Letters Dear NVT, The War Resisters' League (WRI) has now taken over publication of Peace News (PN) as a monthly. If you would like to subscribe, and I hope you will, we now have a new financial agent in Australia: Jim Leven, 272 Dryandra St, Lyneham ACT 2602. If you pay through him, then you needn't worry about bank charges for an overseas cheque. So you write to PN/WRI and say you have paid through the financial agent here. We are also looking for people to send in articles ... I am trying to formalise WRI membership in Australia, so could you let me know if you have taken the WRI pledge or would like to sign it, so I can have some indication of formal membership of WRI in Australia? I feel that with the Gulf crisis, now is the time to promote the War Resisters again, though I have no intention of trying to start it up as a national organisation again - we can work much better as a network in the region and in touch with the London office. The next Triennial is in Belgium from July 28th - August 4th, next year. I have details if you want them. I will be fund raising next year to send some people from the region - India, Thailand, Fiji, maybe other countries - so expect to hear from me in due course... Finally, it's Prisoners for Peace Day again on December 1st. If you'd like the list, let me know, and I'll post it to you when I get the Roll of Honour from London in November. My office fax is (06) 277 3779, and phone (24 hour recording if I'm not there) is (06) 277 2790, so you can leave a night message on cheap rate or ring reverse charges in the daytime. Peter D Jones Dear NVT, I was arrested at Pine Gap in October 1987, charged with trespass, tried and fined $135. I now face three days in jail from Monday 24th September for non-payment of the fine. I have appeared in the Heidelberg Magistrates Court four times since January 1990. I do not intend to pay the fine because alerting people to the dangers of nuclear war is in itself a community service. I am a pacifist, and have not put, nor intend to put human lives in danger. I have lived with Cruise missiles at Greenham Common and could no longer remain silent about the threat of nuclear war or our own involvement by the presence of many US bases on our soil. The magistrate at my last appearance in court allowed yet another stay of execution of the warrant, until the school holidays, so that the children in my kindergarten would not be affected. As an early childhood educator, I believe I was acting for the children who will be affected in the event of our involvement in the arms race. Carolyn M. Lunt Dear NVT, On pondering the more recent developments in the Middle East, and asking how and why and searching for solutions for myself, I was comforted and inspired by the eloquent words of Martin Luther King Jr: "The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows. One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. How much longer must we play at deadly war games before we heed the plaintive pleas of the unnumbered dead and maimed of past wars?" "Now let me say that the next thing we must be concerned about, if we are to have peace on earth and goodwill toward men, is the nonviolent affirmation of the sacredness of all human life. Every man is somebody because he is a child of God". Love and Peace John W. Jones [Eds note: We hope that by "men", Dr King meant to include all human beings, not just the males.] Dear NVT, This letter is our 1990 appeal for financial support. It is being sent to our U.S. members, to newsletter subscribers, and to members and friends in other countries. We very much need your support, for the following reasons: 1) Like many other groups, our organization has suffered a decline in paid memberships since the thaw in East-West relations, even though the need to develop nonviolent options for defense remains urgent. Contributions are needed to simply continue normal operations. 2) We are initiating a new program - our first Consultation on Civilian-Based Defense, to be held in Washington DC in November. We need funds to pay unexpected expenses and to follow up adequately on decisions which will be made there. 3) Even though some of our directors pay all or part of their plane fares and lodging costs for the annual Board Meeting, not all are able to do so. This year it is especially important that our directors be present in Washington DC for the Consultation and for the post Consultation Board meeting. We will need to map out a strategy for introducing public discussion of civilian-based defense in the United States, based on the results of the Consultation. Thank you for your generous support of our organization in the past. We have reached a kind of organizational crossroads. Both your ideas and your financial support are needed at this time. Melvin G. Beckman Civilian-Based Defense Association [Eds note: NVT will collect donations and forward them to CBDA. Make cheques out to "Nonviolence Today" and send them by the 30th November.]