Top 12 reasons the Good War was Bad

Top 12 reasons the Good War was Bad - Hiroshima in context 

By David Swanson

LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE.

No matter how many years one writes books, does interviews, publishes columns, and speaks at events, it remains virtually impossible to make it out the door of an event in the United States at which you've advocated abolishing war without somebody hitting you with the what-about-the-good-war question.

Of course this belief that there was a good war 75 years ago is what moves the U.S. public to tolerate dumping a trillion dollars a year into preparing in case there's a good war next year, even in the face of so many dozens of wars during the past 70 years on which there's general consensus that they were not good. Without rich, well-established myths about World War II, current propaganda about Russia or Syria or Iraq would sound as crazy to most people as it sounds to me.

And of course the funding generated by the Good War legend leads to more bad wars, rather than preventing them.

I've written on this topic at great length in many articles and books, especially this one. But perhaps it would be helpful to provide a column-length list of the top reasons that the good war was not good.

1. World War II could not have happened without World War I, without the stupid manner of starting World War I and the even stupider manner of ending World War I which led numerous wise people to predict World War II on the spot, without Wall Street's funding of Nazi Germany for decades (as preferable to commies), and without the arms race and numerous bad decisions that do not need to be repeated in the future.

2. The U.S. government was not hit with a surprise attack. President Franklin Roosevelt had committed to Churchill to provoking Japan and worked hard to provoke Japan, and knew the attack was coming, and initially drafted a declaration of war against both Germany and Japan on the evening of Pearl Harbor -- before which time, FDR had built up bases in the U.S. and multiple oceans, traded weapons to the Brits for bases, started the draft, created a list of every Japanese American person in the country, provided planes, trainers, and pilots to China, imposed harsh sanctions on Japan, and advised the U.S. military that a war with Japan was beginning.

3. The war was not humanitarian and was not even marketed as such until after it was over. There was no poster asking you to help Uncle Sam save the Jews. A ship of Jewish refugees was chased away from Miami by the Coast Guard. The U.S. and other nations would not allow Jewish refugees in, and the majority of the U.S. public supported that position. Peace groups that questioned Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his foreign secretary about shipping Jews out of Germany to save them were told that Hitler might very well agree to that but it would be too much trouble and require too many ships. The U.S. engaged in no diplomatic or military effort to save the victims in the camps. Ann Frank was denied a U.S. visa.

4. The war was not defensive. FDR lied that he had a map of Nazi plans to carve up South America, that he had a Nazi plan to eliminate religion, that U.S. ships actually assisting British war planes were innocently attacked by Nazis, that Germany was in fact a threat to the United States. A case can be made that the U.S. needed to enter the war in Europe to defend other nations, which had entered to defend yet other nations, but a case could also be made that the U.S. escalated the targeting of civilians, extended the war, and created more damage than might have been, had it done nothing,

attempted diplomacy, or invested in nonviolence. To claim that a Nazi empire could have grown to someday include an occupation of the United States is wildly far fetched and not borne out by any earlier or later examples of other wars.

5. We now know much more widely and with much more data that nonviolent resistance to occupation and injustice is more likely to succeed, and that success more likely to last, than violent resistance. With this knowledge, we can look back at the stunning successes of nonviolent actions against the Nazis that were not well organized or built on beyond their initial successes.

6. The good war was not for supporting the troops. In fact, lacking intense modern conditioning to prepare soldiers to engage in the unnatural act of murder, some 80 percent of U.S. and other troops in World War II did not fire their weapons at the enemies. That those soldiers were treated better after the war than soldiers in other wars had been, or have been since, was the result of the pressure created by the Bonus Army after the previous war. That veterans were given free college was not due to the merits of the war or in some way a result of the war. Without the war, everyone could have been given free college for many years. If we provided free college to everyone today, it would take way more than World War II stories to get people into military recruiting stations.

7. Several times the number of people killed in German camps were killed outside of them in the war. The majority of those people were civilians. The scale of the killing, wounding, and destroying made this war the single worst thing humanity has ever done to itself in a short space of time. That it was somehow "opposed" to the far lesser killing in the camps -- although, again, it actually wasn't -- can't justify the cure that was worse than the disease.

8. Escalating the war to include the all-out destruction of civilian cities, culminating in the completely indefensible nuking of cities took this war out of the realm of defensible projects for many who had defended its initiation -- and rightly so. Demanding unconditional surrender and seeking to maximize death and suffering did immense damage and left a legacy that has continued.

9. Killing huge numbers of people is supposedly defensible for the "good" side in a war, but not the "bad." The distinction between the two is never as stark as fantasized. The United States had an apartheid state forAfrican Americans, camps for Japanese Americans, a tradition of genocide

against Native Americans that inspired Nazis, programs of eugenics and human experimentation before, during, and after the war (including giving syphilis to people in Guatemala during the Nuremberg trials). The U.S. military hired hundreds of top Nazis at the end of the war. They fit right in. The U.S. aimed for a wider world empire, before the war, during it, and ever since.

10. The "good" side of the "good war," the party that did most of the killing and dying for the winning side, was the communist Soviet Union. That doesn't make the war a triumph for communism, but it does tarnish the tales of triumph for "democracy."

11. World War II still hasn't ended. Ordinary people in the United States didn't have their incomes taxed until World War II and that's never stopped. It was supposed to be temporary. The bases have never closed. The troops have never left Germany or Japan. There are over 100,000 U.S. and British bombs still in the ground in Germany, still killing.

12. Going back 75 years to a nuclear-free, colonial, world of completely different structures, laws, and habits to justify what has been the greatest expense of the United States in each of the years since is a bizarre feat of self-deception that isn't attempted in the justification of any lesser enterprise. Assume I've got numbers 1 through 11 totally wrong, and you've still got to explain how the world of the early 1940s justifies dumping into 2017 wars funding that could have fed, clothed, cured, and environmentally protected the earth.

Write in Jill Stein on the NC ballot

Legitimate vs illegitimate protest

This came from Facebook.

Upcoming events for the week of September 25, 2016

Narumi Tomida of CODEPINK Japan was out on the Golden Gate Bridge this weekend, 

promoting a message of peace! September 16, 2016

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR BY DANCEWATER

09/26/16 AUTHORS FOR ACTION COLORING EVENT with MAKEDA LEWIS

Atlanta artist Makeda Lewis joins us for this unique event, when our Authors for Action series meets the adult coloring book. Makeda’s powerful new release “Avie’s Dreams: An Afro-Feminist Coloring Book” is part coloring book and part surrealist poem about protagonist Avie’s self-discovery and embrace of her identity as a young black girl. Filled with striking illustrations, it touches on themes of “feminism, death and rebirth, Afrocentricity, gender issues and power dynamics.” Time is 7 PM and location is Malaprops in downtown Asheville. Call Malaprops for more information.

09/26/16 LECTURE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH

Dr. Alan Lockwood will talk about the findings in his current book, “Heat Advisory.”  He will discuss the health effects that we face from climate change, along with a prescription for preventing them. Dr. Lockwood is Emeritus Professor of Neurology and Nuclear Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo and author of “The Silent Epidemic:  Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health.” This starts at 5:15 PM with hor d’oeuvres and the presentation is at 6 PM. Location is the Collider at 1 Haywood Street, Suite 1, in downtown Asheville. Sponsor and host is The Collider. Co-sponsors are Western NC Chapter Physicians for Social Responsibility (WNCPSR) and Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC). Access to the building: for this event is through the glass door facing Patton Avenue, a couple of steps around the corner from the ATM machine. There will be someone there to let in attendees from 5 PM to just after 6 PM. This event is free and open to the public. Contact Dot Sulock at dsulock@unca.edu for more information.

09/26/16 CITY OF ASHEVILLE TRANSIT MEETING

The City of Asheville is considering updates to the ART bus system.  During the budget process, the Asheville City Council approved additional funding for Route S3 and for expanding evening service hours on some routes. Staff are currently reviewing options and coordinating with community groups to identify optimal scenarios for expanded hours. In addition, staff is also reviewing other minor changes to Routes S2 and 170 to improve the effectiveness of the transit system. Public feedback regarding proposed changes is encouraged. Once approved, final changes will take place in January of 2017. A public meeting will be held on Monday, September, 26th from 4 – 6PM at the Pack Memorial Library in downtown Asheville, located at 67 Haywood Street. There is also an online survey you can take, contact the city for more information. The survey will be available September 9-23.

09/26/16 LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS EVENT IN HENDERSONVILLE

This will be a nonpartisan candidate Meet & Greet for Henderson County Commissioners Districts 2 & 5 and NC District Court Judge District 29B. Location is the Carolina Village at 600 Carolina Village Road in Hendersonville. Time is 6:30 PM.

09/26/16 PORTRAITURE AS A CATALYST FOR DIALOGUE

“Visualizing Human Rights: Portraiture as a Catalyst for Dialogue” will be presented on Monday, September 26 at 4 PM in the Laurel Forum at UNC-Asheville by UNC-Asheville graduate Ben Betsalel. Ben is a remarkable artist whose work focuses on art in the transitional justice process. Benjamin M. Betsalel is a 2004 UNCA graduate (BA drawing and painting, university research scholar). Since graduation, he has lived and worked in Senegal, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, and Colombia exploring the effects of conflict and change through portraiture and writing. He has lectured on portraiture in Mekelle, Ethiopia and has conducted self-portrait workshops inside prisons across Colombia. In 2014 Betsalel began collaborating with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), creating portrait vignettes on the themes of Missing (Ever Present, Ever Absent, 2014) and Detention (Human Beings, Inside and Outside, 2015). Each series was exhibited in conjunction with ICRC awareness campaigns and media/stakeholder events. From 2006-2012, Betsalel worked out of the Wedge Gallery in the River Arts District and has exhibited in the USA, Europe and South America and is currently based in Paris, France. Sponsored by the Political Science Department, the Political Science Club, the UNC Asheville Chapter of the ACLU, and the Belk Distinguished Professor in the Humanities.

09/26/16 EMPTY BOWLS FUNDRAISER

Proceeds from this lunch or dinner event will benefit Manna Food Bank. Time is 11 AM to 1:30 PM and 5 to 7:30 PM. This will be held at DoubleTree by Hilton at 115 Hendersonville Road. Cost is $35. Attendees will choose a handmade bowl by local artisans and eat a meal of soup, bread, and dessert.

09/26/16 NONPARTISAN MEET & GREET IN HENDERSONVILLE

This is a nonpartisan candidate meet and greet for Henderson County Commissioners Districts 2 & 5 and NC District Court Judge District 29B. This will be at 6:30 PM at Carolina Village at 600 Carolina Village Road in Hendersonville. This is a League of Women Voters event.

09/27/16 NAACP VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE

The NAACP activities engage public and public policy. The Asheville-Buncombe Branch NAACP, in coalition with Democracy NC, will continue its voter education and engagement campaign, “It’s Our Time, It’s Our Vote.” Voter registration training and/or registration drives are scheduled for several upcoming dates: Sept. 27 at A-B Tech, UNCA, Warren Wilson College, Mars Hills College, local high schools throughout the county; and Oct. 1 at Hill Street Baptist Church and Blue Ridge Pride Festival. To volunteer, or for more information, contact Darlene Azarmi, Political Action Chair, at darlene@democracy-nc.org or (828) 216-3430.

09/27/16 OCCUPY WNC GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Occupy WNC General Assembly will be at 7 PM at The Sneak E Squirrel Community Room at 1315 W Main Street in Sylva. The Sneak E Squirrel is located on the left side of Main Street as you are leaving Sylva headed towards Dillsboro -- past Watson Park. For more information, contact Lucy at lucy.christopher42@gmail.com. This is listed on facebook as happening on 9/26/16, so confirm before going.

09/27/16 LECTURE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH 

Dr. Alan Lockwood will talk about the findings in his current book, “Heat Advisory.”  He will discuss the health effects that we face from climate change, along with a prescription for preventing them. Dr. Lockwood is Emeritus Professor of Neurology and Nuclear Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo and author of “The Silent Epidemic:  Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health.” This is at Warren Wilson College in the Canon Lounge in Gladfelter Student Center. Time is 5 to 5:45 PM, followed by dinner and discussion. Sponsor is WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility. Contact Dot Sulock at dsulock@unca.edu for more information.

09/27/16 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 Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information. 

09/27/16 NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY AT AB TECH

Do you know the new rules for voting? Have you registered to vote? Check out the voter registration table in Coman Student Center Lounge at A B Tech to register and be better informed. Time is 9 AM to noon.  

09/27/16 NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION AT BUNCOMBE COUNTY SCHOOLS

The Buncombe County Voter Engagement Coalition is working with Buncombe County Schools and the Board of Elections to sponsor National Voter Registration Week at all of our high schools. We will need a lot of trained volunteers to assist with this project. We will need volunteers between 8 AM and 3 PM from Monday 9/26-Friday 9/30. If you have specific questions or would like to sign up to help, you can email them to: Darlene@democracy-nc.org. Please include “HS Registration” in the subject. 

09/28/16 LECTURE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH IN SYLVA

Dr. Alan Lockwood will talk about the findings in his current book, “Heat Advisory.”  He will discuss the health effects that we face from climate change, along with a prescription for preventing them. Dr. Lockwood is Emeritus Professor of Neurology and Nuclear Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo and author of “The Silent Epidemic:  Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health.” This is at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva at 7 PM. Sponsors include the Canary Coalition and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility. Contact Dot Sulock at dsulock@unca.edu for more information.

09/28/16 WHAT’S UP WITH WHITENESS?

This is an event by Asheville Standing Up For Racial Justice group. This is an event focused on dismantling white supremacy. This is a monthly discussion group on the book “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander. This group continues on October 26, November 23, December 28, and January 25. Anyone is welcome to jump in anytime. Time is 6:30 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

09/28/16 RIVER CLEAN UP WITH MOUNTAIN TRUE

Come on out to de-tire Cane Creek!  We filled all our boats with dozens of tires from Cane Creek last year. We couldn’t get them all, so we want to tackle the rest. We’ll meet at Fletcher Community Park at 10 AM on September 28, 2016, and will provide boats, gloves and gear!  Contact Anna Alsobrook at 828-258-8737 or anna@mountaintrue.org for more information and to register.

09/28/16 LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS EVENT IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY

We are a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. This will be a nonpartisan Candidate Forum. Time is 6 to 8:30 PM and location is Charles D. Owen High School at 99 Lake Eden Rock Road in Black Mountain. Candidates for North Carolina State Senate, District 49; North Carolina House of Representatives, District 115; Buncombe County Commission Chairman; and Buncombe County Commission, District 2 will be present. 

09/28/16 CANDIDATE FORUMS: VOICE YOUR VIEW

Are there questions that you would like our local and state candidates to answer? Now is your chance to voice your view! Go to www.bit.ly/2cOmbGa for the online question survey and then come out to a candidate forum. Candidate forums are free and open to public! This is moderated by Carolina Public Press, and presented by Children First, League of Women Voters, and Democracy NC. Cosponsors includes the American Association of University Women, YWCA of Asheville, Warren Wilson College, Carolina Jews for Justice, Spirit In Action, Western NC Community Health Centers, and The Council on Aging of Buncombe County. Time is 6 PM and location is Owen High School. This forum will cover Commissioner District 2, State House District 115, and State Senate District 49.

09/28/16 HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH AT UNCA

Hispanic Heritage Month: Juntos Education & Access for Latino Students. Time is 6 to 7:30 PM and location is Mountain Suites at Highsmith Union in room 221-222. Join Multicultural Student Programs, the JUNTOS Program, and HOLA as we discuss access, and barriers to education for Latino youth. Learn more about how the JUNTOS program works to mitigate these barriers, and how we can create a community of support. Contact dhylton@unca.edu for more information.

09/28/16 PLAY AT NC STAGE - GROUNDED

When a hotshot air-force pilot throws up on the tarmac after a flight, she realizes that she’s pregnant. After her daughter is born, she returns to the military but is told that she is no longer needed on her fighter jet. Instead, she will report to duty at Creech Air Force Base in the Nevada desert. She will be at the forefront of the latest advances in aerial combat as the operator of an Unmanned Ariel Vehicle, A Reaper, a Drone. She will smite the enemy by day and return to her family at night. And she will be challenged and changed in ways she never dreamed possible while looking out into the endless blue. The play is called “Grounded” and is written by George Brant. This play runs until October 9, 2016. More information and tickets can be obtained at 828.239.0263 and the NC Stage Box Office.

09/28/16 BENEFIT FOR BATON ROUGE

Proceeds from this creole cuisine and live music event (featuring the Cam Stack Band, Junto and Empire Strikes Bross) benefit Together Baton Rouge. Cost is $7. Held at the Salvage Station at 466 Riverside Drive in Asheville. Time is 5:30 PM.  

09/28/16 CRISIS OF POLICE VIOLENCE - ASHEVILLE SOCIALIST MEETING

Justice for Jerry Williams! Justice for Terence Crutcher! Justice for Tyre King! Justice for Keith Scott! Public forum on the crisis of police violence in America. Can the police be reformed? What will it take to hold the killer cops accountable? Can we build a society that addresses the causes of crime without prisons and police? Why does the media normalize police violence? Join the International Socialist Organization for a discussion of these and many other questions surrounding the crisis of policing and the Charlotte uprising. Free visitor parking near Highsmith Student Union. This was posted on facebook by Asheville Socialists. Time is 6:30 PM and location is Highsmith Student Union, room 102. 

09/29/16 BLACK FACES, WHITE SPACES LECTURE

Carolyn Finney, author of “Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship Between African-Americans to the Great Outdoors,” will be at UNCA to challenge us to think about assumptions made about race and the environment. During her research, as the Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Kentucky, Carolyn learned that African-Americans consider the history of race relations when thinking about the environment. She says, this history, entangled with issues of access and ownership, is a major part of why we do not see African-americans at our nation's parks. “For people like my parents, who worked somebody else’s land, that becomes part of who they are. And when that relationship is damaged... identity is going to be impacted.” Time is 7 PM and location is Carmichael Humanities Lecture Hall at UNCA. 

09/29/16 LECTURE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH

Dr. Alan Lockwood will talk about the findings in his current book, “Heat Advisory.”  He will discuss the health effects that we face from climate change, along with a prescription for preventing them. Dr. Lockwood is Emeritus Professor of Neurology and Nuclear Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo and author of “The Silent Epidemic:  Coal and the Hidden Threat to Health.” This is at 12 PM at UNCA, room 125. Contact Dot Sulock at dsulock@unca.edu for more information. This is free and open to the public.

09/29/16 GREENWORKS ROOT BALL

Asheville Greenworks  does a lot of great volunteering and cleanup events for our area, they also contribute to green education in our region through multiple school programs, they plant trees, and participate in a host of other activities. So I think it’s time for them to cut loose and reflect on all the great work they’ve done, and you can join them, for their Root Ball. Time is 6:30 to 10 PM and location is Asheville Outdoor Center at 521 Amboy Road in Asheville. Join Greenworks for a dance party by the river to celebrate, recognize, and enjoy our beautiful community. The best part, all proceeds from the event will benefit their work out cleanup and “greenup” our local urban environment. You’ll enjoy a gourmet cookout provided by Hickory Nut Gap Farms, music by LYRIC, and locally made handcrafted beverages. This is an all ages event, and anyone 18 and under is free to attend with a paying adult. Purchase your ticket today by visiting ashevillegreenworks dotorg. For more information you can also give them a call at 828.254.1776.

09/29/16 LOCAL HERO YARN LAUNCH PARTY

This event is a Celebration of Asheville heroes and the launch party for Purl's Yarn Emporium’s “Local Hero,” a locally sourced, spun, and dyed yarn dedicated to celebrating individuals who serve our local community through their commitment to justice, equality, and creativity. The event will be held down the street from us at our neighbor Jubilee Community Church at 46 Wall Street in downtown Asheville. We hope to make this a festive evening with the sharing of stories from the farmers, mill, yarn dyers, and local heroes the first 4 colorways of the yarn will be named for: Franzi Charen of Asheville Grown, Amy Cantrell of Beloved House, DeWayne Barton of Hood Huggers, and Barbara Vassallo of Mountain Lady Farm Project. Each hero will host a table at the event with more information, ways to get involved, and items for sale. 25% of sales of each colorway of the yarn goes to the community project chosen by each hero. Our hope is that the highlighting of each of these heroes and the work they do will lead to further donations of time, talent, and money to the awesome projects they work on and the unique communities they serve. We will also hear from the farmers and mill that created the yarn. The event is free. Time is 7 to 9 PM. Call Yarn Emporium for more information.

09/30/16 JUST PEACE FOR ISRAEL/PALESTINE MEETING

This meeting will be at 3:15 PM at Brooks-Howell Home on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Meet in the media room. Contact Suchi at suchi1025@bellsouth.net for more information.

09/30/16 ANTI-RACISM ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP AT UUCA

A weekly group focused on Standing Up For Racial Justice core values for people beginning to wake up to the impact of white supremacy on our culture and seeking a safe place to begin to talk about it. Time is 10 AM and location is 23 Edwin Place, next to Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. Contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@lainschell.com for more information.

10/01/16 PRIDE FESTIVAL

Local LGBTQ activists will host the annual LGBTQ Blue Ridge Pride Festival from 11 AM to 7 PM at Pack Square in downtown Asheville. “Color Our World With Pride And Love” is this year’s theme.  

10/01/16 BOE ADVOCACY TRAINING 

Join us for a training on how to monitor and advocate with your local county Board of Elections. This training will be from 12 to 1:30 PM at the World Coffee Cafe Room at 18 Battery Park Avenue in downtown Asheville. To RSVP and for questions, contact Darlene at 828-216-3430 or darlene@democracy-nc.org. This is sponsored by Democracy NC.

10/02/16 INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD MEETING

This meeting is open to all workers (non-employers) in the Asheville area who are interested in how the IWW can help them improve their working conditions or who would just like to learn more. We will be giving a brief intro to what the IWW is and discuss some of the recent successes of the union. After that we will have an open discussion on how to grow the IWW in the Asheville area and how it can address the specific needs of local workers. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) is a union for all workers. This meeting is open to workers (non-employers) in the Asheville area who are interested in how the IWW can help them improve their working conditions or who would just like to learn more.

IWW organizers will be giving a brief intro to what the union is and discuss some of its recent achievements. After that participants will have an open discussion on how to grow the IWW in the Asheville area and how it can address the specific needs of local workers.

Time is 5 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/03/16 CANDIDATE FORUMS: VOICE YOUR VIEW

Are there questions that you would like our local and state candidates to answer? Now is your chance to voice your view! Go to www.bit.ly/2cOmbGa for the online question survey and  then come out to a candidate forum. Candidate forums are free and open to public! This is moderated by Carolina Public Press, and presented by Children First, League of Women Voters, and Democracy NC. Cosponsors includes the American Association of University Women, YWCA of Asheville, Warren Wilson College, Carolina Jews for Justice, Spirit In Action, Western NC Community Health Centers, and The Council on Aging of Buncombe County. The time is 6 PM and location is Wesley Grant Center. This forum will cover Commissioner Chair, Commissioner District 1 and Register of Deeds.

10/04/16 WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL LECTURE

Dr. Donald Mayer, Professor of Business Ethics at Denver University Daniel's School of Business and St. Mary's College in California, will consider the implications and the responses to the release earlier this year of the 'Panama Papers'; and the challenges to the status quo in international finance they present. This is at 7:30 PM and location is room 102, Manheimer Room, at the Reuter Center at UNCA. Lectures are free to WAC members and students, all others $10 at the door. For more details about programs, consult the World Affairs Council website.

10/04/16 VIGIL FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS

eNOugh! Honoring the victims of domestic violence in Buncombe County and paving the way for a violence free future. Buncombe County Government invites the public to stand with us as we move towards a violence free future. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month and during this month we are honoring victims of intimate partner violence and taking action to create safety and awareness for our county through a coordinated community response which includes the creation and recent opening of the Family Justice Center. Join us as we partner with Helpmate in honoring the victims and survivors of abuse by attending the Domestic Violence Awareness Vigil and ceremonial lighting of the Family Justice Center on Tuesday, October 4 from 6:30 to 7:45 PM at 35 Woodfin Street in downtown Asheville. This free event is open to the public. Speakers, survivors, and music are a part of the lineup as well as the display of the Clothesline Project, a testimony to the stories of those impacted by violence. Partners in Buncombe County are saying eNOugh and we mean it.

10/04/16 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS VIGIL AT A B TECH

Helpmate and A-B Tech are working together to hold the annual Domestic Violence Awareness Vigil. Everyone is invited to join us in honoring the victims and survivors of abuse. There will be a special performance by Womansong, Asheville’s oldest and largest women’s community chorus. Time is 6 PM and location is the Mission Health/A-B Tech Conference Center. This information came from the A-B Tech website.

10/04/16 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 Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/05/16 SIERRA CLUB MEETING/GREEN DRINKS

This meeting will present an Environmental Legislative Update, the good the bad and the ugly by Cassie Gavin. It will cover coal ash, water quality, waste management, clean energy and recycling.  This event is free and open to the public. Time is 7 PM and location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 1 Edwin Place (corner of Charlotte and Edwin) in Asheville. For more information, contact Judy at judymattox@sbcglobal.net or call 828-683-2176.

10/05/16 PISGAH LEGAL SERVICES POVERTY FORUM PRESENTATION

“Ending Child Poverty Now” with Marian Wright Edelman, the President and Founder of the Children's Defense Fund, will be the topic of this Poverty Forum. Each year, Pisgah Legal Services hosts a forum to draw attention to the plight of people living in poverty in Western North Carolina. This year, our focus is on child poverty. The United States has the second highest rate of child poverty among 35 industrialized countries, despite having the largest economy in the world. A child in the United States has a 1 in 5 chance of being poor. In Pisgah Legal’s six-county WNC service region, approximately 25 percent of children live in poverty. On October 5th, we host the Forum’s keynote speaker Marian Wright Edelman, a legendary fighter for social justice in America. She is the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, a passionate advocate for the rights of children, a lawyer, an author and a civil rights leader. This will be at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at the US Cellular Center  in downtown Asheville. Time is 5:30 PM for cocktail reception, with forum starting at 7 PM. Tickets are $15 to $50 and can be obtained from Pisgah Legal. For questions, contact Betsy Ellis at 828-210-3444 or betsy@pisgahlegal.org.

10/05/16 GREEN GRANNIES BOOK CLUB

Founded in 2012, the Green Grannies are a group of women who are willing to make a ruckus about the need for action on climate change. This is their reading group and it is open to all. Time is 12 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.

10/06/16 RIVER CLEAN UP WITH MOUNTAIN TRUE

It’s time to act like a pirate and steal all the booty from the French Broad.  We’re aiming to create a Litter Flotilla to help clean the river and celebrate the 5 Point Film Festival! Time is 2:45 - 5 PM. Contact Anna Alsobrook at 828-258-8737 or anna@mountaintrue.org for more information and to register. 

10/06/16 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE GENERAL MEETING

Join the Creation Care Alliance of WNC for a general meeting as we inspire one another to good work and discuss our work empowering care for creation. We will connect with one another and explore ways to care for creation. Everyone is welcome! The meeting will be held in the First Baptist Church of Asheville at 5 Oak Street in Room MB306, which is upstairs. If you have any questions, please contact Scott Hardin-Nieri at scott@creationcarealliance.org. Time is 5:30 to 7 PM. 

10/08/16 RICHMOND HILL INVASIVE REMOVAL WORK DAY

Join us and help restore native plant communities by controlling non-native invasive plants at Richmond Hill Park. This is the City of Asheville’s only forested park and is home to many special native plant and animal species! Volunteers help to stop the spread of harmful non-native invasive species and return native species to the unique park. Time is 9 AM to 1 PM and location is Richmond Hill Park in Asheville. Contact Susan Bean 828.258.8737 x 216 or susan@mountaintrue.org for more information or to register.

10/08/16 CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY MEETING

Citizens Climate Lobby meets the second Saturday of each month at Kairos West Community Center, 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. We are advocating for a Carbon Fee & Dividend, which would impose a fee on fossil fuels at point entry; this fee will be refunded to individuals and families. There is bipartisan support in Congress as this will create jobs and help grow the economy, boosting renewables. Time is 12:30 to 3 PM. For more information, contact asheville@citizensclimatelobby.org.

10/09/16 CROP HUNGER WALK

For those planning to walk: the walk begins and ends at First Baptist in downtown Asheville.  Registration begins at 1 PM and the walk begins at 2 PM.  Distance options are 2.5 miles or 5 miles. You can decide how far to walk on Oct. 9. There will be two water/bathroom stations located at Unitarian Universalist Congregation and at Grace Covenant Presbyterian. All walkers will get a Crop-Walk T-Shirt. Our team will carry a large sign showing Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville. This is a fundraiser to help alleviate hunger in our community. There will be much more information about this in our local media. If you have any questions, please contact Martha at: marshall@ret.unca.edu.

10/09/16 PEACE VIGIL RETURNS TO ALL SOULS

The Vigil Returns - Beginning Sunday, August 21, at 5 PM, the Vigil for Peace on the All Souls Cathedral grounds in Biltmore Village, will resume and continue weekly until the Nov 8 election. Sponsored by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship of WNC, it is a way of asking people to make special intercessions in their prayer and life for peace and justice in our American culture.  The tone of the current political campaign makes it obvious that we are neglecting our Baptismal vows to respect the dignity of every human being. This is a call to pray with actions as well as words.  We invite you to join us each Sunday for our thirty minute Vigil.

10/10/16 to 10/13/16 DISGRACE: SEEKING GOD’S GRACE AMID THE DISGRACE OF RACISM CONFERENCE

The DISGRACE conference will be a faithful response to the embedded and structural racism in church and culture. Grounded in worship, truth-telling, confession, and collaboration, we move from disgrace toward solidarity. Together we tackle the hidden histories, unaddressed discomforts, divisions between people and communities, with a diverse community committed to journeying through these difficult but necessary and potentially life-giving conversations. When this conference ends, our true response to systemic racism begins. This will be at Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, NC. Commuter rate is $178 per person, with a daily rate of $70 per person/per day. Registration is on the Montreat Conference CenterIf you have any questions about the registration process, please email the registrar at SusanA@montreat.org or call 828.419.9829.

10/10/16 KNOW YOUR CIVIL RIGHTS PART ONE

Join the legal professionals from Pisgah Legal Services for an in-depth look at your rights under the law. This workshop will focus on the following: understanding the law and eviction process under NC law, affordable and subsidized housing programs, security deposit laws, stalking and cyberstalking laws, and domestic violence protections available under NC Law. Time is 11 AM and location is Ferguson Auditorium at A-B Tech. This is from A-B Tech website, no information on how to register. 

10/11/16 NAACP MEETING

The Branch’s regular monthly meeting is the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM at Hill Street Baptist Church at 135 Hill Street in Asheville. If you have questions, contact Carmen Ramos-Kennedy at (828) 423-6476, or 4ward2getherCall2Action@gmail.com.

10/13/16 MOUNTAIN TRUE FALL GATHERING AND ANNUAL MEETING

Join MountainTrue staff, board members, general body members and other community members in an annual gathering to talk about the organization and meet environmental advocates in Western North Carolina. Stay tuned for more information about the Fall Gathering/Annual Meeting. Time is from 4:30 to 7:30 PM.

10/13/16 CANDIDATE FORUMS: VOICE YOUR VIEW

Are there questions that you would like our local and state candidates to answer? Now is your chance to voice your view! Go to www.bit.ly/2cOmbGa for the online question survey and then come out to a candidate forum. Candidate forums are free and open to public! This is moderated by Carolina Public Press, and presented by Children First, League of Women Voters, and Democracy NC. Cosponsors includes the American Association of University Women, YWCA of Asheville, Warren Wilson College, Carolina Jews for Justice, Spirit In Action, Western NC Community Health Centers, and The Council on Aging of Buncombe County. Time is 6 PM and location is TC Roberson High School (tentative location). This forum will cover Commissioner District (2 seats), State House District 116 and State Senate District 48. 

10/14/18 VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR 2016 GENERAL ELECTION

10/18/16 TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING IN ASHEVILLE

This will happen at 3:30 PM and location is the 4th floor Training Room at the Municipal Building at 100 Court Plaza in Asheville. Call the City of Asheville for more information.

10/19/16 REBUILDING AFFRILACHIA - PEARSON PLAN WORKSHOP

DeWayne Barton will be offering a Pearson Plan Workshop on October 19 and November 16 from 5 to 6 pm at the Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton Street, in Asheville. Learn more about this plan for Rebuilding Affrilachia and how you can be a part of it. There is no charge for the workshop, though contributions to support the Pearson Plan will be accepted. If you'd like to be part of this, please join him; there is no pre-registration necessary. Questions? Email info@hoodhuggers.com.

10/21/16 RIVERLINK ART GALA SHOW AND FUNDRAISER

There will be music, drinks, and food, and various artworks to view and purchase from 20 local artists. Music by renowned cellist, Ron Clearfield. Also there will be historic art and artifacts of the French Broad River. Time is 6 – 9 PM and location is Zealandia, at 1 Vance Gap Road (on Beaucatcher Mountain) in Asheville. This fundraiser is to benefit RiverLink, and you can obtain tickets through their website.

10/21/16 TO 10/23/16 CHRONIC CONFERENCE IN ARDEN

This is the Carolina Human Rights OrgaNizing Conference (CHRONIC). The conference is about understanding human rights. The conference focus is to bring together activists and organizers from a diverse range of movements to provide a holistic understanding of human rights issues in the Carolinas. Civil Rights/Political Rights/Economic Rights/Social Rights/Cultural Rights/Environmental Rights/Developmental Rights/Sexual Rights. This will happen at the Lutheridge Camp & Conference Center at 2511 Hendersonville Road in Arden. Tickets are between $105 and $255. No further information at this time.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chronic-2016-carolina-human-rights-organizing-conference-tickets-25577436802

10/22/16 STOP POLICE BRUTALITY PROTEST

In the USA, October 22nd is a day when people have mobilized every year since 1996 for a National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation. It is crucial that we bring forward a powerful National Day of Protest in cities and towns across the USA to challenge the ongoing violence against the people. This October 22nd, stand with thousands across the country to express our collective outrage, creativity, and resistance in response to the crimes of this system.

10/24/16 THIRD MOUNTAIN MORAL MONDAY IN ASHEVILLE

Keynote speaker is Rev. Dr. William Barber, President NC-NAACP. If you would like to volunteer for this inspiring event, contact Melissa Murphy at mcoxmurphy@gmail.com. Location is Pack Square Park, Roger McGuire Green. Time is 4 to 6 PM. In coalition with the Mountain People’s Assembly, the local Branch of NAACP and other regional branches of NAACP, will host Asheville’s third Mountain Moral Monday at 4 PM on Monday, Oct 24 in Pack Square. Rev. Dr. William Barber will be the keynote speaker. If you have questions, contact Carmen Ramos-Kennedy at (828) 423-6476, or 4ward2getherCall2Action@gmail.com. Democracy NC is also helping to organize this event.

10/28/16 AUTHOR EVENT AT MALAPROPS

Activist author Medea Benjamin joins us once more to celebrate her new book, “Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection.” Medea’s book tackles the issue of foreign policy and the controversial relationship between the United State and Saudi Arabia. Medea is the cofounder of the peace group CODEPINK and Global Exchange, an international human rights organization. She has published articles on The Huffington Post, AlterNet, and more. In 2014, she was the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award. Time is 7 PM and location is Malaprop’s at 55 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. For more informatin, contact Melanie at (828) 254-6734 or melanie@malaprops.com.

11/10/16 INTERFAITH PEACE CONFERENCE AT LAKE JUNALUSKA

Affirming the community of Abrahamic faiths, the Peace Conference seeks to work in partnership with Christians, Jews, Muslims, and members of other religious traditions to advance the work of reconciliation and peace. The theme for this year's conference is “The Climate Crisis and Peace” and Dr. Norman Wirzba, Professor of Theology, Ecology, and Agrarian Studies at Duke Divinity School will be among the speakers. This runs from November 10 to November 13, 2016. For program questions contact Tammy McDowell at 828.454.6681 or tmcdowell@lakejunaluska.com. For registration contact 800.222.4930 or reservations@lakejunaluska.com.

11/16/16 REBUILDING AFFRILACHIA - PEARSON PLAN WORKSHOP

DeWayne Barton will be offering a Pearson Plan Workshop on November 16 from 5 to 6 pm at the Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton Street, in Asheville. Learn more about this plan for Rebuilding Affrilachia and how you can be a part of it. There is no charge for the workshop, though contributions to support the Pearson Plan will be accepted. If you'd like to be part of this, please join him; there is no pre-registration necessary. Questions? Email info@hoodhuggers.com.

11/19/16 HARD TO RECYCLE COLLECTION IN ARDEN

This will be from 10 AM to 2 PM at 2310 Hendersonville Road in Arden. And a word from Greenworks: never put hard-to-recycle items or any kind of plastic bag or plastic film in with your curbside recyclables (other than blue recycling bags). The blue bags are emptied and removed early in the sorting process at the recycling facility as plastic bags and film clog recycling equipment forcing operations to shut down for workers to cut that material off by hand with boxcutters! Note: Be sure to pull out the plastic liner bags out of your cereal boxes before you throw them into your recycling bin. Check that no chip and snack bags or regular and resealable (zipper) bags, snuck into your bin, too!

*******************************************

ONGOING EVENTS

*******************************************

TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 4:30 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

Showing Up for Racial Justice at Firestorm Cafe and Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. 10 AM. Educating and organizing white people for racial justice. Free.

Orientation session for Asheville Timebank. 4 PM at Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Email help@ashevilletimebank.org for information and to register. 

WEDNESDAY

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

French Broad Riverkeeper has a paddle-n-plant to prevent sediment erosion most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Registration required at anna@mountaintrue.org. 

THURSDAY

Political Prisoners Letter Writing at Firestorm Cafe & Books at 6 PM on first Thursday of the month. Materials provided.

FRIDAY

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

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. 

French Broad Riverkeeper has a paddle-n-plant to prevent sediment erosion most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Registration required at anna@mountaintrue.org. 

SUNDAY

Peace Vigil at All Souls Cathedral in Biltmore Village. This is from 5 to 5:30 PM. This vigil will last until election day 2016.

*******************************************

ACTIONS AND READINGS

*******************************************

Hood Tour Tickets

An interactive tour focusing on Asheville’s African American resilient history and future in the arts, environmentalism and entrepreneurship. The tour visits neighborhoods with existing and active green spaces, art, and grassroots initiatives. Tours run most Thursdays at 1 PM and Saturdays at 3 PM, and by appointment for groups by emailing info@hoodhuggers.com. Tours last approximately 1.5 hours. Cost is $25 per person. Tours begin at the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Avenue.

Hood Huggers International, LLC offers sustainable strategies for building support pillars for resilient historically African American neighborhoods, providing a framework for community capacity building while increasing the effectiveness of existing service programs. These strategies incorporate the arts, environmental education and social enterprise.

DeWayne Barton is the founder/CEO of Hood Huggers. A sculptor and poet, Barton has been involved in community improvement and youth development for over 20 years. He serves on the African American Heritage Commission, CoThinkk, and the City of Asheville Neighborhood Advisory Board. 

Please call (828) 275-5305 or email blove@hoodhuggers.com for more information including how to register for these tours. 

************************

Forest Service to Hold Open Houses at District Offices

The U.S. Forest Service will hold open houses at district offices on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in September and October to provide the public with opportunities to talk with forest staff about local issues, district projects, and forest plan revision. The open houses will have a flexible format allowing the public to come at any time during the specified hours and talk directly with Forest staff one-on-one. District rangers and members of the forest plan revision team will be present from 3 to 6 pm on each of the following days and locations:

• September 27, Tusquitee Ranger District Office, 123 Woodland Dr, Murphy

• October 6, Grandfather Ranger District, 109 Lawing Dr, Nebo

• October 12, Pisgah Ranger District Office, 1600 Pisgah Hwy, Brevard

• October 13, Appalachian Ranger District Office, 632 Manor Rd, Mars Hill

The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests have been revising their forest plan, a required document that provides a general framework to guide management of the forest.  As part of the process, 24 public meetings have been held in communities throughout western North Carolina.

"A successful forest plan depends on the engagement of local residents, organizations, and local governments," explains James Melonas, Deputy Forest Supervisor for National Forests in North Carolina. "We will continue to engage the public in a transparent and thoughtful manner."

Throughout the spring and summer, the Forest Service has been releasing draft plan materials on the National Forests in North Carolina website, www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/nprevision. Additional materials will be available this fall and posted to the Plan Revision Under Construction page as they become available.

"Like all parts of our forest plan, we are accepting public feedback on these initial building blocks and we expect to make changes before we complete the draft plan," said Michelle Aldridge, planning team lead. "Feedback will also help us shape our analysis. Specific feedback about desired changes, as well as information gaps is very useful at this stage.”

By fall 2016, the public will have had an opportunity for early review and input on nearly all aspects of the developing plan, and will again have an opportunity to review the plan during the formal comment period once a complete draft plan and alternative analysis are released. While there is no formal NEPA or legal comment period at this time, the Forest Service is accepting input on the building blocks at NCplanrevision@fs.fed.us with the subject line "Summer building blocks" or by mail at this address: Attn: Plan Revision Team Leader; National Forests in North Carolina; 160 Zillicoa St. Suite A; Asheville, NC 28801.

************************

From Asheville Buncombe County NAACP

UPDATE: IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - The decision by the US Supreme Court not to stay the ruling from the US Court of Appeals means five elements of the 2013 Voter Law have been overturned. Here is the result:

1.Voters will NOT need a photo ID to vote in this upcoming election. They simply need to register by October 14th. 

2. Early Voting will return to 17 days, and will start on October 20th. There will be one Sunday to Early Vote, on October 30th, in Buncombe County.

3. Same day registration is back. While the registration deadline is October 14th, you can register to vote and vote during Early Voting. (Important: People cannot register to vote on Election Day, November 8th.) 

4.Out-of-precinct voting now requires the Board of Elections in each county to count the provisional ballot of an Election Day voter who appears at the wrong precinct, but in the correct county. However, their votes will only count for those candidates or issues that are on their ballot. 

5.Preregistration is permitted for 16- and 17-year-old's, when obtaining driver’s licenses or attending high school registration drives, to identify themselves and indicate their intent to vote when they 

turn 18.