August 27, 1999

Dear GVCP Member:

NEXT GVCP MEETING: Sunday, September 12th, 2:00 PM, 40 Oak St, Geneseo.

Save the Dates: Wednesday, September 8th, 7:00 PM: "Report of Nicaragua Delegation '99." Rochester Committee on Latin America, Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Rochester.

Sunday, September 26th, 5:00--8:00 PM: "Taste Your Roots--2nd Annual Local Chefs Celebrate the Harvest." 1st Unitarian Church, 220 S Winton, Rochester. Donation $20.00. Sponsored by Politics of Food 716-232-1463.

Saturday, October 2nd: "Day Without the Pentagon." Hank Stone will set up his bumper sticker table in Ionia. No word yet whether any Rochester group will organize an action. For national info call Chris Ney at WRL 212-228-0450.

Sunday, October 10th: "Free Lori Berenson." Vigil at Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C. Call Arnie Matlin for more info--716-243-4007.

Saturday evening, October 16th: "50 Years is Enough" Njoki Njoroge Njehu, director of the 50 Years is Enough Coalition, will speak in Geneseo. GVCP hopes this event will be on campus, co-sponsored by a student group. Details will have to wait until the students return next week, but the date is firm.

Sunday, October 17th, 6:00 PM: Metro Justice Annual Dinner. 1st Unitarian Church, 220 S Winton, Rochester. Stephanie Luce, UMass, "Building a Fair Economy: The Living Wage." 6:00 PM. $25.00/$10.00 student. 716-325-2560.

Friday, November 19th--Sunday, November 21st: "Close the School of the Americas." Fort Benning, Georgia. November marks the 10th anniversary of the assassination of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter in El Salvador. Nineteen of the 26 Salvadoran officers cited for this atrocity were trained at SOA. ¡Nunca Mas! Never Again! SOA Watch--202-234-3440.

This Month's Letter: END NAVY BOMBING IN VIEQUES, PUERTO RICO. U.S. military presence on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques has been a controversial issue for some time. Practice bombing on Vieques recently killed David Sanes, a civilian security guard. Many Vieques residents suffer illness as a result of Navy practices there. For example, the rate of cancer among Vieques residents is 27% higher than the rest of Puerto Rico, probably due to the Navy's use of toxic and radioactive substances. In addition, the bombing has damaged mountains and shorelines, destroyed vegetation, and degraded the marine environment. The Navy even admits to having used napalm bombs on Vieques in 1993. With increased public attention to Vieques as a result of the death of David Sanes, now is the right time to support an end to Navy bombing on the island. Please WRITE to Secretary William Cohen, U.S. Dept of Defense, Washington, DC, 20301. Tell him to end Navy bombing on Vieques. Send a copy of your letter to Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig, 1000 Navy, The Pentagon, Alexandria, VA, 22302.


Peace,

LORI BERENSON--IMPRISONED FOR 45 MONTHS! HER FAMILY TELLS US SHE IS GETTING SICKER. HOW LONG CAN SHE SURVIVE? WRITE TO PRESIDENT CLINTON. TELL HIM TO INSIST ON IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR U.S. CITIZEN LORI BERENSON. [WHITE HOUSE, WASH, DC, 20500]