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2006 Summer Journal

CALLING ALL PEACEMAKERS: THE NEED FOR ALL PEACE GROUPS TO UNITE INTO ONE MOVEMENT WHO’S ONLY GOAL IS TO “BRING WORLD PEACE”; LET’S START IN PORTLAND

The world today is a critical and dangerous place:

  • In the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is a festering sore.  This conflict must be solved.  We must as citizen peacemakers find ways to heal this wound and bring peace to this conflict.  I ask you to work for peace in the Middle East or to join the Institute in organizing a conference of Nobel Peace Laureates on the issues. It is a dangerous conflict for it could be the catalyst for the exchange of nuclear weapons, at any time.
  • I also ask you to listen to contemplate the great human suffering in North Korea.  In the last 8 years up to 4 million people have starved in North Korea and as many as 300,000 have been executed trying to escape this starvation.  There is great danger on the Korean Peninsula.  The leader of North Korea is afraid of “regime change” and a nuclear exchange could also occur there.  Join the Institute in supporting our work with Nobel & former President Kim Dae Jung in a gathering of Nobel Peace Laureates.

I would like to ask all of you to join me in starting a world peace movement that starts right here in Portland and engages people in creating a “community of peacemakers”.  Men and women and students who believe that the only way to peace is through the path of non-violence and who wish to work together with this common tool.  Peacemakers who work to see that non-violence, as public policy, spreads throughout the world.

Citizen peacemakers, just like you, who believe world peace is possible and who have faith that if we can engage enough people in the world to believe world peace is possible, we will be able to accomplish it.  Faith is the key, we must have faith that world peace can happen, faith in ourselves, faith in each other and faith that we can bring together one large planetary movement; and faith that a more peaceful world is possible.

The world needs peacemakers today; the world needs you and it needs you to see yourselves as a peacemaker. There are many ways to work for world peace.  The key for a world peace movement starting in Portland is to have one common goal. Please help the Institute work with all the peace groups, starting in Oregon, to have that common goal: “Our Goal Is To Achieve World Peace”.

Sincerely yours,
Gary Alan Spanovich, Executive Director

The International Peace Center To Be Located In The South Waterfront Area
Portland, Oregon

On-Going Meetings on The Concept Of Developing An International Peace Center

  • An International Peace Garden Dedicated To The Nobel Peace Laureates
  • Linus Pauling Square-A Place For Public Gatherings
  • An International Peace Building To House Offices For Oregon’s Institutions

Overview of the International Peace Garden Concept:

  • The Garden would be dedicated to the highest aspirations of humanity
  • The Garden would be a place of beauty and would inspire all who visit it
  • The Garden would become a signature aspect of Portland’s urban environment
  • The process used to develop the Garden would be one of “peacemaking”
  • The Garden would be dedicated to the highest ideals of humanity and the values which the Nobel Peace Laureates have used to bring aspects of world peace; they are:
    • The value of Compassion
    • The value of Reconciliation
    • The value of Compassion
    • The value of Self-Sacrifice
    • The value of Hope
  • We intend to bring to Portland a special team of world peace leaders, the Nobel Peace Laureates to help develop the theme and bring national attention on the effort.
  • A major question the Garden of Peace should ask is: What is Portland’s healing?
  • The Garden of Peace should be focused on harmony, it should be in the present and forward seeking, rather than backward focused;
  • It should define harmony as an integration of: nature & people and be Wholistic in approach;
  • Peace for the whole means peace for every individual; peace for the whole comes from the individual journey of peace;
  • Wholeness is an outgrowth of switching the focus from the “self” to the “other”, i.e. how can I help the other, rather than what can I get out of this for my self;
  • The Garden should be positive, aspiring, and establish a new vision of peace; it should not be driven by the past, but what the future could be if our highest aspirations can be realized;
  • It should start with at question: What are the foundations for peaceful coexistence in humanity?
  • The Garden should create hope and demonstrate (with programs) how the average citizen can do something for the broader whole; it should be a “can do” Garden;
  • The Garden should not be politicized but should focus on our highest aspirations for peace;
  • It should encourage a sense of “Universal Responsibility” and a sense that all human beings on the Earth, are part of one large family, one Universal sisterhood and brotherhood
  • The South Waterfront Area is the ideal place to locate it:
    • Near the Tram touch down point & served by the street car from downtown;
    • Near the River a transition zone between human development & the natural world;
    • to have space in a building that would be attached or nearby so that the on-going use of the Garden would have a program with a “peacemaking” component;
    • An area of the River could be created that would have a salmon pond, thus the healing of the human relationship with the natural world;
    • Certain design elements could reflect Northwest values: a long house and some involvement with Oregon Tribes; the symbol of the Native American “peace pipe”.

Overview of the Linus Pauling Square Concept:

Linus Pauling is Oregon’s only Nobel Peace Laureate and the only person to win two Nobel prizes in separate categories. His Nobel Prize in Chemistry has a foundation around it and is located at Oregon State University. His Nobel Prize in Peace also has a foundation around it and is located in the rooming house his mother operated at one time at Hawthorne Boulevard & 39th Avenue.  We wish to create a one acre square where large gatherings can occur and where Nobel Peace Laureates, such as the Dalai Lama can give talks.  The following is extracted from the Nobel Organization web page:
Linus Pauling (1901- 1994), the only person who has won two undivided Nobel Prizes, was born in Portland, Oregon, the son of a pharmacist, Henry H.W. Pauling, and Lucy (Darling) Pauling. He attended Washington High School in Portland but because of a technicality did not receive his diploma until 1962, long after he had received his bachelor’s degree from Oregon State College in 1922, his doctorate from the California Institute of Technology in 1925, and honorary degrees from universities in 7 countries.

The use of the atomic bomb near the end of the war turned Pauling in a new direction. As one who had long worked on the structure of molecules, both normal and abnormal, on their behavior in the human body, and on their transmission through heredity, he took an immediate and intense interest in the potentially malignant effects of nuclear fallout on human molecular structures, as well as in the forces of blast and fire released by an exploding bomb. From the late forties on, Pauling, as a member of Einstein’s Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists, this was active from 1946 to 1950, as a supporter of many peace organizations, and as an individual, has waged a constant campaign against war and its now nuclear nature. He calculated estimates on the probable frequency of congenital deformity in future generations resulting from carbon 14 and radioactive fission products released by nuclear testing, and publicized them; protested the production of the hydrogen bomb; advocated the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons; promoted the banning of tests of nuclear weapons as a first step toward multilateral disarmament.

In the early fifties and again in the early sixties, he encountered accusations of being pro-Soviet or Communist, allegations which he categorically denied. For a few years prior to 1954, he had restrictions placed by the Department of State on his eligibility to obtain a passport.  In 1958, on January 15, he presented to the UN the celebrated petition signed by 9,235 scientists from many countries in the world protesting further nuclear testing. In that same year he published No More War!, a book which presents the rationale for abandoning not only further use and testing of nuclear weapons but also war itself, and which proposes the establishment of a World Peace Research Organization within the structure of the UN to “attack the problem of preserving the peace”.

When the Soviet Union announced a resumption of nuclear testing in August, 1961, after the nuclear powers had voluntarily withheld testing for three years, Pauling redoubled his efforts to convince the Russian, American, and British leaders of the necessity of a test ban treaty. He spoke as a man of science. His intellectual position is summarized in a communication published in Harper’s Magazine in 1963: “I have said that my ethical principles have caused me to reach the conclusion that the evil of war should be abolished; but my conclusion that war must be abolished if the human race is to survive is based not on ethical principles but on my thorough and careful analysis, in relation to international affairs, of the facts about the changes that have taken place in the world during recent years, especially with respect to the nature of war.”  The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, outlawing all but underground nuclear testing, was signed in July, 1963, and went into effect on October 10, 1963, the same day on which the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that the Nobel Peace Prize reserved in the year 1962 was to be awarded to Linus Pauling.

Overview of the International Peace Building Concept:

The Wholistic Peace Institute is working with a number of large partners in the South Waterfront Area to fund raise for a building that would house both offices for the Institute and offices for Oregon’s major Universities; other international peace building organizations; institutions dedicated to global health initiatives; etc.  Our goal is to have the building be both a research center for world peace, bringing Nobel Peace Laureates there for 2-12 month stretches to work with our researchers as well as professors from Oregon colleges and other organizations to: prepare studies, hold conferences both here and internationally, and gather world President’s together to implement the plans the Nobel Peace Laureates come up with.

Major components of the International Peace Building are:

  • The International Peace Building would have office space for the Wholistic Peace Institute and a series of researches who would study the peace agreements and how the Nobel Peace Laureates achieved lasting peace in the areas they worked.  This would give a ‘body of knowledge’ that could offer new solutions to today’s conflicts.
  • The Peace Building would also house offices for as many as 6 Nobel Peace Laureates to stay in Portland for anywhere from 2-12 months, doing research, conferences and empowering our University professors and inspiring our students.
  • Major Universities in the state would have dedicated office space there where they could house professors; interact regularly with Nobel Peace Laureates; co-teach classes there with Nobel Peace Laureates.   The Institute has regularly worked with Oregon’s Universities as partners and the following have hosted Nobel Peace Laureates with the Institute:
    • Lewis & Clark College
    • University of Portland
    • Portland State University
    • Reed College
    • Marylhurst University
    • Oregon State University
    • Linfield College
    • Other schools would be welcome
  • The Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Education Association could also have offices to further research the Nobel Peace Laureate messages and how we can educate our students to take them as role models and apply their messages in their school room relationships.
  • Other peace international peace organizations such as Mercy Corps; Rotary International.
  • Institutions such as Oregon Health Sciences University who pursue a path related to “global health’ would also have major office space.
  • Professions such as the human rights attorneys in Oregon

There are few people more knowledgeable about Korean economics, politics and human rights than former South Korean president, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Kim Dae-Jung.  As a journalist turned career-politician, he has struggled for South Korean democracy and human rights for decades, enduring imprisonment, exile, and attempted murder at the hands of former dictatorial regimes.  Finally, after two unsuccessful attempts at the South Korean presidency, he won, in 1997, ushering in a new era of social justice and democratic leadership.

Few citizens in South Korea are held in as much reverence as Kim Dae-Jung.  Many foreigners know of Kim Dae-Jung through his Nobel Peace Prize for helping to bring increasingly peaceful relations between North and South Korea, known as “the Sunshine Policy,” but what many do not know about is his other great success: a keen insight into the economics of South Korean society and why it so vital for Korean society to achieve a social democracy based on fair distribution of wealth.  Kim Dae-Jung’s alternative governmental policies are presented in his latest book, in a long series of books, titled, Mass-participatory Economy: A Democratic Alternative for Korea.
Admittedly, on reading the title, I imagined visions of participatory economics on the scale of Mondragon in the Basque region of northern Spain.  However, what I found was quite different, though not altogether unfamiliar.

Strongly opposed to the South Korean governments of former dictatorial regimes, Kim Dae-Jung advocated his faith in democracy as a way to liberate the nation from imbalanced economic policies.  While equally placing his ideals in a free market economy, he understood that a “free” market could not be truly free without economic democracy – nor globally competitive.  Kim Dae-Jung noted that Capitalism’s triumph over Communism is often misinterpreted, and should be viewed, instead, as the victory of democracy over dictatorship.  He adds, that since the fall of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the ideological confrontation between Left and Right has increasingly approached what could be termed a ‘mixed center’, wherein economic justice is coupled with the efficiency of the free market system.  Though this is in contrast with Mondragon’s worker-owned cooperatives
, the results seem to show a similar effect of decentralizing power through government intervention via democratic institutions; that is to say, a healthy balance among business, labor, and government.  According to Kim Dae-Jung’s analysis, South Korea requires the separation of ownership and management because of past economic policies which created an “unholy collusion between state power and a handful of business tycoons” creating a system described as ‘monopoly-dictatorship’ capitalism, creating companies known as “chaebols”
.
After the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula (1905-1945), WWII, and the Korean War (1950-1953), South Korea was devastated and required decisive action to lift it from its poverty.  Strong authoritarian leaders emerged, and though economic growth was possible, serious distortions developed, notably in the gap between rich and poor, urban and rural, large and small businesses, and severe disparities among geographical regions.  In his book, Kim Dae-Jung deals with these issues, including a brief history lesson of previous administrations.  He provides insightful commentary on why price stability is critical to economic justice, why eliminating parasitic land speculation is vital to solving the housing shortage, and why financial liberalization and restructuring equity markets is important to ensure adequate financing for small to medium enterprises.  Additionally, he explains the importance of nurturing cooperative labor-management relationships, reviving the rural economy, and educational reforms. Please read Mass-Participatory Economy!
Peace In Our Schools & Peace In Our World
By Gary Alan Spanovich, AICP; worldpeace@canby.com
The Wholistic Peace Institute has developed a peace curriculum focused on Nobel Peace Laureates for middle and high schools in Oregon.  The beginning of this work was in 2001 with the Dalai Lama’s (1989 Nobel Peace Laureate) Youth Summit which attracted 10,000 high school students.  The Institute is working with the Oregon Department of Education in pilot testing this curriculum in five schools.
The Goals of this Nobel Peace Laureate based school curriculum are:

  • To make Oregon schools safer
  • To make students feel safer in Oregon schools
  • To learn about Nobel Peace Laureates who-role models for conflict resolution

To teach students new skills & approaches for resolving conflict in schools.
The five schools and five teachers who applied the curriculum are:

  • Tony Crawford; Ackerman Middle School, Canby
  • Angela Nussom, Centennial Learning Center, Gresham
  • Richard Gratz, Boeckman Creek Elementary, Wilsonville
  • Scott Beck, Portland International School, Portland
  • Vicky Martin, North Clackamas School District

On the cover of the Journal, two of the teachers appear with Dr. William Schulz, our 2006 Nobel Summer Peace Institute speaker.  The Institute envisions that with the development of the International Peace Building, there will be many opportunities for students and Oregon teachers to work with Nobel Peace Laureates.

Lewis & Clark College will sponsor again in 2007 as they did in 2006 a ‘Teacher Training Day” focused on this work and give teachers who sign up to learn how to teach about Nobel Peace Laureates in the classroom, continuing education credit. Check with the Institute or the Lewis & Clark College of Continuing Education for times of this class.

Monthly World Peace Lunches

We continue our tradition of monthly world peace lunches at Abu Rasheed restaurant on the third Friday of each month at noon.  Lunches are $14 for a gourmet Lebanese meal which contains many vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.  The restaurant is located at: 1921 SW 6TH AVENUE; CALL 503-274-4412 TO LET THE RESTAURANT KNOW YOU ARE COMING

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

  • Friday, September 15th, Noon, World Peace Lunch, Ron Tammen, Director of the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University
  • Friday, October 20th, Noon
  • Friday, November 17th, Noon
  • Friday, December 15th, Noon

PLEASE ADD THESE DATES TO YOUR CALENDAR!

WALKER RIVER PAIUTE TRIBE
THE WOVOKA GHOST DANCE & PEACE CENTER
SCHURZ, NEVADA

The Wholistic Peace Institute has worked for 7 years with the Walker River Paiute Tribe in Schurz, Nevada on helping them to restore their native culture and Ghost Dance Ceremony, a ceremony that was prohibited for the last 116 years. The Institute convened a conference on Wovoka two years ago, inviting all Tribes west of the Mississippi and worked with the Foundation For Shamanic Studies and the Angeles Arrien Foundation on; restoring Wovoka’s Gravesite; supporting Wovoka’s living relatives in holding a reunion dinner; helping to support the Tribe in holding the Ceremony, the first time in 116 years this past May.  The Institute is also helping them to fund raise and develop a conference, cultural and religious center to maintain and restore their traditions. The following was published by the Walker River Tribe to introduce those to the Ghost Dance Ceremony:

The Culture Board for the Walker River Paiute Tribe has authorized returning the ceremony we call Na’a Nugga which means FATHER DANCE. It was the non-Indian who invented the term Ghost Dance. The Dance itself lasts 4 nights and 5 days.The ceremony of Na’a Nugga:
It is an ancient ceremony it is not known how long this ceremony existed. It is a power ceremony which the participants pray for the people, the water, and the stability and safety of the mother earth and all that inhabit the earth with us the animals, birds, fish even the insects. The dance itself is similar to the round dance. We pray for the sick, those having a hard time. Those who choose to participate in this ceremony will suffer. They will be expected to fast with no water or food. Subsistence will depend on your tenacity, and inner strength, and prayer to the Grandfathers and those who have gone before us. One night will be to honor those who died at Wounded Knee protecting this ceremony. At all times we honor prayers to the Messiah and Grandfather Wovoka and the other Chiefs who died in struggle. The third night the Ghost Dancers will Doctor those individuals who feel they need this help. This ceremony is only being returned after many days of prayer, after much discussion and many requests from different tribes asking when we were going to bring back this much needed ceremony. It’s as if the tribes are waiting for Walker River.

The Ghost Dance was outlawed by the United States Government, as were all traditional ceremonies. It was decided that participants be tribal members with I.D.  P.O.C will be Raymond Hoferer or Misty Benner.  The Ghost Dance medicine is very powerful. The songs are about nature and how we relate to the different times of the year, pine nut songs and other songs describing things happening in nature. For example one song talks about a stream rushing down the mountain and hitting a black rock and that is the whole extent of the song. It is not as how many feel that we are worshipping evil spirits; nothing can be farther from the truth. It is our ancient ceremony to keep health and harmony in the tribe and to keep balance on the Mother Earth.  Given the circumstances of the condition of the mother earth, the wars, the hurricanes, and other natural disasters, the burning of the earth’s atmosphere with pollutants, the chances of our survival are slim at best. The prophecies of Wovoka and other Tribal prophecies all point to the return of the ghost dance to return balance. At this time Christian worship will not be recognized at this ceremony. The Na’a-Nugga pre dates Christianity. We are the trustees and protectors of the Mother Earth our children know nothing of who we are and our purpose here on the mother earth. They need to see these ceremonies take part and realize that being Native means exactly that and they have to realize who they are, a member of our gang the Agai Dicutta tribe. A Tribe well known in Indian country,

During the late 1890s the Indian people were herded onto reservations, the poorest lands the government could find. We were lucky we were able to remain in our traditional lands. But it was still hard as animals were scarce and we could not leave to gather our traditional foods such as pine nuts, and other important medicines and foods. People were sick and dieing all over Indian Country. They heard about Wovoka and came to Walker River to ask for help and some of the Ghost Dance medicine, which they were given. It is documented that up to 10,000 gathered to hear Wovoka speak. They offered sacred pipes in exchange for help and to show signs of alliance with Numu People including the Lakota, and Dakota Nations. Sitting Bull sent his personal emissaries Short Bull and Kicking Bear.  Wovoka predicted the Buffalo would return which they did, as have other prophecies he predicted would take place. The dance brought us through the last 100 years and now it is time for this ceremony to take place to help us through the next 100 years. We will re- institute this ceremony for our children and future generations of Native people. We cannot leave our children with nothing, or the tribe and our future will be nothing.  Matnosopa.
Notes From The Meeting With President Kim Dae Jung
Monday, February 20, 2006, 4pm
Summary of the Main Points Discussed

Summary of Main Points

  • Gary asked President Kim for permission to write and have the Wholistic Peace Institute publish a book on President Kim and his world peace plan for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.  Gary suggested that this book should be about 100 pages and should be available on President Kim’s next visit to the United States to communicate out to the US audience his views and his personal life story, which is profound.  The book will cover the following major areas:
  • Explore your early years, your struggle for human rights in Korea, your political career & presidency, and you’re Nobel Peace Prize-the 3 point unification plan-and your vision on how Korean Peninsula reconciliation can occur over the next 10-15 years.
  • President Kim gave his blessing to this project and asked him to work with Mr. Yang and Ms. Paek, he said that there was a great deal of material here and that he would make that available for the use of the Wholistic Peace Institute for this purpose.
  • Gary asked President Kim about helping to bring humanitarian relief to the North Korean people through the US Governments North Korean Human Rights Act.  Gary indicated that the Wholistic Peace Institute was working with the Oregon Congressional Delegation on obtaining earmarked funds for the 2007 budget cycle and to use these funds to bring food and medical supplies directly to the North Korean people, working with NGO’s in South Korea who work for humanitarian purposes:
    President Kim felt that both North and South Koreans would look with suspicion on funding that came from the US government, given the current state of tension that exists between the US government and the North Korean government.
    He suggested that it would be better to send the food aid directly to the North Korean people, working as a NGO in North Korea.  He also felt that the US would greatly improve the atmosphere if they would work directly with the North Korean government, rather than as they are.
  • He felt that it would be better if NGO’s worked directly with the North Korean government as the first step to an eventual working of the US government with the North Korean government.
  • Other Points:
    Gary requested that the Wholistic Peace Institute be able to attend the Nobel gathering at the Kim Dae Jung library in June.
    Gary mentioned the standing offer of Lewis & Clark College to award an honorary doctorate of human letters to him and to co-host him on his historic visit to Portland.  President Kim said that he would follow the advice of his doctor and would have to wait for any international travel until his doctor approves this.
    Gary and President Kim spoke briefly about the larger gathering of Nobel Peace Laureates that the Wholistic Peace Institute would like to bring to Seoul, in the next two years.
    • The WPI intends to hold a conference of all western Native American Tribes in Portland in about a year, as part of it’s Native American Peace Project and this conference could play a role on design;
    • There could be a floating element, which could be moved up and down the River for different festivals: West Linn, etc.
  • Fund-Raising:
    • The Garden could be developed in a section of the property which has been dedicated to the City by the Jay Zidell family.  They might be interested in the Garden as a family legacy, dedicated to the highest aspirations of humanity;
    • OHSU might be interested;
    • PSU might want to be involved; Also other Universities-the University of Oregon Landscape students; the University of Portland Peace Studies Department; etc.;
    • Bob Pamplin and the connection of the Garden to Ross Island might be interested;
  • Connection to the Institute’s on-going work: A state wide effort with ODE on developing a curriculum on Nobel Peace Laureates; Return of the Dalai Lama to Portland to open the Garden; The Institute’s & PSU annual Summer Peace Institute.

To: Pilot Study Teachers:

From: Gary Alan Spanovich

Re: Upcoming Free Summer Peace Institute & Results From Your Pilot Study

Portland’s Role In Creating A US Department of Peace: A Cabinet Level Position In The Presidency
Dot Maver, Executive Director of the Department of Peace Campaign & Former Staff To Dennis Kucinich, Presidential Candidate Will Give A Talk & Lead A Forum With Portland’s Religious Leaders On

Friday, June 16th, 2006; 7 PM to 9 PM; Abu Rasheed Lebanese Restaurant; 1921 SW 6th Avenue; Near PSU; Phone: 503-274-4412; $20 for a delicious Lebanese Meal

  • Dot  Maver, Executive Director Will Speak On A US Department Of Peace

Saturday, June 17th, 2006, 9 AM to Noon; Free; At ____________

  • Come and participate with other local peacemakers on how Portland can participate to promote the idea to support the idea of a Minister of Peace position in our Federal Government
  • A Joint Forum By The Wholistic Peace Institute & The Oregon Department of Peace Organization
  • For Registration & More Information Contact: Ken Bryan; Dist. #3 Team Leader; Department of Peace Campaign – Oregon; www.dopcampaign.org ; kendbryan@yahoo.com
  • Schedule:
    • 9 AM: Dot Maver; Lynn McMullin Gary Alan Spanovich: Why The US Government & Other Governments Of The World Need A Minister Of Peace In Their Cabinet
    • 10 AM: Panel Discussion With Religious & Political Leaders On The Need For A Minister Of Peace In Government; Moderator-Gary Alan Spanovich
    • 11 AM: Small Group Work; Planning For A Series Of National Town Halls To Craft A New US Peace Plan; Ken Bryan-Coordinator
    • Nooninsh: End Of Session; Lunch On Your Own & Community Building

MY LORD I AM YOURS
CALLING ALL PEACEMAKERS

It is with great pleasure and honor that I welcome you here tonight. You, as well as the musicians and poets are all peacemakers or you would not be here.

The world today is a critical and dangerous place:

  • In the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is a festering sore.  This conflict must be solved.  We must as citizen peacemakers find ways to heal this wound and bring peace to this conflict.  I ask you to listen to this music tonight & allow yourself to be inspired and to listen to your still small voice and how you as a peacemaker can contribute to healing this conflict. It is a dangerous conflict for it could be the catalyst for the exchange of nuclear weapons.
  • I also ask you to listen to our music of peace tonight and contemplate the great human suffering in North Korea.  In the last 8 years up to 4 million people have starved in North Korea and as many as 300,000 have been executed trying to escape this starvation.  There is great danger on the Korean Peninsula.  The leader of North Korea is unpredictable and a nuclear exchange could also occur there.  Listen to your own still small voice tonight through this inspirational music and see how you as a peacemaker can help heal this conflict.
  • I also want to mention Reverend Phillip J. Buck, a US pastor who has been arrested by the Chinese government trying to relieve the suffering of the North Korean people. The Wholistic Peace Institute awarded him its 2005 Wholistic Peace Prize today; for his dedication to world peace; his courage in the face of extreme personal danger; and his humanitarian heart for helping to relieve some of the worst starvation on the earth.  Ms. Grace Yoon his daughter accepted the award on his behalf.  Grace is here tonight and at our human rights table, please go up to her and say hello afterwards.  Please take one of the form letters she has and mail it in the next two weeks, there is a chance we can get him released from prison, if we can get 1000 letters off.

I would like to ask all of you to join me in starting a world peace movement that starts right here in Portland and engages people to create a “community of peacemakers” who believe that the only way to peace is through the path of non-violence and one that spreads throughout the world.

Citizen peacemakers, just like you, just like our performers, who believe world peace is possible and who have faith that if we can engage enough people in the world to believe world peace is possible, we will be able to accomplish it.  Faith is the key, we must have faith that world peace can happen, faith in ourselves, faith in each other and faith in the greater mystery that brought us together here tonight for purpose.

Tonight is about faith and our faith that a more peaceful world is possible.  Our performers are peacemakers and they are men and women of faith and they are here to nurture you, to restore you, and to inspire you to go out tomorrow and work for world peace.

The world needs peacemakers today; the world needs you and it needs you to see yourselves as a peacemaker. There are many ways to work for world peace.  Our program tonight is about the cultural path to world peace and we hope to create a World Peace Garden in Portland that will embody that ideal.

Thank You.

Dear Institute Member:

I want to let you know of a new international project that the Wholistic Peace Institute is committing to, it is an AIDS orphanage, school and medical facility in Ghana.  This 60 acre site was donated to Eric Vormanns a spiritual healer from Ghana and is located about 3 hours north of Accra by car. The land was donated by the Village Chief for purposes of building this important school for the children of Ghana as well as West Africa.  Right now Eric has raised $6,000 to partially complete an office for the school and needs an additional $7,000 to complete the project by the end of the year.  I have included some pictures of the school on the next page.

Eric Vormanns was born in Ghana, recognized early on as having special healing abilities and trained in his tribe’s healing traditions. He later moved to Europe where he further refined his work and visits the West Coast of America annually to share his humanitarian service work and spiritual mission.  I have called Eric a friend for over ten years and have encouraged his vision of helping African children and so it is time for me to “step to the plate” and help him, I hope you will join me.

I am planning on going to Ghana in January of this year for the opening of the office.  We will have one of the representatives of the Ghana government; local church leaders; and representatives of local Rotary clubs attending this opening ceremony.  Once the office is complete on the site, we will then begin fund raising in earnest to begin the construction of the school.  We have had donated architectural and engineering plans for the larger school. We envision a school that will hold at first 20 students; then 100; and then will have the capacity to grow beyond that, helping as many children as possible… The Village Chief has also offered more land as needed.  At first we envision 4 teachers being employed at the school.

  • If any of you are interested in traveling with me to Ghana, please email me?
  • If any of you are interested in seeing the plans of the larger project, please email me?

For now though, I am asking your help with raising the $7,000.  I would like to ask the supporters of the Institute to donate towards this cause.  If you would consider donating $500 that would help the most, in the time frame we wish to finish the office.  If this is too much, would you consider?

  • Holding and cooking a dinner for your friends and inviting 10-20 people to your home and asking for a donation of $25 to $50 each; with the goal of collecting donations of $500 for the evening.  I would be happy to attend and show some slides of the children in Africa you would be helping.  These would be tax deductible donations as the Institute is non-profit in Oregon.

I developed and helped to build in India, in Hanuman Junction, AP in India in 1995 a school for street children; it presently holds 65 children and I have been there a number of times.  Rotary, both the Canby Rotary club and the Indian Rotary clubs helped me greatly with the fund-raising.  Also I did dinners above with my friends to begin the project.  This children’s project in Africa would be the second school I have developed.

In working with Eric Vormanns, the Executive Director of the Ghana Resources Center for Human Development, the non-profit in Ghana that is developing this school, we have talked about the Wholistic Peace Institute having a desk there.  Where we could reach out to African Nobel Peace Laureates; Universities in Ghana; health agencies; and develop both global health and global peace initiatives on the African continent, from this base.  I hope you will support this and help the Institute raise $7,000 by December.

Gary Alan Spanovich, Wholistic Peace Institute