Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace

P.O. Box 363 Geneseo, NY 14454

FAX: 716-243-4002 e-mail: <PeaceHank@aol.com>

Web Site: <www.gvcp.org>

May 2, 2000

Dear GVCP Member:

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, June 10^th, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Geneseo, NY, site to be confirmed. SECOND ANNUAL GVCP BUMPER STICKER EVENT. This event was very successful last year. We gave out dozens of peace-related bumper stickers, received lots of signatures on petitions, and generated a lot of good will for GVCP and the cause of peace. People will work in two-hour shifts. We will work out the details at the next meeting.

At a high school graduation ceremony in Spring, 2000, GVCP will present its first Peacemaker Award(s) to a graduating senior who has shown interest, knowledge, hope, and involvement concerning peaceful, fair, and fulfilling relations among the people of the community and the world. The Peacemaker Award includes $200.00 for the recipient. At our March meeting, we decided to begin this program at ten schools. These schools were chosen because at least one member has a connection with the school and/or its guidance office. The ten schools are: Avon, Bloomfield, Dansville, Geneseo, Livonia, Mt. Morris, Perry, Warsaw, Wayland-Cohocton, and York. We have sent flyers and applications to senior class guidance counselors at each school. Applications are due by May 15^th. GVCP members can help by urging qualified seniors in these schools to apply for the award. If you have a close connection with a school that is not on the list, please discuss this with Susan Bailey [716-243-1077]. Thanks to Tom Taylor for suggesting this great program, and to Tom and Susan Bailey for following through on the administrative details.

THIS MONTH’S LETTERS: CLOSE THE SCHOOL OF ASSASSINS! Last year, for the first time, the House of Representatives voted (230-197) to close the School of the Americas. However, this important decision was overturned in conference committee on the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. This year, we must increase our pressure to close the school, and to make this decision stick. By now, most Representatives and Senators know that SOA graduates regularly appear on lists of human rights abusers and war criminals. To counter this accurate image of the SOA as a School of Assassins, the SOA is now putting itself forth as a counter-narcotics school. [In fact, the War on Drugs appears to be replacing the War on Communism as this decade’s justification for U.S. intervention in Latin America.] Whatever the justification, it is clear that business as usual continues at the SOA, and when the graduates return home. For example, seven Colombian officers who graduated from SOA are implicated by Human Rights Watch in supporting paramilitary organizations involved in committing serious human rights violations. WRITE: To your Representative [House of Representatives, Washington, DC, 20515] urging him/her to support HR 732 to close SOA, introduced by Rep. Moakley. WRITE: To Senators Moynihan and Schumer, calling on them to support S 873 to close the SOA, introduced by Sen. Durbin. [U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, 20510]. [This information adapted from the excellent Friends Committee on National Legislation website: <www.fcnl.org>.]

LORI BERENSON--IMPRISONED FOR 53 MONTHS! HOW MUCH LONGER CAN SHE SURVIVE? The key player is President Clinton. He must use his authority to help Lori. Please write to Pres. Bill Clinton, The White House, Washington, DC 20500, calling for pressure on Peru to immediately release Lori Berenson. There is more information about Lori at <www.freelori.org>.

Peace,