Online Edition: January 2005     Vol. V, No. V

ACTIONS FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
sponsored by Peace Life Center Middle East Committee. Public invited

Modesto Peace/Life Center Vigil for Peace:  Please call the Center for date, time, place, and message themes, 529-5750.

Dates to Save:

  • John McCutcheon concert, Wednesday, January 12

  • Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, Saturday, January 22

S. Asia Earthquake/Tsunami Relief

Listing of agencies where you can help

CONTENTS

Peace & Justice

Around the Center: 

Articles

Living Lightly

Recipes from Connections

A Gathering of Voices

A monthly column of local poetry.  This month:  Sheila Landre

Out and About

COMMUNITY CALENDAR --CURRENT & COMING EVENTS

Masthead and Back Issues

Opinion and Letters to Connections

Mike Farrell to speak at MLK Commemoration

By JAMES COSTELLO

Actor and activist Mike Farrell will speak at the 11th Martin Luther King, Jr, Commemoration on Saturday, January 22, 2005 at 7 p.m. in the Modesto Junior College auditorium. His topic will be “That Divine Spark.” This event is always FREE and open to the community.

Many know Mike Farrell as an actor in such successful TV shows such as MASH and Providence, and as the co-producer of the hit film, Patch Adams, with Robin Williams. However, he has also been extremely active over the last three decades in human rights work with prisoners, prison reform, and with immigrants and refugees from Mexico and Latin America. He has traveled on peace missions to the former USSR, the Middle East, and Africa, and South America, and worked with the United Nations.

Mike Farrell is currently Co-Chair of Human Rights Watch in California, (HRW is the world's largest U.S.-based human rights organization) and spokesperson for CONCERN/America, an international refugee aid and development organization.

A life-long opponent of the death penalty, he has debated and spoken about this issue on many occasions across the country and has worked on death penalty cases.

From 1998 until 2001 he was a member of the State of California’s Commission on Judicial Performance.

In l992 Farrell accepted an appointment to the Board of Directors of Death Penalty Focus in California and is now its president.

In 2002, along with Robert Greenwald, he created Artists United to Win Without War, a group of artists, politicians and experts opposed to the invasion of Iraq. He has appeared on many radio and television shows and made public appearances debating and speaking in opposition to the war.

In April, 2004 he again hosted the Death Penalty Focus dinner, honoring former First Lady Rosalyn Carter, the legendary Harry Belafonte, award-winning director Robert Wise, Bishop Gabino Zavala and community activist Aqeela Sherrills. In May he delivered the keynote address at the Clarence Darrow Defense College of the University of Michigan’s Law School.

In June of 2004 he was part of a delegation organized by the Center for International Policy that went to Honduras to take part in The March for Life, with the people of Olancha Province in their quest for an end to the illegal logging and corruption devastating their land.

The Martin Luther King Commemoration Committee is honored to have Mike Farrell helps us remember Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. this year.

Sponsors at press time: City of Modesto Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Dept.; King-Kennedy Center; Modesto Peace/Life Center; Modesto Junior College; California State University, Stanislaus;  Kaiser Permanente; Frailing, Rockwell & Kelly; The Modesto Bee; Modesto Irrigation District, and Emerson Johnson.

John McCutcheon in Modesto concert January 12

John McCutcheon performs in his fourth annual benefit concert for the Modesto Peace/Life Center on Wednesday, January 12 at 7 p.m. at the Modesto Church of the Brethren, 2301 Woodland Ave., Modesto.

John McCutcheon wasn’t supposed to become a folksinger. He was headed for a lucrative career as a social worker in migrant labor camps. But Woody Guthrie got there first. He heard the songs of the Dust Bowl refugees, the Grapes of Wrath stories that crackled on the airwaves of early 1960s radio and knew something else was going on. While still a college student, the oldest of a large Irish Catholic family, John took up the banjo “to help keep myself sane” and went off the deep end. He walked out to the end of the college road, stuck out his thumb and never looked back.

He ended up roaming the Appalachians, trading a university classroom for the front porches, picket lines, union halls, churches, and square dance barns of his adopted home. Under the tutelage of some of the greats of traditional Southern music he quickly mastered seven different instruments, became an insightful and powerful singer of traditional songs, and honed an ear for a good story. Songwriting, storytelling, social activism all met and finally made sense.

From this series of chance beginnings John McCutcheon has become what one Australian paper called “the most overwhelming folk performer in the English language.” His mastery of American folk music and instruments, complemented by “storytelling that has the richness of fine literature” (Washington Post) weave intimate, insightful and often hilarious canvasses on which McCutcheon draws his vision of Americana. His songwriting, rich in detail and broad in scope, have created a catalog of hundreds of songs covered by performers throughout the world. His classic “Christmas in the Trenches” has been repeatedly cited as “the greatest anti-war song ever written” and is the subject of an annual, coast-to-coast special on CBC.

Equally at home in concert or in the recording studio, John has produced over twenty-five albums in as many years. He has garnered an amazing five consecutive Grammy nominations, been awarded every imaginable award in the independent record industry, been featured on public radio throughout the world, and brought joy to millions of listeners from Seattle to Sydney. Additionally he has produced documentary and educational recordings, authored children’s books, chaired literacy campaigns, championed grassroots organizations throughout the world, promoted international musicians, and is currently the president of the most innovative and fastest growing local in the musicians’ union. This is all in his spare time. His “real job” is father to two teenage sons. John lives with his family in Charlottesville, VA.

ACTION: Call 523-1438 for info. Tickets: $17 in advance, $20 at the door, $5 for children under 12. Purchase them at the Modesto Church of the Brethren, 2301 Woodland Ave. or at Anderson Custom Framing & Gallery, 1323 J St., Modesto.

--Submitted by Ken Schroeder

 

Salida gets new community radio station

From KQRP-lp 106.1 FM

Can you hear it? In Salida, something new is being heard at 106.1fm. A new Low Power FM (LPFM) radio station serving the Salida community has been granted a permit to broadcast by the FCC.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for our community.” Rev. Sandy Johnson stated. “We will be able to broadcast informative, educational and diverse programming not heard on the radio in our area.” Programming ranges from news and talk oriented shows to local and independent music.

“It’s also a resource and an outreach tool for our spiritual congregation, Fellowship of the Earth (FOTE). It allows us to correct misinformation and offer alternative view points which are disregarded by mainstream media.” Johnson, a founder and Director of FOTE, knows the value of the media. “I worked in corporate commercial radio for over 10 years and saw the commitment to community oriented media fall by wayside. I feel very strongly about community and the ability to have access to the media.”

The station officially began broadcasting August 17th, 2004 and is actively seeking independent programming and funding support.

“The airwaves belong to the people, not the corporations. This is a unique and rare opportunity for us to have a microphone to share educational and entertaining programming with the community.”

Low Power FM stations are limited to 100 watts and are non-commercial. Underwriting and sponsorships are encouraged and vital for the continued operation of the radio station.

“Education is the key to making informed decisions about issues. We aim to educate our listeners about many different subjects so they may make positive choices in their lives.”

ACTION: Contact Sandy Johnson, kqrp1061@yahoo.com, 209-545-4227 or 209-545-9116. KQRP-lp 106.1 FM, P.O. Box 612, Salida, CA 95368, www.kqrp.com

Project Censored Alerts

Edited by Tina Tambornini

Corporations Granted Relief from Pollution Regulations

The thirty companies that own most of the dirtiest power plants in the country have raised $6.6 million for President Bush and the Republican National Committee since 1999, and were given relief from pollution regulations that would have cost them billions of dollars. These companies hired at least sixteen lobbying firms, which met with Dick Cheney’s energy task force to help formulate the country’s energy and pollution policies. In addition, some plant industry executives were given key positions at the Environmental Protection Agency, which has attempted to exempt many of these corporations from the pollution control requirements by relaxing the rules. Some of the emissions that these companies release include sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, which pose higher risks to Americans in terms of asthma attacks, lung ailments, and premature death.

Source: Asheville Global Report No. 278, May 13-19, 2004 by Finn Finneran

Women’s situation much worse than before the fall of Hussein.

Since the fall of Iraq’s Ba’ath regime women have been under siege. They now live in constant fear of abduction, assault and death. Abductions are so common that daughters are being kept home from school and women cannot leave the house without the accompaniment of male relative. Women who have been abducted are often quietly killed by their families to clear the shame. There are no statistics because reporting to the police would often times mean death. Those who are not released after abduction are often sold into flourishing prostitution. The poverty that has been afflicted upon these women has left them no other options but prostitution, but those who are thought to be prostitutes are often beheaded.

Women in Iraq once were much better off, and held an enviable status in the Middle East. The Iraq constitution declared the equality of women in 1979, and in the early 80’s women were 40% of the work force. Equal pay and benefits were mandated, but in 1991 at the time of the invasion of Kuwait, women’s rights began to erode. In 1990, a new penal code was enacted to allow honor killings of women. Article 409 permitted men to kill female relatives who were raped to restore family reputations and any women who were suspected of adultery or engaging in premarital sex could be murdered.

Islamic fundamentalist groups have emerged with the intent of imposing their views and taking control of Iraq. They are not allowing women to work, forcing them to wear veils, and making them second-class citizens. The U.S. government chose the members of the puppet government in Iraq, effectively placing the fundamentalists in power and imposing these sanctions on the women of Iraq. America has put Iraqi women in this position, and as long as profits are insured for western investors, change for them is unlikely. A government like the one that has been imposed is less threatening to western profits, with little regard for the women and other people it is ruining.

Source: Covert Action Quarterly Spring 04, “Assault on Iraqi Women” by Gregory Elich

Edited from Project Censored, www.projectcensored.org/

Ukraine’s Orange Revolution: Modesto’s sister city in the forefront of a peaceful battle for democracy

By SERHIY SAMBORSKI, Ph.D.  
photo: Irina Palovska

Ukraine has not produced such new waves in the world and especially Western press since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. This time, it’s the political Chernobyl that has attracted the attention of people and governments worldwide. More so, many of us here in Modesto feel personally connected to the making of history.

Khmelnitski, a town of 260 000 people, has been Modesto’s sister city for nearly 18 years. Hundreds of citizens have been actively involved in exchange visits since 1987. This people-to-people diplomacy has involved people from all sectors of the population: politicians, educators, artists, medical personnel, students, farmers, business people and public servants.

In Modesto we mostly admired Ukrainian icons, silk paintings, clay sculptures, elaborate embroidery, and musical instruments. Our friends from 6170 miles away learned about our democratic institutions, civil rights, NGOs, and free-market economy. Visitors from Khmelnitski are always fascinated with American people’s ability to quickly organize themselves in a viable force of free-will volunteers. Examples include our world-famous International Festival, Peace Corps, Flying Samaritans, and other groups.

This past November, our Ukrainian friends proved they have learned their lessons very well. When the November 21 run-off presidential election exposed their government’s corrupt nature once again, the people of Khmelnitski rose up against injustice en mass. Only two days later, Khmelnitski’s City council held an emergency session adopting a resolution to recognize the results of the elections as illegitimate! Our sister city became one of the first few in the nation of 48 million to voice a sound dissent.

Guess who is the city manager of Khmelnitski? Our long-time sister city counterpart Ludmila Cherevchenko! She visited Modesto as part of an official delegation in 2001 and took great interest in the self-governing aspects of our city. When 25 000 protesters gathered in Khmelnitski’s central Independence square, Ludmila called upon the 60-member city council to express the will of the people in a legitimate way.

Volodymyr Dolgov, a progressive city council member, visited Modesto in 2003. He helped Ludmila rally local lawmakers for a sound political statement. They did not recognize pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych as a winner. Why? Because over 75% of votes in the Khmelnitski region were cast for Viktor Yushchenko, a popular Ukrainian leader.

Viktor Vikarchuk, a young, successful businessman who visited Modesto last year, was the first one to organize local businesses to support protesters and supply them with hot tea, coffee, and sandwiches. When Viktor and other private entrepreneurs realized the central government in the Ukrainian capitol, Kyiv, was not going to yield soon, they started purchasing tents, warm blankets and sleeping bags. Snow storms and freezing temperatures did not break the will of the thousands who remained in the central square for the third week in a row. (By now you may wonder if there are any other names besides Viktor in the Ukraine)

Contrary to the popular stereotype in the West, there is no drinking among the protesters despite really low temperatures. Representatives of three generations are joined together in an unprecedented resolve to rid themselves of the choking yoke imposed by the outgoing president Kuchma’s regime for the past 10 years. They chant, sing, and dance to stay warm.

Another remarkable phenomenon of the Orange Revolution is that it is absolutely peaceful in spite of several million people simultaneously protesting across the vast nation. No looting, no shooting, no clashes with police or army units.

There were several attempts by paid pro-government supporters to compromise peaceful protests by provoking fights, but their sinister intentions were anticipated early, detected, and successfully swatted by democratic forces. Plus, and this is truly amazing on the post-Soviet territory, the Khmelnitski City Council ordered the local chief of police to... protect — yes, protect — the protesters from any outside provocateurs. Chief Petro Lugoviy had already pledged to not move against his “own people.”

Last summer, when I met and invited him to visit Modesto, his first question was: “Is true that county authorities do not order city police around?”

Our own Viktor Vikarchuk (who last summer helped to send a burnt child for treatment in Boston) initiated yet one more clever move to protect the city from possible outside troublemakers: he called upon the taxi cab drivers to block all four major highway entrances to Khmelnitskiy. Considering that there are 12 such companies in the city, close to 1000 cabbies organized themselves into rotating shifts. You must understand that our brave “taxisty” had to keep their cars running just to stay warm. They accepted donated gas but none demanded to be paid.

Recognizing the fact that the central government in Kiev requires continuous pressure, Viktor Vikarchuk organized bus trips to Kiev for protesters who wanted to join or relieve their co-thinkers in the capital. Shipments of food, clothes, and warm blankets followed.

How to explain this sudden and extremely unusual popular awakening in Ukraine? People in my country of origin are puzzled by the same question... Really, only a couple of months ago nobody there could have anticipated a popular revolt of such magnitude. Cursing the corrupt government, they would not actively pursue any venues to change the status quo. Moreover, they were not even proud to be Ukrainians...

Now everything has changed! The people learned their first true lesson of togetherness and wrote the first chapter of democratic civic society in the history of modern Ukraine. People saw what could be achieved through personal involvement that so powerfully translates into a colossal, peaceful force.

So, why this sudden, almost miraculous enlightenment? One reason is the fact that the government had become so blatantly arrogant that it failed to foresee a popular outcry of this magnitude. This revolt had been brewing since president Kuchma was accused of ordering the killing of Georgy Gongadze, an outspoken independent journalist, in 2000.

Then Kuchma appointed Viktor Yanukovich, his hand-picked successor, as prime minister who was twice convicted for assault as a young man. Well, Yanukovych could not and would not speak Ukrainian, the official state language. One of his presidential campaign promises was to make Russian the second official language of Ukraine. The Russian government poured into his campaign more than $300 million through illegal transactions. Russian president Vladimir Putin visited Ukraine to openly endorse Yanukovich each time before the first and the run-off elections. After 13 years, the independence from the Soviet empire, Putin, as many ordinary Russians still cannot reconcile themselves to the fact that Ukraine is a sovereign nation. These elections became one more of their attempts to resurrect the Soviet Union with its authoritarian and brutal regime.

But the Ukrainian people said enough! They got really sick and tired of rampant corruption. They, being well-educated and skillful, got tired of having to seek better paying jobs abroad. (An estimated 7 million Ukrainians currently work in more developed European countries; Italy, Portugal, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, and Ireland.)

They don’t want to see their children let down by their parents who cannot secure their normal future in their own land!

I call and email my friends in Ukraine every night. And you know what their first question is? “Are Americans supporting our just cause?” “Do they know about our Orange Revolution?”

And then they immediately ask me to say hi and thank you to all those friends and acquaintances they made in Modesto and in Khmelnitski. It is extremely important for them to know that they are not alone at this turning point in their history.

So, as I promised them last night and tonight, I say hi and thank you, my dear fellow Modestans.

For the first time in history of any former Soviet republic, the Supreme Court of Ukraine went against the government demands and nullified the results of the heavily rigged elections. The new run-off was scheduled for December 26.

ACTION: Express your support to our friends in Khmelnitski, send email to:
Zoya Didenko, chairwoman of Khmelnitski’s Sister Cities; prosvita@svitonline.com  
Ludmila Cherevchenko; cherevchenko@rada.khmelnitsky.com
Irina Pavlovska, Sister Cities committee member; clubsv@clubsv.com
Khmelnitskiy Public Library staff; cbs@rp.km.ua
Valentina Shulevska, bank president, member, Sister Cities; o.sivak@km.ukrsotsbank.com 
Viktor Vikarchuk; viktor@vikarchuk.com

Your Elected Officials

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ARTICLES TO CONNECTIONS.

Tenth of each month. Submit peace, justice and environmentally friendly event notices to P.O. Box 134, Modesto, CA, 95353, or call 522-4967 or 575-4299, or email to Jim Costello. Free listings subject to space, availability and editing.

01/03/05