Quaker House Newsletter 44 Years of Front-Line For Peace…& Just Getting Started

Lynn & Steve Newsom, Directors 223 Hillside Ave., Fayetteville, NC, 28301 910-232-3912

www.quakerhouse.org Facebook: Quaker House of Fayetteville email: qpr@quaker.org

Lenore Yarger & Steve Woolford, Counselors GI Rights Hotline: 877-447-4487

Fayetteville Observer: Military suicides reach record in 2012: 349. Killed in Afghani-stan: 295. ——————————–——–——–--- —————————————————————————————————————— Army Times: About 1/2 of the women sent to Iraq or Afghanistan report being sexually har-assed, and 1/4th as sexually assaulted. ————————————————–——————————————————————————————————————

Army Times: Military court debates punish-ing those who attempt suicide. Mental Health experts say fear of prosecution may deter troops from seeking help. ————————————————–—————————————————————————————————————–--

Fayetteville Observer: Newly released figures from the Pentagon show that the military divorce rate is at an all-time high, with 30,000 marriages ending in fiscal 2011. ———————————————–—————————————————————————————————————— -- Ktxs.com: In 2011, the DoD reported more than19,000 cases of domestic violence in-volving military personnel, up from 18,000 in 2001.

Living in a War Zone

Chuck Fager used to say that the distance from Quaker House to any non-military town was always further than the reverse. He was referring to the insulation of Fayetteville, home to Ft. Bragg, Special Ops and now, the new drone program, from the rest of the country. In other words, Fayetteville is not much of a ―destination.‖ In general, Americans do not see the reality and extent of our country’s militarism, neither within nor outside our borders. This blindness, imposed upon us from a highly secretive military industrial complex, is designed to obscure its truth. For this reason, among others, Quaker House is unique in its long term geophysical location within a major military bub-ble. Quaker House straddles civilian life and the edge of the war zone at the same time as it stands against war and sup-ports those most impacted by it. However, that distance may soon disappear as drones threaten to make all of us part of a global war zone.

Since moving three months ago, we joined the history of Quaker House Directors and their legacy of serving in Fayette-ville. Ft. Bragg brings troops in and sends them out. Our house windows rattle when base target practice includes big artillery. We hear of the plight of soldiers who need help when their consciences come alive and or when they become victims of the war machine. Suicide and domestic violence spike as troops return from combat. We also get an inside view of what Continued on p.3

Bill Carothers, Director of Quaker House in 1970

Bill Carothers paid a visit to Quaker House this January! In 1970 after the first Quaker House was firebombed, Bill, who

had just been discharged from the army, became a director of Quaker House. He bought our current location on Hillside Ave-

nue and turned the house over to Quaker House. If you like our t-shirts, email us, they are for sale!

The News In Brief:

Newsflash!

Donor funds domestic violence program

Since we began as Directors we felt a strong leading to help victims of domestic violence in the military. The people we met, the organizations we joined and meet-ings we attended opened many doors. We met several upper level military officials who strongly encouraged our efforts and offered their support and contact infor-mation. Military spouses prefer to go off base for help, and the military is anxious that they receive help in any way they can. Then we received news that an anony-mous donor will fund a part time staffer to organize a program and lead a support group. We are now com-pleting interviews with several good candidates. It be-came very clear during the interviews how desperately support groups are needed. There appear to be pro-grams on base for the perpetrators, but not for the vic-tims. We are so grateful for this gift to begin this im-portant work!

March 2013

Every morning I look out at the beautiful tree outside our window and watch the squirrels bounding from limb to limb, running down each one in turn. Since we arrived in Fayette-ville, I sometimes feel like that squirrel as I ―run down‖ each branch of the different issues that we wish to address in our mission, making progress on one, then jumping to another. We hope each branch will soon be full of healthy leaves.

We are working to build trust and good will in a community that does not always understand our work. We began by hosting a house concert with a wonderful folk/gospel singer/songwriter couple. The concert was a huge success with wonderful, positive publicity from The Fayetteville Observer. Our neighbors turned out in large numbers, and we had some guests who travelled long distances to be here. Sev-eral people visited or contacted us to learn more after seeing the publicity, and we added new attenders to our Meeting. One woman, a Quaker who moved to Fayetteville from Asheville, NC, volunteered to run an 8 week course on mind-fulness. We were also excited to meet a Kenyan Quaker who immigrated here. We will continue hosting house con-certs, our next a Congolese drummer, Pline Mounzeo from Cary, on Saturday, February 22, at 7:00 PM.

We took part in protests against torture and attended the Johnston County Commissioners’ meetings to remind them that the Smithfield airport is being used for rendition flights and knowing this they are implicated legally to violations of federal and international laws. A letter we wrote to the editor was published. We mailed postcards (Chuck Fager’s de-sign) to Meetings to send to President Obama urging investi-gation of U.S. torture and to Senator Burr of North Carolina to support the release of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report. Contact us if you would like some mailed to you.

We are planning an educational seminar on militarized drones. On Saturday, April 6th, we are staging a large anti-drone protest, ―Line Up Against Drones,‖ from 11:00 AM-Noon. An oversized postcard (see photo) asking President Obama to ban them, is available. Please contact us.

Hitting the ground running:

In October, we went to the ―Forward March Confer-ence: Moving Military Families Forward During Chal-lenging Times.‖ The goal was to bring together mental health care workers, clergy, teachers, the military and any others interested in understanding the challenges faced by military families. The emphasis was on how we can collaborate. Excellent workshops covered sui-cide prevention, domestic violence, problems that mili-tary spouses face, challenges that deployment brings to families, PTSD, coping with the injuries faced by the ―wounded warriors,‖ and steps that the military is taking to deal with these issues. We made valuable connec-tions giving us a huge head start in our work here.

We joined a networking group called ―Community Blue-print‖ and are organizing support groups for domestic violence victims and military spouses that will meet at Quaker House.

We joined the local chapter of the National Organiza-tion of Women (NOW) that meets at Quaker House and which continues to support us. We joined the Cumber-land County Ministerial Council, a largely African-American association of churches that ―seeks to pro-mote unity surrounded by diversity with inclusiveness for all people.‖ We joined in with the NAACP to help organize the HKonJ7, (The Historic Thousands on Jones Street) — a march on February 9 in Raleigh to bring awareness to end poverty and economic injus-tice.

Several new people have begun attending our Meeting for Worship. One of them, Karen Goble, has begun ―Explore Mindfulness‖ classes on Thursday nights for

(continued on p.3)

Ban Militarized

Drone attacks

are illegal,

immoral,

breed hostility

and acts of

Our Drone Postcard: Free of charge!

To order, contact Quaker House.

The Quaker

House

Concert:

Leslie Lee

and

Steve Gretz

Lynn’s Report: continued from p.2

six weeks. The classes are very well attended and brought some folks from the community to Quaker House for the first time.

We are also fortunate to have volunteer workers here: two who are doing community service and a group called the ―Bronco Women‖ from Fayetteville State Uni-versity. They have been a big help with yard work and computer data entry.

We had a wonderful concert of Congolese Drummers led by Pline Mounzeo from Cary, NC, here on February 22. They had us all singing and dancing!

As you can see, we are busy, but joyfully so. Every day brings new progress and growth toward fulfilling our—and your—missions here.

Major Construction at Quaker House!

In late November, Lynn and Steve were poised to take the baton from Chuck, when they learned that the sewer line from the house to the street was root-bound and busted. While Chuck wanted to leave a tidy operation, it made sense for Steve to take the reins. With a some foreboding, Steve called the plumber, but by the next day the crew trenched the front yard and the city dug up the street. Two days later we were back together. We got a fast response, we think, because of good connections, and we got a good price due to earned goodwill toward Quaker House. Chuck was able to hand over the keys with everything in working order. Smooth!

_____________________________________________

Living in a War Zone: Continued from p.1:

is driving our war preparedness. Right now, of course, that is drones. While we may be winding down our ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, cyber-warfare continues there and is ramping up in other countries, including our own.

Drones are the first stage of our 21st Century War, and our awareness of them is going viral, thanks to the In-ternet, Wiki leaks, and other electronic exposures. Each day brings new revelations and awareness that drones surround us. The Pentagon has some 7,500

2001. The U.S. has at least 64 drone bases with 110 pro-jected. The Pentagon has even created a medal for

cyber and drone war.

U.S. armed drones are used in over 10 foreign countries, accounting for almost 1,000 armed strikes killing more than 3,000 people, hundreds of them civilians. Drones are used by U.S. Customs for border protection, and by the Depart-ments of Transportation, Energy, and the Forest Service, and in half a dozen police departments across the U.S. for domestic surveillance. Federal agencies are being pushed to pass legislation and issue permits to expand their use. They are used for ―military surveillance‖ (finding targets for ground and air armed support) in other countries as well. Military contractors are looking to dodge the loss of funds due to the Sequester and have Congress designate 66 le-gal foreign countries as recipients of our ―build in the USA‖ export drone program so that they can be produced abroad.

To justify their use, we hear a litany of diversions aimed to convince us that drones are ok. The first type of diversion asserts that they minimize killing. Advocates will say drones selectively and effectively kill terrorists, minimize civilian causalities, and save American lives and injuries. Sounds good! But wait, drones still kill, regardless of whether the person is an enemy, stranger, or friend; and regardless of their precision, the chance that innocents will be killed remains. Another category of diversions attempts to convince us that they will only be used for a very narrow set of circumstances. What’s implied here is that there al-ready is an existing infrastructure ready to test laws about their proper use, that rules of review, transparency, and accountability are in place; that judicial checks and balanc-es, avenues of public scrutiny, and an open national debate is underway. But none of this is in place as of this writing; rather it will take a lot of missteps and mistakes before the legislative infrastructure is in place to restrict adequately the use of drones. And, all the while and in whatever their dis-guise—whether they ―minimize‖ killing or have adequate infrastructure controls--they remain instruments of war.

As Quakers, we hold to a testimony of peace. We are against any and all war. The justifications for drones are distractions, diversions, and deceptions. It’s still war, and Quaker House, will continue to hold firm against all forms of war while supporting those soldiers victimized by it.

All of this leads to remind us that the distance between us and the warzone is closing in. First, post 911 and the Patri-ot Act, we are living in a war of surveillance that is perva-sive, persistent, and more secretive, and threatens to engulf a wider network beyond the military base-bubbles. Second, again post 911, the enemy or ―terrorist‖ can be anywhere—hence the need for a global war on terror. And third, the battlefield itself is expanding across the globe. The list of target drone countries grows, yet attacks are controlled here, sometimes from an office down the street, thousands of miles away from the target. For now, this a war not

We Couldn’t Have Said it Better

Ourselves: Letters to The Army Times

Record Suicide Numbers:

I’m not surprised (―2012 military suicides hit record high of 349,‖

Facebook, Jan. 13). Active-duty Army is ridiculous….It’s the most

chest-tightening thing knowing there’s no way out except for putting

a gun in your mouth. I will personally bet money that if the Army

opened up a system to just let unhappy people out when they want-

ed out, the suicide rate would tank by 75% the following years.‖—

Travis Tate.

The Waste Must Stop:

I have been a marine spouse of more than 22 years. Why do our

service members have to serve 20 years, putting their lives on the

line, before they can receive lifetime health benefits, when those

who served on Capitol Hill for just two years receive health benefits

for life? You have to be kidding me. Now Congress wants to cut the

benefits veterans have earned…. I watched barracks full of furniture

be torn down, so that new ones could be built in the same location.

Why weren't the beds, mattresses and lockers reused or donated to

local homeless shelters, which house many veterans? Unless one

has served in the military and witnessed firsthand the fraud and

abuse, one cannot understand...I am tired of seeing friends losing

life and limb fighting for something their own politicians have not

endured. I am tired of seeing billions of dollars thrown away on ex-

cessive charges for the simplest things, while politicians argue that

we need to cut funding of our medical care and retirement benefits.‖

Your support is crucial in these hard times to make the work of Quaker House possible. Checks are always

welcome. Please consider becoming a sustained contributor by filling out the enclosed flier. Having a regular

monthly income allows us to concentrate more time on the important work and mission of Quaker House.

Have you considered including Quaker House in your estate planning?

For our latest news and activities: “Like” us on Facebook: Quaker House of Fayetteville

In Memorial:

Robert Edward Pike. Robert was born in 1969 in Fort Belvoir, Va.,

and was a son of Carol Bond Pike and the late Robert Pike Sr. He

was a graduate of The Art Institute of Philadelphia and was self-

employed as a graphic artist. Robert met Chuck Fager, our now

retired Director, at the Tom Fox Memorial and felt a great connec-

tion to Quaker House and Chuck. His wife, Bridget Pike, asked

Army Times good news: Army takes steps to turn trash

to fuel: ―Rather than burning fuel to burn garbage, TGER uses a

hybrid system that combines two complementary technologies,

advance fermentation and thermal decomposition, to convert

2,000 lbs. of garbage—paper, plastic, packaging & food waste—

into electricity.‖

Wish List: It was suggested that we have a ―wish list‖ in

our newsletter of items that folks might be willing to donate so

here goes: An iPad, a desktop computer, 6 gig of ram for

graphics, air line coupons for travel, perennials for yard.

We are grateful for Steve Woolford and Lenore Yager,

our Hotline counselors. Since moving in, we’ve gotten emails

and calls that they help answer quickly, accurately and compas-

sionately. Here’s one example:

―I cannot handle being in the Army any longer, I need help to ap-

ply for CO. I feel I have a pretty good argument for CO status, non

-religious based. I was deployed during 2012, involved in a Civil-

ian Casualty incident that resulted in 3 dead civilians and two

wounded. I returned from that deployment in October, 2012. Two

days ago, I appeared at the hearing of the CIV-CAS incident and

had to explain my full story and was asked questions about it. I

feel as though I'm reliving the entire experience, feeling every bit

of remorse for my actions. I cannot continue to do this anymore, I

will not go back to war. If you can help me, It would be more than

appreciated.‖

(details were changed to protect identity)

Quaker Chuckles

A Message in Meeting: A Quaker spoke in Meeting with great expression and said, "If I had all the beer in the world,

I'd take it and throw it into the river." With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take

it and throw it into the river." And then finally, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and throw it

into the river."

He sat down. Another Meeting member then stood quietly and began singing, "Shall We Gather at the River."

A question for you: