Veterans for Peace Rachel Corrie Chapter
109
Olympia WAVeterans Working Together
for Peace & Justice Through Non-violence. Wage Peace!
Veterans for Peace, Inc. (VFP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
educational and humanitarian organization dedicated to the abolishment of war.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
We, having dutifully served our nation, do hereby
affirm our greater responsibility to serve the cause of world peace. To this end
we will work, with others
(a) Toward increasing public awareness of the costs of
war
(b) To restrain our government from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the
internal affairs of other nations
(c) To end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons
(d) To seek justice for veterans and victims of war
(e) To abolish war as an instrument of national policy.
To achieve these goals, members of Veterans For Peace
pledge to use non-violent means and to maintain an organization that is both
democratic and open with the understanding that all members are trusted to act
in the best interests of the group for the larger purpose of world peace.
We urge all people who share this vision to join us.
Christi McGinly has researched possible domain names for the chapter. Please
cast your choice by email to christi@beaudesigns.com
* veteransforpeace109.org
* vfp109.org
* vfp109rachelcorrie.org
* vfprachelcorriechapter.org
* vfprachelcorriechapter109.org
Our Personal Stories
- Dennis Mills Viet Nam Era Army
Veteran, Olympia WA
- David
Cline President, Veterans For Peace
Note: Other stories will be added as Veterans For Peace share their story and
commitment for peace.
Events
August 25th 7-9 PM "Palestine is Still the Issue" - a
documentary film by John Pilger. St. John's Episcopal Church, 114 20th Ave SE,
Olympia. Even is co-sponsored by VFP109. Childcare provided.
KOWA
106.5 FM, solar-powered regional radio in Olympia covered our chapter's first
sponsored event with Dennis Kyne August 16th--the same day the station started broadcasting.
KOWA’s Mission: Serving the community through information and education
towards the creation of a sustainable future and a civil society
Editorials by VFP Members
Editorials, Articles, and Websites of Interest to VFP Members
- 2004
VFP National Convention Resolutions
- Activist
Organizations
- Books
Written by VFP Members
- Boston
Social Forum Dennis Kucinich speaks about a Peace Platform
- Bunker
Busters and Hiroshimas
- Casey's
Poem - for a U.S. soldier who died in Iraq on April 4th, 2004
- Critical
Media Literacy in Times of War Analyze sources, word choice, and
point of view for bias. Examine how different media offer radically
different reports on civilian casualties and anti-war protests
Identify conservative, liberal, and progressive political perspective
- Dennis
Kyne If you missed hearing Dennis speak in Olympia, check out his
website.
- Depleted
Uranium
- Family
of Iraq Abuse Whistleblower Threatened
- Free
Camilo Mejia On
May 21, 2004, 28-year-old Sgt. Camilo Mejia was sentenced to one year in
prison for refusing to return to fight in Iraq. Camilo spent six months in
combat in Iraq, then returned for a 2-week furlough to the US. There he
reflected on what he had seen, including the abuse of prisoners and the
killing of civilians. He concluded that the war was illegal and immoral, and
decided that he would not return. In March 2004 he turned himself in to the
US military and filed an application for conscientious objector status.
- GI
Fightback This site aims to be a resource for military people
and their families who want to Fightback! NO WAR!
- GI
Rights Hotline provides information to servicemembers about
military discharges, grievance and complaint procedures, and other civil
rights.
- Groups
Info
- How
the Commander-in-Chief Really Supports Veterans
- Iraq
Coalition Casualties [Very
inclusive, comprehensive site]
- Iraq
Veterans Against the War committed to saving lives and ending the
violence in Iraq by an immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces.
- Links
of Interest to VFP
- Listen
to samplers of War Music by County
Joe McDonald in RealAudio
format: Sampler 1
Sampler 2
- Militarization
of Toys and Its Effects a
pdf presentation of the growing military influence on toys
- Military
Families Speak Out an organization of people who are opposed to war
in Iraq and who have relatives or loved ones in the military.
- No Child Left Unrecruited
collection
of links on provision in No Child Left Behind law to grant
the Pentagon access to directories with students names, addresses and phone
numbers so that they may be more easily contacted and recruited for military
service.
- Other
Chapters
- Rachel Corrie Memorial Website
- Seekers
of the Truth,
Veterans’ reflections on war, healing and forgiveness.
- Seattle
Draft and Military Counseling Center
- Statement
on the Murder of Rachel Corrie
- The
Case Against George W. Bush By
Ron Reagan
- The
GI Rights Hotline 800-394-9544 Conscientious
Objection, Discharges, etc. Free Service
- The
Price of Valor Dan Baum on PTSD
- The
Skies Are Weeping,' a cantata by Philip Munger Text
of cantata honoring Rachel; link to audio
- USS
Turner Joy - Gulf of Tonkin 40th Anniversary Rally Five
VFPRCC109 members attended the VFP Rally in Bremerton to participate with
VFP #92 friends to mark the 40 year old lie that escalated the VietNam War.
The story appeared in the Bremerton Sun.
- VFP
Newsletters
- VFP
Projects
- "War
Without End" -
Rep. Jim McDermott, (D) Washington
 July
26 A
Vietnam Vet Heads to the DNC As A Delegate Calling for U.S. Troops Out of
Iraq
Wes Hamilton, a member of Veterans for Peace, Rachel Corrie Chapter 109 and
a Kucinich delegate from Washington, attended the first-ever veterans caucus
at the DNC calling for John Kerry to support U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. Wes
was also featured on Democracy Now.
2004 VFP and DNC Convention Report
Wes Hamilton. Wes also writes: Judy
Linehan and I are leaving on August 25th to go to New York City for the
Republican National Convention. We are going to be a part of the critical
mass shouting out in unison in support of our right to dissent. The
opening demonstration against the Republican machine and the Bush
administration fraud is scheduled for noon on Sunday, August 29. The
Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out (of which Judy is also a
member) have been asked by the United for Peace and Justice organizers to
be the front line of the march. I know that many of our brothers and
sisters from New York, New England, and the eastern states are planning to be
there. We won't have the numbers we had at the VFP convention, but we will
be visible, we will be loud, and we will be strong. We would like for you
and the others to keep us in your thoughts. You will be in ours.
Note: my friend, Cheryl Crist, a local peace activist in Olympia
is a Congressional District 3 candidate and is running as a Democrat who is the
"Peace Candidate." Her website website is www.cristforcongress.us
"Our enemies are
innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new
ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we," President
Bush said on August
5th.
[At last, some truth coming out!]
Rachel Corrie Chapter 109 Contact Information 
Ken Schwilk, Facilitator
(360) 412-0065
kenard10@comcast.net
Dennis Mills, President
(360) 867-1487
mills.dennis@comcast.net
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