RCPJ takes up Palestinian cause on Al-Nakba Day

Elaine Kinch and Pat Chaffee at RCPJ's peace vigil Saturday

Racine was introduced to an unfamiliar word in the protest lexicon Saturday by the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice.

The word is "Al-Nakba," and it means "the catastrophe" in Arabic -- the day in 1948 when Israel was created and  700,000 Palestinians were driven out of their homeland.

The RCPJ, which has been a monthly fixture at the corner of Highways 20 and 31 protesting the war in Iraq, took up the new cause today, because May 15 is Al-Nakba Day in the Arab world.

Borrowing protest signs from Peace Action Milwaukee, seven members of RCPJ stood for an hour, hoping to educate those driving past. It was a mostly losing battle; what few reactions they garnered with pro-Palestinian signs -- like No U.S. $$$ for Israeli occupation of Palestine -- were more of the thumbs down variety; one driver shouted "Nazi" as he waited for the light to change.

Pat Chaffee took pains to point out, "We're not talking about Jews; we must distinguish between Israel and Jews."

Elaine Kinch said the vigil was about "peace and justice." The creation of Israel forced out more than 700,000 Palestinians. "Today there are 7 million refugees who can't return where they came from."

"When Israel was created, it started ethnic cleansing," she said.

A solution will be difficult, since turning the clock back 60 years to restore Palestinian homelands would displace the European Jews who came when the State of Israel was created on May 14, 1948, by the United Nations' partitioning of Palestine.

Corky Gerard of the Milwaukee Peace Action Coalition, said, "You can't pick and choose which historic claim to support." If you went by history, he said, "Native Americans would probably own your house."

"I don't think there will ever be a peace, because the Israeli government doesn't want it," he said.

Kinch said "you have to divide" Israel to create states for both Jews and Palestinians. Chaffee said this would be impossible, because of the "Swiss cheese" of opposing settlements.

For a fuller explanation of Al-Nakba, go here. Gerard also recommends a documentary film, Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land, about the U.S. media and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Wayne Johnson elected president of Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice for 2010

The Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice elected Wayne Johnson as its president for 2010.

Members also elected Vice President Sister Alice Rademacher, Secretary Theresa Englund and Treasurer Dick Kinch at the organization's Feb. 4 meeting.

Johnson, returning to a position he held previously, succeeds Dr Ken Yorgan, who served as chair for three years. Rademacher, a Racine Dominican, and Dick Kinch are holdovers. Theresa Englund, RCPJ's new secretary, is a UW- Parkside student.

RCPJ officers serve one year terms.

RCPJ, the local peace organization, was formed in 2002 as the US government prepared for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. RCPJ's mission is as follows: "The Coalition is an initiative to promote citizen understanding, raise public awareness, and encourage participation in the democratic process for the purpose of achieving peace and just relations among peoples and nations and protecting civil liberties."

The organization has sponsored presenters, educational events, and public protests mostly in opposition to US aggression and to US support of injustice in the Middle East, especially as regards Iraq and Israel/Palestine, but also in opposition to US aggression and military policy in general. Like many in the US and the world who long for peace and justice, RCPJ is gravely disappointed in the new US administration.

RCPJ meets twice monthly. It is an affiliate of Peace Action Wisconsin and a member of the Wisconsin Network for Peace & Justice. RCPJ membership dues are moderate. Donations are welcome but are not deductible for income tax purposes.

RCPJ communicates mostly by e-mail and is pleased to add others to its e-mail list. Its e-mail address is RacinePeace@yahoo.com. Its Web address is http://RacinePeace.wordpress.com. In partnership with the Racine/Kenosha Central America Solidarity Coalition (CASC) it publishes the bimonthly CASC/RCPJ Newsletter, which was founded in 1983.

Regular RCPJ meetings are held at 7 pm on the first and third Thursday of the month, usually at Cup of Hope coffee shop, 507 6th Street, Racine.

RCPJ will sponsor two presentations in March:

· Monday 1 March. "TheUS - Israeli Partnership: An Ethical Critique," presentation by Daniel Maguire, Professor of Ethics, Marquette University, 7:00 pm, Olympia Brown UU Church. Info: Wayne Johnson, 262/639-7149.

· Tuesday 30 March. "The Gaza Freedom March: Thwarted by Egypt, Co-opted by Hamas," a report by Sr Pat Chaffee of the December march and protest at the Gaza-Egypt border, 7:00 pm, place to be announced.

Information: Wayne Johnson, 262/639-7149, or Dick Kinch, 262/638-0204

National peace march stopping in Racine Thursday

A peace tour is coming through Racine this week. Here's the details from RCPJ:

The "Witness Against War 2008" peace march is organized by Voices for Creative Nonviolence (VCNV). It will begin in Chicago on July 12 and conclude in St. Paul, MN on August 31 in time for the start of the 2008 Republican Convention. Marchers will arrive in Racine on Thursday 17 July, participate in various activities on Friday, and leave for Milwaukee on Saturday 19 July.

Marchers will be the guests of the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice and of the local community. All are invited to participate in at least a portion of the march.

The agenda for Racine is as follows:

Thursday July 17, 2008

4:00 P.M. Welcome walkers at John Bryant Community Center, 601 21st Street
4:30 P.M. Begin walk to Belle City Senior Center, Goold & Main
6:00 P.M. Meet host families at Belle City Senior Center, 201 Goold

Friday, July 18, 2008

10:30 A.M. Presentation by members of VCNV at Sam Johnson Parkway (in case of rain, Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church annex, 7th & College)
11:00 A.M. Rally at Congressman Paul Ryan's office, 216 6th Street
11:30 A.M. Sack lunch downtown Racine on Monument Square
2:30 P.M. Meet with walkers at Wilson Coffee and Tea, 3306 Washington Ave.

RCPJ re-elects officers for 2008

The Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice continues its work to strike the moral conscience of the community, and looks to be going strong in the new year.

The nonprofit elected its officers for 2008 at its January meeting and reiterated its purpose as an organization. The officers for this year include (all were incumbents):

Chair - Dr. Ken Yorgan
Vice Chair - Sister Alice Rademacher
Secretary - Sonali Knotek
Treasurer - Richard Kinch

The Coalition is an initiative to promote citizen understanding, raise public awareness, and encourage participation in the democratic process for the purpose of achieving peace and just relations among peoples and nations and protecting civil liberties.

The Coalition has focused its efforts on the US war against Iraq, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and threats to civil liberties since September 11. It sponsors speakers, organizes demonstrations, and distributes a variety of informational materials, especially by means of the Internet. In its role as clearinghouse, it encourages alternative voices that may be opposed to official US government policy and the relatively narrow range of opinion that dominates the national media.



RCPJ chair Ken Yorgan describes the need for such an organization:

"The American promise was about respect for the rights of others, justice for all people, and a strong democracy. We have been working toward completion of that promise for 230 years yet it remains an elusive dream for too many. We are now being told that the dawn of fulfillment has receded even further into the darkness of 'global terror,' and we must content ourselves with less liberty, increasing injustice and a degraded democracy.

"Sadly, it is our President and Vice President who not only deliver this message, but seem to work diligently to bring it to pass. The unprecedented suspension of 'Habeus Corpus,' the very foundation of our republic, is the most egregious assault on our Constitution since it first defined our aspirations as a people. Coupled with credible and multiple reports of spying on American citizens, secret prisons and torture, we are confronted with the defining crisis of this generation. Every past generation has stood up, when called upon, to preserve and advance our American promise.

"We are a 'nation of laws.' and among those laws are the provisions for a just and peaceful removal of officials who disrespect and degrade our Constitution. The Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice, along with millions of other Americans, believes that there is more than sufficient evidence to warrant Congressional hearings into the activities of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney with the expectation that impeachment and removal from office will be justified.

"We believe that this problem must be addressed, not only to remove an intractable impediment to the advancement of peace and justice, but to repair the damage that has been done to our democratic infrastructure and warn future political opportunists that their ambitions will not go unchallenged.

"We extend an open invitation to anyone who feels a need to be part of a community of like-minded citizens who choose to be active participants in this great democratic endeavor we call The United States of America, which has created so much hope for people worldwide. If you feel a need to take an active role in the process of bringing the American dream to fulfillment, we would welcome and be grateful to have you join with us. If you are already active in this process, we would be encouraged to know of your efforts and offer our encouragement to you in return. More information can be found on our website at http://www.racinepeace.org."

The group meets the first and third Tuesday of each month, 7 PM, at the César Chávez Community Center, 2221 Douglas Ave., Racine. Suggested membership dues are 30 dollars a year (or what one can pay). RCPJ is affiliated with the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Peace Action Wisconsin, and United for Peace and Justice.

Recent presentations sponsored by RCPJ included David Liners on the "war on drugs," Jonathan Olsen on "The Nature of Fascism," Bonnie and Bob Block on Iran, Chuck Baynton on nuclear disarmament, Arthur Heitzer on Cuba-US relations, and Harriet Lavin on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

RCPJ sponsored units in Racine's 4th of July and Holiday parades and helped develop the peace curriculum project known as Peace Learning Circles, now housed at UW-Parkside.

RCPJ's frequent public demonstrations and vigils are calls for peace, especially in Iraq. These are usually held at Monument Square, the corner of Highways 20 and 31, or in front of Congressman Paul Ryan's Racine office. The Coalition organized the successful advisory referendum calling for the immediate return of our troops from Iraq. This ballot measure was approved by City of Racine voters in November 2006.

RCPJ events are telecast on local public-access cable television, CAR 25. The Coalition regularly compiles and distributes by e-mail a list of local peace activities, its "peace calendar." Interested individuals are welcome to be included in RCPJ's e-mail list. RCPJ's new Web site can be found at www.RacinePeace.org.

Scheduled RCPJ events for early 2007 include the following:

a.. Monthly "Stand for Peace." Peace rallies at SE corner of Highways 20 and 31, 10:00 am to 11:00 am, Saturdays 26 January, 16 February, 15 March, and 19 April.

a.. Thursday 24 January. "Is Peace Possible? Reflections on Human Nature and Evolution," 7:00 pm, Michigan Room of the Racine Building, Gateway Technical College, -- presentation by Joseph Pearson and Wayne Johnson, UW - Parkside..

a.. Monday 4 February. "The War on Terror: Who Wins? Who Loses?", presentation by Simon Harak, SJ, Huron Room of the Racine Building, Gateway Technical College.

a.. Thursday 6 March. "Women in Islam," presentation by Inshirah Farhoud, 7:00 pm, at a place to be announced.

a.. April. Othman Atta, "Religious Extemism: Muslim and Christian," 7:00 pm, at a place to be announced.

a.. May. Louise Cainkar, "US Arabs since 9/11." 7:00 pm, at a place to be announced.

For further Information contact Richard Kinch at: dkinch@rootcom.net or 262/638-0204.