai Valley to create and promote cultural Peace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Action Teams Still Need Members!
We have plenty of space for more members on our new Action Teams...please review
the list below and let me know which one(s) you'd like to be on!
Noble Peace Prize Selection Team
Independence Day Parade Team
Phone Contact Team
Peacenic Team
Voices Of Peace Book Team
Cooperative Toy and Game Fair Team
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Independence Day Parade Theme
It's official: this year's Independence Day parade theme is....
"Fourth of July Memories"
...frankly i'm far less than impressed and quite uninspired by this theme. i've
had one suggestion that we make local eating - specifically, the 2009 locavore
project - our theme, with all of its connections to peace, environmentalism, independence,
security, etc. however, it has been my own challenge and desire to incorporate
the official theme in SOME way, even though we often add to and reframe it.
SO, i'm open to suggestions (and I-Day Team Members!) as to how we can represent
the official theme, choose one of our own, or incorporate the two.
Please send feedback HERE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FILM: Soldiers Speak Out
The Ventura County Committee to Stop the War presents a 28-minute film on Friday
May 30 at 7pm at the Sunset iCafé, 2096 East Main Street in Ventura.
Soldiers Speak Out is a powerful, first-hand testament to the reality of the military
experience, told entirely in the words of American veterans who have been ot war
and are now opposing it. We hear how they came to join the military, about their
experiences in training and in war, and what let to the turning point when they
decided they could no longer, in good conscience, participate in the war, or keep
silent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FILM: Body of War
presented as a fundraiser for the Congressional campaign of Mary Pallant, who is
running for the seat currently held by Elton Gallgely!
at 4:30 pm on Saturday May 31 at the Ojai Playhouse
$10 dontation at the door
Body of War is an intimate and transformational feature documentary about the true
face of war today. Meet Tomas Young, 25 years old, paralyzed from a bullet to his
spine - wounded after serving in Iraq for less than a week.
Body of War is Tomas' coming home story as he evolves into a new person, coming
to terms with his disability and finding his own unique and passionate voice against
the war. The film is produced and directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, and
features two original songs by Eddie Vedder. Body of War is a naked and honest portrayal
of what it's like inside the body, heart and soul of this extraordinary and heroic
young man.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CPR: Men As Peacemakers
WHAT: "Men As Peacemakers ~ Through the Ages." In the month of Fathers Day, a
five-member, male panel ranging in age from 14 to 99 will discuss aspects of the male
experience in making peace, followed by general discussion. We will also celebrate Camarillo
peacemaker Bill Hammaker's 100th birthday!
WHEN: Sunday, June 1st, 2008, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Foster Library's Topping Room, 651 E. Main St., Ventura, CA
BACKGROUND: Fathers Day was created as a compliment to Mothers Day, and was initiated
by the daughter of a Civil War veteran who raised his six children alone after their
mother's death. As we recognize the heavy hand that men have in our society and
world in operating governments and perpetrating wars, CPR honors men who use their
power to create a safer, healthier and more peaceful world.
Bill Hammaker, recipient of CPR's 2006 Earth Charter award for Respect and Care
for the Community of Life, has been in the service of Peace for most of his nearly
100 years on the planet. Most recently as a champion of the Fellowship of Reconciliation,
Bill's personal goal has been to secure 100 new members by his 100th birthday (in
addition to the 99 new members he committed to gathering last year before his 99th
birthday!).
Learn more about CPR and find out how you can get involved at www.c-p-r.net
PHONE: 805-850-5849
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Integrity Now meets June 1
The local movement that grew out of Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign continues
to meet on the first Sunday of each month from 10am to 12pm at 207 North Ventura St.
(former site of Ojai Creates!)
The next meeting is on Sunday June 1, 2008 and is open to all!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
New Action Teams!
This message concerns growing our group and crafting it into an organization. We have a wonderful spirit of volunteerism here, but it's mostly reactionary in my experience: i post an action or event, and you show up, help, etc. i'd like to spread the wealth a little, both to invest us all more in the shared responsibility of Peace and to make this effort sustainable by taking some of the joyful burden off of a single point (me). Thank you in advance for your support!
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noble Peace Prize Nominations!
The Ojai Post has graciously agreed to host the nomination form for this year's Noble Peace Prize! Last year the Ojai Peace Coalition awarded our first-ever prize to Clive and Marion Leeman of the Ojai Peace Vigil (still happening each and every Friday evening at 6pm under the Pergola downtown!) during the opening ceremonies of Living Peace in Ojai. The celebration is being planned again for this year - again on the weekend of International Peace Day, September 21 - and we're looking for your nominations for the award!
The Noble Peace Prize is awarded each year to an individual or entity that is working primarily within the Ojai Valley to create and promote cultural Peace.
...which leads to the first Action Team opportunity:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noble Peace Prize Selection Team
To make the awarding of the Noble Peace Prize an official, valid, and fair process, i'd like to create an odd-numbered panel (prefereably 5, but as few as 3 persons) to review submitted NPP nominations and choose the awaredee based on a rubric we will create. The deadline for submissions is August 15, and i would like for us to have selected the recipient(s) by August 31. This team is also responsible for helping to create the ceremony/presentation of the award.
This team activates once per year, during August and September.
if you can donate your energy to this task, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Independence Day Parade Team
The annual parade is our defining event...it's what we were organized around originally, and has become a great tradition. it is a fantastic opportunity to make Peace visible and to claim it publicly as a patriotic endeavor! This team can be of any size, and is responsible for finding out the parade theme as early as possible (it is usually decided in April, though i have had no luck
finding it yet this year), helping to craft an entry based on the theme, and making community contacts to support creation of and participation in parade entry. This Team is active from April to July.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phone Contact Team
Two-person team acts as stewards of the OPC telephone contact list, makes calls twice monthly to inform telephone contacts of upcoming actions and events per the regular OPC emails.
This Team is active twice monthly and is currently responsible for just 30-40 contacts.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peacenic Team
This Team plans two annual social gatherings for local peace activists: secures location, coordinates food and music, publicizes gathering. This Team is active for two months in the Spring and two months in the Fall.
If you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Voices of Peace Book Team
This is a new project that i'm VERY excited about, which will probably span a nice long time. Inspired by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter's two publications, Ojai Valley Veterans' Stories and Veterans' Stories of Ventura County, i have decided to try publishing a book of our own to reflect the rich living history of peace work that we have here in our own
community! the tentative title of this book is Voices of Peace: Ventura County, and phase one is to begin collecting interviews to comprise the text. my first interview will be with Bill Hammaker, who will turn 100 years old next month and is still active with the Fellowship of Reconciliation.
This Team requires some specialized skills, including doing research for publication of a book, exploring funding if necessary, suggesting peacemakers for interview, doing editing and formatting of book, and making marketing/retail connections. This Team activates now and will remain so until the book is published.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cooperative Toy & Game Fair Team
The marketing of violent toys and games to parents and children is of great concern to me, and in terms of nipping militaristic and violent play in the proverbial bud, it seems critically important to encourage other choices. i have long been enamored of the concept of "toy exchanges" and fairs that collect violent toys, distribute cooperative ones, and provide a cooperative (non-competitive) play space to practice being children and parents in a culture of Peace. This Team plans an end-of-year fair by soliciting advertisers, participants, donors, and staff, creating a program, securing venue/location, and putting on the event. This Team is active for one year, from December to December.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noble Peace Prize Nominations!
The Ojai Post has graciously agreed to host the nomination form for this year's Noble Peace Prize! Last year the Ojai Peace Coalition awarded our first-ever prize to Clive and Marion Leeman of the Ojai Peace Vigil (still happening each and every Friday evening at 6pm under the Pergola downtown!) during the opening ceremonies of Living Peace in Ojai. The celebration is being planned again for this year - again on the weekend of International Peace Day, September 21 - and we're looking for your nominations for the award!
The Noble Peace Prize is awarded each year to an individual or entity that is working primarily within the Ojai Valley to create and promote cultural Peace.
...which leads to the first Action Team opportunity:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Noble Peace Prize Selection Team
To make the awarding of the Noble Peace Prize an official, valid, and fair process, i'd like to create an odd-numbered panel (prefereably 5, but as few as 3 persons) to review submitted NPP nominations and choose the awaredee based on a rubric we will create. The deadline for submissions is August 15, and i would like for us to have selected the recipient(s) by August 31. This team is also responsible for helping to create the ceremony/presentation of the award.
This team activates once per year, during August and September.
if you can donate your energy to this task, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Independence Day Parade Team
The annual parade is our defining event...it's what we were organized around originally, and has become a great tradition. it is a fantastic opportunity to make Peace visible and to claim it publicly as a patriotic endeavor! This team can be of any size, and is responsible for finding out the parade theme as early as possible (it is usually decided in April, though i have had no luck
finding it yet this year), helping to craft an entry based on the theme, and making community contacts to support creation of and participation in parade entry. This Team is active from April to July.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phone Contact Team
Two-person team acts as stewards of the OPC telephone contact list, makes calls twice monthly to inform telephone contacts of upcoming actions and events per the regular OPC emails.
This Team is active twice monthly and is currently responsible for just 30-40 contacts.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peacenic Team
This Team plans two annual social gatherings for local peace activists: secures location, coordinates food and music, publicizes gathering. This Team is active for two months in the Spring and two months in the Fall.
If you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Voices of Peace Book Team
This is a new project that i'm VERY excited about, which will probably span a nice long time. Inspired by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter's two publications, Ojai Valley Veterans' Stories and Veterans' Stories of Ventura County, i have decided to try publishing a book of our own to reflect the rich living history of peace work that we have here in our own
community! the tentative title of this book is Voices of Peace: Ventura County, and phase one is to begin collecting interviews to comprise the text. my first interview will be with Bill Hammaker, who will turn 100 years old next month and is still active with the Fellowship of Reconciliation.
This Team requires some specialized skills, including doing research for publication of a book, exploring funding if necessary, suggesting peacemakers for interview, doing editing and formatting of book, and making marketing/retail connections. This Team activates now and will remain so until the book is published.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cooperative Toy & Game Fair Team
The marketing of violent toys and games to parents and children is of great concern to me, and in terms of nipping militaristic and violent play in the proverbial bud, it seems critically important to encourage other choices. i have long been enamored of the concept of "toy exchanges" and fairs that collect violent toys, distribute cooperative ones, and provide a cooperative (non-competitive) play space to practice being children and parents in a culture of Peace. This Team plans an end-of-year fair by soliciting advertisers, participants, donors, and staff, creating a program, securing venue/location, and putting on the event. This Team is active for one year, from December to December.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Activism Grab-Bag
Wow, we seem to have a grab-bag of activism right now, with everything from immigration to healthcare to the environment. it's all Peace, baby..and it's all love.
Gratitude to the Ventura County Committee to Stop the War for tabling on our behalf at Ventura's ArtWalk and gathering petition signatures for our resolution to the Ojai City Council. if you haven't seen or signed it yet, please do so HERE. (i'll be asking for help to gather more signatures at the Farmer's Market in coming weeks, so look out for that opportunity!)
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mother's Day for Peace! (May 4th)
Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions/CPR presents a celebration, discussion, and reaffirmation of Julia Ward Howe's 1870 Mother's Day Peace Proclamation:
"As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. . . to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interest of peace."
WHEN: Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Foster Library's Topping Room, 651 E. Main St., Ventura, CA
WHO: All people who wish to celebrate their work of nurturing and peacemaking are invited to "take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace."
BACKGROUND: Julia Ward Howe, having seen some of the worst effects of the U.S. Civil War and the onset of the Franco-Prussian war, called in 1870 for women to rise up and oppose war in all its forms. Her idea for a Mother's Day for Peace was influenced by Anna Jarvis who worked to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors. Although she failed to get official recognition for a Mother's Day for Peace, we will reclaim and honor her intent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Future of Transportation (May 10th)
Join CAUSE, COAST and PUEBLO for their second in a series of transportation forums:
Rick Cole, City Manager, Ventura
Grant House, Councilmember, Santa Barbara
Katherine Perez, Transportation Planner, Southern California Transportation &
Land Use Coalition (SCTLC)
Ron Botoroff, Ventura County Civic Alliance
To RSVP and for more information contact Carmen Ramirez at (805) 658-0810 ext. 213, or at carmen@coastalalliance.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Imagine Whirled Peace (and $10,000!)
Ben and Jerry's is on a quest for Peace Pioneers who are "working to create positive change, inspire others and further the cause of peace and justice", and there's $10,000 involved for the winner's org of choice! Our region is full of talented and passionate leaders of Peace...visit the Peace Pioneer websiteto nominate your favorite! (and consider it a primer for the upcoming OPC Noble Peace Prize nominations, to be awarded in September!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clean Cars on Day One!
from Environment California:
The clean cars program - which would cut global warming pollution from new cars and trucks by 30 percent - would go a long way toward reducing global climate change and saving what's left of the ice shelf. In fact, California and the 12 other states that have adopted the program would combine to cut 400 million tons of global warming pollution from our cars and trucks. With the Bush administration blocking progress at every turn, we're counting on the next president to remove the EPA's roadblock to cleaner cars.
Tell the Presidential candidates to declare clean cars a priority for their potential
administrations HERE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
McCain: Pay Gap Okay, Women to Blame
from MomsRising.org:
Last week, the Senate failed to pass the Fair Pay Act. What was almost worse than that defeat were the out-of-touch, old-fashioned--and downright insulting--statements about women. Senator McCain, who didn't even come to vote, said that instead of legislation allowing women to demand equal pay, they simply need "education and training."
Lilly Ledbetter, whose Supreme Court case led to the creation of the Fair Pay Act, didn't need "training". She needed Fair Pay. Women today make up 56% of college graduates and nearly half of the labor force in this country. Yet women make only 73 cents to a man's dollar, and
mothers only make 60 cents, for the exact same job.
Sign the petition in support of the Fair Pay Act.And for good measure, send Senator McCain your resume. Our goal is to send him 100,000.
(you can also sign THIS PETITION on the same topic by the Committee for a Democratic Majority if you're feeling especially energetic!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Impeachment: DVDs coming
The Ojai Peace Coalition partnered with Citizens for Impeachment, Integrity Now, VC Stop the War, and others to present
email me if you'd like a copy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No Match" Letters Hurt All Workers
from Change to Win:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wants to start using the Social Security database as a tool for identifying illegal immigrants.
The problem is that the rule will hurt workers and employers who play by the rules -- the Social Security database is full of errors, and more than 70% of them are in records belonging to legal, native-born American workers!
Tell DHS that the Social Security database is not an appropriate tool for enforcing the immigration laws.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want Better Healthcare? Tell Your Story.
from MomsRising.org:
Share your story or commentsabout how important it is to provide healthcare coverage for all kids in California. We will share your comments and pictures to California lawmakers to show them that real families are impacted and care about this issue.
Gratitude to the Ventura County Committee to Stop the War for tabling on our behalf at Ventura's ArtWalk and gathering petition signatures for our resolution to the Ojai City Council. if you haven't seen or signed it yet, please do so HERE. (i'll be asking for help to gather more signatures at the Farmer's Market in coming weeks, so look out for that opportunity!)
in Peace,
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mother's Day for Peace! (May 4th)
Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions/CPR presents a celebration, discussion, and reaffirmation of Julia Ward Howe's 1870 Mother's Day Peace Proclamation:
"As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. . . to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interest of peace."
WHEN: Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Foster Library's Topping Room, 651 E. Main St., Ventura, CA
WHO: All people who wish to celebrate their work of nurturing and peacemaking are invited to "take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace."
BACKGROUND: Julia Ward Howe, having seen some of the worst effects of the U.S. Civil War and the onset of the Franco-Prussian war, called in 1870 for women to rise up and oppose war in all its forms. Her idea for a Mother's Day for Peace was influenced by Anna Jarvis who worked to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors. Although she failed to get official recognition for a Mother's Day for Peace, we will reclaim and honor her intent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Future of Transportation (May 10th)
Join CAUSE, COAST and PUEBLO for their second in a series of transportation forums:
The Future of the Central Coast Regional Transportation System
Saturday, May 10, 2008 (National Train Day)
Saturday, May 10, 2008 (National Train Day)
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Ruby's Café of Oxnard
348 South Oxnard Blvd.
Oxnard , California
(Just steps from the train station at the Oxnard Transportation Center )
Guest Speakers:Ruby's Café of Oxnard
348 South Oxnard Blvd.
Oxnard , California
(Just steps from the train station at the Oxnard Transportation Center )
Rick Cole, City Manager, Ventura
Grant House, Councilmember, Santa Barbara
Katherine Perez, Transportation Planner, Southern California Transportation &
Land Use Coalition (SCTLC)
Ron Botoroff, Ventura County Civic Alliance
To RSVP and for more information contact Carmen Ramirez at (805) 658-0810 ext. 213, or at carmen@coastalalliance.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Imagine Whirled Peace (and $10,000!)
Ben and Jerry's is on a quest for Peace Pioneers who are "working to create positive change, inspire others and further the cause of peace and justice", and there's $10,000 involved for the winner's org of choice! Our region is full of talented and passionate leaders of Peace...visit the Peace Pioneer websiteto nominate your favorite! (and consider it a primer for the upcoming OPC Noble Peace Prize nominations, to be awarded in September!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clean Cars on Day One!
from Environment California:
The clean cars program - which would cut global warming pollution from new cars and trucks by 30 percent - would go a long way toward reducing global climate change and saving what's left of the ice shelf. In fact, California and the 12 other states that have adopted the program would combine to cut 400 million tons of global warming pollution from our cars and trucks. With the Bush administration blocking progress at every turn, we're counting on the next president to remove the EPA's roadblock to cleaner cars.
Tell the Presidential candidates to declare clean cars a priority for their potential
administrations HERE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
McCain: Pay Gap Okay, Women to Blame
from MomsRising.org:
Last week, the Senate failed to pass the Fair Pay Act. What was almost worse than that defeat were the out-of-touch, old-fashioned--and downright insulting--statements about women. Senator McCain, who didn't even come to vote, said that instead of legislation allowing women to demand equal pay, they simply need "education and training."
Lilly Ledbetter, whose Supreme Court case led to the creation of the Fair Pay Act, didn't need "training". She needed Fair Pay. Women today make up 56% of college graduates and nearly half of the labor force in this country. Yet women make only 73 cents to a man's dollar, and
mothers only make 60 cents, for the exact same job.
Sign the petition in support of the Fair Pay Act.And for good measure, send Senator McCain your resume. Our goal is to send him 100,000.
(you can also sign THIS PETITION on the same topic by the Committee for a Democratic Majority if you're feeling especially energetic!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Impeachment: DVDs coming
The Ojai Peace Coalition 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
featuring Phil Cohen of IVAW and David Swanson of afterdowningstreet.org a couple weeks ago, and it was a dramatic success by all reports! My role was to attend the Ojai City Council meeting held the same evening to inform them of the gathering and that they'd be receiving dvd's of it soon. As soon as said recordings are available, i'll let you know.Strategies for Saving our Constitution, Economy, and Environment
email me if you'd like a copy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No Match" Letters Hurt All Workers
from Change to Win:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wants to start using the Social Security database as a tool for identifying illegal immigrants.
The problem is that the rule will hurt workers and employers who play by the rules -- the Social Security database is full of errors, and more than 70% of them are in records belonging to legal, native-born American workers!
Tell DHS that the Social Security database is not an appropriate tool for enforcing the immigration laws.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want Better Healthcare? Tell Your Story.
from MomsRising.org:
Share your story or commentsabout how important it is to provide healthcare coverage for all kids in California. We will share your comments and pictures to California lawmakers to show them that real families are impacted and care about this issue.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Eat Local, Impeach, and End the War
It's TAX DAY! Do you know how your taxes are being used? Do you know you have options? (Read on!)
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
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
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
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Tax Resistance, Counter-Recruitment, and WELCOME!
If this is the first time you've visited the OPC Action Blog, WELCOME! We added 56 new contactsthrough our Not One More! event in Libbey Park a few weekends ago, so there are lots of new friends connected with us now. There is only one action notification today, but usually there are around half a dozen. You never have to do them all, just pick something that resonates with you and go for it!
As a reminder to all: i am VERY protective of your information, and will not give your email address to anyone without your permission. You will receive one email message from me every two weeks on Tuesday, unless we need to stay especially well-connected due to a flurry of action and/or a sense of urgency. i also desire to maintain an openness and sense of personal connection with you, so if you have questions, concerns, ideas, offers to help, warnings, etc...please do email or call to share them. my cell phone number is 805-746-3750.
in Peace,
-evan austin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
War Tax Resistance forum on Saturday!
Up to 54 cents of every dollaryou send to Uncle Sam this tax season will go to the United States military in some way, and yet even as militarism is touted as a solution to the world's ills, we live in a time of unprecedented global unrest. The Ojai Peace Coalition invites you to spend an evening discovering the connections - both personal and collective - between the world's violence and our own hard work, and what nonviolent means are available for resistance.
Joseph Maizlish of Southern California War Tax Resisters and Norman Bauer of the Ventura County Committee to Stop the War will co-present about protesting war through tax resistance and counter-recruitment at a private home in Ojai on Saturday, April 5th, 2008.
Contact me for exact location and time.
This event is FREE, with donations accepted.
(this blurb is posted on the Ojai Post, so if you have public comments or questions about this topic, put 'em there!)
As a reminder to all: i am VERY protective of your information, and will not give your email address to anyone without your permission. You will receive one email message from me every two weeks on Tuesday, unless we need to stay especially well-connected due to a flurry of action and/or a sense of urgency. i also desire to maintain an openness and sense of personal connection with you, so if you have questions, concerns, ideas, offers to help, warnings, etc...please do email or call to share them. my cell phone number is 805-746-3750.
in Peace,
-evan austin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
War Tax Resistance forum on Saturday!
Up to 54 cents of every dollaryou send to Uncle Sam this tax season will go to the United States military in some way, and yet even as militarism is touted as a solution to the world's ills, we live in a time of unprecedented global unrest. The Ojai Peace Coalition invites you to spend an evening discovering the connections - both personal and collective - between the world's violence and our own hard work, and what nonviolent means are available for resistance.
Joseph Maizlish of Southern California War Tax Resisters and Norman Bauer of the Ventura County Committee to Stop the War will co-present about protesting war through tax resistance and counter-recruitment at a private home in Ojai on Saturday, April 5th, 2008.
Contact me for exact location and time.
This event is FREE, with donations accepted.
(this blurb is posted on the Ojai Post, so if you have public comments or questions about this topic, put 'em there!)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Not One More! wrap up + M19
Not One More! is finished, and if you weren't able to come and see or participate i'd like to tell you how amazing it was to see a community come together to create something...the variety of energies and talents and perspectives that collaborated within a common experience was not only inspiring and made for a successful event; it was Peace at work.
Please enjoy this brief report-out + three more end-the-war actions tomorrow!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not One More!: Wrap-Up
· Dialogue on the Ojai Post
· Event photos
As i said in the intro, this project was Peace and community-building at work. It was the OPC's biggest - and therefore my personal biggest - action yet, and i am VERY gratified by its success. To secure facilities, sponsors, and participant groups; to plan out the logistics; to invite and reinvite the media and local officials; to put together a program book; to solicit donations; to coordinate persons; and then to actually carry out the writing in three days of nearly 4,000 names was quite a feat, and it was accomplished only through an energetic community effort.
if i may make some huge THANK-YOU's (in no particular order, and you know what you did):
Coleen Ashly
Dennis Ashly
Jessie Austin
Cody Stephens & James
Brooke
Frank Peterson
Tom Erickson
Sophie Whitney
Dolores
Ruth & Celeste
Liz Tavis
Donna Stephens
Peggy La Cerra
Tom & Erin McNerney
Kris Young
Noel Douglas
Cheri Mason
Karen Kennedy
Grant Marcus
Teresa Meehan
All our Volunteers and Signers
All of our sponsors, particularly our three major ones:
The Ojai Post
Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions
The Ojai Valley Democratic Club
You can read my opening remarks from Saturday morning's flag ceremony and view the event photos on flickr
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Petition to City: End the War!
As you know, half of our Not One More! action was a petition to the City of Ojai, urging them to adopt a resolution that i've drafted based on the successful resolutions passed in both Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, among other cities. i've customized it for our community using data compiled at my request by the National
Priorities Project.
We collectecd 189 signatures in support of our resolution to:
· End the war
· Withdraw our troops, contractors, and bases
· Redirect war funds to domestic needs
· Provide non-military aid to rebuild Iraq
If you didn't make it to the park this past weekend, you can READ THE RESOLUTION AND SIGN THE PETITION HERE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M19: MoveOn's New Priorities Vigil
On March 19th, tens of thousands of people across the country will gather to observe the fifth anniversary of the war with candlelight vigils.We'll commemorate the sacrifices too many families have made, and the billions of dollars wasted in Iraq that could have been better invested at home.
Locally, three choices!
· Ojai, 7pm at the Y
· Ventura, 7pm at City Hall
· Ventura, 5pm at Ventura High School
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M19: Protest Military Recruitment
From ANSWER VC and VC Stop the War:
Wednesday, March 19, 12 Noon - 2pm
Ventura Military Recruitment Center
4009 E Main St, Ventura (Main & Telephone)
Initiated by ANSWER Ventura County. For more info call 805-367-6481 or email answervc@riseup.net.
We will then carpool to Los Angeles to carry out the same action at the Hollywood Recruitment Center at 4pm!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M19: Winter Soldier fundraiser
Almost forty years ago, veterans of the Vietnam War gave public testimony to the war crimes and atrocities committed on behalf of the U.S. government. Now, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are repeating Winter Soldier for this war. In order to raise funds for this historic event, Ventura is joining with thousands of other communities to host a benefit event for soldiers against the war.
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
6-9pm @ Sunset Cafe, 2069 E. Main St, Ventura (across from Ventura High)
Tickets: $20
Sponsored by Ventura County Committee to Stop the War.
[The Winter Soldier testimonies finished during the weekend, so complete audio archives are being compiled. If you missed any of the powerful voices, there is audio at
WarComesHome.org and IVAW.org]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please enjoy this brief report-out + three more end-the-war actions tomorrow!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not One More!: Wrap-Up
· Dialogue on the Ojai Post
· Event photos
As i said in the intro, this project was Peace and community-building at work. It was the OPC's biggest - and therefore my personal biggest - action yet, and i am VERY gratified by its success. To secure facilities, sponsors, and participant groups; to plan out the logistics; to invite and reinvite the media and local officials; to put together a program book; to solicit donations; to coordinate persons; and then to actually carry out the writing in three days of nearly 4,000 names was quite a feat, and it was accomplished only through an energetic community effort.
if i may make some huge THANK-YOU's (in no particular order, and you know what you did):
Coleen Ashly
Dennis Ashly
Jessie Austin
Cody Stephens & James
Brooke
Frank Peterson
Tom Erickson
Sophie Whitney
Dolores
Ruth & Celeste
Liz Tavis
Donna Stephens
Peggy La Cerra
Tom & Erin McNerney
Kris Young
Noel Douglas
Cheri Mason
Karen Kennedy
Grant Marcus
Teresa Meehan
All our Volunteers and Signers
All of our sponsors, particularly our three major ones:
The Ojai Post
Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions
The Ojai Valley Democratic Club
You can read my opening remarks from Saturday morning's flag ceremony and view the event photos on flickr
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Petition to City: End the War!
As you know, half of our Not One More! action was a petition to the City of Ojai, urging them to adopt a resolution that i've drafted based on the successful resolutions passed in both Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, among other cities. i've customized it for our community using data compiled at my request by the National
Priorities Project.
We collectecd 189 signatures in support of our resolution to:
· End the war
· Withdraw our troops, contractors, and bases
· Redirect war funds to domestic needs
· Provide non-military aid to rebuild Iraq
If you didn't make it to the park this past weekend, you can READ THE RESOLUTION AND SIGN THE PETITION HERE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M19: MoveOn's New Priorities Vigil
On March 19th, tens of thousands of people across the country will gather to observe the fifth anniversary of the war with candlelight vigils.We'll commemorate the sacrifices too many families have made, and the billions of dollars wasted in Iraq that could have been better invested at home.
Locally, three choices!
· Ojai, 7pm at the Y
· Ventura, 7pm at City Hall
· Ventura, 5pm at Ventura High School
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M19: Protest Military Recruitment
From ANSWER VC and VC Stop the War:
Wednesday, March 19, 12 Noon - 2pm
Ventura Military Recruitment Center
4009 E Main St, Ventura (Main & Telephone)
Initiated by ANSWER Ventura County. For more info call 805-367-6481 or email answervc@riseup.net.
We will then carpool to Los Angeles to carry out the same action at the Hollywood Recruitment Center at 4pm!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M19: Winter Soldier fundraiser
Almost forty years ago, veterans of the Vietnam War gave public testimony to the war crimes and atrocities committed on behalf of the U.S. government. Now, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are repeating Winter Soldier for this war. In order to raise funds for this historic event, Ventura is joining with thousands of other communities to host a benefit event for soldiers against the war.
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
6-9pm @ Sunset Cafe, 2069 E. Main St, Ventura (across from Ventura High)
Tickets: $20
Sponsored by Ventura County Committee to Stop the War.
[The Winter Soldier testimonies finished during the weekend, so complete audio archives are being compiled. If you missed any of the powerful voices, there is audio at
WarComesHome.org and IVAW.org]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Not One More! is next week!
This has already been a tremendous learning and organizing experience for me, and by all accounts we're going to make quite the splash in our community with this action. If you haven't already pledged your support, there is still room for volunteers and of course you're encouraged to come and sign names. Thanks to so many of you for your generosity with your time, talent, and treasure!
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You know what this is about by now. Help us humanize and personalize the real women and men whose lives have been taken in this war by bringing their names home to our community and calling for an end to the violence.
There is some very enthusiastic support for this project (including among some local youth!), and i appreciate the valuable volunteers that have already stepped forward. We continue to have three significant needs:
· WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to work two-hour shifts while the event is open, which entails
helping people sign names, looking out for the security of the area, answering visitors' questions, and facilitating signing of the resolution petition. It may also include talking to the press. If you can help, please call Coleen at 805-640-8478.
· WE NEED SIGNERS to help create the memorial. We're scheduling individuals and groups to sign because that helps us know whom to expect, and when, and how many people (as opposed to simply waiting for people to trickle in randomly). If you want to come as an individual, please let us know. If you want to come as a group, please let us know. If you know of a group who might be interested, please let us - and them - know!
· WE NEED SPONSORS to offset the costs of renting the park, event insurance, printing, etc...as well as to swell the OPC coffers for future peacebuilding! Donations will be accepted at the event, right now from the right-side column donation button, from our website, or from our Chipin page, and there are sponsorships available at the following levels:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace Pole Project
This project is stalled because i haven't had time to work on preparing the pole for painting, and there are apparently no artists among us and none in this Valley who look at posted flyers or answer personal emails.
Once i'm finished preparing it, our next step is still to paint it. To that end, WE NEED FOUR ARTISTS who would be willing to be responsible for creating one "panel" of the four-sided pole. If you are an artist or you know one who might be interested, please call me at 805.746.3750 so we can keep this project moving. i want this pole in the ground by June!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
War Tax Resistance forum in April
will be presented by Joseph Maizlish of Southern California War Tax Resisters and Norman Bauer of the Ventura County Committee to Stop the War
on Saturday April 5th...but WHEN and WHERE?
· WE NEED A VENUE to accommodate...i dunno, 20 people? if you are connected to any such place and/or have a suggestion, please let me know: 805-746-3750
Come to explore our individual and collective connections to the war machine, strategies for resistance, history of action, and risks. Empowerment materials available, and donations will be accepted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Praising you for being mindful and heartful toward the rest of us on this beautiful planet,
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
-evan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You know what this is about by now. Help us humanize and personalize the real women and men whose lives have been taken in this war by bringing their names home to our community and calling for an end to the violence.
FRIDAY MARCH 14 from 9AM to 3PM
SATURDAY MARCH 15 from 9AM to 3PM
SUNDAY MARCH 15 from 1PM to 7PM
SATURDAY MARCH 15 from 9AM to 3PM
SUNDAY MARCH 15 from 1PM to 7PM
There is some very enthusiastic support for this project (including among some local youth!), and i appreciate the valuable volunteers that have already stepped forward. We continue to have three significant needs:
· WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to work two-hour shifts while the event is open, which entails
helping people sign names, looking out for the security of the area, answering visitors' questions, and facilitating signing of the resolution petition. It may also include talking to the press. If you can help, please call Coleen at 805-640-8478.
· WE NEED SIGNERS to help create the memorial. We're scheduling individuals and groups to sign because that helps us know whom to expect, and when, and how many people (as opposed to simply waiting for people to trickle in randomly). If you want to come as an individual, please let us know. If you want to come as a group, please let us know. If you know of a group who might be interested, please let us - and them - know!
· WE NEED SPONSORS to offset the costs of renting the park, event insurance, printing, etc...as well as to swell the OPC coffers for future peacebuilding! Donations will be accepted at the event, right now from the right-side column donation button, from our website, or from our Chipin page, and there are sponsorships available at the following levels:
$25 - Chalk
Includes a business-card size ad and message in the event program book.
$50 - Petition
Includes a quarter page (2.75" x 4.25") ad and
message in the event program book.
$125 - Resolution
Includes a half-page (5.5" x 4.25") ad and message in the event program book
AND
a postcard-size logo decal displayed during the event, yours to keep after it's over!
$250 - Blue Ribbon
Includes a full-page (8.5" x 5.5") ad and message in the event program book
AND
a 2' x 5' banner displayed during the event, yours to keep after it's over!
If you can support this community action with a gift of your time, talents, or treasure: please call Coleen at 640-8478to volunteer. You can also forward this message to friends and family!Includes a business-card size ad and message in the event program book.
$50 - Petition
Includes a quarter page (2.75" x 4.25") ad and
message in the event program book.
$125 - Resolution
Includes a half-page (5.5" x 4.25") ad and message in the event program book
AND
a postcard-size logo decal displayed during the event, yours to keep after it's over!
$250 - Blue Ribbon
Includes a full-page (8.5" x 5.5") ad and message in the event program book
AND
a 2' x 5' banner displayed during the event, yours to keep after it's over!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace Pole Project
This project is stalled because i haven't had time to work on preparing the pole for painting, and there are apparently no artists among us and none in this Valley who look at posted flyers or answer personal emails.
Once i'm finished preparing it, our next step is still to paint it. To that end, WE NEED FOUR ARTISTS who would be willing to be responsible for creating one "panel" of the four-sided pole. If you are an artist or you know one who might be interested, please call me at 805.746.3750 so we can keep this project moving. i want this pole in the ground by June!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
War Tax Resistance forum in April
will be presented by Joseph Maizlish of Southern California War Tax Resisters and Norman Bauer of the Ventura County Committee to Stop the War
on Saturday April 5th...but WHEN and WHERE?
· WE NEED A VENUE to accommodate...i dunno, 20 people? if you are connected to any such place and/or have a suggestion, please let me know: 805-746-3750
Come to explore our individual and collective connections to the war machine, strategies for resistance, history of action, and risks. Empowerment materials available, and donations will be accepted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Praising you for being mindful and heartful toward the rest of us on this beautiful planet,
evan austin
Ojai Peace Coalition
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