“Targeting Iran: Sanctions and War”

A presentation of the Middle East Lecture Series

Thursday, April 12 • 7:00 P.M. (Early arrival suggested)

CSUF Recreation Center, Leon Peters Auditorium – adjacent to the Save Mart Center (at
N. Woodrow Ave. and Shaw Ave. )

Panel Discussion – Google this panel!

Raymond L. McGovern: “U.S. Intelligence and Iran: The Bad & The Good”

Dr. Sasan Fayazmanesh: “US-Iran Relations: A Historical Perspective”

Dr. Trita  Parsi: “A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran.”

Free and open to the community

Free parking is available in Lots V and Z

Obtain parking permit from the dispenser using code 17010068

Sponsored by: Middle East Studies Program, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Fresno Center for Nonviolence, Reedley Peace Center,Fresno Art Museum, Peace Fresno

We invite you to join together with others to mourn the deaths of 17 innocent men, women and children murdered in their homes by an American soldier earlier this month in Afghanistan. In addition we stand in mourning with the families and loved ones of tens of thousands of Afghans who have died as a result of The Afghan War and the families and loved ones of 2,930 coalition deaths from 28 countries around the world including 1,913 from the United States. We also stand with the family and loved ones of that soldier driven to such a dreadful action.

Our prayer is that we abandon the path of warfare with guns and bombs and  move forward on the path of peace with Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Cesar  Chavez, Jesus and the prophets of old.

The memorial will take place at the CSU Fresno Peace Garden on Sunday,  March 25 at 3:00 PM.

STILL A CHANCE TO PASS THE CA DISCLOSE ACT  (AB 1148)

AND SINGLE PAYER HEALTH INSURANCE (SB 810)

Our California Senate and Assembly members must hear from us before Tuesday, January 31.

Connie Peterson writes,

AB 1148 passed Assembly Elections Committee 1/9 and Appropriations last week. There will be a full CA Assembly vote on Tuesday, January 31.

There are now over 400 formal endorsers, including Common Cause, Church IMPACT, League of Women Voters, Sierra Club CA(YAY!), Green Chamber of Commerce, etc. Assembly Speaker John Perez in now a co-author, but the Bill now requires 2/3 majority to move to Senate vote in June.

Henry T Perea is not a co-author and is reportedly waffling on his vote. I am asking each of you to:

Call Henry T.’s office on Monday to urge his support of AB 1148.

Sacramento office: 916-319-2031

Fresno office: 445-5532

If you need more about AB 1148 go to www.CAclean.org

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Judy Hess, the National Leadership of PDA and its Healthcare Not Warfare Issue Organizing Team write,

Your State Senators Hold the Key – Contact These Senators!

The California Senate is just 2 votes short to pass its single payer healthcare bill, SB 810 – the California Universal Healthcare Act, before the end of this legislative session on Tuesday.

Four Democratic Senators have not voted either way on this bill. Its author, Senator Mark Leno, can bring the bill up for reconsideration, as long as he knows that he has two more votes!!

Right now you are one of the most important voices in California and the nation for Universal Healthcare; and we need you to act Monday. Phone calls are best but emails are important too; the offices will count the number of people who contact them and tell them to pass SB 810.

Here is your message: “Pass SB810 and give California Universal Healthcare!”

The Senators who must be contacted are:

Senator Alex Padilla (District 20 – Pacoima/LA area) can be contacted by email at Senator.Padilla and in Sacramento at 916-651-4020 or in Van Nuys at 818-901-5588

Senator Michael Rubio (District 16 – Fresno/Bakersfield area) can be contacted by email at Senator.Padilla and in Sacramento at 916-651-4016 or in Bakersfield at 661-395-2620

Senator Juan Vargas (District 40 – San Diego) can be contacted by email at Senator.Padilla and in Sacramento at 916-651-4040 or in Chula Vista at 619-409-7690

Senator Rod Wright (District 25 – LA area) can be contacted by email at Senator.Padilla and in Sacramento at 916-651-4025 or in Inglewood at 310-412-0393

Single payer in California is a huge step forward for national universal healthcare.
Please call or email now!

In solidarity,

Tim Carpenter, National Director, Donna Smith, Co-Chair, PDA Healthcare NOT Warfare Campaign, Dr. Bill Honigman, PDA Healthcare for All Co-Chair, Kurt Bateman, PDA Healthcare for All Co-Chair, Judy Hess, PDA and Regional Coordinator, Campaign For a Healthy California

Dan Yaseen, Coordinator of the Central Valley Counter-Recruitment Coalition asks for help in getting information to students about military service and alternate careers.  His letter is below.

Central Valley Counter-Recruitment Coalition

January 27, 2012

 Friends,

Some activists in the local peace movement don’t get much attention.  They are the volunteer counter-recruiters who visit high school campuses monthly, talk with students, provide literature about the myths and realities of military service, alternatives to military service, funding college education, finding jobs, and peaceful ways to serve our country.  Counter-recruiters have been visiting Fresno Unified School District high schools since May 2005, when Peace Fresno initiated the project.

They are associated with the Central Valley Counter-Recruitment Coalition, which funds the work with donations from individuals and from member groups – Peace Fresno, Fresno Center for Nonviolence, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and social justice committees of the Unitarian Universalist Church, Mennonite Community Church, Wesley United Methodist Church, and College Community Mennonite Brethren Church.

Militarism is running rampant in American society, which has resulted in bloated expenditure on wars and instruments of wars. Counter-recruitment is one of the few tools we have that can be used to change hearts and minds of young generation. We need more volunteers to help us do the counter-recruitment in local high schools. Our counter-recruiters make one visit a month at lunch time, usually 40 to 45 minutes. Click on danyaseen to contact me if you are interested.

The major expense of the project is printing of flyers that we distribute to students. We print materials three to four times a year and each printing costs about $250.  It has been quite a while since we last appealed to you, but now we are very low on funds and need your financial support to continue this important work.  No amount is too small.

Checks should be payable to the Fresno Center for Nonviolence.  Please write “CVCRC” in the memo line.  Donations to the Central Valley Counter-Recruitment Coalition are not tax deductible.

Mail to:

Fresno Center for Nonviolence

1584 N. Van Ness Ave

Fresno, CA 93728