WILPF – November 2013

WILPF – November 2013

WILPF BUSINESS MEETING

WILPF will meet Thursday, November 14, 7 p.m., at the Fresno Center for Nonviolence, 1584 N. Van Ness. This meeting is open to all members.

WOMEN IN BLACK

November 5, first Wednesday of each month at noon at the Fresno County Courthouse; come on the month in which your birthday falls! Wear black, bring a sign if you wish and stand in silence for peace.

WOMEN IN BLACK AT FRESNO STATE

November 19, 12:30-1:30, in the free speech area at Fresno State. Coordinated by WILPF interns Janette Miguel and Elizabeth Moreno and open to all students and community members. Wear black and stand in silence for peace.

Also December 5, 12:30-1:30.

STIR IT UP – WILPF – ON KFCF 88.1 FM (LISTENER-SUPPORTED FREE SPEECH RADIO FOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA)

November 28, 3 p.m. (4th Wednesday of each month). Jean Hays conducts outstanding interviews on subjects involving WILPF interests and activities. Let Jean know if you have ideas for a program. Tune in!

RAGING GRANNIES

Meetings on selected Mondays at 7 p.m. Call Ellie at 229-9807 for details.

WILPF REGIONAL MEETING NOVEMBER 16

A meeting of WILPF members from branches in the Western region is planned for Saturday, November 16, in Redwood City. The meeting is expected to last the full day and evening. Participants will be discussing topics related to the future direction of our organization. Several Fresno branch members are planning to attend. For more information as it becomes available and to coordinate carpooling, call Patty Bennett, 225-9511.

PEACE COMMUNITY CRAFTS FAIRE

It’s a bit late this year: the second Saturday in December, the 14th. So you can come on down and relax into the holiday spirit and find great last-minute gifts for yourself or others, knowing that your participation supports great WILPF causes and local or nonprofit artists. Email nancywaidtlow@yahoo.com or call 224-1738 to offer your help: donate items for the silent auction; donate soup, bread or a dessert; and volunteer to help at the Faire. It’s the best party in town, still at the Big Red Church, First Congregational, on Van Ness Blvd. just north of Weldon, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission, as always.

DAKOTA ECOGARDEN HOMELESS PROJECT

Exciting news! The Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno will donate the second Sunday social action offering to our project. This will allow us to purchase materials for a nice shade/rain protection covering for a large area of the concrete slab in the back. It will turn the slab into a communal area for eating, group meetings, and perhaps a work area. It looks like woodworking might be a likely trade for our residents to get into. And if anyone needs yard work, painting, home repair, or who knows what, let Nancy Waidtlow know. She can bring one or a crew to get a job done, 224-1738.

Celebrate Thanksgiving with us, but on the day after. Bring your leftovers to the EcoGarden, 2231 West Dakota, on Friday, November 29. From 1:30 to 5, we’ll have a party. RSVP nancywaidtlow@yahoo.com

MOVE TO AMEND

Corporate Personhood, the concept that corporations are “persons” with the same rights as persons, was established in 1886 by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). On January 21, 2010, SCOTUS ruled in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that money is “free speech.” On Tuesday, October 8, 2010, the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments in the case of McCutcheon vs FEC (the Federal Elections Commission. McCutcheon is an Alabama billionaire who claims that the limits on individuals’ political contributions violate his right to free speech.

Move to Amend, founded by David Cobb, states “We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling and other related cases, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.”

WILPF’s Corporations v Democracy Issue Committee has affiliated with Move to Amend, as have many local WILPF branches across the country to work toward a Constitutional amendment. WILPF-Fresno will join with other local Fresno groups and individuals to create a local affiliate of Move to Amend.

Linda Traynor, of the Social Justice Committee of Wesley United Methodist Church, has begun the process of creating a local affiliate by arranging for David Cobb to return to Fresno for the following:

  • Move to Amend Presentation by David Cobb: Friday, November 22, 7:00 p.m., Wesley United Methodist Church
  • Move to Amend Organizing meeting: Saturday, November 23, 9:30 a.m., Wesley United Methodist Church

We invite all interested persons to attend the presentation and organizing meeting. To RSVP or for further information, contact Georgia Williams at 559 439-5268 or georgiam@csufresno.edu.

THE WHISTLEBLOWER MOVIE NOVEMBER 5

Fresno WILPF, along with co-sponsors Fresno Rising, CSUF Women’s Studies Department and Peace and Conflict Studies Program of the Department of Philosophy, Fresno Human Rights Coalition and ACT for Women and Girls, will present a screening of the movie, The Whistleblower, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. at College Community Congregational Church. The movie, inspired by actual events, tells the story of Kathy, an American police officer who takes a job working as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. While helping to rebuild the devastated country she uncovers human trafficking, cover-up and intrigue amid a world of private contractors and multinational diplomatic doubletalk. Of particular significance is the fact that WILPF’s Secretary-General, Madeleine Rees, actually worked for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at this same time in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, along with Kathy, helped to expose human rights abuses related to the sex trade there. Her character is played by Vanessa Redgrave in the film. The movie screening is free, and there will be a post-screening discussion led by Dr. Janet Slagter, Chair of CSUF’s Womens Studies Department.

Author

  • Mike Rhodes

    Mike Rhodes is the executive director of the Community Alliance, was the editor of this newspaper from 1998 to 2014 and the author of several books. Contact him at mikerhodes@fresnoalliance.com.

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