Send Climate Action Messages to Sen. McCaskill & President Obama

As we've recently shared, (see our post of 4/5/13 HERE) we are very disappointed by the lack of support for any specific actions to address the climate crisis on the part of Sen. McCaskill. This, combined with her consistent support for the very technologies that are fueling climate change, means she's paying lip service to climate concerns, but supporting continued expansion of fossil fuel extraction and use, and thus is supporting action that will worsen, not alleviate, our problems.

Claire McCaskill is not alone in doing this. While President Obama

has supported some green energy initiatives and a few modest steps regarding carbon emission, notably improved CAFE standards for autos, his so-called "All of the Above" energy strategy is really a non-strategy. His support for fracking for gas and oil, tar sands oil, more coal and off-shore drilling is a recipe for climate disaster. And his support for new nuclear plants, a dangerous, expensive diversion that fails the tests of effectively addressing the climate crisis in a timely, affordable manner.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!  We are working to get a message to Sen. McCaskill and also to the President expressing our concerns. We've printed cards addressed to these two officials and plan to hand deliver a large quantity to the Senator's office in the near future, and to mail a large packet to the President.

We are asking you to either stop by the Peace Nook to fill out cards to each, or to download the PDF of the cards, print copies, sign them and bring them or mail them to us, so we can include these with our delivery.

You can find the cards by clicking HERE. When you get to that page, just click the download arrow under the word "File" in the upper left of your screen. The cards are four-to-a-sheet so you can cut them up and ask friends, family etc. to join in signing.

You can bring them by the Peace Nook or mail the cards to us at: Peaceworks, 804-C E. Broadway, Columbia, MO 65201. Please do so ASAP. Many thanks.

Sen. McCaskill: We Need You to Take Action on the Climate Crisis.

Climate change is real. We have all seen its impact already. It constitutes a major threat to our security. The draft National Climate Assessment (NCA), a joint project of 240 scientists representing 13 Federal agencies, was released in January. It begins with the following:

“Climate change is already affecting the American people. Certain types of weather events have become more frequent and/or intense including heat waves heavy downpours and in some regions floods and droughts. Sea level is rising, oceans are becoming more acidic and glaciers and arctic sea ice are melting. These changes are part of the pattern of global climate change, which is primarily driven by human activity.”

Peaceworks members have repeatedly visited Sen. Claire McCaskill’s office to speak with her staff

and share our concerns about the climate crisis. We’ve explained that addressing the climate is necessary for Real Security. We brought copies of the NCA and asked, repeatedly, what the Senator is proposing to do to address this existential concern.

On our most recent visit, March 14, 2013, we were once again told by the staff member meeting with us that she did not know Sen. McCaskill’s position on climate change, but she did know that Claire supported the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline.

We asked for an answer to our question from the Senator’s DC office and, on March 20, we received a brief e-mail from her staff member Cindy Hall that stated:  
“At this time, Sen. McCaskill does not have a specific agenda involving Climate Change, and she won’t have one beyond what Allison spoke with you about last week.” (That is, that she supports K-XL.)

We found this to be a rather shocking admission. For a United States Senator to not take a position or support any particular actions to address what is arguably the gravest threat to our future is, we believe, unacceptable.

We are asking you to join us in urging Claire McCaskill to embrace an agenda that will promote the rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This entails moving away, as rapidly as possible, from fossil fuels and taking steps to dramatically increase both energy efficiency and the use of clean, sustainable renewable energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal energy. It also requires that we not make misplaced investments in dirty energy infrastructure, including pipelines, refineries, off-shore drilling, fracking wells, gas terminals, etc.

Please CLICK HERE  to send a message to Sen. McCaskill today.

Gather for Peace—Iraq War 10th Anniversary Peace Gathering**

On Wednesday, March 20, 2013, we invite you to join us as we gather to mark the tenth anniversary of the tragic U.S. war on Iraq. This unprovoked war of aggression led to the loss of many hundreds of thousands—perhaps more than a million—lives. Many more were wounded physically and psychologically. 

While the Iraqis bore the brunt of the losses, thousands of U.S. troops also perished, tens of thousands were physically wounded and hundreds of thousands traumatized by the horrors of war. Many here and in Iraq suffer greatly to this day. 

The war also led directly to the dislocation of more than five million Iraqis, forced from their homes, and made refugees in their own, or other countries. The war brought with it the destruction of infrastructure and serious environmental pollution. It also entailed overall economic costs to the U.S. of more than four trillion dollars. 

The perpetrators who initiated this criminal endeavor still walk free. While launching an aggressive war against a nation that had taken no hostile action is clearly the highest form of war crime under the Nuremberg Principles, the U.S. holds itself above international law. Our government consistently refuses to allow bodies like the International Criminal Court to have jurisdiction over American officials like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, etc. 

The Iraq War and related military spending contributed to the near doubling of U.S. military spending over the last decade. And, even though U.S. forces, aside from contractors, have been withdrawn, the Pentagon budget remains at an elevated level, with no plan to return to the pre-war military budget levels. 

Peaceworks encourages you to join us in marking this sad anniversary with a call for peace and reconciliation, as well as revaluation. 

It is time for the American people and our government to recognize the need to change our role in the world. Rather than continuing in the role of dominating superpower with a permanent war economy, we need to transform the United States into a peaceful, cooperative nation. It’s high time we redirect the funds and human talents currently directed into warfare into making our nation and the planet peaceful, prosperous and sustainable. 

**Event Details: 

Please join us on Wednesday, March 20. We will hold an expanded Rush Hour Peace Demonstration at Broadway & Providence beginning at 4:30. Participants are encouraged to arrive any time they can between 4:30 and 5:20. We will then assemble for a short Peace Procession to the war monuments in front of the Boone County Courthouse where we will have a short program. 

The program will feature two speakers: Zaid Mahir, an Iraqi author and scholar who was in his native country at the time of the war, and now lives here in CoMo, and John Betz, Vietnam War combat veteran and president of Veterans for Peace.  There will also be time for silent reflection. 

Facebook Event:  Facebook users take note. You can RSVP that you're attending and also invite others to participate if you CLICK HERE.

Real Security: A Redefinition for the Twenty-first Century

We here at Peaceworks have been raising awareness for several years regarding the need for a Peace Economy. It is our aim in 2013 to reach out to more of our neighbors and to make this more concrete. And, as the War Economy is based upon fear and insecurity, this entails a discussion of security.

It’s time to rethink our notion of national security. We must end the Permanent War Economy that has been in place for more than 70 years and replace it with a Peace Economy that can bring real security by addressing the serious challenges we face today. Steps to take include, but are not limited to:

·         End the endless wars overseas; these interventions are not making us secure. Rather, they are making more enemies while weakening our economy.

·         Invest in our people, including quality education and preventive health care for all.

·         Cut excessive military spending; our military should be designed for defending our nation, not policing the world.

·         Invest in infrastructure; meet our needs while creating good jobs.

·         Negotiate mutual, verifiable nuclear weapons disarmament.

·         Address climate change, a very real and significant threat to our security.

We will be expanding upon this, sharing more information and ideas in the months ahead. We also invite the opportunity to share our concerns with your civic group, house of worship or class. Please contact us at 573-875-0539 or mail@midmopeaceworks.org if you'd like to arrange a presentation.