Friends for a Non-Violent World
February 18, 2010
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Lethal and "Non-Lethal" Weapons of War
FNVW Annual Meeting
Second Chance Day on the Hill
A Season for Nonviolence
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Lethal and "Non-Lethal" Weapons of War 

FNVW promotes a US foreign policy based on furthering human dignity, and we are working with Lara Lumpe and the US Campaign to Ban Landmines.  For two perspectives on how these issues are playing out right now in Afghanistan and the UN, here are excerpts from today's New York Times, and Tuesday's Associated Press via the Huffington Post.  

Humanitarian Aid as a "Non-Lethal Weapon of War."
 

KABUL, Afghanistan - Senior United Nations officials in Afghanistan on Wednesday criticized NATO forces for what one referred to as "the militarization of humanitarian aid," and said United Nations agencies would not participate in the military's reconstruction strategy in Marja as part of its current offensive there. 
 
"We are not part of that process, we do not want to be part of it," said Robert Watkins, the deputy special representative of the secretary general, at a news conference attended by other officials to announce the United Nations' Humanitarian Action Plan for 2010. "We will not be part of that military strategy." 
 
The American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, has made the rapid delivery of governmental services, including education, health care and job programs, a central part of his strategy in Marja, referring to plans to rapidly deploy what he has referred to as "a government in a box" once Marja is pacified...
 

...The American military refers to its strategy, first enunciated in Iraq in 2006, as "clear, hold and build." Previously there were insufficient foreign and Afghan troops in Afghanistan to pursue that strategy systematically because they were unable to hold large areas for long periods of time. The offensive in Marja is intended as a showcase where the strategy can work, and the coalition says it has adequate forces now to do that. 
 
"Clear, hold and build, it's short-sighted for two reasons," the United Nations official said. "Territory changes hands in a conflict, and if the services are associated with a particular group, it will be destroyed." That has happened often with projects like schools and clinics around the country... 
 
...Wael Haj-Ibrahim, head of the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs here, said the military should not be involved in providing health care or schools...."Allowing the military to do it is not the best use of resources." Instead, he said, the military should confine itself to clearing an area of security threats and providing security for humanitarian organizations to deliver services... 
 
...Last month, eight leading humanitarian organizations working in Afghanistan, including Oxfam and ActionAid, issued a joint report that was highly critical of the International Security Assistance Force, as the American-led NATO force is known, because of "the international militaries' use of aid as a 'nonlethal' weapon of war."... 
 
..."Military-led humanitarian and development activities are driven by donors' political interests and short-term security objectives and are often ineffective, wasteful and potentially harmful to Afghans," a statement by Oxfam said... 
 
...Oxfam said the military "was going way beyond its remit" in Afghanistan, citing an American Army counterinsurgency manual that defines humanitarian aid as a "nonlethal weapon."... 
 
Excerpted from The New York Times 
February 18, 2010 
U.N. Rejects 'Militarization' of Afghan Aid 
By ROD NORDLAND
 
 

UN Ratifies Ban On Cluster Bombs:
US Still Has Not Signed Agreement
 
 
UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Tuesday that the international convention banning cluster bombs has received the 30 ratifications required and will enter into force on Aug. 1. 
 
Cluster bomblets are packed by the hundreds into artillery shells, bombs or missiles, which scatter them over vast areas. Some fail to explode immediately and can lie dormant for years until they are disturbed, often by children attracted by their small size and bright colors. A bomblet can kill or maim someone within 10 to 50 yards (meters). 
 
The convention prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions, sets strict deadlines for the destruction of stockpiles and clearance of contaminated land, and obliges states to support survivors and affected communities. 

Only those countries that have ratified the convention will be bound by its provisions... But some of the world's top military powers - including the U.S., Russia and China - and big users like Israel, India and Pakistan, have refused to support the convention, arguing that cluster bombs have legitimate military uses. 
 
Faced with growing international pressure, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced in July 2008 that the United States would reduce its inventory of cluster bombs that don't meet new safety requirements and would require that after 2018, more than 99 percent of the bomblets must detonate. 
 
The 28 countries that have ratified the convention are Burkina Faso, Moldova, Norway, Austria, Holy See, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Albania, Croatia, Laos, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Burundi, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Malta, Nicaragua, Niger, San Marino and Uruguay.... 

...The U.N. chief said the convention's impending entry into force just two years after its adoption demonstrates "the world's collective revulsion at the impact of these terrible weapons" which are "unreliable and inaccurate" and kill and maim civilians long after conflicts end, the statement said. 
 
EDITH M. LEDERER | 02/16/10 10:18 PM | AP 

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PCLogoYou are WELCOME
at the FNVW Annual Meeting

Sunday, February 21, 2010, 1:30-3:30 pm
St. Paul Area Council of Churches
1671 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN   55105

Agenda:

Welcome

FNVW Program-Annual Updates

Interim Executive Director Message

FNVW Committee Reports

Acknowledgements and Appreciation

Introduction of Current Board Members

Presentation of New Board Members

2:30-3:30

Community, sharing and informal brainstorms about FNVW programs

over snacks and drinks

No RSVP needed; call me at the office with questions:  651/917-0383
See you there!
Erika Thorne
Interim Executive Director


Bear
Bring a Toy for a Child in Iraq!

Playing with toys is how children grow and develop skills. Many children in Iraq have no toys at all. BRING A TOY TO THE ANNUAL MEETING! Pick one up at Savers, a discount or dollar store, or ask for one from your kid or grandkids. Toys are distributed directly to children in hospitals and schools in Iraq. This is a personal way to show you care about the difficulties of the people of Iraq. Toys should be battery-free (batteries are not available there) and dolls should be fully clothed (no swimsuits etc.). Soccer balls are most popular. Pigs are not a good idea because of Muslim prohibitions, but other stuffed animals are fine!

Second Chance Day on the Hill
Monday, Feb 22, 2010, 10 a.m.
State Capitol Rotunda, St Paul

Join hundreds of others and advocate for change as we demonstrate to legislators and the community that second chances are important for everyone. Hear stories of those who have struggled to move beyond their past and become contributing members of our community.

Contact information:
Sarah Walker
180 Degrees, Inc.
612.813.5017
[email protected]

Second Chance Day on the Hill is sponsored and supported by a partnership of Minnesota nonprofits and companies that believe ex-offenders have paid their debt to society and deserve a second chance to become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens.

www.mnsecondchancecoalition.org

PCLogo


A Season for Nonviolence, January 30-April 4, is a national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. During this season, we invite you to read Terrence Rynne's illuminating book entitled Ghandi and Jesus: The Saving Power of Nonviolence. Dr. Rynne is also available to speak in your community. 

CONTACT

Season for Nonviolence Headquarters:

Association for Global New Thought

220 Santa Anita Rd Santa Barbara, CA 93105

tel: 805-563-7343,

fax: 805-563-7344

 

Barbara Fields, Project Coordinator

Megan Stanek, Task Force Coordinator

A Season for Nonviolence

Share Office Space with FNVW
Space in 1050 Selby Ave, St Paul available immediately

* Are you or someone you know looking for office space with low monthly rent ($250/mo for 215 sq/ft)?

* Friends for a Non-Violent World (FNVW) is looking to share our office space with an organization or individual who honors our mission:

* FNVW is a Quaker-inspired organization of people who affirm the dignity inherent in each human being. We share a commitment to advancing non-violence as an ethic for honoring human dignity and a strategy for achieving peace and justice.

* $250 of monthly rent will give you 215 square feet of street-level office space and access to a large conference room. Utilities not included; charged on prorated basis. Possible access to high-speed internet and printer/copier.

* This office space is available immediately. For more information, please call Ava McCausland at the FNVW office, 651-917-0383 or email to [email protected].


* Friends for a Non-Violent World
   1050 Selby Ave
   St Paul, MN  55104


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Erika Thorne,
Interim Executive Director

Friends for a Non-Violent World
1050 Selby Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104
651-917-0383
www.fnvw.org