“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead Grandmothers for Peace International Barbara Wiedner, Director December 1999 Founded 1982 G RANNY M ARCHING INTO 2000 From the Director’s Desk By Patricia Altenburg right now to see that these Dear Friends, Despite the defeat of the boys and girls did not die in My message to you is one of deep grati- McCain-Feingold Campaign vain.” tude for your continued support of our Finance Reform bill, October Granny D has 11 great work for peace and justice as we bring this 20, 1999, by the US Senate, grandchildren and she wants troubled century to a close and enter a Doris Haddock, aka Granny “them, as well as all the boys new century of activism with a sense of D, will continue her ten-mile and girls in our nation, to be hope. Without it we would despair — it is a day/six-day-a-week walk able to run for office without essential that we keep hope alive regard- across America to focus selling their souls to corpora- less of our disappointments and frustra- attention on the need for cam- tions.” tion. The defeat of the Comprehensive Test paign-finance reform. This five foot, 89-year-old Ban Treaty by our Congress which turned “The most important woman with arthritis, emphy- into “partisan politics” was disgraceful reforms are the hardest to sema and hearing aids has and disheartening. We have a big job win. But we always win if we gathered followers and sup- ahead of us to pass the CTBT early in just keep going,” Haddock porters along the way from 2000 as we work toward the total abolition said. “At our current rate of California, across the Mojave of nuclear weapons. Please read the changing minds in the Senate, we will win Desert, through Arizona, New Mexico, remarkable article “Let’s unilaterally dump in 2000 or in 2001.” Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and our nukes” by Paul Nitze (pg. 5), a former Granny D’s odyssey began January 1, Ohio. No doubt crowds, large and small, arms control negotiator and an ambassa- 1999, at the age of 88 when she started will continue to greet her in the remaining dor-at-large in the Reagan administration. walking in the Rose Parade and has been states. Some will walk the day’s 10 miles This article appeared in our local paper on the road since, informing, inspiring and with her; others will do part of it; others just as I prepared to begin this message — touching people’s lives. will honk horns, shake her hand, give her a what a ray of hope from an unlikely Her message is simple: Ban soft money. hug, wave flags and banners, throw kisses. source! Just maybe we will live to see Corporations, labor unions, and special She receives email and calls extolling her “nuclear sanity” reign in this New interest groups are prevented from directly and her cause. Many tell her they are look- Century. contributing to candidates, but they can ing forward to meeting and walking with News from our “GFP Front Lines” is give all they want to political parties with her in Washington, DC, on her 90th birth- heartening. the understanding that certain candidates day — January 24, 2000. Welcome to the benefit. That is soft money contributions There have been some detractors and to and Granny D believes it is “creating a them she replies that if they would walk huge distortion to our democracy.” and talk with her, they would soon see the “Abuelas Por La Paz” “Fundraising muscle should not be the need for this reform. Chapter in Costa Rica measure of a candidate — ideas, character, Theodore Roosevelt saw the need for this track record, leadership skills: those ought reform in1910: “… Our government, nation- to be the measures of our leaders,” she said al and state, must be freed from the sinister And the at a 1999 Reform Party convention. “… It is influence or control of special interests. my belief that the hundreds of thousands of Exactly as the special interests of cotton “Bunici Pentru Pace” our dead, buried in rows upon rows in our and slavery threatened our political integri- Chapter in Sibiu, Romania national cemeteries, sacrificed their lives ty before the Civil War, so now the great for the democracy of a free people, not for special business interests too often control what we have today. It is up to each of us and corrupt the men and methods of gov- Please see Granny D, page 4 Please see Welcome, page 6 RAISA:Personal Reflections on an Uncommon Friendship By Barbara Wiedner would be out of the country during our visit. This fact I kissed her hand as we said goodbye the day was later confirmed by a newspaper story and relieved we met in person for the first time. I cannot my mind that we had not just received a polite “brush explain why that happened — even to myself. off.” We were delighted with her thoughtfulness. It was so spontaneous and out of character that We did not meet in person until 1987 during the it embarrassed me. I hoped she would not con- World Congress of Women in Moscow. I knew that she sider it a “fawning” gesture by some star- intended to be present, so again I dropped her a note struck idiot. I know I was overcome by an indicating my hope that we could meet. I did not get a immediate feeling of affection for this woman. response but knew I would at least get a glimpse of her She continued to smile as we parted, and later during the conference proceedings. After one elaborate as our friendship flourished I realized she had event where the President and Mrs. Gorbachev were not thought less of me because of that moment. among the dignitaries on stage, it was announced that I still felt rather foolish that it had ever hap- Raisa would be attending the luncheon hosted by the pened, but when I heard of her death I was Soviet Women’s Committee. It was an elegant stand-up pleased that I once affectionately kissed the affair in the Hall of Congress in the Kremlin and was hand of Raisa Gorbachev, and repeated that jammed with 3,000 women from around the world. I gesture in my mind as a fond farewell to an old did not discover her presence until the event was and dear friend. almost over. She was scorned in her own country until her I stood at the edge of the huge crowd that surround- death. She broke with the tradition of former ed her and decided to try to ask a security person to Kremlin wives by appearing at home and abroad at her husband’s side deliver greetings from GFP along with my card and a couple of photos dressed in designer fashions. “Who does that woman think she is?” was of Gorbachev that I had taken when I met him during the 1985 Geneva a comment I heard more than once. Sadly, too late, she is now honored Summit. Well, if you ever want to get attention in a tight security situ- as one of their national treasures — a beautiful, intelligent woman who ation, just bend down and start rummaging through your tote bag!! I brought credit not only to the women of the former Soviet Union, but was surrounded immediately by security and prayed like mad to find to the nation itself. The accolades come too late to make up for the pain the photos before they escorted me out of the room. Since they were of rejection by a people and a country she loved. Raisa Gorbachev died obviously candid close-up photos I had taken of/and with the President, of acute leukemia on September 20th at the age of 67. the guards decided I was not a security risk and listened patiently to my It is ironic that Raisa donated much of her wealth and helped raise explanation. They delivered my message, my card and the photos to more than $8 million over the past few years for children’s leukemia Raisa. Then “the Red Sea parted!” They returned to me — opening up hospitals in Russia. She dedicated endless hours on behalf of sick a path for me to approach her in the massive crowd. I was stunned. children in the Chernobyl region. Raisa was a tireless advocate for When I reached her she scolded me — “where have you been, I have children. She was also an accomplished scholar of political and social been waiting to see you all afternoon and now I must go and we have philosophy and pioneered extensive sociological studies on living and no time to talk!!” She clasped my hands in hers and we chatted briefly. working conditions of Soviet peasants. Then she had her official photographers take our photo that later We have lost a good friend. She was an honorary member of appeared in her book “I Hope.” Grandmothers for Peace International and once told a reporter in Her hands were cold. I worried about her health, and a week later Moscow that she wore her GFP shirt when she and President learned that she had been hospitalized for an appendectomy. Her health Gorbachev relaxed at their dacha in the country! I was thrilled with that would later be in jeopardy again after the terror she experienced dur- news when the reporter told me the story, and then as I did often over ing the attempted coup in 1991.