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Human Rights Activist

Ed Kinane

Speaking on

His Recent Trip to Iran with the Fellowship of Reconciliation

May 4 at 7:00 PM

Presented by The Mission and Outreach Committee

Of St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church

Co-sponsored by the Chatham Peace Initiative www.chathampeace.org

Ed has been a member of the Peace Brigades International national coordinating committee. Since the mid-nineties Ed has worked with School of the Americas Watch, which to close the U.S. Army's anti-insurgency training school at Fort Benning, Georgia. In February 2003 Ed joined the Voices' Iraq Peace Team, remaining in Baghdad throughout "shock and awe" until the invasion's end. In August 2003 he returned to Baghdad with Voices for ten weeks to help monitor the occupation. From February 28 to March 13, 2007 Ed was part of a Fellowship of Reconciliation "civilian diplomacy" delegation to Iran. The Fellowship of Reconciliation www.forusa.org seeks to replace violence, war, racism and economic injustice with non-violence peace and justice. Ed is also a member of the support committee for Dr. Rafil Dhafir who is serving a 22 year sentence for breaking the UN sanctions.

Questions will follow Ed Kinane’s talk.

Please join us for refreshments downstairs and a showing of half hour video of the Iran delegation made by Margot Smith, a videographer from Off Center Video in Berkeley CA.

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Picture taken of the moveon vigil protesting President Bush’s veto held May 2, 2007 on the Chatham Green by Lee Gould and published in the Independent.

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FOX23NEWS.com:

Gillibrand Votes For Anti-surge Resolution, Meets with Anti-War Groups

02/17/2007 Posted by Walt McClure. Republicans blocked the vote, leaving Democrats four votes short of the number needed to begin debate on the non-binding resolution. The house approved a similar measure Friday, and Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand was one of those voting in favor of the resolution.

Saturday, she met with anti-war groups in Hudson. More than 100 people, many from area anti-war and peace groups, filled the First Presbyterian Church on Warren Street in Hudson.

Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand says it was chance to hear what constituents like Susan Davies would like her to do about Iraq.

Susan Davies/Chatham Peace Initiative: “We'd like to see them not vote for the supplemental funding for the surge in Iraq. And we'd like to see her vote against that funding. That's one of our main goals. And we'd like to see the U.S. out of Iraq by the end of the year.”

The meeting was also a chance for Gillibrand to share details of what she says is likely to be a congressional session focused on U.S. involvement in Iraq.

Gillibrand says it's unlikely there will be enough congressional support to cut all of the funding for the troop surge.

She says it is more likely conditions will be placed on the money in an effort to redirect President Bush's policy there.

Specifically, Gillibrand is hoping to see those conditions address Iraq's economic and political development -- something she says the president is ignoring.

Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand/D-Hudson: “What are you doing about the oil revenues? Right now, they're not being used for reconstruction. A very small percentage has actually been used for reconstruction. So, much of its now on the black market. There's so much fraud and corruption going on in Iraq. There's no accountability. And our taxpayer dollars are going straight down the drain.”

Gillibrand also says jobs need to be created in Iraq by transferring reconstruction contracts into the hands of Iraqi workers.

Gillibrand says she plans to stay in touch with the anti-war and peace groups with other town hall type meetings in the future.

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DESCRIPTION OF FEB 17, 2007 MEETING WITH CONGRESSWOMAN GILLIBRAND

The format was a panel of 5 consisting of Kirsten, and representatives from 4 major peace groups in her district: Jens Braun, Old Chatham Quaker Meeting; Susan Davies, Chatham Peace Initiative; Joe Seeman, Saratoga Peace Alliance; and Austin Moran, Veterans for Peace.

Kirsten was sent 3 questions (see below) centering on Iraq, Iran and Investigations to address in the first 15 minutes with the rest of the time devoted to short statements from the panel members and followup questions from the audience submitted on cards and reviewed by a moderator for duplication and relevance. The audience will consist of members of 26 peace groups (including Quaker Meetings) in her district and will be open to every non-affiliated citizen for peace from her district. There is no limit on the size of this meeting. There was to have been no press present, but Fox 23 News came and was approved the Congresswoman to cover the event.

Questions sent to Representative Kirsten Gillibrand for the Saturday, Feb 17^th Meeting with Peace Activists

1. Please discuss your position on HR508 (Woolsey’s bill) and HR 746 (McGovern’s bill). What are the features you support and which do you object to? What are you doing to advance the features you support?

2. What can you and Congress do to implement a peaceful solution through diplomatic discourse rather than military intervention in Iran?

3. We applaud your stated commitment to ethical government, which you’ve demonstrated most recently by insisting on government accountability for military spending for reconstruction in Iraq. What plans do you have for supporting or initiating investigations of the Bush/Cheney administration’s crimes and treasonous acts including war crimes, torture, extraordinary rendition, secret prisons, Guantanamo Bay detentions, and the fraudulent use of intelligence to lead us into war?

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CHATHAM PEACE INITIATIVE AND OLD CHATHAM QUAKER MEETING TO JOIN IN WALK FOR PEACE IN ALBANY ON THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE US INVASION OF IRAQ

To commemorate the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Columbia County residents will be taking part in the Walk for Peace on Sunday, March 18 starting at 2 p.m. in Albany, NY. Both the Chatham Peace Initiative and the Old Chatham Quaker Meeting are organizing to participate in the rally and march.

The event, which is being sponsored by the Northeast Peace and Justice Action Coalition (NEPAJAC), will begin with a Rally at the Capitol Building, East Capitol Park Stairs on Madison Avenue followed by a Walking Memorial for Peace to the Federal Building. In memory of American military men and women who have died in Iraq, participants will carry placards commemorating the dead. To sign up to carry a placard with the name of a soldier who died in Iraq individuals should go to www.RememberingTheFallen.org. There will also be a remembrance of the estimated 650,000 Iraqis who have died as a result of the US invasion and occupation.

The Chatham Peace Initiative is forming a contingent to participate in the Walk for Peace. Carpools will be leaving from the Chatham Village Green at 12:45 For information call 518-392-9477

Old Chatham Monthly Meeting members are bringing a banner, which says "Northeastern Quakers" that the local Quakers can walk behind together.

A special youth feeder march will assemble at Townsend Park, across from the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Avenue, at 1pm, which young people are welcome to join to march together to the Museum site.. The Old Chatham Quakers are providing a van to take teens up to the Rally and Walk. For information call 518-8811

For more information about NEPAJAC check their website at www.nepac.org or call 518-439-1968.

and Register that you're coming. This is how you get a name of a deceased soldier to carry in the Walk.
#2: Let people know your coming so arrangements can be made for rides, Meeting, potluck:
1. Contact Lucy Pracher, by email at lprach@localnet.com or by calling (518) 766-9721, to leave a message if you plan to attend worship in Albany, the potluck, and want a ride from Albany Meeting to the Walk.
2. Contact Terry Dix, by email at terdix@gmail.com or by calling (518) 392-7078, if you want a ride from Powell House to Albany, leaving at 10am.
3. Contact the Chatham Peace Initiative at (518) 392-9477 if you want to ride leaving from the Chatham Village Green at 12:45.

Pictures from Independent’s coverage of our January 27, 2007 vigil on the Chatham Village Green in solidarity of the march on Washington:

The Peace Wreath in Chatham at dusk before the Village took it down.

Click here to make a wreath in your community

RECENT EVENTS

Area Peace Vigils January 11, 2007 (Registar Star)

The Peace Wreath

Tuesday, January 1, 2007

Kucinich for President

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HISTORY OF PEACE WREATH

CPI raises wreath for Peace 12/21/2006

Max Greishaber, on ladder, a member of the Chatham Peace Initiative, and others including members of several Chatham-area religious faiths, hoist a huge evergreen wreath in the shape of a peace sign onto a pole at the Chatham Village Green Thursday evening. The wreath was given by the initiative to the village as an expression of peace on earth and goodwill to all. (Robert Ragaini/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers)

12/22/2006

On Thursday, December 21^st the Chatham Peace Initiative gave an interfaith peace wreath to the Village of Chatham as a gift. The wreath was dedicated with a interfaith ceremony held on the Village Green at 4 p.m. The beautiful grapevine and everygreen peace wreath, which was 9 feet in diameter was hoisted high up on the wooden pole in the middle of the green through the collective efforts of many of the more than thirty five people attending the dedication. The tiny white lights outlined the form of the wreath as twilight gathered and members of different faiths said prayers for peace.

The next morning a letter was given to the Village of Chatham letting them know that CPI had given them a gift symbolizing the vision of world peace espoused by the many faiths in our community, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Wiccan and Christian.

Unfortunately, on the morning of Friday, December 22, members of the CPI were dismayed to find that the wreath was gone from the Village Green.

The letter to the village from CPI is reprinted below:

Dear Mayor Boehme and Chatham Village Board Members,

An interfaith peace wreath is being given to the Village of Chatham as an expression of peace on earth and goodwill to all. It symbolizes the vision of world peace espoused by the many faiths in our community, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Wiccan and Christian.

Members of many religious faiths have gathered today on this winter solstice to dedicate the wreath for the village in a collective prayer for peace.

With warm wishes for a peaceful holiday season,

The Chatham Peace Initiative

Letter from the Mayor given to Taitia Shelow of the Chatham Courier:

Dec 22 06 01:36p CHATHAM VILLAGE COURT 518 3927823 P-1

The Village of Chatham, Village Board has directed the Department of Public Works to remove the display placed in the Village Green area on Thursday December 21, 2006. The reasons for the removal are listed below.

The Village of Chatham reserve the right to place displays on the Village Green during the Month of December and has done so for many years. It is the policy of the Village to erect any ligament [sic] display that is supplied to the Village and represents the beliefs of an established religious organization to celebrate their holiday periods. In the case of the wreath that was hung from the power pole in the green area, there were difficulties in applying these guidelines.

The Chatham Peace Initiative was advised that the month of December was for the use of the Village for holiday displays. Those displays are not limited to any particular recognized religion, but are however, donated by private parties in the Village and erected by the Village. A display that includes a recognizable symbol of an organized religious organization can be displayed if donated to the Village and if erected by Village The display erected by your organization was neither approved by the Village Board, nor was it the symbol of any recognized religion. In addition, the flagrant assumption that electric power was freely available at that site was ill conceived. Decisions on the use o£ electrical power is solely that of the Village of Chatham Board of Trustees.

Your organization may retrieve the removed display at the village Highway Garage during normal business hours after signing a release for the property.

Sincerely,

Paul Bochme

The Register Star carried an article on 12/22/06 and another on 12/23/06. The AP wire picked up the story and Newsday carried it along with 3 other NYS media-

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--peacewreathremove1222dec22,0,1105091.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

12/23/06 WNYT Channel 13 filmed the Chatham Peace Initiative and supporters caroling tradtional Christmas melodies rewritten by Nancy Rothman to chronicle the removal of our peace wreath by the Village of Chatham. We sang in front of several supportive stores, and handed out photos of the wreath mounted on the pole on the village green.

12/24/06 WNYT will show it the footage again at 6:00 PM. It was shown this morning.

12/25/06 As of this date versions of the peace wreath story have been carried in the Albany Times Union, Staten Island Advance, WSTM TV, WCAX radio, Buffalo News,

12/26/06 WAMC’s Paul Elisha’s commentary:

December 26, 2006

As the New Year approaches, voters across America are wondering if and how the new Congress will repudiate the spineless and irresponsible one it’s replacing. New Yorkers and their Bay State neighbors are anticipating the ascension of new, Democratic Governors, with hopeful uncertainty. The residents of Chatham, New York, though, face no such conundrums. They can be certain, the reins of their village government are firmly ensconced in the tyrannical hands of an inflexible public official. This term is not used pejoratively. It is a mere statement of fact. Any self-respecting public official, with a modicum of intellect and historic enlightenment would realize, the critical First Amendment of our Constitution forbids a government official from mandating what is or isn’t a “recognized religion.” But this point aside, what government official, with any literate experience, wouldn’t know that the religious icon whose birthday the Christmas holiday celebrates is literally worshipped as: “The Prince of Peace?” In the ‘Old Testament’, Isaiah equates peace with “God,” and both the Old and New Testaments urge believers to “pursue peace and practice it.”

Given this mountain of unimpeachable evidence, what kind of public official, except the most bigoted and overbearing bully, would restrict citizens – of any denomination – from according their neighbors a peaceful holiday greeting, on this, most widely observed testimonial to peace? In World War I, soldiers from each warring side left their trenches and celebrated a universal wish for peace, together. A message their bellicose commanders, like Chatham’s Mayor, clearly were unable to understand. He, probably, would have punished his soldiers for participating.

It’s easy for Mayor Paul Boehme to play the role of what he erroneously sees as a super-patriot, in this little political pageant. It’s obvious, he – luckily - has no kin, or near and dear ones in harm’s way to worry about, on this fateful holiday. Here, in the northeast, where the first blows were struck for liberties we’ve now come to take for granted, it’s a shock to find them assaulted, by elected authorities who should know better. Then, again, this could be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps, in this coming year of surprising political developments, the citizens of Chatham, too, will find both the wisdom and the courage to initiate their own search, for a leader worthy of their trust and everyone’s respect.

December 29, The Independent’s Editorial on Peace Wreath:

December 29, 2006 The Independent’s article on the Peace Wreath:

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On Monday, January 15, 2007 at 2 p.m. at St Peter’s Presbyterian Church in Spencertown, NY the Chatham Peace Initiative presented constitutional and human rights lawyer John Bonifaz, who spoke on “Holding our Government Accountable: How We Can Reclaim the Constitution and Take Responsibility for Justice and Human Rights.”

For more information call 518-392-9477 or 518-766-2992. St. Peter’s Church is located on Route 203 in Spencertown, NY half way between the Taconic Parkway and NY Route 22, about six miles east of the village of Chatham, NY.

John Bonifaz's talk is being held in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who dedicated his life to the cause of human rights and justice. Speaking at the Riverside Church in 1967, Dr. King addressed the issue of the war in Vietnam declaring the US government to be “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.”

In an attempt to prevent the “shock and awe” bombing of Baghdad in 2003, John Bonifaz brought a legal suit against George W. Bush just two months before the invasion. In John Doe I v. President Bush he represented a coalition of US soldiers, parents of U.S. soldiers and Members of Congress arguing that the president’s planned first-strike invasion of Iraq was unconstitutional because it violated the War Powers Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

After the suit failed, Mr. Bonifaz published “Warrior-King: The Case for Impeaching George Bush” which describes the case and its meaning for the US Constitution.

Mr. Bonifaz is co-founder of afterDowningStreet.org, a coalition of groups seeking a congressional investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war.

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We would to thank those of you who were able to make Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern's talk the evening of October 30, 2006 at St. Peter's church in Spencertown. Ray spoke from the podium and later informally for almost 3 hours of the challenge we face to confront our government's crimes, and the price of keeping silent. He quoted St. Thomas Aquinas who cautioned us about the unreasonable patience that cajoles us to live in injustice without anger.

We also thank you for your donations October 30 which will be used to defray the cost of Ray's talk and the upcoming meeting in Malden Bridge.

Click for a recording of Ray McGovern’s speech in St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church Spensertown, NY October 30, 2006.

Click to see a video of Ray confronting Secretary Rumsfeld.

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CPI held two vigils in early winter of 2006-7, one to mark the 3000^th soldier killed in Iraq and another on January 11, 2007

to protest President Bush’s escalation of the Iraq war. The second vigil was coordinated through national peace organizations and was attended by 45 people.

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Rachel Corrie’s Words

Thursday, March 16

at 8:15 p.m.

at Musica

25 Hudson Avenue, Chatham, NY

Join in a Community Reading

To honor the courage of international peace activist Rachel Corrie who at the age of 23 was killed in Rafah, Palestine, run over by a Caterpillar bulldozer while defending a Palestinian family’s home. This is the third anniversary of her death.

The play, “My Name is Rachel Corrie” was scheduled to open in New York City on March 22, 2006, but was cancelled for political reasons. Readings of Rachel’s Words are taking place all over the world to protest the silencing of Rachel Corrie and to let her voice be heard.

For information contact

Chatham Peace Initiative www.chathampeace.org or Bob Elmendorf 766-2992

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COME JOIN

A CONSTITUTION VIGIL

AT CHATHAM VILLAGE GREEN, CHATHAM, NY

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 FROM 7:30 P.M. TO 8:30 P.M.

THIS IS ONE OF HUNDREDS OF VIGILS BEING HELD ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO PROTEST THE ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING OF US CITIZENS BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION.

SEND A MESSAGE TO CONGRESS THAT THEY MUST TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO HOLD THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION LEGALLY ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ILLEGAL ACTIONS.

BRING SIGNS, CANDLES AND FRIENDS.

WE WILL BE READING ALOUD FROM THE BILL OF RIGHTS.

CHECK MOVEON.ORG FOR OTHER CONSTITUTION VIGIL SITES.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD - LET OTHERS KNOW!

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS CALL

SUSAN DAVIES 518-392-9477 OR BOB ELMENDORF 518-766-2992

CHATHAM PEACE INITIATIVE

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Above is a picture taken 2/20/06 of Dr. Jenny Naseem in Islamabad with the boxes of clothes our community sent her. Jenny told Susan Davies that she was going to give 4 boxes to a man who is going to walk them into his village - an 8 hour walk from a main road - deep into the mountains!

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Susan Davies 518-392-9477 or Bob Elmendorf 518-766-2992 or Nancy Rothman 518-392-6855

February 10, 2006

LOCAL GENEROSITY MAKES PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF DRIVE A SUCCESS

The Chatham Peace Initiative of Chatham, NY successfully collected many warm clothes and blankets to send to people made homeless in the high mountains of northern Pakistan by the terrible earthquake of October 8, 2005. People from all over Columbia County and the Capital Region donated beautiful items including hand-knit hats and mittens, beautiful sweaters and coats in pristine condition and thick woolen blankets. Volunteers spent days and hours sorting the flood of donations in the offices of the future home of the Real Food Co-op in Chatham. For the duration of the month long drive, the staff and board members of the Real Food Co-op very generously and patiently did their office work and conducted their meetings around the teetering piles and bags of clothes and blankets which covered tables, desks and floor.

Making arrangements to get the donated goods to those in need in Pakistan turned out to be no easy task. CPI had entered into the project with an understanding that free shipping was being provided by Pakistani International Airlines. However, just days before the group prepared to take a truck load of goods down to JFK Airport, they were informed that PIA was no longer offering free shipping. PIA notified CPI that they could no longer afford to pay for the shipments because they had been so swamped with tons of used clothing for earthquake relief. After days of phone calls and searching for alternative ways to get the goods to Pakistan, CPI made contact with an official at PIA who agreed to arrange for the goods to be shipped at a discounted rate.

So early one Friday morning, a dozen eager volunteers, including both children and adults, filled a rental truck with boxes containing almost two thousand pounds worth of warm things for people struggling to survive in the harsh Himalayan winter

Pakistan International Airlines has now flown the goods to Pakistan where Dr. Jenny Naseem, who works at a hospital in Islamabad, has arranged for friends from the UN and the Canadian High Commission to distribute the goods in the earthquake region.

In order to expedite the shipment of the goods, individual members of the Chatham Peace Initiative fronted the $2,700 needed to get goods to Pakistan. This included the cost of packaging, gasoline, truck rental, as well as the PIA shipping fees. Individuals in the community have already spontaneously stepped forward with generous donations so that about half of the cost has been covered. However, CPI would most grateful for further donations to help cover the rest of the expense. Those who would like to help can send contributions to Chatham Peace Initiative, P.O. Box 34, Chatham, NY 12037 or call Bob Elmendorf at 518-766-2992 for more information.

The Chatham Peace Initiative thanks the people who made contributions of what were clearly cherished items of clothing as well as those kind and patient folks who collected goods at the distribution sites around Columbia County including at the Chatham Public Library, Chatham Synagogue, Columbia County Council on the Arts, East Chatham Post Office, Hawthorne Valley Farm Store, Hudson Opera House, Kinderhook Memorial Library, Malden Bridge Post Office, Nassau Free Library, North Chatham Free Library, Real Food Garage/Real Food Co-Op, Saint. Peters Church, Spencertown Academy, and Warm Ewe, as well as the Periwinkle Sheep in Albany, NY. Thanks also go to the small core of hard working volunteers who put in hours of physical labor sorting, packing and hauling boxes for weeks on end. Special thanks go to Joe and Deb Phelps and Lily Harvitt who turned over their basement to help with the overflow of goods.

For further information about the work of the Chatham Peace Initiative check the website at www.chathampeace.org.

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Donations of relief supplies stalled

Group seeks transport for its collection for earthquake victims in Pakistan

By RICK CLEMENSON, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Saturday, January 14, 2006

CHATHAM -- Nancy Rothman knows how harsh New York winters can get, so she was especially pained to know that Pakistani earthquake victims are using plastic bags to keep their feet warm in the Himalayas.

More than 3 million people are homeless since the Oct. 8 quake that killed 80,000. Two months after Rothman began a clothing drive with other Chatham Peace Initiative volunteers, enough donations have been collected to fill 60 TV-size boxes.

Now Rothman is wondering if the efforts are in vain. After assurances by Pakistan International Airlines that the cargo would be shipped free of charge to nongovernmental organizations in Pakistan, the airline says it was inundated with relief supplies from around the United States and reneged on its promise.

Americans have donated more than 50 tons of supplies for Pakistani relief, according to Nida Saleem of the Albany-based Islamic Center of the Capital District.

Locally, donations have come from all parts of the Capital Region and western Massachusetts. Rothman drives around daily in her Toyota Tacoma pickup collecting socks, shirts, jackets, sleeping bags and tents. Now, Rothman and fellow Peace Initiative activist Susan Davies are trying to find another method of transport for the donations piling up in a Chatham warehouse.

The cargo has grown to such proportions it would cost nearly $3,000 to send with a professional shipper.

Saleem, whose parents are from Pakistan, can appreciate the Peace Initiative's plight.

She helped collect nearly 400 boxes of clothing, only to encounter the same problems. After learning of Pakistan Airlines' new policy on donations earlier this month, she found a New Jersey steamship company that agreed to ship the Islamic Center's donation for $10 a box.

Shipment will take three weeks, and then Saleem must find an nongovernmental organization in Pakistan to distribute clothes and gear.

With the Chatham group still looking for a way to fly their collections to Pakistan, it probably will wind up going the same route as the Islamic Center, Rothman said this week.

Just getting the cargo to Pakistan is a victory, Rothman and Saleem agreed.

"I was terrified," Saleem said. "I didn't want to have to go back to everyone who donated out of the kindness of their hearts and say we couldn't do it."

One woman traveled an hour from her home in the Berkshires to donate handmade Moroccan rugs and knitted hats. A single mother of four in Sheffield, Mass., donated 52 sweaters, and another woman knitted dozens of hats.

"These people are beaming because they are so happy to donate," Rothman said. "They're thanking me."

Rothman hopes the efforts of organizations like the Chatham Peace Initiative, which is a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, will help change other nations' views of the United States.

"After 9/11, we had the sympathy of the world," Rothman said. "This is a way people can speak from their hearts. It's time for us to reach out and show our human side."

Photo of a Pakistani girl’s home destroyed by the earthquake. Taken by Jim Sofranko, November 2005.

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Immediately above is the most recent billboard also created by Columbia County Activists. It appeared in the Februrary 2006 issue of the Progressive.

The billboard above, on Route 66 in Chatham, was created by Columbia County, NY Activists. It will be replaced by another anti-war sign next month. We also have a think tank on the village green which is posing a question about the Iraq War: Where are the coffins? There is a place to put your answers, or you may take them to Kathy Stumph’s antique’ store in Chatham or send them to Webmaster. Prizes will be awarded to all participants.

09/01/2005

From: Mary Anne Davis <maryanne@davistudio.com>
Subject: International Day of Peace

Dear Friends-

Join us to celebrate and speak out on the International Day of Peace
in Chatham. Spread the word-- Mary Anne

International Day of Peace

September 21st, 2005

Join the Chatham Peace Initiative and local
faith communities to celebrate the International Day of Peace -
Bring a poem! Write a poem! Sound off!
A Peace Vigil and Poetry Fest
Chatham Village Green
11 AM - 12:30 PM, September 21st

We will observe 60 seconds of silence at noon with people all over
the world.

11 AM -
Arrive, gather in a circle, for poems and comments. (These will be
folded into squares and affixed to the Peace Tree).

12noon -
60 seconds of silence for peace, followed by singing. Bring an
instrument. Raise a voice!

Only when an ideal of peace is born in the minds of the peoples, will
our institutions create an environment to maintain this peace effectively and fulfill
the function expected of them.

Albert Schweitzer Ä.
From the Nobel Lecture 1947

The International Day of Peace, established by a United Nations
resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General
Assembly, was first inaugurated on the third Tuesday of September,
1982. Beginning on the 20th anniversary in 2002, the UN General
Assembly set 21 September as the now permanent date for the
International Day of Peace.

08/11/2005

The Chatham Village Board approved our permit to display our Iraq Memorial on the green for 30 days without providing a certificate of insurance. The meeting which began tumultuously ended amicably between the board and visitors.

08/10/2005

Tomorrow 08/11 at 7:30 pm the Chatham Peace Initiative will be attending the monthly Chatham Village Board Meeting to hear the board discuss and vote on our application to display our Iraq Memorial on the village green. This will be our third attempt. We encourage you to attend and to be respectful whatever the outcome of the board, approval, delay or denial. New media have been invited.

Indenews.com The Independent on line

08/05/2005

A-bomb memorial sparks new clash

By: DAVID RILEY

CHATHAM-For the second time in less than a month, officials here are less than pleased with an event the Chatham Peace Initiative has planned on the village green.

At issue is whether the public needs to ask permission to use the lawn at the center of Chatham, which is owned by the village. And if people must ask, who decides whether to grant permission?
       The peace group announced last week that it planned to hold a ceremony from 3-7 p.m. Friday, August 5, in memory of those killed when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
       Mayor Paul Boehme acknowledges that the village has no law on use of its property. But he said this week that most organizations that want to use the green ask the Board of Trustees for permission. It's a longstanding custom, he said.
       Members Peace Initiative dropped off a letter about the event at Village Hall a week beforehand. Mr. Boehme said he wrote a reply Monday, August 1, telling the group it must first ask the Village Board.
       Bob Elmendorf and Susan Davies, members of the group, said in the past three years, they just notified the mayor or police of events on the green without any problems.
       "I personally don't mind going through the board if I know we have to do it," Mr. Elmendorf said, "but it's a little late now. We're all set to go ahead with this."
       The Village Board began considering formal rules for use of its property after a Peace Initiative gathering and display on the green July 20. Mr. Boehme said this week's event again points the need for such a law.
       "I hate to do it, but you have to do it in this situation," he said. The mayor said advance notice lets the board consider insurance concerns and to coordinate with other groups that want to use the space; it also allows police to plan for traffic.
       For last month's vigil, which drew about 30 people, the Chatham Peace Initiative gave the village notice a day or two prior. At that event, the group and members of St. Peter's Church in Spencertown unveiled a sign displaying the number of U.S. soldiers killed and wounded, coalition troops killed and civilian lives lost in the war in Iraq, and the cost in dollars of the war to the U.S.
       The group said the display complied with village zoning, which allows certain temporary signs to be displayed without a permit until five days after the event advertised on the sign. The peace Initiative said it would take down the display five days after the war ends.
       Village trustees read the zoning differently, and at a special meeting July 26, ordered the sign removed.
       At that meeting, the board said it wants people to ask its permission to use the property. But trustees said the group could ask for a 30-day permit to put the sign back on the green with a note saying it only expressed its sponsors' views.
       Mr. Elmendorf said the initiative plans to apply for such a permit and won't legally challenge the board's decision. But said the group plans some "surprises." He declined to elaborate.

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We had a wonderful uninterrupted day on the village green (Aug.5, 2005) making cranes with the help of several members of our Japanese community. As soon as we had six on a line we took them to be displayed in a village shop. There were books on Hiroshima to look at and Sadako’s story for sale courtesy of the main street book store. A thousand cranes in streamers were lent by Merry Lathrop who has been to Japan several times on behalf of the never again campaign. Free Japanese light snacks and beverages were available to the public. The day was closed by a short Buddhist ceremony using the Sanskrit words for birth, life and death. We formed a circle and chanted these words and then breathed in the agony of the victims and the soldiers and breathed out a reconciliation.

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Please join us in making peace cranes to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki. Friday, August 5, 2005 from 3 to 7 pm. Reading of “Sadako & the 1000 Cranes” & music at 3 p.m. The oragami cranes will be hung up in shops on main street. 08/05/2005 10:30 p.m.

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Must Read

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?pageNumber=5&displayMonth=7-2005

ONGOING EVENTS

Thursday, July 21st, 2005

THE MARCH OF FREEDOM

A plaque on the village green causes a stir:

There has been some controversy surrounding the memorial. About nine months ago, another sign made by the groups was removed from the green. The folks hope this memorial can stay. Under village law, it has to be removed 30 days after the event is over.

The group said they will gladly remove the sign once the war is over. According to the group -- the war is their on going event.

New war memorial may clash with code

By: DAVID RILEY

07/19/2005

CHATHAM-Churchgoers and peace activists will try a second time to place an Iraq war memorial on the Rail Depot green this week, about nine months after the village asked that a similar display be removed.

       The St. Peter's Presbyterian Church Mission Committee and Chatham Peace Initiative co-sponsored the new memorial and say it should pass muster with the sign ordinance that caused trouble for its predecessor.
       The groups announced a vigil and dedication Wednesday, July 20, at 7 p.m. on the village-owned green at the intersection of Main Street and Park Row.
       Susan Davies of the Peace Initiative said she planned to notify Chatham Police of the event Monday afternoon.
       But Mayor Paul Boehme said Monday that the groups should have told the village trustees about their plans, and further in advance, with musicians and other folks using the green during the warm weather.
       "If they're going to hold an event on village property, they have to come to the Village Board," Mr. Boehme said.
       Last fall, the St. Peter's group put up a sandwich board that read, "Remember and honor American soldiers killed in Iraq," and displayed of an updateable number of military dead.
       The mayor said at the time that the sign violated zoning because it was too big, put up with no notice and showed no time when it would be removed, nor who was responsible for it.
       Since it was taken down, the memorial has appeared throughout the village on lawns and in storefronts. It is now displayed at a home on Kinderhook Street, said Richard Light of St. Peter's in Spencertown, who had the original memorial made.
       Mr. Light said that this time, the groups asked architect Al Knoll of Valatie to design a new, smaller sign to meet the village's code. John Reilly Signs of Ghent made the display.
       This memorial offers more information than the last, said Mr. Light. It shows the more than the approximately 1,700 U.S. military dead, and now includes mention of the 13,000 wounded, an estimated 100,000 or more Iraqi civilian deaths, and the cost of the war to date-about $200 billion.
       Mr. Light said village zoning allows event signs to be displayed no more than five days before an event. Since the event in question is the Iraq war, he believed he met this requirement.
       The group plans to remove the sign three days after the war ends, he said.
       But this interpretation of the sign code seems likely to conflict with the mayor's view; Mr. Boehme said he believed there is a 30-day limit on temporary signs.
       Mr. Light, a Navy veteran, had said the new memorial is apolitical, calling it an extension of the last one and a display meant to raise public awareness.
       "It's their money and it's their sons and daughters who are being killed," he said, the U.S. public. "The politicians certainly aren't paying much attention. It's not their sons and daughters who are over there dying."

       To contact reporter David Riley, e-mail driley@indenews.com.

Peace Vigil Chatham Village Square

On Sunday, March 20, 2005, 6:00-7:00 PM the Chatham Peace Initiative is sponsoring a candle lit peace vigil in Chatham’s Village Square on the second year anniversary of the beginning of the war with Iraq. This vigil is held in sympathy with the march in New York and will emphasize that the UN should replace the US in Iraq and that our men and women should be brought home.

Daylong reading honors war dead

By John Mason January 16, 2005

CHATHAM VILLAGE -- For more than eight hours in Saturday's biting cold, people gathered on the village green to read and listen to names, ages and addresses.

Staff Sergeant Todd D. Olson, 36, Loyal, Wisconsin.

Lance Corporal James R. Phillips, 21, Hillsboro, Florida.

Muhamed Kamel, 33, Karkook.

Ibrahim al-Yussuf, 12, Zambrania.

These were the names of people -- more than 4,000 were read Saturday -- known to have died in Iraq since the U.S. declared war in March 2003.

A small tent was erected on the green to shelter readers, and a sound system, lent by Rob Caldwell of Musica, was installed. People, usually between 10 and 20 at a time, stood in a semi-circle to listen to the names.

Sally McCarthy, owner of the hot dog shop nearby on Main Street, agreed to open her doors to participants for the day. She also put in a full day of serving hot and cold drinks and cookies.

Meanwhile, people sat at her tables and wrote postcards. The postcards were black and the pens were silver or gold. On one side would be written the name and age of a deceased person. On the other side, a stamp and a sticker with the address of a senator or a congressman.

Thousands of postcards were completed during the day. They will be mailed to Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer, both D-NY, and U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Half Moon. All have supported the war effort.

In introducing the event, Max Grieshaber of the Chatham Peace Initiative said, "The destiny of those, whose names we read today, has already been cast and these individuals, as well as countless others, are lost to us.

"We read to commemorate and respect each loss of person and being. Had we known these persons prior to their sacrifice, we might have honored each with a kind word, an educational opportunity, clean water, a sturdy home or a bright opportunity and future.

"However, today it is too late, too late to honor these individuals -- but we can remember each being and respect that being ... With the lighting of each candle, we join hands together -- and ... sanctify the power and sacrifice of those lost in this war."

Channel 9 January 15, 2005

Peace vigil for those killed in Iraq war
Updated: 1/15/2005 10:19 PM
By: Sean O'Grady

A group a people were read the names of all Americans and Iraqis killed since the beginning of the War in Iraq.

Bob Elmendorf of the Chatham Peace Initiative said, "So we're basically honoring everyone that died in Iraq. This is not making any judgments as far as we're going to honor some and not others."

The group Chatham Peace Initiative organized the vigil. Its members found the 47,000 names on government websites, and took turns reading them throughout the day.

Elmendorf said, "People can't read more than five minutes without getting very upset. You know, people are crying and just full of intense emotion."

A local restaurant called the Dog House, which is normally closed this time of year, opened its doors to provide the Chatham Peace members a place to warm up.

Inside volunteers wrote the names of fallen Americans and Iraqis on black postcards and addressed them to U.S. Senators Clinton and Schumer.

Jake Coan, volunteer, said, "We wrote the names of the people who died, their age, and where they are from."

Elmendorf said, "This country needs to have so many people die before they stop a war. And if that person's death, as unfortunate or horrible as it was, can help bring an end to this war then at least they died for something."

After the reading of the names, volunteers held a moment of silence for all unknown Americans and Iraqis who have died since the war began.

Vigil March 2003 Chatham NY