PARADE FOR PEACE

Roger Leisner holding our 2nd place award for the parade's most original entry

We invited U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to hold the puppets hand and pose for a photo. I took advantage of the moment to talk to her about the Bring Our War $$ Home campaign

We had a good group of us in the Hallowell parade today near the state capital in Augusta, Maine. As we were waiting to begin the parade we noticed Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) nearby so we invited her to come over and pose for a photo with the puppet.

She graciously did and while she stood next to me I told her we needed for her to be more vocal about ending the war in Afghanistan. I said that we had such great need here at home for our war $$. She replied, "Oh, I understand what you are saying." She went on to say that the Obama plan should get us out in a couple of years and I told her we can't afford to wait. I asked her, "What happens in two years when the corrupt government in Afghanistan is not able to 'take over' security operations?" She didn't seem to have much to argue with me about her position, almost like she was running out of gas.

I told her how our two Congresspersons in Maine (Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree) were now routinely voting against war spending and they had not been politically injured by voting that way. Again, I told her we needed her to be more forceful.

You could help move Sen. Snowe toward a stronger position on war spending by sending her a message here

Please let her know how you feel about wasting all these $$ on endless war.

After the parade 13 of us got together for a planning meeting of the Bring Our War $$ Home Campaign at an office just across the street from the state capital in Augusta. We advanced our efforts for the statewide 30-day Care-a-van (Sept 10 - Oct 10). We are encouraging peace groups across the state to organize local events during that period in observation of the 10th year of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. We also made the decision to purchase radio ads across Maine during this time.

Our next meeting will be Saturday, August 27 in Brunswick from 1-3 pm following the Veterans for Peace protest at the Navy Blue Angels airshow at the former Navy base. The protest will run from 11am - 1 pm. All are invited.