The results of the 'war on terror'

Endless War - it is the American way

Bernie and Hillary Come Out in Favor of Perpetual War in Afghanistan

by John Vibes

Last week, President Barack Obama broke his earlier campaign promise to end the war in Afghanistan by announcing that thousands of ground troops would remain in the country until further notice. Proving that there is truly no “anti-war” candidate in the race for president, both Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders rushed to support the president in his decision to continue the war. Speaking in an ABC interview with host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday morning, Sanders defended the position that the U.S. military is needed to “keep peace” in the Middle East.

“Well, yeah, I won’t give you the exact number. Clearly, we do not want to see the Taliban gain more power, and I think we need a certain nucleus of American troops present in Afghanistan to try to provide the training and support the Afghan army needs,” he said in the interview. Sanders’ enchanted followers have defended his words, saying the military forces left in Afghanistan would be on “humanitarian” and “peacekeeping missions,” or that they are there to help “rebuild the country.” However, military occupation is never humanitarian, nor is it not peaceful. Further, when politicians speak of “rebuilding” countries, they are usually saying they want to occupy the territory long enough to establish a puppet dictator of their choosing.

Hillary Clinton shared Sanders pro-war sentiment. As she said in an interview with the Boston Globe: “I admire the fact that the president has very strong positions about trying to end wars and bring people home - which is exactly the right place to be in - but is not so doctrinaire, absolutist that no matter what the circumstances are that he’s going to stick to his position. You have a position of responsibility and a real obligation to try to make the best decisions possible, and I know that’s what he did on this one.”

In Obama’s statement following the decision to continue the war, it was obvious the primary interest of the U.S. military is to establish a puppet dictatorship. As he asserted: “I know that many of you have grown weary of this conflict. As you are well aware, I do not support the idea of endless war, and I have repeatedly argued against marching into open-ended military conflicts

that do not serve our core security interests. Yet given what’s at stake in Afghanistan, and the opportunity for a stable and committed ally that can partner with us in preventing the emergence of future threats, and the fact that we have an international coalition, I am firmly convinced that we should make this extra effort.”

Although Sanders’ broad promises appeal to many people who are frustrated with the system, his campaign is not much different from the Obama campaign that hypnotized millions in 2008. The hope and change that Obama promised was nothing but more of the same Bush-era policies of endless war, police state intrusions, surveillance, and oppression - and increasing signs indicate Sanders will be no different.

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Upcoming events for the week of October 25, 2015

Photo came from Veterans for Peace. It lists the many hospitals the US has bombed over the years.

UPCOMING EVENTS

10/27/15 STUDENT LED TOUR OF ‘AMERICANS WHO TELL THE TRUTH’ EXHIBIT

The 8th grade students at Francine Delany New School for Children took on the task of training to be student docents for visiting school groups during the “Americans Who Tell the Truth” exhibit at the YMI. They have been leading school groups through the exhibit the week of Oct. 5-9. To prepare for these student-led tours, the students immersed themselves in the biographies of this portrait collection, researching different people featured, to understand the type of work they did, their influences, and the context of the time in which they lived. The YMI will host a special evening exhibit opening, led by the student docents, on Tuesday, October 27, from 6 to 8 PM.  The event is open to the public. Admission by donation. The location is the YMI Cultural Center at 39 South Market Street in Asheville. The exhibit will continue until November 7, 2015. Hours are 11 to 4, Tuesday to Saturday; 1 to 4 on Sunday, and closed on Monday.

10/27/15 QORDS VOLUNTEER INTEREST MEETING

Queer Oriented Radical Days of Summer is an all volunteer run camp for LGBTQQIA youth ages 11-17. Come and learn how you can be involved in this family-friendly, radical organization that supports queer youth and youth of queer families. Time is 6 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/27/15 LECTURE AT UNCA

STEM Lecture from 4:30 PM to 6 PM on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at the Reuter Center, room 102 - The Manheimer Room, at UNCA.  Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) lecture by Rich Weiner, OLLI faculty. The STEM lecture series is free and open to the public.

10/28/15 ASHEVILLE N.O.W. EVENT

The last Wednesday of the month we will contemplate “Wine, Women and Fixing What's Wrong”. Time is 5-6:30 PM. We'll meet up at Sherri's office, 10 South Main Street, Weaverville, drink wine on the back porch, watch the leaves change colors, do a little networking, and take care of chapter business in an informal setting. Rain or shine. For more information contact nowasheville@gmail.com.

10/28/15 CIVIL RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY AT UNCA

UNC Asheville’s Center for Diversity Education will screen four documentaries in the series, “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle.” Screenings take place at 6 PM on four Wednesdays, Sept. 30, Oct. 14 and 28, and Nov. 11 in the Highsmith Union Grotto. Discussions led by Dwight Mullen, Darin Waters, and Sarah Judson after the screening. Free. For more details, email dmiles@unca.edu or call (828) 232-5024.

10/28/15 OTHER WORLDS ARE POSSIBLE BOOK GROUP AT FIRESTORM

This discussion group focuses on science fiction, speculative fiction and fantasy with feminist, social justice and/or “radical” themes. In October we'll be reading “Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology”. Time is 7 PM. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/28/15 TURNING ON SOLAR PANELS CELEBRATION

All are welcome to an event by St. Eugene's Catholic Church Church as they turn on their 147 solar panels.  Time is 1 PM and location is 72 Culvern Street in Asheville.

10/28/15 GREEN DRINKS - PRESENTATION ON NC LEGISLATIVE SESSION

This legislative session has been jam-packed with moves to roll back environmental protections, hinder renewable energy, slash funding for open space protections and more. But it’s not all bad news. Many of our WNC legislators have stood against these shenanigans and are attempting to forward legislation to protect our communities’ natural resources. We’ll get you caught up on environmental outcomes of this legislative session, priorities between sessions and next year, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. Socializing starts at 5:30, program starts at 6 PM. Location is Twin Leaf Brewery at 144 Coxe Avenue in downtown Asheville. Contact Joan at joan@mountaintrue.org for more information. 

10/29/15 MOUNTAINTRUE PRESENTATION ON THE NC LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN HENDERSONVILLE

This legislative session has been jam-packed with moves to roll back environmental protections, hinder renewable energy, slash funding for open space protections and more. But it’s not all bad news. Many of our WNC legislators have stood against these shenanigans and are attempting to forward legislation to protect our communities’ natural resources. We’ll get you caught up on environmental outcomes of this legislative session, priorities between sessions and next year, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Biz 611 at 611 North Church Street (MountainTrue Offices) in Hendersonville. Please RSVP and let us know you'll attend. For any questions please contact Joan at Joan@Mountaintrue.org or 828-575-6268 ext. 205. 

10/29/15 LIBERTY BOOK CLUB AT FIRESTORM

A monthly book group dedicated to liberty, true freedom, and our ability to cultivate a society in which people can think for themselves. In October they'll be reading “Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality”. Time is 7 PM. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/29/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE MEETING

Join us as we hear about our Encyclical Book Studies, celebrate the Care of our Common Home event, Solar Panels going live and talk about the Paris Talks coming in Late November. Location is First Baptist Church at 5 Oak Street in Asheville and time is 5:30 to 7 PM. Email creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

10/29/15 PINK YOUR PUMPKIN EVENT

Planned Parenthood is asking that people paint their pumpkins pink in support of Planned Parenthood for Halloween. On Thursday, October 29th, we are inviting people to bring their own pumpkin to Montford Park from 5:30-7 PM. Anyone is welcome to bring family, friends, and neighbors out to the park. Planned Parenthood will provide the paint and decorations for the pumpkins along with apple cider. For more information contact Elisabeth at elisabeth.jones@ppsat.org.

10/29/15 CONNECTING OUR LIVES AND OUR LANDSCAPES

In this free presentation, Sunil Patel, founder of Patchwork Urban Farms, will outline the current state of disconnection we have as a society from the land. He’ll talk about what Patchwork is doing to help re-connect us with the land, the food, and each other. Information will be available about how people can plug in to the growing network. Time is 7 to 8 PM and location is Greenlife Grocery on Merrimon. Contact Greenlife for more information.

11/01/15 PLAY AT UNCA

Autumn Players Readers Theater at Reuter Center, Manheimer Room from  2:30 PM to 5:00 PM. The Autumn Players is a troupe of seasoned actors dedicated to taking the theatre experience into the community. Readings of great literature by experienced performers can spark deep understanding and kindle lasting interest. As words jump from the page with conviction and emotion, stories come to life. Come to the Reuter Center on Sunday, November 1, 2015, to enjoy, The Winslow Boy by Terence Rattigan, directed by Anita Chapman. Based on a real case and set just before World War I, this moving legal drama challenges the abuse of power by the strong over the weak. Open to the public, performances begin at 2:30 PM and tickets are $6 (inc. sales tax) at the door.

11/03/15 ELECTION DAY FOR ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL

And various other local elections around our area. The right to vote was hard won, so be sure to exercise YOUR right to vote.

11/03/15 ASHEVILLE CITY TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING

Transit Committee Meeting from 3:30 - 5 PM. Location is the 1st Floor Conference Room at City Hall in downtown Asheville.

11/03/15 WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL LECTURE SERIES

“Israeli-Palestinian Borders – Issues and Dilemmas,” with Harvey Starr, author and emeritus professor of international affairs at the University of South Carolina, where he continues to serve as an institute associate of The Walker Institute of International and Area Studies, consulting faculty in the Jewish Studies Program, and a Rule of Law Collaborative faculty member. The lectures are sponsored by the WNC chapter of the World Affairs Council, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNC Asheville, and the university's Department of Political Science. Admission to World Affairs Council presentations at UNC Asheville is $10 for the public; free to members of the World Affairs Council and UNC Asheville students. For more information call 828.251.6140.

11/03/15 SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network of groups educating and organizing white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice. Asheville SURJ hosts a weekly discussion group on risk-taking, accountability, mutual interest and how to call more white people into racial justice work. Anyone with a passion for working with white people on racial justice is welcome. Time is 10 AM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/03/15 EMPATHY BUDDIES WORKSHOP

CNVC Certified Trainer Roberta Wall will be offering an Empathy Buddies training workshop. The event will be located at the French Broad Co-op in the Movement and Learning Center (MLC) room. The event will be on an as you choose sliding scale between $15 - $30 per person. The event will be one and a half hours long. Once there are at least 10 people paying $15 or more each, Roberta's policy will be to let anyone who wants to pay less than $15 due to their financial or other needs participate. This strategy is for meeting needs for inclusiveness, celebration of everyone who wants to learn, as well as Roberta's sustainability. People who pay $30 will be supporting scholarships for people who will pay less than $15. Time is 7 to 8:45 PM and location is French Broad Food Coop at 90 Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville. This is a facebook event, so please go there for more information on how to register and how to pay.

11/04/15 GREEN DRINKS AND SIERRA CLUB MEETING

The topic will be “The Impact of Climate Change on Food Production”. How will a changing climate affect the way we farm and what we eat? How do we build resilient and sustainable food systems? The talk features Warren Wilson College sustainable agriculture professor Laura Lengnick, author of the forthcoming book Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate and lead author of the recent USDA report “Climate Change and U.S. Agriculture: Effects and Adaptation.” Time is 7 PM (program starts at 7:15) at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information. 

11/05/15 CENTER FOR DIVERSITY EDUCATION ANNIVERSARY EVENT

Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University, will be the keynote speaker for the commemoration of the UNC Asheville Center for Diversity Education 20th anniversary. This event will pay tribute to the work of the Asheville Student Committee of Racial Equality from 1960-1965. Seating will begin at 6 PM and no backpacks or food or drinks are permitted.  This event is free and open to the public. Contact Deborah Miles at dmiles@unca.edu for more information. Time is 7 PM and location is Kimmel Arena at UNCA. 

11/05/15 EARLY NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY IN WNC

In honor of Native American History Month, learn the history behind the forced removal of the Cherokee Indians in the 19th Century from their land in North Carolina. Discuss the larger implications and the impact it had on the Cherokee community and history in Western North Carolina. This discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Ellen Pearson, Associate Professor of History. This is part of the Lunch and Learn series. Location is Intercultural Center at UNCA, and time is 11:50 AM to 1:05 PM. Contact dhylton@unca.edu for more information. This is sponsored by the Multicultural Student Programs.

11/05/15 DISCUSSION ON HUMAN POSSIBILITIES

Join conscious and creative individuals for conversations about the wild diversity of human culture, and ways of living into being a regenerative and compassionate society. Time is 7 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/05/15 LECTURE AT UNCA

“ISIS: Terror in the Name of Religion”, presented by Dr. Samer Traboulsi, History Dept., and Mr. Tristan Mead, undergraduate student, International Studies. Presented by Provost Joe Urgo. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Ms. Jo Steininger, 251-6415 or jsteinin@unca.edu. Time is 11:30 AM to 1 PM and location is Karen Hall, room 139 - Laurel Forum. 

11/05/15 FILM AT REGAL BALTIMORE GRAND 

From the producers of “Fork Over Knives” comes the film “Plant Pure Nation”. See the film and learn more about the Plant Pure City Pod, with a Q&A following the film with Nelson Campbell. See PlantPureNation.com for more information on the film. Time is 7 PM and location is I-26 and Long Shoals Road in south Asheville.

11/06/15 ASCORE LEADERSHIP AWARDS AND LUNCH

The title of this event is “Building on a Legacy: 2042 ASCORE Leadership Awards.” The luncheon (with vegan and gluten free options) and honor five change agents in our community and share highlights of the last 20 years. Tickets options are: $50 for individual tickets, $100 for patron tickets, $600 for table sponsors and $1000 for award sponsors. Some of the ticket price is tax deductible. In 1995, it was impossible to imagine the world 20 years in the future. The influence that social media, digitization, 9/11, globalization, changing, demography, brain research, and varying civil rights issues on the work of equity and inclusion was unforeseeable.  This event is sponsored by the Center for Diversity Education at UNCA. Time is 11:45 AM to 1:15 PM, and location is Morris Hellenic Center at 227 Cumberland Avenue in Asheville. For more information, contact Deborah at dmiles@unca.edu.

11/06/15 BIONEERS EVENT

The Asheville Bioneers conference (a Resilient Communities Network Event) is taking place at Lenoir-Rhyne University—Asheville (36 Montford Ave, above the AVL Visitor Center) on Friday, November 6, Wednesday, November 11, and Friday, November 13. Lenoir-Rhyne University is proud to present the 2015 Asheville Bioneers Conference, a Resilient Communities Network Event on three evenings in November. As we have done during past Bioneers conference the event will weave in “beamed in” speeches from theNational 2015 Bioneers Conference and feature discussions with local panels. Network, engage in dialogue, broaden the conversation, and collectively plan some next steps to help WNC move toward a more sustainable future. Time is 5:30 to 10 PM. Location is Lenoir-Rhyne University in the second floor conference room. Topics for this date are spirituality and healing, and adaption and resilience.

11/07/15 CITIZENS’ CLIMATE LOBBY

Learn what you can do to help mitigate Climate Change. Join the Citizens Climate Lobby - Asheville Chapter. Next meeting is at 12:30 at Kairos West Community Center at 742 Haywood Road in west Asheville.

11/07/15 PRESENTATION ON FORCED DISAPPEARANCES IN MEXICO

Nadín Reyes Maldonado, a Mexican human rights defender, links the issues of militarization, drug policy and free trade agreements in which the US plays a major role to the 27,000 forced disappearances over the last decade. Title of presentation is “Until We Find them!” Time is 5 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/08/15 ASHEVILLE N.O.W. MEETING

Sunday, November 8 - Our Final Business Meeting at the YWCA for 2015. Time is 2 PM at the YWCA on South French Broad in Asheville.. We'll plan our Annual Year-End Meeting for December, it's our special holiday gathering. Venue, Date/Time to be determined. For more information contact nowasheville@gmail.com.

11/11/15 CIVIL RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY AT UNCA

UNC Asheville’s Center for Diversity Education will screen four documentaries in the series, “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle.” Screenings take place at 6 PM on four Wednesdays, Sept. 30, Oct. 14 and 28, and Nov. 11 in the Highsmith Union Grotto. Discussions led by Dwight Mullen, Darin Waters, and Sarah Judson after the screening. Free. For more details, email dmiles@unca.edu or call (828) 232-5024.

11/11/15 ‘TO CHANGE EVERYTHING’ TOUR

Climate change, economic crisis, unrest from Baltimore to Brazil: the prevailing order is unsustainable in every way. This international panel of social movement veterans seeks to answer the question “How do we change everything?” Time is 5 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/11/15 BIONEERS EVENT / GREEN DRINKS

The Asheville Bioneers conference (a Resilient Communities Network Event) is taking place at Lenoir-Rhyne University—Asheville (36 Montford Ave, above the AVL Visitor Center) on Friday, November 6, Wednesday, November 11, and Friday, November 13. In partnership with Asheville Green Drinks, the November 11th event will feature a beamed in talk from the national conference (see www.bioneers.org) by Malik Yakini followed by a panel of local experts and activists. Malik Yakini, Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, will explore how the current industrial food system that supplies most of our food creates inequities, based in part on the social construct we call “race.”  He will share thoughts on addressing racism, thinking beyond the logic of capitalism and how we might create a more just, sustainable food system.  We will follow this with a local panel discussion and engage our community in conversations about better ways to address these issues locally.  Refreshments will be provided, thanks to Catawba Brewing.  Socializing begins at 5:30.  The programming begins at 6 PM and will run until 7:30 PM.  We will meet in the 2nd floor conference room.

11/12/15 to 11/15/15 PEACE CONFERENCE AT LAKE JUNALUSKA

This will be November 12-15, 2015 at Lake Junaluska. Theme will be “Longing for Peace/Exploring the Heart of God”. Keynote speakers are Rabia Terri Harris, founder of the Muslim Peace Fellowship; Rabbi Or Rose, founding director of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College and Dr. Sam Wells, vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. Special music by Yuval Ron and Ensemble-- a world-renowned musician, composer, educator, peace activist, and record producer.  The Yuval Ron Ensemble has been actively involved in creating musical bridges between people of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. They will perform Saturday eve. Registration is $145. Packages which include registration, lodging and meals are available. Register via Lake Junaluska website or call 828-454-6682 for more information. 

11/12/15 FORUM TO END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS

Join us at the Forum on Veteran Homelessness on November 12th, presented by AVL Technologies. We'll feature Jas Boothe, a veteran who experienced homelessness after Hurricane Katrina and now works to end female veteran homelessness. She'll join a panel of local experts on the topic. Your ticket also includes a full meal and is only $25 ($27.37 with service charge).  Time is 5:30 to 8:30 PM and location is Celine and Company at 49 Broadway Avenue in Asheville. Homeward Bound of WNC is organizing this event. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, please contact Beth Russo at 258.1695 ext. 111.

11/12/15 THIRD ANNUAL ROOT BALL FROM GREENWORKS

While we usually encourage you to “get dirty for a great cause,” the GreenWorks Root Ball is an opportunity to celebrate in style. Join us for an evening that will include: silent auction and drink reception, environmental excellence awards dinner, keynote address by Josh Dorfman. Tickets are $45 in advance ($40 for members) and $55 at the door ($50 for members). RSVP by October 30th. Contact us for more information and how to order tickets at info@ashevillegreenworks.org. The event will be held in Historic Montford at the MHCC Events Center (Greek Orthodox Church) at 227 Cumberland Avenue in Asheville. Time is 6 to 9 PM.

11/13/15 BIONEERS EVENT

The Asheville Bioneers conference (a Resilient Communities Network Event) is taking place at Lenoir-Rhyne University—Asheville (36 Montford Ave, above the AVL Visitor Center) on Friday, November 6, Wednesday, November 11, and Friday, November 13. Lenoir-Rhyne University is proud to present the 2015 Asheville Bioneers Conference, a Resilient Communities Network Event on three evenings in November. As we have done during past Bioneers conference the event will weave in “beamed in” speeches from theNational 2015 Bioneers Conference and feature discussions with local panels. Network, engage in dialogue, broaden the conversation, and collectively plan some next steps to help WNC move toward a more sustainable future. Time is 5:30 to 10 PM. Location is Lenoir-Rhyne University in the second floor conference room. Topic for this date is climate change.

11/13/15 TAKE BACK THE NARRATIVE - EVENT AT MALAPROPS

Take Back the Narrative showcases creative pieces written by survivors of sexual assault in order to create space for their stories and open up conversation around sexual violence in the community. This event is a collaboration between OurVOICE, Asheville's advocacy and support group for survivors of rape and sexual assault in the city and county, and UNC Asheville's Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program. Location is Malaprop’s on Haywood Street in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. For more information, contact Malaprops. 

11/14/15 HARD TO RECYCLE EVENT

Founded in 2011 by Rainbow Recycling, Hard 2 Recycle events are free to the public collections geared to bring awareness to other modes of recycling to our area. Four quarterly held collections to cover the four corners of the County and one central event in Downtown Asheville. Our goal is to educate, collect and divert items that would normally end up in the Landfill i.e Styrofoam, Electronics, Books, Batteries, Cooking Oil and much more. November 14th - Arden NC - 2310 Hendersonville Road, Arden NC 28704 (10 AM to 2 PM). Contact volunteer@ashevillegreenworks.org for more information or to confirm.

11/15/15 ASHEVILLE BLACK LIVES MATTER COMMUNITY

Meet us at Hill Street Baptist Church on Nov 15, at 10 AM for #BlackLivesMatterSunday with Professor Dr. Karsonya (Kaye) Wise Whitehead of Loyola University, Maryland. Prof Wise Whitehead is an historian who works in the  black documentary tradition. No further information, contact Hill Street Baptist Church to confirm.

11/16/15 PUBLIC INPUT TO NANTAHALA AND PISGAH PLAN REVISION

As a requirement to forest plan revision process, the USDA Forest Service will do evaluations of lands that may be suitable for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, and identifying rivers for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. These evaluation materials will be available in late October on the Forest Service USDA’s website. Then a public meeting will be held for input from the general public on these evaluations. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Mountain View Room, Kimmel Arena, UNCA in Asheville. Meetings are open to the public. 

11/20/15 EVENT AT MALAPROPS

In Jimmy Guignard's sobering “Pedaling the Sacrifice Zone: Teaching, Writing, and Living Above the Marcellus Shale”, the author, a professor at Pennsylvania's Mansfield University, takes readers on a cycling tour “through the fraught landscape of his family's life in the *sacrifice zone*” of the Marcellus Shale, ground zero of the natural gas industry and fracking. Location is Malaprop’s on Haywood Street in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. Call Malaprops for more information.

11/20/15 to 11/22/15 SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS WATCH PROTEST AT FORT BENNING GEORGIA

11/21/15 MEMORIAL FOR TONY BING

Dr. Max Carter will be the primary speaker. This will be held at Highland Farms. More information to follow.

11/22/15 BENEFIT FOR ‘KIDS 4 PEACE’ IN ASHEVILLE

Join award winning whimsical re-percussionist Billy Jonas and the Billy Jonas Band on Sunday, November 22, at 7 PM at the Altamont Theatre at 18 Church Street in Asheville for the release celebration of their new recording ‘habayta (Homeward) New Jewish Songs of Joy and Spirit’. Jonas has appeared at numerous synagogues, Jewish summer camps, community centers and Jewish Day Schools throughout the US. About Kids4Peace: Founded in Jerusalem in 2002, Kids4Peace is an interfaith community of more than 1,800 Israeli, Palestinian and North American youth, families and educators working together for a better future. Through a network of local chapters and international camps, they provide a six-year, year-round educational program for Jewish, Christian & Muslim youth. Activities focus on interfaith dialogue, community-building, leadership development, and nonviolent action. Tickets are $36 and include reception and food. For further information and tickets call 617-501-1983.

12/01/15 WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL LECTURE SERIES

“DEAS (ISIS) and PKK – The Regional Struggle for Hegemony: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar," with Ali Demirdas, a member of the international studies faculty at the College of Charleston and a Ph.D. candidate at University of South Carolina. The lectures are sponsored by the WNC chapter of the World Affairs Council, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNC Asheville, and the university's Department of Political Science. Admission to World Affairs Council presentations at UNC Asheville is $10 for the public; free to members of the World Affairs Council and UNC Asheville students. For more information call 828.251.6140.

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ONGOING EVENTS

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TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

WEDNESDAY

Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

FRIDAY

Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville

Women in Black have a monthly vigil at 5 PM at Vance Monument in Asheville (first Friday only)

SATURDAY

Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard. Call 884-3435 to confirm. 

Third Saturdays – Asheville’s Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Pritchard Park at 5 PM.

SUNDAY

Youth OUTright meeting from 4 to 6 PM at First Congregational United Church of Christ at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Ages 14 - 23 only.

Jeremy Corbyn talks about foreign policy

I find I agree with what he says. He is now the leader of the Labor party in England. One thing the interviewer mentioned was that Britain spent 17 times more on bombing Libya than it did on repair after the bombing. I imagine that is true for the US government as well, which shows that their claim (mostly from Powers) that we have a "responsibility to protect" is nothing but a pack of lies.

United for Peace & Justice Letter

STOP WAR CRIMES IN AFGHANISTAN

The horror continues in Afghanistan with the deadly U.S. bombing of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, killing 22 people -- 12 staff and 10 patients, some of them children. Bombing a hospital is a violation of International Humanitarian Law and a War Crime. Afghanistan is our country’s longest war – entering its 15th year today, October 7th. President Obama can’t claim he ended combat operations in 2014 when we continue to bomb the country. Bombing is war! The President and military leaders have told us on numerous occasions that there is no military solution in Afghanistan. Why are the same failed policies that began under the George W. Bush administration still in effect? 

U.S. military intervention is a proven failure. We invested in drones, bombs, soldiers and night raids but did not invest in solutions. These failed military tactics have led to more enemies, more extremists and futile, endless war, while increasing suffering for the people of Afghanistan (2.5 million refugees and 700,000 displaced per the UNHCR). 

• The Afghanistan war is an abysmal failure.

• The U.S. should cease bombing.

• The U.S. should rebuild the hospital it destroyed in Kunduz.

• Why should U.S. forces stay one more day in Afghanistan? 

• What is preventing a full, focused effort on diplomacy – in Afghanistan as well as in the Middle East?

The U.S. should withdraw all forces from Afghanistan and pursue a full, focused diplomatic solution to the crisis in that nation, which has been in a state of war since the late 1970’s. 

There are two basic questions that require comprehensive, detailed answers:

Why should the US forces stay one more day in Afghanistan?

What is preventing a full, focused effort on diplomacy - in Afghanistan and the Middle East?

I am asking you to work to end the ill-advised and failed military operation in Afghanistan, bring our troops home, and demand a full, focused diplomatic effort to reach a political solution to the crisis there. 

Sincerely, 

United for Peace & Justice

#Enough!

The People´s Agreement to Abolish War

We, the people of the human family, agree to abolish war. Like you, we are tired of wars.

 #Enough!

The People´s Agreement to Abolish War

We, the people of the human family, agree to abolish war. Like you, we are tired of wars. 

War costs us everything and resolves nothing.

War has increased ‘terrorism’.

Wars risk spiraling into our destruction by nuclear weapons.

To abolish war, we form small, local peace circles or communities of two or more persons in which we agree to ban weapons and war and to build nonviolent systems for every aspect of life.

With autonomous alternatives, we no longer need to participate in today’s warring systems. We opt out, and we withhold support and money from any individual or group that uses war.

We begin to heal and live differently. Students learn better, laborers and farmers work better, mothers worry less, and basic human resources are better shared.

We nurture egalitarian relationships with nature and all human beings and connect to form a critical mass that’s free of borders, going beyond our separate causes and working together for a green and equal world without war. A critical mass is crucial as we can’t abolish war without reversing global warming and inequality; these are global crises driven by the same elite who rule over us by force. We abolish war person by person. We won’t wait for the elite, because they’re the ones who keep waging wars.

We make no distinction as to who wages the war, the scale of the war or the individual justifications for the war. We renounce all violence and wars and agree never to resort to war in any circumstance.

We, the people of the human family, agree to abolish war.

#Enough

To follow this campaign, go to this link.

THIS is a vastly stupid idea.

Happening today, October 22, 2015:

THIS IS ONLY A DRILL. At 6 p.m. today, Mission Health, in collaboration with the Asheville Police Department, will conduct an exercise that will include actor(s) portraying an active shooter situation initiating law enforcement response. 
Area residents and hospital guests may see or hear activities that may simulate a response to an active shooter. 
During the exercise, first responders and hospital staff will test their emergency response capabilities.

++++++++++++

Here's hoping they don't give anyone a heart attack or inspire some "good guy" with a concealed weapon to join in.  And I hope they use a WHITE shooter, since about 95% of all mass shooters in the USA are white males.

Really, I thought my town was smarter than this. Clearly I was wrong on that one.

Veterans for Peace Letter

Veterans For Peace recently sent the following letter of support to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Dear Friends,

Veterans For Peace (VFP) supports your demand for an independent investigation of the Kunduz bombing. We have great respect for MSF and how your people put their lives at risk in service of sick and wounded humanity. Here is a statement VFP put out regarding the bombing and the war in Afghanistan. Veterans Organization Denounces U.S. Bombing of Afghan Hospital.

This was a horrific crime, assuredly a war crime, and as veterans with direct knowledge of how the military operates, we are quite clear this was not a mistake. Trained pilots do not make mistakes like that, nor do they proceed without direct authorization to do so. We feel this was deliberate and intentional. The motive is also clear ? MSF was treating all sick and wounded, without discrimination, including Taliban. But this particular attack may well backfire on the very war machine that causes so much suffering and death.

This was from one of our VFP members:

*"As an experienced Fighter Pilot, the USAF and their intel targeting branch knew WITHOUT a DOUBT that they were bombing a hospital; About the only excuse to avoid even more condemnation will be to say "the bombs were off target" - but this cannot hold up under minimal scrutiny.  WHY did the bombing go on for so long, allegedly over a half hour.  Precision munitions don't just hit hospitals, bomb after bomb."*

Members of VFP have served in combat and in every branch of the armed forces.  Based on their first hand and collective experience, and absent any evidence to the contrary, it is difficult to believe the bombing of the hospital was anything but deliberate or at a minimum done in reckless disregard of the consequences to human life.

It is up to all of us who care about humanity to keep this incident from being washed over and forgotten.

Please let us know how we can best support your demand for an independent investigation. Is there is a way VFP can coordinate with MSF and how can we work together to expose this crime fully and achieve accountability?

In addition to supporting MSF's call for an an independent investigation, we believe that full justice requires the following:

1. The tape and video from the attack AC-130 gunship must be released to Congress and/or made completely public.

2. The Pentagon must make full reparations to Doctors Without Borders and to the families of those killed and injured.

3. The U.S. military must fully rebuild and restock the hospital.

4. This war of 14-years and the long series of war crimes, of which the attack on the hospital in Kunduz is included, must end finally and completely.

In Solidarity,

Veterans For Peace National Board

Barry Ladendorf, President

Michael T. McPhearson, Executive Director

Statement from Veterans for Peace

Gerry Condon Comments About the Recent Hospital Attack in Kunduz, Afghanistan

The US army must be held accountable for the senseless killing of innocent civilians in a likely deliberate attack on a Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) hospital in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, the vice president of Veterans For Peace (VFP) told Sputnik on Tuesday.

US commander in Afghanistan John Campbell said earlier that the airstrike on the hospital, which claimed 22 lives, was a mistake made by US Command and Control.

This account of events has been questioned by a number of media outlets that cited US sources and Afghanistan officials as saying that the attack was justified because there reportedly were Taliban militants present in the hospital.

"Eyewitness accounts and Afghan military sources indicate the hospital was attacked deliberately, on the pretext that members of the Taliban were treated there," VFP Gerry Condon said. "It is high time that the U.S. military be held accountable for the deaths of innocent civilians.”

The US airstrike on the hospital left 12 MSF aid workers dead, as well as 10 patients, including children. Washington has opened a probe into the attack, but the health charity has said that it considers the lethal incident to be a war crime and demands an independent investigation into the incident by an international body.

"If the attack was indeed deliberate, then it is a very serious war crime. We support Doctors Without Borders’ call for an independent investigation. We have seen what happens when the Pentagon is allowed to investigate itself," the senior VFP official told Sputnik.

Condon added this would not be the first US war crime in Afghanistan. "For the last fourteen years, there have been countless incidents where wedding parties, for example, have become ‘collateral damage’," he said.

Earlier in the day, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an impartial investigation into the incident.

Press Release from Reprieve

PRESS RELEASE: Friday October 16, 2015

Drones revelations: Yemeni victim and Reprieve comment
 
Commenting on leaked information about the U.S. drone program published by The Intercept:

Faisal bin ali Jaber, a Yemeni engineer whose innocent family members were killed by a U.S. drone, said: "I read that the Americans have very little knowledge of the innocent civilians they are killing in Yemen. This is no surprise to Yemenis. For years, we have been confused by the sharp contrast between what we see with our own eyes and what the US government tells the world. Slowly, the whole truth will come out. I hope that my American court case will help that happen. But how many innocent Yemeni men, women and children will die before it does?"

Joe Pace, Reprieve U.S. lawyer for Mr al Jaber, said:  "We were told that the drone program was "safe" and "effective". When we raised concerns with the Administration that it was anything but, we were told "trust us". These leaked reports confirming the staggering inaccuracy of the U.S drone program may be news to the American people who have been lied to by this Administration, but there's nothing revelatory for Mr. al Jaber or the millions who live under constant threat of U.S. drone strikes.  Mr. al Jaber and countless others have witnessed their loved ones literally blown to pieces based on a toxic combination of garbage intelligence and U.S. indifference to foreign lives.  All he has ever asked for is a simple apology and an explanation. It is unacceptable that he has had to file a lawsuit to get such basic relief. And it is absurd to think that we are making ourselves safer by terrorizing the people of Yemen from the skies and withholding any accountability when our drones kill innocent people."

Upcoming events for the week of October 18, 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

“I count myself as a spiritual sister to those the US government has murdered, and I am angry at my powerlessness.”  -  Karen Kwiatkowski

We need to stop the violence and killing at home and abroad. I have no idea how to do this, but I am certain that more violence is not the solution, since violence only begets violence. - dancewater

10/19/15 MOVE TO AMEND BUNCOMBE COUNTY MEETING

Location is the North Asheville Library at 1030 Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. Move To Amend is a coalition of hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of individuals committed to social and economic justice, ending corporate rule, and building a vibrant democracy that is genuinely accountable to the people, not to corporate interests.  Move To Amend calls for an amendment to the US Constitution to unequivocally state that inalienable rights belong only to human beings, not to corporations, and that money is not a form of protected free speech under the First Amendment and can be regulated in political campaigns.The October meeting will feature discussion and information about ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) and how ALEC impacts the lives of American citizens.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Diana at  dianakruk@gmail.com  or 828-275-0680. 

10/20/15 JUST ECONOMICS MEETING

The 3rd Tuesday of every other month is our regular meeting at 6:30 at the United Way on South French Broad.  We will have dinner…feel free to bring a dish to share if you would like and are able.  We will discuss general Just Economics topics and then divide into committees:  Policy Advocacy, Certification, and Education and Outreach.  Everyone is welcome! For more information, contact info@justeconomicswnc.org.   

10/20/15 ANTI-BULLYING RALLY

Free food, games, inflatables, music. Time is 5:30 to 7:30 PM and location is Pack Square Park at 121 College Street in Asheville. The purpose of this event is to increase awareness.

10/20/15 TO 11/7/15 AMERICANS WHO TELL THE TRUTH EXHIBIT

Robert Shetterly's “Americans Who Tell the Truth” exhibit is on display now at the YMI Center in Asheville. This exhibit contains the portraits of fifty-two courageous Americans Who Tell the Truth and were painted by Robert Shetterly. $10 Suggested Donation. The YMI Center is open from 1 to 4 PM on Sunday and from 11 to 4 PM on Tuesday to Saturday. Closed Mondays. This exhibit will be up through November 7, 2015 and more volunteers (to be greeters and docents) are needed. Contact Carmen at 4ward2gethercall2action@gmail.com to volunteer. (If you volunteer, you can see the exhibit for free. This exhibit is well worth seeing!)

10/20/15 RESULTS AND PIH PRESENTATION AT UNCA

We have the good fortune of having Dr. Rebecca Nantanda of Uganda visiting Asheville next Tuesday 10/20. She will speak to us about life as a pediatrician in Uganda, and what it will take to end preventable maternal and child deaths. We’ll also learn about legislation just introduced in Congress “to end preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths globally,” and why it is so important to pass this legislation. Join RESULTS and PIH Engage at the UNCA Library Atrium at 8:15 PM next Tuesday, October 20. Please contact Ken at kpatterson@results.org for more information and to let them know you are coming to this event.

10/20/15 ASHEVILLE CANDIDATE FORUM

Candidate Forum will be held at the Wesley Grant Center from 5:30 - 7 PM. Early voting begins next Thursday, October 22 for City Council Elections. 

10/20/2015 SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network of groups educating and organizing white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice. Asheville SURJ hosts a weekly discussion group on risk-taking, accountability, mutual interest and how to call more white people into racial justice work. Anyone with a passion for working with white people on racial justice is welcome. Time is 10 AM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/20/15 WNC 4 PEACE MEETING

Time is 6 PM and location is North Asheville Community Center at 37 East Larchmont in Asheville. Contact Craig at herbzone@gmail.com for more information.

10/21/15 GREEN DRINKS

“Sustainable is Possible”. This presentation focuses on how we can achieve the goal of living on 10% of the resources of the average American while living a high quality life. This number is critical because it matches current estimates from the scientific community for the goals we need to achieve to live sustainably and head off the worst effects of climate disruption. Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is achieving that goal, and thus is a timely, relevant and needed model as our society struggles to figure out what a livable, low-carbon future might look like. Q and A will follow the talk. Socializing is at 5:30 PM and presentation starts at 6 PM. Location is the Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville. Contact Joan at joan@mountaintrue.org for more information.

10/21/15 GREEN OPPORTUNITIES OPEN HOUSE

Please join Green Opportunities as we introduce our new team, including our Executive Director, George C. Jones Jr. Time is 5:30 to 8 PM and location is Arthur Eddington Center at 133 Livingston Street in Asheville. 

10/21/15 REVISIONING HISTORY BOOK GROUP AT FIRESTORM

This discussion group focuses on books that challenge or expand on dominant historical narratives and research methodologies. In October we will finish reading “Dixie Be Damned: 300 Years of Insurrection in the American South”. Time is 7 PM. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/22/15 to 10/31/15 EARLY VOTING FOR ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL

Voting places: Election Services at 77 McDowell Street for 10/22 and 10/23 from 8 AM to 6 PM; and West Asheville Library, North Asheville Library, South Buncombe Library, Asheville Mall for 10/24/15 and the following week. Time is 10 AM to 6 PM from Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 1 PM on Saturday. 

10/22/15 LUNCH AND LEARN AT UNCA

The past year has seen a lot of turbulence between law enforcement and the general public, particularly people of color. Join in a conversation with Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Police, Eric Boyce, as we discuss how we can re-establish trust with the police. Learn about strategies that our law enforcement is using to keep UNC Asheville safe as well as hear from his perspective as a Black Chief of Police. Time is noon to 1 PM. This is part of Multicultural Student Programs. More information, including location, from dhylton@unca.edu.

10/22/15 NEWSMAKER SERIES ON WHO OWNS WNC’S WATER

Carolina Public Press will hold its next Newsmakers event, a nonpartisan conversation series on top Western North Carolina interests and issues, about the ownership of the region’s water. It will be held on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 6-7 PM at Fletcher Town Hall. Going beyond headlines and sound bites, the Newsmaker series brings together the state and region’s top journalists with those making and influencing the news — people such as business leaders, lawmakers, agency administrators, public policy influencers and others — for in-depth, nonpartisan conversations with the public. Newsmakers will break down barriers often felt between journalists and lawmakers, between community members and leaders — all toward building an engaged, informed community. This free and public event will offer the region’s residents to discuss public and private ownership of drinking water systems across the region, and it coincides with a Carolina Public Press in-depth and investigative reporting project launched in July on some of the issues facing the region’s drinking water. Space is limited, and advanced tickets are required. This event is made possible, in part, through the support of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. For more information and instructions on how to get a ticket, please contact Carolina Public Press at 828-774-5290 or at info@carolinapublicpress.org.

10/22/15 GET THERE ASHEVILLE

City Council Candidates take on Transportation. Join us for a dynamic forum concerning the issues of transportation. Time is 6:30 to 9 PM. Location is New Mountain Asheville at 38 North French Broad Avenue in Asheville. This was a facebook event.

10/22/15 to 10/23/15 AFRICAN AMERICANS IN WNC CONFERENCE

Filling a gap in regional history – the missing story of African Americans in Western North Carolina – will be the aim of a new conference convened by history scholars at UNC Asheville on Oct. 22-23. Conference events, which will take place on UNCA campus and at the YMI Cultural Center in downtown Asheville, are free and open to the public. James Ferguson, who began his civil rights activism as a student and continued as an attorney, will deliver the conference’s keynote address at 6:30 PM on Thursday, Oct. 22  at the YMI Cultural Center, 43 Market Street, downtown Asheville. Ferguson, an Asheville native, is one of the founding members of the Asheville Student Committee on Racial Equality (ASCORE), a student group which worked to desegregate Asheville’s movie theaters, lunch counters, libraries and other public facilities in the 1960s. As a lawyer, Ferguson was defense attorney for the “Wilmington 10,” – convicted of arson in the period of racial tension over school desegregation – and he continued to battle, ultimately successfully, to have their convictions overturned. Thursday’s opening reception will include a special recognition of Asheville resident Julia Ray, a centenarian, for her many contributions to the Asheville community. Among other honors, Ray is the recipient of the Mission/MAHEC Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award for her pioneering service to the Asheville medical community. The conference will feature lectures on slavery and emancipation, segregation and civil rights in Western North Carolina, and will run from 9 AM to 5 PM on Friday, Oct. 23 at Alumni Hall at Highsmith Student Union at UNCA. The African Americans in Western North Carolina Conference is sponsored by many UNC Asheville offices and programs, including the Dean of Humanities, Howerton Professor of Humanities, Humanities Program, NEH Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities, The Wilma Dykeman Legacy, Dean of Social Sciences, O­ffice of the Provost, Department of History, Center for Diversity Education and Interdisciplinary Distinguished Professorship of the Mountain South. Free to attend. For more information and to see the schedule for this event, visit the YMI website or call 828-251-6415.

10/23/15 UNDERGROWTH COMMUNITY MEETING

Discussing the use of music and art to support forest restoration and preservation. Time is 5:30 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/24/15 “EMBRACING CO-THINKK” EVENT

Please join us for a celebration introducing CoThinkk, a giving circle dedicated to collectively investing time, talent, and treasure to address some of the most critical social and community issues affecting African-American and Latino communities in Asheville and Western North Carolina. This event marks an important milestone. Together we've created a solid foundation and are excited about supporting innovative initiatives and leaders who are working to make a difference in neighborhoods and communities across the region. Come celebrate, eat, see what we've been doing, get to know us, get involved.....and wear your dancing shoes! Agenda: Music, Hors d'oeuvres, Libations; Spoken Word, The CoThinkk Story,and Dancing. Dress: Business Casual Attire. Please RSVP by October 16th. Please contact Darcel at darcel.eddins@gmail.com to get a link for the registration page. Time is 7 to 10 PM and location is Asheville Art Museum, east wing on the second floor, in downtown Asheville. No information on cost.

10/24/15 AUTHOR EVENT AT FIRESTORM

Local author Priyadarsini Ray shares her recently published photo book and discusses disability awareness in Asheville's art and music scene. Time is 6 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/25/15 ASHEVILLE LIVING TREASURES FALL CELEBRATION

Join with our community on Sunday, October 25 at 1:30 PM to honor the fall 2015 class of Asheville Living Treasures (ALT) - Clark Olsen, O. L Sherrill and Oralene Simmons. The celebration will be held at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC-Asheville’s Reuter Center on Sunday, October 25 at 1:30 PM. ALT is an all volunteer organization dedicated to honoring elders in the Asheville and Buncombe County area who have shaped our community and helped make it a better place to live. The event is held twice a year, in spring and fall, with nominations coming from the community to recognize those who have made a difference. For more information, contact Carmen Ramos-Kennedy at (828) 423-6476.

10/27/15 STUDENT LED TOUR OF ‘AMERICANS WHO TELL THE TRUTH’ EXHIBIT

The 8th grade students at Francine Delany New School for Children took on the task of training to be student docents for visiting school groups during the “Americans Who Tell the Truth” exhibit at the YMI. They have been leading school groups through the exhibit the week of Oct. 5-9. To prepare for these student-led tours, the students immersed themselves in the biographies of this portrait collection, researching different people featured, to understand the type of work they did, their influences, and the context of the time in which they lived. The YMI will host a special evening exhibit opening, led by the student docents, on Tuesday, October 27, from 6 to 8 PM.  The event is open to the public. Admission by donation. The location is the YMI Cultural Center at 39 South Market Street in Asheville.

10/27/15 QORDS VOLUNTEER INTEREST MEETING

QORDS (Queer Oriented Radical Days of Sumer) is an all volunteer run camp for LGBTQQIA youth ages 11-17. Come and learn how you can be involved in this family-friendly, radical organization that supports queer youth and youth of queer families. Time is 6 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/27/15 LECTURE AT UNCA

STEM Lecture from 4:30 PM to 6 PM on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at the Reuter Center, room 102 - The Manheimer Room, at UNCA.  Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) lecture by Rich Weiner, OLLI faculty. The STEM lecture series is free and open to the public.

10/28/15 ASHEVILLE N.O.W. EVENT

The last Wednesday of the month we will contemplate “Wine, Women and Fixing What's Wrong”. Time is 5-6:30 PM. We'll meet up at Sherri's office, 10 South Main Street, Weaverville, drink wine on the back porch, watch the leaves change colors, do a little networking, and take care of chapter business in an informal setting. Rain or shine. For more information contact nowasheville@gmail.com.

10/28/15 CIVIL RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY AT UNCA

UNC Asheville’s Center for Diversity Education will screen four documentaries in the series, “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle.” Screenings take place at 6 PM on four Wednesdays, Sept. 30, Oct. 14 and 28, and Nov. 11 in the Highsmith Union Grotto. Discussions led by Dwight Mullen, Darin Waters, and Sarah Judson after the scrneening. Free. For more details, email dmiles@unca.edu or call (828) 232-5024.

10/28/15 OTHER WORLDS ARE POSSIBLE BOOK GROUP AT FIRESTORM

This discussion group focuses on science fiction, speculative fiction and fantasy with feminist, social justice and/or "radical" themes. In October we'll be reading “Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology”. Time is 7 PM. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/28/15 TURNING ON SOLAR PANELS CELEBRATION

All are welcome to an event by St. Eugene's Catholic Church Church as they turn on their 147 solar panels.  Time is 1 PM and location is 72 Culvern Street in Asheville.

10/28/15 GREEN DRINKS

This legislative session has been jam-packed with moves to roll back environmental protections, hinder renewable energy, slash funding for open space protections and more. But it’s not all bad news. Many of our WNC legislators have stood against these shenanigans and are attempting to forward legislation to protect our communities’ natural resources. We’ll get you caught up on environmental outcomes of this legislative session, priorities between sessions and next year, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. Socializing starts at 5:30, program starts at 6 PM. Location is Twin Leaf Brewery at 144 Coxe Avenue in downtown Asheville. Contact Joan at joan@mountaintrue.org for more information. 

10/29/15 MOUNTAINTRUE PRESENTATION ON THE NC LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN HENDERSONVILLE

This legislative session has been jam-packed with moves to roll back environmental protections, hinder renewable energy, slash funding for open space protections and more. But it’s not all bad news. Many of our WNC legislators have stood against these shenanigans and are attempting to forward legislation to protect our communities’ natural resources. We’ll get you caught up on environmental outcomes of this legislative session, priorities between sessions and next year, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Biz 611 at 611 North Church Street (MountianTrue Offices) in Hendersonville. Please RSVP and let us know you'll attend. For any questions please contact Joan at Joan@Mountaintrue.org or 828-575-6268 ext. 205. 

10/29/15 LIBERTY BOOK CLUB AT FIRESTORM

A monthly book group dedicated to liberty, true freedom, and our ability to cultivate a society in which people can think for themselves. In October they'll be reading “Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality”. Time is 7 PM. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/29/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE MEETING

Join us as we hear about our Encyclical Book Studies, celebrate the Care of our Common Home event, Solar Panels going live and talk about the Paris Talks coming in Late November. Location is First Baptist Church at 5 Oak Street in Asheville and time is 5:30 to 7 PM. Email creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

11/03/15 ELECTION DAY FOR ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL

11/03/15 ASHEVILLE CITY TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING

Transit Committee Meeting from 3:30 - 5 PM. Location is the 1st Floor Conference Room at City Hall in downtown Asheville.

11/03/15 WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL LECTURE SERIES

“Israeli-Palestinian Borders – Issues and Dilemmas,” with Harvey Starr, author and emeritus professor of international affairs at the University of South Carolina, where he continues to serve as an institute associate of The Walker Institute of International and Area Studies, consulting faculty in the Jewish Studies Program, and a Rule of Law Collaborative faculty member. The lectures are sponsored by the WNC chapter of the World Affairs Council, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNC Asheville, and the university's Department of Political Science. Admission to World Affairs Council presentations at UNC Asheville is $10 for the public; free to members of the World Affairs Council and UNC Asheville students. For more information call 828.251.6140.

11/03/15 SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network of groups educating and organizing white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice. Asheville SURJ hosts a weekly discussion group on risk-taking, accountability, mutual interest and how to call more white people into racial justice work. Anyone with a passion for working with white people on racial justice is welcome. Time is 10 AM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/04/15 GREEN DRINKS AND SIERRA CLUB MEETING

The topic will be “The Impact of Climate Change on Food Production”. How will a changing climate affect the way we farm and what we eat? How do we build resilient and sustainable food systems? The talk features Warren Wilson College sustainable agriculture professor Laura Lengnick, author of the forthcoming book Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate and lead author of the recent USDA report “Climate Change and U.S. Agriculture: Effects and Adaptation.” Time is 7 PM (program starts at 7:15) at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information. 

11/05/15 CENTER FOR DIVERSITY EDUCATION ANNIVERSARY EVENT

Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University, will be the keynote speaker for the commemoration of the UNC Asheville Center for Diversity Education 20th anniversary. This event will pay tribute to the work of the Asheville Student Committee of Racial Equality from 1960-1965. Seating will begin at 6 PM and no backpacks or food or drinks are permitted.  This event is free and open to the public. Contact Deborah Miles at dmiles@unca.edu for more information. Time is 7 PM and location is Kimmel Arena at UNCA. 

11/05/15 EARLY NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY IN WNC

In honor of Native American History Month, learn the history behind the forced removal of the Cherokee Indians in the 19th Century from their land in North Carolina. Discuss the larger implications and the impact it had on the Cherokee community and history in Western North Carolina. This discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Ellen Pearson, Associate Professor of History. This is part of the Lunch and Learn series. Location is Intercultural Center at UNCA, and time is 11:50 AM to 1:05 PM. Contact dhylton@unca.edu for more information. This is sponsored by the Multicultural Student Programs.

11/05/15 DISCUSSION ON HUMAN POSSIBILITIES

Join conscious and creative individuals for conversations about the wild diversity of human culture, and ways of living into being a regenerative and compassionate society. Time is 7 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Street in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/05/15 LECTURE AT UNCA

“ISIS: Terror in the Name of Religion”, presented by Dr. Samer Traboulsi, History Dept., and Mr. Tristan Mead, undergraduate student, International Studies. Presented by Provost Joe Urgo. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Ms. Jo Steininger, 251-6415 or jsteinin@unca.edu. Time is 11:30 AM to 1 PM and location is Karen Hall, room 139 - Laurel Forum. 

11/06/15 ASCORE LEADERSHIP AWARDS AND LUNCH

The title of this event is “Building on a Legacy: 2042 ASCORE Leadership Awards.” The luncheon (with vegan and gluten free options) and honor five change agents in our community and share highlights of the last 20 years. Tickets options are: $50 for individual tickets, $100 for patron tickets, $600 for table sponsors and $1000 for award sponsors. Some of the ticket price is tax deductible. In 1995, it was impossible to imagine the world 20 years in the future. The influence that social media, digitization, 9/11, globalization, changing, demography, brain research, and varying civil rights issues on the work of equity and inclusion was unforeseeable.  This event is sponsored by the Center for Diversity Education at UNCA. Time is 11:45 AM to 1:15 PM, and location is Morris Hellenic Center at 227 Cumberland Avenue in Asheville. For more information, contact Deborah at dmiles@unca.edu.

11/07/15 CITIZENS’ CLIMATE LOBBY

Learn what you can do to help mitigate Climate Change. Join the Citizens Climate Lobby - Asheville Chapter. Next meeting is at 12:30 at Kairos West Community Center at 742 Haywood Road in west Asheville.

11/07/15 PRESENTATION ON FORCED DISAPPEARANCES IN MEXICO

Nadín Reyes Maldonado, a Mexican human rights defender, links the issues of militarization, drug policy and free trade agreements in which the US plays a major role to the 27,000 forced disappearances over the last decade. Title of presentation is “Until We Find them!” Time is 5 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/08/15 ASHEVILLE N.O.W. MEETING

Sunday, November 8 - Our Final Business Meeting at the YWCA for 2015. Time is 2 PM at the YWCA on South French Broad in Asheville.. We'll plan our Annual Year-End Meeting for December, it's our special holiday gathering. Venue, Date/Time to be determined. For more information contact nowasheville@gmail.com.

11/11/15 CIVIL RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY AT UNCA

UNC Asheville’s Center for Diversity Education will screen four documentaries in the series, “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle.” Screenings take place at 6 PM on four Wednesdays, Sept. 30, Oct. 14 and 28, and Nov. 11 in the Highsmith Union Grotto. Discussions led by Dwight Mullen, Darin Waters, and Sarah Judson after the screening. Free. For more details, email dmiles@unca.edu or call (828) 232-5024.

11/11/15 ‘TO CHANGE EVERYTHING’ TOUR

Climate change, economic crisis, unrest from Baltimore to Brazil: the prevailing order is unsustainable in every way. This international panel of social movement veterans seeks to answer the question “How do we change everything?” Time is 5 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

11/12/15 to 11/15/15 PEACE CONFERENCE AT LAKE JUNALUSKA

This will be November 12-15, 2015 at Lake Junaluska. Theme will be “Longing for Peace/Exploring the Heart of God”. Keynote speakers are Rabia Terri Harris, founder of the Muslim Peace Fellowship; Rabbi Or Rose, founding director of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College and Dr. Sam Wells, vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. Special music by Yuval Ron and Ensemble-- a world-renowned musician, composer, educator, peace activist, and record producer.  The Yuval Ron Ensemble has been actively involved in creating musical bridges between people of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. They will perform Saturday eve. Registration is $145. Packages which include registration, lodging and meals are available. Register via Lake Junaluska website or call 828-454-6682 for more information. 

 11/12/15 FORUM TO END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS

Join us at the Forum on Veteran Homelessness on November 12th, presented by AVL Technologies. We'll feature Jas Boothe, a veteran who experienced homelessness after Hurricane Katrina and now works to end female veteran homelessness. She'll join a panel of local experts on the topic. Your ticket also includes a full meal and is only $25 ($27.37 with service charge).  Time is 5:30 to 8:30 PM and location is Celine and Company at 49 Broadway Avenue in Asheville. Homeward Bound of WNC is organizing this event. For more information, including how to purchase tickets, please contact Beth Russo at 258.1695 ext. 111.

 11/12/15 THIRD ANNUAL ROOT BALL FROM GREENWORKS

While we usually encourage you to “get dirty for a great cause,” the GreenWorks Root Ball is an opportunity to celebrate in style. Join us for an evening that will include: silent auction and drink reception, environmental excellence awards dinner, keynote address by Josh Dorfman. Tickets are $45 in advance ($40 for members) and $55 at the door ($50 for members). RSVP by October 30th. Contact us for more information and how to order tickets at info@ashevillegreenworks.org. The event will be held in Historic Montford at the MHCC Events Center (Greek Orthodox Church) at 227 Cumberland Avenue in Asheville. Time is 6 to 9 PM.

11/14/15 HARD TO RECYCLE EVENT

Founded in 2011 by Rainbow Recycling, Hard 2 Recycle events are free to the public collections geared to bring awareness to other modes of recycling to our area. Four quarterly held collections to cover the four corners of the County and one central event in Downtown Asheville. Our goal is to educate, collect and divert items that would normally end up in the Landfill i.e Styrofoam, Electronics, Books, Batteries, Cooking Oil and much more. November 14th - Arden NC - 2310 Hendersonville Road, Arden NC 28704 (10 AM to 2 PM). Contact volunteer@ashevillegreenworks.org for more information or to confirm.

11/15/15 ASHEVILLE BLACK LIVES MATTER COMMUNITY

Meet us at Hill Street Baptist Church on Nov 15, at 10 AM for #BlackLivesMatterSunday with Professor Dr. Karsonya (Kaye) Wise Whitehead of Loyola University, Maryland. Prof Wise Whitehead is an historian who works in the  black documentary tradition. No further information, contact Hill Street Baptist Church to confirm.

11/16/15 PUBLIC INPUT TO NANTAHALA AND PISGAH PLAN REVISION

As a requirement to forest plan revision process, the USDA Forest Service will do evaluations of lands that may be suitable for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, and identifying rivers for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. These evaluation materials will be available in late October on the Forest Service USDA’s website. Then a public meeting will be held for input from the general public on these evaluations. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Mountain View Room, Kimmel Arena, UNCA in Asheville. Meetings are open to the public. 

11/20/15 to 11/22/15 SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS WATCH PROTEST AT FORT BENNING GEORGIA

11/21/15 MEMORIAL FOR TONY BING

Dr. Max Carter will be the primary speaker. This will be held at Highland Farms. More information to follow.

11/22/15 BENEFIT FOR ‘KIDS 4 PEACE’ IN ASHEVILLE

Join award winning whimsical re-percussionist Billy Jonas and the Billy Jonas Band on Sunday, November 22, at 7 PM at the Altamont Theatre at 18 Church Street in Asheville for the release celebration of their new recording ‘habayta (Homeward) New Jewish Songs of Joy and Spirit’. Jonas has appeared at numerous synagogues, Jewish summer camps, community centers and Jewish Day Schools throughout the US. About Kids4Peace: Founded in Jerusalem in 2002, Kids4Peace is an interfaith community of more than 1,800 Israeli, Palestinian and North American youth, families and educators working together for a better future. Through a network of local chapters and international camps, they provide a six-year, year-round educational program for Jewish, Christian & Muslim youth. Activities focus on interfaith dialogue, community-building, leadership development, and nonviolent action. Tickets are $36 and include reception and food. For further information and tickets call 617-501-1983.

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ONGOING EVENTS

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TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

WEDNESDAY

Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

FRIDAY

Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville

Women in Black have a monthly vigil at 5 PM at Vance Monument in Asheville (first Friday only)

SATURDAY

Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard. Call 884-3435 to confirm. 

Third Saturdays – Asheville’s Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Pritchard Park at 5 PM.

SUNDAY

Youth OUTright meeting from 4 to 6 PM at First Congregational United Church of Christ at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Ages 14 - 23 only.