Join us March 12-13, 2010

for a Conference and Rally
To commemorate the 7 year anniversary
of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq 

Friday, March 12, 7:00 pm at Concord High School, 170 Warren Street: Keynote Speaker Joseph Gerson

The weekend begins with a conversation with Dr. Joseph Gerson at Concord High School that is free and open to the public - with donations gratefully accepted to support Dr. Gerson's work. Joseph has served the American Friends Service Committee since 1976 and is currently Director of Programs and Director of the Peace and Economic Security Program for the AFSC in New England.   His program work focuses on challenging and overcoming U.S. global hegemony: its preparations for and threats to initiate nuclear war, and its military domination of the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.  He has been involved in the U.S. justice and peace movements since the mid-1960s.  Joseph Gerson has spoken at numerous international conferences, lectured at more than 70 U.S. colleges and universities, and spoken to and worked with countless community-based peace and justice organizations.

Friday, March 12, 5:00 pm at Concord High School, 170 Warren Street: Youth Overnight

After the presentation by Joseph Gerson, there will be an evening of inspiration for young people to explore various aspects of peace and non-violence.  We will conduct team building exercises and make signs for Saturday's rally as well as watch and discuss educational videos.  High school and college age students are invited to join us overnight on Friday March 12 and post-rally debrief session on Saturday March 13.  Students are requested to pre-register with Molly Messenger, Youth Organizer- American Friends Service Committee NH by Friday March 5. Please send an email to mmessenger@afsc.org, call (603) 224-2407 or send a note on Facebook  or MySpace  with your name, school/group and phone number.  High school age participants will need parental permission.  This is an adult supervised event.

Info Sheet on Youth Overnight

Permission Slip for high school age youth

Youth Conference Flyer

Saturday, March 13, CONCORD, 8:30 am to 12 noon at Concord High School, 170 Warren Street: Conference

Building a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence

Workshops include: The Global Movement to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Getting Out of Afghanistan, Community Organizing for Peace, Peace with Justice for Israel and Palestine, The Heart of Nonviolence Inside and Out, NH Organizing for a Nuclear Free World, Truth in Military Recruiting, Iraq Update, Resisting the War Machine, Abolishing the Death Penalty, Activist Skills: News media Relations, Afghans for Peace, Art and Activism.

Conference Schedule
8:00 am - Registration, Breakfast available
8:50 am - Workshop Session A
9:55 am - Workshop Session B
11:00 am - Workshop Session C
12:00 noon - Closing, Lunch available
12:45 pm - March from Concord High to the State House Plaza

Preregistration requested: Please email info@nhpeaceaction.org or call (603) 228-0559. 
(However, late and same day registrations are ok)

Suggested donation of $10 includes lunch.  This weekend is being organized by New Hampshire Peace Action Education Fund, New Hampshire American Friends Service Committee, Seacoast Peace Response, Concord High School Peace Club, Durham Students for a Democratic Society, Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service NE, and UCC Peace with Justice Task Force.

Saturday, March 13, CONCORD, 1:00 pm, State House Plaza, North Main Street, Rally:

7 Years Too Many: End the Wars and Rebuild the Economy

Speakers and marchers will commemorate this sad anniversary, and refocus and renew our commitment to ending US wars of aggression and to holding those in power to their commitments to the people of Iraq.  We will also discuss the implications of promoting a sustainable and peaceful society rather than relying on war and militarism.

Special Guests: Chantelle Bateman & Matthis Chiroux from Iraq Veterans Against the War

Download the Flyer

With a ratification vote on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) expected next year, N.H. Peace Action is gearing up a project to secure the support of both of our U.S. Senators. The CTBT was signed in 1996 and submitted to the Senate in 1999, but failed to win the two-thirds majority needed for passage. 

Since then, a number of key changes have taken place:

U.S. nuclear weapons policy slid in a dangerous direction during the years of George W. Bush, whose withdrawal from the ABM treaty and adoption of first strike policies against non-nuclear adversaries may have provoked countries such as N. Korea to break out of the non-proliferation regime;

Weighty members of the foreign policy elite, such as former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, have realized that the United States is safer in a world without nuclear weapons;

Advances in seismic and chemical technology have made it nearly impossible for anyone to explode nuclear weapons without detection;

The election of Barack Obama brought to the White House a president who has repeatedly expressed his commitment to a world without nuclear weapons.

We note with some pride that Barack Obama started his presidential campaign without such a commitment, but with an already developed record of concern for nuclear non-proliferation.  From the time of his first campaign visit to New Hampshire, peace activists encouraged him to consider the importance of Article 6 of the Non Proliferation Treaty, in which the United States and other signatories pledged to work for the reduction and elimination of their nuclear arsenals.  Then, speaking at DePaul University in Chicago on Oct. 2, 2007, Obama for the first time made a commitment to nuclear weapons abolition. 
“We need to change our nuclear policy and our posture, which is still focused on deterring the Soviet Union - a country that doesn't exist. Meanwhile, India and Pakistan and North Korea have joined the club of nuclear-armed nations, and Iran is knocking on the door. More nuclear weapons and more nuclear-armed nations mean more danger to us all,” then-Senator Obama said.  “Here's what I'll say as President: America seeks a world in which there are no nuclear weapons.”

We may never know whether New Hampshire’s “bird-dogs” had a direct affect on Barack Obama, but we know that grassroots activism has the power to force changes even on issues as weighty as nuclear weapons. 

Now attention turns to our Senators, especially Judd Gregg, who voted against ratification in 1999.  Fortunately, the CTBT is already backed by a wide range of organizations and prominent individuals, including former Secretaries of Defense, former heads of the weapons labs, religious groups, and foreign relations experts, not just the traditional peace movement.

Over the coming months, NH Peace Action will be looking for individuals and organizations who will write, call, email, and fax our Senators about the importance of CTBT ratification.  If you want to help, please contact Arnie at ctbt@nhpeaceaction.org, or at (603) 224-2407.

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