Friends,

The Las Vegas Peace & Justice Center is now posting some of the latest goings-on in the "Happenings" section of this website. Check it out. There are updates to read and actions to take.

And, of course, the "Calendar" section of our website posts upcoming meetings and events.

Also, if you'd like to listen to our lastest Community Peace Radio shows, just click on "Radiocasts."

And please feel free to post your "Public Comments" here. Your notes are welcomed, especially if they help to further the causes of Peace and Justice.

Thanks.

pat

Cold Weather Shelter UPDATE:

Please help if you can. See details from Naomi below. Thanks!

pat

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FROM: Naomi Swinton
DATE: 3 January 2009

Dear Friends --

Thanks to your support, the Samaritan House Cold Weather Shelter has now been up and running for 40 nights! We've had 234 uses of the shelter by 28 different people in that time, including 6 women and 4 veterans. The great majority of people using the shelter have been in their 40s and 50s, although we have had 2 families with children whom we have been able to assist, and individual guests as young as 19 and as old as 62. Most of the people making use of the shelter are chronically homeless local residents, although we have also served a number of people traveling through town. More than 40 people have been involved as volunteers and in making donations of clothing, food and other supplies. Many of you have supported the shelter -- and Samaritan House -- with a financial contribution. Thank you!

This Sunday completes our stay at the First Presbyterian Church. A huge thank you to Pastor Randy Campbell and the congregation who have made our stay there so positive. We couldn't have gotten this started -- or kept it going -- without their help.

On Monday we will be moving to St. Paul's Peace Episcopal-Lutheran Church at 810 8th Street. We have been offered a two-week stay there through January 18th, after which we hope to find one more host church before moving into a more permanent location. With the support of United World College and others we anticipate running the shelter at least through April. Again, a big thank you is in order to the many groups that make St. Paul's Peace their home -- we look forward to getting to know you and appreciate your willingness to host the Cold Weather Shelter.

We still need help! Volunteers are needed every night. We have two shifts: the early shift begins at 6:30 pm and involves registering the guests and serving a simple meal. Donations are sorted and passed out if needed. There is time to talk or show a movie. The late shift begins at 11 (or earlier if you prefer) and lasts overnight. Cots and bedding are provided for volunteers. The late shift volunteers wake the guests at 6:30 am and serve a simple breakfast and straighten up before leaving at about 7:15 am. If you would like to volunteer, feel free to stop by any night for an orientation. We keep a log book and have basic procedures for volunteers, and people always work in teams of at least two. You can contact Naomi Swinton at nswinton at mac dot com or 454 4228 to volunteer. We also maintain a Google calendar at http://www.uwc-usa.org/cec/index.htm (click on the Cold Weather Shelter link and then choose the 'week' view) so you can check when volunteers are needed. If your organization or group of friends can offer to make a weekly commitment (for example, always staff the Tuesday early shift) that would be tremendous.

We are also seeking one more person who can work regularly on the late shift; a stipend is available for someone who can work three nights a week. We continue to need donations of meals prepared in commercial kitchens and volunteers who can assist with social service referrals and support. We can also use socks and toothbrushes, and we are looking for a TV/DVD player if anyone has one to donate. We anticipate that by February we will be moving in to a more permanent location at which point we will be looking for a variety of donations and some work crew assistance!

Thank you so much for reading this. Please pass it on and help us continue to provide emergency shelter to those in need. Should you wish to refer people to the Cold Weather Shelter, our doors open for guests at 7 pm.

Best wishes for the New Year!

Sharon, Rosie, Naomi

P.S. A special thanks to Kevin, Stanley and Andrew who have provided core late night shift support! Also, three hurrays for Rick Abreu, Estella's and Johnny's Mexican Kitchen who have gone the extra mile to help provide us with food.

Please help with the Cold Weather Shelter if you can. Details below. Thanks.

pat

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From: Naomi Swinton
Date: December 9, 2008 1:34:29 AM MST

Subject: Samaritan House Cold Weather Shelter Update

Dear Friends --

The First Presbyterian Church has extended the stay of the Samaritan House Cold Weather Shelter through January 4th! We are very grateful for their generosity. Tonight there are nine people staying at the shelter. Thank you to everyone who has contributed food, clothes, toiletries, blankets, towels, and other items, and to everyone who has volunteered.

We are planning two volunteer trainings soon, but if you\'d like to volunteer for an early or late shift before attending a training we will pair you with someone who has done it before, and we can also give anyone interested a brief tour and orientation most evenings at 6:30 pm. Typically the volunteers open up at 6:30 and guests arrive from 7 - 9 pm. The evening volunteers serve hot drinks, a few snacks, and spend some time talking and watching a movie with the guests. Cots are set up upstairs and usually everyone is in bed pretty early. The late shift volunteers come between 9:30 and 11:30 and stay on cots downstairs. They wake up the guests at 6:30 am and serve a light breakfast and do a quick clean up. The guests leave at 7 am. We still need volunteers this week for Thursday night late shift (one needed), Friday night late shift (two needed), Saturday early and late (one), and Sunday and Monday early and late shifts. To sign up, please call me at 454 4228 or send an email. We would like to invite organizations to staff a night regularly; if your church or school or club could take that on, please let me know. You can check the schedule online by going to the UWC-USA Bartos website at http://www.uwc-usa.org/cec/index.htm. Click on the Cold Weather Shelter Schedule link and once there, if you click on \"week\" for the weekly view you will see volunteer names listed for each evening and night shift, or blanks where we are still in need of volunteers. A paper schedule is also at the church.

Many of you have dropped off food and other donations. Thank you! We are still in need of a few items: more cots; more blankets, more pillows, two reading lamps, men\'s socks and winter jackets. These items can be dropped off at Samaritan House (on Bernalillo Street) or at the First Presbyterian Church.

We could also use some helpers with tasks besides volunteering. A local rancher has donated some wonderful organic beef; we could use some help cooking it up into stew or casseroles. If you are able to pick up laundry and do a couple loads that would be a big help as well. Financial donations will be put to use to help people with special needs or emergency situations. Please help us get the word out to other people and organizations.

This is a very gratifying, tangible project. We have been amazed by everyone\'s generosity and willingness to help. Thank you!

Naomi Swinton
(505) 454 4228
naomi.swinton at uwc-usa.org

THANKSGIVING DAY by John McCutcheon

Chorus: Thankful for the food
Thankful for the company
Thankful for the things
That we do and say
Thankful for the friends
Thankful for the family
Glad to be together
On Thanksgiving Day

On the edge of season here in late November
Autumn nearly over and winter in the air
We have good reason to pause and remember
The blessing that we share

Chorus

Let us remember those gone before us
The ones with the brain and the strength and the might
Showed us the way, laid it before us
Turned the darkness into light

Chorus

Let us imagine those still in waiting
The ones who look so open-eyed
Those who\'ll one day rise before us
Strong and proud prepared to guide

Chorus

May the ways that we treat others
Be the measure of our worth
May our memory be a blessing
On the future of this earth

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THANKS A LOT by Raffi (1980)

Thanks a lot...
Thanks for the sun in the sky...
Thanks a lot...
Thanks for the clouds so high...
Thanks for the whispering wind...
Thanks for the birds in the spring...
Thanks for the moonlit night...
Thanks for the stars so bright...
Thanks for the wonder in me...
Thanks for the way I feel...
Thanks for the animals, thanks for the land, thanks for the people everywhere...
Thanks for all I’ve got.

THANK YOU -- A big thanks to all of our Voter Action volunteers who made Election Day 2008 a success here in New Mexico.

As a team, we accomplished a lot and were able to help many voters immediately resolve problems. First a bit of history -- After the 2004 presidential election, volunteers across the state gathered to try and better understand the voting irregularities and disenfranchisement caused by unreliable electronic voting machines. This year-long citizen-led effort resulted in the problematic systems being replaced by a more verifiable, reliable paper ballot voting system, making New Mexico a leader in the country on reclaiming our voting rights.

Voter Action NM Watch the Vote 2008 had 120 volunteers (Voter Action Election Verifiers) on the ground in New Mexico on Election Day, November 4, 2008. A total of 203 precincts were covered in the following counties: Sandoval (4% coverage), Bernalillo (10% coverage), Santa Fe (70% coverage), Taos (81% coverage), San Miguel (97% coverage) and Los Alamos (100% coverage).

With the guidance of the Voter Action national coordinators, the support of the law offices of David Garcia in Santa Fe, the work of the NM statewide coordinators (Pat Leahan and Arielle Hawney), and our county-level coordinators (Maria Santelli, Bernalillo County; Sonya Berg, Bob and Carrol Pearson, San Miguel County; Tony Isaacs, Taos County; David and Galila Harrington, Los Alamos County; and Robin Laughlin, Santa Fe County), our 120 Election Verifiers successfully monitored 203 precincts, and our statewide and county coordinators fielded hundreds of phone calls on Election Day in New Mexico.

Due to the work of our awesome team (that\'s you!), we were able to address many issues on Election Day 2008. Here is a sampling:

~ Absentee ballots: Voters who lost or never received their absentee ballots were being sent home by presiding judges and poll workers to look for them, or were being given provisional ballots. We were able to intervene by calling County Clerks who in turn corrected the poll workers and judges, allowing these voters to cast \"in lieu of\" absentee ballots;

~ Provisional ballots: A number of voters were being given provisional ballots because they were told they were not in the voter registration database. We were able to call the County Clerks and verify that those voters were in fact legally registered. Those voters were then able to cast a regular paper ballot;

~ Precinct and polling location visibility: Voters at a number of precincts had been sent by robo-calls to the wrong precinct. Others were unable to find their polling location due to inadequate signage or their precinct being moved to another location. We were able to contact County Clerks and Bureau of Elections Supervisors to improve precinct visibility and hang signs properly directing voters;

~ Machine breakdowns: We were able to document ES&S M-100 optical scan and AUTOMark machine breakdowns, and in some cases, our Election Verifiers were able to observe the handling of the ballots during the breakdown and repair;

~ Voter disenfranchisement: In situations where we were unable to help resolve the voter\'s problem immediately, we filed incident reports and will follow up to determine the root causes of the problems and what needs to be done to prevent this voter disenfranchisement in the future. For example, a number of ex-felons who met all criteria for restoration of their voter rights were denied access to the ballot by the New Mexico Secretary of State\'s office. In at least five of these cases, we were able to confirm with County Clerks that these ex-felons were indeed legitimate voters, but the Secretary of State\'s office refused to let them vote;

~ Voter education: In seven NM counties, we distributed non-partisan literature, including the NM Voter Bill of Rights and Know Your Voting Rights flyers with action steps for voters to take to ensure that their ballots were properly cast in this election;

~ And more.

Many New Mexico voters were helped by our dedicated team of volunteers who gave so much of their time to help make Election Day run smoothly.

This is the change we need to see – citizens like you fully engaged in our elections. We are grateful to all of you for your efforts. Collectively, we were able to make a difference. Democracy is a participatory exercise which requires ongoing oversight. Once again, you have helped New Mexico lead the way for meaningful and fundamental change. Here\'s to election integrity. Thank you!

With Deep Gratitude,

Pat Leahan and Arielle Hawney
NM Coordinators, Voter Action Watch the Vote 2008