Peace Press, August - September 2005

Are we personal architects for peace? Are we working in our daily lives to
design non-violent, successful options for youth, teens and adults within our
community? We have a choice to make here and now in Sonoma County. Will
we be overwhelmed and undone by the reality that thousands of people are not
gathering daily in the streets screaming for an end to this illegal war, or will we
look inside and go deeper still into the reality of what it takes to design a peaceful
community that enables, supports and exemplifies non-violent conflict resolution
from the grassroots up?
There are many levels on which we can reject the violent role model our
government is demonstrating to the world. We need to demand the same grief
and acknowledgement of the loss of life of an Iraqi civilian as the loss of a
London commuter. They are both victims of unnecessary violence, violence that
is uncivilized, misguided and a gross human rights violation. We are contacted
daily by active duty military who do not want to be contributing to the violence
perpetrated by our government. They tell us that the lines between ideals and
reality are blurred and they think we continue to be grossly misled by the
government about the numbers of casualties as well as about the reality of war in
Iraq. We were told this week in an e-mail from the front that the insurgency is
growing. We are told that helicopters leave nightly evacuating the wounded to
hospitals in Germany and Italy. We were also told that if a soldier dies after being
evacuated, he is not listed as a casualty of the Iraq war.
Is this “numbers spin” going to continue to confuse and mislead the
families of those lost in Iraq?
Not indefinitely… Let’s also count the suicides–they would possibly be
alive and receiving treatment were they stateside. Let’s count the special forces
whose names were not listed as casualties. Let us count all those whose lives
have ended because of this war which was launched on lies and fed by our
flailing economy and social structure.
And let us take the time to thank those members of our community who
work as architects of a non-violent model, in a world that offers us a global model
of violent conflict with no regard for the dignity of all life. We have some very
wonderful people working tirelessly within our community to make a difference on
a daily level. One of them is a young mother and wife, Shannon Farrell-Fraley.
Shannon works for the county as a health education specialist in juvenile hall.
She works honestly and maintains a regard for everyone she encounters as she
educates these troubled teens about sex standards and self-respect. Shannon
confronts sexist and misguided attitudes with a regard and respect that many
young people have not encountered within their homes or their communities.
Shannon is an architect for peace within our community, working to design a
future with regard for women in our community.

Index of articles:
Getting Centered: Report from the Director of the PJC
by Elizabeth Stinson
60th
Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki
by Mei Nakano and Patrick Burke
The True Interest of a Modern Community is Justice
by Susan Lamont
Peak Oil and What To Do
by Shepherd Bliss
Genetically Engineered (GE) Food: A Worldwide Issue with Local
Consequences
by Margaret Bregger
Where Is Hope To Be Found?
by a mental health client
News of the Peace and Justice Center
A Report on the Membership Drive
Your Film Library
Get on our email list
Community News and Events
Jewish Community Free Clinic Seeks Volunteers
The San Francisco Mime Troupe's "Doing Good" in Sebastopol
August 4
Counter-Recruitment Training Camp in San Francisco October 1-2
Minor Seismic Event – a Tijuana project
by Tom Pringle
Peace Pole Planted In Memory Of Bob Tunks
by Rev. Sue Fleenor, Pastor, Knox Presbyterian Church
Angry and Hurt Liberals
by Rachael McDavid
I am a Certified Nursing Assistant
by Jody Gordon
poem from Guantanamo
by Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost
The Unofficial 9/11 Cover Up Report
by Rebel Fagin
The Truth is Out There: Infosources
by Susan Lamont
Poem: Inside Prison Camp Dublin
by Peg Morton