We wanted to pass along news of several worthwhile endeavors under way
in
mid-Missouri, some of which you may well wish to join in. Thanks to Sr.
Mary
Jo Polock, Mark Haim and Mary Hussman for passing along to us some of
the
information.

1) FOR Volunteer opportunities & needs;
2) Saturday Prayer day, March 4, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. "PEACE AND
SIMPLICITY."
Our Lady of Peace Monastery, 3710 W. Broadway, Columbia
3) GRO - Grass Roots Organizing is seeking volunteers to help put
Medicaid
Reform onto the November 2006 ballot.
4) Missourians for Safe Energy is kicking off a campaign to stop the
proposed Callaway II nuclear power plant, 6-7 p.m., Monday, March 13,
Peace
Nook, in the basement 804C E. Broadway.
5) Students for a Democratic Society is organizing at MU, Sunday, March
5,
12 noon in Middlebush 308 (9th & University)

1) FOR Volunteer opportunities & needs-- we'd be thrilled to get help in
any
of the following....

In the next week or so, we hope to put together a newsletter and will be
in
need of help:
--writing brief articles; briefs on upcoming events, penning artwork;
--editing;
--assistance with preparing it for a mass-mailing

Office organizing
--Bookkeeping
--Filing
--Assisting/writing Thank You notes

Helping back-up computer files, making copies of files onto discs.

Make "FOR" sign for tabling events

Creating productions/Acting in "Guerilla": Theater skits/plays
on pacifism, the death penalty, military recruiting, militarism, and
other
possible peace-oriented topics.

What do you think FOR needs to be doing? What special talents would you
like
lend to our efforts for peace with justice?

Call Jeff at 573-449-4585 if you can help out and/or to share your
visions.

2) You are invited to a prayer day is planned entitled PEACE AND
SIMPLICITY.

March 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., lunch included. Suggested donation is
$35,
but is not required. Our Lady of Peace Monastery, 3710 W. Broadway,
Columbia, MO 65203. Call 446-2300. (our apologies on the short notice)
Ask
for Sister Maggie.

The facilitators for this event are Jim and Kathy McGinnis from the
Institute for Peace and Justice, authors and national workshop leaders
in
the area of spirituality, family, and peace and justice.

The presentation will be built around Micah 4: 6 "What is it that God
wants
of you? To act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your
God"
We will wrestle with the question of how to apply Micah's guidelines to
our
everyday lives, especially in our families as we work to be peacemakers
and
faithful stewards in the midst of a consumer culture. We will be
interactive and very practical.

3) GRO - Grass Roots Organizing is working to put Medicaid Reform onto
the
November 2006 ballot. In order to have this 'restoration of Medicaid
health
care' on the ballot, it is necessary to collect 120,000 signatures of
registered voters; organizers hope to gather 10,000 signatures in Boone
County. GRO is working to do this with volunteer assistance. GRO is
offering
training and all the materials you need.

If you are interested in volunteering to be a circulator (and collect
signatures), call the GRO Outreach Office in Columbia at 573-443-4476 or
the
GRO Headquarters in Mexico, MO at 573-581-9595.

4) MISSOURIANS FOR SAFE ENERGY KICKING OFF CAMPAIGN TO STOP CALLAWAY II:

As you've probably heard, AmerenUE is considering building a second
nuclear
power plant at site of Missouri's only nuclear plant in Callaway County.
We
at Peaceworks recognize that this would be an expensive, dangerous
mistake.
We are therefore asking you to join with us in organizing a public
awareness
campaign that will result in sufficient public pressure to nip this in
the
bud. The timing of this campaign is critical. As the utility has yet to
invest either significant money or its prestige in the project, it will
be
easier to get them to abandon this disastrous idea now than it will be
at
any time in the future, should they decide to move ahead. Please
consider
the importance of this issue and join us in this effort in whatever ways
you
can.

Our educational efforts focused on stopping Callaway II and promoting
safe,
sustainable alternatives will be conducted by a new Peaceworks project
with
a familiar moniker, Missourian for Safe Energy. MSE was the name of the
leading group working on stopping the two Callaway nukes proposed in the
1970s. Callaway I was completed, while the original Callaway II was
cancelled.

The new MSE will be holding an organizing meeting 6-7 p.m., Monday,
March 13
at the Peace Nook. All are invited to attend.

We also are in the early stages of planning an Activist Teach-In on
Nuclear
Power. This is slated for Sunday, April 9. Details TBA, but please save
the
date.

5) STUDENTS FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY ORGANIZING AT MU: Any MU student
interested in progressive activism is invited to check out the newly
forming
MU SDS. Yes, Students for a Democratic Society is back and a chapter is
being organized here at Mizzou. There will be an organizing meeting this
Sunday, March 5, 12 noon in Middlebush 308 (9th & University). For more
info
on the local effort, contact Dave Overfelt at:
daveosociologist@gmail.com

For info on the national effort to rebirth this proud New Left group
from
the 1960s, check out the new SDS website at:

http://www.studentsforademocraticsociety.org/ There is also a good
piece
on the announcement of the new national organization at:

http://info.interactivist.net/article.pl?sid=06/01/17/1758228