PCCI Forwards and Announcements

By PCCI

1) Rev. James Lawson will be in Des Moines Friday, July 13 to speak at the Hotel Fort Des Moines (10th & Walnut, downtown Des Moines), beginning at 8 pm.

Lawson is an internationally acclaimed civil rights and peace activist who is best known for being one of the principle architects of the national civil rights and desegregation movements. A mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and one of the original Freedom Riders, he continues to mobilize and organize people on justice and equality issues today.

Following the event, all attendees will have the opportunity to meet Rev. Lawson and purchase books he recommends.

Tickets for the event can be purchased for $15 in advance or $20 at the door.  To purchase tickets, call the Iowa CCI office at 515/255-0800 or visit their website at www.iowacci.org/calendar/statewide_convention.htm

Who is Iowa CCI?  Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement is an organization of thousands of people from all walks of life who talk, act and get things done on issues that matter most. From factory farms moving in next door to shady lenders taking advantage of hard-working families, CCI has been tackling tough issues and getting things done for over 30 years.  To learn more, visit www.iowacci.org.

Joe Fagan, Special Projects Director
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
515/282-0484 (Telephone)
515/283-0031 (Fax)
joe@iowacci.org

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2) Old Fire Station #4 Century Birthday Party 1907-2007

When:  Saturday, June 30th, anytime between 7 pm-9 pm.

Where:  1041 8th Street (One block west of Downtown Holiday Inn at the south end of the DMACC parking lot).

1. Tour the Fire Station; View the 5 minute Home and Garden channel TV clip.
2. Dessert refreshments:  Ben and JerryÂ’s Ice Cream (provided by Iowans for Sensible Priorities), birthday cake with ice tea, lemonade, coffee.
3. Outdoor music for dancing by Prairie Fire (Kent Newman, Brian Banse, Alan Smith).
4. Enjoy the downtown skyline view and good conversation (politics and religion allowed).

Open to the first 250 persons who RSVP.
E-mail RSVP: clguinn@mchsi.com
Phone:  282-8054 or cell 556-8054
Mail:  Old Fire Station #4, 1041 8th Street, Des Moines, IA  50314
Cost:  Free!
 
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3) The Time Has Come For a New Policy Toward Colombia: Contact Your Representative Immediately!

Dear Activists:

Members of Congress have made courageous and much needed changes to our foreign policy toward Colombia.  After six years and more than $4 billion to security forces implicated in serious human rights violations, the House Appropriations Committee has shifted US assistance to address the critical social and economic needs Colombia faces.  We need you to contact your Representative immediately to urge him/her to VOTE YES on the changes made in the Colombia aid package and VOTE NO on any negative amendment attempting to increase military assistance.

Please call your representative today! To get your Representatives phone number, call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121.  Once you are transferred to you r representatives office, ask to speak with his/her foreign policy advisor and urge them to vote Yes on the new Colombia aid package.

Talking Points:

I am a constituent of Representative_______ and I am calling to ask you to VOTE YES to the new and much improved aid package for Colombia as laid out in the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill.

For six years the US has sent over $5 billion US taxpayer dollars to Colombia to fight the war on drugs and terror the vast majority of our assistance going to security forces implicated in serious human rights violations.  Today, the human rights situation remains critical and more than 3 million people have been internally displaced during the course of the conflict.  M e anwhile dozens of Colombian Politicians are under investigations for links to the paramilitary Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a US designated International Terrorist Organization.  

The Appropri ations committee has made important changes in our aid package to Colombia.  The bill currently:

Increases support for critical social and economic needs while continuing to provide hefty support for security force operations by shifting the package from about 75% military aid and 25% social and economic aid to 55% military aid and 45% social/economic aid.  This allows for a more balanced and comprehensive approach to supporting Colombia in its fight against drugs and terror.  

Increases funding to strengthen the rule of law which is desperately needed given Colombias high levels of impunity. increases funding to support the victims of the conflict by providing no less than $5 million to strengthen the justice sector through support for the Attorney General, Procurator General or Human Rights Ombudsman for establishment of a victims protection program.  

I urge you to support this new aid packa ge to Colombia and Vote NO on any amendment aimed and shifting funding back to Colombian security forces implicated in serious human rights violations.
Thanks you for your time.

Background:

For more than two decades Colombia has suffered from a human rights crisis. The Colombian government of President Alvaro Uribe has recently argued that there are less killings and that it is taking action against paramilitary forces. Amnesty International has documented that there has been no substantive improvement in the human rights situation, that human rights conditions have worsened in several conflict zones, and that collusion between the armed forces and illegal paramilitary groups continues.

Human rights defenders, women, farmers, unionists, indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities among others face constant threats to their security. In rural communities, these individuals are often terrorized by guerillas and paramilitaries alike. They are forced to choose between supporting one of the armed groups for protection, or fleeing to the relative safety of urban areas where they add to the mass of urban unemployed and under-employed, swelling the ranks of the desplazados (displaced persons).

Over the course of Colombias armed conflict the security forces have adopted a counter-insurgency strategy aimed at undermining what they perceive to be the civilian populations support for guerrilla groups. Civilians in conflict areas are viewed by the army as enemies instead of victims of guerrilla forces. In part because of this strategy more than 3 million Colombians have been internally displaced and are living as refugees in their own country.

For more information on this action, please consult the website www.amnestyusa.org/Colombia

Amanda E. Flott
Field Organizer (NE, KS, IA, MO, ND, SD)
Amnesty International USA
Midwest Regional Office
53 W. Jackson St. Suite 731
Chicago, IL 60604
Tel: 312.435.6386
Fax: 312.427.2589
http://www.amnestyusa.org  
_________________________________________
SAVE THE DATE!!!
Midwest Regional Conference
November 2-4, 2007
Omaha, Nebraska
_______________________________________
RE-REGISTER NOW TO REMAIN AN OFFICIAL AMNESTY STUDENT GROUP FOR THE 2007-08 SCHOOL YEAR!
http://www.amnestyusa.org/activism/studentgroup.jsp     

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4) DAY OF ACTION TO RESTORE LAW & JUSTICE”

Representative Leonard Boswell  & Senator Charles Grassley 

When: Thursday, June 28, 2007                                    
When: TBA
Time: 9:00 AM **                                                                 
Please arrive at 8:30 AM to discuss roles                                 
Where: TBA
Outside of his office (** I am attempting to set up an appointment)
Where: 300 E. Locust, Suite 320 for a conference call from DC at the district office preferably following the meeting at BoswellÂ’s
 
 **Senator Harkin is the co-sponsor for the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act (S 185), co-sponsor to restoring the Constitution Act (S 576), and Sponsor of Guantanamo Bay Closure Act (S 1469)!

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO RSVP CONTACT: BETHANY HEMPEL, DES MOINES AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CO-CHAIR AT BGHEMPEL@MCHSI.COM OR AT 515.537.4211.

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5) The DM and Omaha CW Communities invite you to join us for our annual 3-1/2 day "shake and bake" vigil at the gates of Offutt Air Force Base, in Bellevue, NE. home of the Strategic Nuclear (StratCom) and the US Military Space Commands.

Come stand, pray and do penance with us. Or come and sit, bring a blanket, or foldeable chair, water jugs, ice chest, umbrellas for the sun and rain and food to pass around. Just come for an hour or two and share with us our hope for peace as we commemorate the Anniversary of the USA atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan on Aug 6 and 9, 1945. Contemplate with us the work and mission of these god-awful Offutt Commands, the challenges they pose to all life on our planet and the demonic claim it holds on the soul and spirit of our nation.

This year's vigil begins Monday Aug 6th at 8 a.m. the hour the USA dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, at the Kinney gate and main entrance of Offutt AFB. The vigil ends Thursday Aug 9th at 11 a.m., the hour the USA dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

The vigil will begin at 8 a.m. each day and last until 8 p.m. (12 hours) to Thursday Aug 9th. On Aug 9th the vigil concludes with a prayer circle and possible line crossing at 11 a.m. Over night hospitality is available upon request starting Sunday evening Aug 5th. Call and let us know you are coming. Expect floor space, so bring your own bed roll. If you need a bed, you really need
to contact us to insure we find one for you.

Everyone is welcome, especially those in the Omaha area! Come for an hour or for the whole three days.

Contacts:
Frank Cordaro, DMCW,
Ph (515) 282 4781, E-mail   frank.cordaro@gmail.com

Jerry Ebner, Omaha CW,
Ph (402) 502 5887, E-mail   omahacw@hotmail.com

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6) Dear Member,

It's Pride month, and you know what that means - One Iowa's 2nd Annual Equality Ball! In honor of the monumental legislation recently passed, this year's theme is "We The People."

Please join One Iowa and the Human Rights Campaign in celebrating the signing of the historic Civil Rights Bill... And learn about the next steps in Equality! Tell your friends and mark your calendars today!

http://www.one-iowa.org/equalityball.html

Friday, June 29, 2007
5:00 - 7:00 pm - Cocktails and Hors D'oeuvres
7:00 - 10:00 pm - Open Bar and Entertainment
8:00 & 9:15 pm - Special Entertainment Provided By Champagne Showers,
CC Sakowitz, Jessica Tyler, Iris Aspire, and many more!

504 East Locust Avenue
$5 Suggested Donation
(However No One Will Be Excluded)

See You T here!

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7) On Sunday July 1, 2007 something very special will be happening at the
Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. Women living at ICIW will once again be participating in a CROP Walk. Since beginning the walk, over 300 women have participated and raised over $9000 to help others.
 
This will be the 12th time in the last 13 years that the women will be angels serving others with their feet instead of wings. The women at ICIW will be HELPING CROP STOP HUNGER.
 
Won't you help them in their effort to help others? No matter what amount of money you contribute, it will be a tremendous gesture of support to them. We are asking that you spread the word to your friends, your congregation and other groups.
 
Twenty-five percent of all funds raised will remain in the Des Moines area to help alleviate local hunger through the Des Moines Area Religious Council Emergency Food Pantry.
 
Seventy-five percent of the funds will go to Church World Service which assists people in places like Iraq, Sudan, and Burkino Faso, as well as our own survivors of natural disasters such as the recent floods in Texas.
 
Donations in support of the ICIW Angels who walk may be sent to the Iowa Regional Office of Church World Service/CROP, 3816 36th Street, Suite 203, Des Moines, Iowa 50310.

Please send your contributions by September 1, 2007.
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
 
God Bless,
Sr. Sandra Rodemyer
Dennis Steele Co-Sponsor Treasurer
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8) Iowa Coalition to Oppose Life without the Possibility of Parole for Children
General Meeting
When: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 7PM
Where: Caribou Coffee, Ingersoll Ave
 
Coalition members:
    * Des Moines Amnesty International Chapter
    * Iowa CURE
    * WomenÂ’s International League for Peace and Freedom
    * Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa (PCCI)
    * Friends of Iowa WomenÂ’s Prisoners
    * Justice Reform Consortium
    * Middleton Center for ChildrenÂ’s Rights
    * National Juvenile Justice Network-Washington DC

Agenda to follow
 
Do you or your oganization want to support our cause? If so please email  Bethany Hempel, Membership Coordinator at bghempel@mchsi.com for more
information.
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9) Folks;

Our friends at the Voices for Creative Nonviolence- The Occupation
Project www.vcnv.org are announcing a 'reinvigorated' Occupation
Campaign starting on Aug 6th this summer. (see below forward e-mail.)

The Iowa Occupation Project is planning occupations of Senators
Grassley and Harkin's Cedar Rapids Offices July 6 - after the
sentencing of the CR11 in the Linn Co Court House, a full month ahead
of the national campaign.

I urge you to read the sound reasoning of Jeff Ley's essay, "BREAK
TIME IS OVER: BUILDING NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE TO THE 2008 IRAQ WAR
SUPPLEMENTAL"  calling for continued nonviolent occupations of
congressional offices and than join us in Cedar Rapids July 6th.

Frank Cordaro, Des Moines Catholic Worker
frank.cordaro@gmail.com

PS Attached graphic is by Amanda Moeckel, a San Francisco artist who's
web page is http://www.myanimalart.com/

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10) Please check out Mommas Peace Rap, and then share it with your friends.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=j8XnDsSG9FA

This is a collaborative effort, with lyrics written by Jan Hill of Des Moines and preformed by 4 other like minded  women and a couple of eager young men. The music and voice editing was preformed and edited by two young men from Des Moines with some talent in the rap music area. These men put quite a bit of time and there own spirit into this piece as well. Myself a suburb dweller, I hacked together some video and shot some video as well for this effort.

This is a testament to what a few dedicated people can accomplish once
they put there minds to it.

Peace can happen like this as well.

Rodger <soundslikesouth1@yahoo.com>

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11) Did you know that there are 3 toll-free numbers for citizens who want to
talk to their legislators.  Please pass these on so that more people might
be tempted to call.  When they reach the operator at the Capitol, they just
ask to be connected to the congressman or senator they want.

The numbers are:

1-800-828-0498,
1-800-459-1887,
1-800-614-2802.
Elaine Wells