04/17/2023
VFP NYC Chapter 34 Meeting with Gerry Condon, Helen Jaccard, et al re Golden Rule Visit to Cuba – Wednesday April 19, 2023 6:30pm ET
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Agenda:
1. Introductions/Treasury Report/Meeting minutes/Moment of Silence.
2. Guest Speaker Gerry Condon will talk about the recent visit of the Golden Rule to Cuba: Gerry Condon is a Vietnam-era veteran and war resister, former president of Veterans For Peace, and a member of the crew that sailed the Golden Rule to Cuba. He currently serves on the VFP National Board.
Veterans For Peace is sailing the Golden Rule all over the United States to educate people about the growing danger of nuclear war, and to promote the historic UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which the UN General Assembly passed by a vote of 122-1 in June 2017.
VFP Golden Rule Project Manager Helen Jaccard will also join us to talk about the boat’s upcoming visit to NYC.
Five crew members, including Gerry and Enya Anderson, sailed the Golden Rule from Key West, Florida and, after 22 hours at sea, arrived at Havana’s Marina Hemingway on December 31, just in time to celebrate New Year’s and the 62nd anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. The Golden Rule crew was joined by seven others, including Anthony Donovan of NYC Chapter 34, who flew into Havana to participate in a weeklong educational program. The Golden Rule sailed to Havana under a General License issued by the U.S. Treasury Department that allows U.S. residents to travel to Cuba for educational and people-to-people purposes.
Check out:
https://taskforceamericas.org/vets-for-peace-statement-from-cuba/
https://peaceandplanetnews.org/u-s-veterans-sail-historic-peace-boat-to-cuba/
https://vfpgoldenruleproject.org
3. New Business
a. Golden Rule’s visit to NYC: May 17-26 at Chelsea Piers, Pier 59 at West 18th St.
NYC Public Events thus far (Updated closer to arrival):
*Wednesday May 17th, 2023 - Welcome!
Arriving sometime in afternoon (will spread word when we get more specific info).
Anyone with means to sail or motor or kayak to greet the arrival, wonderful. There is a walkway on Pier 59 (south of the Golf Range) where we can look down on the slip where Golden Rule is docked. Join us to welcome the arrival to our city and meet all.
*Thursday May 18th, 6:30pm - Newark, NJ event at St. Stephan’s Church
*Friday May 19th - NJ AM Sail to Newark Bay. Limited sail on the GR with point people of orgs involved with NJ river and bay environmental work, social justice orgs, etc.
*Friday May 19th, 8pm - NYC Maryhouse (55 East 3rd St., the Catholic Worker). Friday Night Meeting. Will tie in the history and current CW's work in nuclear abolition, along with others, and the current crew and voyage of the Golden Rule.
*Saturday May 20th - NJ's Liberty State Park, outdoors open to all event.
NJ Environmental, social, racial, economic justice, anti-war, community/peace orgs, etc.
*Tuesday May 23rd, 6:30pm - 15th Street Society of Friends Meeting House, on Rutherford Place. Sponsored by the Quakers and WRL. They will bring in the history of the Quakers in the origins of the Golden Rule voyage of 1958, as well as the War Resisters League (celebrating their 100th anniversary). We will have some relatives of the original crew.
*Wednesday May 24th, 10am, Amalgamated Bank headquarters on 42nd St., honoring of the VFP and the Golden Rule team. (limited engagement unfortunately. Amalgamated is the first and only bank to prohibit lending or use of its assets to any armament company. They publicly supported the TPNW from the day of signing in 2017.)
*Friday May 26th, 1 PM - NY City Hall Park, NY City Council. Open to all, and all organizations invited to join. Please have your Council Member let CM Carlina Rivera's office know they will also attend. Along with honoring the voyage of the Golden Rule past and present, and VFP, we will be echoing the Recent Resolution to support the TPNW and divestment from NYC's pension plans. We will call for support for the Council's current Resolution 423 to Move the Money. The Golden Rule team will address us and commend the Council for its actions.
Other planned activities:
- United Nations gathering for the GR, time and place to be decided in meeting of Missions.
- South Street Seaport Museum to host an event and possibly tour of boat there. Date and time tba.
- Peace Walk (s) to vital locations concerning the nuclear abolition movement.
- Schools contacted, Awaiting word
There will also be some sails, and some open tours of the boat; accommodations and additional recommendations are welcome.
Please Contact: [email protected]
page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090743997858
b. Sunday May 27, 12 Noon – VFP Memorial Day Commemoration at Battery Park
4. Regular Business & Reports
a. Move the Money
b. Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign
https://vn-agentorange.org/
c. Peace & Planet News www.peaceandplanetnews.org
d. Drop the Charges Against Assange Campaign
e. Ban Killer Drones
f. Golden Rule Visit to NYC
5. Upcoming Events & Actions
VFP Actions
a. Saturday April 15, 12:40pm - VFP National Board Meeting, with Member Q&A before and after the meeting.
b. April 15-20 - “Shut Down Drone Warfare” protest at drone base in Alamagordo, NM
c. Tuesday April 18, 12-1:30pm – WRL Tax Day Demo at IRS, 290 Broadway.
d. Sunday April 30, 3pm - special benefit performance of John McDonagh’s "Off the Meter, On the Record" at the Principles BK G.I. Coffeehouse, Gowanus, Bklyn.
e. Wednesday May 17 - Saturday May 26: visit of the anti-nuclear ketch Golden Rule to NYC, including events including events at the UN, Amalgamated Bank, 15th St. Quaker Meeting House, City Hall and Maryhouse.
f. Sunday May 27 at Noon – NYC Memorial Day Event at Battery Park.
g. Wednesday June 21, 2023 – VFP NYC Meeting with Doug Lummus re U.S. Military bases in Okinawa
VFP-Endorsed Actions
a. Friday April 21, 5:00pm every Friday - Say Their Names Vigil at 96th St. and Broadway
b. Saturday April 22, 11am-12:00pm every Saturday - Vigil for Yemen at South side of Union Sq. Park.
c. April 24-26: XR Bank Takeover: 3 Days of Direct Action https://www.xrebellion.nyc
d. Saturday April 29, 11am - supporters of Korean Reunification from all over the US will meet in Manhattan to build a human chain connecting the offices of the North and South Korean Missions to the UN, which stand 1,100 feet apart. The 70-year-old armistice must be replaced with a Peace Treaty to finally end the Korean War. We oppose the annual US-South Korea joint military exercises.
6. Recent Events & Actions
a. Friday March 17, 5:00pm every Friday - Say Their Names Vigil at 96th St. and Broadway
b. Saturday March 18, 11am-12:00pm every Saturday - Vigil for Yemen at South side of Union Sq. Park.
c. Sunday March 19 - 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq Demo in Union Square Park at 2:00pm, a march to Washington Square Park and then a demo there ending at 4:00pm. Sponsored by NYC War Resisters League, NYC Metro Raging Grannies, Brooklyn For Peace, Catholic Worker, Kairos Community, Pax Christi NYS, World Can't Wait, Peace Action NYS, Veterans for Peace NYC Chapter 34, etc.
d. Tuesday March 21, 10:30 am at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza: PROTEST BANK FUNDINGOF CLIMATE-KILLING FOSSIL FUEL PROJECTS as part of National Day of Action
e. Saturday April 8, 1pm at NYPL: Manhattan Project “Don’t Nuke the Hudson River/ Don’t Nuke the Pacific” rally and march in NYC.
Linda’s photos at: https://www.icloud.com/photos/
f. Saturday, April 15, 1-2 pm: Rally and Walk for Palestine starting at the light in Rhinebeck, NY.
Power to the Peaceful,
Susan Schnall
President - Veterans For Peace NYC Kaufman/Pahios Chapter 34
8062 214th St. Queens Village, NY 11427
www.veteransforpeace.org
https://www.facebook.com/veteransforpeacenyc034?fref
NYC chapter of Veterans For Peace, a global organization of Military Veterans and allies aiming to build a culture of peace by exposing true costs of war.
