The Fredonia Potter's Co-op will be raising funds for the Chautauqua County Rural Ministry's Friendly Kitchen on Saturday December 6 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.  This effort is to help feed the hungry, as attendees buy homemade soup in handmade bowls, which they can keep.  Bowls will range in price from $10.00 to $30.00.  The event will be held at St. John's United Church of Christ, 733 Central Ave. in Dunkirk.  (Parking is at the rear entrance on Eagle St.)

CPJ member Dan O'Rourke writes a regular column for the Dunkirk Observer.  The following, "Peace and War - and Peace Poles," was published on October 9. 2008

A few weeks ago I participated in a peace walk and rededication of the peace pole on campus of the local university. A peace pole is a handcrafted monument carrying the multi-language message and prayer: “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”  There are more than 200,000 Peace Poles on every continent in different countries around the world.  They link the human family with one another and are reminders to work and pray for peace.

Peace poles can be found in town squares, parks or places of worship. There is, however,  no more fitting place to erect one, than at a university which fosters studies bridging the human family.  The university teaches foreign languages, history, philosophy, political science and psychology. Wherever the location, however, the pole makes it a holy place dedicated to peace.

Peace poles have been planted at the Pyramids in Egypt, at the Magnetic North Pole in Canada, in places of conflict like Sarajevo and the Allenby Bridge between Israel and Jordan.  President Jimmy Carter and Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa have dedicated them, but so have many ordinary people interested in world peace.

Let’s think about the peace to which the poles point -- and conversely to the wars they seek to prevent.  I write here about war not wars. I want us to reflect about peace and war itself and what down through history some insightful men and women have believed.

Let’s start with Jesus. When he said to Peter, “Put your sword back into his place: for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52), he was also speaking to the nations.  George Bernard Shaw agreed.  He warned that, “Nations are like bees; they cannot kill except at the cost of their own lives.”

Moreover, the wonderfully versatile author Wendell Berry, has observed, “Wars never end, really.  “The Crusades aren’t quiet over yet.  Our Civil War certainly isn’t over.” Berry is right, of course, wars continue long after the surrender documents are signed and the ceasefire enforced.  The two wars he cites are powerful examples for in subtle ways they still continue.

This is not to denigrate the contribution of our military men and women, but as the Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick said in the exclusive language of his day, “The tragedy of war is that it uses man’s best to do man’s worst.”  Listen too to Rev. Martin Luther King. "Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows." Hasn’t history given us many depressing examples of that?

On September 14, Judy Shepard, mother of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard, spoke at SUNY Fredonia as part of its "Human Rights: With Liberty and Justice for All?" convocation series.  After Mrs. Shepard's presentation, CPJ member Dan O'Rourke wrote the following for his regular column in the Dunkirk Observer.  This was published on September 25, 2008.

 “Prejudice against Gays and Lesbians”

CPJ member Dan O'Rourke writes a regular column in the Dunkirk Observer.   The following, "Sarah Palin: Who? Why? When?" was published on September 11, 2008.

As the whole world knows by now Sarah Palin, the former mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage, and Governor of Alaska is the candidate of the Republican Party for Vice President of the United States.  An attractive, plainspoken self-defined hockey mom, her speech at the Republican convention energized her audience of true believers.  It had them leaping to their feet cheering wildly.  She brought excitement and passion to John McCain’s dull and listless campaign.

 

But what do we really know about her?  Her talk carefully crafted by the McCain campaign staff and skillfully delivered from a teleprompter told us little.  We learned about her appealing family, of course, but her lists of accomplishment, such as her on-again, off-again opposition to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere, her implication that she sold the former governor’s jet on eBay, the nature of her opposition to the oil companies in Alaska, her hiring of Washington lobbyists to bring home pork to Wasilla has raised many eyebrows and questions.  Up to now, however, she has been shielded from the public and press like a contagious patient in an intensive care unit.

 

Republican strategists are quick to accuse anyone in the media who raises disturbing questions of gender bias. There is, however, a lot to investigate. Palin’s allegedly vindictive termination of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, because he would not fire state trooper Michael Wooten, ex- husband of Palin’s sister, is currently under bipartisan investigation by the Alaska Legislature. The Associate Press has reported that Palin attended five different colleges in six years before graduating in 1987 from the University of Idaho.  Why did she change colleges so often?  When Mayor of Wasilla, she attempted to ban books in the local library.  The town librarian Mary Ellen Emmons now Baker resisted; Palin tried unsuccessfully to remove her. What were the titles of those books? Rumors are bouncing all over the Internet. I hope the threats and bluster of the McCain campaign will not intimidate the media from investigating all this – and more.

 

Let me say clearly, though, what Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton and every woman know: there is a double standard for men and women especially when they run for high office. No one would ever question a male candidate like Barack Obama on how he would be able to perform the duties of his office and at the same time take care of his young children. The criticisms of Palin that she would be neglecting her Down Syndrome baby or her pregnant teenaged daughter clearly reflect this bias.

 

To his credit Obama has stated that the children of candidates should be a campaign no-no.  I thought his comments were pitch perfect. “Let me be as clear as possible. I think people’s families are off-limits, and people’s children especially off-limits. This shouldn’t be part of our politics.  It has no relevance to Governor Palin’s performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president.”

 

But why did McCain choose her as his running mate?  Many suspect it was a desperation move to galvanize the dispirited Republican base. (It has clearly worked.)  But did McCain actually think she was qualified to be Vice President of the United States of America?  (I doubt it. Don’t you?)

 

Two high ranking Republicans, speechwriter Peggy Noonan and McCain strategist Mike Murphy were caught criticizing Palin as they kept talking after an NBC interview when they thought the mike was dead. Murphy said the choice of Palin was cynical. Noonan who had previously praised Palin in print said, “It’s over,” and added “Most qualified?  No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bull****.” After her comments surfaced, Noonan apologized for her barnyard language and said her “it’s over” comment was taken out of context.

 

Political candor is rare.  I guess it takes an unsuspected open mike to tell us what politicians really think.  Whenever I hear political professionals twist and spin the facts, I think of Lyndon Johnson who said, “A good politician can make chicken salad out of chicken****.” Johnson like Noonan spoke the same barnyard vernacular -- and they both were right.

 

We’ve heard a lot of that vernacular about Governor Palin and her thorough vetting by John McCain.  The McCain campaign has adamantly refused to answer any more questions about her vetting. Apparently, McCain only had met her twice, was charmed by her personality and maverick nature and impulsively picked her as his running mate. No one at Palin’s many colleges, for example, remembers being contacted in any vetting process.  Neither do any officials in the Alaska State legislature.  What does this say about McCain’s character? NY Times columnist Frank Rich has answered that, “His [McCain’s] decision making process is impetuous and, in its Bush-like preferences for gut instinct over facts, potentially reckless.”

 

Instead of gushing over Sarah Palin and hailing her like the messiah coming to Washington, we should withhold final judgment and let the press do its work.  I personally think her choice has been a disaster for an election based on the issues but when the McCain campaign discharges her from her isolation ward and allows her to answer questions from ABC ‘s Charles Gibson later this week, we should know more.  That is if Gibson has not agreed in advance to limit his questioning and to avoid hot-button topics.

 

We will see. I’d like Palin to appear on Face the Nation and Meet the Press as Obama, McCain and Biden often have. Then the press could do the vetting which the McCain campaign has failed to do. Until then her good looks, her folksy demeanor, or her appealing family should not seduce us.

 

Daniel O'Rourke is a married Catholic priest. Retired from the administration at SUNY Fredonia, he lives in Cassadaga, NY.  His column appears in the Observer, Dunkirk, NY on the second and fourth Thursday each month. He has published "The Spirit at Your Back," a book of previous columns. You may purchased it or send comments to orourke@netsync.net.

CPJ member Dan O'Rourke submitted the following letter to the Buffalo News, which was published in the March 4, 2008 issue:

Dear Editor,

Congratulations to the Buffalo News (2/25/08) and to Charity Vogel  for her courage in spotlighting the horrors female inmates suffer in our prisons.

I hope the Buffalo News will continue to shed light on the treatment  of the incarcerated. I once worked in prisons and know the difficult job correction officers have, but I also know that they, like all  with controlling authority over others, are tempted to abuse that  authority. Like some educators, clergy, psychologists and doctors,  some guards delude themselves into believing they can misuse those in  their care for their own purpose and pleasure.  In a horrible  perversion, they can debase and abuse those they are meant to protect  and help.

Senator Hubert Humphrey once said that the quality of a society "is  measured by how it treats those in the dawn of life, in the dusk of  life, and most importantly in the shadow of life.” These women are in  the shadows of life. What does their treatment say about the quality  of our society?

 Daniel O’Rourke
8002 Frisbee Road
Casadaga, NY 14718
595-2704

Please see the "Links" link at the left side of the screen to see some newly recommended resources. 

- Every Weds. evening, 4:00 pm - War Resisters League holds a weekly anti-war and counter recruitment picket at the Armed Forces Recruitment Center Downtown Buffalo, in the square near the library – need support.  (Mostly on Wednesdays, but the day is subject to change.)  It is almost always at 4:00 pm. To confirm contact Louis at louis@pce.net or 716-881-3546

DFCPJ has supported the work of Dr. Tom Potts, a dentist who has volunteered for many years to help the poor in Chiapas, Mexico.  In October 2006, he and Dr. Bill Jungles gave a presentation at a DFCPJ meeting about the dental clinic in Chiapas.   The following was received from Dr. Potts on December 22, 2007:

Chiapas Dental Clinic Update

The Latin American Solidarity Committee (a task force of the Western New York Peace Center) has been operating a dental clinic in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico for the last 20 years.  In the beginning the clinic served primarily emergency needs, with the majority of services oriented toward the treatment of infections and extractions.  Subsequently, we have enlarged our services and now deliver a full complement of restorative services (fillings).

This year about 75% of our services have been oriented toward saving teeth rather  than extractions.  This represents a major change in the nature of the services and an improvement in our ability to deliver a higher quality of health to this impoverished community.  This year also was the first time that we have provided for root canal treatments, and this was only possible because of the X-ray machine installed in 2005 by one of your members (Bill Stock).

A Mexican dentist is at the clinic on Saturdays throughout the year, while I am there for five days a week usually for the months of November and February.  However, this year we plan to start helping a clinic in El Sauce, Nicaragua in February, and for that reason I'll only be in Chiapas for a week.

The clinic in Nicaragua is currently only doing extractions, so we hope to accomplish some improvements in the equipment and services there as well.  This work is only possible because of the generous donations to the Dental Clinic Project by many individuals and groups like the Dunkirk-Fredonia Peace and Justice Center.   Thanks again for your generous help!

Elia Mihou, Executive Director of the Western New York Peace Center since August, was featured in the Tuesday November 20 issue of the Buffalo News.   For the next few days, it can be read at no charge by going to http://buffalonews.com and clicking on the Archives link. 

Three truckloads of materials and $500 were donated during the CPJ's July 2007 Nicarauguan Appeal.   Each year, CPJ organizes a collection to help the impoverished people of the Central American country.  This effort is led by Ann Marie Zon, a Catholic social worker who spends several months each year at a mission in Nicaragua.  Thanks to all who donated!

CPJ is donating $140 to Rural Ministry in honor of the organization's 40th anniversary.    

Headquartered in Dunkirk, Rural Ministry has provided the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter to the less fortunate and those in crisis situations.  Some have lost jobs, some face personal crises, some have come to harvest crops but do not find work, some are subjects of abuse, neglect, government reductions, or deteriorating health.   See http://www.ccrm.netsync.net/ for more information

Each year, DFCPJ collects items and funds to help the poor in Nicaragua, coordinating with the leadership of Ann Marie Zon, a Catholic social worker who works several months of the year at a mission in Nicaraugua.  (DFCPJ will again have  a drive this July.)  The following is from a recent note Ann Marie wrote to DFCPJ, thanking the group for its help:

My Dear-Most Faithful Friends,

You are so very much a part of Nicaragua and our efforts for the people there.  To be honest, you are most important to our projects - our work. 

We put the sum total of the funds you collected into digging wells - getting water for mission settlements that do not have the luxury of having water close at hand.

You can't even come close to imagining what this has done for the three areas - for all those people.  For them, it is like being given a gift that never ends.  We are presently installing the pumps so the projects are complete!

Thank you again and again.  We can only ask Our Lord, who used water in so many of His miracles, to bless each and all of you for every drop you've offered to  others.

--Ann Marie Zon

At its May 28 meeting, CPJ decided to contribute $100 to Church World Service for its effort to help those suffering from the genocidal crisis in Darfur, Sudan. 

Recently, CPJ donated $100 to the Agnes Safe House in Jamestown, which provides a safe haven for women who are affected by violence.

In conjunction with their recent week-long effort to raise awareness about the crisis in Darfur, students at SUNY Fredonia raised funds to benefit Doctors Without Borders.  In March, CPJ donated $25 to this cause. 

On Sunday January 28, Daniel O'Rourke was the guest speaker at the service of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northern Chautauqua in Fredonia.  The title of Dan's presentation was "Peace is Relationships," a variation on Louise Diamond's insight that peace is connections.  Among others, Dan cites Eckhart Tolle, the author of The Power of Now, who said that if the present collective madness continues, it is unlikely that our planet will survive another hundred years. >> Read the entire text of Dan's speech, "Peace is Relationships".

At the January 11, 2007 CPJ meeting, members voted to donate $50 to Iraq Veterans Against the War, and $100 to the scholarship fund of the Dunkirk-Fredonia branch of the NAACP, in commemoration of Martin Luther King's birthday.

The following Letter to the Editor, written by CPJ member Dan O'Rourke, was published in the January 6, 2007 issue of the Buffalo News (title was provided by the News):

"Bush must not rush into a war with Iran"
Dear Editor:
President Bush is proud of his reputation as a decider. What then has taken him so long to decide on “a new way forward” in Iraq?  Part of the delay probably is that many of his generals have opposed his escalation of troops levels. But I have another concern.  Does the President intend to take the spotlight off his politically unpopular troop surge with an announcement of a military strike against Iran’s nuclear program?  Such a decision would be disastrous.  It would unite the Muslim world even more fiercely against us. Admittedly Iran’s President Ahmadinejad deliberately provokes us.  He calls for the destruction of Israel.  He sponsors conferences for Holocaust deniers.  He flaunts the United Nations.  But patience not a military strike is America’s best policy. Ahmadinejad’s party has already lost support in local elections. Students have jeered him publicly. Iran’s state-run television has reported this. The Iranian people recognize his extremism.  He will self-destruct.  We do not have to destroy him militarily.

Daniel O’Rourke

CPJ member Nancy Stock attended the October 10 Phyllis Bennis lecture co-sponsored by the Western New York Peace Center held at the University of Buffalo.  (See the "Previous Events" section of the DFCPJ website for more information.)  Nancy wrote the following after hearing Ms. Bennis: