Quotable

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones
-Albert Einstein (contemplating nuclear devastation)

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Bruce Gagnon Speaks Out on US Militarism

Bruce Gagnon, Co-founder and Coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, traveled to Washington State in January to participate in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Walk led by the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Monks. He joined Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action for its weekend event honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., and was also interviewed by Mike McCormick on KEXP Radio. You can watch the videos of Bruce's talk at Ground Zero and the interview below.

Be sure to check out the Global Network website. Bruce also writes an extremely relevant and incisive blog called Organizing Notes.

Bruce Gagnon speaks to the gathering at Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action on Saturday, January 17, 2015. Thanks to Rodney Herold for providing this video.



Mike McCormick, KEXP Radio, Seattle, interviews Bruce Gagnon, Founder and Coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space recorded January 18, 2015.

Friday, January 16, 2015

From Gangjeong to Bangor: Building the World House

The [Peace] Walk for M.L.King Jr’s Dream 2015 has been on road since its departure from Olympia on January 12th. With participants stretching from Korea to Maine, the walk has been a wonderful opportunity for all people to walk and learn together in a nonviolent, spiritually-motivated action to ensure a better future sharing with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream.

The following video conveys a sense of the walk and what it represents. It weaves video from the recent visit to Jeju Island with different aspects of the current Peace Walk. Walk participants chose to engage in solidarity with this week's protest in Tacoma against the Keystone XL Pipeline.

The Peace Walk will arrive today, January 16th, at Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action in time for tomorrow's all-day event honoring Dr. King. The day will include a vigil and nonviolent direct action (in the spirit of Dr. King's legacy) at the Bangor Trident nuclear submarine base.

The tentacles of the Empire stretch around the globe, strangling justice and peace in its wake. We, as citizens of Dr. King's "World House" must link arms together from Gangjeong to Bangor, and beyond, to break the grip of this monster in order to create a world with peace and justice for ALL.

To do this we must (in Dr. King's words) "recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism."

May we make it so.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Jeju Island: Bows -- Against the Tide

Dear Friends,

The people of Jeju Island continue their ceaseless struggle against the Naval base being constructed on their "Island of World Peace." The tragic history of Jeju Island, together with it having been called "the most idyllic place on the planet", should have been enough to preclude any consideration of building a military base (that will host U.S. Navy warships central to the Asia-Pacific Pivot) there.

Many people from around the world have traveled to Jeju Island to learn about and participate in the struggle of the people of Jeju against the onslaught of militarism that is destroying their island and lives. Recently, a group from the Pacific Northwest traveled to Jeju Island and spent two weeks there immersed in the life and struggle of the people.

Videographer Rodney Herold was part of the group, and he chronicled the group's time on Jeju. This video is the first of a series that Rodney is publishing in which he hopes to tell the story... convey a sense of the struggle... stimulate interest by those not yet in touch with the struggle.



This first video could well be titled "Bows Against the Empire," for it IS the Empire that threatens to swallow up this tiny island and put it at the center of the Empire's continuing quest for power and global domination. After you watch this first video, I recommend reading the article by Elizabeth Murray in Consortium News. Elizabeth was also a member of the Pacific Northwest Peace Delegation, and her article titled Resisting a Naval Base on China's Periphery is an excellent introduction to the Jeju struggle.

Elizabeth is a former Deputy National Intelligence Officer for the Near East in the National Intelligence Council, and is now member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). Both Elizabeth and Rodney are involved in the work of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action.

Watch for upcoming installments in Rodney's series on Jeju Island, coming soon to the Puget Sound Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Blog.

In Peace,

Leonard
Coordinator, Puget Sound Nuclear Weapon Free Zone