Walpole PnJ Events for March

Below is a schedule of Walpole Peace and Justice Group Events for March as well as a talk at Blessed Sacrament by Sheila Provencher on her first hand experiences in Baghdad.

March 3, 2007: Walpole Peace and Justice Group Vigil on the Walpole Common to protest the Iraq war, 10:00 to 11:00 AM

March 4, 2007: Sheila Provencher will speak about her experiences working in Baghdad with Christian Peacemaker Teams. Sponsored by Blessed Sacrament Church, the talk will be held in the Blessed Sacrament School Auditorium, Route 27, Walpole, starting at 7:00 PM. Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical organization dedicated to the reduction of violence and to human rights in areas of armed conflict around the world.

March 6, 2007: Walpole Peace and Justice Group Speaker Series - "Venezuela - What a Real Democracy Looks Like" by Paul Peckham. Paul, a member of the group, has just returned from a Global Exchange Reality Tour and will report on his first hand view of Venezuela and the Hugo Chavez presidency. While the Bush administration has been critical of Venezuela, the Chavez administration has embarked on a program to improve the basic social services for people. Paul’s talk will describe the major areas of social reform such as universal health care, free college education, government support for coops and small businesses, and land reform. He will describe what Venezuelans call "participatory democracy" in which the average citizen is involved in all levels of government, from the local to the national. He will also cover the Bush administration's involvement in the coup in 2002 to oust Hugo Chavez as President and the ongoing campaign by the Bush administration to discredit Chavez’s administration. The public is invited.

March 17, 2007: Walpole Peace and Justice Group Vigil on the Walpole Common marking the 4th Anniversary of the war in Iraq. 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon AM. We will be protesting this disastrous war by observing the 4th anniversary of the start as well as commemorating the American and Iraqi dead.

For the Walpole Peace and Justice Group
Philip

Other Events at the Walpole Library

The Peace and Justice Group is happy to help spread the word about two seminars on the topics of "The Middle East" and "Climate Change" being organized by the Friends of the Walpole Public Library and the Boston College Lifelong Learning Institute. The seminars will present "compact discussions" from the Great Decisions course offered at the Institute. These are free and open to the public on a first come basis.

The Middle East Pt 1: Thursday, March 15, 7-9pm
The Middle East Pt 2: Thursday, April 5, 7-9pm

Climate Change Pt 1: Thursday, April 12, 7-9pm
Climate Change Pt 2: Thursday, April 26, 7-9pm

You can sign up or get more information at the Main Desk, or call (508) 660-7340.

Links from The Ground Truth Screening

Here are some links from tonights discussion following the screening of "The Ground Truth". First, here is the article from last Sunday's Globe about the Iraq War veteran who could not get medical services and committed suicide:


Told to wait, a Marine dies

And here is the obituary that Dottie wanted to share with everyone:

Cynthia Foster, at 99; was rebel against war

If you can think of other folks in the area who might want to attend a screening this Thursday, MoveOn is sponsoring a number of events that night:

Search MoveOn for screenings on Feb 15th

Next Peace Vigil on Saturday, February 17

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group will hold the next peace vigil on Saturday, February 17, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Walpole Common across from the Post Office. Please join us as we stand in protest of this disastrous war and call upon the return of all of our troops. The president's plan to escalate the war will only bring more violence and death. Over 3,000 U.S. troops have been killed as well as up to 650,000 Iraqi civilians.

We will be holding vigils every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month at the Walpole Common from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. We will supply signs or please bring your own.

Ground Truth Screening Feb 13 in Walpole

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group will be hosting a screening of the film "The Ground Truth" on February 13th, at 7:30pm. This is part of the WP&JG's continuing Tuesday Night Speaker Series, and will take place at the Walpole Public Library.


"Hailed as "powerful" and "quietly unflinching," Patricia Foulkrod's searing documentary feature includes exclusive footage that will stir audiences. The filmmaker's subjects are patriotic young Americans - ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service in Iraq - as they experience recruitment and training, combat, homecoming, and the struggle to reintegrate with families and communities. The terrible conflict in Iraq, depicted with ferocious honesty in the film, is a prelude for the even more challenging battles fought by the soldiers returning home – with personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government. As these battles take shape, each soldier becomes a new kind of hero, bearing witness and giving support to other veterans, and learning to fearlessly wield the most powerful weapon of all - the truth."

Click here to see event details of sign up for the event.

Our Press Release for the event follows:

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group continues its speakers series on February 13, 2007 with a screening of “Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends” at the Walpole Public Library, at 7:30 PM. “Ground Truth” is a powerful, moving documentary about the devastating impact of the Iraqi war on U.S. soldiers. Directed by Patricia Foulkrod, “Ground Truth” has been acclaimed by a wide range of critics. Ty Burr, film critic of the Boston Globe, called it the “documentary any American with an opinion on our involvement in Iraq owes it to his or her conscience to see.” Foulkrod interviews 12 soldiers about their experiences from boot camp to fighting in Iraq and then back at home dealing with their physical and psychological injuries. The film consists entirely of these soldier’s stories through interviews and film footage.

The film has been widely recognized for depicting the Iraqi war as it really is and how it has affected our soldiers. James Verniere of the Boston Herald wrote “Beginning with what many speakers describe as deceptive recruiting techniques and concluding with the government’s alleged attempt to avoid paying for postwar benefits and health care, the film paints a devastating portrait of the war and the wrenching plight of the men and women serving in it.” Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote “The film also addresses deeper questions about modern methods of creating efficient soldiers and their long-term consequences. It asks: how could anyone imagine that the intensive molding of human beings into killing machines wouldn’t affect the rest of their lives?”

The public is invited to the film. We will have a discussion following the showing. Note that due to language and the violent content, the film is rated “R” and would be unsuitable for children. More information on this and other events, future and past, can be found on the blog for the Walpole Peace and Justice Group (http://walpolepeace.blogspot.com/).

Peace Vigil Feb 3 in Walpole

The Walpole Peace and Justice Group will hold a peace vigil on Saturday, February 3, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at the Walpole Common across from the Post Office. Please join us as we stand to protest the escalation of the Iraqi war. We are holding this vigil to call on Congress to ‘act now to end the war.’ We will have signs for your use or you may bring your own. Last week we had 18 people joining us as we held a 60 foot banner honoring the 3000+ U.S. service men and women killed in this tragic war and honoring the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed.

We will be holding peace vigils the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month, 10:00 – 11:00 AM on the Walpole Common.

For the Walpole Peace and Justice Group
Philip Czachorowski