Statement by artist Roger Peet:
“In 2020 fires consumed huge swathes of forest in central Oregon and Northern California. In Portland, where I live, we felt their arrival in a sudden storm of hot wind and smoke that swept across the city and paralyzed it for months. In the aftermath the Forest Service has been aggressively logging the burned regions, tossing out any old excuse to get out the cut on public lands.
The biomass of burned forests needs to cycle back into the soil in order for them to regenerate, but the commercial timber interests in the Northwest are so desperate for whatever board-feet they can scavenge that they will try to make us swallow anything they can come up with to justify the cut. The forest needs defenders, now more than ever.”

Recommended Reading (Week of September 12th)

Caitlin Johnstone: Ukraine & the Triumph of Militarism | Consortium News https://consortiumnews.com/2022/09/08/caitlin-johnstone-ukraine-the-triumph-of-militarism/

Patrick Lawrence: “The Narrative Is Coming Apart | ScheerPost https://scheerpost.com/2022/09/11/patrick-lawrence-the-narrative-is-coming-apart/

Carbon-Fueled Capitalism by Vijay Prashad | Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research | ScheerPost https://consortiumnews.com/2022/09/08/carbon-fueled-capitalism

Remembering Barbara Ehrenreich & Work Left Undone by Richard Eskow https://consortiumnews.com/2022/09/08/remembering-barbara-ehrenreich-work-left-undone/

Upcoming Events:

Join LA Progressive + Bay Area Peace Activists on Saturday, September 17, at 7 p.m. First Congregational Church in Berkeley! Information Here!

Register Here

YOU ARE INVITED! Please join us live & in-person at the Peace Center for the return of our forum series! We are excited to host two longtime friends of the Center, Professors Nolan Higdon and Mickey Huff of Project Censored! They will be at the Peace Center at the end of the month to discuss their recent book, “Let’s Agree to Disagree” (Routledge 2022). 

From the publisher: “In an age defined by divisive discourse and disinformation, democracy hangs in the balance. Let’s Agree to Disagree seeks to reverse these trends by fostering constructive dialogue through critical thinking and critical media literacy. This transformative text introduces readers to useful theories, powerful case studies, and easily adoptable strategies for becoming sharper critical thinkers, more effective communicators, and critically media literate citizens” 

Just this year – we have seen firsthand how misinformation, prejudice, and fear can drive deep divides within movements. Especially in the peace movement – we have seen splits emerge between groups of people who should be united in their struggle – but instead continue to find roadblocks that impede collaboration and constructive communication. It is imperative that we learn how to come together & become more effective communicators if we want to make tangible change. 

The workshop will begin with a presentation and end with a Q&A with the speakers. 

Tickets are FREE for Peace Center members and $5 for the general public. Refreshments will be provided.

For more information, please email: andrew@andrewkodama

Peace Center Reading Group: INFORMATION + REGISTER HERE!

From Defuse Nuclear War:

October 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis — when the Soviet Union and U.S. engaged in a tense standoff over the installation of nuclear weapons in Cuba. 

It is widely considered the closest the two superpowers ever came to nuclear war… until now.
While the dangers of nuclear war have risen sharply this year, very few members of the House and Senate have risen to the occasion by speaking out or publicly urging measures to de-escalate tensions between nuclear powers and seriously revive negotiations for nuclear-weapons treaties and disarmament measures.

This October, we demand attention be paid to the very real threat posed by nuclear weapons.

Information Here!



For more event information please visit: 350BayArea.org
SIGN HERE TO LOWER THE PENTAGON BUDGET

From Win Without War:
Rep. Barbara Lee and other Democrats are championing an amendment that will reverse Congress’s attempt to add $37 BILLION in unnecessary Pentagon spending to next year’s budget.
This week, Congress is debating next year’s Pentagon budget. Every weapons contractor wants a piece of the pie, and they’re shamelessly lobbying for it. And many members of Congress are listening to those lobbyists. When all is said and done, next year’s Pentagon budget could be a whopping $850 billion. 

President Biden already proposed to give more money to the Pentagon, but the war hawks in Congress voted to add BILLIONS MORE to the budget. Every year, the Pentagon keeps getting more and more money. That is — unless you take action to stop it. 

This amendment will undo a reckless spending increase and bring the budget back down to the level that President Biden submitted. A vote on this amendment could happen any day now. This is a fight we can win, especially because we’re on the same side as the White House. But it won’t happen unless we show up to give back to the Democrats in Congress pushing this forward.