Talk on U.S. budget on April 29

On Thursday, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, April 29, at the Natick Public Library, Chris Hellman, Communications liaison from National Priorities Project will present a powerpoint presentation entitled "Out of Balance". The topic will be the US budget and the huge disproportion in military spending vs human needs, with US defense spending almost equaling all other nations. The program is open to the public. Pax Christi Metrowest is organizing the event and Metrowest Peace Action and Military Families Speak Out are cosponsors.

Benjamin Day - The Need for a Massachusetts Single Payer Health Plan

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group is sponsoring a talk by Benjamin Day on The Need for a Massachusetts Single Payer Health Plan on Tuesday, April 27th at 7:30 PM.
 
The health reform plan just passed by Congress leaves millions of people with no or limited health coverage and does little to control costs. Benjamin Day will speak on the MassCare campaign for a single, publicly financed health insurance plan. This plan will cut costs and provide comprehensive health care to all residents in Massachusetts. Almost all developed nations have some form of universal, publicly financed health care which covers all people while realizing enormous savings.  The single payer plan will give the Town of Walpole vital relief, removing the health insurance cost from the town budget, freeing up those funds for other badly needed town services and education.

Benjamin Day is the Executive Director of Mass-Care, the Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care. Day's background is in labor research and labor education. He is the co-editor the Encyclopedia of Strikes in American History, and author of a number of articles on labor organizing and health care reform. Benjamin has had the privilege of becoming sick in England, where he lived for a year under socialized medicine. He currently organizes the campaign for single payer health care in Massachusetts and serves part-time as the state coordinator for Massachusetts Physicians for a National Health Program.
 
The talk is being held at the United Church in Walpole, 30 Common Street,  in the Bradford Lewis Hall. People should park in the parking lot to the right of the church, using the driveway after the Center for Community Counseling and Education house, and enter the church using the right side door.

Screening of "View from a Grain of Sand", Tuesday, April 13

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group will be showing the award winning documentary, View from a Grain of Sand, on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 7:30 PM at the United Church in Walpole, 30 Common Street. Filmed by Meena Nanji, View from a Grain of Sand, documents the state of women in Afghanistan through the eyes of three Afghan women: a doctor, a teacher, and a rights activist.
 
 “Illustrated with vérité footage, interviews and archival material, their personal stories lead us through the minefield of Afghanistan’s complex history, and provide illuminating context for Afghanistan’s current situation and the ongoing battle women face, even now, to gain basic human rights. Shot over a four-year period in the sprawling refugee camps of north-western Pakistan and in the war-torn city of Kabul, the documentary constructs a harrowing, thought-provoking, yet intimate portrait of the plight of Afghan women over the last 30 years—from the rule of King Zahir Shah to the current Hamid Karzai government. The women are powerfully moving as they re-define strength and resilience in the face of on-going struggle, and give a full and visceral picture of a still divided and brutalized nation. As world attention has shifted to other crises, this project re-focuses the camera on Afghanistan, remembering the voices of those most vulnerable and most affected by the conflicts: women.”
 
People may park in the parking lot to the right of the church, using the driveway after the Center for Community Counseling and Education, and enter the church using the right side door.

In Natick, protests on war anniversary low-key this year

Demonstrators marched in Natick yesterday to protest US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. (John Blanding/Globe Staff)

From boston.com:

“Although our numbers may be small, our voices need to be heard,’’ said Rob Kearns, 43, of Walpole, a former Marine, a member of Veterans for Peace, and a regular attendee at any peace events.

Memorial Vigil / Walk to Natick Army Base March 20

The MetroWest Peace Group and the Peace Abby are sponsoring a peace walk to mark the 7th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq on March 20.

They will be meeting at Noon at the gasebo on the Common in downtown Natick. Intersection of Rte 135 and 27 (North Main St. ) They will stand for a short while there, then walk up Rte 27 (No. Main) towards the Natick Labs with their signs. They will stand on the corner of No Main and Kansas Street for a while and then walk back to the Natick Common. It is approximately 2 miles total, maybe less.

See the Metro West press release below for more information.

If you would like to participate in this peace walk and want to carpool from Walpole, please be in touch.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Memorial Vigil and Walk to Natick Army Base March 20 is the 7th Anniversary of our country's invasion of Iraq. On Saturday, March 20, there will be a vigil and march to remember that we still occupy Iraq and Afghanistan, and acknowledge the human toll. Any one who would like to join this event should gather at the Natick Common Bandstand at 12:00. We will then walk to the Natick Army Base where we will read the names of those from Massachusetts who have lost their lives in these conflicts. We will also remember in silence the Iraqi and Afghanistan civilians, dead and wounded in this long conflict.

This is a peaceful, but clear message to remind all of us, that we are at war with no real end in sight. The Peace Abbey has offered the use of the memorial stone which honors unknown civilians killed in wars for this occasion. If enough people would like to participate we would push the stone on its caisson from the Peace Abbey in Sherborn to the Natick Common.

Sponsored by MetrowestPeaceAction
If you are interested in these events you can contact the Peace Abbey at info@peaceabbey.org

Peace Group Events

Next events for the Peace Group are:

Friday, March 5, 7:00 PM, “Follow the Women Tour” at the Peace Abby. See details below courtesy of Madeline. I believe Shelia sent out an email for those looking to car pool.

Saturday, March 6, 10:00 – 11:00 AM – Vigil

Sunday, March 7, 2:00 – 5:00 PM, Peace Group Social and French slides at Czachorowski’s, families, spouses invited

Action Item: Call Congressman Lynch this morning and ask him to support Dennis Kucinich privileged resolution to end the Afghan War, see the attached email from Carol Coakley.

Follow The Women Tour

Friday, March 5th 7PM Collen McGuire will be at The Peace Abbey to make a presentation about the organization that brings over 200 women cyclists every year to the Middle East for peace, solidarity, and empowerment. Colleen, a co- founder and organizer of the tour said,"The tour's purpose is to call attention to the fact that women and children suffer most in regions of conflict-innocent victims of hostile government policies".
Colleen has participated in the tour four times and has met and cycled with some amazing women including the First Lady of Syria and Queen Rania of Jordan.

Colleen will be showing slides and talking about her experiences and inviting American women to join the tour.
Ora McGuire, Coleen's mother, a wonderful peacemaker lives locally in Walpole and will be with us for the evening. All are welcome! We extend the invitation to young people as well.

Walpole Peace and Justice Group on the Walpole Common, Saturday, March 6, 10:00 - 11:00 AM

Please join us for a peace vigil on Saturday, March 6 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM as we call for the end of Afghanistan and Iraqi wars and the redirection of funds to human needs. The vigil will be held at the Walpole Common at the corner of Main and Front Streets across from the Walpole Cooperative Bank. Tragically, the number of U.S. service personnel killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of the war reached 1,000 on February 23, not to mention the thousands of Afghanistan troops and civilians killed and wounded and the thousands of refugees who have fled the ongoing fighting.

Peace vigils are held on the first Saturday of the month from 10:00 to 11:00 AM on the Walpole Common.

NEU Conference on Haiti

The New England United Peace is sponsoring a Conference on Haiti on Saturday, February 27, see below. Please let us know if you are interested in attending.

February 27, 2010
New England United
General Meeting
1:00 - 5:00 pm
Who killed Haiti and why? The US occupation and the fight to rebuild a country free from exploitation.

Hear reports from medical personnel just back from relief efforts, and Ashley Smith, who reported from Haiti during the 1994 occupation. Smith has been active in the Haiti solidarity movement since the 1990's. He has written about Haiti for the International Socialist Review, Znet, and Counterpunch.

This program will be followed by the regular monthly meeting of New England United. Proposed agenda includes:

• the March 20 antiwar march on DC
• new campaigns to end the siege of Gaza
• evaluation of Jan. 30 Conference

Saturday February 27, 1-5 pm
Encuentro 5 , 33 Harrison, Boston, MA

Next Peace Vigil: Saturday, March 6, 10:00 to 11:00 AM