2002, the number has a nice symmetry. Let's hope it bodes well for our work for peace and justice. Are any of you discouraged? A dear friend challenged a group of dispirited folks after the Contract with America revolution of 1994, saying, "We do not have the luxury of despair!" I have remembered that this fall. I'm glad that my performance as a peace worker is not judged by whether we are closer to peace on earth and peace with the earth than a year ago. Our job now is to encourage and embolden those who yearn for peace to connect with us and take some action. It sure beats swearing at the TV or radio.

There are all kinds of encouraging signs that can light our fires! The Peace Pledge to the Stop Spread of Anti- Terrorist War to Iraq originated with your WWFOR personnel committee. The Pledge is now co-sponsored by the national FOR, AFSC, Voices in the Wilderness, Episcopal Peace Fellowship and Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility. Well over 500 have signed the Pledge including a smattering from Iceland, England, France, Japan and Jordan! In England people are buying dates from Iraq in spite of the sanctions.

Unfortunately, on Dec 19^th the House of Representatives passed Joint Resolution 75, supported by Rep. Rorbacher (R-CA) who claimed, "It is time to finish the job" in Iraq. One of the 12 brave votes against was cast by Jim McDermott, who explained that HJR 75 amounted to a declaration of war against Iraq.

In Britain and Europe there is increasing opposition to an invasion of Iraq. We are not alone and we need to act soon! The spread of the assault on innocents can be halted, and the US can move to a more constructive role.

Maka Mini-Mart & gift shop, at 4419 S. Brandon St.,
just south of Group Health's Rainier medical center

Saturday, Dec. 15, there was a shop-in at re-opening of Maka-Mini Mart, a Somali grocery in south Seattle that had been raided by the feds under the presumption that it was somehow connected with bin Laden. In addition to a number of FOR folks, Seattle's chief of police joined the shop-in! You can support by continued purchases, and by contributions to the mart and shop businesses through the Church Council of Greater Seattle 206-525-1213. An uncoalition of groups in Seattle is formulating a "Mutual Defense Pact" in support of each other in cases of unwarranted federal or local police harassment.

What are my hopes for the new year? I hope we can become an ever growing and determined movement for a new American foreign policy that delights in supporting struggles against hunger, AIDS, oppression and injustice and for sustainability and more peaceful relations between peoples on the planet. That's a more attractive future than militarism, repression and anxious defense of our material privilege.

All that we need to do is get the more positive option before the people and convince them it is doable. What are we waiting for? The Peace Pledge is one beginning. Let's continue to come up with creative innovations in our repertoire of tactics that will reach out in new ways to new people and bring joy to our hearts!

A Force More Powerful: This video of six nonviolent struggles in the 20th Century is being shown in Bellingham, we have requests from Olympia and Centralia and University Friends Meeting in Seattle is doing an adult discussion series called "Taking Nonviolence Seriously" during the months of January and February. You can check it out from WWFOR.

Also see the powerful article "Iraq: Are There Alternatives to a Military Option?", by Hans Von Sponeck, former UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, written December 9. It is available from WWFOR or at the on-line version of Pacific Call at the WWFOR web site.

The peace movement has more growth potential than people assume, and we could make more progress by adapting strategies and approaches that already work. The Olympia FOR can offer examples.

At Olympia FOR's 26^th annual Christmas Peace Vigil on Saturday Dec 15 we received a lot of support from people in the cars driving past. There is much more support for peace than the government wants us to know.

That vigil - and Olympia FOR's weekly vigils - create opportunities for hundreds of passersby to honk or wave their support. Perhaps this is their first opportunity to "come out of the closet" as peace supporters. We enjoy giving them this first nudge, and we also create more opportunities to join a growing movement.

That is precisely part of our strategy. The government and news media proclaim that all Americans support the war, but the truth is that many millions oppose it altogether and some aspects of the war abroad and/or the war against civil liberties at home seriously trouble many more millions. The peace movement's strategic roles and tasks include (but are not limited to):

• Helping people know they are not alone in opposing the war.
• Expressing the peace message in ways that new or undecided people can understand and appreciate.
• Giving people courage and support in learning more and in deepening their convictions.
• Inspiring and motivating people to actions (suitable for each individual - perhaps small steps for beginners and larger steps when appropriate).

I often wear a button that says, "When the people lead, eventually the leaders will follow." Thomas Jefferson and others founded this nation on the premise that the people are in charge - that we create and own the government. The American Left, the American Right, and the American Middle-of-the-Road all agree that we want more democracy and less arrogance from our federal government. We should be able to use traditional American values to mobilize people to stop the Bush/Ashcroft power grab that would take away our freedom and civil liberties.

Likewise, in almost everyone's inner core is an innate concern for fairness and human rights. (Even little kids object when something is unfair or hurting another person.) Almost everyone wants to live in a world with less violence and more security. The confusion comes when the government pursues policies that it claims will stop other people's violence and make us secure. Millions of Americans have a gut feeling that violence is the problem (not the solution) and that causing turmoil and anger among people in other countries will end up making us less secure here in the U.S.

Such contradictions can be upsetting for people who are not used to "thinking outside the box." If people find it too hard to take the leap toward a politics of peace, they retreat to the comfort of the "conventional wisdom" that militarism makes us secure and free. The peace movement needs to help people make the transition to nonviolent consciousness. We can do that by removing barriers that the peace movement sometimes unwittingly sets up and by lowering the threshold so it will be easier to cross over to our side. Barriers can be either explicit or implicit.

Occasionally peace demonstrations are negated by angry attitudes and behaviors that implicitly contradict the explicit message. Who would want to join a group of grumpy people? In contrast, the Olympia FOR's vigils are warm, friendly and engaging. Our friendly demeanor helps to attract support for our message and spontaneous participation from passersby. People stop to talk with us. Many agree, but we are friendly even with those who disagree.

We want to give even those who disagree an interesting and pleasant experience. We don't expect to convert them to pacifism, but we do want to give them a fresh way to think about some issue, and we want them to see peace folks as human beings who are approachable, well informed, reasonable, and respectful of people with different opinions. We almost always succeed to some extent.

Especially since September 11 we have deliberately devised vigil signs with messages that will cause passersby to find themselves agreeing with us and resonating in positive ways. Certainly a sign that says, "Stop the bombing" would be clear and explicit, but that message would not engage other people - indeed, it conveys a subtle vibe that is rather bossy and blaming. In contrast, our sign saying "Imagine nonviolent solutions" is open, expansive and engaging. It invites people to be creative - to be part of the solution.

Likewise, instead of a sign denouncing the US's foreign policy as racist, we have signs saying "All races are one human family" and "Make friends across races, nationalities, religions,..." Instead of accusing people of being racist, our signs call forth their better natures and invite them to take simples but practical steps. The result is a tremendous number of positive responses from passersby. We challenge people in positive ways and create opportunities for people to find themselves agreeing with peace activists.

So if they find themselves agreeing with us, how could they simultaneously allow the government to persist in its violent and inhumane policies? We hope to create some internal struggling over these inconsistencies (some "cognitive dissonance" in psychological jargon), because we have faith that if people open themselves to a peace perspective and wrestle with their consciences, they will find the truth and choose peaceful solutions instead of violent ones.

We receive support from people of all ages, races and appearances - and in all kinds of vehicles. Some of the drivers and passengers who show their support have flags on their cars. Some of the people waving or giving a "thumbs-up" are probably doing their very first overt action for peace. We create opportunities for people to take these first steps and then to do more. One of our new vigilers after September 11 made a sign saying, "Speak out for justice and peace, even if your voice trembles."

Many passersby tell us they deeply appreciate our presence and our persistence. Our two one-hour vigils every week - and our explicit and implicit messages - along with the activities of other local peace groups - have been establishing peace as a perfectly legitimate and mainstream in Olympia. We are indeed creating "a culture of peace and nonviolence," as the U.N. Decade urges.

We continue to meet new people, add them to our mailing list, and involve them in further activities. We are getting more and more requests for speakers for peace. We are building a movement!

25^th Anniversary: More than 120 persons of all ages gathered on November 11 for a gala celebration of Olympia FOR's 25^th Anniversary. We enjoyed food, live music and plenty of appreciation for the many great people who have helped in so many ways to build a solid presence for peace, nonviolence and social justice over the past quarter century. The past few months have been especially hard for the peace movement, and participants really appreciated this festivity as a real "upper" for our morale - and it provided opportunities for further organizing. Thanks to the planning committee: Chris Carson, Tom Howdeshell and Glean Anderson.

Human Rights Award: On December 10 the Thurston Council on Cultural Diversity and Human Rights, a county agency, honored Olympia F.O.R. with a special award for our long-term efforts to promote human rights.

Christmas Peace Vigil: On Saturday December 15 more than 80 people (a record number) participated in our 25^th Annual Christmas Peace Vigil. Most gathered afterward for refreshments, social time and networking. Then some took part in a 24-hour period of optional fasting and peace activities. On Sunday afternoon we gathered again to break the fast, reflect, and rededicate ourselves to working for peace.

Two Weekly Vigils: We continue to vigil for peace from 12 noon to 1 p.m. at a prominent downtown location (as we have every Wednesday since March 5, 1980), and we continue several years of vigiling every Friday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at another prominent downtown location. New people have been joining us at both vigils since Sep 11.

TV Programs: Our series on Thurston County's cable TV channel continues to attract and educate viewers. Each one-hour program explores in depth one issue related to peace, social justice, the environment, or nonviolence. A new program debuts every month and airs every Monday afternoon and every Thursday evening every week, so it usually gets 8 or 9 showings. Glen Anderson has produced and hosted the series for nearly 15 years - the longest-running series on the station.

Video-Discussion Series: Every month our "In Search of the Big Picture" series brings dozens of people of all ages into Traditions, a local restaurant, after hours to watch and discuss a video chosen by the previous audience.

After showing it we schedule it for weekly showing on the cable TV station (in an additional time slot different from our locally produced series) and then donate it to the local library. The library catalogs our "In Search of the Big Picture" videos in a special collection. Many people are checking out the videos we have donated these past few years. Sue Sikora, Sarah Jewett and Carol Burns organize the series.

Newsletter: We mail more than 500 copies of our substantial newsletter every two months, to keep our people in touch with our many activities and to offer additional opportunities to connect with other compatible organizations and activities. Ramona Hinkle is editor and production manager.

Death Penalty: Our death penalty abolition committee continues more than four years of meeting monthly and carrying out a variety of activities. Alice Curtis chairs our committee and actively represents us on the Steering Committee of the Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

Economic Justice: Ramona Hinkle is our prime liaison with other organizations promoting economic justice at both global and local levels. One current effort is to get local governments to buy their clothes only from suppliers that do not use sweatshops.

Decade of Nonviolence: Our committee working on the Decade meets periodically to generate and carry out activities to implement the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence in our local community. We are working against hate crimes and recruiting volunteers to perform folk tales that show the wisdom and effectiveness of nonviolence, egalitarianism and cooperation.

Speaking Engagements: We continue to fulfill requests for speaking to a variety of audiences.

Thursdays, 9 p.m. & Mondays 1:30 p.m., TCTV channel 22 or 29 in Thurston County, Olympia *FOR* TV monthly program repeats twice weekly until next debut; debut Jan 10 "Nonviolence", provides fresh insights into the power and practicality of nonviolence; debut Feb 14, "The Bill of Rights Protects Our Freedom"; info Glen 360-491-9093

Ongoing Wednesdays, noon - 1 p.m., NW corner of Sylvester Park, corner of Legion & Capitol Way, Olympia, Peace Vigil, come for all or part of the hour to sustain Olympia *FOR's* persistent (every week for 21 years) witness for peace and nonviolence; bring signs or use ours; info Glen 360-491-9093

Ongoing Thursdays; 5 - 6 p.m., near the Westlake Park arch at 4th and Pine, downtown Seattle; Peace Vigil and leafleting to Stop the war on Afghanistan, by Women in Black, Women wear black; men welcome to leaflet; a peace group in the tradition of the women who vigil weekly in Israel / Palestine

Ongoing Fridays, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m., in downtown Olympia along W 4th Ave near the fountain, join Olympia *FOR* weekly vigil; current focus promoting peace and human rights in light of the current intl. crisis; info Glen 360-491-9093

Sat Jan 5, 4 p.m., at Keystone Congregational Church, 5019 Keystone Place N, Seattle; regular meeting of the Interfaith Network of Concern for the People of Iraq challenging the U.S. embargo against Iraq; info Dick Blakney 206-522-4934

Sun Jan 6, Meditation 6:30 to 7 p.m., Discussion 7 to 8:30 p.m., at 443 25th Ave E, Seattle; Buddhist Peace Fellowship Meeting to discuss Encountering Our Own Delusion and Complacency - The Case of Iraq Sanctions; Dave 425-482-3026

Mon Jan 7, 1 p.m., at Olympia Timberland Library, 8th & Adams; Herb Jones presents information about Martin Luther King; 2 - 3 p.m., Olympia *FOR* member Glen Anderson leads an interactive workshop; Building Mainstream Support for Progressive Politics; everyone welcome, info 360-491-9093

Sun Jan 13, 2 p.m., Centralia-Chehalis area Fire Mountain *FOR* meeting, call Stephen 360-736-8784 for location and program topic

Sun Jan 13, 5:15 p.m. business mtg, 6 potluck, 7 program, at Hillside Community Church, 2508 S. 39th St, Tacoma; Tacoma *FOR* presents Rev. Ron Vignec on community building for peace and justice; info Al Kammerzall 253-272-9572

Jan 15 - 30, Washington legs of 2002 Hiroshima Flame Peace Walk, a cross-country interfaith pilgrimage to pray for the elimination of nuclear weapons, the abolition of the Star Wars Missile Defense System, and the unity of all races and peoples, begin at Chief Seattle's grave site, proceed to Bangor Sub Base, Bainbridge Is., Seattle, Renton, Auburn, Puyallup, Tacoma, Lacey, Olympia, Chehalis, Longview, and conclude with a prayer vigil at Hanford; then across the country; Tues Jan 15, 10 a.m., Opening Ceremonies at Chief Seattle's Grave in Suquamish; Thurs Jan 17, 10 a.m., Ceremony at International Fountain at Seattle Center, 7p.m. at Peace Cafe, 5828 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle; Sat Jan 20, 7 p.m., Prayer and sharing at All Saints Church, Puyallup, info Bill Bichsel 253-627-4347; Tues Jan 22, 7 p.m., prayer and sharing at St. Martin's College, Lacey, info Clarice McCartan 360-357-6027; Weds Jan 23, noon, in Sylvester Park, Olympia then proceeds to a program near the Capitol at about 1:30 & a program at 7 p.m. in Lecture Hall 1 at The Evergreen State College, Olympia, info Clarice McCartan 360-357-6027; volunteer organizations to provide food and lodging needed in some locations, info David Harrison, the Washington State Coordinator 206-938-5664

Tues Jan 15, 7 p.m., at Traditions, 5^th & Water St., Olympia *FOR* video & discussion series "In Search Of The Big Picture" "Good Kurds, Bad Kurds: No Friends But The Mountains" Join with others to watch and discuss this video documentary exposing the Kurdish people's abuse by several nations including the US; info Sue 360-709-0795

Tues Jan 16, 7 p.m., at Jefferson Middle School Cafeteria, 2200 Conger NW, Olympia; Educational Forum on Women & The War with topics: Sexual assault and rape as weapons of war; gender-based violence; women in the aftermath of war; Sponsored by Olympia Movement for Justice & Peace, info 360-876-6513 or 877-881-1560

Sun Jan 20, 5 p.m. potluck, 6 p.m. announcements, 6:30 program, at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church, 225 N 70th near Greenwood, Seattle; meeting of Seattle *FOR* with on Drug Law Reform, with Andy Ko of American Civil Liberties Union and Roger Goodman of the Drug Policy Project, King County Bar Association, author of the KCBA Drug Policy Project report; info 206-789-5565

Mon Jan 21, Thurston County Study Circles On Race: Community-wide introduction to Study Circles, which bring together people of several races for well-facilitated discussions; info Thera Rucker Thiessen 360-352-3998

**Sun Jan 27, 1 p.m., at University Friends Meeting, 4001 9th Ave NE, Seattle; talk "Doing Democracy: Strategies for the New Peace Movement" by nonviolent social justice and peace activist Bill Moyer with Seattle FOR member Mary Lou Finley as moderator and respondent, plus a book-signing for their book "Doing Democracy - the MAP (Movement Action Plan) Model for Organizing Social Movements"; co-sponsored by Seattle *FOR* and Univ. Friends Mtg; info Mary Lou 206-322-6789

Weds Jan 30, 3 p.m. at The Evergreen State College, Olympia; Protect Your Rights in Case of a Military Draft; Free informational presentation and printed handouts by Glen Anderson. Sponsored by Olympia *FOR*, Thurston County Ministries in Higher Education, and Thurston County Draft Counseling Center. info 360-491-9093

Sat Feb 2, 4 p.m., and subsequent 1st Saturdays, at Keystone Congregational Church, 5019 Keystone Place N, Seattle; regular meeting of the Interfaith Network of Concern for the People of Iraq challenging the U.S. embargo against Iraq; INOC is a program unit of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, info Dick Blakney 206-522-4934

Sat Feb 9, 9:30 a.m. - about 4 p.m., at Wesley Homes #49 in Des Moines, SW of Seattle, *WWFOR* Area Committee, our governing body, open to all members, info 206-789-5565

Sun Feb 10, 5:15 p.m. business meeting, 6 potluck meal, 7 program, at Hillside Community Church, 2508 S. 39th St, Tacoma; Tacoma *FOR* will hold a joint meeting with the local post-11 Sept. discussion/ action group People for Peace, Justice and Healing; info Al Kammerzall 253-272-9572

Sun Feb 17, 5 p.m. potluck, 6 p.m. announcements, 6:30 program, at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church, 225 N 70th near Greenwood, Seattle; meeting of Seattle *FOR* with program related to Black History Month; info 206-789-5565

Tues Feb 19, 7 p.m., at Traditions, 5^th & Water St., Olympia *FOR* video & discussion series "In Search Of The Big Picture" "The Last Graduation: The Rise and Fall of College Programs in Prison" Join with others to watch and discuss this video; when prisons were interested in rehabilitation, they created programs for prisoners to earn college credits; many prisoners did indeed benefit and turn their lives around, these programs were stopped. an interesting video; info Sue 360-709-0795

Tues March 19, The Olympia Little Theatre will add a special performance to its schedule, and the Olympia *FOR* will benefit from the sales of tickets and refreshments "Artichoke" Comedy-Drama; info and tickets Tom 360-352-3233, Chris 360-943-2375, or Glen 360-491-9093

Sunday, Nov. 25th we shared our witness for peace by meeting and standing along a main street near the Wenatchee post office and holding our signs with messages of peace: "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with you and me"; "War is not healthy for children or other living things".

Sunday, Dec 23 we had a "Candles and Cans for Peace" vigil at a park in downtown Wenatchee. Participants brought candles, symbols of peace to place on a Christmas tree, as well as canned food or other non-perishable food item to be shared with Hospitality House and Women's Resource Center here in Wenatchee (two local organizations ministering to people in need of temporary lodging and food).

We're planning a Peace Fest for February, a community event with opportunities for learning, creating, responding, and hearing music and stories on issues of peace and justice.

The first edition of the local weekly newspaper after September 11 included four letters from local citizens encouraging a lawful and measured response to the 9/11 and a balanced review of numerous assertions of injustice directed at the U.S. government from abroad. In early October forty people participated in a demonstration against the bombing of Afghanistan; holding signs along Highway 20 in the small town of Twisp.

Several weeks after that, FOR intern Hossein Alizadeh visited the Methow to offer a Middle Eastern perspective on U.S. foreign policy, terrorism and the war in Afghanistan. He spoke with children at the local community school in the morning, to the 'current world problems' senior class at the high school in the afternoon, and to a gathering of over 100 people in the evening

Aspiring to keep the channels of communication open after Hossein's visit, two weeks after his programs we held a community forum on terrorism and the war in Afghanistan. This was an opportunity for local people to share their perspective and information, and to listen to others. It was understood from the outset that we were not there to debate or even to dialogue, but to be heard and to listen to others. The evening took on some of the ambiance of a Quaker meeting.

Those of us in the Methow who have supported the quest for peaceful resolutions to the many challenges before us are impressed by the years of ground-breaking work that FOR has done in this regard, and we hope to form a chapter in our area to support that good work.

Fire Mountain Chapter has been quite active in recent months in connection with the Decade of Nonviolence. As a key member of the Lewis County Tree of Life coalition, we've helped plan several events, including an Inaugural Tree Planting Ceremony on September 19 at which County Commissioner Eric Johnson spoke, a Children's Day Celebration on October 14, and another Tree Planting at Centralia College on October 22 officiated by Dr. Hank Kirk, College President. In addition, a Town Hall Meeting was held on October 24, again at Centralia College, to discuss the war in Afghanistan. And, finally, Gina Oaf spoke at the College on November 20 about her native country, Afghanistan. Her talks were well attended.

January 26 we'll participate in an Interfaith Pilgrimage with the 2002 Hiroshima Flame Peace Walk. The Walk will be in Centralia, Jan 25-27 (see calendar).

Information: Stephen Barlow, 360-736-8784.

We've had two recent events in Tacoma. First. we're involved with follow-up to a series of Tacoma forums on The Middle East. After 9/11, our active Middle East Forum email conversation and information group met to refocus and regroup. We now meet monthly. We look for signs of hope and relay them to one another. To be added to the Middle East Forum Group, email George Tomlin at meast@harbornet.com

Second , on Dec 15, Admiral Eugene Carroll of the Washington, DC-based Center for Defense Information spoke in Tacoma, on "Seeking Alternatives to War:-Confrontation or Cooperation". The event was a great success. 215 people filled the hall to capacity. Members of Tacoma FOR were there and the WWFOR flyer, "In Response to 9/11" was widely distributed.

A grass roots group, "People for Peace, Justice, and Healing," brought Admiral Carroll to Tacoma, to speak at PPJH's 1^st Big Event. PPJH was started as a response to the tragedy of September 11, and meets every Saturday morning from 10 to 12 at Associated Ministries.

Admiral Carroll made a number of points:
-- The U.S. by its actions is perceived as domineering which invites confrontation.
-- Our addiction to power and spending money on the military is a Cold War carry-over.
-- The U.S. must learn to cooperate with the world. We should help turn the United Nations into a true peacekeeping force, and move toward phasing out nuclear power. Each step makes the world a little safer.

We have also designed peace buttons with the American flag as a background with the slogan, "War is not the Answer" as a way of opening dialog with strangers. These have been very successful, for they not only open opportunities to speak about our government policies that lead to the 9/11 disaster, but the flag on the buttons show others that one can be patriotic and still oppose Bush's, undeclared, war. Information: Dan at 360-423-7338

Eastside Chapter had a session in September on the School of Americas and El Salvador at Holy Family Church with a video and speakers who had lived in Central America. That was followed in November with a report by FOR member Al Bagley on his trip to Palestine with the Episcopal Peace Fellowship. The group escorted teachers in an area where there was considerable tension under the auspices of Christian Peacemaker Teams. Eastside is organizing a debate for January on the pros and cons of capitalism.

Information: Virginia Day 425-881-6738

Thanks to Ruth Yarrow for the signs. And in what order would you arrange them? Here's one possibility:

Information about Seattle FOR: 206-789-5565

We set up a chapter Coordinating Committee (Greg Zimmer, Mark, Pat, and Mary Emma Hibbard) responsible for planning programs. Mark introduced the Peace Pledge. Our next chapter meeting will be Friday, Jan 4, on the Peace Pledge.

Information: Mary Lou 206-322-6789

A long time FOR activist and supporter, Don was remembered by family and friends at a service in Seattle on Dec 22. Don's distinguished management and finance skills were enormously helpful to WWFOR.

Western Washington FOR needs your financial support. Many people tell us they like what we are doing, but not enough people are contributing toward the costs of doing our work. If you like what we are doing, please send your donation to: WWFOR, 225 N 70^th, Seattle WA 98103. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. FOR is a 501(c)(3) organization.

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