Tag Archives: Non-Violence

Help End the Death Penalty Now!

Action Alerts, ,

From Nebraskans for Public Safety and Senator Adam Morfeld:

Let’s be clear about something: Right now, Nebraska is at the center of the fight to end the death penalty in this country. We ended it last spring in the Unicameral — one of my proudest moments in the legislature — and we must now defend that vote on Election Day.

With your help, we can.

I recently wrote to let you know that we received commitments from national organizations working to end the death penalty. In order to secure their support, we have to show our strength and raise matching funds from fellow Nebraskans like yourself. Help reach our matching gift goal.

The death penalty is unjust, expensive, and simply doesn’t work; our ability to end it once and for all is critical. Can you help get us to the finish line? A $25 commitment today from everyone on this list is what it will take to secure the dollar-for-dollar match from national funders. But our time is limited. We need to secure these funds.

Let’s do it, Nebraska — let’s end the death penalty in our great state once and for all.

Thank you for your support.

Senator Adam Morfeld, District 46

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Dr. Jill Stein: People’s State of the Union

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From jill2016.com:

The Precarious State of Our Union: A Bipartisan Disaster We Can Fix

From the viewpoint of everyday Americans, the State of our Union, in point of fact, is not strong. In reality, we are in a state of historic crisis – for our economy, ecology, democracy and security.

Thankfully, these crises are still eminently solvable. With a majority of Americans disapproving of both establishment parties, there is unprecedented momentum for a new way forward, based on principles of democracy, justice and peace, towards an America and a world that works for all of us.

Republicans have long been recognized as unabashed servants of the economic elite, leading the charge against the public interest. But they have not been alone.

Democratic priorities were clear when President Obama had two Democratic Houses of Congress to support him, as the party went to bat for trillions in Wall Street bailouts, tax cuts for the rich, job-killing corporate trade agreements, austerity budgets, health care reform that locked single payer out and private profits in, mass deportations of hardworking immigrants, privatization of schools, expanding wars for oil and regime change, climate-killing “all of the above” energy policies, and unprecedented assaults on privacy and press freedoms.

As a result of this bipartisan assault, we have not had a recovery by any measure.

Read the full People’s State of the Union.

Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence Dec. 11, State Capitol

Events

From Nebraskans for Peace:

Join a Vigil to Honor All Victims of Gun Violence on Friday, December 11, at 5 p.m. The event will begin at the Nebraska State Capitol Building and then proceed to First Christian Church.

Interchurch Ministries of Nebraska and Nebraskans Against Gun Violence will sponsor a vigil to honor all victims of gun violence. The vigil will begin on the west side of the Capitol Building and will then move across the street to First Christian Church for a prayer service, where the featured speaker will be the Rev. Karla Cooper, pastor of Quinn Chapel AME. This vigil is part of a nationwide observance of the 30,000+ lives lost to gun violence each year on the cusp of the three-year anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Nebraskans Against Gun Violence will also be organizing a shoe drive as part of a public art display. The shoes will be donated to Heart Ministry Center in Omaha.

Refugees are victims of the same people we are frightened of

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From the Lincoln Journal Star:

There is little rest these days for refugee resettlement workers at Lutheran Family Services.

Between working with people whose loved ones are scheduled to arrive in the U.S. next month, counseling recent arrivals who fear for their safety, and answering calls from strangers angered that Nebraska might someday receive refugees from Syria, Vanja Pejanovic and her staff are keeping busy.

That’s especially the case since deadly terror attacks Nov. 13 in Paris led Gov. Pete Ricketts to join governors in most other states to seek a temporary halt to Syrian refugee resettlement in the U.S., said Pejanovic, who coordinates resettlement activity in the Lincoln area.

“I think our governor should go sit at Lutheran Family Services, with the people who work there day after day right now with the terrified Muslim people in our community,” said Mary Pipher, a retired clinical psychologist from Lincoln and author of a widely read book about refugee resettlement.

Read the full story.

Gov. Ricketts tells nonprofits to stop taking Syrian refugees

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From the Governor’s press release:

LINCOLN – Today, Governor Pete Ricketts sent a letter to refugee resettlement agencies in Nebraska to urge them not to pursue resettlement of Syrian refugees.

“Nebraska is a welcoming place for families seeking a home to live, work, and raise a family. While I understand the danger and persecution many are facing in the Middle East, it is important that our state and our nation consider the safety and security of Nebraskans and Americans first in any refugee resettlement efforts. The terrorist attacks that occurred over the weekend in Paris are a solemn reminder of the reach and strength of ISIS and their agents.

“Today, I am requesting that all refugee resettlement agencies in our state decline to participate in potential Syrian refugee resettlement efforts.”

Learn more about the Syrian refugee issue and the role played by state governments:

Ending the Death Penalty in Nebraska: Time for the Next Phase

Action Alerts,

From Steve Griffith and Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:

As I’m sure you have seen, earlier this week a group called Nebraskans for the Death Penalty submitted signatures to try to undo the death penalty repeal at the November 2016 general election. It won’t be official until the Secretary of State verifies the signatures, but it seems quite likely that they’ve gained enough signatures to send the issue to the ballot. I share your disappointment that our victory is under attack.

But I hope that you share some of my great hope. Nebraska’s history has shown that it is an uphill effort for ballot initiatives to succeed. Time and again we’ve seen that when given the facts people are not inclined to keep the death penalty. We have 15 months to share with our fellow Nebraskans what we already know: that our death penalty fails us. I believe we can win and make history again!

We’re certainly not alone in this effort. Yesterday the Catholic Bishops released a statement reiterating their condemnation of the death penalty. They are joined by dozens of other religious and secular groups who helped us win repeal and will continue to speak out to end the death penalty.

I am going to spend the next few days working closely with our staff, Nebraskans for Public Safety, and other partners to draft a plan to move us to victory in 2016. You can expect to hear more from me soon with ways we’ll need your help. In the meanwhile, as you are talking with friends and family, please let them know why you are opposed to the death penalty. Let’s keep the conversations flowing. Each and every vote will matter.

Get involved with NADP.

2015 Annual Peace Conference in Grand Island Oct. 17

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The 2015 Annual Peace Conference, presented by the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Grace Abbott School of Social Work and Nebraskans for Peace, will be held October 17 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grand Island. The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30. It includes a panel presentation by local experts on housing, economic opportunity, education, health, and legal rights issues. The event is free and open to the public; lunch is $10.

Read more and register with Nebraskans for Peace.

Journal Star: Death penalty repeal appears to be on hold

News,

From the Lincoln Journal Star:

Nobody really doubted the death penalty referendum petition campaign would have enough signatures verified to hold up the Legislature’s repeal.

The campaign turned in nearly 167,000 signatures, when it needed 113,883, and a state-required cushion of slightly more than 125,000.

It’s not yet official, but the Secretary of State’s office said Friday it appears enough petition signatures have been certified and verified to stop the death penalty repeal from becoming law until a vote of the people in November 2016.

Chris Peterson, who co-managed the petition campaign along with Jessica Flanagain, a privately paid senior aide to Gov. Pete Ricketts, said they only were surprised at the speed with which county clerks and election commissioners were verifying signatures. They had until mid-October.

“I’m guessing that must mean the county reviews of the petitions haven’t encountered many hiccups. That’s a credit to the hard work of our circulators and our petition drive’s focus on compliance,” Peterson said.

The senator who brought the repeal bill to the Legislature — Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers — even said it was a forgone conclusion the signatures would be obtained. But he’s confident, he said, that the repeal (LB268) will take effect.

The election will not turn out the way the Ricketts family wanted, and what they financed, he said.

“I feel a deep, settled sense of serenity and peace about the whole thing,” he said. “I’ve never had the sense of confidence and serenity that I feel now.”

Read the full story.

Peacemaker of the Year potluck Sept. 24 in Lincoln

Events,

From Alternatives to the Military:

Save the Date: The 2015 ATM Peacemaker of the Year is Tim Rinne of Nebraskans for Peace. Tim is the creator of Lincoln’s community garden project, Hawley Hamlet. The Annual potluck dinner will be Thursday, September 24, at 5:30 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church, 45th & A streets in Lincoln. Bring a dish to share and handouts if you want to distribute information about your current organizational involvements. And bring a friend! The food is always great.

Stand against the death penalty

News,

From Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:

It won’t be official until the Secretary of State’s office confirms the signatures over the next 40 days, but it seems death penalty repeal will be on the November 2016 ballot. We are confident the more people learn about the death penalty the less likely they are to support it. Please stick with us through 2016 as we continue to spread the word about the realities of the death penalty.

Read the full statement from NADP.