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
Linda Richards
"The Atomic Bombings and America's Soul"
Martin LeFevre, International Columnist
7 to 9 pm
Metaphysical Library and Event Center
Saturday, August 6
Free
Sixty years after the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
which killed 270,000 civilians, America is still in denial about
these
horrific events and their effects on our national psyche as the
process of nuclearism, (the pursuit of infinite nuclear superiority
despite the cost), continues with new fervor.
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.
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