Nonviolence News for May 12, 2017.

I had learnt the true practice of law. I had learnt to find out the better side of human nature and to enter men’s hearts. I realized that the true function of a lawyer was to unite parties riven asunder. The lesson was so indelibly burnt into me that a large part of my time during the twenty years of my practice as a lawyer was occupied in bringing about private compromises of hundreds of cases. I lost nothing thereby – not even money, certainly not my soul.

An Autobiography, (1959), p. 97

 Note: Below you will find a description and links to items mentioned during the Nonviolence in the News segment of the May 12th, 2017 edition of Nonviolence Radio.

(PP/CP) Being Human Together.  In today’s show, Stephanie and Michael interview Susan Kinder, Executive Director of Restorative Resources, a Santa Rosa based nonprofit organization.

Restorative Justice is a key component to the nonviolence movement and we discuss the benefits of practicing restorative justice, rather than retributive justice in our communities.  Be it our schools, courts, cities, or neighborhoods, restorative justice heals conflicts and restores trust, for both victims and offenders.  In small communities, like indigenous tribes, restorative justice is imperative as it mends damage, rather than the punitive model, that often does further damage to the trust, respect, wholeness and condition of the community.  In fact, as it turns out, retributive justice does more harm than good, whereas restorative justice heals all parties involved — to the extent that the willingness to heal exists.

 

Key:  These items are now keyed to the circles of Roadmap:

PP = Person Power (the inner circle)

CP = Constructive Program (what you do next)

NR = Nonviolent Resistance (where necessary, to undo remaining ills)

 

Resources:

(PP) Nathan Schneider is co-hosting a new, monthly community radio show, The Co-op Power Hour.  “Subscribe to our feed and listen up for shows on Black Lives Matter, co-op education, business conversions, and more on KGNU community radio. It airs the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m., as part of the weekly show, ‘It’s the Economy.’”  Recent episodes can be found at https://coloradocoops.info/radio/

(PP) Applications are currently being accepted for Meta Peace Teams’ upcoming International Teams.  Meta Peace Teams are preparing for two teams to Palestine in 2017.  Information and applications for both teams are available on the website. http://www.metapeaceteam.org/

(PP ) AWAKE, A Dream From Standing Rock: “This film was a labor of love and we’ve made sure that the proceeds from the film will go back to the movement. 100% of the proceeds from our film will go to the Indigenous Media Fund and the Pipeline Fighters Fund. Both funds are supervised by the film’s creators and a council of Indigenous leaders to support direct actions, Indigenous filmmakers and journalists. AWAKE is a collaboration between Indigenous filmmakers, Director Myron Dewey, Executive Producer Doug Good Feather and environmental Academy Award Nominated filmmakers James Spione and Josh Fox.” https://actionnetwork.org/forms/awake-a-dream-from-standing-rock

(PP) Two recent articles from Mumbai Sarvodaya Mandal:  1) an article by Ramchandra Guha: http://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/what-Champaran-gave-to-Gandhi-and-India-freedom-struggle.html: What Champaran gave to Gandhi and India’s freedom struggle.  Namely, six  crucial things, including a major step in svadeshi beyond both Gujarat and his ‘class.’; and 2) Gandhi Journal article week on Hind Swaraj: One of the ways to look at it is to take it as a blue-print, something like a project report, for a new social order. “Looked at from that perspective, we do not find many takers for the major ideas of Hind Swaraj. But,  in the context of the failure of most of the dominant ideologies of the twentieth century,  there is a strong tendency among the sensitive minds from all over the world to look at Gandhian ideas as providing a new paradigm for an alternative civilisational framework. And Hind Swaraj, being the source-book of Gandhian ideas,  has necessarily become the centre of the new intellectual quest.”

 

News and Commentary (in italics):

On May 17, 2017 Restorative Resources held an introductory course for the cost of $25. http://www.restorativeresources.org/

(CP) Metta Center for Nonviolence at the United Nations! Our Metta Center for Nonviolence has a seat at the World Table! We have been granted consultative status, with certain key privileges we will be exploring.  Watch this space! http://archives.mettacenter.org/tag/united-nations/

(CP) On April 22, 2017, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue issued a message on the occasion of the Buddhist feast of Vesakh on the theme “Christians and Buddhists: Walking Together on the Path of Nonviolence.”  http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/04/22/vaticans_message_to_buddhists_on_vesakh/1307347.  The message, signed by Council President Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Council Secretary Fr. Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ, emphasizes the urgent need to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence as both these values were promoted by Jesus Christ and the Buddha.  (https://nonviolencejustpeace.net/2017/04/24/christians-and-buddhists-walking-together-on-the-path-of-nonviolence/ )  This is a particularly welcome development as previous Popes have gone so far as urge people not to meditate and deny that Buddhism is a religion.

(CP) The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative: The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, and wider community, are developing resources to be used at the service of the Church as it explores the development of innovative Church teaching, including the possibility of an encyclical on nonviolence and just peace.  (See below on Events) https://nonviolencejustpeace.net/2016/05/09/first-blog-post/

(NR/CP) United Nations and Nuclear Treaty: The UN convention on nuclear abolition will reconvene June 17&18, 2017.  https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/dc3685.doc.htm

It is anticipated that thousands of women will demonstrate in support of the treaty, which the framers hope to have completed July 7^th.  Meanwhile, our friend Mel Duncan makes an interesting observation:  The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, led a demonstration across the street from the UN building arguing why such a treaty would be “naïve and dangerous.”  Mel points out: “This is the first time the peace movement was inside the halls of power and the U.S. Government outside protesting!”.

 

(NR/CP) The Standing Rock Returns… Returning Land to Indigenous Tribes:  At least two land giveaways to native groups have recently occurred.   

The Jesuit -run St. Francis Mission announced it will return more than 500 acres to the Rosebud Sioux tribe.

https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/native-news/jesuits-return-525-acres-rosebud-sioux-tribe/ 

Cariboo rancher Kenneth Linde, age 86, donated his land to Esk’etemc (Alkali Lake) tribe.  http://theindigenousamerican.com/2017/05/14/rancher-gifts-land-to-first-nation-during-title-and-rights-ceremony/

Chief Charlene Belleau had the following to say in response to this gesture:

“Our children have asked us to be able to leave behind any pain and hurt, to be able to be responsible and move ahead and take care of our lands, take care of our resources, take care of our waters for them so that when they grow up they are going to ready to take on the responsibility.”

(PP, CP,)  This just in from our friend, Rajiv Vora, who is using Gandhi’s IHind Swaraj to persuade radicalized youth in Jammu and Kashmir to take to nonviolence “ At a fairly high level, A group of top men in security, police, defense and foreign service, associated with athink tank’s “Policy Perspectives Foundation.”  In an intense half-day dialogue with the Swaraj Peeth, Kashmir group thought that the opening that Swaraj Peeth has made in Kashmir, is both unique and very important.  A senior member said that he “could not believe such a  Gandhian approach was possible.”  They all stressed that Swaraj Peeth’s Kashmir initiative and dialogue must continue.

(NR) This month’s cover story in the  New Internationalist discusses the West Papuan Independence struggle.  This bitter struggle, against more than a century of colonialism, in this case by Indonesia, confronts BP and US firms stubbornly holding on to power.

 

Events:

(PP/CP) Pace e Bene invites you to join us for our monthly Campaign Nonviolence Conference Call scheduled for Tuesday May 30th at 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern.  http://www.paceebene.org/event/join-the-may-30-cnv-conference-call/ This call will be with Sister Marie Denis, reporting on the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative.

(PP/CP/NR) Resilience of Racism Conference, Oakland.  Asian Cultural Center, June 1-3, 2017. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.  More information can be found at their website: http://oacc.cc/

(PP/CP) Wild Goose Festival, Hot Springs, North Carolina.  July 13-16, 2017.  One of our own: Our podcast will be hosted live by the Wild Goose Festival this year.  You can read all about this year’s festival and order your tickets at http://wildgoosefestival.org/