Northampton Committee
To Stop the Wars

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Getting Out:
A Guide To
Military Discharges

OCCUPY Local event protest/carpool update:

1.  SPRINGFIELD NO ONE LEAVES:  
Protest Against Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac
Public Taxpayer Shareholder Meeting
THURSDAY JANUARY 19TH, @ 12:30 PM
Across from Western Mass Housing Court (37 Elm St, Springfield) - near Court Square
Thursday - Carpool leaves Gazette Parking lot 12 noon!

2. Friday, January 20    11am - 1pm
OCCUPY THE COURTS ~ SPRINGFIELD
U.S. District Court, 300 State Street, Springfield
Friday - carpool leaves Gazette Parking Lot at 10:30 a.m. 

Martin Luther King Day Events
Monday, January 16

9:00 a.m. Sojourner Truth Walking Tour of Florence, home of a utopian colony where runaway slaves were employed to make silk. Meet at the Sojourner Truth statue at Pine & Park Streets in Florence.

11:00 a.m. Full-day Program at Edwards Church, 297 Main Street. Workshops and speakers, including people from Occupy and the remarkable anti-foreclosure group Springfield No One Leaves. Free, kid-friendly, includes lunch and music from local bands.

More info at Western Mass. AFSC site

Ashes to Honey

Thursday, Nov. 10, 7:00 p.m.
UU Society, 220 Main Street, Northampton

On November 3, director Hitomi Kamanaka talked about her work and the state of nuclear power and popular resistance to it in Japan. Her new film, Ashes to Honey, will be screened a week later, this Thursday.

Springfield No One Leaves:
3 Weeks, 3 Actions

The anti-foreclosure and eviction movement continues to grow as existing bank tenant organizing is being fueled by the occupy movement and vice-versa.

Foreclosure Auction Protest w/Sister Sellou Diaite
Wednesday November 9th @ 8:30 AM
73 Middle Street, Springfield, MA

Should YOU be Paying for BOA's Mess?
Photo exhibit opening
Thursday November 17th @ 12 PM
Downtown Branch of Bank of America, Springfield, Mass

March and Rally on Wall Street Banks
Major regional protest
Monday November 21st @ 11 AM
Gather at the corner of Central and Morris Streets, in the South End

Info: http://www.springfieldnooneleaves.org

Youn-Se Park: Resistance to a US Naval Base in Gangjeong Village, South Korea

Thursday, October 27, 7:00 p.m.
Frances Crowe Community Room, 60 Masonic Street

Photos, video, and talk by South Korean organizer Youn-Se Park on resistance to a military base on a picturesque fishing island (NYT article).

The Inconvenient Truth behind Waiting for Superman

Tuesday, October 25, 7:00 p.m. Community Room, 60 Masonic Street, Northampton

Waiting for Superman purports to show that public education is a failure, but fails to look at the real cause of poorly performing schools: that they are underfunded. The Inconvenient Truth straightens this out.

Blood on the Tracks:
The Life and Times of S. Brian Willson

Book Talks Sunday October 16

Leverett Peace Pagoda, 2:00 p.m.

Greenfield 2nd Congregational Church 16 Court Square, Greenfield Potluck, 6:00 p.m., talk 7:00 p.m.

Book talk by Veterans for Peace activist Brian Willson, who was run over by a munitions train during a 1987 protest against the shipment of munitions to Central America.

Kathy Kelly: Report from Afghanistan

TODAY, Sat. 9/10, 5:30 p.m.
St. John's Episcopal Church, 48 Elm Street, N'ton

Potluck and talk by Nobel-nominated activist Kathy Kelly about her four recent trips to Afghanistan. Also, readings by poet David Smith-Ferri.

Interfaith 9/11 Commemoration

Sunday, September 11
March: Amherst Town Common, 4:00 p.m.
Service: Grace Church, 4:30 p.m.

A march with the Hampshire Mosque, Jewish Community of Amherst, First Church, and other faith communities will be followed by an Interfaith Service.

9/11 and the Politics of Fear:
Two films by the Media Education Foundation

Sunday, September 11
Wright Hall, Smith College

2:00 p.m.: Hijacking Catastrophe
4:00 p.m.: War Made Easy

Join MEF's Sut Jhally and Trinity professor Vijay Prashad to view two films and discuss the tragedy of America's response to 9/11.

9/11 + 10: Islam, the Middle East, and U.S. Foreign Policy

Monday, September 12, 7:30 p.m.
Franklin-Patterson Hall, Hampshire College

Panel discussion chaired by Five College Professor of Peace and World Security Studies Michael Klare. More info.

Having the Life of Our Times
A community response to children, war and the possibilities for peace

Wednesday, June 22 - Friday, June 24
Center for the Arts, 17 New South Street

A three-day exhibition of murals by Iraqi and U.S. children created with help from the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange. Discussion, drama, music and more.

Wednesday, 5:00 pm: Opening, reception, and panel discussion
Thursday, noon: Gallery Talk with the artists
Thursday, 7:30 pm: Staged reading of the play Aftermath
Friday, noon: Panel discussion
Friday, 7:00 pm: An evening of dance, music, and spoken work performance

More info: http://iraqichildrensart.org/events.html

Called to Serve:
Stories of Men and Women Confronted by the Vietnam War Draft

Tuesday, May 31, 7:00 p.m.
Broadside Books, 247 Main Street

Book talk by local author Tom Weiner.

More info

Jazz, Arabic, Jewish and World Music
To Benefit Palestine House of Friendship

Saturday, June 4, 7:30 pm
Tickets: $15 donation (at the door)
First Churches, 129 Main St, Northampton

More than a dozen amazing musicians will come together on June 4th to help raise funds for The Palestinian House of Friendship, a nonprofit organization in the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestine dedicated to serving the needs of children negatively impacted by the on-going Israeli occupation.

Performances by: Kwajmal Jazz Band • Vocalist Laura Pierce • Vocalist Jessica Freeman • Paul Arslanian (piano) • Mike Kolodny (alto sax) • Tyler Heydolph (bass) • Bob Weiner (drums) • Mohammed Mejaour (nay) • Michel Moushabeck (percussion) • Layaali Arabic Music Duo • Jewish Music Set • and other surprise guests

The End of Sanctions
An exhibit documenting US policies in Iraq and a community's response, 1998-2010

Thursday, April 14 through May
Special Collection and University Archives,
UMass W.E.B. Du Bois Library, 25th Floor

In December 1998 a small group of activists responded to the unfolding crisis in Iraq. Concerned for a country and a people already suffering under the weight of devastation from the First Gulf War and the brutal US-supported UN sanctions, they organized to protest against another bombing campaign. The Northampton Committee to Lift the Sanctions Against Iraq was born. The weekly vigil began on Saturday, Dec 2, 1998. Members continue to stand against war every Saturday, for one hour in front of the courthouse on Main St. in Northampton. Members of The Northampton Committee will talk about US supported UN Sanctions and their personal/political involvement in the movement to Lift the Sanctions and Stop the War in Iraq.

A project of The Northampton Committee to Stop the War and The Iraqi Children's Art Exchange

Bring the Troops Home Now!

Saturday, April 9, 12:00 noon Union Square, 14th and Broadway, New York City

Major rally organized by the United National Antiwar Committee, http://nationalpeaceconference.org/

Popular Resistance in Palestine:
A History of Hope and Empowerment

Saturday, March 26, 2:00 p.m.
Frances Crowe Community Room, Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street

Talk by author Mazin Qumsiyeh on his new book.

Malalai Joya:
The "Bravest Woman in Afghanistan"

After being initially denied a visa by the U.S. State Department - on the grounds that she was unemployed and "living underground" - Malalai Joya was granted a visa on second application on Thursday morning. A flurry of petitions, requests for reconsideration by over a dozen members of Congress (including Olver, Neal, and Kerry), and a myriad of stories in national and international press appears to have changed the mind of the U.S. Embassy.

All of the events will now take place as scheduled.

Monday, March 28
4:00 p.m. at UMass, Thompson 106
7:30 p.m. at Smith, Neilson Library Browsing Room

Malalai Joya is a woman Afghan legislator who - at great personal risk - openly decries warlords, the Taliban, and the U.S. Occupation. She will speak on her career as an MP and on the issues facing Afghanistan.

Ms. Joya will also speak March 25 at Harvard with Noam Chomsky; see her web site for further info.

[Malalai Joya's web site]

Operation Recovery:
Stop the Deployment of Traumatized Troops

Saturday, April 2, 3:00 p.m.
First Congregational Church
165 Main Street, Amherst

Join veterans and supporters as they talk about the realities of PTSD, TBI, and military sexual trauma. Troops are being redeployed without the care they deserve and need. Learn how to help and how to stop the redeployment of traumatized troops. Sponsored by Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War.

More info: http://ivaw.org/operation-recovery

Nonviolence Training

Updated to Saturday, April 2, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Edward Church, Northampton

Activist JoAnne Sheehan will lead us in deepening our commitment and creativity in nonviolence. This is both an introductory and refresher class. There is no charge but please pre-register. For more information call Peg 413-467-7879 or Paki 413-585-9314.

Egypt: A Nation's Rebirth

Sunday, February 27, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
UU Society of Amherst, 121 North Pleasant Street

Mohammed Abdelaal, Director of Religious Affairs and Chaplain of Hampshire Mosque, and Advisor to Muslim Student Association at Amherst College, will speak about being an Egyptian for the past 30 years, being an Egyptian during the past weeks, and being an Egyptian for the next 30 years. Free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Bob Berwick.

Defending the Public Sector from Wisconsin to Massachusetts
UMass Rally and All-Campus Meeting

Wednesday, March 2
Rally, 11:45 - 12:15 Outside Student Union
All-campus Meeting, 12:15 - 1:00, Cape Cod Lounge

International Women's Day Centennial

Film: Enemies of Happiness
Friday, March 4, 7:00 p.m.

A film on the career of Malalai Joya, a female Afghan Minister of Parlaiment who speaks out fearlessly in favor of civil Afghan culture and against worlords, the Taliban, and the U.S. Occupation.

Part of our Friday Night Film Series.

Panel discussion
Saturday, March 5, 2-5pm
Northampton UU Society, 220 Main Street

Speakers include Fahima Vorgetts, Director of the Afghan Women's Fund; an Iraqi Smith student who has just returned from 3 weeks in Bagdad; and a U.S. woman veteran.

Bridges Protest
Monday, March 8, 4-5pm

Bannering on the bridge over Main Street followed by a march to UU for dinner, stories, and music.

Solidarity with the Workers of Wisconsin
Stop the GOP's Brazen Attacks on the Middle Class

Tuesday, February 22, 4:00 p.m.
City Hall Steps, 36 Court Street, Springfield

Rallies. Crowds spilling into the streets. Seas of people marching together in solidarity. Every day this week, nonstop. This isn't happening in Egypt ... but in Madison, Wisconsin.

Schools are closed. Workers, students, and concerned citizens have dropped their daily lives to rally against Gov. Scott Walker's attacks on middle-class jobs and his proposal to strip Wisconsin public employees of their collective bargaining rights. What's going on in Wisconsin is not an isolated event. Attacks on workers' basic rights are sweeping the country. We will stand together to push the tide back.

Rally organized by Western Mass. Jobs with Justice.

Barry Sanders
The Green Zone: The Environmental Costs of Militarism

Cancelled due to flight problems.

Wednesday, February 9, 7:30 p.m.
Neilson Library Browsing Room, Smith College

Environmentalism is too often blind to the fact that individual efforts to be "green" are dwarfed by America's wars, which consume (or outright destroy) resources on a completely different scale. Barry Sanders tries to bring some light to the issue in his book The Green Zone.

Further Info

Iraqi Children: the Life of Their Times

Sunday, February 13, 10:00 a.m.
Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst
Kellogg and N. Pleasant Street

Talk by Claudia Lefko of the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange. Info: 413-256-1760 or http://iraqichildrensart.org

Solidarity with the people of Egypt

Northampton, Tuesday, Feb. 1
8:00-9:00 a.m. at the corner of King and Main
12:00-1:00 p.m. in front of City hall!

We all need to be free from Tyranny! Rallies sponsored by the ad hoc Courage Solidarity Coalition with the people of Egypt and Tunisia

The 27th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

"Preserving Our Civil Rights Today"

Monday, January 17, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Edwards Church, Northampton

Join soloist Evelyn Harris, a range of community organizers from Northampton to Hartford, and the American Friends Service Committee for presentations and performances on MLK, Jr. Day. This year's celebration will be a kickoff of a regional campaign to keep intact the rights of everyone in our communities, given assaults on immigrant rights, FBI raids on activists, and confronting the legacy of racism in the United States.

Co-sponsored by the Bill of Rights Defense Committee

Walking Tour of Florence's African American History

Monday, January 17, 10:00 a.m.
Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue
Corner of Park and Pine Streets, Florence

Join guide Steve Strimer to visit the homes of Sojourner Truth, Basil Dorsey, and David Ruggles. See the Mill River dam where David Lee and Lydia Maria Child processed sugar beets as an alternative to slave-grown sugar cane. Hear about David Ruggles' Water Cure, the visits of Frederick Douglass to early Florence and resistance to the Fugitive Slave Law.

To volunteer or for more information, visit the Western Mass AFSC web site, call AFSC at 413-584-8975, or email office@afscwm.org

Veterans for Peace National Rally
Take a Stand for Peace

Veteran and organizer Ron Kovic

Thursday, December 16
White House
Washington, D.C.

Veterans are organizing a national rally and civil disobedience against the current wars.

Info: http://stopthesewars.org

Amira Hass and Karma Nabulsi
13th Annual Eqbal Ahmad Lecture

Thursday, November 4, 4:00 p.m.
Robert Crown Center, Hampshire College

Israeli journalist Amira Hass and academic and former PLO representative Karma Nabulsi will discuss the obstacles and possibilities for movement in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

More Info

Kathy Kelly:
On the ground in Afghanistan

Potluck: Saturday, Nov. 14, 6:00 p.m.
Edwards Church, 297 Main Street

Talk: Sunday, Nov. 14, 12:30 p.m.
Helen Hills Hills Chapel, 123 Elm Street

Activist and author Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, tells stories of her travels to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Gaza, and other war areas.

Bread and Puppets Decapitalization Circus

Sunday, October 24, 2:00 p.m.
Red Barn Lawn, Hampshire College

The Bread & Puppeteers will be joined by volunteer performers from the Hampshire community.

Open to the general Public Admission free though they may pass a hat.

Info: http://breadandpuppet.org/

War Is Not Over When It's Over:
Women Speak Out from the Ruins of War

Monday, October 18, 7:00 p.m.
Gamble Auditorium, Mt. Holyoke College

Author and former Mt. Holyoke faculty member Ann Jones will speak on her new book and the worldwide research project that went into it.

Further info: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/news/stories/5682360

Gandhi's Legacy of Nonviolence:
What Can We Learn for Our Current Social Justice Challenges?

Thursday, October 21, 6:30 p.m.
Bernie Dallas Room, Goodell Building, UMass

Panel discussion with local activist Frances Crowe, philanthropist Rose Sackey-Milligan, and Peace Studies professor John Reiff. Part of the UMass Civic Engagement Dialogue Series, http://honors.umass.edu/CEP

350.Org
10/10/10 Global Work Party Events

Grow Food Northampton Event
1:00 p.m., Northampton Meadows
Hand-sow winter wheat on Bleiman Field in the Meadows. Take Fort Street to Old Springfield Road to Potash Road.

Amherst 350 Event
12:00 p.m., Puffer's Pond, Amherst
Improve the trail at Puffer's Pond; information and tabling

For more information and for other 10/10/10 events - 7,174 events in 188 countries - visit http://350.org

Stand Against FBI Raids

Tuesday, October 5, 4:00 p.m.
1441 Main Street, Springfield

Join local groups to protest the recent FBI raids of non-violent activists' homes in Chicago and Minneapolis.

US Policies in Iraq 1990-2010:
The Human Costs

Monday, September 20, 7:00 p.m.
Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton

Marking a decade of the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange with a talk by Sara Flounders of the IAC, former Marine Tyler Boudreau, and Iraqi Children's Art Exchange founder Claudia Lefko.

Info: http://iraqichildrensart.org

Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq: The Strategy Behind U.S. Intervention

Thursday, September 23, 7:00 p.m.
Helen Hills Hills Chapel, 9 Elm Street, Northampton

Talk by lawyer, author, and journalist Charlotte Dennett. Co-sponsored by Smith College Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and the Alliance for Peace and Justice.

Connecticut River Flotilla
In Solidarity with the Gaza-bound Audacity of Hope

Sunday, September 12
Elwell State Park, on the river at the Coolidge Bridge

Code Pink Western Mass will host a fund-raising event, a flotilla in solidarity with the Audacity of Hope, the U.S. boat sailing to end the siege of Gaza. Entries may be kayaks, skiffs, canoes, or any floating device. To join the flotilla, please register your boat for $50 with Priscilla Lynch, priscillalynch@earthlink.net. Prizes will be awarded for the "Most Audacious," "Most Radical," and "Most Hopeful" themes.

Justice for Jason Vassell

A black UMass student who defended himself against a racial attack is now being prosecuted for assault charges in the wounding of his attackers, and could face 30 years.

Further info at http://justiceforjason.org

Emergency Action Against Israel's Massacre of Protesters

The Middle East Peace Coalition is putting out this call to action after the murderous attack on the Free Gaza Flotilla on Monday, May 31st.

Wednesday, June 2, 7-9 am and 4:30-6:30 pm
Thursday, June 3, 7-9 am and 4:30-6:30 pm
Coolidge Bridge - Meet on the Northampton side

There will be signs, or you can make and bring your own. We will stand on the bridge facing Amherst.

White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
Senator Kerry, Foreign Relations: 202-224-3121
U.S. Mission to the U.N.: 212-415-4062 (Susan Rice, U.S. Rep.)
U.S. Dept. of State Comment Line: 202-647-6575

The Global Struggle for Resources

Friday, February 19, 12:30 p.m.
Stinchfield Lecture Hall, Greenfield Community College

Talk by Hampshire College professor Michael Klare, part of the Roots of War: Community Voices speaker series.

Palestine '09: Where is the Hope?

Wednesday, December 16, 7:00 p.m. Lyman Hall, First Churches, 129 Main Street

Talk by local activist Sherrill Hogen, who travels to the West Bank annually. Her talk will illustrate the "facts on the ground": the Wall, checkpoints, roadblocks and home evictions, as well as the non-violent, grassroots resistance - wherein lies the hope for Palestine's future.

Gaza Freedom March

The blockade of Gaza has brought death, destruction, pain and suffering to the people there. The international community must not ignore their cries for help.
- Jimmy Carter

Thursday, December 31 - Gaza Strip

Historic one-mile march with tens of thousands of Palestinians to the Erez border crossing with Israel, meeting up with solidarity marches from the Israeli side.

[More information]

Raffle to Send Local Activists

Raffle to help send local activists to the Gaza Freedom March. 1st prize - free spring week Cape rental; 2nd prize - gourmet Arabic catered dinner for four. Tickets available ($5 or 5/$20) at our vigils and events. Drawing 12/18.

Solidarity Candlelight Vigil

Monday, December 28, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Steps of Northampton City Hall, 210 Main Street

Join us in solidarity with members of our community participating in the Gaza Freedom March:

Emergency Afghanistan Protest When Surge Is Announced

Rally the day after the announcement, 7:30 a.m., Coolidge Bridge
Wednesday, December 2

March of the Dead, the Saturday after, 10:30 p.m.*
Note new time
Saturday, December 5

Obama has ordered an additional 34,000 young men and women into the Afghanistan quagmire. He announced his decision Tuesday, December 1.

* The March of the Dead is a silent, costumed march through downtown. If you wish to participate, meet at the Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street, at 10:30 p.m. The actual march will be 11:00 a.m. - noon.

This is an updated time. The march had orginally been scheduled for 2:00 p.m., meeting at 1:30.

Obama's Afghan-Pak Syndrome

Tuesday, November 17, 4:00 p.m.
Robert Crown Center, Hampshire College

Journalist Tariq Ali argues that an immediate exit from Afghanistan is vital, both to our national security and to the security and stability of the Af-Pak region.

[More info]

Local Office Hours with Senator Kerry's Aides

Thursday, November 19, 2009
Northampton: 1:00-2:00 p.m., City Municipal Building (behind City Hall)
Holyoke: 10:30-11:30 a.m., City Hall

Kerry's office will be holding office hours 'in the field' this Thursday, November 19th in Holyoke and Northampton. Three or four aides will be present to listen to the citizens.

Two Lives from Guantanamo: Yes in My Backyard

Thursday, November 19, 7:00 p.m.
Edwards Church, 297 Main St., Northampton

Actors will read statements and bios of two current prisoners at Guantanamo Bay prison, Ahmed Belbacha and Ravil Minazov. Amherst's Select Board has voted to support bringing these two prisoners to the community. With prisoner-rights attorney Zachary Katznelson.

[More info]

Kathy Kelly: How to Get Out of Iraq and Afghanistan

Sunday, October 4, 1:30 p.m.
Browsing Room, Neilson Library, Smith College

Prominent activist Kathy Kelly will speak on How To Get Out of Iraq and Afghanistan. She will also report on her recent trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where she visited the refugee camps for Pakistanis displaced by fighting between the government and the Taliban.

Kathy Kelly is the founder of Voices in the Wilderness, which is now the Voices for Creative Nonviolence. Kathy has made many trips to Iraq. She has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sponsored by the Smith College Anthropology Department, the Smith College Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, and the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq.

This week is the 8th anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan.

[Flyer]

Peace Walk Potluck Dinner and Lantern Ceremony

Potluck Dinner Sunday, August 9, 6:00 St. John's Church, 48 Elm Street, Northampton

Lantern Ceremony Sunday, August 9, 8:30 p.m. Paradise Pond, Smith College

The Leverett Peace Pagoda's annual walk against nuclear weapons runs Saturday, August 1 through Sunday, August 9. The peace walk ends with a potluck dinner and the traditional floating-lantern ceremony to commemorate the atomic bombings of Japan.

More info: http://nff.afscwm.org/calendar/

Report from Rafah

Thursday, August 13, 7:00 p.m.
Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton

Local activists Paki Wieland and Ellen Graves will speak on their recent trip the Egypt/Gaza border for a major international vigil against siege of Gaza.

Meltdown: Voices from Chernobyl

Tuesday, August 25, 7:00 p.m.
Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton

Local readers read a play about the Chernobyl disaster.

Update on Gaza-bound Local Activists

Local activists, including Northampton Committee member Paki Weiland, are on their way to the Gaza border to vigil to open the borders and end the fighting. They stopped in Cairo to join Code Pink in a demonstration timed with Obama's visit, and to deliver a letter to Obama from Hamas leader Ahmed Yousef.

Rally Against Coal

Sunday, March 1, 1:00 p.m.
Mt. Tom Power Plant, 200 Northampton St., Holyoke

Help start the conversation about the danger of putting millions of years' accumulated carbon back into the atmosphere in 150 years. In conjunction with simultaneous anti-coal demonstrations in D.C. and other cities.

Carpool from Serio's parking lot, 12:45 p.m.

More info: http://securegreenfuture.org

Israel/Palestine Events

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Two Narratives, Two Peoples, A Shared Land

Thursday, March 5, 5:00 PM
Main Lecture Hall, Franklin-Patterson Hall, Hampshire College, Amherst

Rabbi Brian Walt, Rabbis for Human Rights. More info

The "OneVoice Movement"

Thursday, March 5, 7:30 p.m.
UMass Student Union, Cape Cod Lounge

Palestinian and Israeli peace activists hope to achieve peace through a two-state solution. More info

Planting Justice with Rabbis for Human Rights

Sunday, February 15, 4:00 p.m.
Grace Episcopal Church, 10 Boltwood Ave., Amherst

Local activists will talk about their recent trip to Israel and the West Bank with Rabbis for Human Rights.

Anarchists Against the Wall North American Speaking Tour

Wednesday, February 18, 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Wright Hall, Smith College, Northampton

Friday, February 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m
Franklin Patterson Hall, Hampshire College

Israeli activist Shachaf Polakow of Anarchists Against the Wall describes a vigorous Israeli-Palestinian direct-action movement against the Separation Wall and other injustices against Palestine.

Detained: the New Bedford Immigration Raid

A film by Jenny Alexander
Screening & Panel Discussion
Thursday, February 5
4:00-6:00pm, Stoddard Hall Auditorium, Smith College
Free and open to the public
[More info]

Demonstration Against the Israeli Assault on Gaza

Friday, January 9, 7:30-9:00 am and 4:00-5:00 pm
Coolidge Bridge
Contact: Joe Levine, 413-549-3630

The Middle East Peace Coalition of Western Massachusetts calls for protest against the ongoing illegal and inhumane Israeli assault on the people of Gaza - an assault that is supported both diplomatically and economically by our government and tax dollars.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Events

Monday, January 19

Heritage Tour, 10:30 a.m., 1.5-mile walking tour starting at Sojourner Truth statue, Pine & Park Sts., Florence.

Lunch and Interactive Community Celebration, noon - 5:00 p.m., Northampton High School. Explore the issues in depth with members of your community.

Benefit panel presentations with keynote speaker Cynthia McKinney, $25 donation, 7:00 p.m., First Churches.

http://westernmassafsc.org/calendar/mlk119.html

Northampton Committee Tenth Anniversary Breakfast

Saturday, December 6, 9:30 a.m.
Media Education Foundation
60 Masonic Street, Northampton (behind Woodstar Cafe)

We will be commemorating our tenth anniversary since the start of the vigil and the committee in 1998. Join us for breakfast before the regular vigil. Breakfast goodies and coffee courtesy of Woodstar Cafe.

60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Saturday, December 13, noon
First Churches, 129 Main Street, Northampton

Commemoration and reading of the declaration adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948. Sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Committee Against Secrecy and Torture (PVCAST).

Protest California's Proposition 8

Rally for Marriage Equality
Saturday, November 15, 1:30 p.m.
City Hall, 212 Main Street Northampton

Local protests are being organized nationwide against California's Proposition 8, which amends its state constitution in an attempt to stop gay marriage. The protests will happen simultaneously, this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. EST, in various cities and towns. A full listing is available from http://jointheimpact.com, and other listings are available by following the links at the news site http://pageoneq.com.

Justice for Jason Vassell

Hearing on Motion to Dismiss
Wednesday, June 24, 2:00 p.m.
Northampton County Courthouse

Rally and March
Wednesday, November 19, 3:30 p.m.
Pulaski Park, downtown Northampton

National Day of Shame, Monday, Mar. 2

Pre-trial hearing, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2:00 p.m., County Courthouse, Northampton

Rally and call-in day, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Rally, 11:30 a.m. at MacKimmie Dorm, UMass Amherst. Call the DA's office and encourage them to drop the case.

Pre-trial hearing, Wednesday, Feb. 18, Hampshire County Courthouse, downtown Northampton

Silent auction, Saturday Feb. 21, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst. Donate items to auction by visiting http://justiceforjason.org.

A black UMass student who defended himself against a racial attack is now being prosecuted for assault charges in the wounding of his attackers, and could face 30 years.

Wednesday's rally will be followed by a march to the D.A.'s office on Pleasant Street. More info at http://justiceforjason.org.

Election Hangover Protests

Who knows what we'll be protesting! An election fiasco? We hope to be pushing President-elect Obama on ending torture, spying, and the Iraq war, and protesting his support for deepening the war in Afghanistan. Make your signs the morning of, and choose your protest(s):

Wednesday, November 5
• Noon, King and Main Streets
• 4:00 p.m. on the Coolidge Bridge

Sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Coalition Against Secrecy and Torture (PVCAST).

Meet War Hero Camilo Mejia

Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia was the first soldier in the Iraq War to publicly refuse to fight. He served a year in a military prison, and is the author of Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Mejia. His speaking tour stops twice in the Valley:

Wednesday, November 5, 11:00 a.m.
Hoyloke Community College
Black Box Theater, Building C

Wednesday, November 5, 7:00 p.m.
University of Massachusetts
Student Center Ballroom

The UMass event will feature an extended introduction by UMass history professor Christopher Appy.

The Iraq Moratorium: Hands Around the Federal Building

United for Peace and many other organizations are calling for actions on the third Friday of every month. The Moratorium started September 21, 2007 and is planned to continue until the war stops.

Local Moratorium Actions for Moratorium #12: August 15, 2008

This month we are joining forces with Veterans for Peace and many other groups in protesting the possibility of war with Iran.

Hands Around the Federal Building
Friday, August 15, 4:00 p.m.
1550 Main Street, Springfield
More Info...

For more information on the moratorium, visit the Iraq Moratorium web site.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki Day Exhibit and Ceremony

Saturday, August 9
Exhibit and presentation: 7:00 p.m., Smith Student Center
Lantern-floating ceremony: 9:00 p.m., Paradise Pond

See the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibit of photographs from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. There will be a presentation on atomic war at 8:00, followed by the moving lantern-floating ceremony a short walk away at Paradise Pond.

Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba

Sunday, June 15, 5:30 p.m.
First Churches, downtown Northampton

The Caravan to Cuba bus will stop in Northampton to collect passengers and donations, and to hold a dinner festival with music and fun. This year, the Caravan needs music equipment in addition to the usual embargoed humanitarian aid. Contact Ruth at 256-4881 to find out exactly what's needed.

The Iraq Moratorium

United for Peace and many other organizations are calling for actions on the third Friday of every month. The Moratorium started September 21, 2007 and is planned to continue until the war stops.

Local Moratorium Actions for Moratorium #10: June 20, 2008

• Vigil, noon - 1:00 p.m.: meet in front of Edwards Church, State Street and Main Street. Activities depend on weather and inclination, and have included singing, marching, and sidewalk chalking.
• If you are planning any other local actions, let us know! [e-mail]

For more information, visit the Iraq Moratorium web site.

The Human Cost of War and Chemical Weapons

Rescheduled
Wednesday, April 30, 6:00 p.m.
East Lecture Hall, Franklin Patterson Hall, Hampshire College

Talk by Drs. Shahriar Khateri and Mohammad Soroush, founders of The Iranian Society for Chemical Weapons Victims Support, to raise awareness of the costs of poison gas and of war in general. Sponsored by PSR.

IMMIGRANT RIGHTS MAY DAY RALLY

Thursday, May 1, noon - 2:00 p.m.
Amherst North Common

Rally for immigrant rights with speakers, poetry, music, and a speak-out. Demand an end to the racist scapegoating of immigrants:

• Stop letting ICE tear families apart
• Immigrants' rights are workers' rights!
• Immigrants are human beings
• Equal protection before the law

Mothers Day March for Peace and Justice

Sunday, May 11, 11:45 a.m.
Meet at Bridge Street Elementary School
~ Take back the day! ~

Mothers Day was intended as a peace demonstration. This year we focus on the children of the world and those who care for them. Start at Bridge Street School, 11:45 a.m., march to the Hestia mural on Masonic Street.

Eight Arrested Blocking Gate of Westover AFB

Claudia being arrested

Eight local peace activists, including Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq founding members Claudia Lefko, Kathleen Winkworth, and Frances Crowe, staged a dramatic, high-profile protest at the gate of nearby Westover Air Force Base. Dressed in Middle Eastern clothing, they blocked the main gate of the Base until they were arrested for "disturbing the peace."

[More...]

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan
Now Being Rebroadcast on Valley Free Radio

The 1971 Winter Soldier Investigation was a public hearing put together by Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize U.S. war crimes in Vietnam.

Iraq Veterans Against the War has organized similar hearings for March 13-16 in Washington to publicize today's version of that inhumanity in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The hearings are being re-broadcast in their entirety on WXOJ Valley Free Radio. They will air segments during most syndication slots. Thanks to WXOJ, and thanks to Sally Weiss for encouraging them.

Five Years Too Many
Rally and Silent March
Wednesday, March 19, 7:00 p.m.
Steps of City Hall, Downtown Northampton

It's been five years, 4,000 troops killed, a million Iraqi dead, trillions of taxpayer dollars paid to defense contractors, and billions in oil extorted from Iraq.

Had enough? Join us for speakers, music, and a silent march starting at City Hall on the fifth anniversary of the start of the war.

Local Moratorium Actions for Moratorium #6: February 15, 2008

• Black armbands are being distributed at our movies and vigils and will be worn on Moratorium Day.
• Special vigil/march, noon - 1:00 p.m.: meet in front of Edwards Church, State Street and Main Street
• If you are planning any other local actions, let us know! [e-mail]

The Iraq Moratorium

United for Peace and many other organizations are calling for actions on the third Friday of every month. The Moratorium started September 21, 2007 and is planned to continue until the war stops.

Planning Meeting for Valley-wide Coordination

Saturday, January 5, 2-5 p.m.
Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton

Contact Paki Wieland or Randy Kehler for more information.

Local Moratorium Actions for Moratorium #5: January 18, 2008

• Black armbands are being distributed at our movies and vigils and will be worn on Moratorium Day.
• Special vigil, noon - 1:00 p.m., in front of Edwards Church, State Street and Main Street
• If you are planning any other local actions, let us know! [e-mail]

For more information, visit the Iraq Moratorium web site.

Prevent War on Iran Planning Meeting

Thursday, January 3, 7:30 pm
Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton

The Pioneer Valley Coalition to Prevent War on Iran invites you and members of your group to join us for a Planning Meeting to plan education, advocacy and a February 10 Valley-wide meeting to speak with our elected officials. More...

Human Rights: The True Road Map to Peace

Sunday, October 21, 2007
11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
At the home of Joe Levine and Louise Antony
Directions: 549-3630

Brunch followed by a presentation and discussion with Dr. Jeff Halper, Coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. The event is free, but donations to support the work of ICAHD will be most appreciated.

October 27: National Mobilization to End the War in Iraq

Regional Demonstration at Boston Common
October 27, 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Buses are being organized from N'ton and UMass

On Saturday, October 27th, people from all walks of life will gather in Boston for a massive New England regional demonstration, part of a nationally coordinated day of protest against the war in Iraq called by United for Peace and Justice. Regional demonstrations will be held in 10 cities around the country. The New England event will start with a rally at the Boston Common bandstand starting at Noon, followed by a march from 2:00 to 3:00 PM.

Battlefield without Borders: Iraqis in Crisis
An Afternoon with Kathy Kelly and
Activist-Poet David Smith-Ferri

Sunday, October 28, 2:00 p.m.
Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton

Internationally renowned antiwar activist, Kathy Kelly, and poet David Smith-Ferri will speak about Iraq and the Iraqi people in prose and poetry. They will invite you to the heart of the Iraqi people and the crisis they face. Kathy will discuss the consequences of war — for Iraqis, for Americans, for the environment — and call us into a campaign of sustained resistance. David will read from his newly released volume of poetry, Battlefield without Borders produced by Haley's Publishing of Athol, MA.

Donations will be accepted, and David's book will be for sale to benefit the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange, which connects children in the U.S. to Iraqi children in the Middle East, and the Direct Aid Initiative, which provides aid directly to Iraqis in Amman and, shortly, in Damascus. (All but $2 of the sale of each book will go to the projects.)

This public event is sponsored by the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq, the Western Mass AFSC, and The Pioneer Valley Interfaith Peace and Justice Coalition.

[Flyer]

The Cold War in the Middle East and the new Cold War

Thursday, November 15, 4:00 p.m.
Robert Crown Center, Hampshire College, Amherst
Free and open to the public

Dr. Rashid Khalidi is the featured speaker in Hampshire College's 10th annual Eqbal Ahmad Lecture Series. Khalidi has been the Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies in the history department and Director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University since 2003. He is also editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies.

Pastors for Peace Report

Tuesday, September 18, 7:00 p.m.
Edwards Church, downtown Northampton

The local caravanistas who traveled to Cuba are presenting a report back on the Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba. EVERYONE is invited! We will give first-hand account of our experiences, and invite discussion on the U.S. and Cuba today.

Protest W in K'port

Sunday, July 1
Protest Rally and March when Bush meets Putin in Kennebunkport

Saturday, August 25
Major protest with Cindy Sheehan, many others

President Bush will be in town. Camp Casey will be set up. Camping is available by reservation at protestcamping@gmail.net. Join Cindy Sheehan, retired Colonel Ann Wright, Melida Arredondo, Congressman Dennis Kucinch, along with musicians Inanna, Pat Scanlon and Band, and the Indigo Girls. More info at http://www.kportprotest.org.

Local buses will be available. Tickets are available from the AFSC at 584-8975, or e-mail protestbus@northamptoncommittee.org with questions.

[Flyer]

Hiroshima/Nagasaki Remembrance Week

There are many activities in the Pioneer Valley, starting with our 8/3 film and ending with our 8/10 film. Two highlights:

• The annual New England Peace Pagoda walk, 8/7-9, is open to everyone
• Traditional lantern floating ceremony, Willow Lake, Look Park, Thursday 8/9, 7:45 p.m

For a full schedule, see http://westernmassafsc.org/calendar/AUG3TO9.HTM

U.S.-Cuba Pastors for Peace Caravan

Saturday, June 30
First Churches, downtown Northampton

Welcome the Caravan to Northampton! The welcome event will feature Cuban food, music, dancing, and learning about the impact of U.S. policy on Cuba.

Donate to the care package! The Caravan will be taking humanitarian aid to Cuba. Call 625-9543 or 587-0247 for information about supplies needed.

[More info]

Community-University Solidarity Brings Victory!

Four weeks ago, the University of Massachusetts announced its plans to award Andrew Card with an honorary degree at graduate commencement. Students, faculty, and staff quickly began organizing to oppose this decision.

Yesterday, at graduate commencement, the anti-war movement made its voice heard. This was a victory made possible not only by members of the UMass Amherst campus, but by peace-loving people throughout the Pioneer Valley. Community organizations actively participated in the efforts to convince the university administration to rescind the offer. When that failed, they took time out of a Friday afternoon, arriving at commencement in all their colors to demonstrate the real values of western Massachusetts.

Read more...
Traprock and other YouTube videos

Protest UMass's Award of an Honorary Degree to Andrew Card Updated

The University of Massachusetts plans to award an honorary degree to Andrew Card, the founder of the White House Iraq Group, which was responsible for "marketing" the Iraq war to the American people.

As a central planner of an illegal war, Card is a war criminal, not a "person of great accomplishment and high ethical standards who exemplifies the ideals of the University of Massachusetts."

Bring all your creative energy to help us remind UMass of its values! Remember that graduate students deserve our respect. Honor them while holding Card and the UMass administration accountable!

MARCH
Tuesday, May 22, 12:30 p.m.
Whitmore Administration Building (UMass) to Amherst Commons

A march will take place on Tuesday, May 22 (not Monday, as we published in our Saturday flyer), at 12:30 p.m., from UMass's Whitmore administration building to the Amherst Commons. Our first rally brought 200 people; our second rally had 400. Third time's the charm!

STAND-OUT ON COMMENCEMENT EVE
Thursday, May 24, evening rush hour
Intersections at UMass or your town

Make signs and stand on highly trafficked intersections on the UMass campus or in your town during the evening commute. Suggested slogans: "Honor Students, Dis Card"; "Honor Education, Not War Criminals"; "No Degree for Andrew Card"; "Protest Tomorrow at UMass, 12:00," etc.

DEMONSTRATE AT COMMENCEMENT
Friday, May 25, 12:00 p.m.
Press Conference, 1:00 p.m.
Mullins Center, UMass

The ceremony begins at 2:00, but 12:30 - 2:30 is the key time, because that's when people will be entering the Mullins Center. There will be a press conference at 1:00 p.m. We encourage your most creative, nonviolent responses. Signs, banners, songs, drums, puppets, and street theater are all very welcome. The RAGING GRANNIES will sing. People in orange jumpsuits will perform street theater. Please stay as long as you can: commencement will last several hours.

Note that students, faculty, and members of the commencement audience will be taking action inside the center. We are committed to preserving the ceremony for the graduate students and disrupting only the portion that focuses on Card.

[Flyer]

G.I.s Speak Out!
• End the War • Just Treatment for Veterans

Sunday, May 6, 2:00 p.m.
Undercroft Room, Christ Church Cathedral
State and Chestnut Streets, Springfield [Directions]
Free and Open to the Public

Jonathan Hutto Sr., co-founder of Appeal for Redress, the online anti-war petition campaign organized by active-duty GIs, will speak on the campaign to end the war in Iraq and ensure just treatment for returning veterans. Followed by a discussion.

Sponsored by the ARISE Peace Committee, the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq, AFSC, SAGE, and Traprock Peace Center. For further information, phone 413-584-6425 or 413-320-2283.

Emergency Vigil Against Supplemental Funding

5:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 2
Steps of City Hall, Northampton
Bring signs, noisemakers, and friends

Congress and Bush are at a standoff: Bush needs another $100 billion emergency funding for the war, and Congress has approved, but attached a timetable for ending the war.

Today - the day after Bush's veto - we will protest to demand that Congress stand firm or even increase its demands.

Rally For A Livable Climate
Nationwide Day of Climate Action

Saturday, April 14, noon - 2:00 p.m.
Pulaski Park, downtown Northampton
Rain location: First Churches

Music, puppets, speakers and information! For more info: http://events.stepitup2007.org/events/show/179

Western Massachusetts Social Forum

Saturday, April 14, 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 15, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
School of Management Building, UMass

Attend workshops, build relationships and share experiences to help build the movement towards social justice.

For more info, and to register: http://westernmassafsc.org/wsf/wsf.html.

Torture And Detention Without Trial:
An Educational Forum

Frida Berrigan and Buz Isenberg will speak about Guantanamo Bay Prison, torture, rendition, black sites and what can be done about them.

Wednesday, April 25, 7:00 p.m., Helen Hills Hills Chapel, Smith College

Mystical Activism/Active Mysticism

Paki Wieland, member of the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq, will share stories of her recent experiences in the intentional community at Auroville, India (http://www.auroville.org/).

Monday, April 9, 7:00 p.m., in the Parlor of First Churches, Main Street, Northampton

Isreal/Palestine Events

Knowledge is the Beginning
Film followed by a talk with Miriam Said. Film about a joint Palestinian Israeli-youth orchestra created by Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim.
Tuesday, April 10, 7:00 p.m., West Lecture Hall, Franklin Patterson Hall, Hampshire College

The Alexander River Restoration Project as a Bridge between Israelis and Palestinians
Talk by project planner Amos Brandeis
Wednesday, April 11, 4:30 p.m., Franklin Patterson Hall, Hampshire College

Palestine and Israel: Roots of Conflict, Prospects for Peace
Talk by Norman Finkelstein
Wednesday, April 11, 7:30 pm, Student Union Ballroom, UMass

Iraq Veterans Against the War:
The Case for "Troops Out Now!"

Thursday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m.
UMass Campus Center room 911-915

Join anti-war veterans from Iraq Veterans Against the War for a panel and open discussion on the case for immediate withdrawl from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sponsored by the Campus Anti-War Outreach Caucus of the UMass Anti-War Coalition, and the UMass International Socialist Organization, and the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq

Saturday, March 17:
Fourth Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq
Four Years of Occupation, 16 Years of War

• Northampton: March, Rally, and Candlelight Vigil - Refreshments Afterwards

We are sponsoring a march starting at 7:00 p.m. at Bridge Street Elementary School. We will march to the Unitarian Society on Main Street for a brief rally, then spread out along Main Street for a candlelight vigil.

Afterwards, join us for refreshments at Edwards Church, at 297 Main Street. We will have materials on-hand for people to write letters to Congress.

Click the poster at right to view a larger copy. For printing, it is available in high resolution in either Color TIFF (2.9M) or B&W TIFF (168K) formats. Please e-mail with any questions or problems.

• Washington, D.C.: ANSWER March on the Pentagon

The justice group ANSWER is sponsoring a march on the Pentagon . Overnight buses are available, see the Western Mass. AFSC Calendar for further information or contact Nick Camerota at 413-896-5219 or email wmassiac@hotmail.com.

Father Nabil Haddad • Northampton Brownie Troop 438
The Iraqi Children's Art Exchange Project

Learn how they came together amid chaos to start a school in Jordan for Iraqi refugee children. Appearing with the 1,000 Cranes Project from Mass MOCA, including a performance of Sadako and the 1,000 Paper Cranes.

Saturday, March 3, noon - 2:00 p.m.
Edward's Church, Main & State, Northampton

Ending the War in Iraq: Is Impeachment Necessary?

Public Forum with Cindy Sheehan, John Bonifaz
Sponsored by Progressive Democrats of America

Raging Grannies at
South Hadley Recruiting Station

Join the Raging Grannies for cookies, songs, and discussion. Wednesday, February 7, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. (rain date February 21). Big Y Mall, junction of rte 33 and rte 166, South Hadley

D.C. Protest

A major peace demonstration is taking place in Washington, D.C. this Saturday, January 27.

If you are going, you might be able to find us at 11:00 a.m. on the Mall side of the administration building of the Smithsonian.

If you can't make it to D.C., be sure to stop by our regular vigil from 11:00 a.m. to noon in front of the Courthouse at King & Main.

Emergency Protest to Stop the Escalation

Thursday, January 11, 5:30 p.m.
City Hall Steps

There will be an emergency rally to stop the Bush/McCain "surge" of additional troops into Iraq at 5:30 p.m. Thursday (tomorrow) on the steps of City Hall. For more information, see http://americasaysno.org or http://westernmassafsc.org.

This protest comes on top of a previously scheduled protest against Guantanamo (see below).

Protest on the 5th Anniversary of Guantánamo

Thursday, January 11, noon
In front of First Churches
Gothic & Main, downtown Northampton

January 11 marks the fifth anniversary of the first arrivals of prisoners at the U.S. detainment camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The prison is the best-known of America's secret detention sites, where people are brought without any due process and tortured, in violation of both the U.S. Constitution and the Geneva Convention.

The protest is sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Coalition Against Secrecy and Torture.

Yet Another Grim Milestone

Tuesday, January 2, 3:00 p.m.
Federal Building
1550 Main Street, Springfield

On New Year's Eve 2006, the number of U.S. servicepeople killed in this senseless war of greed passed 3,000. Arise for Social Justice is holding a vigil in which all the names of the fallen will be read.

The Words of Rachel Corrie

Friday, December 15, 7:00 p.m.
Media Education Foundation
60 Masonic Street, Northampton

A one-woman play based on a series of e-mails to her family from 23-year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer while defending a Palestinian family's home.

Northampton Committee Anniversary Events

The Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq has been vigiling (first against sanctions) since 1998.

MARCH: Saturday, December 16, 10:45 a.m.

Join us on Saturday, December 16, for a brief march to our usual Saturday vigil. We will start at 10:45 at the Bridge Street School.

EXHIBITION: Mon., Dec. 11th through Mon., Dec. 18th

There will be a week-long retrospective exhibition of materials used by the Northampton Commmitee to Stop the War in Iraq at the APE Galleries, on the third floor of Thorne's marketplace. At the conclusion of the exhibition, the materials will be donated to the University of Massachusetts Archives, which is documenting political activism in the Valley.

Join us at the opening reception, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 5:30-7:30 p.m., APE Galleries, Thorne's Market, Northampton.

Reel Stories for Veterans Day
The Veterans Education Project and the Northampton Independent Film Festival present:

The Ground Truth
Thursday, Nov. 9, 7:00 p.m.
Pleasant Street Theater, Northampton
$8-15 donation or NIFF pass
Moving testimony by veterans about their experiences in Iraq.

When I Came Home
Friday, Nov. 10, 2:00 p.m.
Academy of Music, Northampton
$8 ($7 student or senior) or NIFF pass
Neglect and PTSD lead a new generation of vets to the street.

What Is Happening in New Orleans One Year After Katrina?
Talk by Malik Rahim of Common Ground Collective
Thursday, Oct. 26, 7:00 p.m.
First Churches, downtown Northampton.

Jerusalem Women Speak: Three Women, Three Faiths, One Shared Vision
Ghada Ageel, Shireen Khamis, & Rela Mazali
Wednesday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Franklin Patterson, West Lecture Hall, Hampshire College, Amherst.
Free, accessible and open to the public.

Alternatives to Wars in the Middle East
Presentation by two members of Combatants for Peace, Yonatan Shapira (former member of the Israeli Air Force) and Bassam Aramim (former member of Fatah)
Monday, October 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Browsing Room, Neilson Library, Smith College

Protest at Textron Headquarters

Thursday, October 5, 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Textron Headquarters, Wilmington, MA
Leave Northampton at 9:00 a.m.

Cluster bombs are deliberately indiscriminate, designed to kill over the widest possible area. Even the newer designs leave behind unexploded bomblets, which can maim and kill for years after a war is over. Protest this horrendous weapon at its source, right here in Massachusetts. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Gazette parking lot on Conz street. E-mail us for more information.

More Info:
  Press Release
  Human Rights Watch Backgrounder
  Textron Cluster Bomb Brochure

The World Can't Wait!

One-day General Strike
Wednesday, October 5
No Work! No School! No Shopping!

The World Can't Wait has called a one-day strike for Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Si Kahn in Concert
Democracy Activist and Singer/Songwriter

Saturday, Sept 16, 8:00 p.m.
Unitarian Society
120 Main Street, Northampton

See Si Kahn at a benefit concert for the Greensboro Justice Fund. Call 413-584-1079 for ticket information.

A Different 9/11:
Marking The 100th Birthday of Nonviolence
September 11, 2006

Peace Fair
Saturday, September 9th
12:00 noon to 4:00 pm
Unitarian Society, Main Street, Northampton

Gandhi proposed his plan for nonviolent resistance a hundred years ago, on September 11, 1906. Commemorating this moment will help to free us from the cycle of violence, and to remind us that we are the agents of such a change.

Events being planned include a Peace Fairin downtown Northampton on Saturday, September 9. We will also be screening A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict, a six-part, three-hour PBS documentary featuring case studies of successful nonviolence. The screening will take place September 1 and 8 as part of our Friday Night Film Series.

More information:

[Event Web Site]   [Event Report]   [Event Pictures]

The Current Crisis in the Middle East
Panel Discussion To Be Followed by Q&A

Wednesday, July 26
7:00 pm, Lyman Hall, First Churches
129 Main Street, Northampton

Panelists: Carolyn Oppenheim (Freelance journalist), Vijay Prashad (Trinity College), Sayers Rudy (Amherst College), Mary Wilson (UMass/Amherst).

Organized by the Western Mass. Palestine Action Coalition, the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq, the American Friends Service Committee and the UMass Anti-War Coalition.

DARFUR:
An Open Discussion on Intervention, Regime Change, and the Politics of Genocide

Thursday, July 6, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Neilson Library Browsing Room, Smith College

Panel discussion with IAC Director Sara Flounders, Smith Antropology professor Elliot Fratkin, human rights investigator keith harmon snow, researcher Dimitri Gram, and UMass Antropology Professor Enoch Page.

[Flyer]

Stand Up With Lt. Watada
National Day of Action
Support his courageous resistance!

Tuesday, June 27, noon to 1:00 p.m.
Steps of Northampton City Hall
210 Main Street

On June 7th, 2006, U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren Watada became the first U.S. commissioned officer to publicly announce his opposition to the Iraq war and his intent to refuse to deploy with his unit to Iraq.

To demonstrate our support for Ehren, and his courageous stand, we will participate in a National Day of Action on June 27th to support Ehren as he officially resists deployment this week.

Web site: http://www.thankyoult.org/

City Council Resolution to Impeach

A nationwide movement is underway to pass resolutions of impeachment at local levels. Northampton's City Council has been considering a resolution to impeach, and is slated to present it to the full City Council at its Thursday, June 1 meeting. Please phone in your support, and attend the meeting. Public comment is 7:15 p.m.

City Council phone #s:
http://www.northamptonma.gov/gsuniverse/httpRoot/council/

Resolution text:
http://www.northamptoncommittee.org/statements/2006-04-28-Impeach.html

Nationwide movement information:
http://www.impeachbush.tv/index.html

City Council Resolution to Impeach

ACTION ALERT!
Community Forum on Impeachment
Monday, May 15, 7:00 p.m.
Little Theater, Northampton High School

The Northampton City Council is convening a community forum to discuss a local resolution to impeach! Please come and voice your support. The current text of the resolution is available at our site here or at the City Council website as a Word document here. If you can't come, please phone in your support on Monday (find the number here).

MOTHER'S DAY FOR MOTHER EARTH

Annual Mothers Day Peace & Justice March
Sunday, May 14, noon to 2 p.m.

Families, individuals, groups, organizations for peace & justice: come to the Annual Mothers Day Peace & Justice March. Meet at the Bridge Street School at 11:45. March downtown at 12:00 for a speakout of prose, poems, & song.

Sponsors: Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq, Nonotuck Community School Child Care Advocacy Comm., SAGE, Green-Rainbow Party Amherst, Social Workers for Peace and Justice, CORI Education Project, Amherst Women In Black, Nuclear Weapons Abolition Task Force, Hamp./Franklin CCPAX, American Friends Service Committee, ARISE for Social Justice, WMass Indymedia, Connecticut Valley Coalition for Women's Lives, Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst

Northampton Pride Parade

Annual Parade and Festival
Saturday, May 6, 12:00 noon

March starts at Lampron Park (near Bridge Street Elementary School), assembly at 11:30 a.m.

[Web site]

United for Peace and Justice
MARCH FOR PEACE, JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY
Saturday, April 29
New York City

Assemble at 22nd Street and Broadway at 10:30 a.m. March at noon down Broadway to Foley Square. Grassroots action festival, 1:00-6:00 p.m., Foley Square. More details:

http://www.april29.org
http://www.unitedforpeace.org

Western Mass. Week Against War
Marking Three Years of War and Occupation in Iraq

Events are being planned all across the valley by various groups to mark the third anniversary of war in Iraq. Some of the events have been coordinated into a web site dedicated to the event at wmass-3years.org. The web site has a poster you can download and print.

Additional listings can be found at the Western Mass. AFSC's trusty calendar, and the national AFSC has set up a nationwide listing.

The Northampton Committee is directly sponsoring two of the Week Against War events:

No Go Solo: Coffee, Muffins, Rides, and Peace!

We are kicking off No Go Solo, an ongoing campaign to combat the culture of single-occupancy automobiles, with a meet-up at Sheldon Field [map] during the morning commute.

Join us Wed. or Thu., March 15-16, any time between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. at Sheldon Field. We will have coffee, muffins, and information about ridesharing, public transportation, and other alternatives.

Candlelight Vigil

We will hold a community-wide candlelight vigil for people to mark the anniversary and express some of their feelings.

Join us Sunday, March 19, 6:00-7:00 p.m., downtown Northampton. If possible, bring candles and signs.

Artists for Justice: Peace Be Upon the World

A solidarity event immediately following the candlelight vigil on Sunday, March 19. With Professor Michael Thelwell, speaker, and Puerto Rican poet Magdalena Gomez in a duo performance with Palestinian percussionist Michel Moushabeck. The event will take place at First Churches, downtown Northampton, in Layman Hall (side door to church). Doors will open at 7:00 pm, after the vigil.

[Flyer]

Emergency Regional Town Meeting

Restore the Rule of Law!

A discussion with Congressman Richard E. Neal (D-Massachusetts), Former Congressman Bob Barr (R-Georgia), and Massachusetts ALCU Director Carol Rose about the astonishingly dictatorial Bush/Cheney policies of:

• Torture
• Domestic Spying
• Secret Arrests
• And more...

Thursday, March 23, 7:00 p.m.
Veritas Auditorium, Elms College, Chicopee

Sponsored by the Massachusetts American Civil Liberties Union.

International Women's Day, March 8

February 15 is the third anniversary of the largest anti-war protest in history. Worldwide, fifteen million took to the streets in an effort to stop the Iraq war before it began.

On February 15, 2006, women in Western Massachusetts marked the day by dropping in on Congressman Richard Neal's Springfield office to urge him to sign on to the Global Call for Peace in Iraq and to issue a statement calling for the war's end.

On March 8, International Women's Day, we will return. We invite him to meet with us and read his statement in front of his office in the Federal Building in Springfield at 12:00 noon.

Please show your support for the Global Call, and for Congressman Neal's endorsement of it, by joining us on March 8, 12:00 noon, in front of the Federal Building in Springfield. Please bring a sign if you like.

[Flyer] [Sign the Global Call]

Constitution Vigil

Local civil liberties and human rights group are holding a vigil against the Bush administration's use of torture and its telltale disregard for due process and domestic spying laws.

Join us Wednesday, February 22 at 6:00 p.m. at King and Main Streets in downtown Northampton to decry these policies. We can all imagine the cost of inaction. We must demand that lawmakers stop Bush from driving our country further toward dictatorship and inhumanity.

This vigil is being held in solidarity with MoveOn's call for vigils specifically against domestic spying.

Hope and Action in Wartime:
A Discussion with Kathy Kelly

Meet author and humanitarian Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices in the Wilderness, an anti-sanctions group that has committed civil disobedience over 70 times in bringing medicine and other humanitarian supplies to Iraq.

Saturday, February 11, 7:30 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room, Smith College

Center for Popular Economics and SAGE present:
What's the Connection: Globalization, Wal-Mart, the Iraq War, the Health Care Crisis, Privatization?

The doctrine of neoliberalism runs like a thread through many of today's problems of poverty and war. The Center for Popular Economics will detail its effects on us, on the developing world, and on the environment; as well as the global mushrooming of opposition to the policy.

Thursday, Feburary 9, 7:00 p.m.
Grace Church Parish Hall, 14 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst

[More]

State of the Union: Bring the Noise

The group World Can't Wait has called for noisemaking protests during Bush's State of the Union address this Tuesday, January 31 at 8:00 p.m. Local WCW organizers have listed a protest for Northampton at City Hall. Bring the noise and drown out Bush's lies!

[See the Listing]

A Report from Israel/Palestine: The Faculty for Israel-Palestine Peace Delegation

A presentation by Peter Titelman, Katherine Baker, and Yoav Elinevsky. Sunday January 29, 2006 at 3:00 at the Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic St., Northampton. Free, accessible and open to the public. Information: 584-1299. Sponsored by Middle East Peace Coalition of WMass and the Faculty for Israel-Palestine Peace.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Circle

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Western Massachusetts AFSC is organizing Circles - discussions among small groups of friends or acquantances about the relevance of King's vision today. The Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq is sponsoring one such Circle at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 16, at the Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street in downtown Northampton. The circle is open; we will be discussing King's Riverside Speech, which participants should read ahead of time.

Also on Monday, January 16, these Circles will be recognized during the traditional community-wide celebration organized by the 2006 AFSC MLK Committee. The event will take place at the First Churches at 1:00 p.m., which will be half an hour after the Northampton Committee's Circle ends (the venues are only 200 meters apart).

[Flyer]   [AFSC MLK Day Page]

Northampton Committee Seventh Anniversary March

Vigil, March, Drumming, and More

Help mark our anniversary with a special vigil on Saturday, December 17, 11:00 a.m. We will meet at in front of the County Courthouse on Main & King Streets — our weekly vigil spot — then do a sidewalk march around downtown. We will have drummers, and the Raging Grannies will make an appearance.

After the vigil, stay for the Greensboro Justice Fund's Human Rights Day event (below).

Flyers: [PDF] [JPG]

Greensboro Justice Fund Human Rights Day Observance

Street theater, songs, and readings in front of First Churches in downtown Northampton on Saturday, December 17 from noon to 2:00 p.m. — immediately following the Northampton Committee's anniversary march and vigil next door.

[Flyer]

UMass Week on the War

November 7 - 12
Sponsored by Students Against the War

Dozens of peace-related events at UMass, including:

• The Eyes Wide Open exhibit, featuring a pair of boots honoring each U.S. military casualty
• Thrown Together: Soldiers and Civilians in the War Zone, an art exhibit featuring our own Iraqi Children's Art Exchange Project
• An indoor, evening rally with Cindy Sheehan and others
• A march from Northampton to Amherst

The full schedule is available at http://www.studentsagainstthewar.com/weekonthewar.htm.

Home from Iraq Now!

Home from Iraq Now! is a statewide campaign to bring the Massachusetts National Guard home and keep it home. It consists of a ballot initiative, town and city council resolutions, and a state hearing.

The current focus is in gathering 100,000 signatures by November 15 to place a binding initiative on the 2006 ballot. The initiative has been certified and needs your help now in gathering the signatures and spreading the word.

Please visit http://homefromiraqnow.org/help.shtml to find out how you can help.

September 24: March on Washington

Massive March, Rally, and Festival; Three Days of Action

Travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the next national-scale protest. The main September 24 protest will be followed by two days of activity. Full details are available at United for Peace.

Buses are in short supply, but there is still a chance you could get a seat. Contact the Western Mass. September 24 DC Mobilization at wmassmobe@hotmail.com or by calling 413-587-0059.

If you need a ride or have a ride to offer, you can also contact AFSC's ride board at http://www.westernmassafsc.org/rideboard.html.

Many Western Massachusetts participants are planning to meet at 11:00 at the Traprock Peace Center's tent complex. This will be in with other informational booths and tables that will be set up around "the ellipse," which is the large park behind the White House where the rally will be held.

[AFSC Flyer]

Florence Guard Deployment Draws Action

An Iraq deployment from Florence's National Guard unit is expected mid-summer. In response, local peace and justice groups are taking action.

July 23, 2005: DSM Day

A full day devoted to the Downing Street Minutes

Help mark the the 3rd anniversary of the infamous Downing Street meeting - the meeting whose minutes plainly show the Bush administration lying about Iraq's threat in order to push the case for war. The justice group After Downing Street has called for local actions to raise awareness of the DSM.

Progressive Democrats Bringing John Bonifaz to Northampton Town Meeting

John Bonifaz will lead a DSM Day town meeting in Northampton. Mr. Bonifaz is the co-founder of After Downing Street and the author of Warrior-King: The Case for Impeaching George Bush. The event is sponsored by the Western Massachusetts chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America, a group dedicated to building a progressive caucus within the Democratic party.

The meeting will be held Saturday, July 23, 4:00 p.m., at the Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street in Northampton.

Woolsey Resolution

A push is on for congress to adopt the Woolsey Resolution, which calls on the President to begin an immediate withdrawal of our forces from Iraq. Here is a petition we have been using.

[PDF]   [DOC]

A Conversation with Congressman Richard Neal
About the Iraq War and Other Issues

Friday, June 3, 10:00 a.m.
Media Education Foundation
60 Masonic Street

Plans have come together for a meeting with Congressman Richard Neal on Friday morning, June 3rd. This was a hard-won event. As you may recall, members of the Northampton Committee occupied Congressman Neal's office to request this visit (story). Our turnout now will complete the demonstration.

We want Congressman Neal to see that his constituents are active and interested, that we expect him to step up his efforts to promote peace and justice, and that we will support and encourage him when he takes a stand against the Republicans.

[Flyer]

How it went: Neal played to a full house of about 100 people from the community. Every question involved the war.

Mother's Day Justice and Peace March and Rally

Mother's Day in the United States was first proclaimed in 1870 in Boston by Julia Ward Howe. Howe's "Mother's Day" was a call for pacifism and disarmament. In keeping with that spirit, two dozen local activist groups hold an annual peace and justice march through Northampton, followed by a rally. This year's march is Sunday, May 8.

Marchers are encouraged to bring signs depicting women of peace and justice they would like to honor, and, if desired, to say a few words about that person at the rally's open mike. The march is planned for 12:15 p.m. at the Bridge Elementary School, thence to John M. Greene Hall on Elm Street, then back downtown to the Hestia Mural on Masonic Street, where the rally will take place.

[Flyer]   [Commentary]

Save the Filibuster!
Emergency Rally to Stop the Judicial Takeover

Wednesday, April 27, 4:30 p.m., Northampton City Hall

In the next 5 days, the Republican leadership is planning to pull the trigger on the "nuclear option" - a scheme to break the rules of the Senate, end the filibuster - thereby seizing absolute power over judicial appointments - and stack the courts with extreme right-wing judges. Overnight, some of our most treasured rights, like the 40-hour work week, basic environmental protections, and the right to privacy, would be in danger. We must act. Here is what to do:

• Call our Senators! Even though Massachusetts Senators will vote against the change, they need to be able to count your support.
• If you know people in states with swing votes, have them call their Senators. The swing votes are: Olympia Snowe (Maine), Susan Collins (Maine), John Sununu (New Hampshire), John W. Warner (Virginia), Chuck Hagel (Nebraska), Gordon H. Smith (Oregon) and Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania). They are feeling intense pressure from radical Republicans and need support to buck that pressure.
• Come to the Save the Filibuster! emergency rally this Wednesday afternoon.

Colonel Ann Wright: Reflections on Iraq and U.S. Foreign Policy

Col. Wright is a veteran with 15 years in the Foreign Service and 30 in the U.S. Army. She resigned her post over the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq, and participated in the documentary film, "Uncovered: the Truth About the Iraq War." She will be in Northampton to reflect on Iraq and U.S. foreign policy on Thursday, April 21st, 7:00 p.m., at the First Churches, 129 Main Street.

Northampton Committee Occupies U.S. Congressional Office,
Wins Town Meeting for Northampton

In a surprise move on March 29, the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq occupied the Springfield office of U.S. Congressman Richard Neal, and began reading the names of Americans and Iraqis killed as a result of the war. The action was in response to Rep. Neal's recent vote to approve the latest $80-billion round of supplemental appropriations to continue the war.

The Committee requested and was granted a town meeting with Rep. Neal on the subject of the war. Save the date of June 4. Further details will be announced as they become available.

[Read More]

March 19-20, Anniversary of the Invasion:
The World Says Stop the War!

March 19-20 marks the two-year anniversary of the U.S. bombing and invasion of Iraq. Major protests are scheduled in New York, San Francisco, and in cities and towns across the world. Two years into the war, and in the first days of Bush's second term, your turnout is more critical than ever.

Sunday, March 20, 6:00 p.m.
Candlelight Vigil in Downtown Northampton

Join us all along Main Street from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for a candelight vigil. Then gather at Edwards Church (Main & Elm) for refreshments from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

[Flyer]

March 19, New York City: National Protest in Central Park

ANSWER is sponsoring a large demonstration in Central Park's East Meadow at noon. Buses are available; e-mail wmassiac@hotmail.com or call Catherine at 413-587-0059.

March 19, Northampton: "Shocking and Awful" Short Film Marathon

Shocking and Awful is a series of thirteen half-hour documentaries comprising independent footage about the war and the occupation. They will be presented consecutively starting at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 19 at the Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street in Northampton. The films will be shown in groups of 3 starting at 1, 3, 5, and 7 p.m.

[Detailed Schedule]   [Flyer]

Rasmiyahs Ring: Photographs And Childrens Art From Baghdad, January 2004

An exhibit by Claudia Lefko all February at the Hosmer Gallery, Forbes Library, 20 West St., Northampton. Gallery Hours: Mon. 1-9, Tues. 9-6, Wed. 9-9, Thurs. 1-5, and Fri. - Sat. 9-5. [Hi-res flyer (1.6M)] Special events:

• Rasmiyah's Ring: Stories from the Exhibit: Wednesday, February 2nd, 7:00 in the Coolidge Room
• Opening Reception: Saturday, February 5th, 2:00 - 4:00.

Counter-Inaugural Demonstration, January 20, Washington, D.C.

Planning Meeting on Friday, January 7, 4:00 p.m.

Consider traveling to Washington, D.C. for a national-scale protest opposite the January 20 presidential inauguration. Many peace groups from towns across the U.S., including ours, are organizing buses to Washington, D.C. for the event.

We are having a planning meeting for the bus trip on Friday, January 7, at 4:00 p.m., at the Edwards Church, State Street and Elm Street, Northampton. If you would like to find out more, please contact us at info@northamptoncommittee.org or by phone at 584-0068.

Christmas Peace Vigil

This year, Christmas falls on our weekly vigil day, Saturday. As peace fills our neighborhoods on that day, why not come out and demonstrate our appreciation of peace? It will be a smaller vigil, but all the more special for having its meaning mingled with the Christmas spirit. Join us at the usual time and place, Saturday, December 25, from 11 a.m. to noon in front of the courthouse.

Northampton Committee Sixth Anniversary Actions

Saturday, December 11, 2004 marks six years of weekly vigils by the Northampton Committee to Stop the War on Iraq (formerly the Northampton Committee to Lift the Sanctions on Iraq). We will mark the occasion with a special four-way convergence march. Gather at one of four locations around the city at 10:30 a.m. to be part of the march, or meet us for the vigil at its usual time and place.

[March Details]   [Statement]   [Flyer]  

Veterans' / Armistice Day Vigil

We will vigil in front of the County Courthouse (King & Main Streets, downtown Northampton) from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. The first hour of the vigil will be silent. Bring drums or pails to make noise during the second hour.

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent, "the war to end all wars" was over, and Armistice Day had its origin in the hope for permanent peace. Thirty-six years later, when it was clear that world war would be our way of life rather than a distant bad memory, Eisenhower renamed Armistice Day to Veterans' Day.

Today we mark Armistice Day looking toward that future day when the guns may again fall silent, this time for real. We mark Veterans' Day with sorrow for young families destroyed, for young minds bent around the violence they have seen. Most of all, we choose to act on this Armistice/Veteran's Day to declare that the current world war into which our country is leading the world must be resisted by all nonviolent means available.

"Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train"

Come to a special screening of an inspiring film biography of the historian, activist and author of the trailblazing retelling of American history, "A Peoples History of the United States".

Sunday, November 7, 4:00 and 7:00 p.m., at Wright Hall, Smith College. Students free. The suggested dontation for non-students is $5-10. Discussion to follow.

[Flyer]   [Announcement]   [More Info]