There are simple actions you can take to move us toward a safer world. Send these messages and encourage others to do the same. 1.Live in Wisconsin's Second Congressional District? Reach out to Rep. Pocan about supporting a House Resolution urging our government to support the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) See a sample letter here. 2.Live Madison, Wisconsin? Contact our City Alders about passing a Back from the Brink Resolution that includes nuclear divestment language. See the proposed Madison resolution here. See a sample message to alders here. (Includes links to key supportive information.) Not sure who your alder is? Check here. Once you contact your alder, do please respond to this email letting us know who you contacted so those organizing know who still needs to be contacted. Thank you. wilpfmadison.org wilpfmadison@gmail.com Contact: Susan Freiss 2079 Winnebago St. Madison, WI 53704

Opinion | Now Baldwin should focus on protecting children from F-35s By Tom Boswell | guest column in the Cap Times Dec 27, 2022 An attendee of the 2021 Cap Times Idea Fest session entitled "One-on-One With Tammy Baldwin" holds a sign in protest of the F-35 fighter jets while Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin speaks with Cap Times bureau chief Jessie Opoien in Shannon Hall. photo credit RUTHIE HAUGE Tom Boswell writes: "It’s great to hear that Sen. Tammy Baldwin advanced gay rights by leading the charge to pass the Respect for Marriage Act. Now we need her to respect the rights of our children to health, safety and a good education. We need to persuade her to forsake her love affair with militarism, Lockheed Martin and the deadly F-35 fighter jets. I recently read that the U.S. is the only U.N. member country that has failed to ratify the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. It would be great if Baldwin would adopt this cause as her next challenge. But first she needs to demonstrate she really cares about our children and their welfare. The U.N. treaty lists 41 rights that all children should enjoy. Many of these universal rights are threatened by the F-35 nuclear-capable killer machines Baldwin wants to foist on the families of Madison’s neighborhoods. Right No. 29 says our “children’s education should help them fully develop their personalities, talents and abilities” and “help them live peacefully and protect the environment.” The sound of the F-35 is perceived as four times louder than current F-16s at the Truax Field airbase. According to Dr. Ann Behrmann, a pediatrician and leader of Physicians for Social Responsibility, children are more vulnerable to noise due to the size of their ear canals and because they have less control over their environment. Even minimal sensorineural hearing loss has been associated with poor school performance and social and emotional dysfunction. Noise has been found to negatively affect children’s attention, concentration and memory and, consequently, reading and math achievement. Increasing awareness that chronic exposure to high aircraft noise levels can impair learning led the World Health Organization and NATO to conclude that day care centers and schools should not be located near major sources of noise, such as airports. There are 59 educational programs, pre-school to college, within three miles of Truax. As for the environment, our children won’t be able to enjoy their school gardens, school forests and playgrounds without being subjected to this noise, not to mention the 100 to 200 million pounds of CO2 each jet will dump on our neighborhoods annually. Their school environment will be a virtual war zone. Right No. 27 states: “Children have the right to food, clothing and a safe place to live so they can develop in the best possible way.” Adequate food and clothing can be a struggle for low-income people on the north side, but a safe place to live is out of the question if the F-35s arrive. No child will be safe from the noise and other harmful pollutants, whether inside or outdoors. Right No. 24 attests, “Children have the right to … clean water to drink, healthy food and a clean and safe environment.” Clean water is out of the question, too. The military, (with help from the city and county), has already polluted our drinking water, groundwater, and lakes and streams with PFAS toxic chemicals. It will take decades to clean up. Right No. 6 says children have a right to life, survival and development, and No. 38 says “children have the right to be protected during war.” Baldwin informs her constituents that the F-35 first-strike jets will make us more “secure.” That’s a lie. Military experts have told Safe Skies Clean Water that, regardless of where the B61-12 nuclear bombs are stored, Madison will now be a target in the event of nuclear war. Right No. 3 gets to the crux of the matter. It states, “When adults make decisions, they should think about how their decisions will affect children.” It continues: “Governments should make sure that people and places responsible for looking after children are doing a good job.” The senator needs to know we are doing a commendable job in caring for our children. Now it is her turn to step up and do her job. A Cap Times story noted that Baldwin got a coalition to pass the gay rights bill by listening to the concerns of Republicans. This is truly admirable, but how about listening to the concerns of her constituents here at home? Is it because we lack the funds Lockheed Martin has to get her attention? Or because our children are not as articulate as the lobbyists and arms merchants? Bernie Sanders just announced he plans to introduce a War Powers Resolution in an attempt to halt the horrific Saudi-led war in Yemen. The war has resulted in more than 375,000 deaths, with 262,500 of those being children under the age of 5, according to the U.N. Sanders notes, “the war has made billions of dollars for companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing, while people in Yemen see 'Made in the USA' on bombs that are destroying their country.” Let’s hope Baldwin signs on to Sanders’ War Powers Resolution. It would be a good first step. We are a nation based on fear, force and violence. It is probably not possible to embrace these weapons of war, like the F-35, and also care for our children. Read the Cap Times article here: https://captimes.com/opinion/guest-columns/opinion-now-baldwin-should-focus-on-protecting-children-from-f-35s/article_2853e2ed-df85-5e47-8bf5-9e51acd1bf3c.html Tom Boswell is a community organizer and freelance journalist who lives just west of the Truax Field airbase in Madison. Tom is also our contact for the WNPJ member group James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

Yesterday, Congressional leaders unveiled a spending bill that, beginning in April, would strip Medicaid coverage from millions of people—including hundreds of thousands here in Wisconsin. (Dec 20,2022) Read: “Millions to lose Medicaid coverage under Congress’ plan,” Associated Press Rather than wait for the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency to expire, the provision in the spending bill—which is expected to be on President Biden’s desk by Friday—eliminates extra federal funding and the requirement that states keep people on Medicaid, regardless of changes in income or other status. Coming off a pandemic in which it was estimated that 330,000 people in the US lost their lives for lack of a universal healthcare system, this is an outrageous and cruel attack, specifically targeted at poor and low-wealth people. Take Action: Stop the Medicaid cutoffs — Healthcare is a Human Right! Join us *today* by calling Wisconsin Senators and Congresspeople and leaving the following message: “Healthcare is a human right! Take action to remove the provision in the federal spending bill that would kick millions of people off of Medicaid.” Sen. Tammy Baldwin: (202) 224-5653 Sen. Ron Johnson: (202) 224-5323 Find your Representative You can also sign and share our new petition to the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee to expand Medicaid and ensure coverage for all Wisconsinites that will be at risk of losing Medicaid coverage in April if the provision is not removed. After taking action, email us back at wisconsin@poorpeoplescampaign.org to let us know!

Family Farm Defenders celebrated two women for this year’s John Kinsman Beginning Farmer Food Sovereignty award. Let their stories inspire you. Naima Dhore (pictured) began growing food for her family in small pots in their apartment window. With a keen desire to do more for her community, Naima’s Farm near Alexandria, MN began. The focus is on organic food production and education for the broader Somali/East African community. As an immigrant she knows the struggles that face black, indigenous, farmers of color, and in 2020 she helped found the Somali American Farmer Association (SAFA). Naima credits her food sovereignty success “to her ability to connect and maintain relationships with various people in her community—always being certain to remain humble in sharing resources to see everyone thrive and not just some.” Heather Gayton launched ZanBria Artisan Farms near Friendship, WI as a simple roadside stand, bartering and selling produce. She eventually acquired a 20 acre farmstead and specializes in native, heirloom, and herbal crops. A cancer survivor, Heather believes strongly in “food as medicine.” She is also a leader in the Farmers of the Roche-Cri Watershed Group and a grower for the Grand Marsh food pantry. You can see the zoom recording of the Dec. 10th Celebration here. familyfarmers.org/ www.facebook.com/Family-Farm-Defenders familyfarmdefenders@yahoo.com

Weaving the Web - WNPJ monthly virtual drop-in Hour First Thursday of each month, 12:00 pm - 01:00 pm All are welcome to drop in the first Thursday of each month - ....no agenda, just people who care about peace and justice showing up to connect. Contact office@wnpj.org with questions. Thanks to WNPJ Board members for facilitating the 'drop-in' hour the first quarter of 2023! Jan 5th - Vicki Berenson Feb 2nd - Erika Bach March 2nd - Mary Kay Baum Zoom Meeting Information: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89361313008?pwd=UmxCOUcxL3ZFb244aXp0SnBVTFRSZz09 Meeting ID: 893 6131 3008 Passcode: 797041 +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Members of WISDOM, EXPO and FREE rallied at the WI State Capitol 12/8/22 and addressed legislators on the need for dignity throughout the penal system and to end racial and economic disparities that fuel mass incarceration. They spoke eloquently on the need to recognize that people who are convicted of crimes are human beings, members of families and communities and need to be restored fully to civic life. They were not asking for reform, but for transformation. The “asks” were these: $15 million to go towards Treatment Alternatives and Diversions; ending solitary confinement and improving conditions of confinement; ending post-release issues such as Crimeless Revocations (re-incarcerating on technical violations); restoring the right to vote; ending the practice of shackling pregnant women; compassionate release for those who are elderly, ill or who have served many years; and peer support programs and housing for recently released people. You can view their passionate and clear messages here This was the kick-off. And while many of us may never be touched by the horrific conditions and the inhumane treatment of the prison system, it is incumbent upon us to demand human dignity and human rights. The reality remains: what happens to one happens to all. For more information contact Mark Rice 608-843-0171. wisdomwisconsin.org www.facebook.com/pages/Wisdom-for-justice office@wisdomwisconsin.org ​ 414-831-2070 2821 N Vel Phillips Avenue, #217, Milwaukee, WI 53212 ​ WISDOM is a grassroots organization comprised mostly of religious congregations of several different denominations, which works to have a common, collective voice on issues of social justice.

As we face a crucial election in April for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Matt Rothschild of the WI Democracy Campaign took a look back at the role that outside money – and especially from Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce – played in turning these technically nonpartisan races into highly partisan ones now: How Wisconsin Supreme Court Races Became So Partisan Matt writes: I went over the latest Marquette Law School poll and unearthed an interesting fact: A clear majority of Republicans favor a lot of progressive issues, as I point out here: Progressive Issues Are Popular Issues I hope you like these two items, and I hope you enjoy the upcoming holidays. Matt Rothschild Executive Director rothschild@wisdc.org

Host A Workshop At The Energy Fair! Are you an expert, motivator, leader, or innovator in the areas of clean energy, energy efficiency, or sustainable living? If so, we hope you will consider submitting a proposal to share your knowledge at The 32nd Annual Energy Fair, in Custer WI June 23 - 25 . Workshop submissions are now open! Take advantage of full presenter benefits by submitting your workshop for consideration by 2/15/23. Workshop submissions will close on March on 3/15/23. Midwest Renewable Energy Association is a member group of WNPJ. info@midwestrenew.org https://www.theenergyfair.org/schedule/

The Golden Rule sailing ship, built by Quakers in the 1940’s and supported now by Veterans for Peace, is committed to peace and nuclear non-proliferation. The ship and crew is making an educational loop around the US this fall, sailing down the Mississippi River, a detour then made onto the Ohio River due to low waters in the Mississippi - and now headed toward the East Coast. Follow the trip here: http://www.vfpgoldenruleproject.org/ Special note: the Golden Rule is going to Cuba in January! Veterans For Peace and the Golden Rule Project are pleased to announce: THE GOLDEN RULE PEACE BOAT WILL SAIL TO CUBA and participate in a special Arts & Culture program there from January 2-8, 2023! VFP members, Golden Rule supporters, and friends of Cuba are invited to fly to Cuba and join us! The purpose of this voyage is several fold: 1. To participate in an educational Arts & Culture program and People-to-People exchanges. 2. To remind the world how close we came to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, and to make the parallel connections to the US-Russia standoff in Ukraine today. 3. To express our solidarity with the Cuban people, who are suffering greatly from the recent hurricane that destroyed thousands of homes in Pinar del Rio province. We will deliver humanitarian aid to Pinar del Rio. 4. To call for an end to the US blockade of Cuba (an official VFP position), or at least for a temporary suspension of the blockade, as some Cuba solidarity groups are calling for, in order to facilitate the rebuilding after the hurricane. 5. To gain national and international attention for the nuclear disarmament mission of VFP's Golden Rule peace boat. We will travel to Cuba under a General License that permits travel for educational and people-to-people purposes. This license requires that we participate in an organized schedule of daily activities that meet these criteria. We are merging our Cuba visit with the wonderful Arts & Culture itinerary being organized by Proximity Cuba. For the itinerary, please see: https://www.proximitycuba.com/internati.../arts-culture-2023 Cost to participants: $1500 program for Jan 2 - 8. This will include a room in a Cuban home (double occupancy; single occupancy is $1650), most meals, transportation to all events, translation and coordination. $80/day for days before Jan 2 and after Jan 8 (the Golden Rule will be in Cuba several days before and after the Jan. 2-8 program). Airfare to Miami and to Cuba (currently about $350 roundtrip from Miami). Cuban visa ($50-$100) Those traveling by plane should plan to arrive in Havana Dec 30 and Jan 2. Only a few people will be sailing to Cuba on the Golden Rule. INTERESTED IN JOINING US? Please contact Golden Rule project manager Helen Jaccard at helen.jaccard@gmail.com or call her at 206-992-6364. JOIN A SPECIAL ZOOM MEETING ON TUESDAY, NOV. 22 at 9 pm Eastern, 6 pm Pacific, with Proximity Cuba's Rodrigo Gonzalez and Sharen Wrobel. See Zoom information below. If you cannot come, but would like to support the voyage: The VFP Golden Rule Project will incur various expenses related to sailing to Cuba. We will also bring humanitarian aid for the victims of Hurricane Ian. We would like to raise $5,000 to cover voyage expenses and another $5,000 (or more) for humanitarian aid. Please donate. Any amount will help! • vfpgoldenrule.org and click Donate • send a check to: VFP Golden Rule Project PO Box 87 Samoa, CA 95564 • phone Helen Jaccard at 206-992-6364 and make a donation by credit card Sailing for a Nuclear-Free World and a Peaceful, Sustainable Future! Helen Jaccard, Project Manager Gerry Condon, President Golden Rule Project VETERANS FOR PEACE www.vfpgoldenrule.org 206-992-6364 And after Cuba! The ship will travel from the East Coast weest through the Great Lakes next summer, with plans to arrive in Milwaukee in Septermber, 2023. The Veterans for Peace Chapter chapter #102 is already planning for the arrival of The Golden Rule in the harbor of Milwaukee. To get involved with that event, contact: www.facebook.com/MilwaukeeVetsforPeace/ vfpchapter102@gmail.com Join the crew to organize around peace and nuclear non-proliferation issues. Check out the schedule to see where she puts into a port near you! They’re looking for volunteers along the route. http://www.vfpgoldenruleproject.org/ Learn more about the ship’s history here in this 10-minute vimeo: https://vimeo.com/259060401 Contact: vfpsoaw@yahoo.com

Listen to an interview of John Peck, Director of Family Farm Defenders - from Dec. 8th - on community radio wdrt 91.1 fm with Dena Eakles: https://www.wdrt.org/?post_type=post&p=7921 Learn about the Farm Bill - food sovereignty - agribusinnes - good food - and so much more! And here's more on the Farm Bill.... Family Farm Defenders helped draft this statement and is among the 50 organizations that signed it, along with the National Family Farm Coalition and many others allies. ************************* November 16, 2022 The next Farm Bill can only be “climate-smart” if it reduces agricultural reliance on pesticides, says diverse coalition 50 organizations send public letter to congressional committees drafting 2023 Farm Bill FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Deidre Nelms, dnelms@comingcleaninc.org, 802-251-0203 ext. 711 Today, 50 organizations sent a public letter to the House Agriculture Committee and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, calling for a transformative 2023 Farm Bill. They urged the legislators to incentivize reductions in pesticide use, include provisions to protect farmworker health, and increase funding and research for organic and regenerative farming, representing fenceline communities, food system workers and farmworkers, family farmers, businesses, scientists, and environmental health and justice organizations. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that global agriculture contributes 34% of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change, but the Farm Bill has not explicitly addressed climate change since 1990. An estimated 1 billion pounds of pesticides, manufactured from fossil fuel feedstocks, are used on United States farms each year. The next Farm Bill could decrease agricultural carbon emissions by incentivizing farmers to reduce reliance on pesticides, in favor of regenerative, climate-resilient practices such as certified organic farming, the letter states. “As we prepare for the 118th Congress and the negotiation of the 2023 Farm Bill,” the letter reads, “U.S. agricultural policy must create an agricultural system that values human life today and for generations to come. To do that, we will need to shift investments away from ineffective, misguided, and unproven solutions – peddled by industry lobbyists under the guise of being ‘climate smart’ – and towards solutions that we know actually work: Transitioning to chemical-free agriculture, focusing on methods that promote soil health, supporting community-based farming and food marketing systems, and redirecting federal incentives away from industrialized producers towards farmers utilizing regenerative and agroecological methods.” The letter goes on to offer actionable recommendations that Congress should include in next year’s Farm Bill that could accomplish these goals, including: Amending the Farm Bill’s Conservation Title to protect human health in addition to soil health; Redirect funding currently provided through crop insurance and commodity programs that incentivize the crops, farms, and farming methods that drive demand for chemicals; Increasing funding for the Rural Development Title to improve housing for farmworkers; Incentivizing retiring farmers to pass farmland onto Indigenous people and beginning farmers with historical or modern ties to that land; Increased funding/enforcement of antitrust regulations in agriculture to ensure fair prices for consumers and fair wages for farmworkers; Eliminating support for industrial-scale livestock operations. The House Agriculture Committee and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will begin drafting the next Farm Bill this year. It is expected to be authorized by September 2023. # # # Coming Clean is a nonprofit environmental health collaborative working to transform the chemical industry so it is no longer a source of harm, and to secure systemic changes that allow a safe chemical and clean energy economy to flourish. Our members are organizations and technical experts — including grassroots activists, community leaders, scientists, health professionals, business leaders, lawyers, and farmworker advocates — committed to principled collaboration to advance a nontoxic, sustainable, and just world for all. Sent to WNPJ by John E. Peck Executive Director Family Farm Defenders, P.O. Box 1772, Madison, WI 53701 tel./fax. 608-260-0900 www.familyfarmdefenders.org

Let Cuba Live! Ask President Biden to reverse the Trump administration’s last minute, unjustified listing of Cuba as a state supporter of terrorism. This scares off foreign banks from handling any trade between Cuba and other nations, even for food and medicine. It also threatens European travelers from visiting Cuba, as they will generally then not be able to enter the U.S. in the future. PLEASE TAKE ACTION by signing the petition sponsored by Code Pink, asking Biden to remove Cuba from this list, thus returning to the U.S. position before 2021. Action Alert sent to WNPJ by Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba Contact: Art Heitzer Mailing address: PO Box 1848, Milwaukee, WI 53201 Phone: 414 628-2547 E-mail: wicubacoalition@gmail.com Website: https://wicuba.org/

The videos of this event are now available! On Sunday, November 13th WNPJ hosted its annual Fall Assembly in Milwaukee (and via zoom). Each year we take this time to bring individuals and organizations together, to set the vision for the upcoming year, to honor the efforts of peacemakers and peace builders…and to get into some “Good Trouble”. We were at Marquette University, hosted by MU Peacemaking Center - a WNPJ member group! Video of a Welcome to the Assembly with pt Network Coordinator Judy Miner: https://youtu.be/m-4SybFaH2kas Debra Gillsipie interviews Tynnetta Jackson about what Abolition means to her, before the Meeting begins...https://youtu.be/2Z_0wyiC3PY This year’s theme was Abolition: Addressing the Root Causes of Violence ....with special guest speaker - Angela Harris. To learn more about Angela Harris, check out this conversation with Widening the Circle host, Dena Eakles. And watch the video of Dena Eakle introducing Angela to the WNPJ Assembly on Nov. 13th: https://youtu.be/7KUOAEaeU8E ************************************ Presenting the Peacemaker of the Year Award to Claude Motley Learn more about Milwaukee's Claude Motley of the Emmy award-winning documentary, "When Claude Got shot” . Here's the video of Debra Gillispie and Mary Kay Baum introducing Claude Motly at the Assembly https://youtu.be/MQS7Blmze0k- .....with links to the documentary, "When Claude Got Shot" https://youtu.be/bs0nma7yNTc and https://whenclaudegotshot.org/ ********************************* WNPJ's 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Art Heitzer. Art's activism includes Peace Action Wisconsin, Milwaukee’s End the Wars Committee, Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba, the National Lawyers Guild, and the Milwaukee Turners. Art Heitzer received this Award for his lifetime of peacemaker work, from his student activism at Marquette University through his very important and prominent role in our Milwaukee and Wisconsin Peace Community. Here is the video of the event - on Nov. 13th. Art was introduced by Julie Enslow of Peace Action WI, and his Award presented by Tynnetta Jackson and Mary Kay Baum. https://youtu.be/rQC4F7Vht4o Thanks to volunteer Dan Folkman for the editing of these Assembly videos! Learn of previous Lifetime Achiever Awards here... Inspired by the work of many of today’s Abolitionists, it is our hope to share their work and to uplift the narrative. To help us begin to build a shared understanding of abolition, here is an interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUtpuU4mzOM with Derecka Purnell and Trevor Noah on her book Becoming Abolitionists and her understanding and the need for abolition today.