Press Release
For Immediate Release
Mayor for Peace to Light Hiroshima Flame while Rogue Valley Peace Choir sings in Hirsohima Peace Park; Visiting Award Winning Filmmaker to Bring Documentary of Nagasaki Bombing Survivor
Hiroshima-Nagasaki 61st Annual Commemoration
Peace House and the newly formed local branch of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom will be sponsoring the 74 hour 3 day remembrance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to honor the victims of all war and educate ourselves about nuclear issues on the Plaza of downtown Ashland beginning at 8:16 August 6 through 11:02 August 9. The event is in solidarity with the Abolition 2000 Mayors for Peace Emergency Campaign To Ban Nuclear Weapons. The City of Ashland, as a Nuclear Free Zone since 1981, is a member of the Mayors for Peace Campaign. A proclamation supporting global nuclear disarmament was sent by the City of Ashland to the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty Review Conference that took place in May. Simultaneous events will happen all around the world, including the display of 270,000 Jizos, traditional Japanese handmade representations of spirits, for every man woman and child killed by the 1945 US bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man. The Ashland Zen center has sent hundreds of Jizos from Southern Oregon to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A panel of Jizos will be on display at the Ashland vigil. The vigil is an opportunity to dialog with the community and reflect upon how we choose to respond to the critical challenges of nuclear pollution and weaponry as well as corporate war profits. The vigil will begin on Saturday, August 6th, the moment the bomb "Little Boy" fell on Hiroshima. At 8:16 am local churches will ring their bells and musicians will join the Mayor of Ashland on the plaza to light the Hiroshima flame. The opening ceremony will proceed to the lawn of Lithia Park. In the park, the Mayor will read the proclamation for a nuclear free future. Martin LeFevre, international columnist will address the question of the spiritual crisis of nuclearism, the pursuit of nuclear superiority despite the cost. Ashland Taiko, directed by Pam Vellutini, will perform a song on the plaza to begin the 3 day, 74 hour vigil on the plaza. Taiko is the art of Japanese drumming to bring together community. Children will be provided art supplies to create a vision of the peaceful world they want for display. Information will be available about nuclear issues such as the current use of depleted uranium, nuclear proliferation, new nuclear weapons, weapons in space, nuclear pollution, safety, the licensing of new nuclear power plants, storage and transportation issues. Petitions and postcards will be available at the vigil to sign and support a nuclear free future. Saturday, August 6th Martin Lefevre will lead a free facilitated dialogue on the spiritual meaning of nuclearism, entitled "The Atomic Bombings and America's Soul". The event will be at the Metaphysical Library and Event Center, 258 A Street from 7 to 9 pm. Continued dialogues may take place in Lithia Park, times to be announced at the vigil. The Peace Choir will perform on the Plaza at 6:30 Sunday evening August 7. The vigil will end with a closing ceremony extinguishing the flame on August 9 at the moment when Fat Man exploded in Nagasaki. Local churches will again ring their bells at 11:02 am. Martin LeFevre will share the meaning from the dialogues held during the vigil. Local performers will join us in the closing. Please attend and show your support for justice and peace. For more information on the national campaign, see www.abolitionnow.org To sign up for a vigil slot, or for more information, see www.atomicvigil.net or contact Linda at 541-488-1230 "The Atomic Bombings and America's Soul" Sixty years after the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed 270,000 civilians, America is still in denial about these How much has the ongoing propaganda that "these awful weapons saved lives" contributed to the loss of soul so evident in America today? You're invited to the Metaphysical Library and Event Center Saturday, August 7 to 9 pm. to come and listen, participate, and question together on the theme: "The Atomic Bombings and America's Soul". Join Martin Lefevre, international columnist, who will also speak at the opening and closing ceremony of the spiritual 72 hour commemoration vigil, in a facilitated authentic dialogue. Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we all live under a nuclear cloud. In a chaotic, conflicted, and confused global society, we must find new modes of communication. The intent of these discussions is to create a respectful space and atmosphere where people can listen to each other and question together at a deeper level, to explore meaning and ask questions that strike a chord with those present. Dialogue is a process, not an end. LeFevre's process is based on the theory of dialogue developed by David Bohm (1917-1992), a colleague and friend of Einstein's who worked on refining the theory of quantum mechanics. In later years, Bohm encountered the writings of J. Krishnamurti. Struck by the way Krishnamurti's observations echoed his own investigations into quantum mechanics, Bohm sought out Krishnamurti. The two became close, participating in regular conversations and dialogues of inquiry over the years, creating a model. Further continued dialogue with Martin LeFever, if desired, will be held in Lithia Park, during the vigil. Times to be announced at the vigil. ---------- Martin LeFevre is an international columnist known for his contemplative, philosophical, and political work. His published work is read around the world, spanning the spectrum from the spiritual to the political, and he is a weekly columnist for "Scoop". He has been initiating dialogues since the first Gulf War with Africans, Europeans, Aotearoans (Maori an Pakeha New Zealanders), and others concerning the urgent need for a Global Polity of world citizens. Martin Lefevre participated in dialogues with late physicist-philosopher David Bohm. The columnist has initiated and facilitated authentic dialogues since early '80's, including in Eugene and Southern Oregon University in Ashland and is currently residing in Chico, Ca. WEB NUCLEAR RESOURCES |