blundersonword mentioned “Imagine” the other day in a post, and here we are on the morning of Dec. 14th. There are several items in Peace&Justice History for 12/14, including mourning the loss to the world and the effort for peace across the world, with the murder of John Lennon. 14 years later, the US acknowledged and honored New Zealand’s nuclear weapons ban, and 15 years later, the Dayton Accords were achieved, which guided the cessation of conflict between Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Progress happens.
| December 14, 1917 U.S. peace activist and suffragist Kate Richards O’Hare was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for a speech denouncing World War I. Occupying a neighboring jail cell was Emma Goldman, the well-known anarchist organizer, feminist, writer and anti-war critic was imprisoned for obstructing the draft. O’Hare was one of a number of prisoners Socialist Party leader Eugene Debs cited in his “Canton Speech” for which he in turn was imprisoned. More about activist Kate Richards O’Hare Read the speech |
| December 14, 1961 In a public exchange of letters with South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, U.S. President John F. Kennedy formally announced the United States would increase aid to South Vietnam, including the expansion of the U.S. troop commitment. Kennedy, concerned with recent advances made by the communist insurgency movement in South Vietnam, wrote: “We shall promptly increase our assistance to your defense effort.”  President Ngo Dinh Diem  President Kennedy and Secretary of Defense McNamara Kennedy – Diem letter exchange |
December 14, 1980 At Yoko Ono’s request, John Lennon fans around the world mourned him with 10 minutes of silent prayer. In New York over 100,000 people converged on Central Park in tribute, and in Liverpool, England, his hometown, a crowd of 30,000 gathered outside of St. George’s Hall on Lime Street. johnlennon.com >“You may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.” Time capsules to mark John Lennon’s legacy |
| December 14, 1985 Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to lead a major American Indian tribe when she took office as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.  Wilma Mankiller on the day in 1985 when her election as chief of the Cherokee Nation was announced |
| December 14, 1994 After eight years of negotiations, the United States finally agreed to honor New Zealand’s ban on nuclear weapons in its territory. U.S. Navy ships armed with nuclear weapons no longer visited New Zealand’s ports. |
| December 14, 1995 Leaders of the states that were parts of the former Yugoslavia signed the Bosnia peace treaty, formally ending four years of bloody and vicious ethnic/religious conflict. The Dayton Accords, as they are known, committed the Balkan states of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina to accept a division of territory, a process to deal with the more than 2 million refugees, and the introduction of 60,000 NATO peacekeeping forces. The negotiations were led by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, and held principally at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. The Dayton Accords |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistorydecember.htm#december141980
Scottie's Playtime 
Interesting to see this framed as the US ‘honouring’ New Zealand’s nuclear‑free stance. From our side of the Pacific, it felt less like honouring and more like shifting gears — from outright punishment to a kind of frosty cold‑shouldering. Still, time has a way of softening edges. These days it’s easier to smile at the memory and say: all is forgiven, lessons learned, and independence well worth the price.
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Well, I thought of you as I wrote the preceding graf of this, and also what I read in the newsletter itself. I wondered. But I was glad to read we stopped defying New Zealand, at least! It probably was cold-shouldering.
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Thanks, Ali — your mention of ‘honouring’ the ban was exactly the spark that sent me off to write a longer reflection. It’s up now on my blog under the title The Ban They Couldn’t Break—A Tongue‑in‑Cheek Reflection. I’ve kept it light, with a wink at the frosty years and a smile at how things softened over time. I appreciate the nudge — it’s always good when a phrase opens a door to memory and story.
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(blush) You’re welcome, Barry.☮
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