ON THE LINE: Cost of War event in LA, action in DuPage County, letter in Newsday, and more

Compiled by Johnny Zokovitch

Each week “On The Line” features news items and announcements from around the nation featuring Pax Christi members, local groups, regions and partners.

COST OF WAR/CULTURE OF PEACE EVENT IN LA: Pax Christi Southern California and Pax Christi Los Angeles are co-sponsors of an event featuring authors Chris Hedges, Paul Chappell, and David Swanson, on April 30 at 7:30pm at the University of Southern California. The event, “Cost of War/Culture of Peace,” will focus on unmasking the costs of racism, war and empire. More information on the event can be found at http://www.uniteduniversitychurch.org.

THE DAILY HERALD: The Daily Herald, covering Chicago and the surrounding counties, featured an article and story which included a photo of Pax Christi DuPage County members. Included in the photo below are PCUSA Ambassador of Peace Tom Cordaro (4^th from the left) and Siobhan Kolar (5^th from the left), who joined with Latino activists at a press conference in front of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office calling for an independent investigation of racial profiling in the county. Protesters are asking the county to opt out of the federal Secure Communities Program that targets immigrants in the community for deportation.

THE GEORGIA BULLETIN: Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, founding bishop-president of Pax Christi USA, presented a three-day Lenten retreat at the Sacred Heart Basilica in Atlanta focusing on the church’s teaching on peace and violence. The Georgia Bulletin, the diocesan Catholic newspaper, called the retreat “part history lesson and part theology discussion.” To read the entire article about Bishop Gumbleton’s presentation, click here.

NEWSDAY: Eleanor Krebs, a Pax Christi member in Farmingdale, NY, had a letter to the editor published in the March 29 issue of Newsday. The letter was headlined, “Mourn the lives and money lost in Iraq.” Ms. Krebs wrote, “As we enter the ninth year of our war with Iraq, it is a time of mourning for all Americans. First, let us mourn the 4,439 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and the thousands more wounded, the suicides and the traumatized. Next, let us mourn the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed and the tens of thousands wounded and the homes and hospitals , factories, roads and bridges destroyed in Iraq…”

DISARM NOW PLOWSHARES SENTENCING: Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace Bill Quigley wrote to share with us the results of the sentencing phase for the Disarm Now Plowshares in Washington. He writes, “Two grandmothers, two priests and a nun were sentenced in federal court in Tacoma, WA Monday March 28, 2011, for confronting hundreds of U.S. nuclear weapons stockpiled for use by the deadly Trident submarines. Sentenced were: Sr. Anne Montgomery, 83, a Sacred Heart sister from New York, who was ordered to serve 2 months in federal prison and 4 months electronic home confinement; Fr. Bill Bischel, 81, a Jesuit priest from Tacoma, ordered to serve 3 months in prison and 6 months electronic home confinement; Susan Crane, 67, a member of the Jonah House community in Baltimore, Maryland, ordered to serve 15 months in federal prison; Lynne Greenwald, 60, a nurse from Bremerton, Washington, ordered to serve 6 months in federal prison; and Fr. Steve Kelly, 60, a Jesuit priest from Oakland, California, ordered to serve 15 months in federal prison.” For more information and how to lend your support, visit http://disarmnowplowshares.wordpress.com.

ST. CLOUD (MN) TIMES: Pax Christi St. Cloud was featured in an article in the St. Cloud Times entitled, “It’s time to bring all the troops home.” The article highlighted an informational protest meant to draw attention to the various conflicts in which U.S. troops are participating. To read the entire article, click here.

IN BRIEF: Pax Christi Hudson Valley was the featured partner this past week on the Billion Bells for Peace website… The “Economic and Ecological Way of the Cross” in Washington, D.C. will be held on Good Friday beginning at noon on the west side of the U.S. Capitol. The event is sponsored coordinated by the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach. For more information contact Ryan Murphy at rmurphy@columban.org… A diverse group of Houston citizens, including Pax Christi Houston, were instrumental in proclaiming April 4 “Houston, the Beloved Community Day.” The proclamation was presented to the sponsoring groups by Mayor Annise Parker and Councilwoman Jolanda Jones at a Houston City Council meeting… Pax Christi Northeastern Pennsylvania co-sponsored a speech by an anti-death penalty activist at Lycoming College. Read the article here… Pax Christi Long Island presented their Peace Award to Seemi and Habeeb Ahmed of the Islamic Center in Westbury, NY as “Builders of the Peaceful Community” and the Peacemaker Award to PCUSA Ambassador of Peace Rev. John Dear S.J… Pax Christi Baltimore is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. Congrats to PC-Baltimore long-time coordinator Chuck Michaels and PC-Baltimore!