Beautiful, sunny days in the Pacific Northwest (that’s right – SUNNY!) and Summer is just around the bend. So are many opportunities to participate in efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, starting right here in Puget Sound (Where the Nukes Are!!!). Here’s the Summer Sampler:
– Nuclear Weapons Workshop in Tacoma
Nuclear Weapons: The Elephant in the Closet is the theme of a one-day workshop co-hosted by the Micah Project of Tacoma First United Methodist Church, Pax Christi Tahoma and Tacoma Catholic Worker.
The workshop is on Saturday, June 28th from 9:00AM to 4:00PM at Tacoma First United Methodist Church, 621 Tacoma Ave. The event is free and includes a light lunch. There will be a free will offering.
Speakers include David Hall,MD—psychiatrist, member of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, and former president of Physicians for Social Responsibility; David Price, PhD—cultural anthropologist and professor of anthropologyand sociology at St. Martin’s University; and Diane Tilstra—Community Action Advisor, Study of Community and Society.
Click here for full details, including endorsing organizations.
July 30th – Peace Fleet in Seattle
Save the date!!! On Wednesday, July 30th the Peace Fleet will once again sail into Seattle’s Elliott Bay to square off in nonviolent fashion against the US Navy warships that will parade into the bay. People will have the opportunity to join in both on the water and dockside for a nonviolent demonstration against weapons of war.
Full details on this event will be posted on the Upcoming Events calendar at gzcenter.org.
July 26th to August 11th – Interfaith Peace Walk
The annual 2014 Pacific Northwest Interfaith Peace begins on Saturday, July 26th. Led by the monks of the Bainbridge Island Nipponzan Miyohoji Temple,this year’s walk begins in Salem, Oregon and will visit many cities and towns (including the Hanford Site) on its way to Ground Zero Center.
The walk is an opportunity for all people to walk and learn together in a non-violent, spiritually motivated action to ensure a safer future. You can walk for one day or more as you are able.
Click here to download the flier with all the details and contact information.
August 8th and 9th – GZ’s Hiroshima-Nagasaki Remembrance
Join us at Ground Zero Center from Friday afternoon, August 8th through Saturday, August 9th as we remember the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and continue our collective work to abolish nuclear weapons. The full schedule will be available soon, and will be posted at the Upcoming Events calendar at gzcenter.org.
NO To NEW TRIDENT
The NO To NEW TRIDENT Campaign is on the move. The wool pieces knitted by people around the country have been arriving (I just received one today), and we will be putting them together into one long section that we will use in a creative direct action in early July (date to be determined) before sending it to the United Kingdom where they will add it to their seven mile long scarf that they will stretch between their two atomic weapons establishments! It’s been a great way to raise awareness of our government’s plans for a new generation of Tridents.
Once we put the wool away (after all, it is nearly Summer) we will be moving into the advocacy phase of the campaign, in which we will be working to convince key members of Congress to eliminate funding for New Trident. We need to convince them that a new generation of ballistic missile submarines is NOT going to create any kind of security. It is also (among many other things) counter to our obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We will be focusing efforts on members of the appropriations committees, and by the end of June should have an online action alert ready for you to send your messages to Congress.
Stay tuned for more on this, and get involved at our website dedicated to saying NO To NEW TRIDENT at <a ” href=”http://notnt.org/” target=”_blank”>NOTNT.ORG.
Leafleting – A Great Summer Activity
Ground Zero people have been leafleting on a fairly regular basis at the Bangor Trident base. Most recently, volunteers have leafleted at Seattle’s Folklife Festival and had an information table at Seattle’s Fremont Sunday Market. There will be many future opportunities to leaflet and help with information tables at other events. If you live around Puget Sound and are interested in helping with this effort (and have any suggestions about new venues to share our message), please contact Tom Krebsbach at tkrebsbach@frontier.com.
The End Note
Well, that’s all for now. As you can see Ground Zero people are at it, both in front of and behind the scenes. Even though I have nothing new to share on it today, the legal effort against the Bangor Second Explosives Handling Wharf continues. And so does the rest of the work. You can keep in touch with all of it at both our website at gzcenter.org and our Facebook page (Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action). Send your questions to either me at gznonviolencenews@gmail.com or to info@gzcenter.org.
Above all, please get involved in whatever way you are able. Scrapping Trident and abolishing all nuclear weapons is not something politicians will do without a huge groundswell of citizen involvement. So please share our message and work far and wide. We’re all in this together, and together we CAN make a difference!!!
With Thanks and In Peace,
Leonard
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Leonard Eiger
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action (Comunications Co-Chair) www.gzcenter.org
NO To NEW TRIDENT Campaign (Coordinator) www.notnt.org
Puget Sound Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (Coordinator) www.psnukefree.
Blog: http://subversivepeacemaking.