From: 4:36 PM Subject: Some really good bits and piecesTo: cii@igc.org (undisclosed list) Dear friends, Here are some of the materials that were "in the pipeline", sent in by members of this list, that I was collecting up to send out to you. Coheartedly, Tom First a few URLs. http://www.coopcomm.org/compassion Compassionate Listening: An Exploratory Sourcebook About Conflict Transformation by Gene Knudsen Hoffman, Leah Green and Cynthia Monroe http://www.smh.com.au/news/0110/10/opinion/opinion4.html Defeating terrorism through dialogue, not war by Stuart Rees http://www.bonkworld.org/wtc/wtc.html Howard Zinn's powerful photo essay on responses to 911 -- a sequence of words, phrases and photos, like a short movie. http://www.znet.com a good article by Cynthia Peters of Znet discussing how to do basic social change: talking to people. _ _ _ _ ___ From: "Susan C. Strong" This is a midnight response to you re yours. That was an excellent comment by both you and Doug--the thing I have been wrestling with myself. The real question no one has answered convincingly yet is what do we do now and next, if not the war idea the Bush and the Administration have come up with, (which seems to me like a losing strategy for sure, in every sense of that word, completely aside from its dreadful and stupid brutality). One thing I am sensing right now though is that, in reality, both terrorism and a war on terrorism are in the process of being much more fully exposed as truly terrible p.r. strategies, which can never really accomplish their goals in today's climate of global media exposure. The way the U.S. is suddenly falling all over itself to get onto the all Arab station Al Jazeera shows where the real power lies now. But when U.S. officials do get on the Arab air waves and claim, in effect, that war is good for you and will do the job, they just make things worse. Most of the world's people do not believe this for one minute, and they never will. The first thing needed to get out of the mess we are all in is to dump the war on terrorism rhetoric. What we need to call for instead is a campaign to defuse terrorism. I don't know what that would look like yet myself, but I know for certain that if we can change the metaphor this way, we can all start thinking creatively again, and stop making a losing rhetoric of war into a reality that is slowly but surely sinking us in the eyes of the world, as well as of the ordinary Afghans now enduring yet another disaster, at our hands this time. So I would like to put out a challenge to everyone, the Bush government included, to spell out instead exactly what a campaign to defuse terrorism would look like, in Afghanistan, in the Middle East, in the U.S.,----wherever it is needed, and then get to work on it. I think this is our only hope, frankly. Otherwise, our world will just keep on coming apart at the seams. . . faster and faster. Susan C. Strong The Metaphor Project www.metaphorproject.org _ _ _ __ _ From: refiore@uwwvax.uww.edu And so St. George, in his shining armor, rides off to slay the dragon and expunge evil from the world....... But that image doesn't quite seem to fit. How about ------------ a blind giant swinging fiercely at a swarm of bees and knocking down anyone who happens to be in his path? We have been served notice that we are living in a new kind of world --- one in which no nation is a superpower. We can blow up the world, but we can't defend ourselves --- even with a "defense" budget bigger than those of the 15 next greatest powers combined! Despite his huge arsenal, "the emperor has no clothes." So what are the implications for us? Instead of bullying other countries, we may have to make friends with them, so that they won't feel like bombing us, or shielding weirdos who do. Instead of spending on missiles to blow them up, we may have to make some sacrifices to help them achieve a better living standard. Instead of trying to police the world ourselves, we may have to give the United Nations and the International Criminal Court the powers and funding to do that for everyone. And that may not be all bad. Everett Refior _ _ _ _ _ From: Spiritwman@aol.com If everyone, Tom, who reads your messages would send this one, or one like it, to the leaders in Washington, perhaps it would have some effect: "Your contribution and decision to bomb Afganistan does not make me feel safe. In fact, I feel even less secure than I did before Sept. 11. Find another way to contain terrorists and their acts. Murdering innocent Afghans only makes me feel sad, frustrated, and ashamed. Can't we have some national dialogue to find another way to solve this problem?" _ _ _ _ _ From: Jimmy/Joan/Noah/SunBody Hats Subject: Re: stopping the bombing and..... Dear Tom, In my humble opinion and analysis, the only way to effectively reduce the threat of more actions against the U.S. NOW, is a large-scale, genuine, heartfelt repentance and apology from the U.S. or the people of the U.S. for the atrocities we have committed. But, by my reading, the vast majority of U.S. citizens don't even understand that we have done ANYTHING wrong. As such, I don't believe there is any effective defense. Too many people all over the world, including people within the U.S., feel greatly aggrieved. It's not just el_Qauida, its not just fundamentalist Muslims. It's El Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, Chileans, Indians, Africans, Chinese, Indonesians, and on and on. Our guilt is so deep we can only turn the tide through massive repentance. Otherwise, I'm afraid, our fate is sealed. And probably the fate of the world. Jimmy Pryor _ _ _ _ QUESTIONS FOR BIN LADEN Steve Mckinney 1) what core values do you feel the world needs to use when making decisions for a peaceful and sustainable future? 2) what strengths in USA and other western cultures do you see that they could use to grow beyond their current militaristic value system? 3) what help would you offer to westerners to help them become more enlightened? how could the dialogue be facilitated? Fred Cook I think some questions about Bin Laden's view of sustainable development and how peace among the different cultures of the Central Asian region COULD be achieved might be illuminating. What does Bin Laden want to do with Caspian oil? How will it affect his family's fortunes? What is the deal around Chechnya? etc. _ _ _ _ _ From: "Jon Chance" More power for the UN? It's never been remotely democratic.... The Swiss are smart to stay as far as possible from such imperialist and self-destructive institutions. It's called Active Neutrality and Citizens Defense. [I believe in simultaneously working for more power for the UN AND a more democratic UN. I do understand Jon's concern, however, and it is one that is too seldom addressed. Jon also refers to Citizens Defense, by which he means militias. An alternative is Nonviolent Civilian-Based Defense described by Harvard's Gene Sharp, referenced below. The combination of a democratic UN and civilian-based defense constitutes an intriguing vision.... -- Tom] _ _ _ _ __ From: Jimmy/Joan/Noah/SunBody Hats Subject: Re: Ideas for more effective peace protests Dear Tom, A couple of responses to your letters: At 11:59 PM 10/17/01, you wrote: >Traditional peace movement arguments against bombing -- that it is immoral >or harms innocent people -- are probably not going to appeal very strongly >to a public that feels under attack. Be careful here about denigrating "tradition peace movement arguments". Having been steeped in nonviolence since 1968, I can attest that the reasoning and philosophies behind 'traditional peace movements' are extremely rich, complex and varied. Also, do not equate street demonstrations with 'the peace movement'. There are many, many people working in diverse ways for peace, including changing the causes for war (including terrorism and violence), and in finding more effective, nonviolenct ways of dealing with conflict. You may be surprised to learn that there are even people in the Pentagon that are interested in nonviolent conflict resolution and ways to prevent war. If you include in "traditional peace movements" the long history of nonviolent struggle, you will find that proponents of nonviolence have strongly argued that nonviolence is more effective. For example, one of the arguments for nonviolence is that people sympathize with those hurt by violence, but if violence is used in response, that sympathy dissipates. Thus, in the present case, after the attacks on the WTC and Pentagon, there was global sympathy for the victims and the U.S. in general, coming even from Iran, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. But when the U.S. began its bombing mission, that sympathy vanished and we again became the villain and enemy. >AND THIS FROM ROSA ZUBIZARRETA: > >After last Friday, I have felt some concern about the challenges we >might face in ensuring that our vigils remain peaceful. In my >opinion, those challenges are as much internal as they are external. > >Below is a description of something i saw take place on Friday. I'm >sure others have their own perspectives on what happened, as well as >on what is an appropriate response. i urge you to please read this >and respond, so that we can all learn from each other. Rosa's instincts were right on. She handled it very well. I remember in the 60's and 70's we have "peace marshals' at our rallies and demonstrations. There were volunteers from our own ranks that underwent training to learn how to deal with disruptive people - both "pro-war" folks and those that tried to turn our demonstrations violent. The training and practice are not hard to do. You simply ask for volunteers to come early or come aside for a few minutes. Then you talk about techniques for diffusing and isolating problems. The the marshals, as I recall, wore some sort of identification, maybe a white arm band. The designation and identification makes some people feel responsible for intervening and doing something should an incident arise. That doesn't mean they are the only ones, but rather designated leaders of calming action. The techniques Rosa used are quite good: engaging the opponents in dialogue: telling them you want to hear their views and listening. Also, asking the peace demonstrators to practice peace and dialogue and not fame the flames of confrontation. Figuring out ways to deal with these situations is not difficult; there is a lot of wisdom in the group. But planning for, talking about how to handle it ahead of time and designating people to take the lead in dealing with incidents is helpful. It is good to involve the entire demonstration in devoting some mindfulness to this. It will be useful not only during the demonstration, but also in daily life in dealing with challengers and provocateurs. A useful technique in a large group is to take a few minutes for people to talk in pairs or small groups, introducing themselves to each other and perhaps talking about how to deal with disruptive people. The small group interaction breaks up the "mass", the "mob", and turns it into a community. Encourage people to interact with each other throughout the demonstration in a one-to-one way. Encouraging people to form small, temporary affinity groups can help keep the group from becoming a mob. When decisions need to be made, you can have people discuss it in their small group. When you have a group of 30 or more people in a demonstration, there is a tendency for there to be 'up front' leaders that talk to the crowd. Of course, in a silent vigil, you don't want people talking, but a space can be set aside for that. For those that are not talking, there is a build-up of tension and a feeling of isolation. It helps to break this down occasionally and have people talk to each other in a small group. Tell the group to not leave anyone out. Doing this will break down the isolation and release tension. Just a few of my thoughts. Jimmy Pryor PS: The three book series by Gene Sharp published in 1973 is an excellent, practical resource for nonviolent action. It is available from Extending Horizons Books: http://www.extendinghorizons.com/ExtendingHorizonsBooks.htm The Politics of Nonviolent Action, Gene Sharp Part 1: Power and Struggle A rigorous analysis of political power, demonstrating that it derives from sources in the society. Even the power of dictators can be destroyed by withdrawal of necessary sources of cooperation. With an introduction to the technique of nonviolent action, its characteristics, history and achievements. 105 pages, 1973 Part 2: The Methods of Nonviolent Action A detailed examination of 198 specific methods of the technique — illustrated with actual cases — within the broad classes of nonviolent protest and persuasion, non-cooperation (social, economic and political) and nonviolent intervention. 368 pages, 1973 Part 3: The Dynamics of Nonviolent Action An illustrated analysis of how the technique “works” against a violent, repressive opponent. Includes discussion of the groundwork for such struggle, as well as requirements for effectiveness and reactions to repression. 480 pages, 1973 THE POLITICS OF NONVIOLENT ACTION Part Three: The Dynamics of Nonviolent Action THE POLITICS OF NONVIOLENT ACTION is a major exploration of the nature of nonviolent struggle. This unabridged edition is in three volumes: Power and Struggle, The Methods of Nonviolent Action and The Dynamics of Nonviolent Action. The Dynamics of Nonviolent Action is an illustrated analysis of how the technique “works” against a violent, repressive opponent. Includes discussion of the groundwork for such struggle, as well as requirements for effectiveness and reactions to repression. Gene Sharp, $13.95 paper, 480 pages, 1973 "...must reading for anyone interested in war and peace, whether a scholar or a citizen."-Seymour Martin Lipset, Harvard University "...a monumental piece of work...it will be a valuable contribution to the study of relations among states and to the search for valid alternative defense policies."-Colonel Donald F. Bletz, Military Review "Gene Sharp is the Clausewitz of nonviolent warfare."-Michael Ferber "...offers probably the finest treatise that has been written on the general subject of nonviolent action."-Dennis Dalton, South Asian Review "...indispensable...a work which has no parallel...a handbook of empowerment."-Walter G. Muelder, Boston University School of Theology "Already recognized as a major contribution to the growth and understanding of nonviolent action..."-Amnesty International _ _ _ _ _ _ _ From: "Marilyn Trail" Subject: Re: FW: [Fwd: Essay: How can a community fight terrorism?] Dear Tom, I returned from a 9 day trip to New York City late last night, to find your thought provoking message.... The most profound experience I want to bring back from NYC, is that the tower tragedy has seemed to stun the people and the energy field there. I could feel it as soon as I got off the plane. I felt fear, sadness, openess and compassion... I am an energetic receiver, by nature and by training. I have been to NYC probably 20 times in my life, three in the last decade.... The movement of people on the sidewalks was much slower and more graceful than usual. People smiled, and some even came up to us asking "Where are you from? Thank you so much for coming. How is your stay?" This is from total strangers. I also noticed that the clerks, even in Saks 5th Avenue, who can be snobbish and arrogant, were gracious and very accommodating. Everyone was easily slipping into the intimate mode of talking about family. Even our Northwest Airlines Pilot pointed to where his grandparents lived as we flew over Michigan. I have often mused over the concentration of energy in Manhattan, on the rock, so much buzz in the air, and how it attracts and maintains certain kinds of people who can energize themselves with that fuel, especially creative types. This event has shifted the energy, broken open so many hearts, and make the city's energy more yin, more open, more loving. It has turned New Yorkers into villagers. _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ From Doug Stewart: PROGRAM PROPOSAL RENESAN LECTURE SERIES Spring, 2002 "GROUND ZERO" Performers respond to the changed world we find ourselves in since September 11th, 2001 The performers of Standing Room Only (SRO) would like to propose the following 2-hour program as a component of the Spring 2002 Renesan Lecture Series. It reflects the mood, spirit, anxieties, patriotism, and memories of an American world that may never be quite the same following the events of September 11, 2001. THE PROGRAM: The program consists of two major interrelated components, each about an hour in length: 1. A variety show format featuring poetry, music, readings, and drama, much of it original work by the performers. 2. A musical salute to the music arising out of our nation's armed conflicts, featuring the live music of The Banded Geckos, one of the Southwest's premier folk music groups. SPECIFICS: "Ground Zero" is a program of short theatrical pieces that look at how the events of Sept. 11 affected humanity - not just Americans but the people of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the world. "Where Were You When?" is part of the theme that offers an emotional outlet for performers and audience alike. "Afghanistan Before the Taliban" gives context and background to deepen our understanding of a people we know so little about, and "Why Do They Hate Us?" attempts to deepen our understanding of ourselves as Americans and what we represent to the rest of the world. There is music, poetry, sing-along(s), magic, and drama to provide a balanced experience of the gravity of one of this country's worst tragedies. "America-At-War Sings" traces the music we sang during our periods of wartime, from the Revolutionary War to the present, including several audience sing-alongs. This segment provides an entertaining and historical look at our culture's musical response to being at war, from the simple tunes of Revolutionary times to the complexity of protest songs in the Vietnam era and beyond to the present. Doug Stewart, Stewart@rt66.com Standing Room Only (SRO) "Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th Century Afghan poet Doug Stewart * One Cerrado Court, Santa Fe, NM 87508 * 505-466-4724 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ From the GPC (Global Peace Campaign) mailing list: "Jo Tuffnell" Dear friends I too am feeling very vulnerable and am so committed to staying open to my heart and not close down. I've never taken so many risks nor dared to explore the depths of my being in order to touch the love that can embrace all. This morning I listened to the radio and found myself crying my eyes out for the family of the Taliban that had their ten year old killed. I carried on cooking soup for my girls and found that the sadness transformed into compassion. My emotions are strong waves that each have a message for me, some days I long for rest and time off. Yet I have four weeks until the documentary I am making will become public. It will show the dialogue between me and the ex IRA man who killed my Dad. and show us building a bridge together. I still have much to do and feel I have so many inner battles still going on. Yet there are so many miracles and I know the Universe is looking after me, so many synchronicities and I know I can trust. I finally shared with my stepmum who herself was injured in the bomb and buried for hours that I had met the man who killed her husband and we would be on TV together. After months of struggling I found it flowed and she told me things she has not told a soul since the bomb. How she was arguing with him as the bomb went of and how she heard him die I find that deeply painful and I reflect on how many more people are being heard dying in Afghanistan. What is this world doing? So I dive deeper into my pain embracing my inner terrorist and embrace my inner victim,and find the power of love, the strength of knowing that the cycle of pain and violence can be broken and I renew my commitment to do everything I can. The day ends with hearing my child's rabbit dying and holding my child as she screams her pain. No the day ends with me tuning in to all of you and knowing we are all having our battles and at this very challenging time we need each other. I am stronger for being part of this network . I have new friends now who give me so much support. Thank you especially Paul. I do feel blessed in many ways For peace and a love that can transform the world Jo _ _ _ _ _ _ Below is Rosa Zubizarreta's 911 Community Conversations Project material : Toward a Deeper Unity: The Community Conversations project The Community Conversations project is a response to the 911 tragedy. It is also a broader, ongoing effort to address the various challenges faced by our society. Vision Statement Our purpose is to generate greater understanding in our communities by creating shared listening spaces where we can explore issues that affect us all, honor divergent perspectives, find common ground, and generate creative solutions to shared problems. Activities 1) Sharing information and resources on how each of us can help generate transformational conversations in our families, workplaces, neighborhoods, etc. 2) Hosting information tables in public places, as a way to let folks know about the project, offer information and resources, and invite participation. 3) Connecting folks who are skilled in creating safe conversational spaces with groups and organizations who would like help in hosting such events for their members. 4) Working towards large, public Community Conversations, sponsored by a variety of organizations and held in public spaces such as libraries and community colleges. 5) Leading workshops for activists and community organizers on heart-centered listening, inquiry, dialogue, and facilitation skills. 6) Offering support and collaboration to others who are doing similar work. Your input, participation, and contributions to this project are most welcome, including information about similar efforts happening locally. Contact information: Rosa Zubizarreta 707-578-6650 rosalegria@igc.org The Community Conversations Project is a member of 911 World Solutions: Sonoma County Peace and Justice Coalition. More about the Community Conversations project How can conversation help? Isn't it "just talk and no action"? We know that certain kinds of conversation can help create deeper understanding between people - not just in small groups, but in larger groups as well. One of the silver linings of the 911 tragedy may be the opportunity to bring healing to some of the long-standing divisions within our society, and generate a deeper sense of unity among us all. Talking about this issue with family and friends doesn't seem to helpŠ Sometimes it's hardest to talk about charged issues with the people to whom we are closest, especially if we do not have an appropriate container for the conversation. Having an agreed-upon format can be very helpful - for example, a talking circle where each person can be heard without interruption. Or, having a "designated listener" present. Isn't this all very idealistic ? In the famous words of John Lennon, "you may say that I'm a dreamer, but I know I'm not aloneŠ" There are various initiatives taking place around the country, designed to help people initiate constructive conversations on this (and other) topics. Some of the most prominent are listed below: RESOURCES 1) The New Road Map Foundation has put together a web page for people who would like to host "Conversation Cafés". The purpose of their effort is, in part: "To offer simple, safe, comfortable ways for people of varying views to take part in deepening conversations in public settings about September 11Š" For more info, visit http://www.newroadmap.org/conversation-cafes.asp 2) The Study Circles Resource Center has developed a new discussion guide for folks who would like to lead a study circle on the subject of the Sept. 11 tragedy. It is called "Facing the Future: How Should We Respond to the Attacks on Our Nation?", and is available at their web site at http://www.studycircles.com/pages/americaresponds.html. 3) Tom Atlee of the Co-Intelligence Institute wrote a list of simple questions on that anyone can use to invite inquiry and dialogue around 911, along with some suggestions on how to use the questions. This list can be found at http://awakening.to/cii.html There are many other suggestions and resources available for those who wish to apply the tools of empathy, listening, inquiry, dialogue, etc., to the work at hand, including the website of the Center for Non-Violent Communication http://www.cnvc.org. Part of the work of the Community Conversations project is to compile and share these kinds of information, so please let us know of any other resources we can include! _ _ _ _ _ From Randy Shutt: From: VeganBoi@aol.com If the International Criminal Court were up and running, this terrorist attack and serious violation of territorial integrity that the U.S. has suffered would be a perfect case to take to it. But, although almost every country in the world has signed on to it, it's *not* up and running. Why? Because the U.S. continues to withhold its critical support unless (get this) the U.S. military is exempt from its jurisdiction. And we wonder why people around the world view the United States as an arrogant bully. >From what I've seen, there's almost nothing about the International Criminal Court and U.S. obstruction of it in the U.S. mainstream/corporate media, so that few people in the U.S. have even heard about it. The last vote of the Internation Court was 14 to 2 against the US incident in Lebanon. The US has dismissed the court ever since. ________________________________ Tom Atlee * The Co-Intelligence Institute * PO Box 493 * Eugene, OR 97440 http://www.co-intelligence.org * http://www.democracyinnovations.org Please support our work. * Your donations are fully tax-deductible.