STAYING ENGAGED DESPITE THE MADNESS

• I was in the dentist office in Gainesville, Florida on 9-11. The TV was on and I saw the madness happening. Since then it has been non-stop war. For some people today is a chance to beat the war drums even harder. Others, like me, want to reflect on the kind of questions Peter Dale Scott asks in the video post below. Some folks remain in hiding under their kitchen table in hopes that all the turmoil will just go away. But it won't. We must be engaged in all this - there is a higher calling for us in these moments. We must do all we can to stop the mindless killing and keep calling for the redirection of our war $$ to life affirming needs. It ain't easy but we are not the first generations of humans to face difficulties. I figure we owe it to the past and future generations to stay engaged in life.

• Yesterday our local paper (Times Record in Brunswick) ran a triple play for us on the editorial pages. The opinion page editor wrote a powerful editorial and then two other pieces were done by peace activists. You can see them just below. They were all in advance of a public forum on military spending and the economic collapse being organized by our local group PeaceWorks that will be held next Thursday.
  

Let's Keep the Dialogue Going (Times Record Editorial by James McCarthy - Opinion Page Editor)

Speak Up Even If your Voice Cracks (Mary Beth Sullivan & Karen Wainberg)

Path to True Security (Lisa Savage)

Last week the Lewiston Sun Journal newspaper here in Maine wrote a powerful editorial (Turning From War to Building Our Economy) along these same lines. They are a paper owned by Republicans and are not normally known for this kind of position. There is clearly something beginning to sprout across Maine and we in the Bring Our War $$ Home campaign feel we have helped to foster this change in climate.

• I drove most of the route for our Veterans for Peace (November 2-11) Maine Walk for Peace, Human Needs, and Veterans' Care the other day. I started in Farmington and worked my way east to Waterville, Bangor, Belfast and then south to Rockland and Bath. Still need to head further south to Freeport and Portland to finish up the maps. Since that time we have added one more stop on the walk in Skowhegan which will come right after our visit to Farmington. Our graphic layout artist friend Nancy Randolph is now working on a walk promo leaflet which I am excited about - it will have a picture of the state with an outline of the peace walk route on it. I'll post it on here once we get it done.

• Trying hard to get the details of the walk done before the popular Common Ground Country Fair (September 24-26) which is held each year up in Unity, Maine. VFP will have a table there so we want to promote the walk during that event. A week after that I will head out on the road for a couple weeks of speaking that will take me to Washington DC, Merrimack College in Massachusetts, and then on a trip to India.