Green Dove Blog

Simply Healthy Event Update!

2009-10-12T19:10:00.004-04:00

Thursday, November 12th

Keynote Diana Leafe Christian - 7:00pm

FREE- Monroe County Public Library, 303 East Kirkwood

Friday, November 13th

2nd Annual Local Foods Dinner- $35.00, 6:00pm - Reservation only!

Unitarian Universalist Church, 2120 N. Fee Lane

Saturday, November 14th

Vendors - 9:00am - 4:00pm - FREE

Showers Building, 401 N. Morton Street - demonstrations, drawings

Workshops - 9:am to 4:00pm - Ivy Tech community College Depo, 301 North Morton St.(a block away from the Showers Building - $13/15 - and Students/Seniors - $10/12 for day

Moderated Community Conversation, Marti Crouch with Diana Leafe Christian, Lucille Bertuccio, Dave Parsons, Marcia Veldman
4:00pm - FREE - Unitarian Universalist Church, 2120 N. Fee Lane

Healing Sound Concert - 7:00pm with Tom Roznowski, Alain Barker, Deb Phelps, Daryl Breeden and Steve Pollitt, Patricia C. Coleman, Karen Taborn and Jon Kay - Unitarian Universalist Church, 2120 N. Fee Lane - $15/18 Students & Seniors - $12/15

Denver's "Stop the War in Afghanistan Protest" - video

2009-10-12T19:04:00.002-04:00

Let us hear your comments on Chun's video.

I’ve made a video called : Denver's "Stop the War in Afghanistan Protest" October 7, 2009. It is on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiL-1J5uU5M

I made it as a promotional piece such that people can see how important and entertaining a protest can be. It may inspire other people to come out for the next event. So please spread it around! Thanks.

Chun Pan

ChunPan9@yahoo.com

www.ChunPan.com

Peace Week In Bloomington

2009-09-17T17:33:00.003-04:00

Bloomington's Peace Week organization has organized a variety of activities that will continue through this weekend.

Events range from discussions, poetry readings to events at the Tibetan Cultural Center and many others.

For complete information check their calendar at www.bloomingtonpeaceweek.org

The brutal truth about America’s healthcare

2009-09-03T09:43:00.002-04:00

GETTY IMAGES; AFP

The LA Forum in Inglewood, California, hosted dental and medical examinations, for thousands of people thanks to the charity Remote Area Medical.

An extraordinary report from Guy Adams in Los Angeles at the music arena that has been turned into a makeshift medical centre
Saturday, 15 August 2009

They came in their thousands, queuing through the night to secure one of the coveted wristbands offering entry into a strange parallel universe where medical care is a free and basic right and not an expensive luxury. Some of these Americans had walked miles simply to have their blood pressure checked, some had slept in their cars in the hope of getting an eye-test or a mammogram, others had brought their children for immunisations that could end up saving their life. Read Article

PEOPLE'S ART FAIR - Bloomington, IN

2009-09-01T12:46:00.002-04:00

PEOPLE'S ART FAIR
3RD STREET PARK
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 5TH
12:00--6:00

Call for local artists to come out and display their
works.

Novice and non-commercial artists are encouraged to exhibit
amidst a non-juried, no fees, supportive atmosphere.
Sites are selected on a first come basis.

Music on stage all day.

FREE and open to the public

3rd street Park is located between 3rd and 4th, Washington
and Lincoln Streets-behind the police station.

Rain date Sunday, September 13th.

For more information contact: Ned Powell
812-332-9870, nedpow@peoplepc.com.

"Health Care Reform: A Great American Debate" - Webcast

2009-09-01T12:38:00.002-04:00

A live webcast of "Health Care Reform: A Great American Debate" will be shown in the Monroe County Public Library auditorium on Friday September 11th from 12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM. This debate is being webcast live from the IUPUI Campus in Indianapolis where it is a special event for IU School of Medicine students. The local webcast has been arranged by the Bloomington-Monroe County League of Women Voters.
From the IU School of Medicine announcement:
“Join experts and national leaders for a thought provoking look at the current state of health care reform in the United States. …… Proposals under active discussions include incremental changes to our existing employer-based, health insurance model to plans involving the "public option" as well as the "single payer" or "Medicare for All" reforms.
Speakers and national guests include:
• Oliver Fein, MD, President, Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP); and Clinical Professor of Clinical Public Health at Cornell University
• Sam Nussbaum, MD, Executive Vice President of Clinical Health Policy and Chief Medical Officer, WellPoint,Inc.
• Judy Monroe, MD, Commissioner, Indiana State Department of Health
• Eric Wright, PhD, Associate Dean, IUPUI School of Public and Environmental Affairs
• Eric Meslin, PhD, Director of the Center on Bioethics, Indiana University
• Aaron Carroll, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, IUSM”

If you can’t make it to the MCPL Auditorium you can register for a live webstream that is open to the general public. To register, go to www.publichealthconnect.org and click on "Events." Select this program and follow the prompts.
We hope you will take this opportunity to hear and see knowledgeable people discuss healthcare reform.
Dave Parsons
Local Health Care Reform Advocate

"Indy Artists’ Community Fest"

2009-07-31T09:40:00.001-04:00

Indy Artists' Peace Project & Flagstar co-present...

"Indy Artists’ Community Fest"
Friday, July 31st 11:00-4:00
Flagstar Bank (in the Parking Lot)
1180 West 86th Street(Across the street from Greenbriar Shopping Center)

A FREE outdoor community festival featuring live acoustic music from Tommy Clark, Bern Walters, & Jamie Carnes. Free Food. Pets Welcome. A contest to name a Kitty from "Cat’s Haven". Plus, learn more about the Indy Artists' Peace Project, and how you can help the work of the IAPP through volunteering opportunities, being a Street Team member, financial contributions and more. For more info e-mail; indyartists@aol.com, or call Michelle at (317)255-0673
_________________

JamFest - "Jammin"" for a Serious Cause

2009-07-17T16:54:00.003-04:00

Playful “Jammin’”for a Serious Cause
Saturday, July 18th, 6-10pm at the John Waldron Arts Center in Bloomington, IN
4 HOURS
of PEACE
& MUSIC
& FUN

Phone: 812-336-8677 - Admission: $10 for students and low income; $15 for adults; $25 for a couple; $50 for a family.

JamFest for Community Justice and Mediation Center Offers Family Friendly Evening of Local Talent

Everyone knows that the only place to work out a neighborhood conflict is in the courts, right? Especially when a crime has been committed, right? Some Monroe County citizens don’t think that’s the case. For example, a typical Healing Community Harm meeting at Community Justice and Mediation Center may bring an adult Victim of theft or property destruction to sit at a “mediation table” with the juvenile Offender they once perceived of as a “thoughtless kid.” With the help of mediation, neighbors can walk away from that table feeling like something worthwhile happened for both of them—a wrong was addressed, a conscience righted, harm was healed. At the mediation table agreements take all “sides” into account (sometimes there are many!) and all sides help to draft that agreement, signing it only because they believe in it. Perhaps this sounds like a good cause?

If you add a good cause to Bloomington summer strolling time, spice it up with artistic wealth, what do you get? The phenomenon of the Bloomington “’fest’.” One of the newest fests cooking up is JamFest: Jammin for Justice. On July 18 from 6- 10 p.m. at the Waldron Arts Auditorium, JamFest aims to raise greater awareness and necessary funds for restorative justice and mediation solutions through Community Justice and Mediation Center (also known as CJAM). The concert is a benefit to encourage “gettin’ down to get along,” said Judi Romaine, CJAM’s Board Secretary and Outreach Committee Chairperson. “Summer is a time when CJAM faces a downturn in an already bare-bones budget,” she explained. “So we thought we’d turn to the ‘townies’ and to the students who stay on to help us through that dry spell. Plus it’s a lot of fun getting ‘pun-ny’ with our name.” JamFest “jammers” include Sophia Travis, “socially conscious dub reggae” band Coyaba, electric blues /rock with Bated Breath, Steve Mascari and Sarah Flint, and the one-man band song loops of Eric Radoux. Comedian Brad Wilhelm joins in as Master of Ceremonies. “We’re still recruiting groovy sounds to create the right kind of vibe that promotes general peace and overall well being,” said CJAM VORP Case Manager David Nosko. “Please consider helping us spread the message that CJAM’s local alternative dispute resolution services can and do benefit Victims, Offenders, and the general community. CJAM’s jams may get even sweeter yet!”

In addition to raising funds through admission ($15 for individuals, $10 for student and low-income) CJAM is working collaboratively with FoodWorks to produce “Justice Jam” canned with locally raised fruits. The jam will be for sale at the concert and will be free to those who pay the “donor/family” rate of $50 ahead of time or at the door. “We want to recognize that sometimes folks are ready to donate significantly, with or without a party. This way our supporters can help us out by having some fun with the whole family and then they take home a jar of specially made jam to continuing spreading the love,” Romaine elaborated. “This is an ambitious inaugural event and we’re still putting the whole thing together, but folks can trust that the evening will be a family-friendly fun to promote a very unique and special social service.”

Underwriting is provided by Pizza X, and there will be a cash bar helped out by local wine distributor Manolos Wines and beers from World Class Beverages. In addition, there will be juices for the kids and non-drinkers and coffee selections from Brown County Coffee/Bloomington Coffee Roasters.

One of CJAM’s major programs is restorative justice work that provides adds an incredible tool to the Prosecutor and Probation Department’s tool kits. Specifically, the Healing Community Harm Program (also known as the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program—VORP) facilitates Victim-Offender conversations to work out restitution, prevent recidivism, and heal the community harm caused by crime.
CJAM’s primary focus with JamFest is to raise awareness and to recruit volunteers for the newest initiative called “Community Voices.” The Community Voices Program places a trained volunteer at the mediation table to serve as a Victim “proxy” and/or community Victim in cases where the actual Victim is either unwilling or unable to participate in the Healing Community Harm Program. “Both the community at-large and the criminal justice system benefit when victims, offenders, and community stakeholders all have a voice in healing the harm caused by crime,” Nosko said. “Public safety and the rule of law are values worth upholding in our community, and there is both short and long term benefit in encouraging community involvement in restoring Victims, empowering Offenders to not victimize themselves, and creative collaborations between local social service agencies and the county-wide criminal justice system.”

Restorative Justice is a national and worldwide movement to address crime while reducing recidivism, yet Restorative Justice does not oppose and instead can become an effective partner for current criminal justice practices. More than 2.3 million prisoners were held in federal, state, or local jails one year ago this month, more than 1 in 100 American adults, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics. More than 7.3 million Americans are in prison, on parole or probation, a rate of 1 in every 31 American adults. To address the fact that the U.S. comprises five percent of the world’s population yet houses 25% of the world’s prisoners, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009. “We have an incarceration rate in the United States, the world's greatest democracy, that is five times as high as the average incarceration rate of the rest of the world,” Webb said during his March 26 floor speech to introduce the bill. “There are only two possibilities here: either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States; or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice.”
CJAM has been concerned about such trends in this community for more than 25 years. The agency began as Citizens for Community Justice, Inc. (CCJ) May 1980 with a meeting of a group of citizens concerned about conditions in the Monroe County jail. While most early activity was focused on ways to improve jail conditions and reduce the jail population, as early as June 1981 the group began working with others to establish a Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP). The group’s 1989 annual meeting topic, “Juveniles, Justice and Jails,” was the beginning of a greater focus on youth. In June 1990 the group combined with the local Juvenile Justice Task Force and adopted a new name – Citizens for Jail Improvement and Juvenile Justice. CJAM conducts school mediations to enable alternatives to suspension and expulsion, provides small claims court mediations and community mediations with neighborhoods, families, and workplaces. Recently, however, CJAM’s services faced a critical punch to the gut when a grant from the State of Indiana that had provided nearly 70% of their funding was cut in a systemic move to eliminate funding for all Victim-Offender Reconciliation Programs. “It was a blow that kind of knocked our community’s restorative justice wind out,” Romaine said, “and JamFest is one way to breathe fresh air back into programs that very much benefit the greater public good. You might say we’re trying to get ourselves out of a difficult jam with all kinds of good jams!”

More information can be found at CJAM’s website: www.cjam.org.

Source on Prison stats:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/prisons.htm
Sources on Webb:
http://webb.senate.gov/email/incardocs/FS_CrimJust_3-26-09.pdf
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/03/webb-takes-next-challenge-nations-prison-system

Author: Julia Dadds 14 year plus resident of Monroe County-- works and volunteers in the Non-Profit community while she finishes her work on a PhD in Education. She is the secretary for the Non-Profit Alliance for Monroe County, and serves on the boards of Step Ahead and the Youth Services Bureau as well as working with CJAM as Development Director.

Reprinted with permission of the Author, originally appearing in The Ryder Magazine

Pastors for Peace in Bloomington

2009-07-10T00:46:00.002-04:00

From Cubamistad 2009 Pastors for Peace Cuba Caravan in Bloomington Information

2009 PASTORS FOR PEACE CUBA CARAVAN MATERIAL AID GLOSSARY-
WHAT IS NEEDED AT THIS TIME/WHAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED
see attachment

Hello--Here's to a fine day for you

The 2009 Pastors for Peace Caravan/Friendshipment will be in Bloomington, Indiana July 13th (Monday), July 14th

Our community will be collecting materials and supplies to be sent to Cuba--to be sent Bloomington's Cuba Sister City=Santa Clara
We will be preparing a shipment in our community of material aid and other offerings that has been requested/that is needed in Cuba at this time--

We have enclosed a list of the material aid that is needed

If you are able to help us secure certain items of material aid -please contact arthur stein astein52@yahoo.com tel 812-331-9749..or contact any member of Cubamistad that you might know

There is a true need at this time in Cuba for construction materials and tools--for building and repair and reconstruction that is ongoing--from the damage caused by the storms this past fall--the list of construction materials---=on pastors for peace website--caravan material aid---or contact cubamistad--we hope to send a good amount of construction tools w/our shipment/offerings

We are also fundraising to cover the cost of transporting our community's offerings to Cuba----if you are interested and able to help in this way--Please send checks to Cubamistad PO Box 2201 Bloomington, Indiana 47402--
Checks to made out to CUBAMISTAD or PASTORS FOR PEACE
....or give your $$ in any form offering to a cubamistad that you might know--thank you

If you would like additonal information about the cuba caravan and what we are doing in our community for this--if you have any ?s, suggestions, ideas...If you know of anyone who would be able to help this effort......or if you would wish to help in any way--please contact us...any member of Cubamistad......
very much appreciated...quite helpful

information re IFCO Pastors for Peace/2009 Pastors for peace caravan=Pastors Peace website

www.ifconews.org
www.pastorsforpeace.org

Please send this information/announcement to anyone you feel might be interested--thank you

There will be a 2009 Pastors for Peace Cuba Caravan/Friendshipment Event/Program/Celebration in Bloomington
Monday evening July 13th
Runcible Spoon
6-8 pm or so
Rev Tom Smith from Pastors for Peace will speak
Other Speakers
Food, Music
Information
Good gathering of friends, neighbors and community/communities
Hope to see you there

If you would like to help w/the caravan event @ the runcible spoon--contact cynthia roberts hall
cyndicat@riseup.net cynhall@bloomington.in.us

Thank you

Best wishes

To Life with Peace

Cubamistad
Bloomington Indiana

Arthur Stein 812-331-9749

Note - will follow with a list of suggested items.

Mother's Day 2009

2009-04-28T09:57:00.006-04:00

Mother's Day 2009 is almost here and we updated this info first offered in 2002. May it be of use to you and THANK YOU MOTHERS EVERYWHERE!

MOTHER’S DAY 2009

In honor of the true intention of Mother’s Day, Green Dove, Reiki Peace and Wellness Arts and Indiana Holistic Health Network has assembled a variety of information and resources within the Bloomington community and others from the web. Many are women’s groups working to advocate peacemaking. We hope that you honor your Mother and all Mothers today and every day, and that you find something useful here for yourself or someone you care about.
Happy Mother’s Day!

ON MOTHER’S DAY by Denise Breeden-Ost - In 1870, Julia Ward Howe invented Mother's Day. Or did she? Howe might not recognize her "Mothers' Day for Peace". Here is Howe's "Mother's Day Proclamation": http://www.greendove.net/zine1-5articledbreedenost.htm

Another Mother for Peace – Another Mother for Peace is a non-profit, non-partisan association dedicated to eliminating the use of war as a means of solving disputes among nations, people and ideologies. http://www.anothermother.org/

Middle Way House and Middle Way Food Works strive to end violence in the lives of women and children - http://www.bloomington.in.us/~mwhouse/aboutus.htm
Indiana Holistic Health Network has a resources in its directory to women’s and wellness related information http://www.indianaholistichealth.net/

Reiki Peace and Wellness Arts will give any mother a 10% discount on Reiki Gift Certificates and appointments made through the month of May! http://www.hartrock.net/reiki.htm, 812-331-0886

Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom - http://www.bloomingtonwilpf.org/events.html

BABS - Bloomington Area Birth Services - Bloomington Area Birth Services, Inc., is a group of women trained and experienced in childbirth and postpartum issues. http://www.bloomingtonbirth.com

Indiana Birthing Choices - It is the vision of CHOICES to improve the quality of and sensitivity toward pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and early parenting ways. http://www.indianabirthchoices.com/STATE-DIRECTORY.html

Planned Parenthood of Indiana – http://www.ppin.org/

Community Health Access Program provides a variety of services to women and the community at large. http://cgi.hoosier.net/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/uwmonroe/viewentry?id=61

Local Food Bloomington – a Green Dove project provides links to Community Food resources in the Bloomington area. http://www.greendove.net/communityfood.htm

Women Writing for a Change - is a creative writing class which supports the lives of women http://www.bethlodge-rigal.com/womenwriting.html

Women Inspire – is a 501c3 non-for-profit organization, providing networking opportunities for women in a supportive environment. http://www.womeninspire.org

Hoosier Raging Grannies - The Raging Grannies sing to say enough of violence http://grannies.homeofficesite.com/

The Endwright Center – 7500 West Reeves Rd. 876-7500
National Association of Women - http://www.now.org/

Green Dove Network, Inc. is a non-profit and a project of the 501c3 Center for Sustainable Living – http://www.simplycsl.org

Earth Day in Bloomington, Indiana and the Nation

2009-03-27T13:21:00.002-04:00

Check our calendar for Earth Day activities! Also our Celebrations Page. http://www.greendove.net/zine-celebrationsandbenefits.htm

May we never hunger. ¡Que nunca tengamos hambre!" "May we never thirst! ¡Que nunca tengamos sed!" - Starhawk, The Fifth Sacred Thing

Guitart Auction to benefit Rhino’s

2009-03-27T13:17:00.001-04:00

Rhino’s Youth Media Center announces its second Guitart Auction, to be held Thursday, April 16, 2009. It takes place at The Lodge, 101 E. 6th Street on the north-east corner of the Courthouse Square.
Bid on one-of-a-kind original artworks by Sam Bartlett, Anna Witte, Kurt Larsen, Jenny Kander, Mike Cagle, Lindsay Hine, Matt Traughber and Brad Fugate. Using playable electric guitars as the medium, these well-known Bloomington artists have painted, collaged, printed or otherwise artistically altered them into original works of art. Funds raised from the auction support Rhino’s free after-school programming for youth.

Each guitar is playable and an array of Bloomington’s best musicians will be on hand to entertain with them: Andy Cobine, Cathi & Stuart Norton, Dave Weber, Jim Krause, Jason Grove and Chris Gaal & his Pirate Band. Some of Bloomington’s favorite restaurants will supply tasty appetizers for the event. Plan to be treated to the flavors of Mandalay, Bombay House, Malibu Grill, Anatolia, Mother Bear’s and Bobby’s Too. Wine and beer will be available in a secure area.

.Tickets to the auction are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Pick up yours at Rhino’s, 331 S. Walnut, during business hours. Call 333-3430 and visit www.rhinosyouthcenter.org for more details.

Sixth Annual Global Love Day

2009-03-21T09:57:00.001-04:00

Sixth Annual Global Love Day
May 1, 2009
An International Celebration Of Humanity. We are one humanity on this planet.
All life is interconnected and interdependent. All share in the Universal bond of love. Love begins with self acceptance and forgiveness. With tolerance and compassion we embrace diversity. Together we make a difference through love.

"Love Begins With Me"
May Love Prevail On Earth
May Peace Prevail On Earth
Click here for more information.

Cell Phone Numbers Go Public Next Month -

2009-03-21T09:54:00.000-04:00

Cell Phone Numbers Go Public Next Month - Protect yourself from telemarketers!
REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public next month.
REMINDER.... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.
.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS... It takes about 20 seconds. Thanks to a friend!

VOTE! New Musical Premieres March 6-8 in Bloomington, IN!

2009-03-06T11:28:00.004-05:00

VOTE!
New Musical Premieres March 6-8 in Bloomington!
Indiana Try-Out Before NYC Summer Production

VOTE! is a fresh, new look at politics through the eyes of three high school students who are after the ultimate prize – Student Body President! Written by up-and-coming New York City songwriters Ryann
Ferguson and Steven Jamail, this intelligent and timely show offers a sharp, entertaining look at elections and the moral dilemmas they produce. The bright and imaginative score features many sure-to-be-hit numbers.

Directed by NYC guest artist Ryan J. Davis, this Bloomington production serves as a regional workshop/premiere – allowing the show's creators to see their work on stage for the first time, and providing them valuable insight into how to further develop the show for a summer production in NYC.

The cast includes students from both Indiana University and Bloomington's Harmony School: Alana Cheshire, David Coleman, Katherine Duffy, Joseph Fernandez, Tamrin Goldberg, Adam Johnson, Jacob Jones,Justin Klein, Maddy LaRoche, Brittany Martin, Nathan Mittleman, Taryn Pryor, Becky Rosky, Danielle Sacks, Jen Saltiel, Ariel Simpson, Maggie, Smith, Gabi Cracraft, and Maggie Smith.

Performances are Friday and Saturday, March 6th & 7th at 8 PM; and Sunday, March 8th at 2 PM at Harmony School, 909 East Second Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47401.

Advanced tickets are now available and are $5 for Students and $10 for
General Admission and can be purchased on-line at
www.ericandersonjrpresents.com. Tickets at the door are $7 Students and $12 General Admission.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND LISTING
Reviews & Features Requested

Press Contact:
Eric Anderson, Jr., Producer
812.219.6142
ericandersonjr@gmail.com

CREATIVE BIOS

Ryann Ferguson and Steven Jamail's (Writers) award winning collaboration began seven years ago at Rice University. They recently showcased their four new musical works in the concert, VOTE OR DIE at the Zipper Factory with Allison Case, Autumn Hurlbert, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Metropolitan Opera Star Sasha Cooke, and more. They have worked on numerous projects together and apart, including 2005 Fringe Festival show Byzantium, and the Harper's Guild Award winning aria, "Lotus Song." From production to marketing to musical direction, from turkeys to Tony award winners – between the two of them, they have covered nearly every inch of the Broadway community job market. Ryann is currently the Director of Marketing for Davenport Theatrical Enterprises, and Steven serves as the Music Director for arts education foundation Rosie's Broadway Kids. VOTE! marks their entry into the satirical, self-mocking, and relentlessly plucky genre of high school musical capers... at least artistically, that is. And with projects such as Nicholas & Alexandra, Tercio de Muerte, and Curious Johnson: The Toothfairy Musical, they have only begun to leave their mark on the theatre world. With fallen monarchs, bullfighters, and
clutzy fairies, there's something for everybody. For more information, please visit www.littlewowproductions.com.

Ryan J. Davis (Director) is thrilled to develop Vote! with Ryann Ferguson and Steven Jamail. Davis conceived and directed the award-winning White Noise, which has recently been announced for Broadway. Other NYC projects include My Life on the Craigslist and the annual Broadway Beauty Pageant. Future projects include Street Lights by Joe Drymala, a hip-hop/pop musical debuting in NYC in the fall (hear the score at www.streetlightsmusical.com). He serves on The Board of Directors of The Deconstructive Theatre Project, where he co-directed (with Adam J. Thompson) the French Canadian play Lilies. As a politico, Davis recently served in New Hampshire as GOTV Triage Lead at Obama's State Headquarters and was a member of the Obama Pride NYC Leadership Committee. He is a veteran of Gov Howard Dean's 2004
Presidential Campaign and writes for The Hill and Huffington Post. Hesits on the Board of Directors of the Lambda Independent Democrats ofBrooklyn. For his activism, Davis has been honored by The AmericanAssociation Of Political Consultants and awarded a Nightlife Award by
The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club for protecting nightlife. He blogs at ryanjdavis.blogspot.com.

Eric Anderson, Jr (Producer/Music Director) holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Indiana University. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Eric came to Bloomington to study piano with professor Edmund Battersby. He has also studied conducting with Dr. Michael Schwartzkopf and the late Thomas Dunn. He has been involved as pianist or music director in numerous musical theatre productions during his time in Bloomington, including Songs for A New World, Reefer Madness, The Rocky Horror Show, Assassins, A Chorus Line, and The Wild Party
(Lippa). He has also served as pianist for the IU Broadway Cabaret/Senior Showcase and has worked with local children's theatre organization Stages Bloomington, music-directing their 2008 production of Music Man, Jr., and will music-direct the Bloomington Playwrights Project's summer musical theatre camp this June. In July of 2008 he produced, stage-, and music-directed a 60th anniversary production of Kurt Weill's Down In The Valley.

Green Dove Still Here

2009-03-06T10:44:00.006-05:00

Some have asked, "Is Green Dove still here"? The answer is yes. Not nearly as active as it was in the past. But still here. It is difficult running an entity such as Green Dove without support, so we do what we can.

We have spent a lot of time working with our projects Indiana Holistic Health Network and Local Food on the "Simply Healthy: Creating Sustainable Communities" Simply Living Fair and Wellness Expo. November 2009 will see the forth annual event! In the past we have collaborated on this community event with the Center for Sustainable Living, Middle Way Food Works, Reiki Peace and Wellness Arts, The Good Life Alternative, Local Growers Guild and others. To learn more about the event and these great organizations, visit the "Simply Healthy" website and check out the Sponsors page.

We added new info to the Children's Book List, newly updated the entry page and more.

Green Dove will be publishing new poets to the Peace Poets Gallery.

We are in collaboration with Reiki Peace and Wellness Arts and the Indiana Holistic Health Network to launch the Reiki Wellness Program - it currently has two focuses - a Reiki Wellness Program for Vets, their families and caregivers and Reiki Wellness for Victims of Domestic Violence. We will keep you posted about the Reiki Wellness Programs.

We need your support to keep things going. This year we ran into some major problems with our computer technology and it kept us down for a long time. Give us a hand! We will really appreciate it! Make a donation, $5, 10, or more if you can afford it - make your your tax deductible check to Green Dove Network-CSL and mail it to Green Dove, P.O. Box 8172, Bloomington, IN 47407

We understand that most people are on a budget. If you are a business and have a laptop no longer in use, send it our way. It will be greatly appreciated. Donate to cover phone service, 100% recycled paper, ink for a Canon Pixma printer - anything you think will help keep us afloat will be appreciated!

In a day or so, we will be posting the updated Calendar and an updated Food News so come back later and check them out.

If you have time and would like to help us, contact us and tell us what your interest is.

In peace,

Green Dove

The World Today – Fernando Suarez del Solar

2006-08-01T07:19:00.000-04:00

The World Today – Fernando Suarez del Solar

The world today is faced with the possibility of an imminent third world war; we stand at the gates of Hell itself with so many human lives being killed in the misnamed cause of “Peace”

The occupants of the White House have prepared in great detail the shock waves of terror which have brought these atrocious military attacks on the innocent peoples of Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan and they are preparing to unleash even more violence on the peoples of Iran, Syria, etc. The question then becomes: Where is the world going with this course of action? What future can our youth look forward to as one by one the doors to universities are closing to them, leaving them only the doors to military bases? Where is this hateful militarism leading us?

Today the world is experiencing yet another war: Israel against Lebanon. But can we say it is really a “war” when the civilian population of Lebanon is being killed like flies by bombs and missiles manufactured in the United States – bombs and missiles that explode on their homes while they have no real idea why?

Is it right to kill innocent children to rescue two soldiers kidnapped by a gang of wrongdoers called terrorists?

Is that reason enough to destroy an entire people?

Today banner headlines tell of the horrors happening to the Lebanese people, but –

What happened to the ”other war”, the one where more than 2500 north American youths have died, as well as thousands of ordinary Iraqi civilians, the immense majority of whom were children? It seems that human beings have gotten used to seeing the dead of war, and to not reacting until the black bag arrives at their family’s doorstep, carrying the mutilated body of their own son or daughter. That’s when they raise their voices and ask for Peace. Why wait until then? Why not start NOW to raise our voices, to act and demand a Ceasefire, the withdrawal of the invading troops and respect for the sovereignty of other nations?

That is why I have decided to issue a general call to all people to unite in a single voice, to rise up as one body, and to resist these attacks which are not only act of aggression against one people, but against the whole of humanity itself.

It is ludicrous and at the same time worrisome to realize that in the United States our youth are facing shrinking opportunities for a quality higher education under the pretext of a “War on Terrorism”, that in their search for opportunities now they are being pointed to enrollment in a military system which sooner or later will destroy them and end their lives. It is criminal that the Bush government designates millions of dollars for a deceitful system of military recruitment in the schools, while monies for real education are reduced day after day.

The truth is I am sickened, disturbed at the whole world’s passivity in this terrible situation. I am tired and frustrated to see the deaths mounting day by day, children dieing, parents losing their children, and it seems that there is no hope for a future of peace and justice among the nations. My son died, and it is true that nothing I do or write will bring him back. No. But I am convinced that my words, my actions can bring awareness to others so that we can begin to build another type of army – an army of non-violence, an army of peace that fights with words and education for a better world. Traduced por: Linda Kraus

Fernando Suarez del Solar, Founder & Director
Guerrero Azteca Peace Project
(760)233-0630 Direct telephone
(760)746-4568 Main telephone
(760)737-2334 Fax
PO Box 300221,Escondido,CA 92030-0221
fernando(at)guerreroazteca.org
www.guerreroazteca.org

POR UNA GENERACION LLENA DE PAZ Y AMOR
FOR A GENERATION FILLED WITH PEACE AND LOVE

True Measure

2006-08-01T07:17:00.000-04:00

"The true measure of men (sic) is how they treat someone who can do them
absolutely no good."
Samuel Johnson

What Does "Sustainable" Mean - Earth Talk

2006-08-01T07:13:00.000-04:00

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: The term “sustainable” seems to be the new green buzzword. What exactly does it mean, particularly when applied to such things, say, as transportation or agriculture? -- Steve Nezhad, Portland, ME

“Sustainable,” quite simply, is the positive result of conducting economic, social or environmental activities in such a way that current needs are met without compromising the well-being of future generations. A sustainable activity also does not despoil the here and now, in part because of how it may affect the future.

For example, cars that run on oil and gasoline are unsustainable on both counts: They make use of a non-renewable resource (that is, one that will be completely depleted at some point in the future); and they pollute the environment right now. Thus they negatively impact the present-day as well as tomorrow.

What, then, is sustainable transportation? Any option that moves people or goods while impacting the environment minimally. Walking and bicycling are the most sustainable, using no energy except for leg power and consuming very little or no resources. And public transportation moves large numbers of people at once while also saving space, as one negative impact of cars is that activities tend to spread out through the process of sprawl, creating the need to travel greater distances to obtain goods or get to work.

As such, to a large extent transportation can be made more sustainable through urban design. The closer together we locate shopping and entertainment centers, the easier it is for public transport to get us there, and the less reliant we are on cars. And cars themselves can be more sustainable by running on clean fuels or on technologies, like hybrids, that use less fuel. Better yet, cars of the not-too-distant future will be powered by fuel cells, which run on hydrogen and spew no pollution. Ideally, that hydrogen will be made from water, using power from solar energy, thus creating no pollution at that point in the process, either.

In the realm of farming, sustainable agriculture in its ideal form provides a living for those who farm and supports the local community’s needs while maintaining the natural ecology of the farm and its surrounding environment. According to the National Safety Center (NSC), a “sustainable” farm produces crops without damage to the farm’s ecosystem, including the soil, water supplies and other adjoining resources. Sustainable agriculture is also “intergenerational,” says NSC, in that it seeks to pass on to future generations a conserved natural resource instead of one that has been depleted or polluted.

Some examples of sustainable agriculture include avoiding chemicals, rotating crops, and choosing crops that suit the climate, so as to reduce the need for chemicals and preserve the long-term fertility of the soil. In light of modern developments, some might add that avoiding genetically modified crops would also fit with the sustainable model, given the uncertainty of their impact on ecosystems and personal health.

Robert Gilman of the Context Institute defines sustainability as “extending the Golden Rule through time…Do unto future generations as you would have them do unto you.” Meanwhile, Paul Hawken of the Natural Capital Institute offers an equally concise summary: “Leave the world better than you found it, take no more than you need, try not to harm life or the environment, make amends if you do.”

CONTACTS: Context Institute, www.context.org; Natural Capital Institute, www.naturalcapital.org.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

150 UK Lawyers Sign Letter regarding Pervasive Racism toward Mumia Abu-Jamal

2006-08-01T07:09:00.000-04:00

From the Global Women's Strike/Phila

Dear Friends:

Below is an extraordinary letter signed by over 150 leading UK lawyers that is being sent today to the US Court of Appeals regarding the pervasive racism that death row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal faced and continues to face in the US judicial system. The letter was initiated and distributed by Ian Macdonald QC and Legal Action for Women (LAW), a free legal service and our sister organization in the UK. The letter is being submitted at the same time as Amicus Curiae briefs from the National Lawyers Guild and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Mumia’s lawyer, Robert R. Bryan, filed opening briefs for the appeal on July 20.

NOW IS A CRITICAL TIME IN THE CASE. After 24 years on Pennsylvania’s death row, Mumia, an award-winning journalist convicted in 1982 of killing a policeman, has been granted an appeal which, if successful, could result in a new trial. This would be the first time his case against conviction would be heard by a jury.

THIS IS THE KEY DEATH PENALTY CASE IN THE US AT THIS TIME. NOT ONLY MUMIA ABU-JAMAL’S LIFE BUT THOUSANDS OF LIVES HANG IN THE BALANCE. Mumia had no criminal convictions before his arrest. The determination of the police, prosecution and judge to deny him a fair trial and execute him strongly suggests that this outstanding campaigning journalist is being tried for his track record of exposing racism, police brutality and corruption in Philadelphia, and for the opposition to US government policies and practices that his journalism continues to express.

A recent letter from Mumia to Selma James of the Global Women’s Strike who initiated this project, spells out the importance of the letter. “I greet you Selma and through you all of your comrades, colleagues and friends on that side of the Atlantic. I thank you all for making that public letter with signatures a possibility and hopefully a tool of freedom and justice. I was jazzed reading that – great.”

We urge you to circulate the UK lawyers’ letter widely, including to your contacts in the legal system, and to do all you can in the coming months to publicise this outrageous travesty of justice and to secure a new trial for Mumia with the aim of winning his freedom.

Phoebe Jones, Global Women's Strike/Philly, and Margaret Prescod, Women of Color in the Global Women's Strike

For info locally: 215-848-1120 (Philly) or 323-292-7405 (LA)
philly@crossroadswomen.net la@crossroadswomen.net

To reach Legal Action for Women directly +44 207 482 2496 or +44 7 956 316 899

law@crossroadswomen.net

2006-08-01T07:06:00.000-04:00

Palestinian and Israeli Youth to Collaborate at GIFTS

PEACE IT TOGETHER 2006

A Peace & Filmmaking Summer Camp

At the Gulf Islands Film and Television School

August 4^th – 21^st, 2006

PREMIERE SCREENING

Galiano South Community Hall

August 19 at 7:00pm

SCREENING GALA

HR Macmillan Space Centre

1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC

August 20 at 7:00pm

For immediate release. Vancouver, July 18^th, 2006.

As the fog of war thickens in the Middle East, and broadens its impact beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine, it is more important than ever to hear hopeful news regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The lives and faces of people that do not make it to the forefront of international media may have a different story to tell. The stories of such people are often lost and forgotten amid the darkness of bloodshed and suffering. It is especially important to know that despite the severe situation, there are many people determined to build momentum towards reconciliation and peace. Their stories bring a ray of light and hope.

One such story – or in fact, thirty of them - is unfolding this summer among the serene rainforest of British Columbia’s Gulf Islands. Thirty youth from Palestine, Israel and Canada will gather at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School on Galiano Island to engage in creative conversations and filmmaking in a peaceful and safe environment of mutual respect and co-existence for 18 days. The summer program is appropriately named Peace It Together.

The organizers of this unusual peace initiative believe that Peace it Together is more relevant now than it has ever been. “As violence escalates, people become more polarized and more emotional”, says Reena Lazar, a Jewish-Canadian and an executive director of Creative Peace Network. “This, of course, is the exact opposite of what is needed. While our program is unlikely to solve the current crisis, it will give the participants the unique opportunity to work through their fear and anger in a safe environment and with the very people to whom their feelings are directed”.

Adri Hamael, a Palestinian-Canadian and an executive director of the organization adds, “Through dialogue and filmmaking, the youth and their audiences will have the chance to struggle with and make sense of the conflict that impacts so many lives. I'm hoping that adults around the world, and particularly back in the participant’s homelands, will listen to what these young people will have to say.”

This is the second peace summer camp initiated and organized by Creative Peace Network, a Vancouver-based multicultural charity committed to promoting peace by ending the culture of revenge and counter-revenge, and by building a culture of mutual respect and understanding between Palestinians, Israelis, Jews, Muslims and Arabs. The organization is made up of, and lead by, equal numbers of Palestinian, Israeli, Jewish, Muslim, Arab and Canadian members.

The program will be mentored by leading filmmakers and educators from British Columbia, one of whom is Velcrow Ripper, a documentary filmmaker and winner of two Genie Awards (ScaredSacred, Bones of the Forest), a spiritual activist and co-founder of the Gulf Islands Film and Television School. “In this tragic time of dramatically escalating war and bloodshed in the middle east, we desperately need stories of hope, possibility and reconciliation”, Says Ripper. “Peace It Together is one such flower rising from the wreckage, offering a critical opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian youth to step outside the pressure cooker of war and spend time learning to recognize their shared humanity, using creativity to help tear down the walls of misunderstanding, building new bridges to peace”.

Preparing for the program has already had a significant impact on the local community. The process requires constant dialogue, listening, self-awareness and transformation – and every single person in the project is exposed to this process: the board of directors, members, volunteers, and the staff at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School – and of course, the participants.

“As we prepare for the program, we realize how much impact this project has already had on our lives in raising our awareness of the issues and cultural differences”, says Kenna Fair, director of the Gulf Islands Film and Television School. “Everything has to be thought of to the last detail in order to accommodate the students’ needs and the program’s integrity. We’ve ensured, to the best of our ability, that there are an equal number of male and female mentors, Jewish and Muslim mentors, and so on. Our catering service has been altered completely to accommodate the regulations of the Kosher and Hallal kitchens that many of the students observe. We hope that if we can create, along with the students and mentors, an environment of co-existence within our school – it will be a memory and an example for them to take home and live by in the future”.

Peace It Together will celebrate its successful step towards peace with an August 20^th Gala, and a public screenings of the participants’ films, both at the HR Macmillan Space Centre Gala and the August 19^th premiere on Galiano Island. The youth will be present at the Gala screening to present their films, and will be available to answer questions from the audience. After the 21^st the participants will return to their homelands with their own films in hand, a message of hope which they will be able to share with the world in international film festivals – but most importantly, share with their families, friends and classmates back home.

Media contact: Ayala Sender (778) 863-0806

ayala@hellocoolworld.com

Available for interviews:

Adri Hamael – Creative Peace Network Executive Director, Palestinian Canadian

Reena Lazar – Creative Peace Network Executive Director, Jewish Canadian

Hila Russ-Woodland – Creative Peace Network Director, Israeli Canadian

Omar Kassis – Creative Peace Network Director, Palestinian Canadian

Kenna Fair – Executive Director of The Gulf Islands Film and Television School

Sonia Theroux – Communications Coordinator, The Gulf Islands Film and Television School

Velcrow Ripper – Mentor at the Gulf Islands film and Television School, an award winning Filmmaker (ScaredSacred, Bones of the Forest) and a Spiritual Activist

Fair Share Health Care

2006-08-01T07:05:00.000-04:00

Fair Share Health Care

http://walmartwatch.com/fairshare

Lebanon Mourns 57 Civilians Killed in Israeli Strike on Qana
- Qana Survivor: My Brother, Sister and Daughter Have Died
- Israel Suspends Air Strikes; Blames Hezbollah
- 5,000 Lebanese Protesters Storm UN Base in Beirut
- Shiite Cleric Sistani Warns Dire Consequences If No Ceasefire
- 2 Million Protest In Mexico City For Vote Recount
- White House Fears U.S. Officials Could Be Tried Under War Crimes Act
- Proposed Law Would Allow Gov¹t to Indefinitely Detain U.S. Citizens
- Report: Oakland Police Infiltrated Anti-War Group
- Social Ecologist Murray Bookchin, 85, Dies

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/31/1435210

How to Fight a War in Wartime

2006-08-01T06:56:00.000-04:00

How to Fight a War in Wartime
Michael J. Coyle

WILL I MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

How many joined the movement to create equality for all women? Very few!
How many brought the fruit of the 1960's Civil Rights movement to all? Very few!
How many stood up with Gandhi against the colonialists? A tiny fraction of the population!

IT DOESN'T TAKE EVERYBODY!

Agitate - Advocate - Demonstrate - Educate - Organize

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Develop a presentation and deliver it to schools, churches, & community groups
Start a reading/discussion group
Make your own media
Build talking points against the war that address the way those you speak to listen
Engagingly educate yourself about the war: makes you a more effective advocate
Talk to others: educate by intentional calls & conversations (family, friends, strangers)
Create an online petition demanding the end of the war
Speak out online - publish a blog or post on existing blogs
Create podcasting content on your online space and ask others to do the same
Write an op-ed piece or a letter to the editor for your local newspaper
Design, post and distribute flyers detailing the death, horror and cost of the war
Donate resources: money, time, creativity
Write local and national political representatives
Respond to biased reporting
Participate in activist groups and coalitions
Attend rallies
With legal issues in mind, peacefully and nonviolently occupy a building/street/etc.
Use your creativity: write music, street theatre, and more - all against the war
Use the web: visit pro-war or uncritical sites and post effective comments
Share all the work you create with others (verbally, web, email, print, etc.)
Do one thing a week (whether you take 5 minutes or hours)

LET YOUR GRATIFICATION BE THAT YOU ARE NOT JUST A BYSTANDER

SHARE RESPONSIBILITY AND WORK WITH OTHERS

A MOUNTAIN IS MOVED ONE STONE AT A TIME

http://myprofile.cos.com/mcoyle1

The Declaration of Peace Pledge

2006-06-10T10:09:00.000-04:00

A Pledge to Take Action to:

Bring the Troops Home Now
By September 21, Establish a Comprehensive Plan to End the US War in Iraq
Oppose Future US Military Invasions

The Declaration of Peace Pledge

The Declaration of Peace is a pledge:

To declare peace by taking action now to bring all US troops home from Iraq now and to establish a comprehensive, concrete and rapid plan for an end to the US war in Iraq; and
To declare peace by engaging in nonviolent action in cities and towns across the United States and in Washington, DC September 21-28 if these goals — immediate withdrawal of US troops and a comprehensive plan to end the US war — are not accomplished by International Peace Day, September 21, 2006. Nationally coordinated nonviolent activities will continue on a regular basis as needed until the United States withdraws from Iraq.

Declare Peace. Take Action to End the US War in Iraq.

The US war in Iraq is an endless fire consuming lives, resources, and the fragile possibilities of peace. Instead of quenching this fire, the US occupation intensifies it. The Declaration of Peace is a call to end this war – and a commitment to take action to translate this call into a concrete plan for peace.

With nearly seventy percent of the people of the United States opposing this war, there is a growing call to bring the troops home now and to establish a comprehensive, concrete and rapid withdrawal plan. This comprehensive plan must include withdrawal of US troops; the closure of US bases in Iraq; support for a peace process in the post-occupation transition; reconstruction and reparations in Iraq; and a shift from hundreds of billions of dollars spent for war to meeting human needs at home and abroad.

The Declaration of Peace is a commitment people are making across the United States to take bold, powerful and peaceful steps to help establish this comprehensive plan to end the US War in Iraq. Together — policy-makers and citizens; Democrats, Republicans and Independents; people of faith and people of conscience – we have the power to douse this fire. Sign The Declaration of Peace – and take tangible, nonviolent action to end this war and to declare a new era of peace and justice.

For More Information:
http://www.declarationofpeace.org
2501 Harrison St., Oakland, CA 94612
E-mail:info@declarationofpeace.org

SIGN THE DECLARATION OF PEACE
http://declarationofpeace.org/sign-the-declaration-of-peace

El Pueblo Unido

2006-06-01T08:58:00.000-04:00

El Pueblo Unido

BY MICHAEL VENTURA -

Letters @ 3AM

Two facts tower above all others regarding U.S. immigration. The first foretells how this issue will eventually be resolved. The second measures the injustice that immigrants suffer. Yet in all that I've read and seen since the May 1 demonstrations, each of these facts was mentioned but once.

The first fact is: "The latest census reports ... [that] nationwide, nearly half the children under 5 ... are Latino or other minorities" (CNN, Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room, May 10). This "half" is mostly Latino. Already, California, New Mexico, and Texas have non-Anglo (mostly Latino) majorities; New York and Arizona are around 40% non-Anglo (mostly Latino), as are Maryland, Mississippi, and Georgia (The Week, Aug. 26, 2005, p.16). Florida, New Jersey, and Illinois (among other weighty states) will likely sooner or later have non-Anglo majorities. The trend will continue. The outcome is obvious. No matter what happens now, eventually Hispanic-Americans will be this country's decisive voting bloc, and immigration law will be whatever they want it to be. The political party that helps them now will be the political party of the future. The party that obstructs them will be doomed to insignificance for decades as this young generation grows up, remembers, and votes.

The second fact was noted by Anna Quindlen in Newsweek (May 15, p.78): "Although the conventional wisdom is that immigrants are civic freeloaders, the woman with a sign that said I PAY TAXES was reflecting the truth. Millions of undocumented immigrants pay income taxes using a special identification number the IRS provides. They pay into the Social Security system, too, even though they're not eligible to collect benefits. In fact, they may be helping to keep the system afloat, with $7 billion currently in a designated suspense file, much of which is believed to have come from undocumented workers."

Read that twice. In practice, the IRS – that is, the federal government – recognizes the legality of undocumented workers. Our government knows where millions of them work. Our government, and everyone who cashes a Social Security check, spend their money. It's well-known that many U.S. corporations pay no taxes, and the Bush GOP has once again cut taxes for the rich, but these "illegals" pay. Their labor and the fruit of their labor is in practice legal, with legal arrangements for tax collection – but the workers themselves are illegal. That is outrageous. House Republicans voted to make felons of people who contribute to their salaries! The hypocrisy of ranting about "illegals" while pocketing their coin – that should be illegal.

Since the federal government benefits from undocumented workers, something is owed those workers in return: Justice. The just resolution is simple. All immigrants who pay taxes should, immediately, be issued green cards. Then they can get at "the back of the line" for citizenship, with the not-so-unreasonable stipulation of learning English (immigrants do that anyway, eventually). As for the penalty fine Bush proposes? Tax-paying immigrants have already paid it.

It is extraordinary that these two facts – the first demographic, the second financial and governmental – are virtually absent from both print and broadcast journalism. You don't expect immigrant-baiters like CNN's Lou Dobbs and Fox News' Brit Hume (and the right-wing radio ranters) to quote a fact that undercuts their arguments; intellectually, they are not honest people. But mainstream journalists and liberal columnists seem equally ignorant of these facts – which baffled me until I looked at bylines and "mastheads" (lists of a newspaper's personnel). May 15's New York Times news section: By my count, out of 24 byline names, one might be Hispanic; May 16, of 41 bylines, two were Hispanic, and two might be. The paper has no regular Hispanic news columnists and seems to have no Hispanic national news editors. May 15's Newsweek had no Hispanic bylines, and Time had one (or it may have been the other way round); U.S. News and World Report, none in the news section. As for The Austin Chronicle – flip through these pages and see for yourself. Anglo broadcast news has Hispanic readers, but readers usually don't write and edit. Of course, one can't always tell by the names. Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico, is Hispanic; Michael Ventura, writer of this column, is not. By and large, though, names are a fairly decent indication. In news journalism, Hispanic-Americans have yet to be recruited – or should the word be included? On this enormous issue of immigration, the journalistic community is pretty much out of the loop. Or, like me, pedaling hard to catch up.

I was shocked out of my ignorance and complacency by the May 1 demonstration in Lubbock.

Lifelong residents of Lubbock tell me that this city, "the Hub of the Texas Panhandle," never before witnessed a demonstration 3,000-strong. That was the figure quoted the next day in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (May 2, p.1). The number seemed, to me, low. Extrapolating from a count of those within about 100 feet of where I walked, and standing on a height to view the entire march, I estimated 4,000-ish, maybe more. At least 3,000, then. In Lubbock, probably for the first time in Panhandle history.

We gathered at St. Joseph's Catholic church in the northeast area of the city. We walked behind a marvelous hand-painted banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe – bright colors on a white background, brilliant in the sun. On either side of the Virgin, folks carried signs: VOTE – IT COUNTS. As was typical of the May 1 marches everywhere, there were lots of kids, tiny ones and midsized ones, running about or in strollers or on the shoulders of fathers or big brothers – kids who will never forget this day, and who are being taught by example to stand up. Also typical, most Lubbock marchers were adults under, say, 32 – which means this phenomenon isn't going away. Everyone was excited. Many were smiling. There was no sense of discomfort, no scent of fear. The atmosphere, happy! (I've walked many demonstrations, and only at Woodstock – a concert, but also a kind of demonstration – have I seen a mass of people happy.) There were many U.S. flags, some Latin American flags, many handmade signs. An Anglo's read WE ALL COME FROM SOMEPLACE ELSE. A Latino's, JUSTICIA PARA TODOS. Justice for all. And there were chants, and when one chant died down you never knew who'd start the next – it might be an old woman, it might be a young man, it might be three high school girls walking hand-in-hand. SÍ, SE PUEDE! Yes, it can be done! EL PUEBLO! UNIDO! JAMÁS SERÁ VENCIDO! A people united will never be vanquished!

My father was 6 before he spoke his first English word. My mother was 11 or 12. (She would become the first woman of her lineage to graduate college.) They didn't often speak Italian or Sicilian around their kids because they didn't want us to face the crap they'd faced before they overcame their accents. If they were alive, they would have marched May 1. In New York City when I was young, Sicilians weren't quite white and weren't quite not. It depended on the neighborhood. I guess I thought I was white – because in 1973, to the shock of my naivete, I discovered that in Lubbock, presto, I wasn't white anymore (if, indeed, I ever had been). An aged Anglo barber left a line of blood across the back of my neck to insure that his establishment would not again be sullied by this particular spic. In memory of him and those like him – and for my parents, myself, and, yes, the honor of humanity – I'd have marched here May 1, if need be, in a wheelchair. And, in fact, in Lubbock some people did march in motorized chairs and in wheelchairs pushed by relatives and friends. (Someone should tell Republicans that such folk don't scare easy.)

When we gathered at the federal building, most speeches were pretty fine. A priest began with a prayer that God "keep in our hearts, 'As you did it to the least of these, you did it to me.' [Jesus' words]." Lubbock County Sheriff David Gutierrez sang the daylights out of "God Bless America" (with marchers joining in). And a graying Anglo judge named Rusty Ladd said this:

"Every founding father of this country broke the law; every escaped slave and anyone who helped that slave broke the law; every Texan (of any color) who fought for the independence of our state broke the law; all those civil rights marchers and protesters of the 1950s and 1960s broke the law and our nation is the better for their having done so. ... If our legislatures ... pass any law ... that tells me I cannot offer food or drink or medical attention or shelter to any neighbor of mine, or passes a law that restricts my ability to treat my fellow man with dignity and respect, then save me a cell in the local jail – for on that day I shall become a lawbreaker as well."

Anyone can reprint this column anywhere free of charge, so long as you credit The Austin Chronicle.