You can join PNO right on the spot at the fall business meeting, and you may vote. We encourage all peace minded friends to join us officially. We need your help with ideas, your energy, and we'll admit we need your membership contribution for ongoing activities in the future. We all know that PNO is not a fund raiser type, and we operate only on the membership contributions we get. 

To tell the truth, I'm tired of getting all those well intended emails from organizations nationwide soliciting funds, and we don't do that, but the coordinating committee members are frequently chipping in with our own resources just to make some of the events happen, and we very much appreciate the contributions from membership applications. We need membership to help us continue, and we're not complaining about a few bucks. We mostly need your help with the energy of your own patriotism and your personal thoughts for peace in the world. 

If any member is interested in serving on the Coordinating Committee, or as an Officer, please don't hesitate to step forward and let us know it is ok for us to place your name on the ballot slate. You can call any of us on the committee, or email us at the PNO mailbox...  Officers and Coordinating Committee positions are as follows.

President
Vice President
Secretary-Treasurer
Webmaster (automatic CC member)
Five (5) at large Coordinating Committee Members
Nine (9) Positions Total

Through natural attrition in the year we currently have 1-2 Coordinating Committee positions vacant that we need to fill anyway. We are PRAYING to get volunteers on the slate that can help spread the work load a little with a few hours each month. The same people have been doing all the work, all the time, and we need some fresh help from willing members on a few tasks. None of the work is complicated, but just plain old common sense things that only take a few hours in a month. None of us are complaining, because we realize the importance of the peace effort to so many Americans, and we are happy to do everything we can for the continuing effort that must be made for us all. Please let us know if your name can be placed on the ballot. If somebody wants to be President, call me right now. (laughing, just kidding) 

Also, don't hesitate to make nominations, but please be sure to check if the person is willing to serve in the position you may wish to nominate them for. Nominations are definitely welcome. Let us know and we will act accordingly with the ballot slate. 

Some of you may have noticed the PNO activities are beginning to have a bit more energy. We have been out there more in recent months. Programs continue, and the protest activities are beginning to have more specific themes aimed at more specific targets to inform the community of incorrect action by the war mongers, or failures of government officials and leaders. We continue to be in a very dangerous time that is leading to expanded war, and we have to continue educating and communicating in an increasingly stronger way. We also hope to complete establishment of a couple of more subcommittees to work on specific projects by the end of the year if we are able to get volunteers to assist. 

The Good News:
Peace groups all across the country are largely doing their part to inform America of the frailties and despotic actions in the contrived Iraq War waged for the sake of profit and oil. To name just one, United For Peace & Justice, the umbrella group we joined this year to be as informed as possible, now has over 1,400 peace groups nationwide under their umbrella. Additionally there are several other national groups that now have a substantial membership comprised of literally millions. 

People, individuals all across the country, are standing up more every day. We give credit and heartfelt thanks to the brave men and women in government, and other critical spots, that have stood up to inform America of so many wrongful actions, and frequently to their own demise in losing livelihoods because they had the guts to stand up. The reasonable minded men and women who are the "leakers" of wrongful action, the Generals who speak out, the young vets returning from the battlefield who are now telling it the way it really is, and even the media who does report "some" of the news, although not all the news, are making a difference. 

There is a wave rolling all across our country now of reasonable minded citizens who can barely wait to vote in the 08 election to remove the supporters of criminals. Read any poll you want, the wave is rolling, and we even see some evidence of it here in the Ozarks. 

Our overall task going forward is to get the attention of our government leaders to work in a manner that is good for America, and not simply more of the same incorrect path our country has taken at the behest of carbon based profiteers and fanatical extremists of our own that lust for Armageddon. We need to continue our efforts with our own stringent policy that promotes courtesy and respect to all citizens. 

We are not rabble rousers. We are educators and communicators that work in a peaceful, nonviolent way that gathers more flies with the honey of truth. We are in a tough neighborhood in Southwest Missouri, and that's just the way it is, and we will continue to accept the challenge to make positive change with the help of the national wave that is rolling. 

There is no shred of validity left in the Iraq War of any kind, and I believe even the war mongers realize that. Our task is to somehow stop expanded war with the war mongers shifting to the other foot to attack Iran in an unwarranted action with no diplomacy whatsoever 3-5 years before Iran has a large weapon. 

Gradual changes are beginning even in Iran with peace groups and citizens of Iran beginning to take issue with right wing leaders, and somehow we all need to work on giving reasonable minded men and women the time to work diplomatically to head off a catastrophe in the middle east, and in the world. There is a definite wave rolling that ultimately can make positive change for our country.