Add Your Name for Ending War, Pursuing Nuclear Disarmament and Creating a Peace Economy.

Here in mid-Missouri the Peace Community has a tradition that dates back to 1961. Every year, on August 6, the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, we publish an ad in the Columbia Tribune calling for peace with justice and disarmament. This effort was initiated and sustained for decades by John Schuder, who recently passed away, and the local Fellowship of Reconciliation. Peaceworks has shared responsibility for putting the ad together for the past 26 years.

Each year, in recent times, more than 1,000 people have asked to have their names included. And, while no specific contribution is required, signers have been generous enough to allow us to purchase a full page ad in the paper.

This year, we will once again publish such a statement. We would really appreciate you adding your name and perhaps giving what you can to help fund this effort. You can sign by stopping by the Peace Nook. Alternatively, you can download and print out a petition form, put your name on it, collect the signatures of family members, friends, co-workers, etc. and then return the petition form to us.

The form is available to be printed on either 11" (letter size) or 14" (legal size) paper. The latter allows for collecting more names on a sheet, but many people don't have this size paper, so we make both available.

To download the 14-inch version, please CLICK HERE.

To download the 11-inch version, please CLICK HERE.

Please return these to us ASAP and absolutely no later than July 25. They can be dropped off at the Peace Nook or mailed to Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, 804-C E. Broadway, Columbia, MO 65201.  Checks can be made to Peaceworks. Please note "signature ad" on the memo line. Sorry, but we cannot take names for the ad by phone or e-mail. 

Peace Economy Now

On April 17, Tax Day, Peaceworks activists held a noon-hour Speakout for a Peace Economy at the Columbia Post Office. We were also present from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. giving out many hundreds of leaflets to folks who'd come to the Post Office to file their taxes.

Our message was not anti-tax, but rather Fair Taxes in the context of an economy that works for all, a Peace Economy. 

We discussed the benefits of investing in people and infrastructure, making our economy more productive. We also pointed out the negative impacts on the economy of virtually permanent war.  

We also discussed distribution, pointing out that virtually all the gains in the economy over the past three decades have gone to the wealthy, leaving us with the most skewed distribution of income and wealth since the 1920s. This is not just unfair, it's also bad economics. 

Finally, we spoke out clearly regarding the impacts of imposing austerity. We pointed out that not only does this unfairly punish the majority of our population, but it is also a prescription for a prolonged stagnant economy. 

Clearly, there is a need for activism to promote ending the wars and building a prosperous, sustainable future for us and our children. This is what a Peace Economy is all about. 

Watch Videos of Our Speakout! 

You can watch six short videos of our Tax Day event. Start with Part 1 by clicking here:

You can access the other five parts on our YouTube page if you CLICK HERE. 

Prosperity, Not Austerity--Peace Economy Campaign Kicks into Higher Gear.

Peaceworks is gearing up our "2012, Year of the Peace Economy" campaign, reaching out to our fellow citizens with a major push to raise concerns both on Tax Day and Earth Day. We aim to enhance the public's understanding of what a Peace Economy is and why redirecting and restructuring our economy is essential to our economic recovery and future prosperity.

In tandem, we are pressing for a rejection of the largely bipartisan push for austerity. Rather, we favor adequate, progressive taxation and full funding of programs that benefit and invest in our people, as well as infrastructure investments. 

Making deep cuts in the bloated Pentagon budget, ensuring we are spending for our defense, not for global hegemony, and targeting spending to where it does the most good, we can move forward to build a strong, full-employment Peace Economy.

Want to learn more? We encourage you to CLICK HERE to download a copy of our new Peace Economy leaflet. Feel free, even encouraged, to print copies of this to share with friends. If you need a quantity, feel free to contact us, and we can supply you.


We also have, thanks to the work of our very talented Graphic Design Coordinator, Kim Dill, produced a five-panel (each 11" x 17") Peace Economy display for use at events. We are also posting this where you can access it. Just CLICK HERE to get to a PDF including all five panels. Anyone who shares our Peace Economy goals and would like to display this is most welcome to print copies and use them in outreach efforts.

If you'd like to get more involved in our Peace Economy advocacy, we invite your participation. Contact us by phone at 573-875-0539 or write us at mail@midmopeaceworks.org.

Join Us! Become a Peaceworks Member or Renew Your Membership Now

It's membership time for Peaceworks. We urge you to consider the importance of the work we do and to give as generously as you can. Please take just a minute to CLICK HERE and download a PDF of our new membership letter. Great pics and it really let's you know a lot more about what we stand for and the work we do.