Veterans for Peace post 5888 are currently running an informational table in front of the Vets Hall in downtown Santa Cruz to bring awareness to twin bills S. 89 & H.R.163 quietly pending legislation to start the draft as early as spring 2005.

$28 million has been added to the 2004 Selective Service System (SSS) budget to prepare for a military draft that could start as early as June 15, 2005. Selective Service must report to Bush on March 31, 2005 that the system, which has lain dormant for decades, is ready for activation. For more information, see the SSS annual performance plan for fiscal year 2004.

Dodging the draft will be more difficult than during the Vietnam era.

College and Canada will not be options. In December 2001, Canada and the U.S. signed a "smart border declaration," which could be used to keep would-be draft dodgers in. Signed by Canada's minister of foreign affairs, John Manley, and U.S. Homeland Security director, Tom Ridge, the declaration involves a 30-point plan which implements, among other things, a "pre-clearance agreement" of people entering and departing each country. Reforms aimed at making the draft more equitable along gender and class lines also eliminates higher education as a shelter. Underclassmen would only be able to postpone service until the end of their current semester. Seniors would have until the end of the academic year.

Audio: Interview with Veteran working the table in Santa Cruz. ( 1.3 megabytes / 3:28 minutes )
(Download the mp3)

[ US Preparing for Military Draft in Spring 2005 I Beware of Attempts to Revive Military Draft I U.S. Preparing For Military Draft in Spring of 2005 ]

Over twenty Santa Cruz activists are walking from San Jose to San Francisco from May 29 to June 1 to dramatize the need for a U.S. Department of Peace (DOP). Comprised of 16 UC Santa Cruz students, five other city residents, and Cody the Peace Dog, the group set out from Larry Marcelli Park on El Camino Real on Saturday morning. They intend to continue on El Camino until reaching the office of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, where they will deliver a petition bearing over 1,000 signatures that indicate support for the creation of the DOP.

The concept of the walk was conceived by first-year student Yoel Kirschner. Kirschner was inspired by Indian activist and author Satish Kumar, a former Jain monk who, at the instigation of Vinoba Bhave, Mahatma Gandhi’s chief disciple, walked all over the world for two years in the 1960s to plea for the elimination of nuclear weapons. Kirschner co-organized the walk with fourth-year student Will Parrish.

Copwatch, a group to observe and monitor police activities, is being formed by Santa Cruz citizens concerned about police misconduct and abuse of power in the Santa Cruz community. Following examples set by other Copwatch groups across the nation, members of Santa Cruz Copwatch concerned with the lack of police accountability will launch observation patrols and “Know-Your-Rights� trainings in order to increase the community’s oversight of police activities.

Copwatch chapters exist in at least 6 other cities, including the 10 year old Berkeley Copwatch, and the newly formed Copwatch in East Palo Alto. Copwatch patrollers take down badge numbers, provide written testimony, and in some cases videotape the interactions between police and citizens. The objective of Copwatch is to train the public in non-confrontational techniques with which they can increase their ability to observe police actions, and thus reduce police brutality and other civil rights violations. Santa Cruz Copwatch will be networking with other community groups and work towards amassing incident reports which will be presented to City Council encouraging increased regulation of the Police Department.

Citizen's Police Review Board Gets Dismantled from January, 2003

Santa Cruz Copwatch currently meets on Tuesdays, 7:00 PM, at the Infoshop (509A Broadway).

[ Santa Cruz Copwatch I Know Your Rights card in Spanish and English ]

George Cadman of Free Radio Santa Cruz speaks with Adi Frish and Laila Najar about their life in the village of Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salam (Oasis Of Peace) in Israel. Laila, 20, and Adi, 21, are visiting communities across the U.S. this month to speak about their lives together. Adi, who is Jewish, and Laila, a Palestinian Arab, are addressing groups and congregations in eight cities through May 3. Lifelong friends, Adi Frish, 21, and Laila Najjar, 20, were among the first children born in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam. Their parents decided in 1978 to live with the other side. Adi, who is Jewish, and Laila, a Palestinian Arab, grew up as neighbors and attended the village’s integrated, bilingual Primary School together.

Adi studied at the Rubin Music and Dance Academy in Jerusalem and, after working for a cellular phone company, is now a manager for a national chain of fitness and health clubs.

Laila studied Sociology and Social Sciences at Greek Orthodox High School in Ramla. She has worked as a Counselor at the NSWAS Summer Camp and is currently studying jewelry design at Jerusalem’s Academy for Art and Design.

Located mid-way between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam is a community of 50 families, half Palestinian and half Jewish, all with Israeli citizenship. Democratically governed by an elected mayor & city council, the village's mission is to demonstrate that Jews and Palestinians can live together as equals. During even the most difficult times in Israel, the residents of the village are committed to this ideal. Through their various departments and educational projects, they reach out to the surrounding communities, involving all those who want to participate in lectures, workshops, and classes that further the work of peace among Palestinians and Jews. They reach beyond their borders with the message that "Peace is Possible."

Download the Audio Interview about Oasis of Peace ( 19 megabytes / 27 minutes )

[ American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam I Free Radio Santa Cruz I More Peace Talks from George of FRSC ]

The Najaf Emergency Peace Team, "Peace Between Peoples", includes two members of the Santa Cruz activist community. Meg Lumsdaine and Peter Lumsdaine are among the handful of determined volunteers who have placed themselves "nonviolently, symbolically and physically" between the U.S. armed forces massed nearby and the civilian population of the ancient holy city, Najaf.

As numerous people from nonprofit organizations working in Iraq evacuated the country during the past week, an independent emergency delegation of U.S. civilians was preparing to enter the conflict-torn nation, traveling to the tense stand-off around Najaf, where the U.S. military recently deployed almost 3,000 troops for a looming assault to crush Shiite rebels there.

[ Peace Between Peoples Update: Najaf 4-28-04 I Peter Lumsdaine on Democracy Now (4/27/04) I AP article (4/30/04) ]

[ Indybay's Iraq page I Al-MuaJaha I Occupation Watch I Electronic Iraq ]

Multi-issue is powerful. Integrated politics intensify and mobilize people’s repugnance against the war by tying it to deprivation and repression at home.

After years of denial, the US has finally admitted to using chemical weapons in Iraq. Evidence shows that they may have used extensively.

This is a short excerpt from the film followed by the information about the event.

Please come on Sunday November 20th at 7 pm at the Resource Center for Nonviolence to watch the new film "Walking Rainbow: Fred Moore remembered" followed by a panel discussion about nonviolent direct action and the legacy of Fred Moore. We are asking for a $5-20 sliding scale donation, with no one turned away for lack of funds. Proceeds will go to help with distribution of "Walking Rainbow"