On-line peace movement scheduled for Tuesday Mar 29....

[whistle]

...A friend forwarded this email to me this morning indicating that he had signed up for it. Have any DUers received this email appeal?

It appears legitimate, but my concern is with the sponsor list at the bottom. As I recall some of these sponsors may have supported Bush's War. Now they are doing a 180 degree turnaround and want to bring the troops home ASAP. Have they seen the light? Can they be trusted or is this an effort to take the focus of the real peacemakers?

Other sponsors on the list, I'm not at all familiar with. This is like the pacifists prior to WWII who talked about peace through appeasement, while behind the scenes their big money backers were funding and supporting the war making machinery and efforts. Please post your input. Thanks.

<snip>


-----Forwarded Message-----
From: TrueMajorityACTION
Sent: Mar 28, 2005 9:51 AM
To: Walter
Subject: Important opportunity to jumpstart iraq withdrawal-- 3/29 deadline at noon

Help Chart the Course for a New Movement
Action Required by Tomorrow, March 29th, at 12 noon

I know we've contacted you a lot in the past week, but something special is going on concerning the Iraq war, and we were pretty sure you'd want to know about it.

This Wednesday, people all across the country will meet online -- we're expecting hundreds of thousands. Working together, we'll create a written Declaration for peace and justice and against the war (a smart new online collaboration tool will make it possible for such a huge group to work together easily). The goal is to articulate the progressive vision we all share for America, and to launch a determined, on-going nationwide effort to end the war and realize that positive dream.

Here's the link to sign up for the meeting: http://www.PeaceNotPoverty.org

That declaration of values -- YOUR values -- will be read in a televised "Beyond Iraq" interfaith service from historic Riverside Church in New York on April 4th, the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1967 speech against the Vietnam War. Then our friends from the "Peace Not Poverty Campaign" will take the message on the road with a nationwide bus tour to connect with people of conscience across America.

It's a one-of-a-kind event, and we're grateful to our friends at FaithfulAmerica for helping make it happen. No matter what your faith or belief system, if you feel our nation's moral mission is to promote peace, justice and equality, this is your movement. Help write the Declaration of it's principles.

In order to participate YOU MUST SIGN UP BY TUES, MARCH 29 AT NOON at http://www.PeaceNotPoverty.org

Glad to be in this with you,

Ben Cohen,
President, TrueMajorityACTION

Participation is open to anyone with an internet-accessible computer, anywhere in the world. We'll use a unique web-based technology that enables groups to work collaboratively and find consensus online in a few hours.

We're proud to be supporting the work of this unique event's many co-sponsors:

Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq,
Clergy and Laity Network,
Faith Voices for the Common Good,
Drive Democracy,
Fellowship of Reconciliation,
United for Peace and Justice,
National Council of Churches,
FaithfulAmerica,
Fellowship of Reconciliation,
Gold Star Families for Peace,
Pax Christi USA,
The Tikkun Community,
Unitarian Universalist Association,
The Shalom Center,
World Sikh Council-America Region,
Progressive Christians Uniting,
Protestants for the Common Good,
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America,
Christians for Justice Action (United Church of Christ),
Disciples Justice Action Network,
Witherspoon Society,
Church of the Brethren,
Peace Witness Office,
Rainbow PUSH Coalition Clergy and Laity Network,
The WHALE Center,
The Bruderhof,
Call to Action,
The Witness Magazine,
One Life Institute,
Peace and Security Project of Iowa,
Episcopal Divinity School

[paineinthearse]

1. Whois for www.PeaceNotPoverty.org

turns up what appears to be a private residence in California.

[Betsy Ross]

2. Just checked United for Peace and Justice web site

No mention of this event. I suggest checking a few more of the supposed supporters.

[mcscajun]

3. I received this directly in my ebox this morning.

I've never seen or heard of peacewithoutpoverty.org either.

What concerns me about the website driving this effort (not TrueMajority's) is that nowhere on the site can you find any information about who is behind this. The FAQ only addresses the effort, not who's driving it. It's fine to list your partners, but I'd like some more transparency here.

So I followed the trail of PeaceWithoutPoverty.org

http://www.peacenotpoverty.org/community.php

"On April 4, the resulting Declaration will be read at the Beyond Iraq service in Riverside Church, New York, by the consensus leader.

(snip)

To enable broad public witness to the Riverside event, one million committed Americans of conscience will create a written declaration to the nation using Synanim, the unique internet technology available through Faith Voices for the Common Good. The Write-In starts March 30, with registration at this site March 20-27. The written declaration that the process produces will be read by the leader it selects April 4 at the Riverside service."

Click on link for Faith Voices for the Common Good, and look at the About Us -- nothing about who...just what. Click on the Contact Us, and now, finally we see some names. Click on programs, and you'll see what their mission is.

That's who's driving this. I don't mean to be ominous about it, but when some group I've never heard of asks for my participation through intermediaries, my hackles go up. When it's faith-based, I get even weirder about it. Just so you know. :)

[whistle]

5. Faith Voices for the Common Good is the link where I actually signed onto

[whistle]

4. It does appear that a number of the listed sponsors do show an

...announcement and/or a link to the "Peace Not Poverty", so I'm signed on and hope that good comes of it.

<link> http://www.PeaceNotPoverty.org