From the Director:

By the time you read this, we will likely know who will be US President for the next four years.  Regardless of which man that is, there is still much work that needs to be done to build a world of peace based on justice.  For the past few months, to survive the noise of the election campaign, I have reminded myself that politicians exist to seek power, not to build power.  The building of a powerful mass movement for change is up to each one of us in a democratic society.  The month of November in Pittsburgh offers many opportunities to be a part of that important work, including: 

  • On November 18, Amy Goodman will be receiving the Merton Award at the annual Thomas Merton Award Dinner.  We hope you can join us and be inspired by Amy’s tireless dedication to the creation of independent media during a time of war.
  • The first week of November will feature a “Week of Resistance” and actions for peace and justice, to include a town meeting on “Building a Progressive Movement” on November 6.
  • Save Our Transit has a month long of activities planned to prevent devastating proposed fare hikes and service cuts.  The active members of Save Our Transit have impressed so many with their broad based organizing for dedicated funding for public transit.  If we lose this battle, it will be difficult to imagine winning any significant battles for public services in the near future.
  • The TMC is launching what promises to be a massive healthcare campaign involving individuals most impacted by the severely broken U.S. healthcare system.  The hope is that “Healthcare Not Warfare” will become more than a slogan as a larger movement for healthcare gains momentum and strength, led by the stalwart activists of PUSH.
  • The Western PA School of Americas Watch is once again taking the annual trek down to Fort Benning, GA by the busloads to oppose U.S. government funded terrorism at that military school.  There is still time to sign up for one of the buses.

There is no shortage of opportunities to get involved.  If not now, when?

- Tim Vining