The Peace and Justice Group of First Parish on the Common in Bedford is pleased to present John Schuchardt\, co-director of the House of Peace in Ipswich\, who will report back on his recent fact-finding and friendship mission to Iran in a talk &ldquo\;An Insider&rsquo\;s Look at Iran&rdquo\; in the Common Room of the church.

Rev. JASON LYDON
"\;Healthy Goodbyes"\;

Since Jason announced his plan to bring his ministry at the Community Church of Boston to a close at the end of this season this is an opening for all of us to look at how we say goodbye. There are many times in our lives when things come to an end\, the death of a loved one\, the end of a romantic relationship\, the parting of a dear friend to a new city\, and even the departure of a minister. We will explore how we say goodbye in a way that nurtures community\, honors the past\, and recognizes opportunity for transformation as well as justice.

Jason Lydon has been with the Community Church of Boston (first as Congregational Director\, then as Minister) since 2005.

Community Church of Boston
565 Boylston St. (Copley Square)
www.communitychurchofboston.org

$\\"CharlieTicket\\"$ For the third time in ten years\, the MBTA is offering its riders a choice between draconian service cuts and draconian fare increases in an effort to close a budget gap caused by legacy debt.

We will not let our government balance its books on the backs of working people any longer. \;Debt relief for the MBTA can close the budget gaps without asking the poorest among us to carry a heavier burden.

Send forward funding back to the Mass. Legislature and demand debt relief for the MBTA! It's good for T riders\, T workers\, T management\, and good for the entire 99%

3\:00 to 4\:00 \; Individual Occupations and community groups rally and host their own actions against the cuts. \;Bail Out the MBTA\, Ghost Buses\, Street Theater\, Teach-ins

A presentation based on the memoirs of Civil War Veteran Norwood P. Hallowell\, by Quentin Davis\, editor of the memoirs\, and members of the Peter Brace Brigade\, Civil War re‑enactors of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment. \;

The book\, Black Soldiers in the War of the Slaveowners&rsquo\; Rebellion\, is composed of selected letters and papers of Norwood Penrose Hallowell\, one of the "\;Fighting Quakers\,"\; a very active Abolitionist. \; Hallowell was for a time commander of the 55th\, the second all-Black \; Regiment. He admired his men greatly and most of the book is about them.

Photos of the Peter BraceBrigade\: \;

$\\"Don'\;t$ On Valentine&rsquo\;s Day&mdash\;Tell Senators Kerry &\; Brown

No More Cuts! Tax the 1%!
End the Wars! \;Invest in Jobs!

$\\"Senator$ On November 15th\, 2011 we delivered over 4\,500 letters from tenants\, peace groups\, labor unions\, commu- nity organizations\, and Boston voters to Senators Kerry and Brown. \;TOGETHER we called for both Senators to make positive decisions about the Budget Cuts in Washington DC. Our demands\:

&bull\; \; No cuts to Social Security\, Medicare\, housing &\; other vital programs

Jewish Voice for Peace will be organizing a campaign with faculty\, staff\, and students from many Boston-area universities to get TIAA-CREF to divest from companies profiting from Israel&rsquo\;s illegal occupation of Palestine. \; The first meeting of university-based activists from around the city to strategize for this campaign will be held.

Please come if you are interested\, and please spread the word to anyone who may be interest END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE:20120211T164637Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120216T210000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120217T003000Z UID:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3458 URL;VALUE=URI:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3458 SUMMARY:Youth Movement Assembly\: A New Generation is Finding its Power DESCRIPTION:

Adult allies always welcome and opportunity to link cut the military $ to local funding needs&hellip\;A mass gathering of youth and adult allies across the city to discuss what issues are important to our communities!

Youth are joining the long movement for racial\, gender\, and economic justice. Join us to look at ALL the issues &\; create a MULTI-ISSUE YOUTH AGENDA. Inspiration\, food\, and dancing provided! \; Contact us for childcare or interpretation. \;

Darwin's Nightmare

This is a tale about humans between the North and the South\, and about globalization\, and about fish.

Some time in the 1960's\, in the heart of Africa\, a new animal was introduced into Lake Victoria as a little scientific experiment. The Nile Perch\, a voracious predator\, extinguished almost the entire stock of the native fish species. The new fish multiplied so fast ...its white fillets are today exported all around the world.

Huge hulking ex-Soviet cargo planes come daily to collect the latest catch in exchange for their southbound cargo ̶ Kalashnikovs and ammunitions for the uncounted wars in the dark center of the continent. This booming multinational industry of fish and weapons has created an ungodly globalized alliance on the shores of the world&rsquo\;s biggest tropical lake\: an army of local fishermen\, World bank agents\, homeless children\, African ministers\, EU-commissioners\, Tanzanian prostitutes and Russian pilots.

New messages will greet the many passersby in Watertown Square at the February 18 vigil sponsored by the Peace and Justice Task Force.

The theme of the vigil will be

END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE:20120211T164637Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120224T230000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120227T050000Z UID:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3404 URL;VALUE=URI:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3404 SUMMARY:Occupy Peace Summit DESCRIPTION:

UFPJ Member Group Meeting "\;Occupy Peace Summit"\; Feb 24-27th in Philadelphia\, PA

Bruce Gagnon &ndash\; Global Network Against Weapons &\; Nuclear Power in Space	$\\"Bruce$
Nancy Murray &ndash\; American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts	$\\"Nancy$
Matthew Hoey &ndash\; Military Space Transparency Project	$\\"Matthew$

How should we Respond?

U.S. use of drones for warfare and spying has become routine. The use of drones has increased dramatically under the Obama administration. Pentagon funding for drones is scheduled to increase by up to 60 percent while other programs are being cut. Drones have been used for targeted killings in Pakistan\, Afghanistan and Yemen. One in three U.S. warplanes are now drone piloted. Drones have also been used for surveillance in the U.S.

Kept under a cloak of secrecy\, this new tool for international warfare and domestic surveillance\, has far-reaching legal\, financial and social ramifications. Learn more about this new instrument of war and plan together about how we can respond.

Why are drones the US military's weapon of choice for the future?
Are drones invulnerable to budget cuts?
Can drone warfare be conducted without the consent of Congress?
How can drones be used to spy on all Americans?
Is drone warfare legal?

Sponsors\:

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - Boston Branch (617-244-8054)

United for Justice with Peace (617-383-4857)

OCCUPY AIPAC

With the Occupy movement that has swept the country demanding social and economic justice\, many have concluded that AIPAC&mdash\;the powerful pro-Israeli government lobby that distorts U.S. policy in the Middle East &mdash\; is a mandatory &ldquo\;occupy target&rdquo\;. Adbusters\, the magazine that issued the initial visionary call for the takeover of Wall St. on September 17th\, has declared\: "\;The time has come for the Occupy Movement to demand an end to the Occupation of Palestine ... We need a hashtag\, #occupyAIPAC"\; (Kalle Lasn).

$\\"\\"$ $\\"Fukushima\\"$ A nineteen-day walk from Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in NH to Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth\, MA on the anniversary of the catastrophe at Fukushima\, Japan and ending the walk in Vernon\, VT at Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant.

END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE:20120211T164637Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120303T140000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120304T230000Z UID:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3444 URL;VALUE=URI:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3444 SUMMARY:One State Conference\: Israel/Palestine and the One-State Solution DESCRIPTION:

Harvard University will be hosting a conference on the one state solution. Registration Feb 2. The conference takes place on March 3rd and 4th at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Speakers include\: Ilan Pappe\, Stephen Walt\, Timothy McCarthy\, Susan Akram\, Duncan Kennedy and Ali Abunimah.

Please visit\: \;http\://onestateconference.org/program.html for more information or to register for the conference. \;

END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE:20120211T164637Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120303T143000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120303T230000Z UID:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3452 URL;VALUE=URI:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3452 SUMMARY:4th Annual NH Culture of Peace Conference DESCRIPTION:

Inspired by UNESCO&rsquo\;s Culture of Peace Initiative\, and previously hosted at Plymouth State University and the University of New Hampshire \, the 4th Annual NH Culture of Peace Conference at Keene State College has been organized by a coalition of college\, community and state-wide activists and academics. \; It will take place in and around the KSC Student Center \, from 9\:30am to 6pm\, and include workshops\, actions\, music and more.

Please join us! \; There are several ways you can be involved\:

END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE:20120211T164637Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120306T230000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120307T020000Z UID:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3454 URL;VALUE=URI:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3454 SUMMARY:Remember Fukushima! DESCRIPTION:

$\\"Walk$ $\\"Fukushima$ One year after the Nuclear disaster at Japan&rsquo\;s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Facility the situation is far from under control. Dangerous levels of radioactivity are still being found hundreds of miles from the site of the accident. More than 80\,000 people have been forced to leave their homes with little hope of returning. In addition to the incalculable health costs\, the decades-long process of clean-up and decontamination of almost 1\,000 square miles of land may cost as much as 250 billion dollars with limited prospects for success.

END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE:20120211T164637Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120307T230000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120307T230000Z UID:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3457 URL;VALUE=URI:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3457 SUMMARY:The “Self-Made Myth” - How Government Helps Individuals and Businesses Succeed DESCRIPTION:

By now\, you may have heard about the upcoming March release of our new book\, \;The Self-Made Myth\: And the Truth about How Government Helps Individuals and Businesses Succeed. \;

Written by co-authors Brian Miller (Executive Director\, United for a Fair Economy) and Mike Lapham (Project Director\, Responsible Wealth)\, with forewards by Chuck Collins and Bill Gates\, Sr.\, the book exposes the societal damage wrought by the myth of "\;self-made"\; success&mdash\;a myth that rationalizes extreme inequality while undercutting progressive taxation and investments in the common good.

We&rsquo\;re kicking off a national book tour in&mdash\;you guessed it&mdash\;our hometown of Boston! \; \; \;

END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE:20120211T164637Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120308T150000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20120308T173000Z UID:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3418 URL;VALUE=URI:http://www.justicewithpeace.org/node/3418 SUMMARY:Women's Alternatives to Competition and Aggression DESCRIPTION:

March 8\, 2012
\;
WOMEN'S ALTERNATIVES TO COMPETITION AND AGGRESSION
END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR

On Valentine&rsquo\;s Day&mdash\;Tell Senators Kerry &\; Brown

No More Cuts! Tax the 1%! End the Wars! \;Invest in Jobs!

Darwin's Nightmare

How should we Respond?

$\\"Don'\;t$ On Valentine&rsquo\;s Day&mdash\;Tell Senators Kerry &\; Brown

No More Cuts! Tax the 1%!
End the Wars! \;Invest in Jobs!