By JAMES COSTELLO

Recall that last year's July 4th Connections fundraiser was supposed to be the final one held at Charlie Milligan's Hatch Rd. paradise? Well, Charlie's misfortune at failing to sell his home has turned to our good fortune. CONNECTIONS has been given a reprieve and will again revel at Mr. Milligan's Tuolumne River abode on Tuesday, July 4th from 4 pm to 10 pm at 1741 West Hatch Rd. in Modesto. You are all invited the share the fun

Alas we will not have Winston Churchill's oversized bath tub to auction off this year. This lake-sized receptacle remains ensconced at the Onorato residence, rooted to the floor. Obscure urban legend has it that the corpulent one (Churchill, not D. Onorato) is entombed below the tub and is cleansed frequently with suds arising from Mr. O's frolicking in his personal private ocean. Neighbors report men in trenchcoats furtively speaking in British accents frequent the alley behind O's house.

In any case, we will again have a sporting auction -- an opportunity to part painlessly with your dollars for the support of your favorite local rag (we hope).

There will also be music, dancing, fireworks, and swimming in Charlie's pristine pool.

By MONIQUE KAMILLE

We are excited to bring four groups of presenters to this year's Peace Camp. Each group brings much expertise and interest in their field. Read on for just a little bit about each presenter.

Marylia Kelley, Tri Valley CARES

Marylia Kelley brings sixteen years of in-depth research, writing and facilitating public participation in decisions regarding the U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons complex, including the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). In addition to other roles, Marylia manages the group's two Environmental Protection Agency "Technical Assistance Grants" to monitor cleanup activities and involve the public in decision-making at the LLNL main site and its Site 300 high explosives testing range. Marylia has recently returned from Japan where she was a guest lecturer on U.S. nuclear policy at Ritsumeiken University and accompanied U.S. and Japanese students to Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1999, respectively.

At Peace Camp, Marylia will provide information about what's going on at the lab, how work done at the lab influences foreign policy, and what pressure points we as individuals and a local community can focus on to affect lab politics.

Rob Schaeffer and Mike Hermann

Rob Schaeffer and Mike Hermann will speak on the relationship between spirituality and political activism in the Indian way. They will discuss the case of Leonard Peltier, an American Indian Movement leader now serving his twenty-fifth year of two consecutive life sentences. Peltier was tried in connection with the shooting deaths of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation during the "Incident at Oglala" in the aftermath of the occupation of Wounded Knee.

Rob Schaeffer has been working for Peltier's freedom for the past fifteen years, in collaboration with his daughter Eve who founded the Central California Leonard Peltier Support Group. Mike Hermann is a Shawnee active in the American Indian Movement since its earliest days. A respected spiritual leader and community activist in California's indigenous community, Mike chairs the Central Valley chapter of the California Indian Education Association, has been a pipe carrier for 23 years, and keeps the ceremonial grounds at Sunrise Ranch near Merced.

Judy and Pete Bunting

Judy and Pete have been honored by being made members of the Sierra Native American Council, and both are Sequoyah Fellows of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. Pete is retired from the U.S. Forest Service where he was a forester and an American Indian- Alaskan Native Special Emphasis Program Manager. Judy is a Reading Teacher with Amador County Schools and a tutor with an Indian Education program. Both have been active in Indian Education programs for about 30 years. Friends (Quakers), the Buntings engage in peace testimony.

In every culture of the world children had toys and games. On Saturday Pete and Judy Bunting of Jackson will help the children make and use three toys and one game used by California's American Indian children. These toys and the game are still very much part of the American Indian cultures of today as they were generations ago.

They will share information and activities which help us understand how we may be different but still very much alike.

Project CENSORED

For twenty-four years, Project Censored, a project of CSU Sonoma, has been compiling a list of the top 25 under-covered news stories in the United States. Project Censored students look for stories of national or international significance and research them for credibility based on clear documentation. In 1999, Project Censored students and staff screened several thousand stories and selected 500 to be evaluated by faculty and community experts. As the media consolidates, we are finding a significant increase in news stories that are left uncovered by the corporate press.

Students from Project Censored will lead two presentations, one for adults and one for youth, addressing the following issues:

• types of censorship and how they affect the news you and I "see"
• consolidation of the news media
• the top stories that we haven't heard
• examples of advertisement and how that can control the message of a given media outlet (youth program)

Project Censored will also have books and video tapes available as well as their Guide to Alternative Media and a new CD, Audio Censored '99.

Peace Camp 2000 offers all the experiences and activities that have characterized it for the last 18 years. Check your May issue of Connections for details about food, facilities,, location, or call the Center, or talk to someone who has been there before. In the peaceful mountain setting of Camp Peaceful Pines, this is truly an inter-generational camp, with activities for all ages, offering a time for relaxation and renewal away from the pressures of home. Campers can be there after 2 pm Friday June 23; it ends at lunch June 25.

MOST IMPORTANT: You must send in your registration by June 5 !!! Click Here for further info and registration form.
Space limited. Directions will be mailed after your money is received.

By MONIQUE KAMILLE

Hooray for John Morearty and the gang at the San Joaquin Peace and Justice Center for a great 2000 Peace Centers Conference! Held at the UOP campus, the range of speakers and topics was varied enough to please even the most finicky of attendees. Peace centers from San Jose, Chico, San Joaquin Co., Fresno, Sacramento, and Modesto were represented as well as several peace and justice organizations in the valley.

Marylia Kelley from TriValley CAREs, a watchdog organization that monitors the activities of the Lawrence Livermore Lab, discussed "What's New (and same-old) at Livermore Lab." Marylia's message brought home the need for individuals within the region of Livermore to take personal responsibility for the goings on there. Marylia Kelley will be a speaker at this year's Peace Camp.

Reverend Jack Moriarty from Stockton spoke about the United Religions Initiative, a world-wide, inter-faith alliance dedicated to "ending religiously motivated violence". Reverend Moriarty leads a local chapter of URI in Stockton. A Global URI Charter Signing Ceremony will be held world-wide on June 26, 2000.

Students from Sonoma State University's Project Censored facilitated a discussion about censorship and presented materials developed by the research class at the University. Also available were copies of all seven Project Censored books and many other books and videos. Project students will be presenting both an adult and a youth program at Peace Camp this year.

Other presentations dealt with developing our own grassroots media, the death penalty and political prisoners. A discussion of environmental issues was led by Denise Mott from the San Joaquin County Public Works Department.

Organizers of the conference included speakers with Good News. Ria de Groot spoke about the St. Mary's Interfaith Dining Room, an operation that started from one-room and grew to a newly built facility of its own, which has recently added a 3 room school dedicated to educating homeless children. Ria demonstrated to us how important one room and a few people's vision can be.

Bill Jennings from the Deltakeepers informed us of the work that the Deltakeepers are doing to protect California waterways from industrial pollution. Bill's message was that "It matters that we try."

The evening was topped off by a powerful performance from Lynn Werner, called Vientos de Marzo, "The Winds of March." This one-woman show challenged us to examine our own complicity in the degraded lives of peoples around the world. Her performance is her own story, that of a woman who went to Columbia to teach and found torture, fear and lies there.

Lynn pointed out how alarmed that she was that few people in the United States are aware of the seriousness of the situation in Columbia. She made note that Columbia is now the third largest recipient of U.S. military aid, following Israel and Egypt.

Students P.A.U.S.E. for Peace, Acceptance, and Understanding for Students Everywhere

(Students at Roosevelt Jr. High, Modesto, submitted this story. Members of the Human Relations class contributed to the article).

Roosevelt students have been working very hard this year to plan and to complete activities which emphasize respect for the diversity on our campus. Roosevelt now has a Human Relations class. This is an elective class taught by Mrs. Boer. The class is a product of the Modesto City Schools Safe schools program. There is also a Human Relations club at school. Some students cannot be in the class but still want to participate. They can join P.A.U.S.E. Club. This stands for Peace, Acceptance, and Understanding for Students Everywhere.

In the Human Relations class students learn how important it is to respect one another's differences and the rights of all students and people in our community. Students learn about prejudice, discrimination and the other "isms", such as racism, ageism, and sexism. Students also learn what causes conflicts between individuals and groups, and they study and practice conflict resolution skills. Some of the materials students use were provided by the Anti-Defamation League and the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (R.C.C.P.)

WANTED: A DEPARTMENT OF PEACE

U.S. Representative Dennis J., Kucinich of Ohio has announced plans to submit a bill to Congress later this year to develop a Department of Peace.

His ideas are outlined in Department of Peace: A Conceptual Framework, available from his office, 1739 Longworth Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20515; (202)225-5871; email: Kucinich@mail.house.gov

He would like to hear ideas from us and responses to his ideas.

Abolition 2000 Seeks end to nuclear weapons

A secure and livable world for our children and grandchildren requires the elimination of nuclear weapons and the redress of environmental degradation and human suffering—the legacy of more than fifty years of nuclear testing and production.

Five years ago the movement called Abolition 2000 made the above statement and have been working worldwide to do just that.

All over the world, people are saying "NO" to nuclear weapons and "YES" to a world free from its threat. Citizens are calling for implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) now. 1720 organizations from 92 countries have endorsed this statement (above in italics).

States possessing nuclear weapons show few signs of willingness to relinquish their nuclear arsenals. Instead, they are continuing with deployment of such weapons. The massive amounts spent for the infrastructure to support the arsenals has impoverished programs that would maintain the health and education in many countries.

Six points are cited as reasons to support the elimination of nuclear weapons:

1. Nuclear weapons endanger civilization and the existence of life on Earth.

2. Nuclear weapons are immoral by any spiritual reckoning.

3. Nuclear weapons are a drain on resources.

4. Nuclear weapons are illegal and their use would be a war crime and a crime against humanity.

5. Nuclear weapons are anti-democratic, concentrating power in the hands of a small number of people.

6. The continuing research, testing, maintenance and production of nuclear weapons pollutes the environment and threatens our health and that of our children, our grandchildren and all future generations.

ACTION: Write President Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and insist that they attend the Non-Proliferation Treaty conference.