http://dfcpj.com The Center for Peace and Justice provides persons in the Dunkirk, Fredonia and surrounding area of Western NY, the opportunity to learn about, and act constructively on, a variety of issues, both local and global, related to peace, human rights and social justice. en http://dfcpj.com/bring_em_home_but_then_what_dan_orourkes_june_10_2010_column <p><em>CPJ member Daniel O&#39;Rourke submits a regular column for the Dunkirk Observer.  His latest, &quot;<strong>&#39;Bring &#39;Em Home&#39; - but then what?,&quot;</strong> was published on June 10, 2010.  Dan&#39;s other writings can be seen in Daniel O&#39;Rourke&#39;s columns, found under CPJ News/Opinions at the left side of the screen.</em></p><div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Folk singer Peter Seeger is ninety years old now.<span>  </span>His reedy tenor can no longer bring an audience to its feet singing enthusiastically for unity, justice and peace.<span>  </span>Whether he was leading “We Shall Overcome” in the Civil Rights battles of the 60s, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” during the Vietnam War, or “Turn, Turn, Turn” to advocate patience in face of the adversity that comes in the struggle for justice, he is now an American icon.<span>  </span>It wasn’t always so.<span>  </span>He was right when it was not popular, and like all prophets, he suffered from that.<span>  </span>For years he experienced great adversity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">The most famous instance was when, after seventeen years of being blacklisted, Seeger was invited to appear on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. CBS censored his song, &quot;Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” which was about a gung-ho captain who forces his men to ford a raging river only to be drowned himself in its muddy currents. The song was a thinly veiled -- and prophetic -- metaphor of President Lyndon Johnson’s Vietnam policies. The censoring of Seeger created a public outcry.<span>  </span>The network relented and invited him back later that season to sing his protest.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">For seventeen years Seeger had been blacklisted from radio and television, which made it all the more ironic that he was honored by the Kennedy Center with its Lifetime Achievement Honor in 1994.<span>  </span>When President Clinton presented that award he said some people are famous in the history of music, but <em>Pete Seeger made history with his music.</em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Bill Clinton was right. Seeger made history. He had written a number of folk songs over the years for the peace movement, but “Bring ‘Em Home” is probably his best. Squashing the criticism that those against the war didn’t support the troops, Seeger sang:<span>  </span>“If you love your Uncle Sam, bring ‘em home, bring ’em home.”<span>  </span>Seeger was right about Vietnam in the 60s and his lyrics ring eerily true today about Afghanistan.</span></div><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">It’ll make our generals sad, I know,</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Bring “em home, bring “em home.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">They want to tangle with the foe,</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Bring ‘em home, bring ‘em home.</span></p><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica"><span>                        </span></span></div><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">They want to test their weaponry,</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Bring ‘em home, bring ‘em home.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">But here is their big fallacy,</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Bring ‘em home, bring ‘em home.</span></p><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica"><span>                        </span></span></div><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">The world needs teachers, books and schools,</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Bring ‘em home, bring ‘em home.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">And learning a few universal rules,</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Bring ‘em home, bring ‘em home.</span></p><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">However, I want to raise two critical questions: What happens to our troops after we bring them home?<span>  </span>And what happens to the country they leave behind?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Last month in the New York Times, Nancy Sherman, University Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown and former Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the U. S. Naval Academy wrote “A Crack in the Stoic’s Armor.” Many military veterans who until now have been stoic and unemotional about their true feelings regarding war “wish to let go of the Stoic armor.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">The veterans, Sherman wrote, “Wanted to feel and process the loss.<span>  </span>They wanted to register the complex inner moral landscape of war by finding some measure of empathy with their own emotion.<span>  </span>One retired Army major put it flatly to me, ‘I’ve been sucking it up for 25 years, and I’m tired of it.’<span>  </span>For some, like this officer, the war after the war is unrelenting.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Sherman admits that all veterans are not suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but many are.<span>  </span>The Army’s own studies estimate that it affects one in eight of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and few are receiving adequate help.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Recently CBS News asked Dr. Ira Katz, Director of Mental Health for the Department of Veterans Affairs, for the statistics on veteran suicides.<span>  </span>He would not provide it. “The research is ongoing,” Katz said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">So CBS News did their own investigation asking each state for its suicide data for veterans and non-veterans dating back to 1995. What it revealed was astonishing.<span>  </span>In 2005, for example, there were 6256 suicides among veterans. That was 120 each week in just one year. In that year veterans were more than twice as likely to suicide than non-veterans. The rates were even higher among young veterans in the 20 – 24 year-old age group. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">120 veteran suicides every week.<span>  </span>My God, that’s a major epidemic!<span>  </span>Is that what we’re bringing them home to?<span>  </span>And that’s not counting suicide attempts, addictions, divorces and the spouse-abuse caused by PTSD.<span>  </span>The Veteran Administration is overwhelmed and is not providing the psychological services these wounded warriors need. Shame on us for that injustice.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">That brings me to my second question. What happens to Afghanistan when we leave? The short answer is it will be there just as it was before: a narco state, with a corrupt, weak, divided, tribal government. General David Petraeus has called Afghanistan the “graveyard of empires.”<span>  </span>Even with 110,000 troops the Russians, were unsuccessful! What makes us think we will succeed where Alexander the Great, the British and Russians have failed?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Moreover, Al Qaeda will not return from Pakistan to reconstitute itself in Afghanistan.<span>  </span>Al Qaeda has moved on. It’s not only in Pakistan.<span>  </span>Like a cancer it has metastasized.<span>  </span>Sadly it’s all over the world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Since 2001 we’ve spent roughly $65 billion a year in Afghanistan. Can we afford that? That would pay for countless “teachers, books and schools.” But more importantly can we afford to ignore the psychological needs of our veterans or the increasing number of military deaths? As Pete Seeger would sing,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica"><span>            </span></span></div><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">Oh, when will they ever learn?</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica">When will they ever learn?</span></p><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica"><em>Retired from the Administration at State University of New York at Fredonia, Daniel O’Rourke lives in Cassadaga, NY. His newspaper column appears in the Observer, Dunkirk, NY on the second and fourth Thursday each month. A grandfather, Dan is a married Catholic priest. He has published a book of his previous columns &quot;The Spirit at Your Back.” To read about the book or send comments on this column visit his website <a href="http://www.danielcorourke.com/" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window"><u><font color="#0066cc">http://www.danielcorourke.com/</font></u></a></em></span></div></div><!-- end sanitized html --> CPJ News/Opinion Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:32:13 -0500 admin 362 at http://dfcpj.com http://dfcpj.com/next_cpj_meeting_thursday_september_9 <div class="content"><p align="justify">The Dunkirk-Fredonia Center for Peace and Justice will next meet on Thursday September 9 at 7:30 pm at Growing with Music/Thrifty Reader Bookstore (Barlow&#39;s Mill), located at 369 West Main St., Fredonia.  (It is one mile from downtown Fredonia, past Farrell&#39;s Chrysler Car Dealership.  Traveling from Fredonia to Brocton, it is on the right side of West Main.)</p><p>All are welcome.</p><p><font size="5"><!-- end sanitized html --></font></p></div> CPJ News/Opinion Events Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:51:37 -0500 admin 361 at http://dfcpj.com http://dfcpj.com/cpj_donates_100_to_doctors_without_borders_for_haitian_aid In January 2010, CPJ donated $100 to Doctors Without Borders for Haitian earthquake relief efforts. CPJ News/Opinion Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:04:29 -0500 admin 353 at http://dfcpj.com http://dfcpj.com/cpjs_annual_nicaraguan_appeal_in_july_2010 <p>CPJ will again conduct its Annual Nicaraguan Appeal to help the needy in the Central American nation.  This effort is done in conjunction with Ann Marie Zon, a Catholic social worker from East Amherst, who has spent three decades assisting Nicaraguans. </p><p>This year, drop-off of items begins on Monday July 5 and continues through the second and third weeks of July, with resumption the first week of August.  Items are to be brought to the garage of Rodney and Joan Houck, 146 Central Ave., Fredonia.    Please call the Houcks at 673-9258 before coming.  (The Houcks will be away the 4th week of July.)</p><p>Items needed are:</p><ul><li>Clothes - men&#39;s, women&#39;s, children&#39;s, all types (except winter clothes)</li><li>Foot wear - all types, including boots</li><li>Linens - sheets, pillows, blankets, towels, curtains, drapes, etc.</li><li>Toys - all types (except war games, toy guns (even squirt guns) and games involving English)</li><li>Household - dishes, mugs, glasses, silverware, pots/pans, cookie tins, small appliances (no coffee makers or scratched pots/pans because the Nicaraguans cook on open fires and the food would burn immediately)</li><li>Food - canned goods, cake mixes, peanut butter,  jelly, jello, pasta</li><li>Hygienics - soaps, shampoos, deodorants, creams, combs, brushes, toothpaste, etc.</li><li>Religious articles - rosaries, crucifixes, medals, statues, communion dresses,  pictures for walls (no prayer books because of the language)</li><li>Medical supplies - aspirins, cough medicine, vitamins, bandages, anything over-the-counter</li><li>School supplies - notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, folders, binders, scotch tape</li><li>Monetary gifts - very much appreciated.  Please make checks payable to &quot;Nicaraguan Mission.&quot;</li></ul><p>Please do NOT send the following:</p><p>     - typewriters, computers, or anything computer-related</p><p>     - bowling balls, trophies, ice skates, hockey sticks</p><p>     - record players, curtain rods, items in English</p><p>     - opened, used containers of hygienic items or medical supplies</p><p>Thank you again this year for all your support!</p> CPJ News/Opinion Events Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:55:43 -0500 admin 352 at http://dfcpj.com http://dfcpj.com/war_is_not_the_answer_yard_signs_available <p align="justify">&quot;War Is Not the Answer&quot; signs from the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) are available from Caitlin O&#39;Reilly.  The FCNL asks for a $5.00 donation to defray the shipping costs of the signs.  Caitlin will be happy to deliver.  To see a photo of the sign, visit <a href="http://www.fcnl.org/forms/forms.php?type=wina" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><u>http://www.fcnl.org/forms/forms.php?type=wina</u></font></a><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">.  Caitlin&#39;s contact information is 716.366.2074 or </font><a href="mailto:cait.riley.music@gmail.com" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><u>cait.riley.music@gmail.com</u></font></a><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">.<br /></font></p><div><br /></div> CPJ News/Opinion Events Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:31:54 -0500 admin 324 at http://dfcpj.com http://dfcpj.com/western_new_york_peace_center_events <p>For upcoming Western New York Peace Center events (based in Buffalo), see: </p><p><a href="http://wnypeace.org/join/events.php">http://wnypeace.org/join/events.php</a></p> CPJ News/Opinion Events Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:09:02 -0600 admin 306 at http://dfcpj.com http://dfcpj.com/new_email_addresses_and_websites_in_the_links_section_of_the_cpj_website Please see the &quot;Links&quot; link at the left side of the screen to see some newly recommended resources.  CPJ News/Opinion Sat, 09 Feb 2008 21:30:46 -0600 admin 249 at http://dfcpj.com http://dfcpj.com/chiapas_dental_clinic_update_from_dr_tom_potts <p align="justify"><em>DFCPJ has supported the work of <strong>Dr. Tom Potts</strong>, a dentist who has volunteered for many years to help the poor in Chiapas, Mexico.  In October 2006, he and Dr. Bill Jungles gave a presentation at a DFCPJ meeting about the dental clinic in Chiapas.   The following was received from Dr. Potts on December 22, 2007:</em></p><p align="center">Chiapas Dental Clinic Update</p><p align="justify">The Latin American Solidarity Committee (a task force of the Western New York Peace Center) has been operating a dental clinic in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico for the last 20 years.  In the beginning the clinic served primarily emergency needs, with the majority of services oriented toward the treatment of infections and extractions.  Subsequently, we have enlarged our services and now deliver a full complement of restorative services (fillings).</p><p align="justify">This year about 75% of our services have been oriented toward saving teeth rather  than extractions.  This represents a major change in the nature of the services and an improvement in our ability to deliver a higher quality of health to this impoverished community.  This year also was the first time that we have provided for root canal treatments, and this was only possible because of the X-ray machine installed in 2005 by one of your members (Bill Stock).</p><p align="justify">A Mexican dentist is at the clinic on Saturdays throughout the year, while I am there for five days a week usually for the months of November and February.  However, this year we plan to start helping a clinic in El Sauce, Nicaragua in February, and for that reason I&#39;ll only be in Chiapas for a week.</p><p align="justify">The clinic in Nicaragua is currently only doing extractions, so we hope to accomplish some improvements in the equipment and services there as well.  This work is only possible because of the generous donations to the Dental Clinic Project by many individuals and groups like the Dunkirk-Fredonia Peace and Justice Center.   Thanks again for your generous help!</p> CPJ News/Opinion Sat, 22 Dec 2007 19:53:52 -0600 admin 239 at http://dfcpj.com http://dfcpj.com/new_leader_of_western_new_york_peace_center_featured_in_buffalo_news <p>Elia Mihou, Executive Director of the Western New York Peace Center since August, was featured in the Tuesday November 20 issue of the Buffalo News.   For the next few days, it can be read at no charge by going to <a href="http://buffalonews.com/">http://buffalonews.com</a> and clicking on the Archives link.  </p> CPJ News/Opinion Thu, 22 Nov 2007 19:01:24 -0600 admin 237 at http://dfcpj.com http://dfcpj.com/cpj_donates_140_to_rural_ministry <p align="justify">CPJ is donating $140 to Rural Ministry in honor of the organization&#39;s 40th anniversary.    </p><p>Headquartered in Dunkirk, Rural Ministry has provided the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter to the less fortunate and those in crisis situations.  Some have lost jobs, some face personal crises, some have come to harvest crops but do not find work, some are subjects of abuse, neglect, government reductions, or deteriorating health.   See <a href="http://www.ccrm.netsync.net/">http://www.ccrm.netsync.net/</a> for more information</p> CPJ News/Opinion Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:48:43 -0500 admin 211 at http://dfcpj.com