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FALL 2015 Sharing Lifetime Membership in VFP Peace VETERANS FOR PEACE Organized locally. Recognized internationally. FALL 2015 Sharing Lifetime Membership in VFP Peace Doug Rawlings As the interim editor of our For Peace. Or consider quarterly newsletter, I have for a moment giving to a been asked to encourage very special person, as you, dear readers, to please Frank Corcoran did the think of signing up for a Life- night of our banquet. time Membership. Frank, an American That got me to thinking War in Vietnam veteran, about our last convention in presented a Lifetime San Diego, and in particular Membership to an hon- about our Saturday night ban- ored guest at the con- quet. We were blessed to vention, Le Ly Haslip, hear from the likes of Phyllis author of When Heaven Bennis, Ray McGovern, Sey- and Earth Changed mour Hersh, and Beau Berg- Places: A Vietnamese dahl's dad, Bob, as the even- Woman's Journey from ing rolled on. But what sticks War to Peace. in my mind now is the brilliant Listen to the words of gambit that the incomparable four esteemed col- Doug Zachary conjured up. leagues who were As the staff person most graced with a lifetime responsible for developing a VFP Lifetime Members (clockwise from top right): membership that fateful strong membership base Ann Wright, Chuck Searcy, Seymour Hersh, and evening in San Diego within VFP, he popped up on Kourtney Mitchell. and think of how your the stage throughout the special loved one might evening encouraging us to daughter, granddaughter or grandson. acknowledge your gift: not just sign up for a Lifetime What a great way to weave your family Membership for ourselves, legacy into the heart and soul of Veterans (Continued on page 4) but to think of GIVING a Life- time Membership to another IN THIS ISSUE: deserving person. Brilliant. Think of it -- giving a VFP Activism & Artistry……....…..5 Project RENEW & USAID...9 Lifetime Membership to your Electoral Politics……….….....6 Book Review………....…..18 mom or dad, to your beloved uncle or aunt, to your son or March Across America……...8 Poetry………......………….19 VFP Newsletter Fall 2015 1 From the President Barry Ladendorf I want to thank Doug Rawlings, a the discussion of war and peace founding member of VFP and VFP’s our unique perspective as veter- first ever poet laureate, for acting as ans who have served in every war the interim editor of our quarterly from World War II to the present newsletter and putting together this endless wars in the Middle East. very special edition. Our collective judgment is that war and violence must end or the Three of our primary goals this world as we know it surely will year have been to: (1) increase end. What place does the peace membership; (2) spread the mes- movement occupy and what path sage of VFP; and (3) financially should it take to tackle these all strengthen our organization. The too critical issues? Board and VFP staff have been imple- menting plans which already have Last week VFP Vice-President, Chuck Searcy, a new LIFETIME begun to meet these goals. Gerry Condon, VFP Executive Di- rector, Michael McPhearson, and I member, tells us what being a LIFE- We anticipate that with the contin- participated in a conference call TIME member means to him. ued collaborative efforts of VFP with several peace organizations If you are not a LIFETIME mem- members, realization of these goals to begin the process of trying to ber, please consider becoming one. will ultimately transform VFP into a determine how to most effectively Perhaps you have a deserving leading peace organization in the revitalize the peace movement. member in your chapter, a family world. The involved organizations look to member, or a veteran who is not yet MEMBERSHIP: Through the lead- VFP to lead in this effort. Hopeful- a member whom you would like to ership of Tarak Kauff, VFP has con- ly, as this process evolves, we will honor with a LIFETIME membership. tinued to aggressively bring more find new and innovative ways to As LIFETIME members we are post-911 veterans into its fold. At galvanize the peace movement bound together with the 30 year his- this year’s convention in San Diego, and bring along a broad new coali- tory of VFP and to LIFETIME mem- we nearly doubled the number of tion of peace activists. bers who have gone before us and younger veterans in attendance. For For 30 years VFP has sought to those yet to come. the first time in several years, we dismantle the war economy, Thanks to each of you for your even experienced a slight increase fought against the increasing hold continuing support of VFP. You con- in our membership. In 2015, we also the military-industrial complex has tinue to amaze me with your com- added two new foreign chapters: gained in our government and ex- mitment to VFP and the cause of Ireland and Mexico. Okinawa may posed the damage to our environ- peace. Your energy and enthusiasm be added to this list perhaps by ment caused by our military ad- constantly motivate me in all my year’s end. venturism. We are the voice of work as VFP President. It has been SPREADING THE WORD: Now those here and abroad who cannot a great pleasure to have met so more than ever the voice of VFP is speak out against U.S. aggres- many of you. I hope to meet and needed. The world’s two largest nu- sion, or who have found their voic- work with more of you in the future. clear powers (Russia and the U.S.) es ignored. To ensure that our face off in the Ukraine and Syria; voice rings louder and clearer we tensions between Israelis and Palestini- need your continued activism and ans appear to be rising; the U.S., in what financial support. appears to be a violation of international FINANCIAL: To expand VFP humanitarian law, bombed the Doctors membership and increase our abil- Newsletter Staff Without Borders Hospital in Afghanistan; ity to spread our message, we and now President Obama, in spite of need to substantially increase our Doug Rawlings, Interim Editor his pledge to end the war in Afghan- financial resources. How might [email protected] istan, has ordered troops to remain you increase your financial contri- Contributing Editor in Afghanistan beyond the end of his bution to our efforts? One avenue W.D. Ehrhart second term. is to become a LIFETIME member The voice of VFP has always of VFP. (Donation of $1000 in any been a voice of reason. We bring to 12 month span.) On page four, 2 VFP Newsletter Fall 2015 From the Executive Director Michael McPhearson In late 2002, I began organizing peace protest was an early sum- with Veterans For Peace, shortly mer 2001 Peace Action event near after hearing then VFP National the White House against the re- President David Cline speak in a start of “Star Wars” or the National forum about civil liberties after 9-11. Defense Missile systems proposed If one person is responsible for influ- by George Bush Jr., but I still had encing me to join VFP, it was Cline, not fully made the connection be- however it was something more fun- tween domestic and international damental to VFP than my admira- peace. Later that summer only tion for him that convinced me to sign weeks before September 11, while up. It was the radical name of Veterans walking to a World of Difference For Peace with the capital “F” and Anti-Defamation League training at meeting so many awesome mem- their NYC headquarters across bers. from the United Nations, I was confronted by a protestor holding a a veteran for peace, and I’m a vet After I left active duty in 1992, I sign declaring 500,000 children embarked on a journey, working working for peace. Being for peace had died as a result of U.S. eco- was where I had already decided to with groups like the NAACP, the nomic sanctions on Iraq. I had nev- People’s Organization for Progress, stand. Over the next 5 years work- er seen this before. The infor- ing with Cline, he drove home, the Organization for Black Struggle, mation was like a knife in my heart. and the ACLU to find my place in “CAPATALIZE the “F” in Veterans My war was the start of those For Peace.” At times I would forget the struggle for justice. But of all the sanctions. I felt partly responsible groups I worked with before VFP, and he would berate me so that for those deaths and all the ac- now I cringe when I see it done the National Conference for Com- companying suffering. I had to take munity and Justice, formally known wrong. And a lowercase f is wrong. action. But how? I could not aban- Not only because “For” is in our offi- as the National Conference of Chris- don working against police brutali- tians and Jews, did the most to help cial name, but because we empha- ty, racism, sexism, general xeno- size that we are for peace. me better understand how intercon- phobia and other issues that di- nected we all are in this struggle. rectly impact me and people I Veterans For Peace is at its heart NCCJ’s mission is to fight all know and love. Yet I had a responsibil- an anti-war organization. Our State- forms of bias, bigotry and racism. ity to myself and the people of Iraq. ment of Purpose calls on us to abol- ish war.
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