Alert #157  May 14, 2008

Winter Soldier On the Hill
Congress: listen to the Vets before you vote!
PEACE DEMANDS ACTION.
 one email, one action, five minutes a week for peace
view this message online: http://www.panys.org/alerts/157.htm
Dear Peace Networker,

Last March more than 250 members of Iraq Veterans Against the War gathered outside of Washington, DC for “Winter Solider: Iraq and Afghanistan.” They gave public testimony about their personal experiences in Iraq and in the military, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.

I saw some of the testimony at public showings in March, and I have since seen more of it on the internet. But what always bothers me is that I am not the person who needs to see this. I already know that the war in Iraq is not working. Why isn’t President Bush watching this? Why isn’t Congress?

Well, now they are.

On Thursday, May 15th, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, including individuals who participated in the surge, will be testifying under oath before the Congressional Progressive Caucus, contributing their eyewitness accounts of the military occupation of Iraq to the Congressional record.

This testimony represents a shift for Congress. Up until now they've been getting reports about the situation in Iraq only from high-level commanders and political appointees. Now they'll be getting direct accounts from on-the-ground soldiers and Marines. Testifiers will detail the ineffectiveness of the “troop surge,” the dehumanization, abuse and killing of innocent Iraqi civilians, and the breakdown of the military as a result of the ongoing occupation of Iraq.

“General Petraeus continues to repeat the administration’s talking points while ignoring what soldiers on the ground know: the Iraq occupation is not working,” said Kelly Dougherty, a former Military Police Sergeant in Iraq and Executive Director of IVAW.

Unfortunately, as of Wednesday, it appears that not all Members of Congress, or even all members of the Progressive Caucus are planning to attend the hearing. Please call your Congressional Representative today. Ask him or her to take the opportunity to hear directly from those who know, particularly before voting to fund the occupation of Iraq into 2009.

What:
Who:


When:
Where:
Winter Soldier on the Hill
Iraq Veterans Against the War,
The Congressional Progressive Caucus,
Your Member of Congress
May 15th, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
2261 Rayburn House Office Building

As always, thanks for all you do.

In Peace,

Cheryl Wertz
Executive Director, Peace Action of New York State
info@panys.org
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 NYC Metro Area Upstate NY Out-of-State & Nationwide
FEATURED EVENTS
Saturday, May 17, 6:00 pm
ST. GEORGE, STATEN ISLAND.
Museum of Staten Island (auditorium) 75 Stuyvesant Place.
PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE PEACE ACTION’S ENDORSEMENT OF STEVE HARRISON IN THE 13TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
Steve Harrison, an anti-war Democrat from Staten Island has been endorsed by the Peace Action PAC. Members of Peace Action Staten Island, Peace Action New York State and Peace Action will all attend to give their support. Immediately following the press conference, Peace Action Staten Island’s General Membership Meeting and Annual Potluck Dinner will take place in the same location. For more information, contact Peace Action Staten Island at 718-989-2881.

Saturday, May 17, 1-7 pm
WATERTOWN. Black Water River Park & Campgrounds, 1605 Huntington St.
FT. DRUM SPRING FESTIVAL.
Soldiers and their families welcome! There will be music, games for the kids, food for sale or bring a picnic. Information Booths: Military VA benefits, disability, PTSD treatment, home loans, etc. Music by: Endangered Species w/ Tommy Gunn, Double Barrel Blues, and others. Free and open to the public! Join the hundreds of New Yorkers who have walked to Watertown to support soldiers and the Iraq Veterans Against the War. For more information see www.nysmarchesforpeace.org.
New York Metro Area and Long Island Events
 
 Thursday, May 15. 7:30 pm
LONG ISLAND. Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock. 48 Shelter Rock Rd, Manhasset.
 NATIONAL INSECURITY - AMERICA AT A CROSSROADS
OUR CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY IN 2008.
With Tom Andrews, former Maine Congressmand and National Director of Win Without War, a coalition of 40 national organizations that advocate that international cooperation and enforceable international law provide the greatest security. Suggested donation $5. For more information contact the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives at 516-741-4360.
Friday, May 16, 1:00 – 6:00 pm.
MIDTOWN. Dag Hammarskjold Park, 47th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues
 NAKBAH RALLY AND MARCH.
New York  and New Jersey Palestinian and Arab American community rally and march to commemorate the Nakbah. The program is exciting and the organizers are anticipating large numbers of participants. For more information, contact Wespac at 914-449-6514. http://nakbah1948.org/May%2016%20Rally.htm
Saturday, May 17, 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:30)
QUEENS. Richmond Hill High School, 89-30 114th Street.
 TARA'S CROSSING.
 One performance only! From Houses on the Moon Theatre Co. comes this off-Broadway hit, the remarkable odyssey of a transgender asylum seeker who flees Guyana, only to wind up in the isolation of U.S. Immigration detention, where she struggles to win her freedom. The play was inspired by true events. All seats $20.00 ($15.00 with discount code: “TC Discount.” For advance tickets contact Broadway Fashion 718-848-7593 or in person at 106-06 Liberty Ave.)
Monday May 19, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
MIDTOWN. Local 1199-SEIU Auditorium 310 WEST 43rd St. between 8th & 9th Aves.
 TOWN HALL MEETING ON ENDING THE U.S. OCCUPATION OF IRAQ.
 With Dahlia Wasfi, MD, Iraqi-American Physician, Michael Schwartz, Professor of Sociology, SUNY Stony Brook. Additional Speakers to be announced. To RSVP email aslater@rcn.com.
Wednesday, May 21, 7:00 pm.
BROOKLYN. Brooklyn Friends Meeting House – 110 Schermerhorn Street at Boerum Place
MAY 1948 – A NEW STATE FOR ISRAELITES,
A NAKBA (CATASTROPHE) FOR PALESTINIANS.
A panel discussion on the issues and emotions associated with the events of 1948 and why they still matter. With Nadia Hijab, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Palestine Studes, Adam Horowitz, founder of Jews Against the Occupation, Zachary Lockman, a Professor in the Dept. of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at NYU. Sponsored by Brooklyn for Peace and the Peace and Social Action Committee of the Brooklyn Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Free admission. For more information, call 718-624-5921 or see www.brooklynpeace.org.
Thursday, May 22. 8:00 pm
WEST FINANCIAL DISTRICT. Church Street School for Music and Art. 74 Warren Street.
 PERFORMANCE OF COOPERATIVE VILLAGE: A FUNDRAISER FOR
THE NEW YORK COALITION TO EXPAND VOTING RIGHTS.
 “Cooperative Village,” written and performed by author Frances Madeson, is a boldly comic social and political satire offered up to progressive people everywhere as a rallying cry in opposition to the Bush administration and the institutions and values that prop it up. Called “smart, macabre satire of the War on Terror” by Washington City Paper and selected as the National Organization for Women (NOW) NYC’s June ’08 Book Club pick, the wickedly uproarious novel is now an equally outrageous one-woman show. Ticket prices are $50 with a free, signed copy of the book, $20 without. All proceeds to benefit the New York Coalition to Expand Voting Rights, the campaign to reinstate municipal voting rights for document non-citizens who live, work, raise families and pay taxes in New York City. For more information, contact the Diversity Center of Queens at 917 378 8758. To purchase tickets, click here .
Sunday, May 25, 1:15pm.
MIDTOWN. Community Church of New York, 40 East 35th Street at Park Avenue.
 PHYLLIS BENNIS SPEAKING ON “ISRAEL AND PALESTINE IN THE U.S. EMPIRE.”
 Phyllis Bennis is a fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, and Director of its New Internationalism Program. She is also a Fellow of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. Her areas include U.S. unilateralism and empire, the Middle East (particularly Israel-Palestine and Iraq), and US-United Nations relations. Her books include “Before and After: U.S. Foreign Policy and the September 11th Crisis”, “Calling the Shots: How Washington Dominates Today’s UN, “Beyond the Storm: A Gulf Crisis Reader” and “Challenging Empire: How People, Governments and the UN Defy US Power.” Sponsored by Action for Justice of Community Church NYC and Resistance Cinema. The event is free, but donations are appreciated. For more information call 718-843-0515.
Saturday, May 31, 2:00 – 6:00 pm
GREENWICH VILLAGE. Church of the Village, 48th St. Mark’s Place (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
 WHAT'S NEXT AFTER MAY DAY?
A FORUM ORGANIZED BY THE MAY 1 COALITION FOR IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS
 2:00 – 4:00 pm: Building the movement in solidarity with immigrants and workers, organizing labor, students and the progressive movement for social change.
4:00 pm: “Teatro Callejera: No Abres La Puerta.” 4:30 – 6:00 pm: Panel discussion on rights, organizing and what to say if ICE comes to your home. Refreshments will be served. Donations accepted. For more information, see www.may1.info.
Saturday, May 31. (Rain date June 7th)
Registration and check in, 10:00 am. Ride starts 11:00 am.
CENTRAL PARK, 110th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.
 PEDAL FOR PEACE 2008: A FUNDRAISER FOR
NYC UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE.
Be a part of the cycle of peace! A Family Friendly 15-mile Ride. It is a permitted ride that will wind through East Harlem, Harlem and the Upper Westside.  It is a great combination of cycling through neighborhoods and more open tree-lined roads (Edgecombe and Riverside Drives).  We will keep a gentle pace to encourage families and less experienced riders to participate.  For the hardcore cyclists, it will be more like a stroll giving you an opportunity to take in the sites as we go.  Most importantly, we will be making a statement as we ride: Fund our communities, Not War! Bring all the Troops Home Now!  Registration is $40 or $25 low-income/student.  Children under 18 ride free.  All riders get a fabulous Pedal for Peace t-shirt.  Everyone is encouraged to also get sponsors.  There are great gifts for those who raise $250 or more! The first 50 riders to register, as well as all children, will get a safety flag with a peace symbol on it.  We encourage you to get creative and decorate your bike with messages of peace! Click here to register today.
Tuesday, June 3, 7pm
MIDTOWN. Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street
 TRUE CRIMES: THE UNTOLD STORY
BEHIND THE DEVASTATION OF IRAQ.
 Go behind the headlines of the occupation of Iraq with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Chris Hedges, journalist Laila Al-Arian, best-selling author Jeremy Scahill, and award- winning NY Times reporter Seymour Hersh as they discuss the war, the plight of Iraqi civilians and the role of private mercenaries. The event is a dual book launch for Hedges and Al-Arian's "Collateral Damage" and Scahill's "Blackwater" (in paperback). The conversation will be followed by audience questions and a book signing. Tickets $10/$15/$20.
For more information, visit www.nationinstitute.org.
Saturday, June 14th, 2-5pm
MIDTOWN. Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Center, 310 West 43rd Street
 ANNUAL BETTER WORLD AWARDS LUNCHEON.
 Speaker, Judith Le Blanc of United for Peace and Justice and CPUSA. 2008 Better World Award Honorees: Estelle Katz, Co-Founder of Chelsea for Peace. $40, $20 for low-income or youth. To benefit the People’s Weekly World/Nuestro Mundo. For information or reservations, contact 646-437-5355 or nyfriends@pww.org/.

Upstate Events
Monday, May 19th, 4 to 6 p.m.
WHITE PLAINS. City Library, 100 Martine Avenue
between South Lexington Ave. & MLK Jr. Blvd.
 REGIONAL MEETING (WESTCHESTER AND LOWER HUDSON VALLEY)
OF THE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL COALITION.
 Come find out what’s happening here in New York, and an exciting new statewide campaign for universal health care reform! For more information, contact 845-802-0039.or jwisneski@citizenactionny.org
Thursday, May 22, 4 – 6pm
GENESEO. The Lockhart Gallery, 26 Main Street.
 OPENING RECEPTION FOR “IMAGINE PEACE” AN EXHIBIT OF CONTEMPLATIVE ART.
 Sponsored by the Geneseo Ecumenical Coalition for Peace. The exhibit is open from May 19th through June 11.
Saturday, May 31.
SYRACUSE. Syracuse Peace Council, 924 Burnet Ave
OPEN HOUSE AT THE SYRACUSE PEACE COUNCIL.

Ongoing Local Events
Many local peace groups hold regular events, vigils, "Honk for Peace" actions, etc. 
See our list: www.panys.org/ongoing.htm

Out of State & Nationwide Events
Saturday, May 17, 11am – 1pm.
WASHINGTON DC. The Ellipse, just South of the White House
 FIRST (AND HOPEFULLY LAST) ANNUAL CLUSTER BOMB OLYMPICS.
This event is intended to draw attention to the perilous conditions under which millions of children live in cluster-bomb affected countries. Cluster bombs leave behind unexploded, but still deadly, “dud” sub-munitions. The event is open to kids of all ages, but it is particularly designed for middle school and high school-age students and adults. For more information about the campaign to ban cluster bombs, check out: www.banclusterbombs.org and www.uscbl.org.
Going out of state? Check UFPJ's national Events Calendar: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php.