Peace Association: held a Training for Tablers on Saturday, May 14th in preparation for tabling throughout the spring, summer and fall. Please contact the office if you are interested in helping us out or would like to distribute any of the materials we have available - a postcard for people to indicate their spending priorities; a petition to reduce and abolish nuclear weapons; materials for counter- recruitment and to publicize the "Opt-Out" provision of the "No Child Left Behind" Act and NJ Peace Freaks membership brochures. A schedule of events follows.
TABLING OPPORTUNITIES (list in formation):
May 21: Richie Havens Concert in Hoboken
June 4: Montclair African American Parade and Festival
June 5: Spring Festival on Main Street in Somerville
June 5: Asbury Park - Gay Pride Festival
June 18: Farmers' Market Montclair
July 4: Montclair July 4th Parade
Aug 9: Peace Freaks Event marking the 60th Anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (tbd)
Aug 9: Peace Fair in Cranford
Labor Day Parade at Botto House in Haledon
Sept 10:Tabling at the Farmers' Market in Montclair
Oct. 2: Fall Festival on Main Street in Somerville
MEMORIAL DAY ACTIVITIES:
May 28th : Memorial Day Vigil in Highland Park, 11:15am - 12:30pm on Rte. 27, just north of Albany St Bridge
May 30th: Leafletting at the Totowa Memorial Day Parade
May 30th : Iraq Memorial Wall Peace Vigil in Weehawken at 6:00pm at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Boulevard East Promenade in Weehawken
May 30th : The Northwest New Jersey Peace Fellowship and the Gazebo Peace Group in Hackettstown will honor the fallen of the Iraq War on Memorial Day Monday, May 30, 2005 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Sparta United Methodist Church (71 Sparta Avenue, Sparta, NJ). During the remembrance, members and interested participants will read the name, rank and hometown of each brave American Soldier who lost their life in this war. The organizers hope that people will attend this memorial event at any time to partake in the Reading of Names, in the Lighting of Candles, and in Song and Prayer. All are invited, welcomed and asked to read the names.
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:
On May 21st, NJ Peace Freaks will speak at a Counter-Recruitment Fair organized by the Plainfield Chapter of the People's Organization for Progress. The "Counter-Recruitment Community Fair" takes place from noon to 3:00pm at the Plainfield Quaker Meetinghouse. The program features speakers from NJ Peace Freaks, the Center on Conscience and War, Montclair High School Student Activists who got 91% of the high school's parents to OPT OUT of the "No Child Left Behind" military recruitment provision and the War Resisters League. There will be food, literature, music, speakers and dialogue. Families and children are welcome. The program will take place at the Plainfield Quaker Meetinghouse, Watchung Avenue & East 3rd Street, Plainfield, New Jersey (next to the Post Office. Directly across North Avenue from the train station.)
Monday, May 23 and Monday, June 27 - 7:30 p.m. Join us at the monthly meeting of Somerset Voices for Peace and Justice to plan for events and activism in Somerset County. Meeting will be held at the offices of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills, 45 North Gaston Ave, Somerville
Wednesday, May 25 - 7:00 Highlands Peace Freaks sponsors a free showing of "The Corporation," a 2 hour and 25 minute investigation into the institutions that dominate our lives. The film features interviews with Milton Friedman, Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, and Michael Moore. The film showing takes place the Ringwood Public Library, 30 Cannici Drive, Ringwood. For more information contact (973) 728-8586.
Wednesday, June 15 at 7:30pm: Reel Perspective Film Series: The fall of 2001 brought us assaults against Americans' comfort zone on many fronts. We learned that we could fall victim to attacks on US soil and we learned that those guarantees provided to us in the Constitution were equally vulnerable. Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties provides the facts and stories that illuminate administration lies, wrongheaded policies, and the real victims of these Freakss--the American people. Here, you'll get the real story behind the USA PATRIOT Act and other administration policies and the gut wrenching stories behind those affected--from law- abiding store clerks to United States Olympians unable to travel. It'll remind you of what America used to stand for and what it seems we're falling for now At the offices of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills (45 North Gaston Ave, Somerville Co-sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills and Somerset Voices for Peace and Justice.
Tuesday, June 22, 7:00 p.m. The USA Patriot Act: What's Wrong With It and How You Can Help Clean It Up The Patriot Act, hastily passed in the aftermath of September 11 and due soon for Congressional extension of its provisions, threatens our Constitutional civil rights and liberties even as it claims to defend our democratic freedoms and our security. Come learn what citizens like yourself who care about our democracy can do to make it truly stronger and safer. A proposed Resolution against the civil liberties violations of the Patriot Act is in the planning stages in Bridgewater Township. People interested in working to pass similar resolutions in towns in NJ can also learn a lot about how to do this.
At the Somerset County Library, Room B, North Bridge St, and Vogt Drive, Bridgewater, NJ Co- sponsored by Somerset Voices for Peace and Justice, the Somerset County Chapter of ACLU NJ and the Bridgewater Progressive Studies Group
Saturday, August 6th - Highlands Peace Freaks 2nd annual Folk Music Festival at the Weis Ecology Center, Ringwood from 2pm until 7pm, featuring Gaia Wolf, Bev Grant (w/ Robin Burdulis), Vance Gilbert and SONia (also: swimming, children's program and more) Tickets are $25 in advance for adults and $10 for kids. For more information check out www.highlandspeaceFreaks.org. Funds raised will benefit both Highlands Peace Freaks and NJ Peace Freaks.
Aug. 6 - 9: Events marking the 60th Anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Sept. 18: Benefit Concert for NJ Peace Freaks featuring Charlie King and Karen Brandow with Catherine Moon from 7:00pm until 9:30pm, location to be announced.
Sept. 24: Regional Training on Counter Recruitment - located to be determined in Manhattan, but NJ residents are URGED to attend. Please call now to get involved and to receive an information packet.
Nov. 12th: NJ Peace Freaks's 48th Annual Soup Luncheon, 11:30 am until 4:00pm, Columbia High School, Maplewood. Keynote speaker will be Daniel Ellsberg.* *invited.
NJ DemonRat Events through November