Center for Citizen Initiatives

Bringing Russian and American citizens together in Peace since 1983.

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Another Assessment of V.V. Putin

Dear Friends of CCI,

Four years ago, in utter devastation, I wrote a piece putting together what I had personally experienced about Vladimir Putin and what others who had experience with him had told me. Why?  Because he was clearly the #1 focus of the sabotaged Sochi Olympics and the fierce Maidan Revolt which was supported by outside forces against Russia and Putin.

Today we face the potential of WWIII due to this insane “enemy-making” being waged against Putin and Russia. When, if ever, will our people wake up and demand radical change in the U.S. military policy toward Russia––and the world for that matter? My answer:  ONLY when enough of us speak out for our common future. “How can we REVERSE this perilous situation in which we find ourselves?”

Putin isn’t the problem, friends. The problem is the projection of our own “shadow” on Putin and Russia. More on this to follow.

The article below was my pondering four years ago about this situation––and the tragic consequences that could result. It is even more relevant today than then.

Sharon (signature)
Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

April 21, 2014

Russia Report: Putin

Friends and colleagues,

As the Ukraine situation has worsened, unconscionable misinformation and hype is being poured on Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Journalists and pundits must scour the Internet and thesauruses to come up with fiendish new epithets to describe both.

Wherever I make presentations across America, the first question ominously asked during Q&A is always,  “What about Putin?”

It’s time to share my thoughts which follow:

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Robert Parry-America’s Greatest Investigative Journalist Passes Away – Read his son’s eulogy

Dear Friends,

Through the past several years, I’ve repeatedly sent you Robert Parry’s articles. He was preeminent in his field. He received Harvard’s I.F. Stone Award for Investigative Journalism amid other national and international awards and honors in his field.

After exposing President Reagan’s Iran-Contra scandals in the 1980’s, the New York Times and other mainstream media would no longer hire Parry. True to his noble belief that journalists should protect the public from abuses of power from unscrupulous powerful officials and their cohorts, he began exposing each administration’s subterranean schemes to subvert law and order around the world. He has been totally committed and absolutely fearless over the decades.

His son, Nate, has written a touching eulogy below. He tells how he and his family got behind Robert after he was closed out of his chosen field. You will love this noble human interest story and appreciate recalling the long string of abuses of power he exposed to the world. I had forgotten a number of them, perhaps you have also?

I am so grateful that Parry leaves behind a pack of excellent investigative journalists who have been able to hone their skills and careers under his wing at his “Consortium News.” They will help fill the void he leaves behind.

Please consider a contribution annually to Consortium News to assure that this extremely important organization continues its vital work now that he has departed.

Below is the eulogy from his son Nate:

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/01/28/robert-parrys-legacy-and-the-future-of-consortiumnews/

All the best,

Sharon (signature)
Sharon Tennison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

CCI Citizens Become Diplomats

Dear friends, colleagues and those new to CCI,

When all else failed in US-Soviet relations during the 1980’s, we at CCI tried to create sanity and constructive human relations across 11 time zones in the USSR. Other organizations began doing the same. With a lot of luck and new leadership in both governments, we were successful.

Since once again misunderstanding, disinformation and pure fake news is spewing forth from every agency of our countries, we must take up the task again.

Please consider applying for our May trip to Russia to travel to numerous cities to learn how Russian people see the US-Russia relationship, how we and they can work together to create open, truthful and courageous friendships in 2018!

Click here for more information.

Sharon (signature)
Sharon Tennnison
Center for Citizen Initiatives

Developing World Crisis? What to Do?

Dear CCI Friends across America,

Please excuse the lack of posts during these last few weeks. I’ve been putting together CCI’s activities for 2018 and also took time off to be with family in Oregon.  As for the 2018 work, we will need your help to carry it out!

Today, I’m sufficiently excited and I want to share some thoughts with you. The monthly Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS) just arrived by email. This is the organization that keeps the Doomsday Clock, which warns when there’s imminent danger to the planet. The clock is now down to 2.5 minutes before midnight (Doomsday)––not good.

I was delighted to learn that the lead BSA article this month is on Dr. Ira Helfand, the past President of PSR (Physicians for Social Responsibility) and currently co-President of PSR’s global federation, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. He is also a noted authority on nuclear weapons and nuclear war. Helfand, with others, was seminal in the creation of PSR in the 1980’s when America’s doctors across the nation took the case against nuclear war to the American people. This led to rejecting even the notion of fantacizing about winning such a war with the U.S.S.R. He and PSR were critical to waking up America … including me.

It was 37 years ago that a San Jose physician looked across the bed of an unconscious patient and said, “We need you to help us start PSR in the Bay Area. I protested saying I was an ICU RN, not a doctor, which he quickly brushed aside and quipped, “We need all of the help we can get to educate the public.” That’s how I became a PSR volunteer which ended up radically changing the course of my life.

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More on CCI’s May 2017 Trip to Russia

Dear Friends,

Our first email with “IContact” must have hit a chord with you. I’ve not had so many responses to a message in years. Thanks for your well wishing. A lot of you are interested in the health practices. I’ll put what I’m using in print soon and get back to you.

Others requested more info about the May 2017 trip to Russia. CCI’s site (ccisf.org) covers quite a bit already. My June 4 article gave generalities. Note that investigative journalist, Rick Sterling, one of our terrific travelers, posted an excellent report enumerating the myths and the reality we found on ground in Russia. Further, traveler David Swanson, WorldBeyondWar’s prolific writer, posted nearly a dozen articles during the his time with us in Russia. His URLs are available on CCI’s site. Please check them out!

I want to reiterate the importance of accomplishing this most unusual trip. It was a unique undertaking that had never before been tried. Other trips to Russia over the decades have been primarily cultural in focus, with a few concentrated on science, medicine, agriculture, NGOs, etc. Business visas were offered to those involved in business.

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