www.brightstarvision.org

Friday, July 18, 2008
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Hartford Friends Meeting
144 South Quaker Lane
West Hartford

to benefit both …

Bright Star Vision &

To Download a Flyer, click => here

To Download a Flyer, Click => here

Join CCPJ / HopeOutLoud and other Activists for a July 4th Tradition ... 
Speaking Out on Important Issues of the Day

Formation begins at Jillson Square on Main Street from 9:00 to 10:30

No pre-registration, just lace up your boots and show up! 

A carpool will depart
8:30 AM sharp (or earlier), July 4th
Friends Meeting House
144 South Quaker Lane
West Hartford 

For more information, click => here

National Conference to Stop the War in Iraq and Bring the Troops Home Now
June 28-29, 2008
Cleveland, Ohio

The purpose of the conference is to place on the agenda of the entire U.S. antiwar movement a proposal for the largest possible united mass mobilization(s) in the future to stop the Iraq War and end the occupation. Everyone -- every organization, every coalition, everywhere in the U.S., all who oppose the war and the occupation -- is warmly and enthusiastically invited to attend this open democratic U.S. national antiwar conference and to join with us in advancing and promoting the coming together of an antiwar movement in this country with the power to make a mighty contribution toward ending the war and occupation of Iraq now.

For more information, click => here

The Iron Wall features interviews with prominent Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and political analysts, including Jeff Halper, Akiva Eldar, Hind Khoury, and others. Also included are eye-opening interviews with Israeli settlers and soldiers, and Palestinian farmers.

For more information, click => here

For more information, click => here

The atomic bomb changed the world forever, and this wonderful film shows how Americans expressed wonder over atomic weapons and then suffered from the pervasive fear that America would be on the receiving end of a Soviet nuclear attack. Atomic Cafe is a brilliant compilation of archival film clips beginning with the first atomic bomb detonation in the New Mexico desert. The footage, much of it produced as government propaganda, follows the story of the bomb through the two atomic attacks on Japan that ended World War II to the bomb's central role in the cold war. Shown along with the famous "duck and cover" Civil Defense films are lesser-known clips, many of which possess a bizarre black humor when seen today, and it's easy to see why this film, which was produced in the early 1980s, became a cult classic sometimes referred to as the "nuclear Reefer Madness." Bellicose congressmen are shown advocating a freewheeling policy of nuclear strikes against China during the Korean War, suburban families are shown enjoying the comforts of their bomb shelters, and footage of a boy trying to bicycle to a bomb shelter in a "bomb survival suit" his father designed is priceless. Atomic Cafe is at once clever and poignant, a canny and offbeat look at a significant period in American history.

New England Mobilization to End the War in Iraq

April 25-26, 2008
END THE WAR(S) ABROAD AND AT HOME CHARTING A PATH FOR 2008

A New England United Conference
Tufts University – Medford, MA

For more information and a preliminary agenda, click => here

THE COWS
ARE Heading to
Wesleyan University
Saturday * April 12 * 2008

Connecticut Opposes the War
Invites YOU to a Statewide Conference to end the $500,000,000,000+ War in Iraq
Connecticut Taxpayers have paid $11.1 billion for the Iraq War through 2007

For information contact Dan: (860) 233-2132 or (203) 231-4007 or ccag.uconn@yahoo.com

To download a general flyer, click => here or for a student specific flyer, click => here

Students from (list in formation): Trumbull High School, Glastonbury High School, E.O. Smith High School, Capitol Community College, Manchester Community College, Naugatuck Valley Community College Central Connecticut State University, Eastern Connecticut State University, Southern Connecticut State University, Fairfield University, Sacred Heart University, Trinity College, University of Hartford, University of Connecticut, Wesleyan University

Connecticut Opposes the War (COW) coalition: AFSCME Council 4, American Friends Service Committee, CT Citizens Action Group, CT AFL-CIO Greater Glastonbury Peace & Justice, Greater Hartford Central Labor Council, Greater New Haven Peace Council, International Association of Machinists, SEIU Healthcare Local 1199NE, West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice

Friends visiting From Cuba
Monday, April 7^th at 7:00 PM
Friends Meeting House
144 South Quaker Lane
West Hartford

The Connecticut Coalition for Peace and Justice (CCPJ) and Hartford Friends Monthly Meeting (Quakers) will host an evening program to explore experiences as Friends from different cultures and discuss what draws us together across distinct cultural environments.

The Friends from Cuba are:

• Maria Armenia Yi, A Friend from Holguin Meeting
• Jorge Pena, a Friend from Puerto Padre Meeting in Cuba.

For more information and a flyer, click => here

IVAW'S WINTER SOLDIER: IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
March 13-16
Washington, DC

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans will gather in Washington DC to witness and tell their stories and experiences about U.S. foreign policy in both countries. The nation will hear directly from those who have been there on the ground. This gathering will be in the tradition of the 1971 Winter Soldier investigations held by Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Not since that original event has the American public had such an important opportunity to hear the truth about the brutality of war and the nature of U.S. foreign policy.

For more information: 
click =>  http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Winter_soldier.vp.html or
click =>  http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier

Reading of Rachel Corrie's E-mails: "Rachel's Words”

Sunday, March 16th  6:00 PM
Hartford Friends Meeting
144 South Quaker Lane
West Hartford, CT

Actors and musicians will interpret writings of young American woman who met death in Israeli-Palestinian hostilities

The writings of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year old American human rights worker killed while serving in Palestine in 2003, will be interpreted by readers at the Friends Meeting House in West Hartford on Sunday evening, March 16th at 6:00 PM

Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer as she protested the demolition of the home of a Palestinian family in Gaza. Her journal entries and correspondence depict the passion and conviction of a young woman caught up in the human drama of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They illuminate her passage from typical American adolescence to ardent activism, and reflect the concerns of her parents and friends as her priorities took shape. She vividly describes the harsh realities of life in occupied Gaza, documenting exquisitely tender moments as well as the most frightful ones.

“Rachel’s story is an especially poignant reminder that there can be no winners in this war, or any other war. Both sides have suffered greatly from the inhumanity of violence. Rachel’s heroism, and the worldwide attention it has earned, demonstrate both the tragedy and the triumph of this courageous young woman, standing for peace in the midst of brutal conflict.”

For a flyer, click => here

For more information, click => here

For more information, contact 
Andy Sauer at (860) 549-1220 or 
click => here

Meet Jim Hightower !
Friday, March 14, 5:00-6:30pm
West Hartford Town Hall
50 South Main Street
West Hartford, CT

Connecticut Common Cause invites you to a talk and book-signing event with progressive political activist, author and commentator Jim Hightower. Jim will discuss his new book, Swim Against the Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow

Tickets are just $10, and proceeds benefit Connecticut Common Cause’s work to make government more accountable.

To download a flyer, click => here

It will be held Feb 28 - Mar 2, 2008 at the Holyoke Holiday Inn, Holyoke, MA. Registration will begin at 3:30 p.m on Thursday Feb. 28. 

Participation in this event qualifies you to receive 1 graduate credit toward Certification, Masters or Doctoral degree at Wisdom University.

Healing the War Torn Soul

Thursday, February 28, 2008
Holyoke Holiday Inn
 245 Whiting Farms Rd
Holyoke, MA 01040 USA

"Healing the War-torn Soul " is an intensive healing and training workshop providing experience in the groundbreaking healing techniques developed by Dr. Ed Tick. The workshop is open to veterans of any war and their families, counselors, healers, therapists, chaplains and clergy. The workshop is co-sponsored by Quest Books and Soldier's Heart. 

The workshop will begin at 7:00 p.m. Thursday evening and conclude at 1:00 pm Sunday March 2.  

For a flyer for this event, click => here

For more info: Contact Soldier's Heart at info@soldiersheart.net

www.theosophical.org and www.thesourceoflight.com

To download a donation form / flyer, click => here

local contact Patty Hall pattyhall@sbcglobal.net or call 860-514-7685

To register Contact : Diane Eisenberg 1-800-669-1571 ext. 320
Seating Capacity: 100

Film: Winter Soldier

Monday, February 25th  7:30 PM
Hartford Friends Meeting
144 South Quaker Lane
West Hartford, CT

In February 1971, one month after the revelations of the My Lai massacre, an astonishing public inquiry into war crimes committed by American forces in Vietnam was held at a Howard Johnson motel in Detroit. The Vietnam Veterans Against the War organized this event called the Winter Soldier Investigation. More than 125 veterans spoke of atrocities they had witnessed and committed.

Though the event was attended by press and television news crews, almost nothing was reported to the American public. Yet, this unprecedented forum marked a turning point in the anti-war movement. It was a pivotal moment in the lives of young vets from around the country who participated, including the young John Kerry. The Winter Soldier Investigation changed him and his comrades forever. Their courage in testifying, their desire to prevent further atrocities and to regain their own humanity, provide a dramatic intensity that makes seeing Winter Soldier an unforgettable experience.

For a flyer, click => here

For more information for the film's web site, click => here

Rapid Response to ICE Raids
Saturday, Feb 23 at 11:00 AM
1199 Kind-Davis Labor Center
77 Huyshope Ave
Hartford

Earlier this month, immigrant rights activists, immigration lawyers and labor activists converged at SCSU to discuss immigrant workers rights in CT and learn from each other's work. 

The conference was a huge success, and there will be a follow-up meeting to discuss the formation of a rapid response network in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid against the area's immigrant communities, as well as other related topics. 

For more information contact AFSC at 860-523-1534.

From 
Palestine to Pakistan: 
A Creaking US Empire

Sunday, February 17, 2008
1:00 - 5:00 PM

Church of the Holy Trinity
381 Main St.
Middletown, CT

Program:

Riham Barghouti, activist NYC Adalah (Justice) on Palestine

Michael Schwartz, SUNY, Stonybrook on Iraq (author of forthcoming War Without End: The Iraq Debacle in Context)

Lenni Brenner, historian, activist on Saudi Arabia (author, Zionism in the Age of the Dictators)

Junaid Ahmad,- President of the Muslim Law Students Association, on Pakistan

Esther Hyneman, Board member of Women for Afghan Women speaking about Afghanistan

Dr. Saeed Ahghari, Iranian-American activist speaking on Iran

A Connecticut United for Peace Conference
For more information, click => here
To download a flyer, click => here

Estimated 650,000 civilian deaths ... many of which are children*
4.5 million refugees

*From American Friends Service Committee

10th Anniversary of the
Hartford Federal Building Vigil for Peace
1998 - 2008

February 15, 2008 11:30 AM-12:30 PM

ABRAHAM RIBICOFF FEDERAL BLDG
450 Main Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06103

In February 1998, a vigil was organized, to protest the US military actions and sanctions waged against Iraq since 1990. For 10 years participants continue to stand each and every Friday protesting the humanitarian crises caused by U.S. sanctions and bombings, and now the invasion and occupation of Iraq, which has resulted in misery, death, and torture. 

Come to the vigil on Feb 15th to mark the 10th anniversary of this action and the 6th Month of the Iraq War Moratorium.

More information: call (860) 523-4823

For flyers of this event, click => here and here

Award winning author and journalist Thomas L. Friedman travels the globe to unravel the tangled web of where Americans get energy, and reveals what viewers can do about their carbon footprint.

Movie Night showing: 
Green: the New Red, White and Blue

Monday, January 28 7:00 PM
Hartford Friends Meeting
144 South Quaker Lane
West Hartford, CT

Sponsored by: CCPJ and the Hartford Monthly Meeting Peace & Social Concerns Committee 

The showing will be followed by discussion.

For a review of this film, click => here

For more on the National Event, click => here

Location:
Art Space Gallery
555 Asylum Street Hartford Ct

Date:
Saturday January 26, 2008
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

For more information, click => here

For a flyer for the event, click => here

Richard Sitcha
 to be Deported 
December 10th

Latest:  As of January 21, Richard is still in prison at Plymouth (MA ).  There seems to be some ongoing activities.  Please contact governmental representatives to have them intervene to ask for a more thorough investigation so Richard can have a real opportunity to present his case. 

Richard Sitcha is an issue for us because many of us believe that his life is in jeopardy if he is returned to the Cameroon from which he fled.

My Jewish (and non-Jewish) friends remind me of the phrase "Never Again" in regards to the 1939 SS St. Louis episode, documented in the film "Voyage of the Damned" when Jewish refugees from Germany were refused entry to the United States, Canada,  and  Cuba.

We feel that another sorry episode in America's history, stemming from returning refugees from persecution into the hands of a likely executioner, is about to happen again.

Contact your Congressional representatives!  

Sitcha was granted asylum in the U.S. January 16, 2003. He then settled in Hartford to begin his life again. Following telephone calls to Cameroon which failed to verify Sitcha’s involvement, the INS (now the ICE) summoned him to court September 18, 2003, revoked his asylum, and made him a part of Homeland Security’s “Pilot Program” of incarceration during adjudication. 

For more background:

From the Undercurrent click => here
From the Greenfield Optimist, click => here
From the Hartford Advocate, click => here (BEST)
From the HopeOutLoud site click => here
Compilation of many other archives => here

An interview with Richard Sitcha from Free Speech Radio, click=> here

Contact information for 
Senators and Representatives:
For e-mail / phone / fax contact information click => here

CT Fundraiser for the 
IWW Food and Allied Workers
Industrial Union Campaign
Friday, January 11th 2008     (Snow date Jan 25)
1199 King-Davis Center
77 Huyshope Avenue, Hartford
5:30 PM Doors Open; 6:00 PM Dinner Served

For more information, click => here

For a flyer, to register, or to donate, click => here

Clean Slate Committee
Community Conversation in New Britain
PLANNING MEETING

Wednesday, December 12th, 6 PM to 8 PM

We are preparing for a Community Conversation in New Britain.
We need you at this planning meeting! 

We will be meeting with residents from the New Britain area to discuss Governor Rell's Parole Ban, the Department of Correction's false attempts to reintegrate previously incarcerated individuals, and other related issues.

Spanish Speaking Center of New Britain
29 Cedar Street, New Britain, CT 06052
Downtown New Britain, off West Main, between High & Russell Streets

To download a flyer (English), click => here
To download a flyer (Spanish), click => here

CELEBRATING the ANNIVERSARY of

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION
OF HUMAN RIGHTS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2007 at 7:30 PM

For more information, click => here

For a flyer, click => here

Women and Peacebuilding Conference
November 10, 2007   8 AM-5 PM
University of Hartford Gengras Student Union

Dear Friends: 
You are invited to participate in this major conference, with internationally known speakers, workshops, resources and a theatrical performance by HartBeat Ensemble. A Lifetime Achievement Award is being given to sociologist Elise Boulding, often called the "mother" of the 20th century peace research movement". Workshops will feature grass-roots peacebuilding initiatives on a variety of topics. Lunch is included. Registration fees are modest, thanks to a donation from the WELF Fund of the University. (Women's Education and Leadership Fund, a legacy fund of the Hartford College for Women).

For more information, click => here

Veterans For Peace Banner leads the contingent followed by the "Bring the Troops Home Now"

Veteran's
For
Peace

Join us for a powerful one-day symposium

Saturday November 3, 2007
Saint Joseph College
The Carol Autorino Center
Hoffman Auditorium
1678 Asylum Avenue
West Hartford, Connecticut

Sponsored by Citizens for a New 9/11 Investigation

Join us for an authoritative one-day symposium exploring the questions that still surround the events of September 11th, 2001. Our intention is to bring the undisclosed stories, testimony and evidence concerning 9/11 into mainstream public discourse. It is our belief that an educated public will demand new independent investigations that will ultimately lead to our larger goals of justice and redress for the countless victims of 9/11 and its aftermath.

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. with lunch and dinner breaks

Tickets: Purchase tickets online at www.eventbrite.com/event/74884983

Early Ticket Purchase (before Oct. 20th) - $30; After Oct. 20th - $40; Student/Seniors $20.00

For more information, click => here

Community Conversation
If you, your family or your neighbor has been affected by Governor Rell's Parole Ban, or Department of Correction false attempts to reintegrate previously incarcerated individuals, you can share your opinions with DOC Commissioner Theresa C. Lantz

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 
6 PM to 8 PM
United Methodist Church
Corner of Farmington Ave. / S. Whitney St. in Hartford
Moved from West End Community Center 
due to overwhelming response

For more information, click => here

To download a flyer, click => here

Third Annual Environmental Justice Conference

For more information click => here

3ra Conferencia Anual De La Justicia Ambiental

For more information click => here