oklahoma billboard targets governor mary fallin and...
TRANSCRIPT
When a billboard in Louisiana took Governor Bobby Jindal to task for
refusing federal aid for Medicaid Expansion under the ACA - Affordable
Care Act - the state took aggressive action. They sued the organization
sponsoring the billboard – MoveOn.org – alleging that the billboard pla-
giarized the design of official Chamber of Commerce billboards.
MoveOn.org started a Legal Defense Fund and appealed for donations
through the social media. So many donations rolled in that MoveOn.org
decided to buy billboards in more states where the Governor turned down
Medicaid Expansion (like Oklahoma!).
For two weeks, the Oklahoma billboard was at NE 23rd Street & I-
235, where it could almost be read from the State Capitol! Tens of thou-
sands have seen it, either from the highway, or in emails and on Facebook.
If Governor Fallin and our Republican-controlled Legislature would
accept the federal money, Medicaid would be expanded to cover some
135,000 to 145,000 work-
ing poor Oklahomans
who cannot afford health
insurance on their meager
salaries. Oklahoma would
receive some $8 Billion
over the first ten years - about $800 Million every
year to subsidize Medicaid
expansion. The federal
government would pay
100% of the cost for the
first two years. Thereafter,
the federal government
would pay 90% of the cost, and Oklahoma would pay 10%.
Even Republican Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer finally accepted
this “Obamacare” money, saying it was “just too good a deal to pass up,”
and “Arizona citizens need the health care coverage.”
The Oklahoma Policy Institute confirms that Oklahoma happily ac-
cepts some $24 Billion every year, in federal money to fund our five mili-
tary bases, interstate highway construction and maintenance, the NOAA
national weather station (best tornado predictions in the country), our
medical research facilities, K-12 public schools, and our universities.
But, should Oklahoma accept federal money for health care for the
working poor?? “NO!” say the Republicans, “That would be Socialism!”
VOICE asks all Oklahomans to call Governor Mary Fallin’s office
(Main number: 405-521-2342; Press office: 522-8878; Constituent ser-
vices: 522-8851) with
this message:
“More than a year
ago, Governor Fallin,
you pledged to de-
velop an ‘Oklahoma
plan’ to cover the
health needs of our
600,000 uninsured.
The ‘Leavitt Report’
has come and gone,
and ‘Insure Okla-
homa’ will be discon-
tinued in 2015. So,
Governor Fallin,
WHERE IS YOUR
OKLAHOMA PLAN?
*** *** ***
Earth Day Rally for
Climate Change Action
Tuesday, April 22nd 5:30 to 7:00pm
State Capitol S. Plaza
“It’s real, man-made, and humanity must fix it.”
“Peace is not just the
absence of v iolence,
but the presence
of just ice.”
Dr. Mar t in Luther King, Jr.
APR - MAY, 2014
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Global Warming’s Tipping Point p. 2
Coffeehouse serves Ft. Hood GIs p. 4
OKC Minimum Wage Initiative p. 7
Boycott Koch Industries p. 8
Medicaid Expansion Popular p. 10
Iran Nukes: Manufactured Crisis p. 12
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at OCU p. 14
IN THIS ISSUE
Oklahoma Billboard Targets Governor Mary Fallin and Opponents of Expanding Health Coverage
Page 2, OPS, April/May, 2014
CO
MM
EN
TA
RY
Al Gore’s book and movie “An In-
convenient Truth” presented the data
identifying carbon dioxide (CO2), meth-
ane, and other gases from human sources
as primary culprits causing global warm-
ing. The data are embraced by the vast
majority of scientists, who also agree
that humanity must modify our patterns
of consumption if we would avert a grim
future.
The data foretell environmental ca-
tastrophes if trends are not reversed —
drastic climate changes, wild storms, ag-
ricultural uncertainties, rising oceans.
The challenge is equivalent to the ap-
proach of an asteroid whose impact
would change earth’s climate forever.
The threat is not from a nation, terrorists,
or diseases, but from what we are doing,
inadvertently, to earth’s atmosphere.
These issues are not reported regu-
larly by the media, and are rarely dis-
cussed by government officials. It is up
to us to tell them that they should. The
technical fixes to reverse global warming
are all known, or are under development.
What is lacking is the political will. Per-
sonal actions are important and become a
model for neighbors and others. But the
changes needed must be societal and
global.
Scientists tell us that certain
“tipping points” are approaching, after
which reversing global warming will be
more difficult, perhaps impossible. It’s
like cigarette smokers considering quit-
ting. When they have lung cancer or em-
physema, they have passed the tipping
point because they didn’t quit in time.
One tipping point involves meth-
ane, one of the “greenhouse gases”
warming our atmosphere. Turns out that
massive amounts of methane are locked
in the arctic permafrost. As it melts be-
cause of warming, more methane is re-
leased, which speeds up the warming.
Another is the crucial absorption of CO2
by earth’s rain forests, now being
cleared for agriculture and other human
use. Atmospheric warming causes drying
that kills rain forests, further speeding
the warming. Scientists are watching a
dozen such tipping points, and their con-
clusions suggest that urgency in imple-
menting solutions is desirable.
Each person’s life has an environ-
mental burden or “ecological footprint”
that is measurable using a simple quiz
available on the internet
(www.ecofoot.org). It provides a score:
the number of acres it takes to support
your level of consumption. It teaches
which activities actually affect the envi-
ronment, and which don’t make that
much difference. Click on “Footprint For
You,” click on where you live in the
world, and get started. It takes about 5
minutes.
The U.S. must become as engaged
in reversing global warming as when we
entered World War II after Pearl Harbor.
Everyone did their part then, recycling
materials, buying bonds, paying taxes,
participating in a coordinated effort to
bring victory.
Everyone would prefer to believe
that everything is fine and the future is
bright. Nobody welcomes a diagnosis of
cancer or heart disease. But those who
argue that global warming is a hoax must
have some vested interest in ignoring the
data. Everyone knows that physical
health is enhanced by a healthy diet and
regular exercise. Let’s apply similar wis-
dom to preserve our planet for future
generations!
Batchelder is director of the Peace House in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma Peace Strat-egy News is produced by The Peace House in Oklahoma City. It is written, compiled, typeset, composed, labeled, and mailed by volunteers. Letters to the Editor and articles submitted for publication are welcome. OPS News reserves the right to edit for space and to refuse publication of statements that are libel-ous or untrue Send to: The Peace House 2912 N. Robinson Okla. City, OK 73103 Or to [email protected]
Phone: 405-524-5577
Published in The OKLAHOMAN, December 16, 2006
Warming’s ‘tipping points’
By Nathaniel Batchelder
VOTES
Help arouse the Reasonable Majority to vote in November.
THE REASONABLE MAJORITY INCLUDES:
WomenWomenWomen, African-Americans,
Hispanic-Americans, Muslim-Americans, Asian-Americans, LGBT Americans,
Younger Americans, Artists, Musicians,
Scientists, Teachers, Americans who Read, and Americans NOT
mesmerized by the in-sanity on Fox Radio and
Fox TV News.
Irrational Candidates are not elected by Irrational Voters;
They are elected by Reasonable Voters
WHO DON’T VOTE!
Let’s Get Out The Vote in November!
The stakes are huge.
Page 3, OPS, April/May, 2014
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Landmark Climate TV Series ‘Years Of Living Dangerously’
8 Parts: Began April 13th By Joe Romm, Think Progress.com
Supper/Movie Night Screening:
Ann Curry’s One-Hour NBC Documentary:
Broadcast Nationwide on Sunday, April 6th
Climate Change 101 And Solutions
Supper/Movie Night (b.y.o. brown bag supper)
Tuesday, May 20 6:00pm - Social Gathering
6:30pm - Screen Film
Church of the Open Arms 3131 N. Pennsylvania Ave., OKC
On Sunday, April 13, SHOWTIME launched its 8-part ground-breaking climate
change TV series on the experiences and personal stories of people whose lives
have been touched by climate change. The series will continue on Sunday nights
through June, with re-airings at other times.
Years Of Living Dangerously is an 8-part series produced by the legendary story-
tellers and film-makers James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry
Weintraub -– together with three former 60 Minutes producers who have 18 Em-
mys between them.
While reviewing the segments for technical accuracy as Chief Science Editor,
I’ve been blown away by just how visually and narratively compelling the show
is. It is not just going to be a landmark climate change series, it is going to be a
landmark television series, like Ken Burns’ The Civil War.
Nothing like this 8-part series has ever been put on TV before, a collaboration
between the amazing storytellers mentioned above and top-flight journalists (like
Chris Hayes, Lesley Stahl, and Tom Friedman) and some of Hollywood’s big-
gest stars (like Matt Damon, Ian Somerholder, Don Cheadle, Olivia Munn, and
Harrison Ford). They provide gripping reports of people affected by, and seeking
solutions to, climate change.
As readers know, climate change is happening right here, right now — in Amer-
ica and around the world. It is the biggest story of our time, and it needs a big
platform to tell it.
The first episode can be watched online at yearsoflivingdangerously.com
Page 4, OPS, April/May, 2014
Read back issues
of Peace Strategy News online at
PeaceHouseOK.org
c/o Joy Mennonite Church,504 NE 15th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Legal Services/Education/Outreach on Conscience and Military
Counter recruitment/peace education tools and training
Small grants for local projects fostering peace, justice and sustainability
War Resisters League affiliate for Oklahoma
CENTERFORCONSCIENCE.ORG
G.I. Coffee House “Under the Hood” Responds to Latest
Shooting at Ft. Hood Located Outside Largest Military Base in U. S.
Under the Hood Coffee House and Resource
Center issued the following statement in re-
sponse to the Ft. Hood shooting on April 2.
We at Under the Hood Cafe and Outreach
Center are heartbroken by Wednesday’s
shooting at Fort Hood. Our community is
hurting: the wounds of previous traumas have
again been ripped open for many in the mili-
tary community here in Killeen. Our utmost
concern is for the safety and support of our
community. We offer our deepest condo-
lences for the victims — Sgt.Timothy Owens,
Sgt.Carlos Lazaney-Rodriquez and
Sgt.Danny Ferguson — to their families, and
to the family of Army Spc. Ivan Lopez.
This event is dreadful and unbearable, but not
unimaginable in the wake of previous shoot-
ings at Fort Hood and across the country. The
military and its commander-in-chief have
heard repeatedly from Under the Hood mem-
bers and the wider Fort Hood community
about some of the conditions that contribute
to incidents like this: service members reeling
from multiple deployments, untreated PTSD
and TBI, over-medication coupled with lack
of personal support, service members waiting
and waiting for help, stigmatized and trauma-
tized by what they have experienced in ser-
vice.
The military often frames the issues affecting
military communities as issues affecting sin-
gle individuals. Yet, the issues affect many.
The suicide rate within the military is stag-
gering. The military needs to stop pointing
the finger without looking at the root causes.
We demand access to quality mental health
care and the right to heal. We want change.
As we bring these issues to light, we feel it is
important not to add to the stigma associated
with seeking mental health care. While many
of the conditions that set the stage for trage-
dies such as this are common, extremely vio-
lent reactions like what we witnessed on
Wednesday are rare. As veterans, service
members and military community members,
we fear that the stigma already associated with
seeking mental health care may well be exac-
erbated as the media seeks to tell its story
about what happened this week at Fort Hood.
For more info, visit underthehoodcafe.org.
After the April 2 shooting, Under the Hood organized a
candlelight vigil to mourn those killed or injured in the
tragic incident. Other community outreach efforts were
also enhanced to assist servicemembers dealing with
the event.
Under the Hood is a place where soldiers, families,
friends and community members can socialize, get in-
formation on service members’ and veterans rights, get
referrals for legal and wellness services and partici-
pate in creative workshops.
Page 5, OPS, April/May, 2014
The White House, Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1111 (comments)
202-456-1414 (switchboard)
FAX: 202-456-2461
Web: whitehouse.gov
Congressional Switchboard (202) 224-3121; (202) 225-3121
Senator Tom Coburn (OK) snipr.com/ecoburn
DC Tel: (202) 224-5754
DC Fax: (202) 224-6008
OKC Ofc: (405) 231-4941;
Tulsa Ofc: (918) 581-7651
Senator Jim Inhofe (OK) snipr.com/einhofe
DC Tel: (202) 224-4721
DC Fax: (202) 228-0380
OKC tel: (405) 608-4381;
Tulsa tel: (918) 748-5111
Mail: US House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
U.S. Representatives (OK)
Dist 1: Jim Bridenstine (Tulsa, etc.) snipr.com/ebridenstine
DC Tel: (202) 225-2211
DC Fax: (202) 225-9187
Tulsa ofc: (918) 935-3222
Dist 2: Markwayne Mullin (Muskogee) snipr.com/emullin
DC Tel: (202) 225-2701
DC Fax: (202) 225-3038
Muskogee: (918) 687-2533
Dist 3: Frank Lucas (W. OK) snipr.com/elucas
DC Tel: (202) 225-5565
DC Fax: (202) 225-8698
OKC Ofc: (405) 373-1958
Dist 4: Tom Cole (NORMAN & SW OK) snipr.com/etcole
DC Tel: (202) 225-6165
DC Fax: (202) 225-3512
Norman Ofc: (405) 329-6500
Dist 5: James Lankford (OKC etc.)
snipr.com/elankford
DC Tel: (202) 225-2132
DC Fax: (202) 226-1463
OKC Ofc: (405) 234-9900
Support The Peace Education Institute
The Peace Education Institute is committed to educational and practical
opportunities for people to explore nonviolent living options. We need
your support.
Send your contributions to:
The Peace Education Institute
PO Box 33
Spencer, OK 73084 Contributions to “PEI” ARE tax-deductible.
VISIT THE PEACE HOUSE
ON THE WEB: www.peacehouseok.org
ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/peacehouseok
Action Alerts
STOP THE F-35 FIGHTER JET - from Peace Action, the largest national peace organization.
Join more than 100,000 people telling Congress, “The F-35 is
a bad deal for America.” The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Air-
craft is the most expensive weapon in history. Grassroots
pressure brought an end to the F-22, another plane wasting tax
dollars needed for domestic needs. We can do it again.
The F-35 is a bad deal because our communities need more
money for rebuilding infrastructure, schools and jobs, not
planes that can’t fly. The F-35 is the poster child for all that is wrong with how the federal
budget priorities are set by Congress.
Even some in the Pentagon are saying the cost over-runs and years of delays make the F-35
a bad deal. The facts support our case for moving the money from wars and weapons to
fund jobs and community services.
If we can slow down the flow of tax dollars to the F-35, stir up a political debate on the mer-
its of funding a failed weapon, then perhaps we can begin to make real cuts in the Pentagon
budget. Let’s continue our constant stream of grassroots pressure can make that happen.
Power to the peaceful,
Judith LeBlanc, Field Director, Peace Action
Page 6, OPS, April/May, 2014
“My attorney suggested that we try to work things out in mediation to avoid a litigation disaster”
Since 1988, Jim Stovall, founder and Director of the Mediation Institute, has worked with individuals,
families, and organizations to resolve difficult and complicated disputes that often threaten valuable rela-
tionships. Jim works to assist those in conflict to retain control over the decision-making process and pre-
vent a matter from turning into a lengthy court battle or a painful grudge match.
Divorce and Custody Matters
Family & Interpersonal Disputes
Elder Care, Estate and Inheritance Issues
Training and Consultation
Call 405-607-8914 for more information and a free initial consultation.
The Mediation Institute, 133308 N. MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73142
Email [email protected] www.mediationinstitute.net
Reuters) - Recent small earthquakes in Ohio were likely triggered by
fracking, state regulators said on Friday, a new link that could have impli-
cations for oil and gas drilling in the Buckeye State and beyond.
In the strongest wording yet from the state linking energy drilling and
quakes, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) said that in-
jecting sand, water and chemicals deep underground to help release oil
and gas may have produced tremors in Poland Township last month.
The statement, in which the department announced stricter rules for oil
and gas exploration in areas where seismic activity has occurred, comes
after a steep rise in earthquakes in Ohio and other areas where intense
drilling has taken place.
Most earthquakes occur naturally, but scientists have long linked some
smaller tremors to oil and gas work underground, which can alter pressure
points and cause shifts in the earth.
Last month, drilling and fracking was suspended near the site of two
earthquakes in Poland Township in the northeast of the state, 70 miles
southeast of Cleveland, the first of which was magnitude 3.0, enough to be
felt for miles around.
Earthquakes rattled residents in Oklahoma last weekend, the latest in a
series that have put the state on track for record quake activity this year,
which some seismologists say may be tied to oil and gas exploration.
"Regarding the seismic events in Poland Township, ODNR geologists
believe the sand and water injected into the well during the hydraulic frac-
turing process may have increased pressure on an unknown microfault in
the area," ODNR said in a statement.
Friday's statement could have impacts not just for a state where a drill-
ing boom is under way, but in other regions where concerns have emerged
about the impact of fracking on fault lines. The new rules require a com-
pany to install seismic monitors if it is drilling within three miles of a
known fault or an area which has recently experienced quakes, the ODNR
said. It is unclear how much drilling will be affected by the new rules.
Hilcorp Energy, the company that was drilling near the quakes in Po-
land Township in March, cannot resume operations until it submits a new
plan convincing regulators that drilling is safe, an agency spokesman said.
Hilcorp was not immediately available to comment.
The department had not previously linked earthquakes to fracking,
which involves fracturing rock by creating a series of small blasts thou-
sands of feet below the surface, but the new data gave it "reasonable cer-
tainty" that fracking was the cause, the agency spokesman said.
"It is significant that they have acknowledged that there is a connec-
tion between fracking and earthquakes," said Ray Beiersdorfer, professor
of geology at Youngstown State University in Ohio.
The disposal of drilling wastewater in rockbed deep underground has
been linked by geologists to earthquakes, sucah as the 4.0 magnitude one
experienced on New Year's Eve 2011 in Youngstown, but opinion is di-
vided about whether fracking itself can cause quakes, and if it can trigger
more than just small tremors.
While there are concerns about the environmental impact of injecting
chemical-laced water into the ground, including on freshwater supplies,
they are spreading to include the effect on fault lines than run beneath the
surface, often undetected.
Worries surrounding seismic activity emerged in Ohio in 2011 when a
spate of small quakes followed the beginning of intensive drilling in the
Utica shale. More than 800 wells have been drilled in the Ohio portions of
the Utica and the Marcellus shales, two major gas deposits that have
helped transform the U.S. energy market. Once a regular importer of gas
from overseas, the United States is set to export gas for the first time to
countries across the globe.
"The steps announced today to protect communities from seismic
events are reasonable precautions," said Scott Anderson, a policy advisor
at the Environmental Defense Fund. "Although there is much uncertainty
regarding what causes earthquakes ... the state's decisive action is based
on the best information available."
Ohio links fracking to earthquakes, announces tougher rules Reporting By Edward McAllister. Editing by Alden Bentley
Page 7, OPS, April/May, 2014
Voters in Oklahoma City (OKC) may get the chance to vote this
year on increasing the minimum wage in the city. After recent success
in several states and such cities as Albuquerque, organizers believe this
is a good time to bring the measure before a vote of the people in OKC.
A coalition of labor, churches, and civic activists have joined forces
to garner enough signatures to get a minimum wage question on a City
ballot. The petition is limited to registered voters with a physical ad-
dress (no Post Office boxes) residing within Oklahoma City municipal
limits.
The Albuquerque measure, passed in 2013 with 66 percent approval,
increased that city’s minimum wage to $8.50 in January and provides
for automatic increases to keep pace with inflation.
In 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said that 3.6 million workers
(or almost 3 percent of all workers) in the U.S. were paid wages at or
below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. While most people
think of minimum wage workers as teenagers, the Economic Policy In-
stitute found that the typical minimum wage worker is a woman, 35
years old, and working full time. In fact, one-third of minimum wage
workers are over 40 years of age and the highest percent of those work-
ers graduated from high school and have some college credit. On aver-
age, they earn half of their family’s total income. The occupations most
affected by the minimum wage law would be food preparations, wait
staff, sales, personal care and service, and cleaning/maintenance of
building and grounds.
The real value of the minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation
and is actually 25 percent below the 1968 value. While the lowest paid
workers have seen the value of their earnings erode, the top 1 percent of
workers have tripled the value of their earnings over the last 45 years.
Many minimum wage workers depend on food stamps to feed their
families because a gross salary of $15,000 per year isn’t sufficient. The
bottom line is that people working for minimum wage live in poverty.
The federal minimum wage rate of $7.25 was set in 2009. Tipped
labor has its own minimum of $2.13 per hour with the tips making up
the difference. And workers under 20 years of age may be paid $4.25
per hour for the first 90 days of employment. Sixteen states now have
statutory minimum wage rates that are higher than the federal rate.
Although some news agencies claim that private employers would
cut workers if the minimum wage is increased, other studies predict a
rise in consumer spending that would provide
a boost to the economy and modest job
growth. Low wage workers tend to spend
practically all of their income on necessities,
and economists predict a wage increase for
these workers would result in most or all of
that money being put right back into the pur-
chase of goods and services. The types of jobs
affected by the law can’t easily be exported –
you won’t drive to China to pick up your fast
food – so it’s not so easy to reduce the number
of workers in these occupations. The Con-
gressional Budget Office, however, predicts that an increase in mini-
mum wage might result in a 0.3 percent increase in unemployment.
The Oklahoma City measure would raise the minimum wage to
$10.10 starting 90 days after passage of the act and adjust it each year to
match inflation. Employees that make tips, such as waiters and wait-
resses, must be paid at least 45 percent of minimum wage directly from
their employers and this would increase to 60 percent in 2016.
Push for Minimum Wage on Oklahoma Ballot
By Ginger McGovern
TELEPHONE (405) 605-6547
FACSIMILE (405) 605-6577
DAN MURDOCK ATTORNEY AT LAW
Resides & Resides, PLLC
615 North Broadway
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
73102
www.resideslaw.com
Page 8, OPS, April/May, 2014
-American Greetings (took heavy Koch
investment, upwards of $200 million)
-Angel Soft
-Angel Soft Ultra
-Brawny paper towels
-Dixie products
-Insulair cups
-Mardis Gras napkins
-Perfect Touch cups, paper products
-Quilted Northern
-Sparkle paper towels
-Vanity Fair napkins & paper towels
-Zee Napkins
-Georgia Pacific Office products -Spectrum paper
-Georgia-Pacific's enMotion paper
towel dispenser
-Georgia-Pacific's engineered lumber
INVISTA Brands -INVISTA’s PET polymer is used in
oxygen-sensitive packaging for food
and beverages.
-ADI-PURE® Adipic Acid
-ANTRON® Carpet Fiber
-C12™ Intermediates
-COMFOREL® Fiber
-COOLMAX® Fabric
-CORDURA® Fabric
-DACRON® Fiberfill
-DYTEK® Idea Intermediates
-FLEXISOLV® Solvent Solutions
-LYCRA® Fiber
-LYCRA HyFit® Fiber
-OXYCLEAR® Barrier Resin
-POLYCLEAR® PET
-POLYSHIELD® Resin
-SENZAA™ Additive
-STAINMASTER® Carpet
-SUPPLEX® Fabric
-SUPRIVA™ Fiber
-TACTEL® Fiber
-TECGEN® Garments
-TERATE® Polyols
-TERATHANE® Polyether Gly-
col
-TERRIN™ Polyols
-THERMOLITE® Fabric
-TORZEN® PA66 Resin
Don't Buy KOCH Industries Products
From Daily Kos, by Rachel Colyer
Koch industries and its subsidiaries are expansive––their holdings include everything from gas stations to pipelines, paper products for everyday use,
greeting cards, chemicals used to make materials, and the fabric that makes your clothing.
Lists of familiar Koch products and brands:
With an interest in almost everything, and status as the number two
privately held company in the country – behind Cargill – Koch in-
dustries is a behemoth hard to avoid.
But knowledge is power and your dollar is your vote. We can be-
come informed purchasers and refuse to support their political
agenda by refusing to purchase their wares.
More things you can do:
The internet is a wonderful place, full of handy resources. Start by
memorizing and avoiding the brand logos above, which are com-
monly found throughout our daily lives. Download the Boycott app
on your phone and use it while you shop.
For extra research, visit websites of Koch Industries, Invista, and
Georgia Pacific to see their broad range of products for home, busi-
ness, construction, clothing manufacturing, farming materials, and
chemical additives. They are into almost everything––including
fiber optics!
If you are in charge of ordering office supplies for your business,
construction materials for your job site, or products for events, ca-
tering, or restaurants––avoid buying from Georgia-Pacific and its
smaller subsidiaries.
Use your purchasing power to stop expanding, and to start shrink-
ing, the Koch empire.
Koch Fertilizer Company's AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer fer-
tilizer products are used around the world to improve nitrogen effi-
ciency and enhance crop productions.
This list is a work in progress. Daily Kos is striving to keep it
updated and accurate. Forgive any omissions or information
needing correction.
Page 9, OPS, April/May, 2014
Support the EPA’s proposed regu-
lations for new power plants
Look up and you see a solution to the
climate crisis plain as day … one that
will lead us toward a clean-energy fu-
ture. It’s the sun!
It's no secret that CO2 pollution from
fossil fuels is contributing to this year’s
wild storms and the drought we're seeing
in California … and changes all around
the world.
While oil, coal, and gas got us to
where we are today, there's no reason
they must take us into tomorrow. Espe-
cially when we can power our economy
and our lives without carbon pollution
and climate change - - with solar energy.
As long as power plants are able to
spew unregulated amounts of carbon pol-
lution into our atmosphere, Big Polluters
aren't forced to recognize and bear the
real cost of their operations. But with the
Environmental Protection Agency's new
proposed carbon pollution standards for
new power plants, this is about to
change.
Expansion of solar under president
Obama: Last year, the U.S. installed
4,751 megawatts of photovoltaic capac-
ity. That's over 40 percent more than in
2012 and almost 15 times more than in
2008. Right now, there's a new solar
system installed in this country every
four minutes, and the way demand keeps
growing, we could hit one every 80 sec-
onds as soon as 2016.
As solar power keeps getting cheaper
and more people start using it, it will
soon be as cheap as -- or even cheaper
than -- power from coal or gas.
What’s holding us back? The fossil
fuel industry and its friends in Congress
ensuring that the real cost of coal, oil,
and gas remains artificially low and pre-
venting solar from competing on a truly
level playing field.
We're paying to clean up Big Pol-
luter's mess. And until they pay the true
cost of their business, clean energies like
solar are at a disadvantage. We must all
support the EPA’s new proposed guide-
lines on new power plants. You can
learn much on our website: climatereali-
typroject.org
With more investment, solar keeps
growing and we can look forward to a
future where today’s extreme weather
events are fading into the rearview mir-
ror. Or they get worse.
We can have a say in the kind of fu-
ture we want, and it starts with speaking
up and supporting the EPA
Thanks,
The Climate Reality Team
DO YOU WANT
TO DO
YOUR PART TO
IMPROVE THE WORLD?
You can start by joining
OKC Amnesty International
Local Group #238
Anne Frank said, “How wonderful it is that no one needs to
wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
We meet at the Church of the Open Arms,
3131 N. Penn on the 1st Monday of the month at
6:30 PM, in the basement. Call John at
720-6467 for more information.
www.climate realityproject.org
Page 10, OPS, April/May, 2014
A new poll reveals that Medicaid expansion under the ACA - Affordable
Care Act, or "Obamacare" - is popular in many states where Republicans
are blocking it.
Opponents arguing that Obamacare is failing are being stymied by facts.
The Affordable Care Act hit its March 31st goal of 7 million enrolled in
private insurance plans. Three million more have signed up for coverage
under Medicaid in states that accepted federal aid paying for Medicaid
expansion.
According to new polling by Public Policy Poling conducted for
MoveOn, voters support Medicaid expansion in key states by wide mar-
gins: 52 to 35 percent in Kansas, 58 to 33 percent in Florida, 59 to 30
percent in Pennsylvania, 54 to 38 percent in Georgia.
These are states where Republican politicians have blocked Medicaid
expansion. In one of them - Virginia - an earlier poll found that even a
majority of Republican voters support extending coverage to the state’s
low-income residents.
Other polls show that three-out-of-four Ameri-
cans nationwide, including a majority of Re-
publicans, support Medicaid expansion.
Nevertheless, Republicans are single-handedly
blocking health coverage for 5 million Ameri-
cans in 24 states. One academic study sug-
gests that of those 5 million Americans, some
10,000 will die this year alone due to lack of
insurance.
The ACA, including Medicaid expansion, is the
law of the land, passed by the House and Sen-
ate, and signed into law in March, 2009, by the
President. Some 50 Republican attempts to
repeal it have failed. It's another example of
Republican will to block the President's efforts
- in this case to extend health care to the working poor. The result may
well be that thousands of Americans will die needlessly ... more than the
number who died on 9/11/01, or in the Iraq War.
Meanwhile Obamacare overall is getting more popular. Already, the
components of the law have been very well-received and polls show that
a significant percentage of people who “opposed Obamacare" at one
time, now think the law doesn’t go far enough - meaning that they sup-
port an even more progressive health care solution.
As the news spreads that over 7 million Americans have successfully
enrolled for insurance through the ACA exchanges, its popularity
grows. Polls show that even "absolute support" for Obamacare is on the
rise. The ACA is more popular than President Obama (47 percent versus
46 percent favorability) and is wildly more popular than Congressional
Republicans (only 18 percent favorability).
As the law’s positive effects continue to spread, running against
Obamacare will be increasingly costly to Republicans. Of course, that
won’t stop Tea Party extremists or the “kamikaze caucus.” Witness John
Boehner rushing to correct the record when Matt Drudge reported on
Republicans working to expand Obamacare. Republicans apparently
don’t want the American people even thinking that their party is trying to
get more people covered by health insurance.
The contrast is simple and clear: Democrats are working to provide af-
fordable care and health insurance to Americans, while Republicans are
actively working to deny it, by declining Medicaid expansion and attack-
ing Obamacare generally.
The polls show that Republicans are on the losing side of this issue. As
voters hear more and more stories of Americans newly covered because
of the ACA and getting a heart transplant or their cancer detected early,
they are seeing the truth rather than the fiction and disinformation spread
by Republicans and the shock jocks on Fox Radio. As stories of rural
hospitals closing for lack of funding that Medicaid expansion would
have provided, and Americans not getting the care they need because
Republicans blocked Medicaid expansion, voters
will be swayed more and more to support candi-
dates who would expand, not shrink, health care
coverage.
Nationally, some early projections show Republi-
cans holding the House and taking the Senate this
fall. Citizens can change that forecast by spreading
the truth, or by forwarding this article. Republican
governors like John Kasich of Ohio and Rick Sny-
der of Michigan are campaigning on their having
backed Medicaid expansion in their states. So, it’s
way too early to predict election outcomes.
November is far off, and a lot can happen between
now and then. But even now, on Obamacare, the
landscape keeps improving for its supporters, as
information spreads and Republican obstructionists
continue their irrational "Repeal Obamacare" tac-
tic.
More Press:
The Daily Beast:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/08/new-poll-shows-
voters-in-red-states-want-to-expand-medicaid.html
Politico:http://www.politico.com/morningscore/0414/
morningscore13535.html
Daily Kos:http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/08/1290547/-
Medicaid-expansion-salient-issue-in-red-nbsp-states
Mark Crain, Campaign Director, MoveOn.org
313-408-5961
Red State Voters Want Medicaid Expansion, New Poll Shows
A new poll reveals that
Medicaid expansion un-
der the ACA - Affordable
Care Act,
or "Obamacare" - is
popular in many states
where Republicans are
blocking it.
Page 11, OPS, April/May, 2014
Last spring Puerto Rico bucked a decades-long trend by protecting 3,000 acres of pristine
beaches and mangroves along the Northeast Ecological Corridor.
A new law marks an unexpectedly happy ending to a 15-year battle fought by environmental
activists to wrest this portion of the Caribbean island’s coast–which includes a vital nesting
area for the endangered leatherback turtle–from the construction cranes of developers.
A microcosm of Puerto Rico, this swath of land encompasses all types of coastal wetlands
found on the island and is home to nearly 900 other species, including ones struggling to sur-
vive such as the endangered West Indian manatee.
“Its scale of ecosystem diversity is extremely rare in any location around the world,” says
Camilla Feibelman, a former field organizer for the Sierra Club, which offers tours of the re-
gion.
Day-trippers from San Juan, less than five miles to the west, already head to eastern Puerto
Rico for El Yunque rain forest and the bioluminescent Fajardo lagoon. Yet the corridor is even
easier to access–public bus is one option–and the recent legislation promises to encourage ecot-
ourism in this unique habitat.
Soon travelers can expect expanding hiking and biking rails as well as the introduction of interpretive experiences, guided tours, and kayak rentals.
(Travel Trivia: The temperature inside the nest of turtle eggs determines the sex of the hatchlings. Hotter temps produce more females.)
(This piece, written by Julie Schwietert Collazo, first appeared in the April 2014 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.)
Catastrophic Climate Change
Can Be Averted
Catastrophic climate change can be averted without sacrificing living
standards, according to a landmark UN report published on Sunday. It
concludes the transformation required to a world of clean energy and
the ditching of dirty fossil fuels is eminently affordable.
The authoritative report, produced by 1250 international experts and
approved by 194 governments, dismisses fears that slashing carbon
emissions would wreck the world economy. It is the final part of a
definitive trilogy that has already shown that climate change is
“unequivocally” caused by humans and that, unchecked, it poses a
grave threat to people and could lead to lead to wars and mass migra-
tion.
Diverting hundred of billions of dollars from fossil fuels into renew-
able energy and cutting energy waste would shave just 0.06% off ex-
pected annual economic growth rates of 1.3%-3%, the Intergovernmen-
tal Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report concluded.
Furthermore, the analysis did not include the benefits of cutting green-
house gas emissions, which could outweigh the costs. The benefits in-
clude reducing air pollution, which plagues China and recently hit the
UK, and improved energy security, which is currently at risk in eastern
Europe after the actions of major gas-producer Russia in Ukraine.
The new IPCC report warns that carbon emissions have soared in the
last decade and are now growing at almost double the previous rate. But
its comprehensive analysis found rapid action can can still limit global
warming to 2C, the internationally agreed safety limit, (Original Story
from The Guardian)
A newly hatched leatherback sea turtle takes to the sea
on a beach in Puerto Rico. (Photograph by IrinaK, shutterstock; International Mapping)
Eco-News from Mother Earth Now!
The landmark UN report on climate change concludes moving to renewable energy
is achievable. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Sea Turtles Win a 15 Year Battle
with Help from their Enviro-Activist Friends
Page 12, OPS, April/May, 2014
Journalist-scholar Gareth Porter has published an-
other fine book on U.S. aggression, Manufactured
Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare,
following in the footsteps of his 2005 study, The
Perils of Dominance. The earlier book had as its
main theme the idea that dominant U.S. military
power in the 1950s and 1960s caused the U.S. lead-
ership to believe that the threat of indefinite escala-
tion would induce their Vietnamese enemy to sur-
render on U.S. terms, which the Vietnamese refused
to do (his subtitle was Imbalance of Power and the
Road to War in Vietnam).
A main theme of the new book is that U.S. power has permitted it to
bully and manipulate the UN, the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) and other elements of the “international community,” with the
collaboration of Israel and its other Western allies, into selective harass-
ment and even low-level warfare against Iran for its alleged quest for nu-
clear weapons. A semi-permanent crisis has been manufactured and insti-
tutionalized by the militarily dominant world bully, damaging the well-
being of millions of Iranian civilians and posing the threat of open war-
fare.
Porter points out that the United States was highly supportive of the
nuclear program of the Shah of Iran, who had plans for 23 nuclear power
stations at the time of his 1979 ouster. Following that political change the
United States quickly turned from encouraging Iran’s nuclear program to
active hostility, going to great pains to discourage any material or tech-
nology transfers to the new regime, even browbeating suppliers from ful-
filling contracts that would have permitted Iran to complete its single nu-
clear reactor.
There is no reason to disbelieve the Iranian claim that its aims ini-
tially were confined to completing its plant at Bushehr and continuing the
operation of its Tehran Research Reactor for medical services. Porter
makes the important point that the eventual Iranian effort to enrich ura-
nium at home was a result of that Reagan era refusal to allow Iran to
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Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare
By Gareth Porter - Just World Books, 2014
A REVIEW - By Edward S. Herman
http://zcomm.org/zmagazine/manufactured-crisis-the-untold-story-of-the-iran-nuclear-scare/
Gareth Porter, author,
(IRAN, Continued Next Page)
Page 13, OPS, April/May, 2014
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import that material. The refusal to allow Iranian imports of nuclear ma-
terials was also a denial of its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty. In the early years of the U.S. boycott of nuclear materials and
know-how there was no suggestion that this was out of fear of weaponi-
zation. It was just hostility to a government that had replaced a U.S. pup-
pet and was independent, i.e., no longer a U.S. client.
This U.S. hostility was displayed early in the Carter administration’s
failure to try to stop the Iraqi invasion of Iran, for which the United
States had advance notice in 1980. There was the hope that this war
would bleed Iran and perhaps even overthrow the regime. Porter quotes
Walter Mondale: “We believed that this war would put further pressure
on the Iranian regime.” Reagan-era hostility went far in supplying Iraq
with war materials, including cluster bombs, providing strategic advice,
and working to persuade other countries not to supply arms to Iran. This
country made no protest at Iraq’s massive use of chemical weapons
against Iranian troops and civilians.
Porter notes that the Iranians did not retaliate with their own chemi-
cal weapons and he points out later that there is no evidence that the Is-
lamic Republic has ever built any chemical weapons capability. The Is-
lamic leadership of Iran has repeatedly declared that both chemical and
nuclear weapons are immoral and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fat-
wah in 2003 declaring that the development and use of nuclear weapons
was contrary to Islamic principles. This non-use of chemical weapons in
the 1980s and declarations of the religious-morality-based prohibition of
both chemical and nuclear weapons has been awkward for the Western
warriors, so they and the media have solved this problem by occasional
sneers and declarations of disbelief in the sincerity of these fatwahs, but
mainly refusal to discuss.
In 1983, the Reagan administration obtained a cancellation of an
IAEA program of aid to the Iranian nuclear program, which was the be-
ginning of a systematic U.S. effort to prevent any international assistance
to Iran’s nuclear activities. It was a part of a de facto war against Iran
with geopolitical objectives and not directed to any perceived menace of
a nuclear weapons program. This, and the durable program of denial that
followed, was a denial of Iran’s legal rights under the NPT. But the
United States could not only get away with pursuing this denial, it could
build on it.
Iran persisted in trying to develop its nuclear capability partly for
reasons of a desire to build up its entire range of technical resources,
partly perhaps to have a stand-by nuclear capability for a weapons con-
struction in case of urgent need (a “hedging” strategy), and partly as a
matter of national pride. Porter describes how universally the Iranian
populace supports a nuclear program, and not for its weaponization capa-
bility, and thus how much pressure there is on its leadership to not aban-
don it altogether under external threat.
IRAN, continued from p. 12
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Page 14, OPS, April/May, 2014
Tracing Genetic Heritage Brings People Together
Harvard University’s Henry Louis Gates, at OCU March 5th
by Ginger McGovern
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the distinguished
Harvard professor, speaks whenever he has the
chance about DNA and tracing personal ances-
try. He was absolutely enthusiastic and enter-
taining when he spoke at Oklahoma City Uni-
versity, on March 5th this year.
While Gates has long been a professor and
director of the Institute for African and Afri-
can American Research at Harvard, his entry
into the arena of genealogy combined with
DNA testing is relatively recent. Gates’ per-
sonal interest in tracing his family history
started when he was nine years old and his
grandfather died. His father showed Gates a
photo of his great grandmother, Jane Gates,
born a slave and liberated by the abolition of
slavery with the passage of the 13th Amend-
ment. This piqued Gates’ interest and he be-
gan to interview his father and other relatives
in order to better understand who and where
he came from.
This interest eventually led to Gates’ in-
volvement in three popular PBS series, Afri-
can American Lives, Faces of America, and
more recently, Finding Your Roots. In each of
the series, Gates traced the ancestry of famous
Americans through genealogical, historical,
and DNA testing. The results were often sur-
prising and always interesting. For example,
in one episode of Finding Your Roots, Kevin
Bacon and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, learned
they are 9th cousins – not quite “Six Degrees
of Kevin Bacon,” but close.
Gates’ newest project is developing an an-
cestry-based curriculum for middle schools
where students would learn science and his-
tory together. Gates says that today’s young
students have lost their passion for learning
and their favorite subject is themselves. So
what better way to get them engaged than
learning about who they are and where they
came from. Students would interview family
members about their roots and get their own
DNA analyzed. After finding out as much as
they could from living ancestors, the students
would then begin using historical records and
the DNA results to trace their roots back even
farther. Besides gaining an understanding of
their own personal history, Gates hopes to
stimulate students’ interest in science and gen-
eral history.
Gates also emphasized that the classic
ideas of categorizing people by “race” is
wrong. Most people have DNA that comes
from many different regions of the world and
thus should be considered mixed race. Gates
says it is time to move beyond the traditional
language of race toward a broader understand-
ing of who we are and where we came from.
Genealogy – it’s not just for celebrities,
any more.
For A Truly Conservative View of Religious Freedom
by Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of the Interfaith Alliance USA
In Response to This Statement from THE NEW YORK TIMES :
The Supreme Court will rule this year on women’s right to contraception as part of their
health insurance. It’s the Affordable Care Act vs. Corporations demanding a “religious
right” to NOT provide health insurance including contraception.
The recent debate at the Supreme Court
centers on the rights of women to access con-
traception under the Affordable Care Act. The
Supremes will rule on this later this year.
When Congress passed this law they rec-
ognized that there was a social, economic and
medical good in empowering women to make
their own family-planning decisions. To this
end, Congress required all employer-sponsored
health insurance to cover free access to contra-
ception.
The ACA takes care to exempt houses of
worship and to accommodate certain religious
organizations, as American law has tradition-
ally done when a determined social good con-
flicts with some religious traditions. This much
is the promise of the First Amendment, that the
government cannot force a religious institution
to violate its beliefs. That assurance has proven
good for society – for both government and
religion.
The core question of Hobby Lobby and
Conestoga Woods is whether, for the first time
in history, this exemption should be expanded
to for-profit secular corporations. That is the
only question in these cases, and that is the de-
cision that will push us over, or draw us back
from, the ledge.
The plaintiffs in this case have been
working to shift the focus to a very different
question. Steve Green, the president of Hobby
Lobby, has taken to the media to explain his
side of the story. He discusses his three-decade
commitment to his church and to living a
Christian life. He emphasizes his philanthropic
donations to Christian organizations and
causes, and he lauds policies, such as closing
on Sundays, which he has implemented in his
stores to allow his employees to live a Chris-
tian life. Mr. Green's beliefs are no doubt sin-
cere and his acts commendable, but they should
have no bearing on this case.
Along with many others who respect reli-
gious freedom, I will watch anxiously to see if
the justices are smart enough to see through
this dangerous attempt to redefine one of the
foundations of our nation: religious freedom
for individuals but separation of church and
state in policy matters. Despite narrow sectar-
ian pressure, the Supreme Court must protect
religious freedom -- not merely for a few, but
for all.
The core question of Hobby Lobby and
Conestoga Woods is whether, for the first time
in history, this exemption should be expanded
to for-profit secular corporations...that is the
decision that will push us over, or draw us
back from, the ledge.
Follow Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy on
Twitter: www.twitter.com/WeltonDaddy.
Page 15, OPS, April/May, 2014
"In regard to religion, mutual toleration in the different professions
thereof is what all good and candid minds in all ages have ever prac-
ticed, and both by precept and example inculcated on mankind.”
- Samuel Adams, The Rights of the Colonists (1771)
“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always
the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law. Take
away the law-establishment, and every religion re-assumes its original
benignity.”
- Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man (1791)
“Congress has no power to make any religious establishments.”
- Roger Sherman, Congress (1789)
"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American
people build a wall of separation between Church & State."
- Thomas Jefferson, letter to the Danbury Baptists (1802)
"To argue with someone who has renounced the use of reason is like ad-
ministering medicine to the dead."
- Thomas Paine, The American Crisis No. V (1776)
“Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any
more than our opinions in physics or geometry.”
- Thomas Jefferson, A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom(1779)
"Christian establishments tend to great ignorance and corruption, all of
which facilitate the execution of mischievous projects."
- James Madison, letter to William Bradford, Jr. (1774)
"There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the pro-
motion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest
basis of public happiness."
- George Washington, address to Congress (1790)
“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be
one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, then that of blind-
folded fear.”
- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr (1787)
"During almost fifteen centuries the legal establishment of Christianity
has been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places,
pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in
both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."
- James Madison, General Assembly, Commonwealth of VA (1785)
The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason."
- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1758)
Originally posted to Tolerant Libertarian, Mon Mar 17, 2014
America’s Founders said WHAT About Religion??
About Earth Day & The Green Party By Nathaniel Batchelder
I love Earth Day. And I love the Green Party Platform, including
serious planks for environmental sustainability and preservation of Na-
ture. I understand that the Green Party advocates a week of activities
around Earth Day, encouraged by Green Presidential Candidate Jill Stein
and other leaders of the Green Party. The idea is to make the connection
that serious Eco-Policies are inherent in the Green Party.
But, although I love the Green Party PLATFORM, I do not support
the Green PARTY. I've opined for years that Green Party candidates
could register and run as Democrats, not Independents, identifying them-
selves in the primaries as Green Democrats. The Greens I've suggested
this to are almost universally offended or puzzled by my suggestion. I
suggest they study the Tea Party movement.
Tea Party strategists knew NOT to start a new party, but to agitate
within the Republican Party. Today, moderate Republicans are terrified
of primary challenges by Tea Party candidates. The Tea Party has be-
come the tail wagging the Republican dog. Not bad for a bunch of rabid
extremist right-wing fundamentalists who don't believe in science!
Meanwhile, Green Party Independent candidates typically draw
less than 10% of the vote on election day, and the consequences are to
hurt liberal candidates, thus inadvertently helping conservatives.
Had Ralph Nader run as a Green Democrat in the 2000 presiden-
tial primaries, George W. Bush would never have become presi-
dent. Bush's 8 years cost America $15 to $20 TRILLION, adding up his
two unnecessary wars, the 2008 economic crash (because regulation un-
der GWBush was absent from 2000 to 2008), and the huge bail-outs.
Then Nader ran for President again, as an Independent, in 2004 and
2008. Eeek. Politicsis the art of the possible. I believe we must first
defeat the worst. This would generate hope among potential candidates
that victory might be possible.
To Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren:
Dear Senator Warren,
As an Oklahoman I am simply not represented in either house of Con-
gress. You are, and must be, my US Senator. Thank God that you serve
in Congress and for all the positions that Massachusetts voters support
you in taking. I sent you modest contributionss, that you might win, and
just gave to DFA – Democracy For America - as you asked.
Nathaniel Batchelder, formerly of Massachusetts, Cape Cod & Islands
Page 16, OPS, April/May, 2014
Thank You, Contributors! for your Investment in Peace and Justice:
Contributions received from
January 1, 2014, through
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Mary Ann Surges
Jim Tappan
Judith Tate-O’Brien
Lois Taylor
Patti Tepper-Rassmussrn
Sheila Tiarks
Saundra Vallejo-Delgardo
Harley & Anne Venters
John and Roise Walters
Ron & Linda Wasson
Brent and Gina Wendling
Terry Weygandt
Carollyn Whalen
Katherine Williams
Theresa & Edward Wilson
Judith Appleton
In Memory of Stan Reynolds
Ruth Podolin. In Memory of Bill Byerly
Peter Schaffer Honoring Nathan Batchelder
We say thank you to
everyone whose donations
support the Peace House.
Everything helps: $100 is
great, but $10 covers a year re-
ceiving our Oklahoma Peace
newspaper, where we challenge
our “Reddest of Red States” on
virtually every issue.
Last September, CAIR - the
Council on American-Islamic Re-
lations - sponsored a downtown
rally for Interfaith Harmony. Di-
rectorAdam Soltani asked Batch to
be the M.C. Dr. Mark Davies,
Dean of OCU’s Petree College of
Arts & Sciences, spoke saying
“Just getting along with each other
is no longer enough! Everyone,
everywhere, is called to work to-
ward addressing world environ-
mental challenges, poverty, dis-
ease, and human rights.” You
hadda been there.
In late October, Batch spoke to
a class of divinity students at
OCU, with a satellite link to a sis-
ter class in Kansas City. On a
large split screen, Batch could see
the students in both classes. Some
60 future ministers in the two cit-
ies heard the message that global
warming is real and that human
consumption exceeds earth’s ca-
pacities. He added that poverty,
disease, human rights abuses and
war are likewise “man-made.”
Monthly public demonstrations
continue, sponsored by Americans
Against the Next War, the Peace
House and Center for Conscience
in Action. Honks and waves of
support have completely replaced
negative reactions. Oklahomans
do not want another war. We re-
mind Congress members that we
support the negotiations with Iran,
engineered by the Obama admini-
stration. Let them hear from you,
too.
In November, the Peace House
sponsored a showing of “Inlaws &
OUTlaws” with Cimarron Alli-
ance at Church of the Open Arms.
This award-winning collection of
moving interviews with gays and
straights about marriage should be
seen by everyone. Then, at the
Cimarron Alliance Gala Banquet,
Batch received the “Ally of the
Year” award. Recently, when a
lesbian couple with children, mar-
ried in another state, was declined
family discounts at Oklahoma City
YMCAs (grrrr!) the Peace House
got involved. We wrote to YMCA
leaders, and to other fitness com-
panies about their policies.
In January, we participated in
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Holi-
day events: the breakfast in MWC,
the noon speaking event at St.
Paul’s Cathedral, the 2pm March
& Parade. Walking alongside our
van during the Parade, a family
committed to peace handed out
some 500 Peace Strategy Newspa-
pers. Thanks to Rex and Sisca
Friend, and their children Augie,
Maggie, and Karel.
In February we participated
with others in a State Capitol
Rally to oppose the Keystone XL
pipeline (Trans-Canada’s pipeline
to Houston for tar sands crude).
Environmentalists say NO WAY
to tar sands development and the
pipeline for toxic tar sands crude.
We must all continue telling the
White House, “NO to the KXL
Pipeline!” Opposition to the pipe-
line grows in Canada and the U.S.
In March, a 2-day Symposium
on the theme “Creative Peacemak-
ing” was sponsored by and held at
Oklahoma City University. Four
plenary sessions featured three
national speakers and Nathaniel
Batchelder. Batch reviewed high-
lights of 25 years at the Peace
House. He also asked Anne
Murray and Patricia Hoerth to
speak. Anne described ongoing
projects that have been spun-off
programs initiated by the Peace
House. Pat is the Director of Tur-
tle Rock Farm. She described sus-
tainable living at Turtle Rock on
the prairie, incorporating gardens,
animals, workshops and retreats.
Pat also spoke to peacemaking for
the long haul, the spiritual ground-
ing for persistent peacemaking.
This calls peacemakers, she said,
to find meaning in taking action,
and disconnecting from outcomes
whether positive or not – the faith
to persevere.
Batch has had editorials pub-
lished opposing the Keystone XL
Pipeline, summarizing the pipe-
line’s connection to global warm-
ing. Congress has copies. We be-
lieve the Peace House is a good
investment in efforts to highlight
human rights, economic justice,
eco-sustainability, nonviolence,
and peace.
THANK YOU EACH AND EVERY ONE!