We have two invitations for you--one to take a survey and the other to come to a party. Kind of like broccoli and ice cream. Let's start with dessert first: You are invited to our holiday open house! It will be Sun., Dec. 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Jean's house. You must let us know if you plan to attend so we can have enough food!! Just reply to this e-mail and say "I'm coming to the party!"
And now for the broccoli: We invite you to help us find out how we can do a better job. Please complete our very quick on-line survey. It should take only a couple of minutes for you to fill out. It will help us be more effective in the coming year, and so we urge you to fill it out! Do check out what we did together in 2011--you'll be amazed! Moving Forward!
Peace is hard work! You want it? You gotta work for it. We know you can't do everything, but you can do something! Here are some possibilities for the next few weeks: *Attend a fund raiser:
US Labor Against the War, one of our key partners, will host a party on Jan. 21 in Oxon Hill. Not only will it be fun and an opportunity to meet some great people, but you'll be making a contribution to an outstanding organization. See calendar for details--and please plan to attend!Help support local film makers in final development of " Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard," a documentary about peace, reconciliation, and compassion borne of the atrocities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This party, on Sun., Jan. 8, is at the home of one of our members, who is also an associate producer of the film. See calendar for details. *Demonstrate:
We support Bradley Manning. If you haven't yet seen the video " Collateral Murder" that was released by Wikileaks, watch it now. Whoever made the video public should get a commendation. Instead, the government has accused Manning and wants to lock him up for life. Join us at one of the vigils on either Friday or Saturday at Ft. Meade where Manning's first military hearing will be held. Details here.We oppose torture, indefinite detention without trial, and lack of accountability for war crimes. For years now, we have worked to get the U.S. to abide by the Geneva Conventions. Join us in D.C. on Jan. 11, as we once again engage in a public witness in support of the most basic of human rights. More information here.*Learn:
We are co-sponsoring with CASA de Maryland a talk on the U.S. role in Central America, and our speaker is an international activist and expert. Plan to attend what will surely be a very interesting event on Jan. 26. Details are in the calendar below.*Hold a house party:
We've put our popular Power Point on the militarization of America onto a DVD that you can show at a neighborhood party at your own house. Let us know if you can organize a showing--even for just a handful of people! We are promoting house parties as a way to engage more pople in the need to cut military spending. E-mail us if you want more information or to get a copy of the DVD. Yes, We Accept Donations!
Looking for a good use of your hard-earned money? We will gladly accept a financial contribution to help us in our work. We rarely do fund raising, preferring to spend all our time on advocacy. But we do have expenses: printing, room rental for events, occasional equipment purchases, Internet server, office supplies, banners, table space at local fairs, Constant Contact service, stamps, etc. We are an all-volunteer group, so we don't have to pay staff, but these other expenses add up. So, if you'd like to contribute, please send a check to us at P.O. Box 1653, Olney, MD 20830, made out to Peace Action Montgomery. Because much of our work involves trying to affect the political system, your contribution will not be tax deductible. We also encourage you to contribute to our parent organization, Peace Action. Without national support, our local efforts would be ineffective. Please donate now. Happy Holidays! In peace and solidarity,
Adrienne, Alex, Dave, Fran, Jean, Karen, Larry, Mel, Melinda, Mike, Nik, Pam, Pat, Shelley, Steve, Sue, Tim
P.S. Don't forget to take our survey!
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Today's Quote
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It is not enough to say, "We must not wage war." It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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 Calendar | 
Fri and Sat., Dec. 16 & 17: Vigils in support of Bradley Manning. Details here.
Sun., Dec. 18: Peace Action Montgomery holiday open house, at Jean's, from 2 to 5 p.m. RSVP by replying to this e-mail and we'll send you the address.
Thurs., Jan. 5: Peace Action Montgomery meeting at the home of a member. E-mail us for directions. All welcome!
Sat., Jan. 7: Legislative forum organized by Progressive Neighbors, 1:45 - 4 p.m., Clifton Park Baptist Church, 818 Piney Branch, Silver Spring. All welcome. State legislators answer our questions!
Sun., Jan. 8: Fund raiser for documentary film "Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard," Home of Juanita and Mel Hardy, 8922 Second Avenue, Silver Spring. Please RSVP to Mel here.
Wed., Jan. 11: Day of action against Guantanamo, noon to 2 p.m., Lafayette Park, DC. More here.
Sat., Jan. 21: Fund raiser for US Labor Against the War, 6:30 to 9 p.m., 1809 Clayton Dr., Oxon Hill, MD. RSVP here.
Thurs., Jan. 26: 7 - 9 p.m. Colloquium, "The U.S., Central America, and the Global Economy," co-sponsored by Peace Action Montgomery and CASA de Maryland. Guest speaker: international expert and activist Grahame Russell of Rights Action. At Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia Ave., Wheaton.
Every Saturday: Join the Olney Peace Witness, corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave., 10:30-11:30 a.m.*
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| Peace Action Montgomery Major Achievements for 2011 |
We hope you'll take a look at our 2011 report. We are pleased with our achievements this year--our report documents a great deal of hard work--but we're extremely disappointed with the fact that the U.S. continues on such a dangerous militaristic path. So, we'll have to work harder and smarter next year.Here are some of the things we did this year:
*Persuaded 47 state legislators to sign a letter to Congress asking for a cut in military spending. Organized a press conference in Annapolis.
*Grew the Fund Our Communities, Bring the War Dollars Home coalition to 60 groups.
*Organized two mini-conferences for coalition leaders.
*Presented a Town Hall on the budget, attended by some 400 people.
*Made 26 educational presentations.
*Participated in nine demonstrations.
*Held several lobby meetings with elected representatives.
*Persuaded the Montgomery County Council to consider a resolution requesting a cut in military spending.
*Wrote and widely distributed several articles and position papers, addressing the war in Afghanistan and the military budget.
*Were interviewed on two cable TV programs and had multiple newspaper articles published about our work.
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| | TO DO THIS WEEK |
Call Senators Mikulski (202-224-4654) and Cardin (202-224-4524) and tell them to vote against the horrible Defense Authorization Act that, among other things, allows for indefinite detention. Do it now, as the vote is today!
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Join us for a vigil in support of Bradley Manning on Friday or Saturday. Details in calendar.
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Invite us to show our PowerPoint, American Militarism: At What Cost? to your group, large or small! E-mail us for details. Or, get a copy of the DVD and show it yourself to your neighbors. We'll mail the DVD to you.
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Commentary
| Read "Bill of Rights, R,I P." to see why the new Defense Authorization Act is so destructive to our democracy.
Here's a really interesting article we read this week, about the logistical nightmare that is now Afghanistan for the military. But, as the article says, it looks like the Military Industrial Congressional Complex will make out just fine! |
| Those Who Died Nov. 20 - Dec. | |
In Iraq:
259 Iraqis
In Afghanistan:
Pvt Thomas Lake 29 England
Cpl Zachary Reiff 22 Preston IA
Pvt Jackie Diener II 20 Boyne City MI
Cpl Adam Buyes 21 Salem OR
Sgt Dennis Murray 38 Red Broiling Springs TN
Pvt Sheldon Steel 20 England
Sgt Vincent Bell 28 Detroit MI
Spc Thomas Mayberry 21 Springville CA
Spc Ryan Lumley 21 Lakeland FL
Sgt Clark Corley Jr 35 Oxnard CA
Pvt John Howard 23 New Zealand
Cpl Elijah Bond 24 England
Cpl Christopher Levy 21 Ramseur NC
284 Afghans and Pakistanis
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