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West Hartford Citizens for Peace and Justice |
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 West Hartford Town Hall Forum - Foreign Policy after September 11th FORUM ARCHIVES 
 Upcoming West Hartford Town Hall Forum featuring Scott Ritter Former UNSCOM Weapons Inspector in Iraq and Marine Intelligence Officer
Scott Ritter was one of UNSCOM's most senior weapons inspectors in Iraq between 1991 and 1998, after having served for eight years as an intelligence officer in the US Marine Corps. As a Marine, he conducted arms inspections in the former Soviet Union, and provided analysis of Iraq's missile capacity to General Schwarzkopf in the 1991 Gulf War. He resigned from UNSCOM in 1998, and has since worked in a private capacity to promote non-proliferation and arms control. Since leaving UNSCOM, Ritter, despite describing himself as a ‘card-carrying Republican’ has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration’s foreign policy. He took on the entire political and media establishment of the US virtually single-handed in the run-up the 2003 Iraq war in persistently maintaining that Iraq did not pose a serious WMD threat Scott Ritter has been the subject of various disinformation campaigns, which reached a climax in late 2002 when he flew to Baghdad and persuaded the Iraqi government to allow the unconditional return of inspectors in an attempt to avert the coming war. The war went ahead anyway. For all the attempts to marginalize him, Ritter’s credibility as a weapons inspector means that people listen to what he says. He was employed, surprisingly, as a commentator for Fox News, and was interviewed by CNN, Time and PBS’s Frontline in the run-up to the war. "Whether you are a hawk or a dove, a conservative or a liberal, this forum is one you need to attend," said Kathy Hucks, co-founder of West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice. "Everyone has heard the arguments for and against the US presence in Iraq. The next question facing our country is how does this all end. We are not interested in changing minds, just expanding minds to consider the arguments and the pros and cons of various exit options," she added. 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, 50 South Main Street. Download a Flyer For January 24th Forum ==> Here
Ray McGovern: A Retired CIA Intelligence Officer Speaks on: West Hartford, CT - A panel of credentialed and passionate speakers will sort through the all of the politics and policy and address the big question now facing policy makers and the citizens who elected them - how and when do we leave Iraq. Sponsored by West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice (WHCP&J) and other co-sponsors, the forum is scheduled for Wednesday, November 9th. This free presentation will feature Ray McGovern, David MacMichael and Nadia McCaffrey. Ray McGovern, is a CIA analyst for 27 years and through 7 presidents, Mr. McGovern has been speaking out about the foreign policy issues that are facing this country. "There's an inscription at the entrance to the CIA, chiseled into the marble there, which reads, You Shall Know The Truth, And The Truth Shall Set You Free. When you come out of that ethic, you ask yourself, do I not have some kind of duty, by virtue of my experience and my knowledge of these things, to speak out here and tell the rest of the American people what's going on." McGovern will discuss the Downing Street Memos, the preemptive strike on Iraq, and other issues regarding the Bush Administration. David MacMichael, Ph.D. is a former CIA Analyst who started The Association of National Security Alumni. ANSA is an organization that seeks to expose and curtail covert actions because they are counterproductive and damaging to the national interest of the United States. He resigned from the CIA rather than falsify his reports for political reasons. Nadia McCaffrey is the mother of Sgt. Patrick McCaffrey, who was killed in Iraq on June 22, 2004. She is a member of Gold Star Families for Peace and Military Families Speak Out. "Whether you are a hawk or a dove, a conservative or a liberal, this forum is one you need to attend," said Kathy Hucks, co-founder of West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice. "Everyone has heard the arguments for and against the US presence in Iraq. The next question facing our country is how does this all end. We are not interested in changing minds, just expanding minds to consider the arguments and the pros and cons of various exit options," she added. 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, 50 South Main Street. Download a Flyer For January 24th Forum ==> Here Organizations are invited to apply for a table or be listed as a sponsor the forum. For more information ==> Here WHCPJ "Town Hall" Forums have become a welcome part of the West Hartford community political discussion. These forums have covers topics shown below
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