Contact: Bruce Gagnon 443-9502
Lisa Savage 399-7623
The Maine Campaign to Bring Our War $$ Home has announced that a statewide series of local anti-war actions, observing 10 years of war in Afghanistan-Iraq-Pakistan-Libya, will begin on September 10 and last until October 9.
The events are intended to remind citizens in Maine that our state's share of war spending since 2001 comes to $3.4 billion. The campaign, which began two years ago with a rally inside the Hall of Flags in Augusta, has now spread nationally. Recently the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting passed a Bring Our War $$ Home resolution, the first time they have taken a foreign policy position since the Vietnam War.
Bring Our War $$ Home resolutions have passed in Maine by the Deer Isle Town Meeting, Solon School Board and the Portland City Council. Similar resolutions have also passed city councils in Hartford, Ct, Amherst and Northampton, MA, Eugene, OR, and Los Angeles, CA.
In addition to the 17 local events (held in 14 Maine communities) the Bring Our War $$ Home campaign has purchased radio ads on five Maine stations from Portland to Presque Isle carrying their message. The radio ads are narrated by Maine's Humble Farmer Robert Skoglund.
According to Bring Our War $$ Home co-coordinator Bruce Gagnon, "Recent national polls show that 70% of the American people want us out of Afghanistan and they want the $10 billion we waste on that war every single month to be brought back to our local communities and states to help solve our fiscal crisis. We are not going to have an economic recovery as long as we keeping flushing people's hard-earned tax dollars down the endless war hole. We are organizing this month of actions across Maine in order to help people apply pressure on all of our elected officials to publicly say - Bring Our War $$ Home."
The month-long series of events will be connected by a Care-a-Van that will attend each event and will hold signs and banners in the communities at each stop. Flyers will be handed out in towns and to students at many colleges during the month. Letters to the Editor will be sent to newspapers across the state as well during the month.
Schedule of Care-a-Van Events:
* Sept 10 WERU Maine Grassroots Media Conference at the Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts. Conference participants will make Bring Our War $$ Home T-shirts. Among the several panel discussions will be: “Political Art Activism” featuring Rob Shetterly (Americans Who Tell the Truth) and Lisa Savage (Bring Our War $$ Home) http://weru.org/news/maine-grassroots-media-conference
* Sept 10 Penny Poll at the Orono Festival join members of the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine and the Orono Peace group to invite members of the community to share their federal budget priorities. Contact the Center if you would like to help. info@peacectr.org
* Sept 11 Portland "It's time for light" around Back Cove to end war 6:00-8:00 pm (Bring flashlight) gracebraley@yahoo.com
* Sept 12 Saco Potluck supper and meeting to discuss Bring Our War $$ Home and Maine Walk for Fukushima (which will arrive in Saco that day), First Parish Congregational Church, 12 Beach Street, 6:00 pm tkircher@maine.rr.com
* Sept 17 Brewer 3:00-6:00 pm Building Bridges for Peace, First Congregational Church in Brewer (45 Church Street) with keynote by Terry Rockefeller of Families for Peaceful Tomorrows who lost her sister on September 11th in the attack on the Twin Towers. She has traveled to Iraq to meet with peace organizers. http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/profile/TerryKayRockefeller The keynote will be followed by panelists sharing what motivates them to continue to work for peace and activity tables by various organizations working for peace. A community simple supper will conclude the day which is free and open to the public. info@peacectr.org
* Sept 20 UMFarmington event featuring singer/songwriter David Rovics and Ruth Hill at 7:00 pm in the Emery Performing Arts Center; Teach-In at 11:00 am - 1:00 pm in the Student Center, leafleting of students about tuition hikes and student debt rawlings@maine.edu
* Sept 21 Belfast film showing of documentary Kill/Capture (the US military campaign in Afghanistan and targeted raids using classified intelligence, drones, and Special Operations Forces as a tactic - It interviews Afghan and Taliban leaders and their responses to the campaign - it's impact on them and the consequences of the whole operation), Belfast Library, 6:00 pm liscoe@roadrunner.com
* Sept 23-25 Bring Our War $$ Home tabling (with Veterans for Peace) at Common Ground Fair, Program in speakers tent. To volunteer to work our table please contact Diane at enviroadvocate@aol.com
* Sept 25 Bangor 7:00 pm Film showing Scarred Lands, Wounded Lives at the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine (96 Harlow Street). The film recognizes our deep dependence on the natural world and our humanly caused threats to the future of the planet. But it also focuses on what is often ignored by environmentalist: the extreme threat of the environmental impact of war and massive preparations for war. info@peacectr.org
* Sept 25 Belfast Rally to Restore Democracy 4:00 - 6:00 pm at Post Office herboldcharlotte@gmail.com
* Sept 27 Blue Hill Program featuring Voices for Peace choir & Robert Shetterly at Bay School's Emlen Auditorium in Blue Hill, 7:00 pm dudhe@myfairpoint.net
* Sept 30 Afghanistan war Teach-In at Bowdoin College in Brunswick entitled 10 Years of war in Afghanistan: What have we learned, what can we do? Smith Auditorium, 3-5 pm Speakers Include: Paul Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Gould, Allen Wells, Nat Wheelwright, Lisa Savage, Dud Hendrick ssternli@gwi.net
* Sept 30 Interview of Paul Fitzgerald & Elizabeth Gould on public access TV program This Issue in Harpswell
* Oct 1 BIW vigil in Bath emphasizing drone warfare during Keep Space for Peace Week at 11:30 am globalnet@mindspring.com
* Oct 2 "A Time for Reflection on 10 Years of War" in Bath led by local religious leaders at 1pm karenwainberg@gmail.com
* Oct 6 UMOrono Bring Our War $$ Home: The Lessons of 9/11, the Afghanistan War, and the Killing of Osama bin Laden, program includes Doug Allen 12:30-1:45, Bangor Room, Memorial Union (Campus leafleting of students about tuition hikes and student debt after the event) Douglas_Allen@umit.maine.edu
* Oct 9 Finale event of Care-a-Van featuring Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscots and Indian drummers plus Bring Our War $$ Home speakers/singers in Augusta to observe Indigenous People's Day globalnet@mindspring.com or lsavage3@gmail.com (exact location yet to be determined). Noon until 3:00 pm. Bring finger food to share.
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