Dear GVCP Member:

NEXT GVCP MEETING AND ACTION: FRIDAY, AUGUST 6th, 7:00 PM, BRIEF MEETING at Matlins', 2290 Anderson Rd, Linwood. [Anderson Rd runs west of Route 36, south of Route 20. 2290 is 1.7 miles west of Route 36.] 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM, ANNUAL HIROSHIMA/NAGASAKI CANDLELIGHT VIGIL--AVON TRAFFIC CIRCLE, RTES 5&20 AVON.

Save the Dates: Sunday, August 15th: Annual Music Festival at Campbell Farm. Great musicians this year, including GVCP's own Tom Taylor and Mary Lester. For information call Amy Pitt, 716-244-0465.

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 semester, but the date is firm.

Some Good News about Sierra Leone: Late in May, Africans, led by Nigeria and helped by special envoy Rev. Jesse Jackson, produced a cease-fire and began discussions of power-sharing. The U.S., in its traditional Eurocentric pattern of international concerns, has tended to ignore African wars and misery. Still, the Sierra Leone peace process has begun, and may succeed.

This Month's Letter: Break the Senate logjam on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The best way to stop the arms race and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons is for the U.S. to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The CTBT is an international treaty which bans nuclear test explosions. The U.S has signed the treaty, but the Senate has not ratified it. Now is the critical time for the U.S. to ratify the treaty. Despite its substantial support, Foreign Relations Chair Senator Jesse Helms is blocking the CTBT almost single-handedly. [Is there no end to the horrible things this man can do?] According to 20/20 Vision, Senator Schumer supports the treaty. I assume Senator Moynihan supports it as well. Our Senators need to put pressure on Senator Helms and the Senate leadership to break the logjam. Failure to ratify the treaty soon would be a major blow to efforts to stem the spread of nuclear weapons. [U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, 20510]

Peace,

LORI BERENSON--IMPRISONED FOR 43 MONTHS! SHE HAS REQUIRED TRANSFER TO ANOTHER MARGINALLY LESS BRUTAL PRISON FOR HEALTH REASONS. 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]