Standing
in front of the Penobscot County Courthouse while the jury deliberated
their fate are, from left to right,
Doug Rawlings, Henry Braun, Jimmy Freeman, Dud Hendrick, Rob Shetterly
and Jonathan Kreps.
More photos available here: 2nd
Day of Trial, Not
Guilty! and Celebration
Occupation
Project Update - Jury Acquits Bangor Peace Activists
Bangor, Maine - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - Six peace activists were found not guilty of criminal trespass after a two-day jury trial in Penobscot County Superior Court. They have been referred to as the "Bangor Six" by some in context with this particular moment, some nearly fourteen months after their alleged crime. However, this precedent-setting case for peace activists here in Maine, and likely beyond, should be placed in an expanded context beginning with the fact that these 6 courageous souls that spoke to the jury with great heart, conviction and eloquence were accompanied by 6 others on March 7, 2007 who together were also arrested, pleaded no contest and paid fines. And these 12 arrests made in March of 2007 are part of a wider image, both locally and nationally, and a series of local peace actions dating back to mid-2002 when the Bush Administration's puffed-up bleatings of preemption began. In total there have been 25 peace activists arrested at Senator Collins' Bangor office and 36 peace activists arrested at Senator Snowe's Bangor office since the beginning of the war on March 19, 2003. Out of those combined 61 arrests, 7 individuals have been arrested twice and four others arrested three times.
Central to the defense of criminal trespass was the Dansinger case (State v. Dansinger, 521 A.2d 685, 688 (Me. 1987)) and the state of mind of the defendants that they knew they had a right, privilege or license to be at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building even after being repeatedly ordered to leave by Bangor Police Officers and the basis of their belief being founded on 1) The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the right to petition and redress of grievances, 2) Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, "This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land;" and 3) International Law embodied in both the Nuremberg Principles and the Geneva Convention. Each of the defendants; Dud Hendrick, Rob Shetterly, Jimmy Freeman, Jonathan Kreps and Doug Rawlings, led by attorneys Phil Worden and Lynne Williams were able to effectively and passionately articulate the moral and political basis of their belief that they indeed had a right to be there after the police had repeatedly ordered them to leave.
Despite Judge Michaela Murphy's instructions to the jury that they must set aside their feelings about the war and only deliberate on the evidence presented during trial, her instruction of the law and the jury's clear compliance with her orders, Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy was reported saying that the verdict could very likely be reflected as Mainers' disgust toward the continued conflict in Iraq and being fed up with both Senators Collins and Snowe handling of what he referred to as a debacle.
Regardless of the messages sent from this precedent-setting case, Almy also indicated that the next time a similar situation with protesters arise at Senator Collins' office in the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building, there will be a greater likelihood of Federal authorities prosecuting the case instead of the State. Why this particular case wasn't handled by Federal authorities to begin with is unclear - other than it would have drawn greater attention to Susan Collins' steadfast refusal to ever meet in town meeting with her constituents who have exhausted efforts over the past 6 years to do so.
For more information on the nationwide Occupation Project organized by Voices for Creative Nonviolence, please visit their website at: http://vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project
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Past
Arrests of Peace Activists in Bangor, Maine since the Start of
the War in Iraq
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Offices
of Senator Susan Collins
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Offices
of Senator Olympia Snowe
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Wednesday,
March 7, 2007 |
Thursday,
September 21, 2006 11 arrested - related article, and another article Connie Jenkins Ilze Petersons Ron Greenberg Dan Lourie Nancy Hill Chris Stark Doug Allen Suzanne FitzGerald John Miller Richard Paget Jean Olivett |
| Thursday,
March 20, 2003 13 arrested Dud Hendrick Nancy Galland Richard Stander Peter Colman Steve West Diane Fitzgerald Olga Lang Judy Robbins Peter Robbins Rob Shetterly Chris Baker Young man - unnamed |
Thursday,
December 15, 2005 19 arrested - follow-up story Judy Robbins Doug Rawlings Steve West Ron King Jim Harney Sandy Yakovenko Maureen Block Debby Marshall Nancy Hill Peter Robbins Richard Stander Carolyn Coe Elizabeth Adams Olenka Folda Dud Hendrick Nancy Galland Rob Shetterly Bruce Gagnon Pat Wheeler |
| Thursday,
March 20, 2003 6 arrested Karen Saum Amanda Kendall Rob Fish Jeffrey Black Kyla Hershey-Wilson Megan Gilmartin |
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Pax
Christi Penobscot Valley will hold its monthly Mass Pope Ignores the War, Gets Free Pass on Sex Abuse By
Ray McGovern, Consortium News Pope Benedict XVI arrived in the U.S. last week against a macabre backdrop featuring reports of torture, execution and war. He chose not to notice. Torture:
Fresh reporting by ABC from inside sources depicted George W. Bush's
most senior aides (Cheney, Powell, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Rice and
Tenet) meeting dozens of times in the White House during 2002/03
to sort out the most efficient mix of torture techniques for captured
"terrorists." Read the complete article here. From Every Village Green - 2008
March 15, 2008 - Ellsworth, Maine - Approximately two hundred anti-war activists gathered in light snowfall at Ellsworth City Hall to commemorate the end of the fifth year of the bloody U.S. occupation of Iraq and the beginning of its sixth year while joining hundreds more protestors in shire towns statewide as part of the From Every Village Green day of actions calling for an immediate end of the war and for the U.S. to completely extricate itself from Iraq. Following remarks by Suzanne Fitzgerald, Father Jim Gower, Robert Shetterly and Rich Hillard, musician Gray Cox lead the crowd in song before they marched from City Hall to High Street.
Remember the Children On
January 26, 2008, about 50 people gathered at St. Mary's Chapel
in Bangor, Maine to remember the children around the earth who are
affected by war. The prayer service was prepared by members of Pax
Christi, Penobscot Valley, and we were joined by Reverend Elaine
Hewes, Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bangor, Mary Trotochaud,
a passionate advocate for children and the banning of cluster bombs,
and several members of Veterans for Peace. The
sanctuary was filled with moving icons that helped us to keep our
focus on the pain experienced by so many little ones. Photos of
Iraqi and Lebanese children taken by Rick McDowell, Jim Harney,
and Sean Sutton stared out at us with pleading faces. Art-activist
Pat Wheeler loaned us her beautiful creation of a child's dress
with the photo of a dying child embedded on the front of it. Little
children's shoes attached to price tags that had the story of the
massacre at Qana, Lebanon touched us by their emptiness. And as
the service unfolded, candlelight was increased gradually, as the
sign of our stubborn hope even in the midst of so much darkness. At
the beginning of the service we agreed to honor and remember the
children all around this Earth whose lives are so dramatically impacted
by adult wars. Since these realities are so difficult to face alone,
we came together for the strength and courage required to stay present
to their pain. For increasing numbers of children living in war-torn
nations, childhood has become a waking nightmare. In the last decade
and a half, well over 2 million children have been killed during
wars, while more than 4 million have survived physical mutilation,
and more than 1 million have been orphaned or separated from their
families as a result of war. For their sakes, we came together to
listen, to pray, to sing and to stay present to the tragic reality
of their lives, and to be inspired by them to work ever harder to
create a culture of peace where they will be valued as priceless
gifts of the Creator.
Mary
Trotochaud (above) shared personal stories from her years in Iraq;
she knew personally the children whose photos we were gazing at.
She explained that most cluster bombs kill civilians, very often
children. They are used so indiscriminately, and sometimes at the
end of a conflict, as in Lebanon just before the Israeli army left
that country. And so their lethal potential lives on for years and
years, harming one child at a time. One of the prayers that we prayed
in our Litany for Children was, "Cluster bombs explode when
innocent children go out in a field to play and rob them of their
limbs and their childhood. Kyrie, Kyrie, eleison." We are all
working with Mary for legislation that will ban the manufacture
and use of cluster bombs by the United States, and ultimately, the
entire international community. We
were blessed to have St. Mary's Schola share two beautiful songs
with us. Having the voices of children with us helped us to pray.
We were also blessed with 9-month old twins, the grandchildren of
one of the Veterans for Peace who was with us. Their sounds kept
the memory of all innocent children present to us. The Veterans
for Peace shared with us during the service the fruit of their Peace
Poetry Project. The vets had visited schools throughout the region
asking the children to write their visions or concepts of peace
in poetry. Several poems were shared during the service, allowing
us to hear the voices of local Maine children, as well as the voices
of Somali immigrant children. Our hearts were touched by their beauty,
simplicity, and honesty. Elaine
Hewes spoke to us from her "mother heart and teacher heart,
rather than her pastor heart." In story and song, she shared
her reactions to the civil war in El Salvador, the launching of
the first Gulf War, and her hopes for the children of the Earth
embodied in a Lullaby she wrote and had us all join her in singing.
When we think deeply about the effects of war on children, our course
of action seems very clear. Elaine also said she hears the question
often, "Where are the clergy as we work and march and vigil
for peace?" She said we must keep asking that question. We recited together several prayers for the children, and at the end of the service we invited all who wished to recite the Vow of Non-Violence with those Pax Christi members who renewed their vow at this gathering. One of the Vets for Peace led us in our closing song: Peace Will Come by Tom Paxton. We sang this several times, our voices harmonizing with the pleading in our hearts. One of the readings presented at the service was by Tom Fox, a Christian Peacekeeper murdered in Iraq. He asked that we keep faith with the Iraqi people by allowing the mothers of Iraq, who refuse to give up hope for a better future for their children, to be our teachers and, with them, to do all that we do "for the sake of the children." Submitted
by: Anne Ferrara Oscar
Romero Award
The
citation reads: Previous recipients of the occasional award include Bill Callahan of the Quixote Center Quest for Peace humanitarian aid for Nicaragua campaign; Cardinal Evarista Paolo Arns of Sao Paolo Brazil, who championed Christian base communities and was instrumental in ending military junta rule in Brazil; leaders of four Maine programs serving the poor( H.O.M.E.'s Marie Aherne, Barbara Hance, Lukcille McDonald, Ellen Moore, and Lucy Poulin; Geraldine Brown, Robert F. Philbrook, JoAnn Pike,and Joyce Voisine; President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti, whose determination to give dignity to Haitian poverty led to his election as President of Haiti; and the Plowshares movement.
End the War! Build the Peace! Paul Bunyan Park, Bangor ME - September 29, 2007 - A crowd of about 400 gathered on a wind swept mild Saturday afternoon in front of the Bangor Auditorium for a peace rally and ceremony mourning the dead and the loss of civil liberties. Afterwards the group formed a chain of concern stretching themselves along Main Street farther than one could see while supportive motorists honked their horns and flashed peace signs. More
photos available here.
Maine Calls for Impeachment
While there were no arrests during Wednesday's Bangor event, a similar event was held on Tuesday at Congressman Tom Allen's office in Portland where 250 letters were delivered to Allen's staff and 150 individuals presented their reasons for impeachment one by one. Eight protesters who refused to leave the premises were arrested. Seven were later released on bail while one person, Kathe Chipman refused to pay bail and remained locked up over the night. One of the eight arrested was Bruce Gagnon who remarked "We either live by the rule of law or we do not. Tom Allen applies the law to eight of us for sitting in his office. But he refuses to apply the law to Bush-Cheney when they shred the Constitution. That kind of double-standard can not pass." More photos from Bangor's event available here. Maine's Largest Antiwar / Impeachment Protest Draws Crowds from Across New England
More photos available here.
Bar Harbor - Sunday August 19, 2007 - A large crowd gathered on the lawn of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church immediately following the 11:15 Mass to join in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Church and the 85th birthday of Father Jim Gower with a party that lasted well into the afternoon. The Sheep Island Rovers provided wonderful music with a strong Celtic accent during the entire event and helped lead the happy group in dancing. Although Father Jim's actual birthday fell earlier on Friday, Pax Christi members from across the state came together with others in this Downeast community on Sunday to wish this town's native son a happy birthday and to participate in the blessing of a statue of St. Francis of Assisi donated to the church in honor of him for his tireless and steadfast work throughout his lifetime for peace and the formation of Pax Christi groups across the United States and Maine. |
Pax
Christi Maine presented its Oscar Romero Award for Nonviolent Witness
to Peace and Justice in Service of the Poor to Kathy Kelly of Voices
of Creative Nonviolence (formerly Voices in the Wilderness) at the
Peace Action Maine 25th anniversary celebration Saturday night,
October 27th, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Guild
Hall in Portland.
Pax
Christi Maine Celebrates Father Jim Gower's 85th birthday!
A quarter-mile
long procession of peace activists calling for the impeachment of George
Bush and Dick Cheney wind their way along Ocean Avenue in the seaside
resort village of Kennebunkport while hotel guests look on from poolside
above. More photos
available.
New Englanders Call for Impeachment
Kennebunkport, Maine - Sunday July 1, 2007 - About two thousand peace demonstrators arrived from all corners of New England gathering in this picturesque summertime community of wealth and privilege to call for an end of the bloody war in Iraq, now in its fifth year, and the perpetrating kakistocracy. Demanding accountability of our leaders and with a sustained cry for the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney, they rallied and marched through the narrow streets lined with tiny shops, opulent residences and grand hotels interspersed with views of the Atlantic Ocean. Tourists and residents alike joined with the throngs of international press snapping photos and video taping of the historic event which many saw as the galvanizing of the impeachment movement in the northeast. Sunday's day-long peace action was the prelude to Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Walker's Point and the Bush family's seaside compound later that afternoon intended to mitigate growing concerns of a new cold war between the United States and Russia.
Sunday's
action was the first of two such peace demonstrations planned by the Kennebunk
Peace Department (KPD) for this summer in Kennebunkport with the next
event planned for the weekend of August 24 - 26 when President Bush will
next be in town. While members of the Russian Press Pool may not be in
attendance, Augusts' three-day series of peace events entitled "Stop
the War - Start a Revolution" is sure to draw even larger crowds
from across the northeast with special music by Dave Rovis, Inanna and
Pat Scanlon and Band. Scheduled speakers include retired Colonel Ann Wright,
Cindy Sheehan and U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich - to name just a few.
For details about the program and schedule of events download the flyer
directly at: http://www.kportprotest.org/schedule.pdf
and for more information and late breaking news visit their website at:
http://www.kportprotest.org.
Notes on The Hidden Wounds of War
Michael
Uhl, Vietnam veteran and author of Vietnam Awakening, set the scene for
the second Chapter 00l Veterans for Peace Hidden Cost of War Symposium
in Portland June 2nd (Pax Christi Maine was one of seven co-sponsors):
Vietnam and the Iraq war are mistakes for which no one is responsible; "Stuff happens," we are told. The permanent war economy grinds on, depriving us of adequate health care and much else. And the battlefield becomes increasingly toxic, from Vietnam defoliation to the Gulf War syndrome, to depleted uranium poisoning of troops and Iraqis and numerous birth deformities, and the introduction of women into the military which has added rape violence to the disorder.
What
followed was essentially a one-person play: Dr. Edward Tick, whose work
over 27 years and writings, especially War and the Soul, is challenging
the established notion that PTSD is manageable but not curable and pointed
to what we need to do to address a disorder that affects, he insists,
everyone who goes to war except amoral psychopaths. (Given an external
structure, psychopaths function well in the military, he explains; everyone
else is wounded, changed, especially in modern technological warfare.)
- Read the complete article here.
More photos:
Hancock, Ellsworth,
Somesville and at
Every Village
People of Maine Continue to Call For Peace
In spite of this Winter's last slap across the face of Maine and with it the deliverey of trechorous road conditions, people from communities across the state ventured out into the rain, snow and sleet to their town halls, town squares, their village greens on Saturday March 17th and Sunday March 18th and came together to declare with one voice: NOT ONE MORE DEATH! - NOT ONE MORE DOLLAR! - END THE WAR IN IRAQ! Details of these historic events are posted on Every Village's Blog.
Jim Shue of Brooks, Maine speaks before the assembled crowd.
(More photos here)
Cries to End the War in Iraq and calls for Impeachment Heard at Speak-Out
Belfast, Maine - January 11, 2007 - The auditorium at the University of Maine's Hutchinson Center was filled to capacity with standing members of the audience lining the walls and spilling out into the lobby. The estimated crowd of two hundred came to listen and to speak out on two questions that themed the evening's event: Should the U. S. withdraw military forces from Iraq? And, Should Congress investigate the possibly criminal acts of the Bush Administration?
Coming on the heels of President Bush's announcement one night earlier to send 21,500 more troops into Iraq, the group's sentiment, to immediately withdraw from Iraq and to begin impeachment proceedings, was clearly and eloquently articulated to an audience that included representatives from Maine's Washington delegation and members of the press.
Speakers stood in line for up to an hour or more before receiving their three-minute turn at the microphone. Perhaps the most unexpected oral delivery came from a local United Methodist minister who first introduced the concept of expulsion from the church based upon disseminating false (idolatrous, heretical and blasphemous) doctrine and how it applies to not only the clergy, but in some instances to the laity of the church as well, and promised to work on the process to expel Bush and Cheney (both members of the United Methodist Church) from the UMC.
This was the sixth such town hall type speaking event in Maine since the war and occupation of Iraq began nearly four years ago and served as the official kickoff to a statewide signature campaign asking the Maine Legislature to debate and vote on a resolution calling for impeachment investigations. For more information and to sign the online petition, please visit http://maineimpeach.org/
Follow the continued discussions as to: Should the U. S. withdraw military forces from Iraq? And, Should Congress investigate the possibly criminal acts of the Bush Administration?, and post your own comments by logging on Every Village's Blog. If you were one of those who spoke and had prepared your remarks, please consider posting them for others to read on Every Village's Blog.
Gold Star Mother
Mary Horrigan helps lead interfaith service. Photo by Pat Claus
A
Day of Mourning
by Pat Claus
Pax Christi members in the Bangor region held an interfaith service at St. Mary’s chapel in Bangor on December 9th to commemorate “A Day of Mourning” for the loss of life in the Iraq war.
As a backdrop for the speakers we had Kelly Bellis’ photographic collage of the faces of fallen American soldiers; Jim Harney’s striking photographs of Iraqi mothers and children, taken on his trip there just prior to the beginning of the war; a banner with X’s marking all of the American and Iraqi war dead; and children's’ shoes signifying Iraqi children lost in the American bombing and subsequent war. As a centerpiece we had service medals and photographs of the late Robert Horrigan, a Maine soldier whose mother Mary is a Belfast native and who spoke for us at the service.
Our opening prayer was a Hindu prayer for peace: “Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth, from despair to hope, form war to peace; let peace fill our hearts, let peace fill our world, let peace fill our universe”.
Mary Ellen Quinn read from a sermon by Fr. John Dear, the noted peace activist, in which he said “Christian peacemaking begins with grief. We grieve for those who suffer and die from our bombs and wars. We weep over our own Jerusalems, for the people of Iraq, Palestine, and Colombia, for the world’s poor, for New York city and Washington D.C., for the world’s crucified people, for ourselves. Like Christ, we feel the world’s pain. Our hearts break. But this is the beginning of grace, wisdom and peace. We cannot love our neighbors and our enemies as Jesus did if we do not first enter their pain as he did. We cannot show compassion without standing in solidarity with those who suffer, especially with those who suffer from our bombs.”
Mary Horrigan, who endured the death of her son only a year and a half ago, spoke forcefully not only about the lies and patterns of deception that got the U.S. into this war but also the Vietnam War, in which her husband had been an officer with access to classified documents. He knew the U.S. had bombed targets in Thailand and other noncombatant countries during the war but had had to keep that a secret due to his clearance. Mrs. Horrigan displayed old school photographs of her handsome blond boy, and of the hardened soldier he had become in Iraq. She told us she found it difficult to look at the later photograph, taken just before his death, because “his eyes had seen too much”. It was difficult just to listen to Mrs. Horrigan speak and to see the broken heart of a mother. It was obvious her son had inherited his bravery from her.
The Rev. Gary Vencill of the United Methodist Church of Brooksville reflected on our theme “Blessed Are They Who Mourn”. Through his research into the Greek language, Rev. Vencill discovered that the Greek word for mourning refers actually to sorrow over one’s sinfulness, and that the Greek word for “those who mourn” , “penthountes”, means “those who mourn because of the power of the wicked, who oppress the righteous”. Rev. Vencill said that included those gathered there that day, “whose own souls were wounded by the death of every American soldier, the death of every Iraqi man, woman and child, even if that Iraqi had been an insurgent”.
Next we recited together a Jainist prayer for peace: “Peace and universal love is the essence of the Gospel preached by all the enlightened ones… know that violence is the root cause of all the miseries in the world”.
Fr. James Gower, founding member of Pax Christi Maine, reflected on the nature of forgiveness and said it was the beginning of healing, a necessary step after the process of mourning.
Pat Claus led the group in the repentance prayer “For Our Sins” by Rabbi Michael Lerner, in which we asked God and each other for forgiveness “for the sins committed in the name of the American people through the invasion of Iraq and the violence we used to achieve our ends” as well as “for the sin of being cynical about the possibility of building a world based on love.”
The Rev. Elaine Hewes, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bangor, spoke eloquently about her journey on the path of nonviolence, asserting that constant prayer and meditation as a way to cope with the anger over the situation in the world. Rev. Hewes, a former professional musician, led us in song and played the violin and guitar during the service as well.
Our closing prayer was from the Muslim tradition: “…Praise be to the Lord of the Universe, who has created us and made us into tribes and nations that we may know each other, not that we may despise each other.”
We concluded our afternoon with the Pax Christi Vow of Nonviolence, which we had stated was optional and anyone who wished to could remain silent while the rest of us professed our vows. Every one of us, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Quaker and all others, pledged the vow together loud and strong! It was a very, very moving way for us to end our Day of Mourning, concluding on a hopeful note which spurred us on toward future actions on our road to peace.
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Notes
& Quotes from annual retreat with John Dear S.J. at Living Water
Spiritual Center in Winslow Maine, October 13-15 It's because he practices what he preaches that a retreat with John Dear makes such an impact on participants. For Pax Christi members and friends who gathered at the Living Water Spiritual Center along the Sebasticook River for their annual retreat, unbroken since 1981, the timing could not have been more opportune. It was only days before the signing of the unprecedented and shameful Military Commissions Act of 2006 which not only betrays our precious legal heritage but legalizes certain degrees of torture. John Dear, a Jesuit priest and peace activist now living in New Mexico led our retreat on October 13-15, 2006. The theme was the Beatitudes of Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the poor, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for justice, the merciful, the pure in heart, and Blessed are the peacemakers. The subject was tailor-made for this passionate advocate of uncompromising nonviolence whose joyful spirit and disarming sense of humor put us at ease with riveting personal stories. John's aim, he admitted, is "to make peace with myself and others and other people in the church and to follow Jesus." Steeped in the Gospels, he prays daily in order to "go deep," an expression he uses repeatedly. "Work on yourself," he advises. Allow violence to come up to be healed." John describes his inviolable 35 - 45 minutes of daily prayer as an unburdening of himself before Jesus. He models himself on him, asking "How does Jesus do nonviolence?" (read
the complete article here)
WRRCAT Demonstration to Protest the Signing of the Military Commissions Act October 17, 2006 at White House While President Bush Signs Act into Law People's
Signing Statement Today, we reject the Military Commissions Act of 2006. WE REJECT that the Act subjects non-citizens, including legal residents of the United States and foreign citizens living in their own countries, to summary arrest and indefinite detention with no hope of appeal. WE REJECT that the Act gives the President the power to apply broadly the label of "enemy combatant," and to limit the rights of those who bear that label. WE REJECT that the Act repudiates a half-century of international precedent by allowing the President to decide secretly and unilaterally what abusive interrogation methods he considers permissible. WE REJECT that the Act denies non-citizen detainees in U.S. custody the basic right to challenge their imprisonment, effectively permitting them to be held forever, with no access to the courts. WE REJECT that the Act limits the power of the courts to review this new system, except verdicts by military commissions and sham tribunals, and that the Act limits appeals and bars legal actions based on the Geneva Conventions. WE REJECT that the Act permits coerced evidence-evidence obtained through abusive interrogations-to be used against a defendant in military commission proceedings. WE REJECT that the Act creates a definition of torture that is unacceptably narrow and that the bill effectively eliminates the idea of rape as torture. Any policies that permit torture, inhumane treatment and indefinite detention are shocking and morally intolerable. Lack of judicial oversight allows torture, abusive treatment and unjustifiable detention to continue without challenge. Torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions hold dear. It degrades everyone involved - policy-makers, perpetrators and victims. It contradicts our nation's most cherished ideals. We reject the Military Commissions Act of 2006. More information at http://www.wrrcat.org/
How
Our Anti-Torture Vigil Started
The
Ear and the Sword As we pick our way across a slippery landscape strewn with corpses on our walk to God's Kingdom, questions arise seemingly from the least of their bones: "Why did you not try to stop this? Why did you deny me?" What is the disciple of Christ to do when their government launches armed conflict on a defenseless nation starved and weakened after twelve years of harsh economic sanctions? How is the follower of Jesus to respond when their government openly defends the use of torture and maintains special prisons for that purpose throughout the world? What responsibility rests on each of us to act when our government nurtures a culture of fear and hate toward any group of people? How egregious do the crimes of the State have to become before the Church rebukes the State or otherwise becomes complicit in those crimes? And as Bonhoeffer would have us measure, at what cost is grace? (Read the complete article) Please note - This website is under construction. Your feedback is vitally important to the development of this site. Please send comments, requests and suggestions for content to webservant@PaxChristiMaine.org. If you would like to have your name added to our email listserv, please subscribe here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paxchristimaine/ Pax Christi Maine will appreciate donations to support this web site and its work. Please send checks made payable to Pax Christi Maine, 242 Ludlow Street, Portland, ME 04102 designating website support on your check. Thank you very much. RESOURCES John
Paul II's messages World Day for Peace Paul
VI messages World Day for Peace John XXIII Pacem in Terris (April 11, 1963) The Cost of War (movie by New Spark Media) Departure (video collage by V. Kelly Bellis - please vote)
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"VICTIM"
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Christian leaders mark Israel’s anniversary with ‘just peace’ call http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/7096 Over 140 Christian leaders have made a unified call for a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel. Their declaration is published today in The Independent newspaper. Never before has such a diverse range of prominent Christians acknowledged that for Palestinians, Israel’s celebration has become a ‘Catastrophe’ (Nakba). They seek a shared solution to the longstanding conflict. Signatories include Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire, New York Times’ bestselling author of ‘God’s Politics’ Jim Wallis, Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding, biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann and Oxford professor Christopher Rowland, ‘emergent church’ writer Brian McLaren, the Primate of the Anglican Church in Australia, a dozen more bishops, and the international director of the World Evangelical Alliance. Also involved are seminary leaders, professors, authors, aid agency representatives and ministers from across the denominations, including Presbyterians, Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists, Mennonites and Pentecostals. The signatories hail from Britain, Ireland, France, the USA, Australia, South Africa, and Canada. The statement is a wholly independent initiative. The idea of two journalists, Ben White and Philip Rizk, the declaration was mainly spread by personal networks, tapping into a groundswell of support amongst Christian leaders for an alternative to an uncritical ‘Israel first’ approach. The declaration recognises that while today, “millions of Israelis and Jews around the world will joyfully mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel”, “millions of Palestinians…will mourn 60 years since over 700,000 of them were uprooted from their homes and forbidden from returning”. It acknowledges that “many of us in the church worldwide” have denied the Palestinians “the same solidarity” offered to Israelis. The signatories underline the Biblical affirmation that “it is justice that ‘will produce lasting peace and security,’” before committing themselves “to a courageous settlement whose details will honour both peoples’ shared love for the land, and protect the individual and collective rights of Jews and Palestinians.” Simon Barrow, co-director of the UK Christian think tank Ekklesia, commented: “This declaration joins human and Christian compassion for two wounded peoples with the political passion to see right prevail. It is timely and essential”. Professor Gary Burge, biblical scholar and author of ‘Whose Land? Whose Promise?’ describes the declaration as “a necessary reminder” of the plight of “millions of refugees and occupied residents of the West Bank and Gaza.” The
Nonviolent Palm Sunday
Read the complete article here.
Goodness Revealed An interview with liberation theologian Jon Sobrino. by Michelle Garcia One Sunday morning an all-too-familiar scene unfolded in the sacristy at Iglesia El Carmen in Santa Tecla, outside San Salvador. Giggling children blessed with the blood of the coffee gods surrounded an elderly Spanish priest, showering him with warmth and adoration. It was an image of an encounter—European and native—mythologized over centuries in Latin America from the first conquistador who disembarked with a gun in one hand, the cross in the other, and a mandate to “civilize.” Read the entire interview here Stations of the Cross Written
for Pax Christi USA
These Stations of the Cross are dedicated to all the victims of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, civilian and military.
John
Dear, SJ, who led the 2006 Pax Christi Maine retreat at Living Water
Spiritual Center in Winslow, faces sentencing Thursday, January
24, 2008 for insisting on a meeting with New Mexico Sen. Peter Domenici
to protest the Iraq War. Given the opportunity, he will make the
these
remarks.
New England Mobilization to End the War Boston - Saturday 27, 2007 - Five years after Congress shamefully and cowardly abdicated its authority to declare war to George Bush and nearly a year after the electorate expressed a clear mandate to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops home immediately, ten thousand protesters from across New England gathered on Boston Common for a two-hour rally before marching to Copley Square and back to the Common. Several
articulate and passionate speakers led the rally as the morning-long
rain abated just long enough for the rally and march to take place.
Noted historian Howard Zinn joined with Code Pink co-founder Media
Benjamin and other peace activists and musicians to energize the
Boston group while similar regional demonstrations took place on
Saturday in Chicago, Jonesborough, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle. Twenty four other peace demonstrations
were held in solidarity across the Many
of the those who marched to Copley Square stayed and joined Arab,
Jewish and human rights groups in a separate but coordinated rally
called "Tearing Down Walls, Building Bridges: Protesting Apartheid
in Israel/Palestine.
November 28-30, 2007
Transforming Discipline: Sheraton
South Portland Hotel Sponsored by Maine Law & Civics Education; University of Maine Peace Studies Program; The Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast
Join us for Maine's first comprehensive look at Restorative Justice in K-12 schools! Keynote Speaker: Belinda Hopkins, Ph.D, author of Just Schools and pioneer in applying restorative practices in schools in the UK and beyond for the last 12 years. For more information and to register, click here. Download
the Flyer Maine Legislature Called to Debate Impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney Augusta, Maine - May 29, 2007 - In the photo above, Gary Higginbottom with maineimpeach.org hand delivers the petition calling for investigations into the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney containing 11,223 signatures to Maine Senate President Beth Edmonds after a noontime rally took place in front of the Statehouse. A crowd of more than 100 attended the historic event shouting in unison throughout the rally IMPEACH! So what's next? Gary Higginbottom replies: "The Resolution has been submitted to the Legislative Council which is made up of the 10 Legislative leaders - 6 Democrats and 4 Republicans. By majority vote they must approve letting the resolution be considered by the full Legislature. There is no scheduled time yet for the Legislative Council to vote on allowing the impeachment resolution to be considered by the full Legislature. Hopefully the Legislature will, one way or another, deliver the message to Allen, Michaud, Conyers and Pelosi -- Do your job that so obviously needs doing. Make the impeachment process start with it's next step - analysis of Bush's and Cheney's actions by the House Judiciary Committee."
More
photos available here Occupation
Project Bangor, Maine - March 7, 2007 - Twelve Maine peace activists were arrested just after 5:00 PM Wednesday for refusing to leave the Margaret Chase Federal Building and the offices of Senator Susan Collins. As part of the Declaration of Peace events planned calling on Congress to defund the war and end the occupation of Iraq, the protesters were in the vanguard of acts of nonviolent civil disobedience scheduled nationwide to coincide with the marking of the end of the fourth year that America has been mercilessly terrorizing Iraq, and sadly the beginning of the fifth horrific year. The planned action began with a 1:00 PM visit to Congressman Mike Michuad's office to thank him for his previous votes against further funding of the war and to request that he vote again that way. After walking across town to Senator Olympia Snowe's office and delivering statements asking that she also not vote for further military funding for the war, the group of about three dozen stood out front of the Federal building in 7 degree weather and listened to prepared statements by Judy Robbins, Robert Shetterly and Doug Rawlings, President of Chapter 001 of Veterans for Peace before entering the building for their two and a half hour occupation.
Ellsworth, Maine - January 27, 2007 - In solidarity with the peace action held the same day in Washington, D.C. and other locations nationwide intended to get Congress to stop funding the war in Iraq, about one hundred peace activists braved the fifteen degree temperature and lined both sides of the Union River bridge. Deb Marshall, dressed as a WWI doughboy, handed out tiny toy soldiers with a message stuck on them - BRING ME HOME.
Maine's Largest Anti-War Demonstration Since Start of War Bangor, Maine - September 30, 2006 - Approximately 1,200 to 1,500 anti-war demonstrators gathered Saturday to protest America's continued illegal war and occupation of Iraq making it Maine's largest showing in the streets to date since the war began on March 19, 2003. The two-mile march through downtown Bangor from Riverfront Park to the Federal Building and back again was led by Maine's Veterans for Peace and Mary Horrigan, the mother of 40 year-old Master Sargent, Robert Horrigan who was killed in Iraq on June 17, 2005. The event, organized by Ron Greenberg, Tony Aman and Ilze Petersons, was co-sponsored by Bar Harbor Vigil for Peace, H.O.M.E., Inc., Island Peace & Justice, Maine Peace Action Committee, University of Maine Orono, Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhood (MAIN), Midcoast Peace & Justice, Midwives of Maine, Pax Christi Maine, Peace Action Maine, Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, Peace & Justice Center of Northern Maine, Peace & Justice Group of Waldo County, Peninsula Peace & Justice, Resources for Organizing and Social Change, Veterans for Peace, Waterville Area, Bridges for Peace & Justice, and Work for Peace, Washington County. Related
stories: VFP President Doug Rawlings' speech delivered at the Stop the War peace rally 9.30.2006
Bangor Declaration of Peace Event Results in 11 Arrests Bangor, Maine - Thursday September 21, 2006 - Pax Christi Maine members, Connie Jenkins and Suzanne FitzGerald were arrested with nine other peacemakers as part of the nationwide peace movement this week to get members of Congress to sign the Declaration of Peace; a pledge to take nonviolent action to end the war in Iraq and oppose future U.S. hegemony. Pax Christi member Connie Jenkins helped organize the Bangor area action that first began at about three o'clock p.m. with a rally in front of the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building and the offices of Senator Susan Collins before the group of about 60 protesters marched across the street to Senator Olympia Snowe's office. As many as could fit occupied the Senator's office with the balance of the group spilling out into the adjoining hallway until about five o'clock when the building manager accompanied by police officers politely asked everybody to leave - those eleven that remained were then arrested. Related
stories: Peace Protest Held In Bangor - Includes video short -WBLZ Channel 2 Religious, peace movement leaders kick off actions against Iraq occupation, 34 arrested at White House - Declaration of Peace website Church leaders urge pulling troops from Iraq - United Methodist Church website Many
more stories linked from:
Sarah
Norris (right) and Love Rallies Against Racism and Hate Hancock, Maine - September 17, 2006 - The violent and racist act, perpetrated reportedly by Robert A. Dow one week earlier in the parking lot of a convenience store in this rural Maine town, was transfigured today into a joyful outpouring of love by a united community. After learning of the harrowing attack by Dow on 21-year old Sarah Norris, Heather Martin-Zboray organized a peaceful response; a "Community Baby Shower" for the expectant mother. About
250 residents of Hancock and of neighboring communities participated
in the nurturing event that took place on the Village Green juxtaposed
alongside of the Civil War memorial. The dominant theme and admonition
that ran through many of the speeches offered during the brief ceremony
was for us all to take a proactive role in subduing the violence
and prejudice that is so very present in the world, beginning first
with ourselves, all the while reminding us what St. Francis of Assisi
advised: "While you are proclaiming peace with your lips,
be careful to have it more fully in your heart."
A
Life Worthy of the Calling Now
we have different callings depending on the gifts and talents God
has entrusted to us, different callings depending on the purposes
for which Christ calls us. But Ephesians says we are to live out
our calling: As
we look today at challenging texts in perilous times, I lay down
these words from Ephesians as a marker for myself as I seek to be
faithful to my calling.
(read
the complete article). The Politics of Faith in America Listen to program (53:00s)
Pax
Christi Maine Pax Christi Maine members joined 350,000 other peace activists in the April 29, 2006 march through the streets of New York calling for an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many thanks to Suzanne FitzGerald for scanning and mailing her photos for posting on this website. LOCAL PAX CHRISTI GROUPS Local Pax Christi groups in Maine are asked to send in information concerning when and where they meet, and contact information for posting on this website. Would you like to start a local Pax Christi group in your community? Find out more here. Pax
Christi Maine St.
Mary's, Bangor, Pax Christi Biddeford-Saco
Pax Christi Brunswick
Pax Christi Pax
Christi Acadia Houlton
Pax Christi Lewiston-Auburn
Pax Christi Pax
Christi North Pax
Christi Penobscot Valley Portland
Pax Christi Maine
Regional Coordinator |
As
there are uses and abuses, by commission and omission, of history,
theology, sociology, psychology, etc., in the service of ideology
and politics, so also there are uses and abuses by commission and
omission of religious liturgy for the same purposes. Just in case
your Palm Sunday and Holy Week liturgies do not communicate it clearly,
or just in case your
Ray
Suarez 
|
Pax
Christi Maine embraces the Pax Christi USA statement
of purpose and is part of the national Catholic peace movement. For
more information on Pax Christi Maine, contact info@paxchristimaine.org
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