by WebPost | Dec 25, 2015 | Peace and Social Concerns
Submitted by Betsy Brinson & Curt Torrell
The decision to allow women to serve in all combat roles by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on December3, 2015 should be enough to reverse Rostker v. Goldberg, the Supreme Court decision upholding women not required to sign up for Selective Service. That ruling was based on the Pentagon policy that excluded women in combat. It has been tested in the 90’s by Clinton and Congress yet reaffirmed many times since for the same reason.
Revisiting this would mean either a new Selective Service law or a new case brought before the Supreme Court, neither of which is likely to happen before Presidential elections. A case would be strengthened by the fact that Solomon and Thurmond amendments (denial of federal and state education loans, jobs and training) plus required SS registration to get a state driver’s license are imposed only on men.
The decision to open up all military positions to women complicates the issue even more. Women now presumably will be subject to draft. In Virginia when you get a driver’s license at age 16, your name is given to Selective Service. Most people do not even realize this is what they are doing when they apply for a license. If there is a draft and one gets notice, you only have about nine days to get an appeal together. This is why the Quaker House program to document now is so important to our peace testimony.
by WebPost | Oct 21, 2015 | Children and Religious Education, Peace and Social Concerns, Topics
The RE Committee’s sale of unique peace-themed t-shirts for the International Day of Peace in September raised over $300 for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Thank you so much for your generous support of this organization. Should you wish to contribute to them directly or learn more about their mission, their US website is www.doctorswithoutborders.org.
by WebPost | Oct 21, 2015 | Peace and Social Concerns, Topics
Last year Peace and Social Concerns conducted a blood drive at the Meetinghouse during June. Twenty three donations were collected. However, a close evaluation of the donor list suggested RFM may not be large enough to sustain such in-house collections. Twenty five percent of the 2014 donors were from outside our Meeting. As a result, P&SC is now encouraging Friends who are able to donate to do so during the month of October by going to the Virginia Blood Services donation Center. The Center address is 2825 Emerywood Parkway, which is located about one quarter mile west of the Glenside-Broad Street intersection on the south side of Broad Street.
When donating, Friends should submit the code 3149 which will allow P&SC to track how many donations are given during our October drive and we will learn whether future blood drives could be, once again, conducted at the Meetinghouse. For additional information about donor eligibility and appointments [walk-ins are allowed], Call 359-5100 or 213-4105.
by WebPost | Sep 26, 2015 | Peace and Social Concerns
The following report was submitted by Tom Ilmensee, a member of Meeting, who now lives with his family in Budapest. It was written in the first week of September.
Tonight my daughter Iris and I walked to Keleti station, the transport terminal in Budapest that is currently home to thousands of refugees from Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan.
Iris carried a huge bag of apples and oranges (we nearly cleared the inventory at the market). I carried another huge bag with juice boxes, granola bars, candies and toys.
We met families. Mothers who smiled at us with their eyes. Fathers who beamed with pride. Children who laughed and said “thank you.” Old people who — despite their weariness — seemed to us the strongest people on earth.
The fruit went fast. And each piece we handed out was met with kind smiles and heartfelt thanks.
The juice was very popular. Such relief in the eyes of each person who approached us. These are 89 HUF orange juice boxes — and they were like little miracles to the families who got them.
The granola bars went fast. We handed them out like batons at a relay race.
The fruity candy went to kids between 5–16. Or to their mothers with a wink from me — meaning that I understood they may come in handy later.
The toys! My friend Lacika predicted we would be swarmed. And we were. I have never seen such delight over a tiny plastic tiger.
Iris and I waded through the tent city under the station on the Metro level. It’s stuffy. And filthy. And buzzing with love. Above ground, under the lights of the international media we stood amongst the protestors. A banner was carried high: “We want peace.” Someone waved a Hungarian flag nearby.
A family of six sat on the ground about five meters from the train terminal. The mother begged her 6-year old to stop hitting her on the head with a pink balloon. The eight-year old tickled the two-year old. Dad wandered from their camp to the protest zone.
A buffed and polished reporter stood poised with his microphone. A boy about 5 walked over with a sign made from a pizza box: “Help us save our children from homelessness.” The camera guy pointed the camera at the reporter, but his eyes were on the kid.
If you’re able, support a family at Keleti — and anywhere else refugee families are camped. Let them know there’s love for them as they travel along the strange and often lonely road.
by WebPost | Sep 26, 2015 | Peace and Social Concerns
The Other Tennessee. “I never knew anybody who really got active because of guilt. Everybody white that I know that’s got involved in this struggle got into it because they glimpsed a different world to live in… Human beings have always been able to envision something better… All through history there have been people who have envisioned something better in the most dire situations. That’s what you want to be a part of.” Anne Braden, quoted in the Facebook page, “The Other Tennessee,” (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Other-Tennessee/464461963762234).
The Other Tennessee is part of a regional online campaign of Southerners stepping up against hate and racism in response to both Black liberation movement on the move and the presence of hate groups in our towns and cities. We’re building on and expanding the white anti-racist tradition in the South. See the coalition’s full statement at http://surjnashville.org/get-involved/the-other-tennessee/”
Serena Williams. I asked how winning felt for her. I was imagining winning as a free space, one where the unconscious racist shenanigans of umpires, or the narratives about her body, her ‘‘unnatural’’ power, her perceived crassness no longer mattered. Unless racism destroyed the moment of winning so completely, as it did at Indian Wells, I thought it had to be the rare space free of all the stresses of black life. But Serena made it clear that she doesn’t desire to dissociate from her history and her culture. She understands that even when she’s focused only on winning, she is still representing. ‘‘I play for me,’’ Serena told me, ‘‘but I also play and represent something much greater than me. I embrace that. I love that. I want that. So ultimately, when I am out there on the court, I am playing for me.’’
Because just as important to me as her victories is her willingness to be an emotionally complete person while also being black. She wins, yes, but she also loses it. She jokes around, gets angry, is frustrated or joyous, and on and on. She is fearlessly on the side of Serena, in a culture that that has responded to living while black with death. — From The New York Times Magazine, August 25, 2015, “The Meaning of Serena Williams: On tennis and black excellence,” by Claudia Rankine.
— The Baltimore-Area Working Group on Racism usually meets 7 – 9 pm on the 2nd Sunday of the month in the Stony Run dining room. We consider issues around racial justice, share personal experiences, and plan and host special events. All are welcome to attend.
by WebPost | Aug 24, 2015 | Peace and Social Concerns
In our exploration of the Israel Palestinian conflict we have learned of the destruction and theft of olive trees as part of the Israeli process of taking Palestinian land. We feel that one small way to help is to buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil that is produced by Palestinians. Olive oil from Palestine meets standards for organic. PSC committee plans to buy a case of extra virgin olive oil from Zatoun because 25% of the profit goes directly to the farmer and also uses some of the proceeds to help education, establish small businesses, etc.
We are hoping that enough people in meeting will be interested in buying this product to make our effort worthwhile. To learn more about Zatoun, see their website at zatoun.com.
The price is $20/750ml bottle, including shipping. It would be helpful to know of your interest so we can order an appropriate amount. You can email Verna Boos at hlaford@juno.com to place an order ahead of time. We will also have a small number of bottles to sell at meeting without prior order.
