P.O. Box 81, Swarthmore, PA, 19081-- brandywine@juno.com (610) 544-1818

2009 EVENTS

Sunday, January 11 - "Afghanistan: Report on the 'Good War', Just back from Afghanistan: Peter Lems, national staff, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Peter Lems is the AFSC Program Director for Education and Advocacy on Iraq and Afghanistan. In December 2008 he visited to Afghanistan to meet with AFSC staff and design the organization's program work for the coming year. In November 2007 he was part of an assessment team that visited Syria and Jordan, exploring opportunities to work with Iraq refugees. He led delegations to Iraq in June 2002 and April 1999.

Phila. Peace Rally/Parade, January 17, Same day as start of Obama "whistle stop" Inaugural Train at 30th St. Train Station more

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17 7PM ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY CONCERT

Monday, January 19, Noon - "Inaugurate Justice, Make War No More!" MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY OF NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE at LOCKHEED MARTIN, VALLEY FORGE, PA more

Sunday, February 8 - Oscar Castro, national staff, Youth & Militarism program, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) will speak with power point presentation on military recruitment in a time of economic distress and the high-tech military recruitment and cyber experience of war and the military - look for the "Army Experience" simulation game center in the Franklin Mills Mall

Sunday, March 8 - Special showing of Constantine's Sword, based on the best-selling and acclaimed book of the same name by James Carroll, columnist, author, and former Catholic priest.
Constantine's Sword is an astonishing exploration of the dark side of Christianity, following James Carrol on a journey of rememberance and reckoning. Warning of what happens when military power and religious fervor are joined, the 2007 film from Oscar-nominated director Oren Jacoby asks: "Is the fanaticism that threatens the world today fueled by our own deeply held beliefs?"  The film features the acting talents of Natasha Richardson and Liev Schreiber.  The New York Times said of the film: "...At once enthralling and troubling...'Constantine's Sword' is a cri de coeur about the abuse of religion when aligned with the state."

Mar 17 - 22 Walk for a New Spring.  100 Cave Hill Rd., Leverett, Ma  01054 – (413) 485-8469/walk phone. Buddhist Peace Pagoda,  Leverett, MA — Washington, DC. February 13, 2009 - April 8, 2009 Please read our itinerary in the brochure to see when we will be in or near your community and find ways that this walk can provide opportunity for you to become involved in the change that is taking place in our country and our world.  Please feel free to contact us for more information, suggestions, volunteering and more.  Call Tim Bullock on (413) 485-8469 or email walk4newspring@gmail.com . (REPORT)

Wednesday, March 18, 6:00 - 7:15 p.m. Commemoration of the 6th Anniversary of the Iraq War Vigil, Villanova University, Ithan and Lancaster Avenues, Villanova, PA. The vigil precedes a seminar on the Military Industrial Complex. All attending the vigil are invited to attend the seminar which will take place in Driscoll Hall, Room 134, from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. There is free parking at the main Villanova University parking lot at the Southwest corner of Ithan and Lancaster Avenues.

The Military Industrial Complex, Bad for the Economy  Bad for Peace. "The [Military Industrial Complex] has its roots in the corrupt and deceitful practices that have long characterized the high command of the Armed Forces, civilian executives of the armaments industries, and Congressional opportunists and criminals looking for pork-barrel projects, defense installations for their districts, or even bribes for votes." Chalmers Johnson 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. Room 134, Driscoll Hall, Villanova University. Speakers: Bal Pinguel: Program Analyst, Peacebuilding and Prevention of Conflict, AFSC; Bob Smith: Co-Founder and Staff Coordinator, Brandywine Peace Community.

---Thurs MARCH 19, Noon, Phila. City Hall (west side, 15th & Market Sts) - Vigil for Peace with the Walk for a New Spring: reading names of U.S. and Iraqi war dead; Celeste Zappala, Gold Star Mother for Peace, whose son, Sherwood Baker was killed in Iraq, April '04; music by Tom Mullian; City Hall walk-around and Mayor's Appeal for Disarmament.  Organized by Brandywine Peace Community and Catholic Peace Fellowship.

---Fri MARCH 20, 7p.m., Sundown candlelight vigil with the Walk for a New Spring, Lockheed Martin, Mall & Goddard, Valley Forge/King of Prussia, PA (behind the King of Prussia Mall), the Iraq war's chief weapons profiteer, with the Walk for A New Spring. (REPORT)

---Friday, APRIL 3, Noon - eve of the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Beyond War: A New Economy is Possible ! Memorial for Justice, Phila. City Hall (west side), 15th & Market Streets, with music, speakers, and the broadcast voice of Dr. King at Riverside Church, April 4, 1967, and in Memphis, TN, April 4, 1968.  

---Saturday APRIL 4, United for Peace & Justice mobilization in New York City, national "Beyond War: A New Economy is Possible!" march to Wall Street,  www.unitedforpeace.org . United for Peace & Justice - Delaware Valley Network "JustPeace Trains", Phila. - Trenton - New York City.

Fri APRIL 10, Good Friday, Noon, Stations of Justice & Peace, with nonviolent civil disobedience, Lockheed Martin, Valley Forge/King of Prussia, PA.

Thurs APRIL 23, PHILADELPHIA, Double Tree Hotel, 237 South Broad Street, ANNUAL SHAREHOLDERS MEETING OF LOCKHEED MARTIN!   PROTEST LOCKHEED MARTIN IN PHILADELPHIA!   

Sunday May 10 - Special Mother's Day Screening of "I Cannot Be Silent: Testimonies of Peacemaking", which documents inter-generational dialogues on peace with elder peace advocates sharing their adventures in peacemaking and their timely (timeless) wisdom with young people.  Their remarkable and inspiring stories address historical and current violence: escape from slavery, opposition to war, childhood escape from a Nazi concentration camp; and opposition to urban violence.  The screening will be followed by a discussion with the film maker, Vic Compher

Sunday, June 14 Meet...Greet...Hear: Jailed Peace Activist, Advocate for the Poor, International Traveler for Peace, Just Back from Iraq - Father Louie Vitale. Father Louie Vitale is a Franciscan priest (ordained 1963, PhD in Sociology), pastor of a Catholic Church in a low-income neighborhood in San Francisco, and a long-time peace activist jailed for arrests at the School of the Americas, Fort Benning, GA, and elsewhere. He is a co-founder of the Nevada Desert Experience, a faith-based anti-nuclear organization, as well as the Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service. A retired Air Force officer and Korean War veteran, Father Vitale has participated in human rights and peace delegations to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Jordan, Lebanon, and has recently returned from Iran as part of a Civilian Diplomacy Delegation. Father Vitale recently served five months in prison for opposing the torture training at the School of the Americas, and was arrested in May at the Creech Air Force Base in Nevada  protesting the unmanned drone bombing campaign.  He is currently on a tour of the United States and Canada speaking about his lifelong journey and work for justice and peace, the current unmanned drones bombing campaign in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and nonvolent resistance to war for which he has been arrested and jailed repeatedly.

Friday, July 3, Noon - Independence Day Observance/And Now, DECLARE PEACE! Demonstration   Independence Mall/People's Plaza, Market Street, between 5th & 6th Streets, Phila., PA
followed by bell-tolling vigil/chanting facing Independence Hall to stop the wars and end the violence, from handgun to H-Bomb.  Speakers included: Celeste Zappala of Military Families Speak Out, whose son, Sgt. Sherwood R. Baker, was killed in Iraq, April '04; Edward Aguilar, director of Project for Nuclear Awareness; and representatives of Heeding God's Call, a faith-based campaign to end handgun violence.  Music by Tom Mullian ("Six Strings Against the War").  Declarations and statements, both historic and contemporary.  A large black coffin, draped by the Earth and U.S. Flags and bound by heavy chains, with sign: "Break The Chain of Violence", was at the center of circle of peace.  Philly Code Pink lead us in a "cleansing" ceremony of the U.S. Flag from war and militarism, racism and hatred, indifference and violence.

July 16, 1945 Trinity, the world's first nuclear explosion. Read Brandywine's narrative Journey of Death. With a poem by Brandywine's own Bill Stuart-Whistler.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6 - Memory, Hope, Peace - Hiroshima Day Action 2009 and Noontime Nonviolent Resistance at Lockheed Martin, Valley Forge, PA (behind the King of Prussia Mall) Rain or Shine, bring an umbrella, put on sun block, dress accordingly. 8:16 a.m. (time of Hiroshima bombing) Vigil for Peace begins with siren blast 12 noon—Hiroshima Day Ceremony & Nonviolent Action:audio broadcast of start of nuclear age narrative, words of Hiroshima survivors, music, litany of remembrance and peace, and nonviolent resistance to Lockheed Martin.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 7:30p.m., Nagasaki Day Candlelight Peace Dedication in front of SS Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Cathedral 18th & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, in memory of St. Mary’s Urakami Roman Catholic Cathedral, ground zero for the second use of a nuclear weapon.  The solemn dedication of repentance from nuclear weapons and war is being cosponsored by Philadelphia Catholic Peace Fellowship and NW [Philadelphia] Greens.  The second atomic bombing of Nagasaki destroyed what was, at that time, the largest Catholic population in all of Asia.  The solemn dedication will include song, large pictorial displays of the aftermath of the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and a ceremony of memory, hope, and peace.

Sunday, September 13 - Old Friends & Guerrillas: Will El Salvador Turn in a New Direction?, An evening of talk, hope, and photos with Tom Paine Cronin and John Grant who were in El Salvador for the historic June elections. Tom Paine Cronin, long-time Labor Leader in Philadelphia and President of AFSCME DC 47, known for its stands on peace and justice issues and opposition to the wars in Central America and Iraq.  Some of Tom's international solidarity work took him to Northern Ireland, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Nicaragua and Honduras, where he was arrested and deported for trade union and human rights activity.  Since retiring as President of AFSCME DC 47 in October 2007, he has worked as the director of the Comey Institute of Industrial Relations at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. John Grant is a Vietnam Veteran and veteran peace activist with Veterans for Peace, a photojournalist and film maker.  He first went to Central American in 1984 and was deported from Honduras with Tom Cronin and four other union workers.  As a photographer, he made numerous trips to Nicaragua and El Salvador during the 1980's and 90's.  This past June, after a fifteen year absence from travel to Central America,  John along with Tom Cronin went back to  El Salvador for the moving and hopeful inauguration of Mauricio Funes. John will present on large screen pictures from his and Tom's trip to El Salvador.

Wednesday, October 7, 5p.m. - Anti-War Memorial Protest & "Die-in" on the 8th Anniversary of the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, Phila.  City Hall, west side, 15th & Market Sts., Philadelphia, PA.  more

Sat. Oct 10, Noon - Peace in Space/Peace on Earth! International Protests to Stop the Militarization of Space, at Lockheed Martin in Valley Forge more as part of the international week of protests of the militarization of space (www.space4peace.org), including the aerial drone bombing campaign in Afghanistan and Pakistan directed through space by military satellites produced by Lockheed Martin.

"Modern warfare, such as the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan and attacks on Pakistan, uses Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and GPS-guided bombs. Directed by space satellites, and remotely controlled far from the battlefield, these weapons are responsible for massive civilian casualties. In the 2003 “shock and awe” attack on Iraq, 70% of the weapons used by the Pentagon were directed to their targets by space technology. Our children are being trained through video games today to be the remote killers of tomorrow. Death at a distance is still blood on our hands. We in the Global Network say it’s time to open our eyes and STOP the military’s use of space for war on Earth. It is time to preserve space for peace and to end war." statement from the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, organizers of Save Space for Peace Week. www.space4peace.org (see the awesome poster) Read about drones.

Sunday, October 11 - "Afghanistan: the 'Good War', 8 Years & Counting", program around the 8th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan and the U.S. "war on terror". The program will feature a showing of RETHINK AFGHANISTAN. The film, by acclaimed director/producer and founder/president of Brave New Films Foundation, Robert Greenwald ("Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers", 2006, and "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price", 2005, www.robertgreenwald.org,) is the new ground breaking full-length documentary film about the costs and expansion of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. 

SAT oct 17 - March & Rally in Philadelphia as part of the National Mobilization to End the Wars. Gather at Philadelphia City Hall, 15th & Market at 11 a.m. for march to Independence Mall, on Market Street between 5th & 6th Streets.  Rally at Independence Mall begins at 12:30p.m.  More at http://phillyoctober17stopthewars.blogspot.com/Sponsored by October 17th Mobilization to End the Wars, a host of Phila. area anti-war and peace groups including the Brandywine Peace Community.

Friday, November 6, 7p.m. - Just-Reel Large Screen Free Film Showing - Chicago 10 - at Peace Center of Delaware County. More 

Sunday, November 8 - POTLUCK - W.D. Ehrhart: "A Witness to Peace in Poetry & Prose".  Spend an evening with the poetry and prose of the acclaimed writer and  poet.  W.D. Ehrhart is a Marine Corps veteran of both the Vietnam War and Vietnam Veterans Against the War.  His writing has been honored by both Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans for Peace.  Among his 18 books are Beautiful Wreckage: New & Selected Poems, Vietnam-Perkasie: A Combat Marine Memoir, and The Madness of It All: Essays on War, Literature & American Life.  Currently, he teaches English and history at the Haverford School.  More on W.D. Ehrhart at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._D._Ehrhart . Don't miss this unique time of poetry and prose for peace. Join Us at the area's longest running on-going gathering for peace and justice, the Brandywine Peace Community Monthly Supper/Program, now in its 3rd decade.....2nd Sunday of the month (except August), 4:30PM, at the University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut Street, Phila., PA (bring main dish, salad, or dessert to share). Programs begin at 5:30 PM.

Wed., November 25 Be A Human Postcard for Peace from Philadelphia on (the day before Thanksgiving), from 12 noon - 1 pm, on  the West side of Philadelphia City Hall (15th & Market Streets) photos by Melissa Elliott

Sat. Nov. 28, Noon LOCKHEEDVILLE Shanty-Town Thanksgiving Vigil for Justice, , Lockheed Martin in Valley Forge, PA where the business of war matters, and people don't! Our country continues to be held in the grip of a war economy, resulting in the devastating social consequences of squandering trillions of dollars - poverty, joblessness, bankruptcy, homelessness -  and of a culture of unmet human need here at home; all the while, enabling war and misery for untold millions around the world.  Lockheed Martin is the world's largest war profiteer and weapons contractor, receiving more than $42.7 billion of our tax dollars annually.  Many suffer, so very few may profit. War and weapons profits taking priority over the justice of a caring economy and society - that's LOCKHEEDVILLE.  Visit http://nationalpriorities.org/ for more information.  And help us heal our war-torn economy! photos by Melissa Elliott Read about and see photos of Lockheedville 2008. 

Anti-War Alert!! Wed., Dec. 2, 4:30p.m. Eight years of war in Afghanistan. No More!  Anti-War protest at Philadelphia City Hall west side (15th & Market Streets.) Called by the Brandywine Peace Community, Philly Against War Network, Catholic Peace Fellowship, the Shalom Center, Veterans for Peace #31, Philly ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) Coalition, and Party for Socialism and Liberation (list in formation).

Sunday, December 13 -- Monthly Potluck - "Honduras and President Obama's Approach to Latin America" -- Sylvia Metzler, a long time Nicaraguan and Central American solidarity activist, just back from a visit to Honduras as part of a Quest for Peace delegation accompanying supporters of deposed President Zelaya and learning about the realities on the ground in Honduras six months after the military coup.  Sylvia has been involved with many justice and peace issues and groups in the Philadelphia area for more than 40 years, including HCAP (Health Care for All Philadelphia), promoting a single payer universal health care system, Grannies for Peace, and the Brandywine Peace Community. She is a family nurse practitioner, co-chairs Medicines for Nicaragua, and serves on the board of the Norris Square Neighborhood Project. From 1990-1992, Sylvia served as a volunteer nurse practitioner in Nicaragua.  She lives and works in Kensington and North Philadelphia, where her major hobby is gardening with plants and children.