5848 OLD ORCHARD POINT, LIVONIA

Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace

P.O. Box 363 Geneseo, NY 14454

Tel: 585-244-0465 or 585-346-2530 Fax: 585-243-4002

Web Site: <www.gvcp.org>

"HUMAN RACE NOT ARMS RACE"

March 1, 2002

NEXT GVCP MEETING: SATURDAY, MARCH 16^th, 2:00 PM, 5848 OLD ORCHARD POINT, LIVONIA. [Although the address is "Old Orchard Point," this home actually is on East Lake Rd. at the corner of the southern entrance of Old Orchard Point. The house is approximately 3 miles south of Route 20A and is on the west (lake) side of East Lake Road. Call 346-2530 for directions.]

SAVE THE DATES: Tuesday, Mar. 12^th: Judicial Process Commission 30^th Anniversary Celebration. Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N Fitzhugh St, Rochester. Registration 5:30 PM. Dinner 6:00 PM, Speaker 7:00 PM. 585-325-7727.

THURSDAY, April 11^th, 7:00 PM, STURGES HALL AUDITORIUM, SUNY GENESEO. PAT HUMPHRIES CONCERT AT SUNY GENESEO! Pat is an outstanding progressive singer-songwriter. CONCERT SPONSORED BY GVCP and co-sponsored by DSA, other student groups, Women’s Studies Minor, and other academic programs. GVCP member Tom Taylor will announce. FREE!

THIS MONTH’S QUIZ: Find the three Representatives with a perfect score! Please review the enclosed Special Supplement to the FCNL Newsletter. Of the 435 Representatives in the House, only three had perfect scores on the 14 pieces of progressive legislation chosen by the Friends Committee. Can you find them? (Answer below.*) If you live in the district of one of these three—or if you wish you did—please WRITE, congratulate them, and thank them. If your Representative’s record is abysmal, WRITE about that as well. [US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515]

THIS MONTH’S TELEPHONE CALL: CALL PRESIDENT BUSH ABOUT LORI BERENSON Pres. Bush will be visiting Pres. Toledo of Peru on March 23. Pres. Bush appears supportive of Lori's return. In the past, Pres. Toledo has indicated that he was open to a presidential pardon for Lori. However, a recent article in the NY Times said that the US State Department was satisfied that Lori received due process during her judicial appeal. This is very frightening, because (a) it isn't true, (b) the State Department knows it isn't true, (c) we had received signals from the State Department that they were finally going to take real action to try to get Lori Berenson released.

Also worrisome is the fact that Peruvian officials have been saying that no presidential pardon is in the offing. All of this may be posturing for public consumption. Negotiations may well be underway between the US and Peruvian governments to obtain a release for Lori when President Bush visits.

In any event, our best and real hope at this point is to convince Pres. Bush that Lori has a strong, supportive constituency here in the United States. This is a truly crucial period for Lori Berenson, who has been incarcerated for over six years, and who still faces 14 more years in a Peruvian prison. We must move forward now!

For the next three Tuesdays (March 5, 12, 19) please be part of a national call-in campaign to the White House. Call 202-456-1111. Please be polite when talking with the volunteer telephone operator. Tell him or her that you want Pres. Bush to make Lori's return the highest priority during his March 23rd meeting with Pres. Toledo. The operators are polite, but they have been instructed to keeps calls brief. That is not a problem--the briefer the calls, the cheaper they are! Just tell them from what state you are calling, and give the message, "Please tell Pres. Bush to bring Lori Berenson home."

The Berensons have picked Tuesdays for these calls, but every call helps. If you miss Tuesday, call Wednesday or any day! For more details, visit: <http://www.freelori.org>

*Answer to quiz: Filner (MA), Slaughter (NY), Watt (NC)

Renew your GVCP membership: $20.00/year. [We do not expect dues from sister groups, or from any groups with which we exchange newsletters.] PLEASE PAY NOW!

Peace,