Arise

The following is the original Mother's Day proclamation written by Julia Ward Howe in 1870. Julia was a Unitarian, poet,writer, and activist working for peace, equality and the right of women to vote. Julia was inspiered by Anna Jarvis an Appalachian woman who started Mothers work Days in1858 as an effort to get better sanitation for the soldiers on both sides during the Civil War. Anna's daughter, also named Anna having been influenced by her mother and the words of Julia Howe, founded a Memorial day for women. In 1907 the first Mother's day was celebrated in the West Virginia church where Anna's mother taught Sunday school. Most states celebrated Mother's Day in some way for several years before Woodrow Wilson declare it an official holiday in 1914. The words of Julia Ward Howe resonate for us once again in this time of war.


"Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of tears!

Say firmly: 'We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.'

From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says 'Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.' Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession. 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. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace."

This plea has been transformed by our free market consumer obsessed society into a buying frenzy. Please visit standingwomen.blogspot.com for an alternative to the "Hallmark" Mother's Day

Virginia Tech Tragedy

The Following letter came to me from The Peace Alliance.
Marianne

Virginia Tech
Our Hearts Go Out

April 17, 2007

Dear Department of Peace Campaign Supporters,

We write to you today with heavy hearts. The devastating events at
Virginia Tech affect us all. Shock, outrage, anger and deep sadness
are present as we recognize the great loss suffered, in truth, by all
of us. We face yet again another painful reminder of the urgent need
for a comprehensive approach to reducing and preventing violence in
our nation and the world.

In dark moments such as this, shock, anger and denial are natural and
normal reactions that can camouflage our deep pain and sadness. Grief
takes a variety of forms, unique to each individual. The important
thing is that we take the time to grieve--whenever we do it, however we
do it.

Many of you have already asked how our local grassroots members have
been affected, and what is being done to provide support in the area.
We have supporters who live in Blacksburg, VA, the town neighboring
Virginia Tech, including Congressional District Team Leader for
Virginia CD-9, Tom Marano. At this time, we have no reports that our
grassroots members have friends or family directly involved in this
devastating event. Virginia State Coordinator Christine Johnson is
working with the local team to define ways to support the Virginia
Tech community. When the Virginia team identifies ways for those of us
living outside the region to help, we will let you know. In the
meantime, they know we stand with them in loving support.

This event also has direct implications to our work in the campaign
for a U.S. Department of Peace. Many of you have asked for guidance on
communicating the vision of the Department of Peace in light of these
tragic events. It is entirely appropriate--in fact necessary--for us to
speak in this time of heartache, to address the ongoing question of
how we prevent this type of violence from ever occurring again.

We know that as a nation we have concrete tools to resolve conflict
before it escalates into violence. The bipartisan call for a moment of
silence in the House and the Senate yesterday to acknowledge the worst
mass shooting in U.S. history indicates our elected leaders' desires to
put aside political interests and become part of the solution. We can
help our government leaders understand the need for institutions that
address the root causes of violence so that we never suffer another
Virginia Tech.

We encourage you to respond to this tragedy thoughtfully and
compassionately. Please consider calling your members of Congress
today and reminding them that we can take a fresh approach to dealing
with violence. Share with them your deep concern about the shootings
at Virginia Tech, and remind them that violence is a global and
national public health and safety crisis that is preventable. Help
them see, as you do, that we currently have the programs and practices
needed to resolve conflict before it escalates into violence. If
you've previously met with specific staff members, be sure to share
this vision directly with them.

You can reach your members through the Capitol switchboard at
202-224-3121. You may also find your members' direct contact
information at www.congress.org.

Thank you for your commitment. It is our privilege to walk in
community with you, holding the shared vision of a world in which this
kind of violence never need happen again.

In the spirit of peace,

The staff of The Peace Alliance


IMAGINE: A U. S. Department of Peace
http://www.thepeacealliance.org/


-- For the latest info about your local peace group:
http://www.polkpeace.org
A diverse group with many ideas about attaining peace--
Take what you like and leave the rest!
To leave this list, send a reply with "Remove me" in the subject line.

Lets start with love and see what happens!

On Saturday April 14th my family and I attended a vigil for a young man we did not know, his name was (is) Ryan Keith Skipper. This is probably the first time we have done this kind of thing. From my perspective as a mother I can feel the pain this family has. But my pain will be short lived because my loved ones are safe for now. When I think of my children I always first think are they safe? This protective instinct was born with them. It took me by surprise when my first child James came to us 27 years ago. There are so many things we as parents do to keep our children safe; put them in car seats when they are babies, we teach them about strangers when the are young children, we tell them not to put harmful substances in their bodies when they are teens and young adults. When they go out on their own as adults we hope and pray they use good judgement and keep themselves safe. This was not to be for Ryan, he was attacked and brutally murdered because of his sexual orientation. There are people in our society who believe Ryan provoked this attack simply by being who he was. I read a quote this morning from a woman commenting on Ryan's vigil, this is what she had to say among other things " No homosexuals means no homosexual haters". Does this also mean no Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, women, children, homeless people etc... you get my drift. Violence committed against another person simply for being who they are is the lowest place for humans to go. What was particularly striking was the small number of community and religious leaders present at this gathering. Are they so fearful of being associated with a "Gay" event that they cannot come and speak out or at least show their support for this grieving family. The silence is deafening! We must all speak out and not tolerate this kind of violence but also the casual remarks and slang we hear every day. We must educate our chidren in an atmosphere of mutual respect and acceptance. Let's start with love and see what happens. Your friend in PEACE, Marianne

Permission to Begin Again

So often we try to change something about ourselves only to fail or slip back into our old way of doing or thinking. We may want to eat better, exercise, conquor addictions, improve our relationships with family friends or co workers. The first thing that needs to happen is finding compassion for yourself by not judging yourself for getting lost. Second you simply begin again! Spend what ever time you use for meditation or prayer to reinforce these two simple things. It is spring a time for new beginings. We are enjoying our time with family and friends, and the perfume of orange blossom, jasmine and gardenia. I have a greatful heart for the abundance in my life. I have a hopeful heart that love and mutual respect will bring peace to our planet.

The following is an attempt at editing the mission / vision statement for our project, (for which we still do not have a name). I hope you will take some time to play around with names and do some editing of your own on this version.
PEACE,Marianne



( ) is a co-op run bookstore and library dedicated to independently published materials and art with a focus on diversity, equality, peace and justice. ( ) will serve the community in the following ways;
Educate and inform by sponsoring events, speakers, discussions, film, fundraisers, book readings and cultural celebrations.
Provide a meeting space for groups and organizations promoting social change through diversity, art, education and activism.
Provide a new kind of public space for anything from, discussion, activism and networking, to relaxation and reflection.

The Power of the Group

Individually we may wish for a better world. We may even choose a lifestyle that embodies our ideals. But we are limited, in our isolation in what we can accomplish. I believe we can have a greater impact for change if we join together with others in a common cause. To start with we must learn to listen to each other. It is only through really listening to people with different viewpoints that we can learn from each other. The other day I listened to the grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, Arun Gandhi, speaking about passive resistance and non-violence. He said his grandfather would pray every day, the prayers from all religions. He said when we think we have found the truth we no longer continue to look for the truth. In other words we stop learning about each other and ourselves. Finding a common ground is not an easy thing, but it is made even more difficult if we think we have all the answers before we start. Another thing I believe is something that was said by Suzanne Arms “birth activist”, “ Information alone does not create change or transform people’s way of thinking”. So if this is true, and I believe it is true, it creates a challenge to the way we approach things. I think we can start with the dissemination of information but we must back it up with actions that are going to impact people on a personal level. So my goal as we go forward with this project is that we approach it with an open mind, an open heart, try to learn something from each other, and let our creativity blossom. An analogy I learned from listening to Arun Gandhi is this; Peace is like a grain of wheat, if I keep it isolated it will wither and die, but if I join it together with other grains of wheat and
expose it to the sun, wind and rain it will flourish and grow. So hopefully we can take these concepts with us as we move foreword with this exciting endeavor.

Your Friend in PEACE
Marianne Power