Half our federal income taxes go to the Pentagon. That’s a big piece of the pie.

Recently a Peace Action group in Wisconsin came up with a creative way to make that point. They staged pizza deliveries to media outlets. On the outside of the box was a Military Spending Pie Chart and a note saying “Pizza Brought to you by Peace Action” but inside the box was only half a pizza and a note saying that “the military got the other half of the pie.”

How would you make the point of how much of our money the Pentagon gobbles up? Post your ideas in the comments section below.

Last week ICPJ’s Racial and Economic Justice Task Force issued a statement calling on our elected officials not to cut vital social services in response to Michigan’s budget crisis. They state:

Read the rest of this entry »

On May 24, ICPJ hosted a screening of Deconstructing Supper. Here are some discussion questions and additional resources to follow up on that.

Read the rest of this entry »

Solidarity With Bolivian People’s Campaign to Bring Gonzalo “Goni” Sanchez de Lozado to Justice

Bolivia’s former president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, a.k.a. “Goni,” is responsible for the murders of 67 people, yet he lives in the U.S. as a free man rather than facing justice for his crimes. Support the Bolivia Solidarity Network in the campaign to extradite him to Bolivia to face a Trial of Responsibility!

Read the rest of this entry »

After a free community dinner, this special double-feature Dinner and a Movie presentation begins with a showing of a 30-minute segment from the acclaimed PBS series A Force More Powerful highlighting how the pro-Democracy movement in Chile successfully used nonviolent action for social change, followed by a showing of the 20-minute documentary Convictions: Prisoners of Conscience highlighting current efforts to use nonviolent action to promote justice and human rights in Latin America.

When: Thursday, June 21, 6:30 p.m.,

Where: Memorial Christian Church Fellowship Hall, 730 Tappan

How Much: Free and open to the public, donations accepted.

Details: chuck@icpj.net, 734-663-1870

At the May ICPJ Steering Committee meeting, the committee voted to support a resolution calling for full funding of the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative (MPRI). The initiative tries to promote safer communities and reduce recidvism by creating a web of support and services for those in prison, going through reintegration, and during aftercare.

One great way you can support the work of MPRI is to ask your community of faith the endorse the following resolution.

Read the rest of this entry »

Veteran peacemaker Rudy Simons shares his reflections from his journey to Iran with a Fellowship of Reconciliation peace delegation. He reports:

A brighter future for the entire world demands that ‘The Great Satan’ and the ‘Axis of Evil’ build a new and friendlier relationship with each other after 28 years of hostility and mutual isolation. War is not the answer. Let’s have a discussion about how we can reduce the threat of armed conflict and create possibilities for a new opening between our two nations.

Come hear more of what he has to say about his trip on Thursday, June 7, 7:00 p.m. at the Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Avenue.

Free and open to the public. Details: chuck@icpj.net, 734-663-1870

The Library is renting the room to us, and part of the rental agreement is that we can’t pass the hat. So we depend on pople like you to make this event possible. Please make a donation to help us cover the costs of the event:

Read the rest of this entry »

As you know hunger is a complicated problem. Since it is a complex injustice, for hunger to really be alleviated it requires that people like you take a comprehensive approach to the issue. Read the rest of this entry »

Mary Anne Perrone, a former Bolivian outreach worker, discusses the international campaign to bring the former President of Bolivia, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada (a.k.a. “Goni”) to justice for human rights abuses. The only problem is that his host country won’t extradite him. What government is shielding him from the law? The United States. Come hear why human rights advocates in Bolivia and the U.S. are calling for Goni’s extradition, and what you can do to end impunity for human rights abusers like Goni.

When: Tuesday May 22 @ 7:30 p.m.
Where: 1st United Methodist Church of Ypsilanti, 209 Washtenaw Ave., 48197

Download the Confronting Impunity flyer

From the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Take Action Now

We Can Stop New Nuclear Weapons!

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is planning to build new nuclear weapons. These new warheads are being prepared under the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) Program. There is growing public and congressional opposition to this program. Your letter to Congress will help prevent a new generation of nuclear weapons. Read the rest of this entry »