The Declaration of Peace - Maine

Letter to Bangor Daily News

admin — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 05:20:25 -0500

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Wednesday, September 20, 2006 - Bangor Daily News

Declaration of Peace

Maine’s senators are seen by many as moderate, independent and as advocates for the needs of the people of this state. However, as long as they continue to support this administration’s war on Iraq, they are not truly representing the will of the 70 percent who now oppose this war. Nor can the needs of the people of Maine be met as the war drains the dollars needed for programs in our state.

We have called on Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to demonstrate independence and concern for the well-being of the people of Maine by signing the Congressional Declaration of Peace which calls for a comprehensive plan to end the war in Iraq. With letters, visits and phone calls we have urged Sens. Snowe and Collins to co-sponsor Senate Resolution 93 introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin.

The Declaration of Peace is a nationwide campaign to establish by Sept. 21 a concrete and rapid plan for peace in Iraq, including: a prompt timetable for withdrawal of troops and closure of bases, a peace process for security, reconstruction and reconciliation and the shift of funding for war to meeting human needs.

People across the United States are signing The Declaration of Peace pledge, a commitment to take action if this plan for peace is not created and activated by Congress by Sept. 21, the International Day of Peace.

From Sept. 21-28, just days before Congress adjourns for the fall elections, Declaration signers will withdraw their consent from this war and support a comprehensive peace process by taking part in nonviolent action, marches, rallies, demonstrations, interfaith services, candlelight vigils and other creative ways to declare peace at the U.S. Capitol and in cities and towns across the country.

In Bangor, at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, there will be a vigil in support of the Declaration of Peace to be held in front of the Federal Building on Harlow Street in Bangor to be followed by visits to congressional offices. Please join us.

Ilze Petersons
The Peace & Justice Center
of Eastern Maine
Bangor

Your Name: Scott Blackburn

Your Email Address: scott@vcnv.org

Link to Published Item: http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/viewpoints.aspx?articleid=140750&zoneid=36

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Mar 7. - Occupation Project Results in 12 Arrests

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 21:32:13 -0600

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Banner draped out of the window of Senator Susan Collins’ office

More photos available here and videos available here

Occupation Project Results in 12 Arrests
Article and photos by Kelly Bellis, Pax Christi Maine

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.

Your Name: Kelly Bellis

Your Email Address: kellybellis@gwi.net

Link to Published Item: http://www.paxchristimaine.org/

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Peace Protest Held In Bangor - WCSH-TV - Portland,ME

staffuser — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:12:00 -0500

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WCSH6 NBC Portland, Maine
Sept. 21, 2006

About 50 people gathered in front of the Federal Building in Bangor Thursday afternoon to protest the war in Iraq. The group held a vigil to support the national Declaration for Peace campaign, asking for the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq.

Following the vigil, protesters marched up to Senator Olympia Snowe’s office in Bangor to ask the senator to sign the declaration for peace.

“We’re fullfilling our civic responsibility. We’re here in part because of a huge movement that’s going on across the country for the declaration of peace which has been delivered to all of our senators across the country and we have delivered it to all of our senators and congressmen and they’ve refused to sign it thus far,” said Dud Hendrick from Veterans For Peace.

Some of the protestors chose to stay in Senator Snowe’s office, risking arrest in an act of civil disobedience.

Your Name: Lindsay Martin

Your Email Address: lindsay@paceebene.org

Link to Published Item: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=41966

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9/22 - Bangor Daily News - War protest leads to 11 arrests in Bangor

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 14:04:00 -0500

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Declaration of Peace Action at Senator Snowe’s office - Bangor, Maine - September 21, 2006 (photo: Kelly Bellis)

Link to story in the Bangor Daily News

See www.paxchristimaine.org for a complete set of great photos of the action

By Doug Kesseli
Friday, September 22, 2006

BANGOR - Eleven protesters were arrested Thursday after refusing to leave the Bangor office of U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, whom they were pressing for an end to the war in Iraq and to bring American troops home.

The 11 peace activists were part of a larger group of about 60 protesting the continued U.S. military presence in Iraq. The protesters also were marking Thursday as an International Day of Peace.

Most left Snowe’s third-floor offices and hallway at One Cumberland Place shortly after 5 p.m. when told to do so by the building’s owner and then the police.

Those who remained behind were arrested, charged with criminal trespass, and escorted down the stairs by police. In the lobby, they were identified, photographed, placed in plastic handcuffs and walked past applauding activists to waiting transport vans that took them to the Penobscot County Jail.

But for nearly 90 minutes before that, activists camped out in Snowe’s office, with about 30 of them filling the office and more spilling out into the hallway. Inside the office they sang songs such as “I’m Declaring Peace” and “We are a Gentle, Angry People.” They invoked the teachings of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi.

“The world stands aghast at the path we have taken,” Dan Lourie, 69, of Bar Harbor said, drawing upon a King speech in 1967 protesting the Vietnam War. Lourie said the speech could have been written that morning, it was so pertinent.

The International Day of Peace marked the deadline for Congress to sign the national peace movement’s Declaration of Peace, which among other things calls for developing a plan for withdrawing all American troops next year and redirecting resources away from the war effort to benefit needs at home such as education and veterans service, organizers said.

“The U.S. war in Iraq is an endless fire consuming lives, resources and the fragile possibilities of peace,” Chris Stark, 52, a Spanish teacher at Hampden Academy, said Thursday, reading from the statement of intent from the Declaration of Peace.

The activists had sent Snowe and other delegates a copy of the declaration to sign three weeks earlier, but had not received a response from Snowe.

Although the activists held a brief vigil earlier outside the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building, where U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office is located, Snowe is up for re-election and was the focus of their attention.

Snowe was in Washington, D.C., and Gail Kelly, Snowe’s state director, listened and greeted the activists with handshakes, smiles and occasionally hugs, but could only offer a promise that she would forward the concerns and messages to Snowe.

“I will make sure that every piece of this gets to the senator,” Kelly said.

Last December, 19 war protesters were arrested for refusing to leave Snowe’s Bangor office. One served time, the rest were required to perform community service.

Some of the emotion-filled messages Thursday came as tags attached to infants’ shoes, tiny footwear intended to represent the fact that before the war, children accounted for half the Iraqi population and therefore were many of those who were in danger, injured or killed.

Nancy Hill, 53, a fishmonger from Stonington and mother of two adult children, presented Kelly with a small denim sneaker with “Pooh” written on the bottom and a design of Tigger on the side. She asked that Snowe and Americans try to understand the Iraqi people and “emotionally walk in their shoes” and accept what people have in common.

“As a mom, I can almost imagine an Iraqi mom’s terror at having a child threatened or killed,” she said. “It’s the universal parents’ nightmare.”

Your Name: Kelly Bellis

Your Email Address: kellybellis@gwi.net

Link to Published Item: http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/statewide.aspx?articleid=140881&zoneid=500

Notes: Photos available here: http://www.paxchristimaine.org/9.21.06Snowe