UPCOMING EVENTS:

REMINDER: On May 11 through May 13, Father Michael Lapsley will be facilitating a “Healing of Memories Workshop” at Stony Point Center, N.Y. Today, May 1, is your last chance to register for the workshop. Send all additional inquiries to Phyllis Rodriguez @ ihomna@gmail.com.

Upcoming Event Correction: The Network for a NATO Free Future is a coalition of peace, faith and economic justice groups hosting a Counter-Summit for Peace & Economic Justice in Chicago, May 18-19, 2012. For details click here. PT members, Terry Rockefeller and Ellen Judd will be attending. The event may be of interest to more PT members, especially those close to Chicago.

Organized by the Rule of Law Project, PT will participate in the Sunday, June 24 D.C. “March Against Torture, Guantanamo & NDAA-Coalition Demonstration”. More details about this event will follow. Other participating organizations are:

• Witness against Torture
• Pax Christi USA
• CodePink
• Rabbis for Human Rights
• CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations)
• TASSC (Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition)
• Amnesty International
• Center for Constitutional Rights
• PHR (Physicians for Human Rights)

PT News:

International Network for Peace (INP): The INP was founded after the International Conference PT members organized in 2006 and eventually a website was created. Together with the INP, PT today supports the request of the Interessengemeinschaft 13. Februar 1945 to rename a square or street near the reconstructed Frauenkirche in Dresden ‘Guernica Square’. As PT’s INP Chair, Andrea LeBlanc stated that “Peaceful tomorrows begin with each of us in our daily lives choosing today to create a Culture of Peace. A ‘Guernica Square’ would offer the opportunity to honor that choice.” To read more about what happened at Guernica, please click on this link. Please contact Andrea directly with any questions you might have about the INP.

Rule of Law (RoL) Campaign: We are trying out a Rule of Law discussion group that will use “basecamp” – a new and promising means of better communicating to advance PT projects. We hope many of you will join and /or remain active in the campaign. Colleen is the Chair of the Rule of Law Campaign and moderator of the RoL basecamp project. Please contact Colleen directly if you wish to join the project.

Help The Iran Pledge Grow! Over 40 organizations have endorsed the Iran Pledge of Resistance (IPOR) and over 5,000 people have signed on. If you have signed the petition already, please let Rita know. There is still time to sign on to the United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ)’s Iran Pledge of Resistance by clicking here. Please contact Rita Lasar at ritalasar@aol.com with any further questions.

PT on twitter: Almost 700 people follow our tweets on twitter. Here are two examples of new groups following us: Planeta Voluntários, “the largest NGO social network and volunteer service”, and TheFund, a group working towards Peace between Israelis and Palestinians today.
If you’d like to see our twitter, facebook or youtube postings and followers, you don’t have to join anything. Just click on the links to these sites clearly marked on the top of our website.

The United States owes the victims of September 11^th and indeed the entire world a legal response to the outrageous criminal acts of 9/11 that is unassailable and of the highest legal standards. The Military Commission at Guantanamo that is scheduled to arraign Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other alleged perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks this Saturday May 5 is the latest manifestation of a system that has repeatedly failed to honor our Constitution and the Rule of Law.

Justice is surely our common goal.

September 11^th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows will be watching the Guantanamo proceedings closely, and eagerly awaits the evidence supporting the prosecution of those responsible for the 9/11 attacks and the murder of thousands.

We do not support the death penalty for any individual found guilty. The deaths of our loved ones demand Rule of Law, not retribution.

We are also hopeful that the Commission will expose the truth concerning torture of the defendants, and will take action to hold accountable all who were responsible for this violation of international and national law.

The members of September 11^th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
http://peacefultomorrows.org/
Contact: PT office 212.598.0970

The PT Speakers List is updated and back in use. In our members survey, we asked those interested in media work to volunteer. Those who indicated their interest in writing Op-Ed pieces, giving interviews and appearing on TV are now on the list.

Members’ Activities:
Due to a scheduling conflict, the May 5 event at the Islamic Center in Boston will be rescheduled in October 2012. Robyn Bernstein will keep us informed.

There is still time to sign on to UFPJ’s Iran Pledge of Resistance by clicking here. Please contact Rita Lasar at ritalasar@aol.com with any further questions.

SC member Ellen Judd is attending the Counter-Summit for Peace and Economic Justice in Chicago on March 18.

PT members Nancy Meyer, Colleen Kelly and Ann Lynn Hayashi (see photos below) met with Yukiko “Yuki” Shimono. Yuki is a volunteer with The Never Again Campaign and has been in touch with us through the International Network for Peace. The Never Again Campaign is a people-to-people program aimed at spreading the message of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors and promoting international understanding through cultural sharing.

Upcoming Events:
Nonviolent Peaceforce North American Conference meets from April 26 – 29 in St. Paul, MN. The next meeting of the International Governance Council meets in Berlin in 2013 to create new ways to support the INP and each other. Please contact event co-chairs Anne Warner or Mary Lou Ott with any questions you might have.

Rosemarie Pace, Director at Pax Christi Metro New York (PCMNY), will be honoring Peacemakers at a festive Awards Reception and is inviting PT to be part of it. The reception is on Sunday, June 3rd, from 3 to 6pm. For more information please contact Rosemarie at nypaxchristi@igc.org.

PT members are invited to support and participate in the 8th Annual Brooklyn Peace Fair on Sat., April 28. Featured speakers are Jeremy Scahill, investigative journalist, author and Democracy Now! correspondent and Capt. Paul Chappell, Iraq War Vet, public speaker and author.

Save the Date: On June 11, 2012, The Interfaith Center of New York is inviting PT members to their 10th Annual James Parks Morton Awards Dinner.

On May 11 through May 13, Father Michael Lapsley will be facilitating a “Healing of Memories Workshop” at Stony Point Center. Please send all additional inquiries to Phyllis Rodriguez at ihomna@gmail.com.

New members on the SC are Barbara Fyfe & Ellen Judd joining Robyn, Gloria and Andrea. More spaces on the SC can be filled. Please contact the PT office at 212.598.0970 or respond to this e-mail if you are interested in serving on the SC.

The following PT members attended the retreat:

Robyn Bernstein – Sandra Bodley – Sarah Boyle – Katharina Feil (Project Coordinator) – Loretta Filipov – Barbara & Jim Fyfe – Terry Greene – Anne Lynn Hayashi – Ellen Judd – Colleen Kelly – Diqui LaPenta – Rita Lasar – Elaine & John Leinung – Donna M. O’Connor – Terry K. Rockefeller – Phyllis Rodriguez – Connie Taylor – Gloria & Ken Williams.

Fundraising: 
Hooray! The James R. And Mary Jane Barrett Foundation heard of our work and asked PT to apply for a 3,500 – 5,000 unrestricted grant!

Members Activities:
Terry Rockefeller has been in D.C. in meetings with Iraqis working to establish civil society.

Andrea LeBlanc and Terry Greene are attending the 4th Annual Culture of Peace Conference in Keene, N.H. on Saturday, March 3.

Robyn Bernstein, Gloria & Ken Williams will be attending a dinner honoring Peaceful Tomorrows on Saturday, May 5 @ 6:30pm. PT is being recognized for the work done on Islamophobia by The Islamic Center of Boston, Wayland. Please contact Robyn for more details by April 5 if you’d like to join.

Upcoming Events:
March 6th is a panel discussion Privacy and Safety in the Digital Age: Location Tracking and Fourth Amendment Concerns in NYC. Details and RSVP via: rsvp@constitutionproject.org or (202) 580-6924.

PT members have been invited to attend the annual Constitution Project Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. on March 29, 2012. RSVP on their website by clicking here.

Let us know your activities!

We thank you for continuing to support PT’s mission to turn grief into action for peace.

The Steering Committee

It’s not too late to sign up!

Friday, February 17, 5:30pm to Sunday, February 19, 2pm

Divine Compassion Spirituality Center
 Good Counsel Academy Campus
52 N. Broadway
White Plains, NY 10603 
dcsc@divinecompassion.org

Through a generous grant to PT, all expenses for the retreat are waived for participants. Help with transportation costs can be arranged for those who need it.

If you would like to register, please reply to this e-mail and let Katharina know by Monday, February 6, especially if you have food or other restrictions the food service should be aware of. There is a full kitchen available to us and we are encouraged to use it for our own needs. This is not a “dry” center, so alcoholic beverages can be brought.

All rooms are single, with shared bathrooms and showers. The Divine Compassion Retreat Center is located in downtown White Plains and can be reached by MetroNorth railroad from Manhattan, Amtrak to Stamford, CT, car and plane (the closest airport is White Plains airport). For logistical help, contact Phyllis and Colleen.

A draft agenda will be available by next week.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
The 2012Retreat Planning Committee

FOOD RESTRICTIONS: Katharina needs to know by February 6 about your special dietary needs. Are you vegan? Vegetarian? Allergic to any types of foods? Please respond to this e-mail and let her know so that the retreat center staff may be informed. There is a kitchen with a fridge where you can store special foods, wine, beer, etc. Mealtimes at the Retreat Center are 8:30am, 12:30pm and 5:45pm.

HOW TO RSVP: Please do let us know by February 1 whether you are definitely coming or not. The retreat center office will need a guest list and we would appreciate your cooperation. Simply reply to this e-mail.

LOBBYING: PT members Talat Hamdani, Colleen Kelly, Rita Lasar and Terry Rockefeller travelled to Washington on January 11 to mark National Day of Action to Close Guantanamo. Terry Greene and Robyn Bernstein lobbied in the Boston area where they reside. For more updates check into our page on facebook.

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR PEACE: Andrea LeBlanc represented PT at an International Conference organized by the Basque Foundation Sabino Arana (FSA) in Bilbao, Spain in October 2011. She was a speaker and participated on a panel with Israeli and Palestinian members of Combatants for Peace. Surprisingly, the militant Basque separatist group, ETA, made a historic announcement that they were laying down their arms the week before the conference was convened. The discussions during the conference focused on nonviolent solutions to conflict. Members of FSA, the public and the press were very engaged in the dialogue. A second conference was held for the public and press in San Sebastian, considered the cradle of Basque culture.

PT MEMBERS: For updates about PT members you might not have met yet, please visit our new website.


We thank you for continuing to support PT’s mission to turn grief into action for peace.

The Steering Committee

THANK YOU for our new Mac: We are so grateful to Peaceful Tomorrows’ longtime friend and supporter Richard A. Clarke, for donating a new Macintosh laptop to our office. Mr. Clarke is an internationally renowned expert on homeland security and national security who recognizes the ultimate importance to U.S. security of protecting the Constitution and avoiding war in favor of fostering productive international relations. He is the Chairman of Good Harbor Consulting LLC and author of five books.

PRESS SUMMARY: Andrea LeBlanc has been working with Riptide Communications, Inc. to get the most up-to-date Press Summary reflecting PT members’ activities before, on and after September 11, 2011 posted to the new website next week. Please make sure you visit our new website.

WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK: A team of PT members is working hard on getting a Members Survey to you. Look for it to arrive in your e-mail inbox soon.

MEMBERS RETREAT: The retreat dates have been set for Friday, February 17 to Sunday, February 19, 2012. The location has not been determined as yet. We will keep you informed. Do not hesitate to contact the PT office with any further questions you might have.

LOBBYING: We are in the midst of planning a cosponsored trip for PT members to Washington on January 11, 2012 to mark National Day of Action Against Guantanamo. Our partners are in the final week of logistics planning and need information on who is attending. Travel reimbursements will be available through our grant from the Open Society Policy Center. More detailed information will be sent to interested members in a separate e-mail.

NEW PT MEMBER:
Donald Charlebois joined Peaceful Tomorrows in August of 2010. Today he is sharing these thoughts with us:

“My brother David was the First Officer on American Airlines 77 which was diverted into the Pentagon. David shared the cockpit with Captain Burlingame. On that day we all became September 11 Families, a group that no one would have knowledgably joined. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the events of that day, but especially the way that world events have spun and are spinning out of control.

I was drawn to September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows in my reading about protests at the Park51 project, actually surprised at the level of vehemence. I read about and admired your courage in the face of this rage. I embarrasingly was not aware of the activities of PT, focusing on silent remembrance and worrying about my parents as opposed to using remembrance to generate initiative. I am a builder, a carpenter, a sculptor, and a painter. I lean heavily towards things, which heal and are positive and/or constructive. I have been very fortunate to let my mind and hands work through many different and difficult issues. I know that the best way to honor my brother is in peaceful pursuit. I see PT as a peaceful pursuit, providing constant reminders of the standards we must uphold. My wife, Donna, and I were able to work with Susan Retik and her organization ‘Beyond the Eleventh’ this year and experienced the physical channeling of those emotions. We hold hope to be able to see peaceful tomorrows for our time and the next generations.”

We thank you for continuing to support PT’s mission to turn grief into action for peace.

The Steering Committee

Charles Strozier