NEW YORK PEACE NETWORK Alert #228

EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN
WEDNESDAY OCT 7: FEATURED ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

Wednesday, October 7, 12:00noon – 1:00 p.m.
WALL STREET. Outside Federal Hall, 26 Wall Street, at the corner of Nassau,
near the George Washington statute
BRING THE TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN:
STOP THE WARS, FUND JOBS INSTEAD.
Hosted by Military Families Speak Out. Names of dead veterans from New York State will be read. Volunteers will hold crosses honoring the veterans and civilians killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. $30,000,000 an hour/$12 Billion a month goes to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, (a country with a 2,000 year record of throwing out foreigners). Let us feed the 13 million American children who go to bed hungry every night, let us create 2 million new jobs for their parents. Military Families Speak Out is a national group of over 4300 families MFSO says: Bring them Home Now and Take Care of Them When They Get Here. See: www.mfso.org. For further information, contact Linda at (646) 262-8578.

Wednesday, October 7, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
BAY RIDGE, BROOKLYN. Office of Congressman Michael McMahon, 8505 4th Avenue
AFGHANISTAN PROTEST IN FRONT ON MICHAEL MCMAHON’S OFFICE
On Wednesday, October 7, the Interfaith Peace Coalition will hold a protest in front of the office of Congressman Michael E. McMahon, who replaced Vito Fossella in the 13th District. We will present petitions to Congressman McMahon and ask him to convey the petitions to President Obama, requesting that the President begin to bring our troops home from Afghanistan. In addition we will ask the Congressman to cosponsor HR 2404, a bill introduced by Congressman James McGovern, demanding an exit strategy from our military involvement in Afghanistan. Join your voice with ours on October 7 to send a loud and clear message to the government that we want our troops home now.

Wednesday, October 7, 5:00 p.m.
GARDEN CITY. Old Country and Glen Cove Roads, across from Roosevelt Field
VIGIL MARKING THE EIGTH ANNIVERSARY OF WAR IN AFGHANISTAN
The Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives and other groups are calling for an end to the war and a cutoff of war funding. We will visit L.I. reps' offices during the week of October 5th. For info: 516-741-4360

Wednesday, October 7, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
MIDTOWN. Outside the southwest corner of Grand Central Station,
at the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue
PEACE ACTION FOR DIPLOMACY FLIER DISTRIBUTION EVENT
The members of Peace Action for Diplomacy will be marking the 8th anniversary of the US invasion of Afghanistan by distributing fliers to local commuters. Both of our Senators have said that they "are still undecided about what to do about Afghanistan." They will be studying the issue more after the health care debate. But we have the answer for them. Fund single payer health care by stopping the war in Afghanistan, with it's $105B per year price tag! For more information, please call 646-723-1749.

Wednesday, October 7, 5:00 PM MIDTOWN. Grand Central Station, New York City
WAR RESISTERS LEAGUE NON-VIOLENT ACTIONS
AGAINST THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN.
War Resisters League and other groups are organizing a non-violent action against the war in Afghanistan at Grand Central Station in. This date marks eight years to the day since the United States began their military actions in Afghanistan. Please contact the NYC War Resisters League at 718-768-7306 to get involved. Action will include leafleting, soapboxing, holding signs/banners, street theater against the war in Afghanistan (and Iraq and Pakistan) as the U.S. begins its 9th year of war with no end in sight. Endorsers include: Vets for Peace/Chapter 34, Code Pink, Catholic Worker, Brooklyn For Peace, Ya Ya Network, Kairos Community, Solidarity, Democratic Socialists of America/NYC, Witness Against Torture, Reverend Billy Talen, Green Party candidate for Mayor, Park Slope Greens, Green Party of Brooklyn, New York Metro Progressives, Next Left Notes, Movement for a Democratic Society, North Manhattan Neighbors for Peace and Justice, Washington Heights Women in Black, Washington Heights Counter Recruitment Group, Students for Peace and Justice Caucus/Union Theological Seminary, NYC War Tax Resistance, NYC Peoples Life Fund,.

Wednesday, October 7, 7:30 p.m.
GREENWICH VILLAGE. The Quad Cinema, 13 West 13th Street
SCREENING OF “RETHINK AFGHANISTAN,” FOLLOWED BY
A DISCUSSION WITH FILMMAKER AND AFGHANISTAN VETERANS
Join Iraq Veterans Against the War, Peace Action NY State, United for Peace and Justice to commemorate the eight year anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan as we screen the provocative documentary Rethink Afghanistan. This film highlights the key issues surrounding the war - informing the public and holding policymakers accountable. A unique talkback after the film with a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and a Rethink Afghanistan filmmaker raises critical questions about the US's ongoing military occupation and how we can take action now to change this. For more information, contact PANYS at 646-723-1749.

Through October 11
MIDTOWN. Signature Theatre’s Peter Norton Space, 555 West 42nd Street
MAHIDA’S EXTRA KEY TO HEAVEN” BY RUSSELL DAVIS.
Presented by Epic Theatre Ensemble. Directed by Will Pomerantz. Featuring Roxanna Hope, Arian Moayed, Tony Award Winner Michele Pawk, Epic co-founder James Wallert. Mahida’s Extra Key To Heaven is a poetic and haunting love story about crossing human and political borders in this time of unyielding violence. It begins when a young American painter visiting his mother on an island in the Northwest encounters a frightened Iranian college student abandoned by her brother and waiting alone for a ferry that will never come. It ends in a way that is horrific, beautiful, and unforgettable. ALL PERFORMANCES will be followed by a POST-SHOW DISCUSSION. For discount tickets call 212-352-3101 and 866-811-4111.

Wednesday, October 7, 7:00 p.m.
UNION SQUARE EAST Friends Meeting House, 14 Rutherford Place, between 15th and 16th Streets, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.
AN EVENING WITH CHRIS HEDGES
Join CHRIS HEDGES, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of “Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and The Triumph of Spectacle” (Nation Books), as he charts the dramatic and disturbing rise of a post-literate America that craves fantasy, ecstasy and illusion. Audience questions will be taken, and following the event there will be a book signing. Free of charge. First come, first seated. Doors open at 6.30 p.m. For more information please go to www.nationbooks.org or call 212-822-0269.

Thursday October 8, 6:30 p.m.
PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN. Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, Prospect Park West & 2nd St.
SCREENING OF “VOCES INNOCENTES”
Feature film by Luis Mandoki (2005, Mexico) about a boy growing up in El Salvador during the Civil War of the '80's. Film begins promptly at 6:45 pm. Discussion to follow. Admission Free: Contributions Please!

Sunday, October 11, 12 noon – 2:00 p.m.
PIER 62. Bateaux New Yorkdepartsfrom Pier 62, West 23rd Street at Twelfth Avenue.
FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION FIRST PEACE BANQUET AND BOAT CRUISE.
Three annual FOR Peace Prizes will be awarded during the luncheon banquet. The recipients include an extraordinary network of Iraqis using nonviolence in the midst of war and occupation, and two outstanding individuals working on the front lines for peace and social justice. (A fourth prize, the Youth & Militarism Resistance Award will be presented later this year.) FOR's 2009 honorees are La’Onf, Cynthia Brown and Frances Pratt. Our keynote speaker is Rev. Michael Lapsley, the Director of the Institute for the Healing of Memories in Cape Town, South Africa.

Tuesday, October 13, 12 noon
MIDTOWN. Army Recruiting Station, Times Square
PRESS CONFERENCE TO KICK OFF MILITARY RAPE AWARENESS WEEK
One in every three women in the military will be raped during her time of service. Join Col. (ret.) Ann Wright and members of Vets for Peace and the Granny Peace Brigade in a press conference to highlight this critical issue.

Wednesday October 14, 7:00 p.m.
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN. Brooklyn Friends Meeting House, 110 Schermerhorn Street @ Boerum Place. TOWN HALL MEETING ON A NUCLEAR WEAPONS FREE MIDDLE EAST
AND A NUCLEAR-WEAPONS-FREE WORLD.
No New Nukes ... No Old Nukes ... Nuclear ZERO!!! Come to a Town Hall Meeting on real paths to a Nuclear-Weapons-Free Middle East (Israel and Iran included) and a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World (including us all). President Obama is planning a Global Summit on Nuclear Security in March 2010. Are we ready to participate in the political dialogue?? John Burroughs, Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Poilcy, will present some basic issues. Sponsor: Brooklyn For Peace. Co-sponsors: Peace & Social Action Committee of Brooklyn Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers); Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy; Peace Action New York State; Peace Boat. Free admission, contributions appreciated! Questions? Call 718-624-5921 or e-mail nuclearzero@brooklynpeace.org./

Friday, October 16, 8:00 p.m.
FIVE TOWNS. Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, 1125 Broadway, Hewlett, Long Island.
THE CONTINUED PLIGHT OF LORI BERENSON
With Rhoda Berenson, Professor of Physics, Bard High School Early College;

Professor Emeritus of Physics, Nassau Community College; and author of Lori: My Daughter Wrongfully Imprisoned in Peru. Lori Berenson is a social activist, researcher, writer and editor born in New York but who has spent her adult life in Central and South America. On 1995 she was in Peru, engaged in writing articles for two progressive American magazines On November 30th, she was arrested on a public bus in downtown Lima, accused of leading an insurgent organization, the MRTA. A hooded military tribunal, using antiterrorism legislation promulgated during a state of emergency, sentenced her to life for "treason against the fatherland." Four-and-a half years later, due to international pressure, her sentence was vacated and she was retried by a civilian court under the same antiterrorism legislation. She presently is serving a 20-year sentence for collaboration. Sponsored by Five Towns Forum. Contact: Rochelle Dorfmran, (516) 623-5689

Sunday October 18, 8:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN. Public Assembly, 70 N. 6th St between Kent & Wythe
BROOKLYN GET RADICAL!! BENEFIT CONCERT FOR BROOKLYN FOR PEACE.
Celebrate our 25th anniversary! Featuring MC K-Swift; Chesney Snow; Stephanie Rooker; Intangible Collective; Readnex Poetry Squad; & More! DJ Sets by DJ Chela and Ohio Party. Admission: $10 (must be 21+) Questions? Call 718-624-5921 or e-mail bfp@brooklynpeace.org.

Monday, October 19, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
CITY HALL AREA. Outside the Metropolitan Correction Center, 150 Park Row at Pearl Street
STREET PERFORMANCE TO TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE TREATMENT OF FAHAD HASHMI.
Fahad Hashmi, an American citizen, has been kept in Severe solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan for two and half years awaiting trial. He is under 24-hour electronic surveillance, is allowed no fresh air or sunshine, and can receive no letters or visits, outside of limited contact with his parents. These conditions are typical of the how terrorism suspects are being treated in U.S. prisons and courts. Guantánamo is set to be closed next year – it is time NOW to end violations of due process and inhumane detention happening right here at home. NO Guantánamos At Home or Abroad! We will continue this vigil, every Monday night from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Featuring a Weekly Radio Show by Theaters Against War (THAW) with special guests from Broadway and Off-Broadway every week For more info: thawaction@yahoo.com or 206 312 2201. www.thawaction.org.

Thursday, October 23, through Saturday, October 24.
CHELSEA. SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street.

SVA'S "VISIONS OF WAR" CONFERENCE: PLAY, FILMS, PANELS
The Humanities and Sciences Program at the School of Visual Arts is presenting a four-day conference, "Visions of War: the arts represent conflict" at the Algonquin Hotel from Thursday October 21 through Saturday October 23. See the VISIONS OF WAR web page for full schedule, including the following events, free and open to the public, held at the brand new SVA Theatre:

Thursday, October 23, 7:00 p.m.
PLAY: THE WARRIOR by Jack Gilhooley, with Talk Back session
The Warrior is a play about a veteran of the Persian Gulf War and two tours in Iraq, the damage her absence has done to her family, and to her mental health. After the performance there will be a Talk Back session which includes questions from the audience and answers. Preview for The Warrior.

Friday, October 24, 7:00 p.m.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Sponsored by Stephen Frailey, Chair, BFA Photography. More information to come.

Saturday, October 23, 2:00 - 6:00 p.m.
FILM SERIES: AFTER THE WARS
Film series hosted by Reeves Lehamna, Chair, Film Video and Animation Department. More information to come.

Saturday, October 23, 6:30 8:30 p.m.
PANEL: THE SCARS OF WAR: HEALING THROUGH THE ARTS.
Moderated by screenwriter/playwright/Vietnam combat veteran David Berry, a member of the SVA Film Department faculty. Panelists include film artists/combat veterans (screenwriters and directors), a psychologist with over three decades of experience treating Vietnam veterans, and a retired Army Colonel who has become a major spokesperson for those demanding official recognition and treatment of female victims of violence in the military.

Sunday, November 8, 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.
UPPER EAST SIDE. Hunter College/CUNY, 68th Street at Lexington Avenue
END US MILITARIZATION OF THE PACIFIC
The Granny Peace Brigade’s Fourth Teach-in will focus on U. S. military bases in Japan/Okinawa, the Philippines and South Korea, and their deplorable effects on the host countries’ populace and the environment. The event will be free and open to the public. Details on program and speakers will be forthcoming. For more details, please see www.grannypeacebrigade.org/.

Wednesday, October 7th, 4:00 8:00 p.m.
ROCHESTER. First Avenue and 48th St
HONDURAN SOLIDARITY RALLY
WITH ROSITA VALLE VARGAS, MAYOR OF EL SAUCE, NICARAGUA
The 7:00 pm evening meeting at the Downtown Presbyterian Church has been cancelled so as not to conflict with this event. The Rochester Committee on Latin America (ROCLA) urges you to attend the Rally. Rosita Valle Vargas, the Mayor of El Sauce, Nicaragua, will speak on the current political and economic situation in Nicaragua; local and national changes since the Sandinistas lost the presidential elections in 1990 and won again in 2006; and the status of women in her city and her country. Ms. Valle Vargas is the fourth consecutive mayor from the FSLN (Sandinista) party elected in El Sauce. She is the third El Sauce Mayor to travel to the Rochester area at the invitation of the El Sauce/ Rochester Ciudad Hermana Task Force of Metro Justice of Rochester.

Thursday, October 8, 7:00 p.m.
OSSINING. Theater Room, Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Avenue
EVENING PRESENTATION BY GHADA KARMI
World-renowned commentator and author Ghada Karmi will be coming to Westchester County as part of her upcoming North America Tour. A powerful and eloquent speaker, Karmi will be speaking at the speaking on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. Her tour coincides with the release of a second edition of her memoir In Search of Fatima. For more information http://wespac.org/index.php/middle-east/392-palestinian-author-at-ossining-library..

Friday & Saturday, October 9 & 10
AMHERST. Daemen College, Main Street.
6TH ANNUAL "WORLD ON YOUR PLATE" FOOD FORUM
Visit www.worldonyourplate.org to register and see updates.

Thursday, October 9, 6:00 p.m., Host Committee Reception; 7:00 p.m., Lecture
PURCHASE. Reid Castle, Manhattanville College
MEMORIAL LECTURE ON THE DEATH PENALTY
The Annual Henry Schwarzschild Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the Lower Hudson Valley Civil Liberties Union and the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action. Guest speaker: Thomas Cahill, author of “A Saint on Death Row - the Story of Dominique Green.” This book was published this spring and was introduced by Archbishop Desmond Tutu at a public launch event at Riverside Church. Dominique Green was executed in Texas in 2004 at the age of 30, after spending 12 years on death row. The book raises many questions about the trial and tells the story of his family background and his 12 years of efforts to defend himself once he was placed on death row. For more information about the lecture, call (914) 997-7479.

Saturday, October 10, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
HIGHLAND FALLS. By the clock at the southern edge of the public park at Main Street and West Point Highway, just south of West Point’s Thayer Gate
ARMY- DON’T GO TO IRAQISTAN RALLY
We will be addressing people arriving for the Army-Vanderbilt football game. The rally will end at noon, kickoff time. Eleven of us attended the rally there this last Saturday, and we found the experience very worthwhile. We came to West Point because it is the nation’s top training center for young people entering Army leadership and because it is a way to reach out to people who are directly affected by the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The photos below are graciously provided by Andy Courtney.

Saturday, October 17, 12 noon rally, 1:00 p.m. March
ALBANY. West Capital Park, West side of the Capital. March to downtown Albany.
MARCH AND RALLY AGAINST THE WARS>
At the time the Obama administration is reconsidering its Afghanistan policy, it is important that we have a strong turnout for this October 17 peace rally. Please make this one you will attend. 8 Years of War. How Many More? Bring the Troops Home Now From Afghanistan and Iraq. Stop Bombing Pakistan! Rally Endorsers: North East Peace and Justice Action Coalition (NEPAJAC), Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, Solidarity Committee, Guilderland Neighbors for Peace, Women Against War, Troy Neighbors for Peace, Upper Hudson Peace Action, Tom Paine Chapter of Veterans for Peace, Muslim Solidarity Committee, Schenectady Neighbors for Peace, Interfaith Alliance, Social Justice Cmty of the Schenectady Unitarian Society, Albany Friends meeting, Berkshire Citizens for Peace and Justice, Syracuse Peace Council, Rockland Coalition for Peace and Justice.

Saturday, October 17, 6:00 p.m.
WHITE PLAINS. Memorial United Methodist Church, 250 Bryant Avenue
2nd ANNUAL JOHN COLLINS JUSTICE FUND DINNER
Honoring Joanne Gardner for her efforts in trying to make a difference in the lives of women and men in need in and around Yonkers, and Reverend Ed Muller and the incarcerated men and women who together developed life-giving opportunities through the promotion of higher education in NY State and the Exodus Program. Tickets - $50. People who have participated in Ed's programs are invited as honored guests. Proceeds will go to support Rising Hope, offering college level education to men in prison leading to a Certificate in Ministry and Human Services and Awakenings, assisting women returning from prison to the Westchester community. To RSVP email ellnbaer@yahoo.com or call 2I2-752-4474. Checks should be made out to Memorial United Methodist Church.

Sunday, October 18, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
NEW ROCHELLE. Main St & Memorial Highway
WOMEN IN BLACK PALESTINE SOLIDARITY VIGIL
Wear black if you like. Women and Men are welcome. We will stand on Main St. by the little park. Sponsored by CodePink Westchester & WESPAC. Information contact: ceilie@aol.com, 914 654 8990. Vigil for the Children of Gaza. Be a Voice for those whose voice is silenced.

Thursday, October 22 - Saturday, October 24
ROCKLAND. Rockland Community College
PRESENTATION OF THE AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT.
TOUCH (Together Our Unity Can Heal), a local HIV/AIDS advocacy and support organization, is bringing The AIDS Memorial Quilt to Rockland Community College. This will be the largest display of The AIDS Memorial Quilt in the Northeast in the past eleven years. We are looking to notify as many people as possible about the quilt’s arrival so that individuals can request panels, dedicate panels, and view the quilt. If your organization is interested in sponsoring a panel of The AIDS Memorial Quilt please contact Robert Maher at RMaher@touch-ny.org or call us at 845-268-8023 for more information.

Sunday, October 25, 4:00- 8:00 p.m.
SYRACUSE. Empire Room, NYS Fairgrounds
TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL PEACE AWARD DINNER
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: CHRIS HEDGES
HONORING PEACEMAKERS:

Second Annual Lifetime Peace Activist Award:
Oren Lyons. Faith Keeper, Onondaga Nation, and Chief, Onondaga Nation, Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois.
Peace Awards:
Joseph Heath. General Counsel for the Onondaga Nation and long-time legal, peace and social justice activist
Helen Hudson. Co-founder-Mothers Against Gun Violence.
Mark Spadafore. SIEU 1199 Health Care Education Project andFormer Director of Syracuse Alliance for a New Economy
Syracuse Area Middle East Dialogue Group, established in 1981.

Please call the Peace Action CNY office at 315 478-7442 or go to our website at www.peaceactioncny.org. Tickets are $50.00 per person. The event is open to the public. Donations will help provide reduced ticket prices for students and others with limited means. Please save the date and join us for an informative and enjoyable evening.

Many local peace groups hold regular events, vigils, "Honk for Peace" actions, etc.
See our list: www.panys.org/ongoing.htm

Tuesday, October 13, approx. 6:00 a.m – 10:00 p.m.
WASHINGTON, DC
DC MOBILIZATION FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
This mobilization will call very strongly for movement on immigration reform NOW. It is a very important mobilization because Rep Gutierrez is expected to announce the principles for his CIR bill on this day. It’s important that we have representation from New York to join this important national action, and it’s a great opportunity for you and your members to join others from across the country on this day and be united in this fight. NYIC is helping to coordinate these buses. The cost for the bus is around $30 per person. For more information e-mail or call Frances Liu, fliu@thenyic.org.

Thursday, Oct. 15, 5:30 – 9:00 p.m.
WASHINGTON DC. National Press Club, 529 14th Street.
33RD ANNUAL LETELIER-MOFFITT HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS.
The 2009 Domestic Award will go to Domestic Workers United, a grassroots organization of Caribbean, Latina and African nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers working together to end exploitation and injustice against vulnerable workers in New York. The International Award will go to La Mesa Nacional Frente a la Mineria Metalica, which has struggled against huge odds to press El Salvador to become the first country in the world to ban gold mining – their efforts will help preserve the environment and rural communities.

Going out of state? Check UFPJ's national Events Calendar: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php.