Fellowship of Reconciliation: for a World of Peace, Justice and Nonviolence
Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation
The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) is a group composed of people from many faiths, and no particular faith --
all coming together to support nonviolence and justice.
Offering people of conscience an action response to a morally-impaired U.S. foreign policy.

Newsletter | Capital Punishment | War & Peace | Links | Who We Are


A Report on the Injustice in the Application of the Death Penalty in Missouri (1978-1996)(Microsoft Word document)
Researchers from Missouri and New York found that about one of every 100 homicides in Missouri resulted in a death sentence during that 18-year period. Race of the victim and race plus socio-economic status of the defendant were found to be great indicators of who ultimately received a death sentence.


News

Common Dreams
Al-Jazeera
Electronic Iraq
Indy Media
AlterNet
BuzzFlash
www.WhatReallyHappened.com
Yahoo! News


Background

Background on Syria

Iraq Crisis Issue Guide by Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies

U.S. History with Iraq, 1980 - 2 August 1990
An American Soldier on the March 21 episode of This American Life challenged those against the war to "learn the history".


Commentary
Common Dreams News Center

April 12, 2003
God is on our side?
Non Sequiter comic

April 8, 2003
The U.S. Betrays Its Core Values
by Gunter Grass

March 30, 2003
Bush and Blair do not know what they are doing or why they are doing it

March 29, 2003
A cartoon

March 25, 2003
What is the Geneva Convention?
A primer on the treaty dealing with treatment of POWs and Who’s violating the Geneva Convention?

March 24, 2003
It's Patriotic to Protest
op-ed by Jill Nelson

U.S. steps up secret surveillance
FBI, Justice Dept. increase use of wiretaps, records searches

March 23, 2003
Why are we in Iraq -- and Who's Next?
an Op-Ed piece by Richard Reeves.

March 22, 2003
Whose interests at heart?
The invasion and occupation of Iraq cannot give the Iraqi people their freedom

March 20, 2003
Senator Byrd Deplores Iraq War: "Today I weep for my country"

Familiar, Haunting Words

Bush's Lies and the War on Iraq (a gift to the extremist theocrats)

Demonstrations Flare Worldwide

It's Not About Terrorism, WMD or Liberation: Myths and facts about the war

    Local News and Announcements...

    Don't miss anything...please scroll down

    GOT DEM MEAN OL' DIRTY LOWDOWN ELECTION BLUES
    Peace Porridge #37

    Is the election finally over? NO! It ain't over yet. Cries of theft and reports of bizarre and unbelievable election data echo back and forth across the internet. First the Ralph Nader campaign, and then the Green and Libertarian parties file for recounts, while democrats sit on the sidelines.

    No sooner had John Kerry made his premature concession and called for unity, then began the assault on the hapless City of Fallujah. A beautiful historic city of 300,000 people - virtually emptied, totally destroyed; hundreds, maybe thousands of civilians dead; an entire population turned into refugees; superhuman resistance from the embattled Iraqi people; and from the American people, stunned by the election results, hardly a whimper of dissent. [more...]

    Peace Porridge is published occasionally by Yusha (formerly Tom) Sager to provide perspectives on peace issues that are not readily available from the news media or alternative websites. Some past mailings are posted at http://peaceporridge.peacehq.com others can be found elsewhere on the FOR Website.

    We hope you find Peace Porridge a nourishing alternative to the glut of junk news which we are constantly fed by government and corporate controlled media.


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    Moratorium Meeting

    Attention Mid-Missourians: the Columbia chapter of the Missouri campaign for an execution moratorium will hold a public meeting, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 30 in Conference Room B on the 1st floor of the Daniel Boone Regional Library. The campaign considers it wise public policy to institute a 3-year halt to executions while a balanced commission studies various issues of fairness with our state’s death-penalty system. Contact Jeff (449-4585) for more information; attend for what part you can and bring a friend or two, to continue to advance this progressing campaign.


    Innocence Protection Act signed by Pres. Bush

    This may be one of the few opportunities we will be able to thank Mr. Bush for some action he takes during his administration. Maybe he will ultimately be singled out as one of the greatest president of all time, truly a compassionate conservative. And then again, well, maybe not.

    For today, let’s thank him for doing the right thing enacting the IPA concept with this bill which also provides needed funding for the accelerated testing of crime kits. Check out the information at the Justice Project and please do e-mail or call as suggested.

    On Saturday, October 30, 2004, President Bush signed into law the Justice for All Act of 2004 (HR 5107)! HR 5107 incorporates the Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act (HR 3214/S 1700 – the Innocence Protection Act is Title III of this bill) with many provisions from a victims' rights bill. Amid a flood of constituent letters and faxes supporting the Justice For All Act, the bill passed the US House of Representatives on October 6, 2004 in an overwhelming 393-14 vote, and sailed through the US Senate by unanimous consent three days later.

    The Justice for All Act is an important step forward for innocent victims of crime, and for innocent people who might otherwise be sentenced to death. But even though the bill is now a law, there is still work to be done: we need to make sure that the Kirk Bloodsworth Post-Conviction DNA Testing Program and other programs created by HR 5107 are fully funded.

    Former state judge speaks out against death penalty
    Six people were executed during the judge’s tenure on the state Supreme Court.
    By ROBBIE KETCHAM
    November 11, 2004 (from the Columbia Missourian)

    Saying it is possible that innocent people have been executed, a former state Supreme Court judge said Wednesday night that a moratorium should be placed on the death penalty in Missouri.
    Charles Blackmar, a judge on the Missouri Supreme Court from 1982 to 1992 and the Court’s chief justice from 1989 to 1991, spoke to a group of 60 people at Calvary Episcopal Church in Columbia. [more...]

    10/19/04 MADP Meeting
    Events:
    1) Judge Blackmar visit - November 10th at Calvary Church, 7 p.m. Dinner beforehand, contact Jeff at jstack@no2death.org if interested. Late note: Big success with 60-plus folks attending the talk.
    2) Resolution Report - 23 organizations have signed to date.
    3) Meetings with mid-MO legislators - Most likely going to have to be after the election and Thanksgiving.
    4) Recruitment - On and off campus posters, post cards, and bring-a-friend.
    5) Jamnesty - November 16th, time TBD. Circulate literature.
    6) Next meeting - Tuesday, November 30th 7 p.m.
    7) People's Declaration - 300+ signatures
    8) News conference – Former judge and business leaders are projected subjects/presenters when our local moratorium resolution campaign approaches a “milestone” marker, 50 entities endorsing.9)Jeff and Steve will be making and posting flyers regarding the next meeting.

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    Purple America

    The United States may be divided along ideological lines but state lines are a lot less important than we have been led to believe.
    map of 2004 US Election by political persuasion
    Image © 2004 M. T. Gastner, C. R. Shalizi, and M. E. J. Newman www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/


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    Several Items to Consider...

    Iraq death toll 'soared post-war'

    Poor planning, air strikes by coalition forces and a "climate of violence" have led to more than 100,000 extra deaths in Iraq, scientists claim. A study published by the Lancet says the risk of death by violence for civilians in Iraq is now 58 times higher than before the US-led invasion. Unofficial estimates of civilian deaths had varied from 10,000 to over 37,000. (more…)

    The first scientific study of the human cost of the Iraq war

    suggests that at least 100,000 Iraqis have lost their lives since their country was invaded in March 2003, according to researchers Jeremy Laurance and Colin Brown and reported on 29 October 2004.


    Stephen Hawking to Lead Anti-War Protest on Election Day
    By Andy McSmith
    October 31, 2004, lndependent/UK

    Stephen Hawking, Britain's most eminent scientist, has become the latest
    prominent opponent of the Iraq war by agreeing to take the lead role in a
    ceremonial protest to coincide with the United States presidential election.
    Peace protesters will gather in Trafalgar Square at 5pm on Tuesday, where they
    will read out the names of 5,000 Iraqi men, women and children known to have
    died in the conflict.

    The full death toll was put last week as high as
    100,000. (more…)


    Increase in War Funding Sought; Bush to Request $70 Billion More
    By Jonathan Weisman and Thomas E. Ricks
    Washington Post Staff Writers
    Tuesday, October 26, 2004; Page A01

    The Bush administration intends to seek about $70 billion in emergency funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan early next year, pushing total war costs close to $225 billion since the invasion of Iraq early last year, Pentagon and congressional officials said yesterday.

    White House budget office spokesman Chad Kolton emphasized that final decisions on the supplemental spending request will not be made until shortly before the request is sent to Congress. That may not happen until early February, when President Bush submits his budget for fiscal 2006, assuming he wins reelection. (more…)

    “Adventure Capitalism”
    By Greg Palast
    October 26, 2004

    Why were Iraqi elections delayed? Why was Jay Garner fired? Why are our troops
    still there? Investigative reporter Palast uncovers new documents that answer
    these questions and more about the Bush administration’s grand designs on Iraq.
    Like everything else issued during this administration, the plan to overhaul the
    Iraqi economy has corporate lobbyist fingerprints all over it. You expected the
    oil industry lobbyists, but Grover Norquist? (more…)


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    Long Day In Lawrence: Confronting the football lovers in Kansas

    I am involved with a group in Lawrence, Kansas called "Women in Black." Weekly, we have stood silently as a group wearing black clothing and veils, holding signs with the current death toll of both Iraqis and American service people in the Iraq war.

    Last Saturday we wanted to put our message out to a larger group of people. We decided that tailgate parties before football games would provide the best bang for the buck. Held in the parking lot before games, they can attract thousands of people.

    Wearing our black garb and carrying our "Bush lies, 1000's Die" and "1157 US dead, 15,000+ Iraqi Dead" signs, we slowly and silently walked through the crowd. It was the most frightening experience of my life. Screaming angry people yelled obscenities at us and called us traitors.
    For 40 minutes we walked through the most hostile environment I have ever been in. I actually feared for my life at times. I thought to myself, "if just one person throws a stone at us, a riot would ensue and we would be killed."

    Was this what it was like for the children trying to go to school in Little Rock, Arkansas in the late 50's? I had to wonder if those silent watchers had doubts about the crowd they were with... seeing these big bulky men yelling at these eight small women walking silently through a jeering crowd, whose side did they really want to be on?

    Out of thousands of people, only three offered encouragement. One woman walked beside me and said, "you're so brave, thanks for doing this." I didn't feel brave. An African-American man took his hat off as we walked past, and said, "thank you ladies for doing this." Then another many screamed obscenities at us. The kind black man held him back and said something like, "I'm a Veteran. You don't know about war, man. These people are trying to help us." He continued to talk the guy down as we walked on. He was my hero.

    We got through it, though it took several hours to get my heart to stop racing.

    One of the most shocking things about this incident was the hostility shown toward us as women - countless sexual threats, and vulgar references to our anatomy. There were even some women out there yelling out at us, although most just watched. One elderly blue haired lady give me the finger.

    Looking back, I can't help but think that if this is George Bush's America, he can have it. I'm going to keep working on my own America.

    -Lauretta Hendricks Backus
    is a staunch Dean supporter and a member of the Women In Black anti-war organization.


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    Several upcoming events and items of interest
    • Former Missouri Supreme Court Justice, Charles Blackmar will deliver an address, “Why Missouri Needs a Moratorium on Executions” at 7:00 Wednesday evening, November 10th in the 2nd floor parish hall of the Calvary Episcopal Church at 123 S. 9th St. in downtown Columbia.

      The event, sponsored by the Mid-Missouri FOR, is free and open to the public. Justice Blackmar served for ten years on the Missouri Supreme Court, including two as Chief Justice. During that time he signed death warrants for three individuals who were ultimately executed. He also worked previously as an assistant to the Missouri Attorney General and argued in court for the death penalty in 15 cases. In recent years he has become more outspoken about his concerns with the death penalty, and the need he sees for at least a moratorium on executions and a study commission in Missouri.


    • Please note and attend our next meeting of the Columbia branch with the Missouri Moratorium Campaign, 7:00-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, 30 November in Conference Room B, Daniel Boone Regional Library. Please come for what part you can & leave when you must.


    • A couple copies of “Innocence and the Crisis in the American Death Penalty ” a 40-page report produced in October by the renowned Death Penalty Information Center, are available for checking out from the Mid-Mo FOR.

    For any of the above matters, e-mail or call Jeff at 449-4585 for more information.



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    Mid-Missouri
    Fellowship of
    Reconciliation
    P.O. Box 268
    Columbia, Missouri
    65205

    Questions about the Fellowship of Reconciliation? -- contact Jeff Stack at 573-449-4585 or jstack@no2death.org

    An appeal to conscience and purse-strings

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