West Hartford Citizens for Peace and Justice

Upcoming events:

 

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Photos - Cindy Sheehan Vigil August 12th

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Click this link to VIEW VIDEO FOOTAGE OF RECENT PEACE and JUSTICE events


Connecticut and Massachusetts Town's Cost of Iraq War (See the Flyer showing that West Hartford's cost is currently $108 Million)

 


 

ANNOUNCING.. ....

TUESDAY JULY 7, 2009

7:00 p.m.

WHCPJ sponsors another Movie Night

TRACES OF THE TRADE: STORY FROM THE DEEP NORTH

     

 Here's a myth Traces of the Trade exposes:

The South is to blame for slavery."     

       -- Geoff Edgers, Boston Globe

 

Producer/Director Katrina Browne tells the

story of her forefathers, "the largest slave-trading

family in U.S. history"… & they were from the North.

"The family transported more than ten thousand enslaved

Africans to America & amassed a fortune. James DeWolf

became a U.S. Senator & was reportedly the second richest 

man in the U.S. " From banks to insurance to shares in slave

ships, the slave trade was actually a "cornerstone of Northern life."

   

WE HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US FOR THIS IMPORTANT

FILM ABOUT A LITTLE KNOWN CHAPTER IN AMERICA'S

DARK HISTORY OF SLAVERY THAT MUST BE REVEALED

BEFORE OUR NATION CAN TRULY BE HEALED. 

 

WHERE:  St. James Episcopal Church

1018 Farmington Ave, West Hartford

Free Admission, Free Parking in lot behind church or on street

            
 Doors open at 6:00 p.m.   Meet friends and chat!
             Film at 7:00 p.m.  
 
COST:  This is a FREE community awareness film.

Shown as part of WHCPJ's community education and awareness program

Contact:  Flo: 232-8993

More Details can be found at: http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/constantine_press.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice is a grassroots not-for-profit 501c3 organization dedicated to raising awareness, promoting public dialogue, and working for positive change on peace, justice and democracy issues.  Members live in West Hartford, Newington , Glastonbury , Bloomfield , Southington , Simsbury , and many other towns in the Hartford area.  Anyone interested in helping carry out this mission is invited to contact WHCPJ at 860 232-8993 or whcpj@yahoo. com.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Recent peace and justice events:

TUESDAY MAY 5, 2009

7:00 p.m.

WHCPJ sponsors another Movie Night  

Film: Constantine’s Sword<<===Click here for flyer.  Please copy and distribute widely.

Oren Jacoby, director, Oscar-nominated documentarian  

James Carroll, author, National Book Award winner, Boston Globe columnist

Readers of the Boston Globe are familiar with the thoughtful, reflective and often moving essays written by James Carroll.  He has written several books including “Constantine’s Sword” which has been made into an enlightening documentary about how one wing of Christianity came to justify wars by invoking God. At its heart the film is a detective story, as Carroll journeys both into his own past, coming to terms with his father’s role as a 3-star general in the USAF and into the wider world of church-sanctioned violence.

Mr. Carroll says:   “ I entered the seminary in the early 1960’s during the height of nuclear dread. The existential crisis sparked by the dangers of nuclear war was reflected in my case, by the determination  “to give myself to the things that last”. I entered the priesthood. The upheavals of politics and religion of the 1960’s made me who I am. I left the priesthood in 1974 after 5 years as Catholic chaplain at Boston University. I remain a practicing Catholic and a committed anti-war activist. As a writer, religion and war define the center of my work”

WHERE:  St. James Episcopal Church

1019 Farmington Ave, West Hartford

Free Admission, Free Parking in lot behind church or on street

            
 Doors open at 6:00 p.m.   Meet friends and chat!
             Film at 7:00 p.m.  
 
COST:  This is a FREE community awareness film.

Light refreshments will be available

Moderated Discussion to follow the film

Contact:  Flo: 232-8993

More Details can be found at: http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/constantine_press.html


DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA GREATER HARTFORD

presents NED LAMONT

OBAMA'S FIRST HUNDRED DAYS AND THEIR IMPACT ON CONNECTICUT

Click for flyer.  Please copy and distribute widely.

Jim Dean,, DFA N National Chair will join Ned and discuss DFA's focus on health care reform 

Thursday May 7, 2009 7 p.m.

United Church of Christ Meeting Room

 140 Flagg Road, West Hartford, CT 06110

directions http://www.flaggroaducc.com/directions.html

Contact Gloria Jasieniecki, Organizer 860-573-9271  Email glorjas@aol.com


We Refuse To Be Enemies

Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Coalition for Peace presents

Sunday April 26, 2009 from 4:00 - 8:00pm

Hartford Seminary

77 Sherman St., Hartford, CT

Click peace dove for flyer.  Please copy and distribute widely.

The Billboard from Bethlehem (the enemy gets a face)

 a film by Bruce Barrett

featuring the Combatants for Peace and children from Israel and Palestine

Film Description: The owner of an American billboard company engages Israeli soldiers and Palestinian resistance fighters (the Combatants for Peace) forming the backbone of interviews, historical footage, and stories of personal transformation. Together, they create a giant peace mural in the West Bank of Palestine. Featuring powerful music, poignant interviews with Israeli and Palestinian fighters, a brief history of the conflict, children having fun, and a vision for peace in the Holy Land, the film climaxes when 100 Israeli and Palestinian children paint a giant billboard that visits a mosque, a synagogue, and a church, before being posted on a busy American highway.

more about the film

Mr. Barrett will facilitate a discussion following the showing

Pot Luck Dinner,  $5 suggested donation

 To RSVP or for information- (860) 229-0705 or 832-2419


TUESDAY MARCH 3, 2009

7:00 p.m.

 WHCPJ sponsors another Movie Night  

          A memoir of a woman's childhood growing up in a repressive Iranian society.
          The film shows how the human spirit carries on "through the laughter and tears in the face of absurdity."
          It was an Oscar Nomination in 2008 for the Best Animated Feature.    PG-13.
 
          Featuring the voices of:  Catherine Deneuve, her daughter Ciara Mastroianni, Sean Penn,
          Gina Rowlands, Iggy Pop.
        "Visually breathtaking. "   Ana Hornady, Washington Post
        "Brilliant, charming, and very funny."   Empire
        "Dark and compelling and beautiful; truly one of a kind."  Movie City News
 
WHERE:  St. James Episcopal Church

1018 Farmington Ave, West Hartford

Free Admission, Free Parking in lot behind church or on street

            
 Doors open at 6:00 p.m.   Meet friends and chat!
             Film at 7:00 p.m.   Reflections & comments after the film
 
COST:  This is a FREE community awareness film.

TUESDAY Jan. 6, 2009

7:00 p.m.

 WHCPJ sponsors another Movie Night  

In Debt We Trust 

at St. James Episcopal Church

1018 Farmington Ave, West Hartford

Doors Open at 6 p.m., film and discussion at 7 p.m.

Free Admission, Free Parking in lot behind church or on street

Director /producer Danny Schechter, our special guest, will lead a discussion following the film and update us on the latest on the financial crisis. 

<<==Click Danny for bio


Video clips of  interview with Danny Schechter  -  Amy Goodman with Democracy Now - The Nation

      
Click on the Crime Scene above for Part 1    (2:16  minutes)

<<===Click on the Foreclosure sign for Part 2   (8 minutes)
 

<<== Click here to read more about Danny Schechter


Sunday, December 7th, 2008
March and Rally
2:00 pm
Hartford, State Capitol Building

 Spread the Word! - Need Money? End the War!

For more information
contact Marissa at 860-218-0566 or e-mail marissablaszko@gmail.com

The Ad Hoc Connecticut December 7th Mobilization Committee

No War on Iran! No War on Pakistan!
End US Support to all Wars and Occupations!
Money for Housing! For Jobs! For Education! For Pensions! Not for War!

After more than five years the war in Iraq roars on with roughly one third of Iraq's 26 million people killed, wounded or displaced; more than 4,000 US soldiers dead, hundreds of thousands suffering severe physical and psychological wounds, and trillions of dollars going up in smoke. Instead of withdrawing forces, US policy makers are expanding combat in Afghanistan and into Pakistan, ordering assaults in Syria and threatening to Invade Iran. They Continue to support Israel's brutal occupation of Palestinians that repeatedly turns into regional war - most recently in the summer of 2006. With a full blown economic crisis bringing skyrocketing home foreclosures, rising unemployment, loan freezes, and collapsing pensions, war funds are needed at home now more than ever!

Join activists from across Connecticut as part of a week of nationally coordinated actions to demand that our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters be brought home now!


Saturday, November 22, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.

WHCPJ is a proud co-sponsor of a very special evening on Immigration.

Documentary Theatre:
 DE NOVO - Part 1: Lil' Silent


 Charter Oak Cultural Center
 21 Charter Oak Avenue
 Hartford, CT 06106
 860.249.1207
 www.charteroakcenter.org

This new documentary play, crafted entirely from immigration court transcripts, letters and extensive interviews conducted by New York's Houses on the Moon Theater Company, tells the compelling true story of Edgar and other undocumented youth, many thousands of whom make the harrowing journey across the border and through the U.S. system of justice each year. The play is performed by bilingual actors in English and partly in Spanish. Performance to be followed by a discussion with the creative team and immigration experts. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 seniors, Charter Oak & Let*s Go! Members, $5 students. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The Charter Oak Cultural Center is a rare and wonderful place.  Built in 1876, the state's first synagogue has always been a symbol of the sacred struggle for the freedom of religious and cultural expression.  Restored by a group of Hartford-area residents, Charter Oak Cultural Center is now a non-profit arts resource for the exploration of the world's cultures, especially those strongly represented in the Hartford region.


 

Hartford's 2008 
Veterans Day Parade
Veterans For Peace (VFP) Contingent

Sunday, November 2- Hartford, CT

Peace Activists Are Welcome To March With VFP
(as part of the VFP Supportive Auxiliary)


Veterans For Peace Banner leads the contingent followed by the "Bring the Troops Home Now"


Veterans
For
Peace


The VFP contingent nears the Soldiers and Sailors Monument with the "Iraq Memorial Wall" on Wheels

Support the Troops! Bring Them Home Now!   Sunday, November 2th
Arrive 11:30a.m. - Noon
Downtown Hartford (Meet at the intersection of Buckingham St. & Hudson St.)


Background
For the last several years, the Veterans for Peace, their family, and friends were met with clapping and cheers as they participated in the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 parades. Despite official attempts to prevent the anti-war contingent from participating in the parade following the 2003 Iraq Invasion, the contingent has become an integral part of the parade for the last several years.  last marched with a strong showing of comrades each year. Come out this year to march and show your support for the troops! Demand an end to the occupation of Iraq!
Protocol
If you will attend, please understand that we are guests of the Veterans for Peace. Please respect that we are asked not to engage in any confrontation with hecklers, not to perform chants, and to avoid signage that is extreme or disrespectful of any military personnel.
The United States Constitution
However with that said, the Veterans For Peace position is that all veterans that have served in the Armed Forces of the United States have sworn to uphold the United States Constitution.  As such, the Constitutional right of all marchers to speak truthfully and respectfully to the satisfaction of their own conscience will be upheld.  Speak your own message of truth and conviction .... and avoid any shortcuts / shorthand that includes the name of a candidate for elected office ( For example a "Lamont" sign is not as much a message of "truth and conviction" as something like "Support the Troops ... Demand the Truth").
 

However, Important Reminder
Veterans for Peace, Inc. is a 501.3c non-profit, tax-exempt educational organization. As such we cannot endorse any political party or particular candidates. As individuals, we can support any thing we want but can't speak for VFP concerning candidates. We can .... and do ... absolutely take strong stands on political issues. Map and Direction
Map & directions to the location, and expected street closings, are provided here: http://www.ctvetera nsdayparade. org/directions. shtml
Parking
Parking- Veterans for Peace has been provided a pass to the Orange parking area. You can attempt to park there - somewhere near the Bushnell on Capitol Avenue - but they may require some form of ID. I'd suggest coming around 11:30a to find street parking on Church Street or Trumbull Street.
 


NEW ENGLAND'S LARGEST VETERANS DAY PARADE KICKS OFF CALL FOR MARCHERS "With hundreds of Connecticut- based troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan this year, the 2008 parade promises to be more memorable than ever.
The Connecticut Veterans Day Parade is attended by 25,000 to 40,000 spectators, includes 40 Veterans groups, 25 bands, and over 3,500 marchers from 96 units representing 49 towns. It also features inductees from the CT Veterans Hall of Fame (http://www.ct. gov/ctva/ ). This is the largest Veterans Day Parade in New England, and one of the largest in the country.
The parade includes a Moment of Silence, with a tolling of the Center Church bell, a stirring rendition of the national anthem by a Gospel Quartet from Hopewell Baptist Church, and an A-10 flyover. It is a sight to remember!"
 

Official State of Connecticut website for the 2008 Veteran's Day Parade click => here `


PEACE CONTINGENT IN THE West Hartford Park Road Parade

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Assemble by 9:30 AM
West Hartford Citizens for Peace and Justice parade meeting location:  check link below for updates

DIVISION LINE UP #06-07 AS OF 09/30/08
Please check in with your division Conductor who will be wearing a Park Road Parade T-Shirt,
carrying a clipboard and standing on corner of your division's street.

PLEASE NOTE: Political signs (Electoral), brochures, giveaways of any kind are not allowed. Tasteful presentations are the backbone of our parade.

For more information click => here

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

WHCPJ presents Town Hall Forum

THE BIG LIE:  IS IRAN NEXT?

WEST HARTFORD TOWN HALL 
50 South Main St.
West Hartford, CT
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Doors Open: 6 p.m.

Program: 7 p.m.
Special Guest Speakers:

Janis Karpinski, Former Commander Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq
Scott Ritter, Former Chief UN Weapons Inspector in Iraq (happily returning  for his 3rd appearance in West Hartford!)
- author of multiple publications including

Waging Peace: The Art of War for the Antiwar Movement (2007)

Target Iran: The Truth About the White House's Plans for Regime Change (2006)

Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of the Intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein (2005);

Frontier Justice: Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Bushwhacking of America (2003)  War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know [with W.R. Pitt] (2002)

 

Scott Ritter speaks out

Various informational tables will be on site.
Their books, bumper stickers & buttons will be available

For a flyer, click => here


HOPE OUT LOUD 7
Be part of the Seventh Annual Hope Out Loud Peace & Music Festival
Sunday, Sept 14th, 2008      1-5 pm - Bushnell Park 
FREE! FREE!
Picnic ... Poetry ... Music ... Speakers ...
Kids activities ... Fun ... and ... More..
Spend the afternoon. Bring a picnic. It’s a concert, rally, playground, remembrance, a day of inspiration for renewal and commitment.
For more information call (860)523-4823 
Hope Out Loud is a sober event.

For a Flyer, click => here

For Sponsorship Information, click => here
For "How to Help" Click =>  here 

Hope Out Loud Rain Information

The rain site for HOL 7 is Union Square Great Hall on Union Place off Asylum Street access from the Southeast corner of Bushnell Park. 

Look for Hot Tomatoes restaurant, an in-kind sponsor of Hope Out Loud, on that corner for a landmark and turn in off Asylum Street onto Union Place which runs one way and Union Place Gallery will be on the left. Interstate 84 has an Asylum Street exit in both directions – turn East on Asylum Street and turn left onto Union Place after the 2nd overpass.

Up to information date regarding the Festival’s location will be available by calling (860) 523-4823.

Hope Out Loud Peace & Music Festival: Sponsored in part by

The Connecticut Coalition for Peace & Justice (CCPJ)
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice
Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty
Supported in part by the Greater Hartford Arts Council and the City of Hartford

 


 

WHCPJ Movie Night!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Film: IRAN Is Not The Problem

Visit this link to read about this film:

http://www.iranisnottheproblem.org/

Doors Open: 6 p.m.

Film: 7 p.m.

St. James Episcopal Church, 1018 Farmington Ave , WH

Free Admission, Free Parking in lot behind church or on street

Light Refreshments provided

CONTACT: 
Flo -               860 232 8993        or write whcpj@yahoo. com

West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice, 
a grassroots, not for profit, 501c3 organization dedicated to raising awareness, promoting public dialogue and working for positive change on peace, justice and democracy issues.  Members live in West Hartford, Newington , Glastonbury , Bloomfield , Southington , Simsbury , and many other towns in the Hartford area. Anyone interested in helping carry out this mission are invited to contact WHCPJ at 860 232 8993 or whcpj@yahoo. com.


WHCPJ MOVIE NIGHT for

the true story of bereaved Palestinian and Israeli world citizens joining together against all odds to promote hope, reconciliation and peace:

ENCOUNTER POINT

on TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2008

Dedicated to our friend Sam Goldberger, whose life was devoted to peace and reaching across religions & cultures

What critics are saying

movie review: New York Times

Rates 100% on RT film evaluation web site

Location: St. James Episcopal Church

1018 Farmington Ave, West Hartford

Doors Open at 6 p.m.

Greater Hartford Soul Stirring
Community Activist Chorus at 6:30 p.m.
will sing five songs, among them PEACE SALAAM SHALOM - and for
Sam:  May the Work that I've Begun Speak for Me

Film at 7 p.m.

Come early for light refreshments and conversation

Admission is free and open to the public

Parking is free.  Entrance to parish hall and parking lot are behind the church; plenty of on street parking also available. (An alternative entrance to the parking lot is at 19 Walden Street.)

Come early and write a letter to a legislator

Discussion after film

For more information:  www.westhartfordpeace.org or whcpj@yahoo.com or call 860.232.8993


To date, over 100 prisoners have died under suspicious circumstances while in U.S. custody during the "war on terror."

 

WEST HARTFORD CITIZENS for PEACE & JUSTICE INVITES YOU

 to OPENING NIGHT at REAL ART WAYS

for the HARTFORD PREMIERE of the 2007 ACADEMY AWARD WINNER  for

BEST DOCUMENTARY

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE

on FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008 at 5:30 & 7:30 p.m.

Opened in NYC and LA on January 18, 2008

 

Click here for preview

What critics are saying at dvdtalk.com

Roger Ebert - Chicago Sun-Times

In the blogosphere - blogcritics.org

JOIN US FOR DISCUSSION and Q&A with one of the film’s producers, DON GLASCOFF who will be in attendance following the 7:30 p.m. screening ONLY ON OPENING NIGHT.

Taxi to the Dark Side is the definitive exploration of the introduction of torture as an interrogation technique in U.S. facilities, and the role played by key figures of the Bush Administration in the process.


WHCPJ Movie Night

Tues. March 4, 2008

NO END IN SIGHT

Click here for preview and reviews

NY times movie review by A. O Scott

location: St. James Episcopal Church

1018 Farmington Ave, West Hartford

next to The Bridge Family Center; parking on street or in lot behind Church; entrance in rear off parking lot  

Doors Open at 6 p.m.  Film at 7 p.m.

Discussion before and after film

Actions-to-go


Connecticut Opposes the War

invites YOU to a

Statewide Conference

Saturday * April 12 * 2008

Wesleyan University 

to end the

$500,000,000,000+ War in Iraq

Connecticut Taxpayers have paid $11.1 billion

 for the Iraq War through 2007. 

 Students from (list in formation):  Trumbull High School, Glastonbury High School, E.O. Smith High School, Capitol Community College, Manchester Community College, Naugatuck Valley Community College Central Connecticut State University, Eastern Connecticut State University, Southern Connecticut State University, Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, Trinity College, University of Hartford, University of Connecticut, Wesleyan University

For Information contact Dan:   860-233-2132 or

203-231-4007 or ccag.uconn@yahoo.com


Tues. JANUARY 22, 2008

 Showing:  HOWARD ZINN’S

 You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train

Click here for brief video clip of HOWARD ZINN at Oct. 27, 2007 Boston anti-war mobilization

Click here for an excerpt from the film  &  more

Howard Zinn is a well-known American historian, political scientist, social critic, activist, and author of bestseller A People's History of the United States.  Since the 1960s, he has been active in the Civil Rights and anti-war movements in the United States.

The author of some 20 books, Zinn is currently Professor Emeritus in the Political Science Department at Boston University.


SUNDAY NOV. 4, 2007

VETERANS for PEACE encourage all peace activists to join the VFP Contingent marching for peace in the 2007 VETERAN'S DAY PARADE in Hartford, CT

Arrive 11:30 a.m. - Noon
Downtown Hartford

(Meet at the intersection of Buckingham St. & Hudson St.)

PEACE IS PATRIOTIC


THURSDAY Nov. 15, 2007

7:00 p.m.

Doors Open at 6 p.m., film and discussion at 7 p.m.

 WHCPJ sponsors another Movie Night  

at St. James Episcopal Church

1028 Farmington Ave, West Hartford

next to The Bridge Family Center; parking on street or in lot behind Church; entrance in rear off parking lot  

West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice, in conjunction with the Bill of Rights Defense Committee Present -

A Short Film and A Discussion ~  FBI Unbound:  How National Security Letters Violate Our Privacy.

Special guest, Ben Grosscup, an organizer with the Bill of Rights Defense Committee will lead a discussion following the film.

In this newly released 26-minute film, former Department of Justice officials Lisa Graves and Bruce Fein share their views on how the expanded, unchecked power threatens Americans' privacy and diverts resources from genuine threats. George Christian of Library Connection gives his unique perspective as a National Security Letter (NSL) recipient who challenged the letter he received and the accompanying, permanent gag order. Christian and three of his colleagues are the only people, out of thousands of NSL recipients, who can legally talk about that experience.

On Nov. 15th, 2007, come learn the seven things every American should know about the National Security Letters.

For more information about the film, visit   www.fbiunbound. org.

For information about Bill of Rights Defense Committee, visit www.bordc.org

Doors Open at 6 p.m., film and discussion at 7 p.m.

Come early for light refreshments and conversation.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Parking is free; entrance to parish hall and the parking lot are behind the church; plenty of on street parking also available. (An alternative entrance to the parking lot is at 19 Walden Street).

contact: Flo Woodiel 860 232 8993 * www.westhartfordpeace.org * whcpj@yahoo.com  for  more information

 

West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice (WHCPJ) is a 501c3, charitable organization headquartered in West Hartford, whose supporters and volunteers live throughout the state of Connecticut .

The mission of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) is to promote, organize, and support a diverse, effective, national grassroots movement to restore and protect civil rights and liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Since 2001, it has helped hundreds of communities across the country participate in an ongoing national debate about civil liberties and anti-terrorism legislation that threaten liberties. Eight state legislatures and more than 400 municipalities have used BORDC's strategies and resources to enact resolutions upholding their residents' constitutional rights.

 

*Please spread the MOVIE NIGHT news far and wide!! Bring friends and family!
Sunday - October 21, 2007

2 – 5 p.m.  - The Case for Impeachment:

“The Grave Implications of Bush's Executive Orders"

 

St. James Church, 1018 Farmington Avenue , West Hartford , CT
 
Special Guest David Lindorf, Author of The Case for Impeachment

and Bill Moyers Journal on Impeachment

Free parking on street and in rear of church; entrance to hall is off the parking lot.
Accessible to people with special mobility needs.

Click here for further information


OCTOBER 6, 2007

PARK ROAD PARADE
Join the CT Peace Marching Contingent at the Park Road Parade in West Hartford on Saturday,
October 6, 2007
EVERYONE INVITED.  Parade starts at 10:30 a.m. rain or shine; begins at South Highland and Park Road; PEACE CONTINGENT to line up on south side of Park Rd. near Ringgold St. close to Dunkin Donuts a block or so west of Prospect Ave.  Our division-position is #2-11 & #2-12 for

WHCPJ (West Hartford Citizens for Peace and Justice) float and CCPJ (Connecticut Coalition for Peace and Justice) ….

Peace marchers will meet at 9:30 a.m.

 

We will have a “float” --- thanks to John Calendrillo and his royal blue pick up truck; it will be decorated for the event. This parade is a family friendly and a non-political event; only signs about peace, no war, bring troops home, and other signs with positive, non political, and non partisan messages will be welcome.
 

OCT 9TH, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m.)

TOWN HALL FORUM:

 THE ROLE OF DISSENT

Ann Wright

Retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel, former Deputy Chief of Mission of US Embassies for the US Foreign Service

CO-AUTHOR of  Dissent: Voices of Conscience

and

one of three U.S. diplomats who resigned in March, 2003 in opposition to the Iraq war

 

Biography for Mary A. (Ann) Wright

Ann Wright resigned from the U.S. Foreign Service on March 19, 2003, while serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Mongolia.  She resigned due to her disagreement with the Bush administration’s decision to go to war in Iraq without the authorization of the UN Security Council, the lack of effort in resolving the Israel-Palestinian situation, the lack of policy on North Korea and unnecessary curtailment of civil liberties in the United States.

            Ms. Wright joined the Foreign Service in 1987 and served as Deputy Chief of Mission of US Embassies in Sierra Leone, Micronesia and briefly in Afghanistan.  She received the State Department’s Award for Heroism for her actions during the evacuation of 2500 persons from the civil war in Sierra Leone, the largest evacuation since the evacuation of Saigon in 1974.

Ms. Wright was on the first State Department team to go to Kabul, Afghanistan.  She helped reopen the US Embassy in Kabul in December, 2001 and worked in Afghanistan for five months, serving in the last month as Deputy Chief of Mission (Deputy Ambassador).

Ms. Wright’s other overseas assignments include Somalia with both the US mission and as chief of the Justice Division (reconstituting the Somali police, judicial and prison systems) of the United Nations Mission to Somalia (UNOSOM). She also served in US Embassies in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Grenada, Micronesia and Nicaragua.

            Before entering the Foreign Service, she served in the Army and has a combined regular Army/Army Reserve service time of 29 years.  She served primarily in special operations units and attained the rank of colonel.  While on military duty in 1982 and 1983 in Grenada, she was on the US Army’s International Law team and participated in civil reconstruction work following the US “rescue” mission.  Colonel Wright is airborne qualified.

Ms. Wright has Master’s and Law Degrees from the University of Arkansas and a Master’s Degree in National Security Affairs from the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.  Ms. Wright has been featured in articles in the Washington Post magazine, Government Executive magazine, Foreign Service Journal, Ms magazine and has been interviewed by radio and TV networks.  In 2003, she participated in the documentary film             “ Uncovered: The Truth About the Iraq War” and in June, 2005 provided oral and written testimony to the US Congressional hearing on the importance of the Downing Street memos.

In August, 2005 Ms. Wright spent 26 days in the ditches at Camp Casey, Crawford, Texas with Cindy Sheehan putting pressure on President Bush to answer the question of why the war on Iraq is a “noble” cause.  She was a speaker on one of three buses that left Crawford traveling though the eastern United States that met in Washington, DC for the September 24-26 anti-war weekend. Ms. Wright was arrested on September 27, 2005  with 372 others for demonstrating without a permit in a peaceful, non-violent end-the-war protest in front of the White House. She was also arrested on October 26 in front of the White House during the commemoration of the deaths of 2000 US service members and over 100,000 Iraqis.  She was also arrested on November 23, 2005 in Crawford, TX to challenge a restrictive ordinance that prohibited use of the ditches for camping; and July 11, 2006 challenging the nomination of one of the Bush administration’s architects of torture, DOD General Counsel, William Haynes, for a life-long appointment as a judge on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Most recently she was arrested on July 23, 2007 inside the office of US Congressman John Conyers for his refusal to consider hearings for the possible impeachment of President George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney for the war of aggression on Iraq and other criminal acts.

Ms. Wright traveled to Amman, Jordan in August, 2006 to talk with Iraqi parliamentarians about their peace plan.  She participated in the Close Guantanamo delegation that traveled to Cuba in January 2007 to commemorate the 5th anniversary of prisoners held in Guantanamo.

Ms. Wright lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.  She writes on current US foreign policy and speaks to university classes and civic groups in the United States and internationally.

She is the co-author of  “Dissent: Voices of Conscience,” that will be published by Koa Books in October, 2007.


 

Weekly Vigils
There is a weekly vigil that the West Hartford Citizens for Peace and Justice actively participates in:

Every Saturday at 11:30 am to 12:30 pm at the corner of Main Street and Farmington Avenue.

Weekly Meeting

The WHCPJ weekly members meeting is held on Tuesday at 7:30 PM at the Friends Meeting House (144 South Quaker Lane [between Farmington Ave and Boulevard, West Hartford, CT 06119)


About WHCPJ

WHCPJ members came together in opposition to the war on Iraq. Quickly organizing many group meetings to raise awareness of the impending invasion of Iraq and the USA PATRIOT ACT, hundreds of citizens from West Hartford and throughout the state wrote letters, made phone calls to legislators, and demonstrated locally and in New York and Washington DC voicing intense opposition to the knee jerk reactions of this administration to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2001.

WHCPJ’s members represent a diverse group of parents, teachers, blue collar workers, laborers, professionals, business owners, high-school and college students. Our members DO NOT have to live in West Hartford to attend, contribute time and/or talent to our events. We welcome all who are concerned about current U.S. domestic and foreign policies that contribute to unjust wars and anti-democratic practices here and around the world.

After working hard to organize as many CT residents as possible to become a viable grassroots group, WHCPJ became incorporated on May 5, 2005 with the invaluable help of the Pro-Bono Initiative out of the UCONN Law School. Thanks to that agency helping helping non-profits get started, we are now pursuing 501c 3 status and look forward to being a tax-exempt organization!

WHCPJ sponsors forums on various topics related to issues revolving around peace, justice, and democratic principles. These forums are typically held at the West Hartford Town Hall or Webster Hall in the main branch of WH Public Library, 20 South Main Street. Click on the WHCPJ Forums to see a list of past and upcoming forums.

In June, 2003, WHCPJ sponsored a forum on The USA PATRIOT ACT. Our then Mayor, Jonathan Harris moderated our first and very successful event Town Hall. Our next forum on Media and Democracy was held in October at University of Hartford a panel that included professor at UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN Robert Jensen, local business columnist Dan Haar of the Hartford Courant, and author of Into the Buzzsaw, Kristina Borjesson. A forum on the Current Iraq War and Occupation was held in February and another on the 9/11 and U.S. foreign policy were held at West Hartford Town Hall in June, 2004.

You can e-mail us at whcpj@yahoo.com for more information.

Thanks
WHCPJ Steering Committee