Happy New Year

from the Golden Rule Crew!

Golden Rule Will Sail to Pacific Northwest

After consultation with the Golden Rule Committee and the Veterans For Peace Board of Directors, we have decided that the Golden Rule's summer 2024 voyage will be to the Pacific Northwest. We were last there in 2016 and look forward to seeing all of our friends and making new connections!

Once again, we plan to participate in wooden boat shows, protest against Nuclear-Armed Submarines, a Munitions Depot, and Seattle's Fleet Week.

And as always, we will have educational programs and ask politicians to support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and other measures to pull us "Back from the Brink" of nuclear war!

Voyage, Stop and Event Planning Meetings

If you live in Washington, Oregon or British Columbia near our route, please join our organizing zoom calls! As you can see from the schedule below, there are lots of dates open for stops and events.

First Meeting: Tuesday January 16 at 6:00 pm Pacific

Online:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81975577010?pwd=YUFXeXREVjQ3NUptZHhoRURUS015QT09

Or call by phone:

253-205-0468

Meeting ID: 819 7557 7010

Passcode: 1234

You can also check with Helen at 206-992-6364 or vfpgoldenruleproject@gmail.com for one-on-one conversations about the voyage.

Tentative Summer 2024 Schedule - please email vfpgoldenruleproject@gmail.com if you have ideas about where to stop or where to have/attend events by car near our route.

Support the Pacific Northwest Voyage

and help us buy new sails for the Golden Rule!

Since our 2nd set of sails were made in 2019, we sailed to and around Hawai’i and back, to San Diego and back to San Francisco Bay, AND the 11,000 mile Great Loop Voyage! In all, we may have put 20,000 miles on these sails and they are faded and thread-bare. We expect the new ones to cost at least $5,000.

Fortunately, one of our long-time supporters has a bit of extra money right now and offered to get us started – she is donating $1,000 towards the new sails! THANK YOU! Please think of this as seed money and add your own contribution.

We need your help to Keep the Wind in the (hopefully new) Sails of the Golden Rule.

Please donate one of these ways:

• Online:

• send a check to:

VFP Golden Rule Project

PO Box 87

Samoa, CA 95564

• Call Helen Jaccard with a credit/debit card #, 206-992-6364

UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Came into Force three years ago!

On January 22, 2021, Nuclear Weapons became the last weapon of mass destruction to be internationally illegal! Celebrate with an event in your own city, town or organization.

"We must never grow weary of working to support the principal international legal instruments of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [TPNW]."

-- Pope Francis, November 2019, Japan

The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) includes a

comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities.

These include undertakings not to develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile,

use or threaten to use nuclear weapons. The Treaty also prohibits the deployment of

nuclear weapons on national territory and the provision of assistance to any State in the

conduct of prohibited activities.

Here are some celebration ideas for people of faith.

The Nuclear Ban Treaty Collective has resources to help with your actions, including banners.

If you are participating in MLK events, please highlight his opposition to nuclear weapons!

Ask your Congressional Representatives to support federal legislation to:

• Embrace the Goals and Provisions of the TPNW, H. Res. 77
• Maintain Congress’ constitutional authority to declare war or a nuclear strike, H.R. 669
• Redirect military spending to meet human needs, H.R. 1134
• Redirect nuclear weapons spending to clean energy and human needs, H.R. 2775

Back from the Brink (of nuclear war) has advocacy tools that you can use any time!

This toolkit lays out ways you can get involved:

• Engage on social media
• Urge elected officials to endorse the campaign
• Spread the word via local media
• Work with local groups and leaders
• Pass a local resolution

Upcoming Events

The Golden Rule Project continues to give presentations by Zoom and endorses and promotes what our supporters are doing to eliminate nuclear weapons. Here are some events you may be interested in:

Sunday January 7, 2024, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm Pacific

Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library speaker series - join us online for:

Odyssey of the Veterans for Peace Sailboat

Speakers: Helen Jaccard & Gerry Condon

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85175860127?pwd=bfZRQOSMuhX9Pfm4qhPMOZMrmE9Ohm.1

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Available Wednesday January 10

Ed Fallon interviews Helen Jaccard on fallonforum.com - Ed is a former Iowa lawmaker and broadcasts weekly on topics of national political interest.

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Saturday, January 13, 2024, 2 pm - 5:30 pm Eastern

Reducing the Threat of Nuclear War (flyer below) Register Here

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January 31st - Feb 2nd, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern

Protest against the 16th Annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit

The Westin Washington, DC Downtown

(formerly known as Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel

One week after the 3rd Anniversary of the TPNW, which this year is focusing on debunking the failing, costly, most dangerous concept of nuclear deterrence, our entire nuclear weapons industry, with the many corporations and government agencies involved will be gathering in Washington, D.C. to do the opposite.... build them better, faster, more accurate and integrated in their overall omnicidal plans. More money flowing than even asked for, in hyped hiring mode.   

Please as individuals or organization try to come for an hour, a day, or all three days.  Pick your own times, 9 AM when their day begins to gather, or 5 PM when they get out, or lunch hour, or the whole day. 

Anthony Donovan will be there all three days, all day, and very much welcome solidarity. Bring banners, signs, flyers and develop your own non-violent action you feel best to stand up to this and say "Stop".  For more info, contact Anthony Donovan at antoneD@aol.com

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Saturday, January 27, 2024, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET

Pax Christi Massachusetts in association with Pax Christi USA presents

Building a World Without Nuclear Weapons: An Urgent Imperative

Register here

Featuring

Most Rev. John C. Wester

Archbishop of Santa Fe, NM

Dr. Ira Helfand

Past president of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and a member of the International Steering Board of ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

Marie Dennis

Catholic Nonviolence Initiative/Pax Christi International

Veterans For Peace:

Gaza Massacre could lead to Nuclear War

The VFP Nuclear Abolition Working Group wrote a Statement about how the middle east conflict could lead to a nuclear exchange. Although this is unlikely, a member of the Israeli Knesset has actually called for dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza– or as she calls it a “doomsday weapon.” It is an open secret that Israel has possessed nuclear weapons since the 1960’s. Israeli leaders have smugly refused to acknowledge the possession of nuclear weapons, and have signed no nuclear treaties. However, they have implicitly threatened Iran with a nuclear attack. As Daniel Ellsberg pointed out, the US and other nuclear powers use nuclear weapons all the time – it’s like pointing “a gun at someone’s head without pulling the trigger.”

Read the whole statement here.

Gerry Condon, President of the Golden Rule Committee and Board Member of Veterans For Peace, joined a delegation to Cairo, Egypt, in an attempt to reach the Rafah Crossing and press for more humanitarian aid for Gaza.

Read Gerry's article here: Witnessing Genocide and Dealing with Despair: What I Learned While Trying to Get to the Rafah Border