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Conference

3rd Annual International Day of Peace, Anti-War March and Program
Whatcom County Hosts Northwest's Largest Annual Peace Gathering
Thursday, 6pm, September 21st

Whatcom Peace & Justice Center hosts International Day of Peace, the largest yearly peace gathering in the Northwest.  This year's ANTI-WAR MARCH and EVENING PROGRAM are expected to draw 500-600 people from Whatcom and Skagit Counties.

'Cease Fire! Declare Peace! An Evening to Mourn the Iraq War and Celebrate Our Community' is the peace center's third annual observance of this holiday, which was declared by the United Nations in 1982 as a 24-hour worldwide cease-fire to encourage reconciliation and disarmament.

6pm - Anti-War March
     meet at Maritime Heritage Park

Kick off speaker Larry Estrada, Vietnam Veteran and WWU professor

7pm  - Evening Program
     First Congregational Church, 2401 Cornwall Avenue

The 80-member Kulshan Chorus will join the event at First Congregational Church.
Speakers include Doris Kent, mother of local fallen soldier Army Corporal Jonathan Santos.
Local favorite, Tom Hunter, will close the program with his inspirational stories and music.

Children are invited to attend the PeaceArt Program, when they will create peace flags to share with the audience at the end of the program.

The Howard Harris Lifetime Peacemaker Award will be given to a local person(s) who has made a significant contribution toward social justice in Whatcom County and the world community.

After being empowered and inspired by the speakers and music, social justice organizations will be tabling and offering concrete ways to get active immediately.

The event's many co-sponsors include Whatcom Educational Credit Union; Community Food Co-op; Village Books; First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ; Rumors Cabaret; and Veterans for Peace.

CONTACT: Marie Marchand, Executive Director
Whatcom Peace & Justice Center
(360) 734-0217 (office); (360) 920-4817 (cell)
website: www.WhatcomPJC.org
email: WhatcomPJC@fidalgo.net

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HONOR DAY
A day to honor the many contributions made by American Indian peoples while imparting HONOR on all who participate.
August 20, Sunday, 1-5 pm

Join us this year 2006
as we observe
HONOR DAY
Pack a sack lunch, bring an umbrella, bring a drum
We honor our elders, as this is the year of the elder

Of more then 25 federally recognized holidays there is not one for Native American Indians.
Thousands of signatures have been gathered from Native American Indian peoples (elders, teachers, artists, students, leaders) as well as non- indian supporters)

Honor the power of the circle as it serves all life. It may be as simple as making a circle with arms and singing a song or your circle may be formed with natural world elements such as plants, rocks, flowers and more. This circle moves out like ripples on the pond to include friends, family, community, nation and perhaps it will move out to the world and serve all two-leggeds.. .

If you are an Elder and want to speak call Silversong to register at 360.739.8833

Please mark your calendar, and remember to observe Honor Day.
LOCATION: Maritime Heritage Park in Bellingham, WA

Tax deductable contributions can be made through ISF, P O Box 28592, Bellingham WA 98228-0592 honorday@hotmail.com 360 -739- 8833

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"DEFENDING DEMOCRACY"
COMMUNITY IMMIGRATION HEARINGS TO COUNTER BIASED HOUSE IMMIGRATION HEARINGS
Wednesday August 16th, 2006 (6 PM, food and music; 7-9 PM, hearing)

LOCATION:
St. Luke's Community Center
3333 Squalicum Parkway, Bellingham, WA

Defending Democracy, A Community Immigration Hearing

The Committee on Homeland Security conducted a field hearing in Bellingham on Tuesday, August 8th, 2006, at the Bellingham City Council Chamber. These House hearings, taking place across the country, are intended to shore up support for an unworkable, enforcement-heavy approach to immigration policy. Many community members, including elected officials, agricultural employers, business owners and our County Sheriff attended the House hearing to present alternative viewpoints, but were not allowed to speak. One of the farmers traveled from Wenatchee!

Deeply disappointed by this biased approach taken by the U.S. House of Representatives in its immigration and border enforcement hearings, we have joined a coalition of Washington state community groups to hold a series of community immigration hearings entitled Defending Democracy: Strengthening Communities for Justice. Our first one will be held in Bellingham, to address the question of "What Are the Challenges and Threats of Eroding Human Rights and Civil Liberties In the Name of Immigration Reform?" This hearing is one in a series of counter-hearings being conducted as part of the Liberty and Justice for All campaign, a national, cross-sectoral coalition of human rights, civil liberties, civil rights, and immigrant rights groups working to end draconian provisions that deeply erode civil liberties and human rights in both the House and Senate immigration bills. The next hearing will take place in September in the South Seattle area and another one is currently being planned in the Yakima area for October.

The Defending Democracy immigration hearings will be in stark contrast to the sham House hearings, which have been marked by exclusion of diverse voices, bias towards enforcement, and disregard for the rights of those most
directly affected by government policies. We will feature testimony from a variety of local and regional community members discussing the need for real comprehensive immigration reform and erosions of human rights and civil
liberties, as well as a blue-ribbon panel of commissioners. Confirmed commissioners include Washington State Human Rights Commission executive director Marc Brenman, Commission of Hispanic Affairs Executive Director
Uriel Iniguez, community leaders Larry Estrada, Lenny Dixon and Vernon Damani Johnson, and Bellingham City Council member Barbara Ryan.

Co-sponsors of the Defending Democracy series include: Rights Working Group; American Civil Liberties Union (WA); American Immigration Lawyers' Association (WA); CASA Latina; Community to Community; Church Council of
Greater Seattle; Hate Free Zone Washington; Lutheran Public Policy Office; Minority Executive Directors' Coalition; Northwest Immigrant Rights Project; SEIU 775; Tenants' Union of Washington; UNITE HERE Local 8; Washington State
Democratic Party; Whatcom County Democrats; Whatcom Human Rights Task Force, Whatcom Peace and Justice Center; and others.

For more information or to volunteer call Catherine Chambers - (360) 920-7972
LOCATION:
St. Luke's Community Center
3333 Squalicum Parkway, Bellingham, WA

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Dan Berger, author of Outlaws of America: The Weather Underground & the Politics of Solidarity
August 16, Friday, 7:30

Village Books presents Dan Berger, author of Outlaws of America: The Weather Underground & the Politics of Solidarity . This riveting and timely book reveals the untold story of the Weather Underground, from its incendiary beginnings to its tumultuous end. In an unsparingly critical analysis, Berger uses dozens of in-depth interviews with former Weather Underground members, Black Panthers, Young Lords and other long-time activists to trace the group’s evolution in relation to the civil rights, Black Power and anti-war movements. Outlaws of America (AK Press) is essential reading for students, activists, historians and political theorists. Dan Berger is a writer, activist and co-editor of Letters From Young Activists: Today’s Rebels Speak Out.
LOCATION:
Village Books Readings Gallery
Farihaven

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" The Morality of War, Patriotism and the Chain of Command" -
Peter Laufer
August 13, Sunday- 10:30am [note: this is a date correction - NOT the 20th]

Peter Laufer has won awards as an author, broadcaster, and journalist. He spent several years as a globetrotting correspondent for NBC News.
He has authored "Mission Rejected: US Soldiers Who Say No to Iraq", and "Wetback Nation: The Case for Opening the Mexican-American Border", as well as a children's book called "Made in Mexico".
An expert in bringing magazine content to radio, he created and is host of the National Geographic World Talk radio show. He is a documentary film-maker working in traditional and new media, producing Exodus to Berlin and Sea to Shining Sea based on interviews conducted immediately after 9/11.

For more background on the speaker, see http://peterlaufer.com .
Special music by the Nicholas Hoffman Jazz Duo.
LOCATION:
B'ham Unitarian Fellowship.
At 1708 "I" Street, off Dupont.
parking in the Unitarian lots, or
plenty in the School Board lots and the Credit Union on Ellsworth between "G" and "H".

Law Advocates Book Club group
Folks from Law Advocates are interested in beginning a new book group. For those who are interested, call Sofia @ 734-9761

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