GfP Newsletter - November

November 11, 2007

Dear GFP members and friends,

In one way I can't believe 2007 is so close to ending. In another way, I can hardly wait for 2008 to begin. IT HAS TO BE BETTER! Maybe the occupation of Iraq will be greatly diminished. Maybe the threat of war on Iran will die out. Maybe a Democratic administration will enact laws to help the homeless, the uninsured, and the unemployed. Maybe the culture of our society will transform itself from one of violence to one of non-violence. Maybe we, the people, will take back our civil liberties.

Is that too much to hope for? Too much to strive for? I don't think so. We have been angry too long. Now its time for us to change our ANGER into ACTION.

I am proud of our organization, GRANDPARENTS FOR PEACE, and proud to be an affiliate of GRANDMOTHERS FOR PEACE. Every day, several times a day in fact, my Email brings updates about our participating in the upcoming SOA event, the weekend Nov. 16-18, at Fort Benning, Georgia. Some 20,000 peace activists from across the nation, and from Central and South America, will demand that the infamous military School of the Americas (now euphemistically called Western Hemisphere for Security Cooperation) be closed. I will be going with Renee Mintz and Judy Schekel. I’m looking forward to seeing the white-kerchiefed 1,000 grannies. Join us. If you can't come, write or phone your Congressmen. The governments of Venezuela, Costa Rica, Argentina and Uruguay have all announced that they will no longer send students to rain at the school of the Americas… Bolivia looks set to cut its ties with the school, as does Ecuador.


I am proud of our local PPJ (People for Peace & Justice) who have vigiled every first Saturday for more than six years. Yes, we began before the war, in an effort to keep it from happening. In recent months we have added a vigil on every third Saturday.

We've delivered our anti-war message at several large rallies and numerous holiday events, including Christmas and Easter parades, Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day. This coming Sunday, Veterans Day, we will wear black, gather the Gazebo in the Plaza, then stage a die-in on St. George Street. The following day, again in black, we will hold a funeral procession at the entrance of the Flagler College Auditorium prior to the concert, "Tribute to Veterans". This bit of street theater is not to entertain, but to HONOR those who have lost their lives not only in the current war, but in past wars as well. Our mission is to promote peace. Grandparents for Peace works with People for Peace & Justice and Veterans of America toward this end. Members include Gina Burrell,Stetson & Sandra Kennedy, Mary Lawrence, Renee Mintz, Diana Smith, Judy Sharpe, Ron & Mary Lee Zamora, and others.

Since my last letter, I was asked to represent GFP at several events. An unusual one was a Council of Elders luncheon at North Florida University in Jacksonville. John Linnehan and Stetson Kennedy were also invited. Student activists asked questions about each of our peace activities and organizing techniques. They all expressed surprise that we had pursued peace-making for so many years, that we had not gotten discouraged, or burnt out.

On October 24th several GFPers attended the regional anti-war demonstration in Orlando. Among these were Mary Claire, Al Geiger, June Aplen, Nancy & David, Bernie Welsh, and Rita Lucey. Keynote speaker was former Democratic Sen. Gravel from Alaska, a presidential candidate who was eliminated from a recent Democratic debate by BBC (owned by General Electric) because he had not raised enough campaign money. He spoke out against the corruption in both parties and the need for financial and judicial reform. I called for the impeachment of both Bush and Cheney.
The crowd was particularly responsive to my reporting how Florida taxpayers could have provided health care to four MILLION people, eight Million homes with renewable electricity could have been constructed, and two HUNDRED THOUSAND music and arts teachers could have been employed in Florida schools -l -- had we not squandered that same amount of money in this disastrous war in Iraq. "Democracy and freedom are a sham when adequate education, affordable housing, and quality health care are less important than bombs and missiles."

At a Pax Christi retreat in Gainesville, Bishop Gumbleton spoke fervently against all war, saying that there was no such thing as a "just" war, and urged all of us to pray and act for reconciliation, reconstruction, and world community. It was wonderful to see Phyllis Jepson, the Mazurs, the Fuchs, Connie, Marilyn Elsen, and so many other GFP members and supporters at this annual event.

On that same day, Annette, Lois, Alice, Judy, Renee and other GFPers attended the Florida Democratic Convention at Disney World. Unfortunately no presidential candidate bothered to come because our delegates to the National Convention will not be allowed to vote (due to the Republican-engineered early January primary).

As the holiday season approaches, our thoughts turn to gifts, I have two suggestions. The first is a donation to the HEIFER PROJECT. A twenty dollar gift certificate will buy a chicken for a family in Kenya. The second is a subscription to SUN MAGAZINE which I enjoy every month, and read every word. You can get more information about each of these from the Internet.

I turned 97 in October. That makes me a Libra. According to one horoscope, “The most enterprising side of your nature is ready to express itself and you are more ambitious than ever”.
If this means more eager to fix the world, she’s right. But time is flying. It is elusive, hard to catch, impossible to hold on to. My desk is a mess, my body is succumbing to gravity, my mind is full of things I want to do. I need more time…..

Peg