Note from Jan: This posting is composed of several fairly short messages, on topics ranging from improving the justice system to forgiving "third world" debt to monetary reform... And I have written a short conclusion at the end. -------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 08 Jun 1999 12:14:59 -0400 From: "John V. Wilmerding" <•••@••.•••> Subject: Invitation to the CERJ List I would like to invite you or anyone at your organization to join the global Campaign for Equity-Restorative Justice (CERJ) email distribution list, which is described below. If you choose not to respond, you will not be added to this list. I'd also like to get the CERJ list known among your own networks; especially among dedicated, reform-minded people who care about peace, justice, and conflict resolution -- among activists, advocates and professionals alike. This list exists for YOU to co-opt it -- CERJ is an non-partisan organization dedicated almost exclusively to coalition-building. There is no charge, fee, or obligation for this non-profit service. However, the list carries 20-30 messages a week, so be prepared for that volume. Though it is of modest size at around 700 voluntary subscribers, the CERJ email distribution list is the tool of a mature network of activists. In the field(s) of justice and conflict resolution, it is one of the most influential email bulletin and distribution networks on the Internet today. One unusual feature of this manually-maintained international non-profit email distribution list -- unique to our knowledge -- is that it is segmented by jurisdiction for organizing purposes. That is, we can and do 'target' messages to our groups of voluntary email subscribers in any state, province, or country -- or even globally! There are currently about 80 states, countries, or other jurisdictions represented on the list, including over 45 of the United States and all Canadian provinces, separately 'targetable'. What about volume? The CERJ list currently carries about 20-30 plain-text email posts per week (no attachments) -- every one of them manually edited or approved (no viruses!), and about evenly divided between (1) publicity and events about radical justice reform methods and strategies, and (2) news and alerts about the terrible problems inherent in today's criminal INjustice system. We also increasingly 'visit' the subject area of international and inter-ethnic conflict resolution. Please visit our web site at <http://www.cerj.org> for more information on who we are and what we're 'up to'! You can also see the transcript of a recent CERJ address given at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government at the following URL address: <http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/hri/jwilm.htm> A major part of CERJ's mission is to elevate the scholarly, intellectual, and moral levels of the Internet's various public crime and justice policy colloquia -- we have been engaged for several years in some very effective Internet-based advocacy for Equity-Restorative Justice. In our educational efforts, CERJ stresses the fact that vengeance and retribution are not justice at all -- are in fact deeply destructive of the 'fabric' of society, and that in order to achieve authentic justice, public policies must instead manifest those noble, humane, and constructive qualities traditionally associated with justice. <snip> By the way, if you decide to write and ask to be subscribed, please include your state or province (or country) of residence in your message. You see, our list is broken down into local jurisdictions to facilitate correspondence with specific local groups of the Campaign. "What you cannot do is accept injustice -- you must make the injustice visible. The function of a civil resister is to provoke a response, and we will continue to provoke until they respond or they change the laws. It will not be over if they arrest me, or if they arrest a thousand people ... it is not only generals who know how to run campaigns! They are not in control -- we are. That is the strength of civil resistance." -- Mohandas K. 'Mahatma' Gandhi (paraphrased) An inCERJent for justice, John Wilmerding P.S.: In particular, you may be interested in the CERJ Justice List of Lists -- a compendium of some thirty or so email discussion and bulletin lists that we have compiled to aid activists and advocates for radical justice reform. We re-post this List of Lists every three months or so. -- To subscribe to the CERJ E-Mail distribution list, simply send an E-mail message to <•••@••.•••>. Please include your name and your state, province, or country of residence. Thank you! -------------------------------------------------------------- John Wilmerding, Gen'l Secretary | E-Mail: <•••@••.•••> =================================| Web: http://www.cerj.org *CERJ* International Secretariat | ICQ: "CERJ" at 18723495 ---------------------------------+============================ Campaign | 217 High Street | For | A for | Brattleboro, VT | Justice | AR Equity- | 05301-3018 USA | that | ART Restorative | Telephone & FAX | Restores | EAR Justice | [802] 254-2826 | Equity | HEAR ================================================= HEART Work together to reinvent justice using methods | EARTH that are fair; which conserve, restore and even | HEARTH create harmony, equity and good will in society | >>>|CERJ|<<< ============================================================== We are the prisoners of the prisoners we have taken - J. Clegg You must *be* the change you wish to see in the world - Gandhi ********************************************************************* Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 22:54:04 -0600 From: Mark Douglas Whitaker <•••@••.•••> Subject: (fwd) WWW: United States 'politics watch' site Dear Friend, If you could spend just 5 minutes a week to have a real impact on the issues you care about, would you? If Not Now is a no-frills, democracy-in-action web site that lets you do just that. Designed for busy people who care about human rights, the environment, childcare, disarmament, and other pressing issues, it is based on content provided by the Sierra Club, Children's Defense Fund, Common Cause, and a dozen other top-notch advocacy groups. With the click of a mouse, you can send a letter to Congress or look up what your representatives are doing. We think there's a lot going on in Washington and around the country that you'll want to know about, and speak up about! Dale Pfeiffer recently became a member, and thought you might be interested, too. Our strength is in our numbers! Visit us on the Web at http://www.ifnotnow.com! Yours truly, Phil Mitchell Editor and Co-founder If Not Now *********************************************************** Date: Thu, 01 Apr 1999 09:13:04 -0800 From: Carol Brouillet <•••@••.•••> Subject: Re: rn- ANNOUNCING: CDR website upgraded. Dear Richard, I think you should add links to Michel Chossudovsky- Dismantling Yugoslavia, Recolonizing Romania >http://groundwork.ucsd.edu/bosnia.html His is one of the best analyses that i've seen. I just returned from the Ecological Equinox film festival.The Film Festival was great!!! Also met a member of the Canadian Film Board who told me that they are doing a series on Money and she was interested in what I was doing and connecting me with whoever is doing the film- hopefully I'll have some input. Mark Achbar (my friend who did Manufacturing Consent just got $100,000 to do a film on Globalization. My talk went well and I had a great time and made some great new contacts and friends! My conference in February went really well! And we're having another in August, over 20 people have volunteered to be on the organizing committee!!! I'm also going to a conference in Italy in May on creating complementary currncies for Eco-villages. So much is happening! Wishing you all the best! Love, Carol **************************************************************** From: "Ib Bang" <•••@••.•••> Subject: Re.: the other (economic) war. Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 01:04:53 +0200 Dear Ms. Slakov, The first message 'US Standard of Living' is terminated: The cliche that "the rich get richer and poor get poorer" is a definite fact in the US, as reported to us by the US government. One will find similar changes on a systemic scale. Actually it is not rather surprising due to the way the present economical system is working. Money itself is neutral, but can be used positively or negatively. Money is not the root of all evil, but the present monetary system is the root of a lot of evil. The positive use of money is to facilitate the exchange og goods and services. It should act as a lubricant for the society. As a lubricant it should be plentiful. The negative use of money is to control people. But if you have got enough money, then you cannot be controlled economically. Thus the money has to be scarce. As the money of the society is scarce it means, that the money is used negatively. If it is of no interest to you, I see no reason to write further. But if you should be further interested, then the situation is explained in detail upon my homepage. at http://users.cybercity.dk/~ida1561/ . You can also go directly to the appropriate page on http://users.cybercity.dk/~ida1561/future/money.htm . Anything at my homepage may be used freely. Thank you for your attention. Ib Bang. ******************************************************************** Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 15:04:59 -0300 From: •••@••.••• (Laurie or Shannon McGowan) Subject: Third World Debt <snip> I wanted to let you know that Saturday is also a global day of action for asking for forgiveness of Third World Debt. Here's a web site that explains it : < http://www.jubilee2000uk.org/main.html>. There's a petition to the G7 on this site, as well. <snip> Laurie ************************************************************************ Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 12:41:41 -0400 (EDT) From: chatski carl <•••@••.•••> Subject: Re: rn: follow-up to _Killing Hope_, economic reform Thanks for sending me the Recomendations of: > -- John D. Rockefeller IV > -- Jack Kemp, former Republican vice presidential candidate > -- Michael J. Novak, American Enterprise Institute > -- Dee Hock, Founder, President and CEO Emeritus, Visa International > -- Mary K. Bush, former Alternative Executive Director, IMF > -- Sam Ayoub, Chief Financial Officer, Coca-Cola Company, Inc.(retired) > -- Senator Russell B. Long (U.S. Senator, 1949-87) > -- James D. Wolfensohn, President, The World Bank On "Jeff Gates's new book, The Ownership Solution". These wonderful people have proven their committment to a healthy and fair world. You totally discredit yourselves with such a vile mailing. If you think that capitalism and ownership can be reformed you are part of the problem and not the solution, and negate the often very good information and thoughts you distribute. Please understand once and for all, that the agenda of late capitalism is virtual genocide of the working class and people of color. I further do not like to see the excellent historian Bill Blum, being included in such bad company and thoughtlessness. - Carl Note from Jan: I found Carl's message, above, rather over-stated (!) and I guess Carl did too, for he wrote later to say that he felt he wnt overboard a bit and that he felt kind of out of sorts by the enormity of the recent evils and the promise of more to come. As for the idea that some of the endorsements for the "ownership solution" totally discredit it... I think not, actually. Back in 1990 or so I decided I wanted to look into the whole topic of how our economic structures push us to destroy the world. I went to a book store and found a book that addressed that very topic: _For the Common Good_ by John Cobb, Jr. & Herman Daly. When I read on the back cover that Daly was a World Bank economist I thought: "Oh no!!!" but then I thought I had better read this book to find out what "the enemy" was saying. Well, it turned out to be an excellent book, one I encouraged many others to read as well. As my own experience shows, it is dangerous to be too quick to make assumptions about the usefulness of other people's work, based on their affiliations. Furthermore, I just want to put in a word for all the people I know who struggle along with their particular "solution" (including ourselves, CDR (Citizens for a DEmocratic Renaissance:-)! While sometimes it is tedious to try to keep up with each idea (be it replacing the GDP index with a more relevant one, civilian peace initiatives, working to improve the justice system/to oppose the daeth penalty, etc., supporting those "on the front lines" (eg. Jabiluka, the Indian fishing people opposed to shrimp farming) and so on), I am very moved by this work and respectful of those who do it. In the final analysis, I think this is what creating a vibrant democracy is all about: people doing what they can on what is of particular interest to them. I am especially grateful to those people who have a very particular idea but who are still interested in what others are doing and in making the connections. That is really what this list is all about, I think, helping people make the connections and make their own work that much more effective. all the best, Jan
