"War is obsolete. We are not here to fight something or tear something down; we are here to be the example of what is possible. Any sane individual will tell you that violence is .. not the way..." - Buckminster Fuller

Sydney Event: Tom Sine - renowned author, theologian and futurist
TEAR, The Evangelical Alliance, and the Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand invite you to hear renowned author, theologian and futurist, Tom Sine at Trinity Chapel, Macquarie University (136 Herring Rd North Ryde) at 7.30pm on Monday 21st April.  Tom’s new book, The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time, describes a new generation of innovators, all imagining new ways, in these uncertain times, to give creative expression to that new world that Jesus told us is already here. These new conspirators are not only creating new models but they are also raising important questions about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, be the church and do mission that need to be discussed by the entire church.  Come and be inspired to be a difference and make a difference that reflects something of God’s kingdom. Cost $10, Students and unwaged $5.  RSVP to John McKinnon: nsw@tear.org.au

One World ready or Not! -Tom and Christine Sine Event
Melbourne, Friday 11 April / Sydney, Friday 17 April
http://www.evangelicalalliance.org.au/Default.aspx

Lest We Forget
This website provides information on people from Aotearoa / New Zealand who have made significant contributions to and suffered in the process of promoting peace.
From this site you can download a booklet that can be used in groups to reflect on the lives and actions of these peacemakers on ANZAC Day.
This resource was produced with the assistance of the Peace and Disarmament Education Trust (PADET), a Trust established with funds donated by the government of France after the Rainbow Warrior bombing, and administered by the Department of Internal Affairs.
http://lestweforget.org.nz/

Pine Gap Update
Posted by: "Donna Mulhearn" donnamulhearn@yahoo.com.au
The judges of the NT Court of Criminal Appeal published the reasons for their decision to grant our appeal.
ABC Radio National’s Law Report ran a story about our case in its program on Tuesday, April 1 (if not then a week later) which includes an interview with Ron Merkel. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lawreport/
Meanwhile, Jesuit Priest and Professor of Law, Fr Frank Brennan wrote an article about our case for the Eureka Street website, link below
http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=5997
And our ecumenical support continues with this story on a Uniting Church website: http://www.thetransitlounge.com.au/connections/pinegap
ANZAC Day @ Pine Gap - April 19 – May 3 Peace Gathering
This is an invitation to all Christian and Gandhian nonviolence activists who want to advance their knowledge and practice of nonviolent direct action in Australia together. Other faiths welcome!  If you want to explore nonviolent interventionary action, share insights, hone your skills, or celebrate the developing peace networks on earth, come to Campfire in the Heart this April for ANZAC Day. Participate in your way in a full range of available nonviolence activities and options.

Pat Dodson chooses brand Mandela
Recently Australia's 'father of Reconciliation' Pat Dodson identified the secret of Nelson Mandela's success in building the nation of South Africa from the ruins of the apartheid regime: love your enemy.
http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=6534

Book Review: RECONCILIATION: Islam, Democracy, and the West, By Benazir Bhutto.
It is a book of enormous intelligence, courage and clarity. It contains the best-written and most persuasive modern interpretation of Islam I have read. Part of what makes it compelling, of course, is the identity of its author. People have often asked when respected Muslim leaders would denounce Islamic extremism and articulate a forward-looking and tolerant view of their religion. Well, Bhutto has done it in full measure.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/books/review/Zakaria-t.html?_r=1&8bu&emc=bua2&oref=slogin

Video: FALLOUT: Coming Home From the War in Iraq
A short film by Ava Lowrey about the war in Iraq and its effects on our returning troops - Pro-war or anti-war, we should all take the time to listen to what our returning troops have to say. Watch It:
Myspace(Film Your Issue Entry) | YouTube

Interview: Pete Seeger: How Can I Keep from Singing?
Sarah van Gelder interviews Pete Seeger on a life of music and the power of millions of small changes…Learning how to do something in your hometown is the most important thing. … If there’s a world here in a hundred years, it’s going to be saved by tens of millions of little things.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=2296&utm_source=mar08&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=6_hdr

On the Journey Towards Living Nonviolently
When I sprained my ankle last year, the doctors' advice on gauging how quickly I could return to normal activities was "Let the pain be your guide." Well, thanks be to God, I was never in such pain that I couldn't walk (with an Aircast), drive, and concentrate on my work. Still, I was, for much longer than I'd expected, far from engaging normally in normal activities. I learned that pain isn't just the intense end of the spectrum. In fact, I had discomfort, and that is part of the pain continuum too. It had significance, and it had an impact on my life.
My conception of violence is similar. It's easy for me to define violence in the big way, at the intense end of the spectrum: fortunately distant from my direct experience and almost too frightening to contemplate. But as the Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh and many others have pointed out, violence is also present in small acts: tugging too hard on a sticky door, muttering an expletive in an instant of frustration, being in such a rush that I cut off or discourage someone who wants a bit of my undivided attention.
It's sobering to acknowledge how many moments of my day are, albeit mildly, part of the violence continuum. But only by recognizing my violence can I hope to transform it, for my own good and the good of all those whose lives I-knowingly or unknowingly-touch.
- SUSAN M. S. BROWN is an Episcopalian laywoman and freelance editor who lives near Boston, Massachusetts
http://www.henrinouwen.org/

Anabaptist Story: From "Anti" to "Ana" Baptist
I am a military veteran. And I am a Mennonite. Some Mennonites, when they have discovered that I have been in the military, have instantly ended our conversation. Others, after hearing my story, have told me I am a "real" Mennonite: someone who intentionally follows Jesus down the path of peace.
http://thirdway.com/peace/?Page=2054|From+%22Anti%22+to+%22Ana%22+Baptist

1 Peter 2: 19-25
It is greatly to your credit if you can cop it sweet and keep looking to God when you are being treated cruelly and unfairly by others. Of course, there is no great credit in copping it sweet if you deserve the punishment, is there? But if you are being made to suffer for doing the right thing, then God will applaud you for taking it on the chin and holding your line. After all, it comes with the territory in the life to which you have been called. Christ set the example on this when he suffered for your benefit, and we should all be following in his footsteps.
 “He never did anything wrong, and not a word of a lie ever passed his lips.”  When he was abused, he never retaliated; when they inflicted pain on him, he made no threats of revenge.  He trusted God to get him through, and to judge the right and wrong of it all.  He copped the consequences of our corruption in his own body on the cross, so that we could walk free with a clean slate and dedicate our lives to doing what is right.  When he was wounded, we were healed.  Before that we were as far off track as a penguin in the desert, but now we are back where we belong, in the care of the one who protects and guides us.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net