We are going to Gaza with a delegation from Physicians for Social Responsibility in 2 days ( 23 Oct). One of the requests we had is to help buy a $6,000 automated wheel chair, for a 36 year old who is suffering from quadriplegia as a result of cerebral palsy, he lives in Shejaya area.
If you would like to join this effort by making a contribution to help it would be wonderful. Time is critical, so just email me your commitment, I will front the money and take it with me. You can mail me a check or we can settle up when I return November. 1st.
When we return, Nov 1st, I will be looking for opportunities to talk about the trip.
Elliott Adams
Past President, Veterans For Peace
PO Box 195
Sharon Springs, NY 13459
518-441-2697
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Video on Iran
We recommend to you Rick Steves' DVD “Iran Yesterday and Today.” It does a nice job of humanizing Iranians and answers many of the tough questions American's have about Iranians http://www.ricksteves.com/iran/ .
in peace
Elliott AdamsTuesday, May 19, 2009
Just days ago we thanked you for your contribution in support of the VFP Iran Delegation.
Now we have to give you the sad news, Iran has not issued visas for VFP delegates Elliott Adams and Will Covert. It is their policy to give no explanation. We do not know what this means for the future, but for now it means that the VFP Delegation will not be going to Iran.
Now we have to give you the sad news, Iran has not issued visas for VFP delegates Elliott Adams and Will Covert. It is their policy to give no explanation. We do not know what this means for the future, but for now it means that the VFP Delegation will not be going to Iran.
We will be returning your donation today, with much thanks for your support of this important project. We are using Will's online bill-paying account to refund donations so you can expect a check for the amount you donated in about a week.
The vision of U.S. Veterans as with VFP of taking on a new role in foreign policy by building human bridges for international peace through People to People Diplomacy is still alive and is needed. We will continue to try to acquire visas to travel to Iran in the future, but it may be that others will have to carry the message and dream to Iran.
The vision of U.S. Veterans as with VFP of taking on a new role in foreign policy by building human bridges for international peace through People to People Diplomacy is still alive and is needed. We will continue to try to acquire visas to travel to Iran in the future, but it may be that others will have to carry the message and dream to Iran.
At any rate we hope you will support us in our next attempt at building bridges through People to People Diplomacy.
Peace and love.
Peace and love.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sad news
We have received sad news; Iran has not issued visas for Veterans For Peace delegates Elliott Adams and Will Covert. We have no explanation for why. But for now that means the Veterans For Peace Delegation will not be going to Iran.
The letters of peace we receive will be given to other people to take to Iran in May.
Our contacts are talking with Iran and we are still hoping, though they say it is unlikely, we can get visas for a later trip.
The vision of this Veterans For Peace delegation is still alive and needed - US veterans taking on a new role in foreign relations, that of building bridges of humanity to support international peace.
Will and Elliott will continue to try to get visas, but it maybe up to others to carry their dream of building people-to-people connections with Iran while they turn to other work.
Thank you to all of you who have supported us in this effort.
The letters of peace we receive will be given to other people to take to Iran in May.
Our contacts are talking with Iran and we are still hoping, though they say it is unlikely, we can get visas for a later trip.
The vision of this Veterans For Peace delegation is still alive and needed - US veterans taking on a new role in foreign relations, that of building bridges of humanity to support international peace.
Will and Elliott will continue to try to get visas, but it maybe up to others to carry their dream of building people-to-people connections with Iran while they turn to other work.
Thank you to all of you who have supported us in this effort.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Speaking Enagements
We want to talk to your group about the people we meet in Iran. We expect to find, that just as here in the US, some folks are nice and some are not so nice. But for the Delegation to be effective at building bridges of peace through people-to-people diplomacy, we will have to tell their story here. And when in Iran we will try to tell your story there. From our point of view, our return from Iran on May 30th will be just the beginning of the delegation's work. So ask us to speak to your group - call us, write us or contact us through this blog.
Stay in touch with us through http://VFPIran Delegation.blogspot.com
Stay in touch with us through http://VFPIran Delegation.blogspot.com
Peace Letter Project
We have been asked about our Peace Letter Project.
If you or your group would like for us to carry their messages of peace to Iran, email the messages to elliottadams2@juno.com, or snail mail them to PO Box 195, Sharon Springs, NY 13459-0195. But we have to have them by May 14th.
We ask you include your contact info. While we don't want to get anyone's hopes up we would like to make it possible for Iranians to reply. It is nice to acknowledge their unique culture if possible.
Remember these should be about peace. For the vets writing letters, remember that most Iranian vets are from the 10 year war with Iraq, which is seen as a a war of defense.
Stay in touch with us through http://VFPIranDelegation.blogspot.com
If you or your group would like for us to carry their messages of peace to Iran, email the messages to elliottadams2@juno.com, or snail mail them to PO Box 195, Sharon Springs, NY 13459-0195. But we have to have them by May 14th.
We ask you include your contact info. While we don't want to get anyone's hopes up we would like to make it possible for Iranians to reply. It is nice to acknowledge their unique culture if possible.
Remember these should be about peace. For the vets writing letters, remember that most Iranian vets are from the 10 year war with Iraq, which is seen as a a war of defense.
Stay in touch with us through http://VFPIranDelegation.blogspot.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Memorial Day Observance
We will be in Iran on the US Memorial Day. We have gotten positive feed back from our Iranian contacts and from US veterans about having some sort of commemoration of Iranian veterans on that day. We are not sure what form this should take. While we are relying heavily on our Iranian contacts to be sure it has the right tone in Iran, we would also like your suggestions and ideas
LETTERS TO IRAN
Vet to Vet letters of peace
We want to carry the message of peace from US veterans to Iranian veterans. While most of our veterans come from the Vietnam war, widely seen as a failed occupation, most Iran veterans come from the 10 year war with Iraq which is seen as a war of defense. But there is still common ground for letters of peace between our nations and a world of peace from our veterans to their veterans. We are looking for help and suggestions for gathering these letters.
Letters of peace from US children to Iranian children
We would like to carry messages of peace from US children to Iranian children. We would like help getting letters and gathering them together.
Christian to Muslim letters of peace
We want to carry letters of peace across both religious and political lines -- peace messages from US Christians to Iranian Muslims or, US Muslims to Iranian Christians or Zoroastrians, for example. We are looking for people who can help us gather letters and make this happen.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Veterans For Peace National sends a Delegation to Iran May 15th through May 30th
http://vfpirandelegation.blogspot.com
Why a Delegation? It is a visible way for Veterans for Peace to stand up for peace between nations. But more concretely as veterans we remember how the military consciously depersonalized, dehumanized and finally, demonized the enemy to get us to fight. The same steps -- depersonalize, dehumanize and, demonized -- are part of preparing the people of a nation to wage war on another nation. People to people diplomacy is about re-personalizing and re-humanizing the people of the another nation. It is about building human bridges that are firmly rooted in the people of both nations and lift the human connectedness over geographic and political barriers.
Delegate Elliott Adams says “As a soldier I found I was the tip of a bayonet of extremist capitalism, as it was plunged into the people of Vietnam cutting apart their lives and their world and, severing any human connections with the people of the US. As veterans we must choose to walk a different path, one of building human relations with the people of other nations and through that process building toward a world at peace.”
Why Iran? Iran is of central importance in the Greater Middle East: it is 3rd largest in population, 2nd largest in land area and, 2nd largest in GDP. It boarders on 8 countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It has ports on three major water bodies in the area. It has major oil and gas reserves. And, even with the election of Obama, we can not forget that Iran is still in the gun sight of many power brokers in the USA. While there is much that Iran does that Veterans For Peace does not agree with or think right, launching an attack -- overtly or covertly -- on Iran and inevitably on the people of Iran, will not improve any of their policies or actions.
After trying, unsuccessfully, to get an independent VFP Delegation into Iran, we have joined with Fellowship of Reconciliation. We have two delegates now, Will Covert and Past President Elliot Adams, others are welcome. The delegation will be from May 15th to May 30th. This trip is expensive, it was not budgeted in the VFP national budget. Any contributions toward the $4000 per person base cost will be very helpful in making this delegation -- this effort for peace -- possible.
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