Tag: Peace
Peace & Justice History For 4/26
| April 26, 1954 The Geneva Conference began for the purpose of bringing to an end the conflicts in Korea and Indochina. This followed the defeat of the French in Vietnam at Dien Bien Phu. France had been trying to reassert colonial control over Indochina following World War II. The conferees included Cambodia, France, Laos, the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Soviet Union, Vietnam, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. As a result, Vietnam was temporarily partitioned pending elections on reunification to be held in 1956; those elections were never held. |
April 26, 1966 Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales founded the Crusade for Justice, a Chicano activist group, in Denver, Colorado, and marked his departure from the Democratic Party. It was the beginning of a nationalist strategy for the attainment of Chicano civil rights. Read more video Democracy Now |
| April 26, 1968 A national student strike against the Vietnam war enlisted as many as one million high school and college students across the U.S. |
| April 26, 1986 A major accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine near the border with Belarus, both then part of the Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into the atmosphere. Only after Swedish authorities reported the fallout over their country 1385 km away (860 miles), did Soviet authorities reluctantly admit that an accident had occurred. During a fire that burned for 10 days, 190 tons of toxic materials were expelled into the atmosphere (3% of the reactor core). Winds blew 70% of the radioactive material into neighboring Belarus.  The explosion at Chernobyl was the world’s largest-scale nuclear accident. Approximately 134 power-station workers were exposed to extremely high doses of radiation directly after the accident. About 31 of these people died within 3 months. Another 25,000 “liquidators”—Soviet soldiers and firefighters who were involved in clean-up operations — have died since the incident of diseases such as lung cancer, leukemia, and cardiovascular disease. 400,000 were evacuated and over 2,000 towns and villages were bulldozed to the ground in areas considered permanently contaminated. Deaths and illnesses directly attributable to radiation exposure continue. “Chernobyl is a global environment event of a new kind. It is characterized by the presence of thousands of environmental refugees, long-term contamination of land, water and air, and possibly irreparable damage to ecosystems.” – Christine K. Durbak, Chairwoman of the World Information Transfer, New York  Chernobyl for Kids |
April 26, 1998 Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera, a leading human rights activist in Guatemala, was bludgeoned to death two days after a report he had compiled was made public. The report blamed the U.S.-backed Guatemalan military government and its agencies for atrocities committed during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. About Bishop Gerardi’s murder (Democracy Now) |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryapril.htm#april26
Recent Yet Historic Marches, & More, in Peace & Justice History for 4/25
| April 25, 1945 Delegates from some 50 countries met in San Francisco for the United Nations Conference on International Organization. Over the next two months they would negotiate the principles and structure of the United Nations. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt had just died and had been working on his speech to the conference: “The work, my friends, is peace; more than an end of this war—an end to the beginning of all wars . . . As we go forward toward the greatest contribution that any generation of human beings can make in this world—the contribution of lasting peace—I ask you to keep up your faith . . . .” |
April 25, 1969 The Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and 100 others were arrested while picketing a Charleston, South Carolina, hospital to support unionization by its workers. Read more about Reverend Ralph David Abernathy |
| April 25, 1974 A peaceful uprising by both the army and civilians, known as the Carnation Revolution (Revolução dos Cravos), ended 48 years of fascism in Portugal. People holding red carnations urged soldiers not to resist the overthrow and many placed the flowers in the muzzles of their rifles. The regime killed four before giving in to the popular resistance.   Lisbon demonstration ’74 Read more about the Carnation Revolution |
| April 25, 1983 Women in Canberra, Australia, laid a wreath to remember women of all countries raped during wartime. |
| April 25, 1987 Tens of thousands marched on Washington, D.C. to demand an end to U.S.-sponsored and -supported wars in Central America. |
| April 25, 1993 Nearly one million marched for homosexual rights and liberation in Washington, D.C.  Health Care Rally at April 25, 1993  The AIDS quilt on display as part of the event. |
April 25, 2004  The March for Women’s Lives drew a record 1.15 million people to Washington, D.C. The marchers wanted to protect legal and safe access to reproductive services including abortion, birth control and emergency contraception. Organized by a coalition that included the National Organization for Women (NOW), Black Women’s Health Imperative, Feminist Majority, National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and Planned Parenthood, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The March for Women’s Lives was the largest protest in U.S. history. Read more |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryapril.htm#april25
Observing April 25th
This blogger visits us here; I’ve seen likes on our posts. I checked out the blog and subscribed. I admit, I read with the Translate turned on, so I’ve copy-pasted a snippet here, in English. It’s not too long to read, so please do! It’s motivating.
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Singing is resisting. April 25th cannot be silenced
The government’s instructions on the “sobriety” to be maintained in the celebrations of April 25 have led to the cancellation of celebrations and concerts, even in municipalities administered by left-wing councils. An indication is not a ban, but many mayors have preferred to avoid being accused of having violated the sobriety required during the five days of national mourning proclaimed for the death of the Pope. As in the case of Foligno, they even cancelled the performance of the philharmonic that was supposed to play the national anthem.
In Lastra a Signa, on the outskirts of Florence, the municipal council has decided to cancel the concert of Quarto Podere , a historic Tuscan band that has always combined commitment, tradition and irony in its long artistic career. In response to this absurd decision, the members of the group wrote a letter in which they expressed deep dismay and asked for a reconsideration. Here is a significant passage:
“ April 25, Liberation Day from Nazi-fascism, is a cornerstone of our Republic. We therefore consider it unacceptable that a left-wing government, in a secular State (as established by Article 1 of the Constitution), chooses to deny the possibility of adequately commemorating such a significant day, outraging the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
This choice appears even more serious at a time in history when our dignity, workers’ rights and the founding values of the Republic are under attack by a far-right government, clearly of neo-fascist origin; a government that, since it has been in office, has undertaken a systematic demolition of political rights, limiting the possibility of dissent and resistance, as demonstrated by the latest Security Decree. The
proclamation of five days of national mourning represents yet another opportunity to exploit a contingent event and silence any form of dissent.
We are convinced that Pope Francis – a figure we deeply respect – would have been opposed to a cancellation that betrays the inclusive and profound spirit of a celebration that, for our country, is sacred .”
Music, singing, artistic expression have always been perceived as dangerous by totalitarian regimes. (snip-MORE)
World Day of Lab Animals, and More, in Peace & Justice History for 4/24
| April 24, 1915 The Ottoman Turkish government arrested 200 of the most prominent political and intellectual leaders of the Armenian community in the capital, Constantinople (now Istanbul). These men and hundreds more were then imprisoned from throughout Anatolia (present-day Turkey) and, shortly thereafter, most were summarily executed. This is the day on which the genocide of more than a million Armenians is commemorated: when the intention of the Turkish government to eliminate the Armenian people became clear. Already Armenian recruits in the Ottoman Turkish army had been disarmed and organized as laborers working under slave-like conditions. The plan for Armenian genocide from University of Michigan-Dearborn |
| April 24, 1916 The Easter Uprising began when between 1,000 and 1,500 members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood attempted to seize Dublin and issued the declaration of Irish independence from Britain.  The seven signatories of the Irish Proclamation Read about the Proclamation Read more |
| April 24, 1934 This editorial cartoon appeared in New Masses magazine. It refers to the attempt of anti-radical vigilantes and repressive college administrators to disrupt the first national student strike against war.  |
| April 24, 1962 President John F. Kennedy authorized high-altitude atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons to determine whether missile-borne warheads could be used to black out military communications. |
| April 24, 1967 At a news conference in Washington, D.C., General William Westmoreland, senior U.S. commander in South Vietnam, said that the enemy (considered to be North Vietnam and the Viet Cong southern insurgents) had “gained support in the United States that gives him hope that he can win politically that which he cannot win militarily.”Though he said that ninety-five percent of the people were behind the United States effort in Vietnam, he asserted that the American soldiers in Vietnam were “dismayed, and so am I, by recent unpatriotic acts at home.” This criticism of the anti-war movement was not received well by many in and out of the movement, who believed it was both their right and responsibility to speak out against the war.  General Westmoreland meeting President Lyndon Johnson later in 1967, Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam |
| April 24, 1971 500,000 demonstrated against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C. It was the largest-ever demonstration opposing U.S. war; 150,000 marched at a simultaneous rally in San Francisco.  |
| April 24, 1987 On the World Day for Laboratory Animals, nationally coordinated demonstrations occurred in California, Arizona, Florida, New York, Minnesota, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Tennessee, and other states. It was the largest display of civil disobedience for animal rights ever. Hundreds of activists across the country blocked access to university laboratories and more than 150 were arrested nationwide. The day was designated to bring attention to the treatment of lab animals used in testing of medical and other products, sponsored in Congress by the late Tom Lantos (D-California). World Day Laboratory Animals |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryapril.htm#april24
Mothers For Peace, Earth Day, and More in Peace & Justice History for 4/21
| April 22, 1963 The Mothers for Peace, a group made up of Catholic Workers, members of PAX (which became Pax Christi in 1972), Women Strike for Peace, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and others, met with Pope John XXIII to plead for a condemnation of nuclear war and the development of nonviolent resistance. About Women Strike for Peace |
April 22, 1970 Banner at the first Earth Day On the first Earth Day observance, an estimated 20 million participated in peaceful demonstrations of concern for the environment across the U.S. including ten thousand grade schools and high schools, two thousand colleges across one thousand communities.  1st Earth Day, 1970 Beginnings of Earth Day from then Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin) One on the 1st buttons  Read more about Earth Day history Read about the history about the ecology symbol |
| April 22, 1992 50,000 attended “Don’t Count On Us,” an anti-war rock concert in Belgrade, Serbia. It was to the nationalist regime of President Slobodan Milosevic an expression of the resistance within society to the military aggression he had been pursuing in the name of Serbian nationalism. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the various constituent republics of the former Yugoslavia—Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina—had declared their independence. Following a military draft call-up, fewer than 10% had reported for duty, and there was considerable dissension within what was then still called the Yugoslav People’s Army. |
| April 22, 1997 On Earth Day, Plowshares activists Donna and Tom Howard-Hastings used handsaws to cut down three poles in northern Wisconsin supporting the ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) transmitter for communication with submerged Trident nuclear submarines. After the poles were cut they were decorated with photos of children and posted with documents about international law and treaties outlawing nuclear weapons. They also placed stakes to mark tree seedlings under the transmission lines that they said were “doomed to the cutting bar.” They cut a section of one of the downed poles, carrying it to the nearby transmitter site where they turned themselves in to security personnel. They were then taken into custody by county sheriffs. An ABC-TV news affiliate, along with reporters from two public radio stations, were on hand to observe what happened. During the three-day jury trial on charges of sabotage and property destruction in Ashland County District Court, the defense was allowed to present several expert witnesses, including a retired Navy captain, Trident missile designer Bob Aldridge, and international law expert Francis Boyle. Both Howard-Hastings defendants were acquitted of the sabotage charge, which carried ten years and a $10,000 fine, but were convicted of destruction of property. At sentencing, they claimed the court had no jurisdiction over them, seeing that a jury had determined that their action was reasonable, and that they did not damage the national defense. They also made a passionate appeal to the judge to heed international law and the World Court decision to outlaw nuclear weapons. Donna was sentenced to 114 days she had already served, with a three-year period of probation and restitution. Tom was sentenced to one year in prison, with credit for time served and three years of intensive probation, including electronic home monitoring, and restitution. The name Laurentian Shield refers the granite geological formation at the ELF site. More Plowshares actions |
“Why, is it possible the vice president (sic) is a moron?”
Rope-A-Pope by Clay Jones
What did JD do now? Read on Substack
So JD Vance meets the Pope less than 24 hours before he dies. Coincidence? I’m sure it is, but can you imagine all the conspiracy theories if a Democrat had met the Pope within 24 hours of him dying?
Take note of the kind of person JD is. The Pope is dying, but JD still wants his photo-op, which makes sure he’s one of the last people the Pope sees in his life. And forget about Joe Biden declaring Easter Sunday Trans Visibility Day (he didn’t), JD made this request on Easter Sunday.
An archbishop read the Pope’s final Easter homily. The message decried “how much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants.” The address also warned against elected officials who “yield to the logic of fear, which only leads to isolation from others.” I’m sure JD was too obtuse to notice it was about people like him, as the Trump regime continues a war on migrants.
Vance, who’s a new convert to Catholicism, disagreed with the Pope on the treatment of migrants and other teachings of the church, and wanted to lecture the Pope…on Catholicism.
Just a few days ago, Vance criticize the “smug, self-assured bullshit” coming from people like the Pope who were criticizing Trump’s deportation policies.
Vance told the Pope, who was barely able to speak, “I know you’ve not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health,” just a few hours before Pope Francis died. I’m kinda surprised JD didn’t bring him balloons.
Last February, Vance cited a homily Pope Francis gave to an empty St. Peter’s Square in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. Vance’s wife, Usha, had just had their second baby weeks earlier, and the world was shut down. Vance had bought 900 rounds of ammunition from Dick’s Sporting Goods and two bags of rice from Walmart, Vance told those at the prayer breakfastthat the Pope’s words were so meaningful during that time of uncertainty, that he has repeatedly reread the sermon since, which I’m sure with repeated mentions of the rice and ammo.
Talk about not being able to read a room. How did Vance find a way to mention buying 900 rounds of ammo and praise the Pope at the same time?
Why, is it possible the vice president (sic) is a moron?
Creative note: I was awake when I got a news alert that the Pope died. I could have been the first with a Pope cartoon, but I had to get on a train. A few hours later, I was in the terminal at DCA, sitting across from a young lady who wanted to talk about politics and the Pope (she was on our side) when I suddenly got the idea for the cartoon. After the nice lady got on her flight, I started on the cartoon, but didn’t finish it until I was in my hotel in Chicago.
I did not sleep last night, and that’s partly why you’re getting a late and short blog. I’ll give you some Chicago notes tomorrow.
Drawn in 30 seconds: (snip-go see!)
OK, So.
I’ve been wrestling with whether to post this, or not. I want to always advise of resources for marginalized people to find community. However, these are religious resources. They’re the sort that emphasize inclusion and welcome and community, though, so that wins out, for me. I’m going to post this, hoping that someone will be able to use the information or knows someone else who can. I don’t know if there is an audience here for such things, so this would be the time to comment as to Yea, post these when I see them, or no comments/Nay being there is no one who might use these, and I’ll save the space in future. Thanks for your time! There is no proselytization intended with this post. It’s only to try to reach any- and everyone who is looking for community. These came from my Sojourners magazine. They’re simple resources that one can check out with no obligation or identification.
Peace & Justice History for 4/21
| April 21, 1856 Stonemasons and other construction workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House. They advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. Their direct action protest was a success, becoming the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight-hour workday, inspiring the celebration of Labor Day and May Day. |
| April 21, 1989 Six days after the death of Hu Yaobang, the deposed reform-minded leader of the Chinese Communist Party, some 100,000 students from more than 40 universities gathered at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate Hu prior to his funeral.They voiced their discontent with China’s authoritarian communist government, and called for greater democracy. Ignoring government warnings of violent suppression of any mass demonstration, the students were joined by workers, academics, and civil servants.  Pro-democracy student protesters face-to-face with policemen outside the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square the day of Hu Yaobang’s funeral. |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryapril.htm#april21
As To The Cats:
Pussy-cat -What are vices? Catching rats And eating mices! by Worriedman
Spike Milligan Read on Substack
I love when the whole poem fits in the title box. I had a different poem I was trying to use but I couldn’t figure out an excerpt that made sense. Go read the whole poem, you’ll see what I mean. Plus, it’s a terrific poem!
The author, Pattiann Rogers, is great !
Scottie's Playtime 