Broome County Peace Action helps place Cost of War sign on Binghamton City Hall June, 2010
Binghamton, NY has been in the forefront of peace activism for many decades. The latest example: Broome County
Peace Action's Cost of War Awareness Project, featuring an electronic sign with messages about the
cost of war on the wall of City Hall, a Cost of War Contest, and a PowerPoint presentation on the subject for local groups.
Next step: a City Council bill to "Bring our War Tax Dollars Home." To support the Project,
Sign the Petition.
Read more.
How-To Guide for Getting Your Own Cost of War Sign
Ban Ki-Moon's Speech at Riverside Church NPT Conference
May 1, 2010
I know how much energy it takes to speak out, to protest, to carry
the banner of this most noble human aspiration - world peace. Let me begin by saying how humbling
it is to speak to you in this famous place, Riverside Church.
by Ban Ki-Moon International Herald Tribune (France) [Op-Ed], April 28, 2010
A few weeks ago, traveling in Kazakhstan, I had the sobering experience
of standing at Ground Zero. This was the notorious test site at Semipalatinsk, where the Soviet Union
detonated 456 nuclear weapons between 1947 and 1989.
What is the purpose, if any, of the nuclear bomb, that brooding presence that
has shadowed all human life for sixty-five years? The question has haunted the nuclear age.
It may be that no satisfactory answer has ever been given.
U.S. Envoy Urges Caution on Forces for Afghanistan by Elisabeth Bumiller and Mark Landler The New York Times, November 11, 2009
" WASHINGTON — The United States ambassador to Afghanistan, who once served as the top American military commander there,
has expressed in writing his reservations about deploying additional troops to the country, three senior American
officials said Wednesday."
SHARED INTERESTS DEFINE OBAMA'S WORLD
In engaging adversaries, the President sometimes unsettles allies
By Scott Wilson The Washington Post, Monday, November 2, 2009
"... President Obama is applying the same tools to international diplomacy that he once used as a community organizer
on Chicago's South Side, constructing appeals to shared interests and attempting to bring the government's conduct in line
with its ideals.
Obama's approach to the world as a community of nations, more alike than different in outlook and interest,
has elevated America's standing abroad and won him the Nobel Peace Prize. But on the farthest-reaching U.S. foreign policy
challenges, he is struggling to translate his own popularity into American influence, even with allies that have celebrated
his break from the Bush administration's emphasis on military strength, unilateral action and personal chemistry ..."
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL SUMMIT ON NUCLEAR
NON-PROLIFERATION AND NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
United Nations Headquarters, New York, September 24, 2009
"... Today, the Security Council endorsed a global effort to lock down all vulnerable nuclear materials
within four years. The United States will host a summit next April to advance this goal and help all nations
achieve it. This resolution will also help strengthen the institutions and initiatives that combat the
smuggling, financing, and theft of proliferation-related materials. It calls on all states to freeze any
financial assets that are being used for proliferation. And it calls for stronger safeguards to reduce the
likelihood that peaceful nuclear weapons programs can be diverted to a weapons program ..."
OBAMA'S YOUTHFUL IDEALS SHAPED THE LONG ARC OF HIS NUCLEAR-FREE VISION
By William J. Broad and Davide E. Sanger The New York Times, July 5, 2009
Article BODY -->
In the depths of the cold war, in 1983, a senior at Columbia University wrote in a campus newsmagazine, Sundial,
about the vision of "a nuclear free world." He railed against discussions of "first- versus second-strike capabilities"
that "suit the military-industrial interests" with their "billion-dollar erector sets," and agitated for the elimination
of global arsenals holding tens of thousands of deadly warheads.
By Jonathan Weisman Wall Street Journal, July 1, 2009
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. and Russia are expected to launch new talks aimed at reducing the number of
and other nuclear weapons on both sides, a senior Obama administration official said Tuesday, in an ambitious
effort that could help ease bilateral tensions over other issues as well. (full article)
Annual PANYS Film Festival: "Conflicts in Latin America"
The festival was held on four consecutive Thursdays, June 24 - July 15, from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
in the Gallery Room of the Community Church of New York, 28 East 35th Street. The four films shown were
Trade, with Kevin Kline; The Fall of Fujimori by Ellen Perry;
Fidel, by Director Estela Bravo; and Plan Columbia - Cashing In On the Drug War Failure,
narrated by Ed Asner. Each film was followed by a vibrant discussion.
15,000 Marched For A Nuclear-Free World After Inspiring NPT Conference
The weekend of April 30 - May 2 was marked by a series of historic events surrounding the 2010 NPT Review Conference
here in New York City. On Friday and Saturday, more than 800 activists from around the world came to
Riverside Church to attend an international grassroots conference. Then, on Sunday, May 2, 15,000
peace activists rallied in Times Square and marched from 7th Ave. and 41st St. to 1st Ave. to enjoy the
International Peace & Music Festival in Dag Hammarskold Plaza Park at the UN. The NPT Review Conference
has already begun, but it continues through May 28 - see the Events Calendar for
more information. Also, if you missed our amazing conference last weekend, check out these links:
There's Something Really Creepy About Drones
Report by Sally Jones
" ...The latest march against lethal unmanned drones was organized by Peace Action
of Central New York and the Syracuse Peace Council on Sunday, April 25th and was joined by
veterans, students, religious leaders, and concerned citizens from Rochester to Albany to
Binghamton, Norwich, Utica, Cortland, Staten Island, and places in between. There were several
model drones, including 2 models that escaped the march and headed into the skies on helium
balloons..." Full article Syracuse Post-Standard video •
Pictures of the march to Hancock field
John Nichols speaks on Obama's first year
On April 11th in Manhattan, at the home of Gordon and Casman's, John Nichols, Washington Correspondent for
The Nation, spoke on the year following Obama's election. The afternoon was filled with a vibrant discussion and good wine and
food. Mr. Nichols spoke about the need for Americans to push Obama towards nuclear disarmament in order for us to decrease
military spending and start focusing on domestic issues. He also talked about "death by irrelevance" and how Americans today
know more about the personal life of Tiger Woods and less about Afghanistan and U.S. nuclear policy. "My fear," said Nichols,
"is that the forces of peace are too quiet." These words encouraged everyone to re-evaluate their part in the peace movement and
to make it a more meaningful aspect of their everyday lives.
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"A World Without Nuclear Weapons - Obama's Vision, Our Mission"
Phil Donahue moderated a panel of veteran nuclear experts - Johnathan Schell, Kennette Benedict,
and Daniel Ellsberg - at the Ethical Culture Society in Manhattan on Thursday, April 8. The occasion coincided
with the signing of the new START treaty between the U.S. and Russia, but the consensus of the panel was that the only
realistic solution for world peace is total nuclear abolition. See the
complete video on YouTube.
Commemorating 1000+ Lives
Lost in Afghanistan
February 22nd marked the day when the U.S. lost its 1000th soldier to the War in Afghanistan, also known as
"Operation Enduring Freedom". PANYS, Peace Action Manhattan, and Peace Action for Diplomacy
joined Grandmothers Against the War to commemorate the lost lives in a vigil the next day.
More than 30 peace activists braved the cold rain and gathered at the Rockefeller Center to protest the mounting
casualties.
Actor/author Malachy McCourt was the featured speaker, and actress Vinnie Burrows
joined the reading of the names of the fallen soldiers from NY. Other peace groups included the Granny
Peace Brigade, Veterans for Peace, the Raging Grannies, The World Can't Wait, Code Pink, and
Gray Panthers. The event ended with a procession to the Times Square military recruiting center.
PANYS Success at 2010 Annual Meeting
On February 20, seventy PANYS members from around the state convened in New York City to increase
their effectiveness at advocating for peace. The 2010 PANYS Annual Meeting included two excellent
keynotes from Larry Wittner (author of "Confronting the Bomb") and Paul Kawika Martin (national PA
Political Director). Our four information and four training workshops were a great success and the
meeting on the whole left our members feeling energized and ready to continue making peaceful change.
Everyone was excited to meet each other, whether as old friends or as new faces, and we are all looking
forward to 2011's annual gathering.
Organizers Kickoff Meeting for May 2010 NPT Conference
More than 170 organizers and activists gathered on January 28th at All Soul's Church for inspiration, discussions, and planning for the
upcoming NPT Review Conference. Actress Vinie Burrows started the meeting with a stirring reading of Dr. King’s “Beyond Vietnam, a Time
to Break the Silence.” Joseph Gerson of American Friends Service Committee and Jackie Cabasso of the Western States Legal Foundation
addressed the audience on the danger of nuclear weapons and the importance of the upcoming NPT Review. The event was moderated by our
NPT Coordinator Judith Le Blanc. For more information about the NPT Conference, please visit
www.peaceandjusticenow.org.
"No Escalation" Rallies at West Point and Times Square
PANYS and our allies from WESPAC sponsored a rally at West Point on Tuesday Dec. 1, before the
President’s speech announcing the troop escalation in Afghanistan. The following day, PANYS members joined
UFPJ, IVAW and Code Pink for a rally in front of the Times Square Army Recruiting Center in New York City.
Peace Action International Co-Chairs UN NGO Conference on Disarmament
Dr. Charles Hitchcock of Peace Action International was honored by being named as one of the
Co-Chairs of this year's UN/DPI conference. (That's the annual conference of the 1,500 NGOs
that work in the United Nations.) The theme: For Peace and Development: Disarm Now! Much of
the three day conference focused on nuclear abolition, although there were also discussions on
small arms and the impact of war on various populations. Peace Action's expertise was highlighted
in a variety of ways, including Dr. Hitchcocks' leadership and presentations by national Executive
Director Kevin Martin and Scoville Peace Fellow Lisa Putkey. For more information on the conference,
as well as a copy of the Conference Declaration, click here.
Join our new Photo Petition for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons
Peace Action New York State is delighted to introduce our new photo petition for a nuclear-weapons-free world.
We hope to gather hundreds of photos of people who share our hope for a world free of nuclear weapons. Please
help us by taking a photo of yourself and/or anyone else who supports our goal with a sign simply saying
“I want a nuclear-weapons-free world.” Send your photos to photos@panys.org.
Thanks for your support!
Ask Obama to uphold our commitments under the NPT
In his recent speech in Prague, President Obama reconfirmed America's commitment to upholding its
obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which include reducing our own nuclear arsenal.
Please sign our online petition. You can encourage President
Obama to fulfill the vision of a nuclear weapons-free world within our lifetimes.Print out a hard copy and have friends,
family and neighbors sign, and return it to the address on the bottom. Thank you!
On the 64th anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Peace Action NY chapters and affiliates across
the state hosted a varietey of events in memory of the lives lost in those nuclear atrocities. In Manhattan, PANYS hosted a two-part
Commemorative Festival. In the morning, we made and floated colorful origami peace cranes with young children at Central Park’s serene Harlem Meer.
The commemoration continued later that evening at the Friends Meeting House with Chiori Miyagawa’s renowned play I HAVE BEEN TO HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR.
Send photos of your Hiroshima/Nagasaki events to photos@panys.org.
Peace Action: Past,
Ban Ki-Moon's Speech at Riverside Church NPT Conference
A New Ground Zero
Reaching Zero
