Be Carbon Neutral - go to CarbonCounter.org, e-bluehorizons.com, NativeEnergy.com or CarbonFund.org. Pick the Wind Energy Option. Fill in the form with your total energy use and sign up for a monthly contribution via credit card - usually less than $20. 

• December General Assembly: Lee Wallach - Interfaith and the Environment
• December Interfaith: The Holy Day Season and the New Civilization
• Reconciliation - East Congo
• September 30th Nuclear Disarmament Followup report.
• September 6th Nuclear Disarmament Conference 

At the fifth annual Interfaith Unity Awards Dinner of the South Coast Interfaith Council, the Unity-and-Diversity World Council and Rev. Leland Stewart were given recognition for our interfaith work over the years.  An award certificate came from Janice Hahn, Councilwoman of the 15th District of Los Angeles.  Award certificates also came from Jane Harman, U.S. Congresswoman.  A beautiful plaque was given to Leland Stewart by the South Coast Interfaith Council.  All of you who have been involved in this important work are to be congratulated and urged to continue in these efforts.  We enthusiastically thank the South Coast Interfaith Council for its recognition!     

BACKGROUND:  The General Assembly began as the one activity of the Unity-and-Diversity World Council (UDC) which deals with the entire Unity-and-Diversity Wheel.  UDC started during International Cooperation Year 1965, which was initiated by the General Assembly of the United Nations. The Nuclear Disarmament and Global Climate Change Campaigns are efforts to expand the work of the General Assembly, coordinated by Roger Eaton and Leland Stewart.  October to February will focus on Global Climate Change, followed by a conference next March or later.  Post cards will be sent to Congress people and others on relevant issues.

FEATURED SPEAKER:  LEE WALLACH, M.S.W., M.P.A.;  President, Interfaith Environmental Council and Council on the Environment and Jewish Life; CEO, Community Assets Consulting.  Has been a featured commentator on National Public Radio and KCET's "Life and Times". 
 
 

THEME:  INTERFAITH & ENVIRONMENT ON GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE (#3 Session)

Both Al Cohen and Jim Stewart, our previous speakers on global climate change, feel that the next step in getting the needed help to make the world safer is to involve more people from the faith communities.  Other individuals and groups are also welcome in this challenging effort. 

BRIEF PRESENTERS ON VARIOUS PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE ECONOMY, ARE: 

• Roger Eaton, Developer of new General Assembly process; chairperson, decision-making time
• Leland Stewart, Founder, UDC; administrator, educator, minister, author, trumpet player 
• Stephen Longfellow Fiske, Singer, songwriter, composer; Producer, Venice Ecofest
• Marguerite Spears, Rep., Citizens for Global Solutions; Member, Unitarian Church Santa Monica
• Dr. Gary Herbertson, Environmental activist; formerly UNEP; UDC Board member
• Robin Gillies, UDC Board treasurer; Representative, United Nations Association, Pasadena 
• Andre Graham, Social activist; producer of "L.A. Inside Out". UDC Board member 
• Elizabeth Stewart, Co-founder, UDC; artist, communicator, UDC Board member
• David Turner, Secretary, UDC Executive Board; student for Unity-and-Diversity Ministry 
• Madelon Logue, Editor/Publisher, "Black Sheep", a Seth publication 
• Jon Turetsky, Teacher/entertainment industry worker; Peace Sunday photographer (tentative) 
• Andrew Liberman, peace activist; member, Nuclear Disarmament Committee (tentative)

COST:  Love offering -- $10 suggested; $8 for members; refreshments after meeting

                                                    ADVANCE NOTICE 

Sun. Jan. 18, 2-7 p.m. -- PEACE SUNDAY at Blankenship Ballet Studio in Venice.  Order a table.

BACKGROUND:  This Interfaith Celebration is the fourth in the 2008-09 monthly series at faith communities in greater Los Angeles.  These events are sponsored by World Interfaith Network, a Specialized Affiliate of Unity-and-Diversity World Council (UDC).  They include music, meditation and prayer, interfaith candlelighting, messages, and dialog. 

THEME:  THE HOLY DAY SEASON AND THE NEW CIVILIZATION 
Year's theme:  Faith and Politics

In the midst of our present global chaos and financial downtown, it is important to keep in view what lies beyond.  As western civilization comes to an end, global civilization is just  emerging on the horizon.  What will the new civilization be like?  How will it differ from western civilization? What does the Holy Day Season have to do with the civilization now being born? What can each of our faiths contribute to the new vision and manifestation? 

BRIEF PRESENTERS INCLUDE:  The Stewarts will be our host and hostess. 

• Rev. Leland Stewart -- Will speak on the deeper meaning of the Holy Day Season.
• Stephen Longfellow Fiske -- Singer, guitarist, songwriter; producer, Venice Ecofest.
• Rev. George Hines -- Minister, Downey Center for Spiritual Living
• Al Duffy -- Tour guide as several Buddhist temples; has been away due to illness
• Fred Bayer -- Member, Temple Beth Emet (Judaism) in San Fernando Valley
• Keki Gandhi --Representative, Zoroastrian Association of California
• David Turner --Secretary, UDC Executive Board; Unity-and-Diversity Minister
• Mary Mann, Ph.D.-- Playwright; coordinator of Science and Spirituality book project
• Carl Hult -- Soloist & choir member, various L. A. choirs; supporter, World Scriptures
• Laura Hunter -- Poet; Unity-and-Diversity Minister; Sant Mat devotee
• Howard Mungo -- Representative, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University; actor
• Wilma Striebeck -- Former staff person at UDC; metaphysical minister
• Bibi Haleem -- King Fahad Mosque; Ven. 
• Chao Chu -- Rosemead Buddhist Tmp. (tent.)

Venue:  STEWART RESIDENCE, 12806 Matteson Ave. #10, Los Angeles Westside. Take Santa Monica Fwy. west to San Diego Fwy., left to Venice (1st exit), right to Venice, left to 1 block beyond Centinela (Wade St.), left 2 bl. to Matteson, right 1 bl. to Moore St.  Park on street.  Go to 2nd floor, then down hall on right. -- From Lincoln turn east on Venice Bl. to Moore St., right 2 bl. to Matteson.  (Moore is 1st bl. beyond Beethoven). 

Suggested donation:  $10; $8 for members. 

Dear Friend,

            I would like to highlight the growing conflict in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of  Congo, the area that shares a frontier with Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi -- basically the administrative provinces of North and South Kivu, and ask for your help. The situation is growing ever more dangerous.  There are many newly displaced persons since fighting started anew in late August 2008 -- some 250,000 persons uprooted by the violence.  In addition, there are over a million persons who had already gone to refugee camps, often far from their original villages.

            The United Nations has its most numerous peacekeeping force in the area -- some 17,000 soldiers -- but there is, alas, no peace to keep.  There is a need, not so much for soldiers, as for peace bridge-builders, persons who are able to restore relations among the ethno-tribal people of the area, especially among the Hutu and the Tutsi, who also live in Rwanda and Burundi.

            The Association of World Citizens is particularly interested in developing bridge-builders, persons who are able to begin the long process of restoring broken relations and setting in place a framework of reconciliation. The people in eastern Congo have lived together for many centuries and had developed techniques of conflict resolution, especially between the two chief agricultural lifestyles: agriculture and cattle herding. However, political considerations, a desire to control the wealth of the area -- rich in gold, tin and tropical timber -- all these factors have overburdened the local techniques of conflict resolution and have opened the door to new, negative forces interested only in making money and gaining political power.

            The United Nations, national governments, and non-governmental organizations need to develop bridge-building groups which can help to strengthen local efforts at conflict resolution and re-establish community relations.

            In the Congo, events are moving quickly, but largely in a negative, more conflict-driven direction.  In the short run, it is difficult to know what is possible to transform the situation. But your interest in developing a corps of bridge-builders is welcome.  World Citizens were among those in the early 1950s who stressed the need to create UN peacekeeping forces of soldiers especially trained for such a task.  Today, we need to take the lead to press for the creation of a new type of world civil servant -- those who in areas of tension and conflict can undertake the slow but important task of restoring confidence among peoples in conflict, establishing contacts and looking for ways to build upon common interests.

            Your efforts in this effort are most welcome.

Rene Wadlow, Representative to the United Nations, Geneva, Association of World Citizens 

A 12 person follow-up committee for the Sept 6 nuclear disarmament conference met on Sept 30th in Mar Vista and in a harmonious and productive meeting put us on track toward making the LA Area Nuclear Disarmament Coalition a reality. 

It is in our grasp to bring this coalition to life, so it is excellent news that we did have a good follow-up meeting.  The time is propitious in a couple ways.  With Obama we have a candidate who is actually mentioning nuclear disarmament as a national goal, and even the realist wing of the Republicans (and McCain, too) are paying lip service to the idea.  Moreover Helen Caldicott is coming on the 12th to Long Beach, and that will give us a great opportunity to talk to people from all the nuclear disarmament groups in the area. 

Our assumption is that we need to foster some kind of regular contact amongst formally assigned representatives from each of the participating organizations.  We, as the follow-up committee, are separate from the coalition representatives.  Our purpose is to create a self-sustaining coalition.

The meeting agenda 

1) Shall we set the building of a monthly conference call of group representatives as our primary objective? 

2) How shall we organize ourselves to accomplish the necessary outreach? 

3) Wh at suggestion(s), if any, shall we make to the group representatives? In this discussion we should have reference to the four themes that came through in the prioritization voting at the conference in both global and local sessions: a) reach out to existing nuclear disarmament organizations; b) fulfill the NPT; c) the importance of influencing American leadership; and d) work through the arts.  One person who at the last minute called in unable to attend for family reasons suggested that we stress the importance of making alliances - for instance, with the anti-mine movement.

4) How shall we organize our own continuation? 

5) A fifth item was added to the agenda at the meeting: fund raising.

Meeting results

On the question of the conference call as the backbone of the new coalition, we agreed to organize such a call, but thought that it would take some building up to, so we are aiming at January 2009 or more likely February for t he first such call.  We will need someone to lead the call, and we need to organize the substance of the call, right down to knowing exactly who is going to speak, on what (possibly with some open discussion as well).  For the substance of the call, we thought we would start with the four themes that came out of the prioritization exercise at the conference.  Plus in our outreach we would talk to the organizations to get further ideas. 

Suggestions for conference call topics included making alliances, continued signature gathering for the NAPF petition, fund raising, including possibly a Nuclear Disarmament Walk in the Aids Walk format, or something similarly participative, though not necessarily a walk.  Whether fund-raising would be an appropriate topic for a first conference call was questioned on the grounds that we need a substantive plan before we think about raising money.  We decided that this should be a question in our outreach as we developed topics for the first conference call. 

As for the follow-up committee itself, we will hold our next meeting in early December at the same Mar Vista location, tentatively Tuesday, Dec 9, 7:30 to 9:30 pm.  The Unity-and-Diversity World Council has offered the follow-up committee a 501(c)(3) haven as an autonomous committee within the UDC framework.  Presumably the goal of a continuing follow-up committee would be as a service group for the coalition, giving the conference call participants a group of willing volunteers to call upon.  The other possibility is that the follow-up group will play midwife and then disband after a self-sustaining coalition is going.  This will be further discussed in the December meeting. 

Most importantly, for outreach, we put together a list of organizations that either participated in the September 6th conference, or are supporting the Helen Caldicott presentation in Long Beach on October 12th.&n bsp; For many of the organizations someone volunteered to make contact.  In each contact, we will cover three points: 
That the organization appoint a liason to the new coalition, someone who will participate in the conference call and report back to the organization. 

That the organization supply a short statement of its stand on nuclear disarmament. 

Also, we are looking for feedback about the substance of the conference call, with special reference to the four themes, and to the question of the suitability of talking about fund-raising and making alliances.
Here is the list of organizations.  The asterisk means that has someone from the follow-up committee already volunteered to contact this organization.  If you know people in these organizations, whether with an asterisk or without, and if you want to join us in making contact, please email or call me.  Ditto if you have the names of other organizations that should be on the list. 

* American Friends Service Committee
* Beyond War
* Campus Progressives, CSULB 
* Fellowship of Reconciliation 
* Gray Panthers
  Global Voices for Justice 
* Harry Bridges Institute 
* Islamic Center of Southern California 
* Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace 
* LA Jews for Peace
  Long Beach First Congregational
* Long Beach Greens 
* Military Families Speak Out 
* Muslims for Progressive Values 
* Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 
* Office of the Americas 
  Pacific Unitarian Church, RPV 
  Peace Action West 
* Physicians for Social Responsibility, L.A. 
  Presbyterian Peace Fellowship 
  Progressive Christians Uniting 
* Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics 
* Santa Monica MoveOn
* Student PSR
* Unity and Diversity World Coun cil
* Westside Progressives

To help with the outreach or to add your organization to the list, contact Roger Eaton: 
rogerweaton@gmail.com (with the words "nuclear disarmament" in the subject line)
310 390 5220. 

Date: Saturday September 6, 2008
Time: 12:45 pm - 5 pm - doors open at 12:30, conference begins at 1:00
Place: St. Bede's Episcopal Church, 3590 Grand View Blvd, LA 90066

Under the skilled guidance of MC Mickey Oskey of Westside Progressives, the conference was lively and harmonious with a good attendance of approximately 70 persons.  Conference organizers have received only kudos so far (except we should have served lunch earlier!). 

The three speakers were excellent.  David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation gave us a realistic view of the chilling facts, the dangers and the retrograde motion of the world in regard to nuclear disarmament, yet managed to project a hopeful view.  The key is American leadership, he stressed. Tad Daley lived up to his billing as an exciting speaker and top notch nuclear disarmament analyst with a talk focused on Iran.  He called for the nuclear nations to fulfill their part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty with immediate steps towards total nuclear disarmament as the only sensible way to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.  Marcy Winograd spoke movingly of her long time participation in the nuclear disarmament and peace movements, and of her realization how nuclear development hits home - here in L.A. with the Rocketdyne cancer cluster and in Iraq with the use of depleted uranium weapons.

In intense discussions at each table, the participants developed and voted on local and global priorities for an LA area coalition in two breakout sessions.  Against all advice, the participants were requested to categorize the priorities not just as local and global, but also as "message", "organizational" and "program".  As we can see from the good results of the breakout sessions, listed below, the participants did understand.

Participating organizations included: American Friends Service Committee LA, Beyond War, Citizens for Global Solutions, Friends of the United Nations, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics, Santa Monica MoveOn, Student Physicians for Social Responsibility, Unity-and-Diversity World Council, and Westside Progressives.

The organizational representatives sat together at one large table.  The conversation at the representatives table was by all accounts excellent.  While no explicit agreement was reached about forming a coalition, the groundwork has been laid.  Contact information was exchanged and there will be follow-up. 

Finally, a "Follow-up" committee sign up sheet was circulated and we have 17 persons on board.  A meeting of the follow-up committee will be held Tuesday evening, September 30th in the Mar Vista area.  All who signed up will be notified of details the week before the meeting.  The follow-up committee will decide its course at that meeting.  There is every chance that we can make this LA area Nuclear Disarmament Coalition take off in a big way, especially with the Helen Caldicott presentation coming up on Oct 12, which will provide another opportunity to connect. 

The conference was co-sponsored by the Unity-and-Diversity World Council (UDC) and the Westside Progressives.  Both organizations are highly pleased with the results.  Thanks to all who attended and especially to the speakers and the organizations that lent their names to the conference.

The impetus for the conference came out of the work of the UDC General Assembly.  The General Assembly's idea is to hold a series of conferences at 6 month intervals on global issues to build local coalitions that will address these global issues and will connect with the global networks that already exist around these issues.  In March or April of 2009, the next such conference will address the subject of global climate change, and in September, an L.A. conference on the subject of social justice, local and global will be held.  UDC is of the opinion that we need to stitch together local coalitions and particular issues into a single global movement for a world that works for all. 

For further information, feel free to contact Roger Eaton at 310 390 5220 or rogerweaton@gmail.com. Pictures thanks to Penny Kanouse, who invites you to her photo blog.  Also thanks to Lillian Laskin and all who helped with lunch and moving tables, and to Sandy Chaves whose table decor made the conference special.

Priorities were developed at breakout tables in two separate breakout sessions, the first devoted to local priorities and the second to global priorities.

Four themes come through in both global and local sessions: 1) reach out to existing nuclear disarmament organizations; 2) fulfill the NPT; 3) the importance of influencing American leadership; and 4) work through the arts.

The top four local and top four global priorities:  These are in order by number of votes, but bear in mind that we had 37 local priority voters and only 24 voting on global priorities.

Need to connect with other groups that have nuclear disarmament as one of their goals.
    Yes: 37   no: 0 - local

We will only support candidates that have nuclear disarmament priorities.
    Yes: 34   no: 1 - local

Promote and fulfill the N.P.T. (Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty) = No Nukes
    yes: 34   no: 2 - global

to influence the American leadership to enthusiastically support nuclear disarmament
nbsp;   yes: 32   no: 1 - local

anti-nuke ART CONTEST in SCHOOLS - HS, Middle, Grammar
    yes: 30   no: 1 - local

Work with existing International coalitions to promote nuclear disarmament.  [Do not create a new organization for this purpose.]
    yes: 27   no: 0 - global

Anti-nuclear education through art, theater, song, dance to transcend borders.
    Yes: 24   no: 0 - global

We must convince the American leadership to follow the rules of the N.P.T.
    Yes: 25   no: 2 - global
 

Results by type.  Priorities were developed in 4 categories: organizational, program, message and other. 

Global: yes: 231   no: 8   24 people voting (since each person had 10 votes)
 

Global organizational

Promote and fulfill the N.P.T. (Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty) = No Nukes
    yes: 34   no: 2

Work with existing International coalitions to promote nuclear disarmament.  [Do not create a new organization for this purpose.]
    yes: 27   no: 0

Connect with Sister Cities
    yes: 16   no: 0
 

Global Program

Anti-nuclear education through art, theater, song, dance to transcend borders.
    Yes: 24   no: 0

Let other outreach programs know about, and/or join in this coalition for nuclear disarmament:
    1) Sister-city programs
    2) Sister-school programs
    3) Student pen-pal programs
    4) Student essay contests
    5) student art contests
    6) student film contests
    7) .........????
    yes: 20   no: 0

24 hour live web world music for nuclear disarmament
    yes: 14   no: 0
 

Global message

Cancel the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and replace it with a new treaty that requires disarmament and makes it an international crime to enrich uranium (whether for military or "civilian" purposes).
    Yes: 19   no: 3

Preserve the human race - no nukes
    yes: 10   no: 0

group of kids on billboard pointing to mushroom cloud, saying "Is that the enemy?"
    yes: 10   no: 1

War Pollutes - Stop the Nukes
    yes: 7   no: 0

We are the World
    yes: 4   no: 0
 

Global Other

We must convince the American leadership to follow the rules of the N.P.T.
    Yes: 25   no: 2

Support UN's 1961 Declaration to abolish nuclear weapons.
    Yes: 21   no: 0

----------------------------------

Local   yes: 340   no: 27 -- 37 people voting (since each person had 10 votes)

Local organizational

Need to connect with other groups that have nuclear disarmament as one of their goals.
    Yes: 37   no: 0

Bring in faith groups, Christian, Buddhist, etc.
    yes: 25   no: 3

Monthly conference call
    yes: 13   no: 2

Each member gets one organization and we meet every two months.
    Yes: 7   no: 7
 

Local message

We will only support candidates that have nuclear disarmament priorities.
    Yes: 34   no: 1

My Home: a "Nuclear Free Zone"
    yes: 26   no: 0

Picture of large peace symbol with four messages around it: "Don't Use.  Reduce.  Dismantle.  Abolish Nuclear Weapons."
    yes: 26   no: 0

Op/eds w/ bi-partisan foreign policy experts, e.g. WSJ article by Nunn, Perry, Kissinger, Schulz - use to build broad agreement
    yes: 17   no: 2

Nuclear Disarmament is bi-partisan.
    Yes: 10   no: 0

Money for nuke bombs is taken from human needs.  Nuclear bombs threaten human rights and enslaves population.  Make it politically untenable to not support nuke disarmament.
    Yes: 5   no: 5
 

Local Program

to influence the American leadership to enthusiastically support nuclear disarmament
    yes: 32   no: 1

anti-nuke ART CONTEST in SCHOOLS - HS, Middle, Grammar
    yes: 30   no: 1

Coordinated area wide nuclear war film fest
    yes: 24   no: 1

Organize with Youth - UCLA - Programs - Films - Dan Hirsch, General Butler
    yes: 4   no: 0
 

Local other

Work to elect Obama for next 2 months
    yes: 32   no: 4

Abolish the US nuclear arsenal by bringing home the weapons currently deployed around the world and disarming them.
    yes: 18   no: 0

Our Global Assembly Dialog has begun!  Please join us! help fund the UDC Global Assembly unleash ROVR!

The lovely results of our Global Assembly Dialog fifth round are in now: 

What do we have in common? by Diane Hill

DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE

We the People, hereby declare our interdependence -- our connection to the Source of All Life and to all life forms.  We affirm that diverse individuals, groups, and networks are necessary for the creative development of humanity, and that to strengthen UNITY-AND-DIVERSITY throughout the universe is our individual responsibility and privilege.

We therefore pledge --

• To affirm the existence of a Supreme Beingness, called by any name or no name;
• To advance both individual initiative and human fellowship through mutual trust, understanding, and respect;
• To seek the truth in the spirit of love;
• To integrate reason and faith, science and religion;
• To ensure that all aspects of life be kept in dynamic balance for maximum health and well-being;
• To respect the teachings of the prophets and sages of all times and cultures;
• To provide present and future generations with the opportunity for full realization of their potential; and
• To build with joy a new civilization of freedom, justice, and peace founded on reverence for life.

Unity-and-Diversity World Council 
Contact Information

Leland P. Stewart, B.S.E., B.T., 
       Founder/Central Coordinator
P.O. Box 661401
Los Angeles, CA USA 90066-9201
Phone: 310-391-5735
FAX: 310-827-9187 (contact UDC first)
Email: udcworld1@yahoo.com
Website: www.udcworld.org