Peace Network News

Anonymous — December 1983

Gatherings were held across the continent following the showing of the ABC film, The Day After on TV on Sunday, Nov. 20.
The invitation for a Toronto meeting that was to be held at Bloor St. United Church said as follows, “This kind of programme can move people to action or to despair. Face-to-face support can help us and remind us that we still live in the day before. Together we can create a different scenario then than the holocaust The Day After depicted.”
Judging from the many calls coming in to the CANDIS office on the Monday after, lots of people are being moved into action.
Often, people had been thinking about it for a long time but had not got around to doing anything. Others just did not know what to do and someone else suggested a number to call.
Be awed by the splendour of life while helping out CANDIS. Martha Warnes is holding an exhibit of photography titled “Homage to Man and Nature”. The opening is December 5 from 7-9 pm at the First Unitarian Congregation at 175 St. Clair West in Toronto. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to CANDIS. The exhibit continues till January 1. Call xxx-xxxx for info on viewing hours. For more on the show, call Martha Warnes at xxx-xxxx.
The Peace Petition caravan campaign is gearing up. Handy cardboard copies of the petition re available form CANDIS in Toronto or from the campaign office at 600 Bank St, Ottawa; K1S 3T6, or call 613-xxx-xxxx. The petition is aimed at your individual federal member of parliament for the next election, slated for early September 1984. Help make elected representatives responsible to their electorate.
Watch for the new novel Wardays, to be published by Holt Reinhart and Winston in April 1984. Co-authored by James Kunetka Jr, who has written on Los Alamos, and Whitney Streiber, the novel takes place in the U.S. after a nuclear war with the Soviets. It deals with how people respond as the two authors travel across the States. Many scientists are expected to endorse it and it will also be made into a movie. A Nuclear Times story calls it a chilling and effective anti-nuclear statement.
Women in Australia have taken a stand against Pine Gap, a key U.S. satellite communications base called the “eyes and ears” of American defense. The base is so secret, even the Australian government doesn’t know what’s happening there. One of its prime functions is to pick out Soviet targets. The women held a peace camp and civil disobedience on November 11th. Pine Gap is a number one target of attack. For more info write Woman for Survival, Box 3603, Alice Springs, N. T. 5750, Australia.
Fighting for the right to demonstrate …the 14 members of the Ontario Queen’s Pad< Peace Camp who were arrested June 30th and fined $200.00 are appealing their convictions.
In his ruling Judge Vanek stated protestors may no! hide behind the veil of the constitution, and freedom of speech and assembly don’t apply to demonstrations. He said demos are not legal but are only tolerated. The peace camp members are willing to go to Supreme Court to uphold their basic rights and freedorns. The appeal group urgently needs money to cover the $500 fee for transcripts of their trial. Plenty of free encouragement would also be appreciated.
Donations should be made payable to: Queen’s Park Peace Camp Defence Fund c/o Iler, Campbell and Associates, 136 Simcoe St, Suite 201, Toronto, Ont. M5H 3G4. For more info call Bernice or Bob Spence at 416-xxx-xxxx.
A very merry Christmas! And incredibly happy Channuka! And a peaceful, joyous and prosperous New Year to all — from all of us at The Peace Calendar.
SANE (Students Against Nuclear Extinction) is now in its 3rd year at Weston Collegiate. If you want to start a group in your school, you can phone John Chang at xxx-xxxx for further information.
Youth Action for Peace (YAP) was originally founded by Ottawa high school students at Glebe C.I. Aside from a die-in, a picket of the Tory convention, and leafletting the film “Wargames.” and a few civil disobedience actions, not much was happening.
The recent school strike, on November 11th, changed all that. In organising for the strike, YAP has gained well over 300 serious contacts, and is now operating out or its own office. Although based in the high schools, collectives are forming at U.of O., and Carleton University.
Current plans for the winter include weekly non-violence workshops, organising collectives in the schools, and aiding them in the publication of underground school papers.
We encourage other youth groups to contact us at: Youth Action for Peace. 126 York St., Suite 202, Ottawa, Ont. 613-xxx-xxxx.
Bob Bossin is collecting ‘Home remedies’ for nuclear war — neat little ideas that mere people can effect. Also new wrinkles to old ideas, eg turning a protest letter into a protest chain letter, or passing out blank cheques with a collection bucket. Or effective little tips, arguments, jokes, whatever someone has found helpful and thins someone else will be able to use. Send remedies to Bossin at 3271 Main St, Vancouver BC V5W 3M6. Phone 604-xxx-xxxx.
Many thanks and much appreciation to Kolya, Robin, Wax, Richard, Charles, Sandy, Martin Joseph, Steve and Wayne (?) for moving CANDIS’s printing press one dark Wednesday evening.
In 1965, Britain’s BBC-TV refused to air Peter Watkins’ film The War Game. In 1983, The Moral Majority urged its sympthasisers to boycott corporations who advertised in ABC TV’s The Day After, in an attempt to prevent advertisers from supporting such a realistic film. Perhaps it is time we encouraged the dissemination of educational information by participating in an “anti-boycott” of those advertisers. Not because they advertised in this film, for that was in all certainty a decision based entirely on business criteria — but because they were not afraid to advertise. There is a world of difference between advocating censorship and the boycotting of companies whose business practices are unethical. If any of us feel that there should be more debates such as the ones aired following The Day After, they could write to its advertisers indicating their appreciation. The advertisers on the Global TV version of the show were Schneiders meats, Braun shavers, Canon, Gulf oil, Honda, Activision, Greyhound Canada, First Choice haircutters, Shell oil, Superchannel and Renault/AMC.

The Peace Calendar

Canadian Disarmament Information Service, 1983-1984

Peace Network News