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William Sloane Coffin Jr. Peacemaker Awards
Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives is honored with a William Sloane Coffin Jr. Peacemaker Award along with 6 other alllied organizations. |
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photos taken by Tom Martinez |
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Peace demonstrators march at
Jones Beach air show
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BY
KEITH HERBERT
Newsday
Pax Christi Long Island, the Catholic peace movement, mourns the deaths of almost 5,000 American service men and women, and at least 150,000 Iraqi and Afghani civilians who have died as a result of the wars. At Jones Beach Parking Lot #2. (Photo by Jack Dwyer / May 23, 2009) |
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About 50 demonstrators from various Long Island peace groups marched, prayed and called out the names of troops killed during the war in Iraq Saturday at the Jones Beach air show.
The participants said Memorial Day weekend wasn't the time for an air show that prominently featured military aircraft.
"Memorial Day is a day to honor those who have fallen in the war," said Northport resident Charlotte Koons, 75, a member of Code Pink Long Island, which created ribbons bearing the names of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen killed in Iraq. "It is not a time to glorify the military."
Demonstrators lined the entrance to Parking Field 2 and joined in prayer before the march began. Then, as a bagpiper played, they walked along the boardwalk, stopping periodically to read aloud the names of fallen soldiers.
Ed Ciaccio 60, a former high school teacher in Syosset, said the air show's timing was "not appropriate."
"Many of us know the real purpose of those planes is . . . weapons of mass destruction," he said.
Leading the coalition of groups was Pax Christi Long Island, a Catholic peace group. Others participating included Veterans for Peace, Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives and Great South Bay Forum.
The groups have demonstrated at the air show in previous years, but this year held significance because of the new administration in Washington and President Barack Obama's campaign pledge to end the war in Iraq, said Mary Beth Moore, 61, of Wantagh, of Pax Christi Long Island.
"We want him to follow through on his promise," Moore said.
As
Americans, our heritage includes compassion, tolerance,
and fairness. We believe all people must be treated
with respect, regardless of their race, gender, sexual
orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, or
economic class. Equal rights and equal opportunity have
always been guiding principles of our society.
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 Margaret
Melkonian, Co-director, Long Island Alliance for
Peaceful Alternatives and Camillo Mac Bica, Coordinator,
Veterans for Peace LI.
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October
15th
Presidential Debate
 Signs
listing some of the major points of The People's
Agenda for 2008
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Sheila Croke and Joe Volker, Pax Christi
LI.
At the final Presidential Debate at Hofstra,
as
We the People tell Senators McCain and Obama
we expect
our next President to:
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End
the war in Iraq, bring our soldiers home
now and provide full medical benefits to
veterans
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Reallocate
war funds to housing, jobs, health care,
the environment, and education
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Create
a universal, single-payer health care system
for all Americans
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Develop
a sustainable energy policy that substantially
reduces global warming and creates good-paying
jobs
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Eliminate
poverty, hunger, and homelessness
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Restore
all Constitutional rights and protect human
rights
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Implement
a foreign policy based on the rule of law,
justice, and human dignity
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Great Neck SANE/Peace Action and the LI
Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
On this 63rd Commemoration of Hiroshima Day
Invite you to join us in saying
NO HIROSHIMAS—
NO IRAQS—NO IRANS
Bring the
Soldiers Home!
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Michael D’Innocenzo, Prof. of
History, Hofstra University
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Mary Beth Sullivan, Outreach Dir., Global
Network Against Nuclear Weapons
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Hon. Michelle Schimel, NY State Assemblywoman
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Rabbi Devorah Marcus, Temple Beth-El,
Great Neck
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Rev. Mark Lukens, Bethany Congregational
Church
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Fred Brewington Esq., Civil Rights Attorney
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Margaret Melkonian, Co-Director, LI
Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
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Co-Chairs: Hon. Jon Kaiman, Supervisor,
Town of North Hempstead
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Stan Romaine, Chair, Great Neck SANE/Peace
Action
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Music by Bob Lepley – Peace Jazz
Pianist Extraordinaire
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Say
no to HR 362 - No attack on Iran. Talks not Bombs.
Ackerman's office on July 9, 2008 - . |
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| Over 30 people attend the action at his office
at really short notice |
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The Shelter Rock Forum, Social Justice
Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at
Shelter Rock, Islamic Center of Long Island, and the Long
Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
Present
BRINGING
THE WAR BACK HOME
Kristofer
Goldsmith
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Sunday, June 22, 2008, 1 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock
48 Shelter Rock Road, Manhasset
Suggested donation: $5
LI native Kristofer Goldsmith enlisted
in the army at 18, six months after graduating from high
school. He wanted to be a soldier all his life and was
motivated to enlist by the attacks of September 11th.
Eager to serve his country, he became an artillery forward
observer stationed in Sadr City, a northern suburb of
Baghdad.
“I quickly learned it wasn’t
at all how I thought it would be,” said Kris. “It
was brutal and dehumanizing.”
At the end of his term of service he
expected to return to civilian life and go to college.
After President Bush announced the surge, the military
initiated the stop-loss policy. Kris was told he would
have to serve another 12 months in Iraq. In desperation,
not wanting to return, he tried to take his own life.
This resulted in his being diagnosed with depression,
anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. As a result
his educational benefits were rescinded upon his discharge.
Kris has been sharing his story of personal transformation
from warrior to active member of the growing numbers of
Iraq Veterans Against the War. It is a powerful and moving
story. During the program clips from the March 2008 Winter
Soldier hearings, at which Kris testified, will be shown.
For more information: LI Alliance for
Peaceful Alternatives, 516-741-4360,
www.longislandpeace.org
UUCSR Shelter Rock Forum 516-627-6560, ext 122, www.uucsr.org
Directions to UUCSR: From LIE, exit 35
north (from east) or 36 (from west). North 1-1/2 miles
on Shelter Rock Rd. Entrance on left by white fence. From
Northern Blvd. Go South 1/2 mile on Shelter Rock Rd. Entrance
on right
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Long
Island's
Peace Groups
Remember
Victum'sof War
Memorial
Peace Procession at Jones Beach on May 24, 2008
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At Jones Beach on Saturday May 24, Pax Christi LI joined by
the Suffolk Peace Network, Veterans for Peace, Code Pink
LI, LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives and others mourned
the victims of war in a solemn peace procession on the board
walk. Stopping several times to read the names of the soldiers
killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, 150 people marked Memorial
Day by remembering and mourning the dead.
This 4th annual Peace procession coincides
with the military air show at Jones Beach. In the midst
of a celebration of instruments of war and the recruitment
of young men and women to go to war, the peace witness calls
forth the meaning of Memorial Day to remember all those
who have died and to save future generations from the scourge
of endless war.
From the start of this silent peace procession,
the peace people and veterans from Iraq Veterans against
the War, were taunted by a group of ten war supporters.
For them, patriotism is endless war in Iraq. It is “victory”
no matter how many more U.S. Soldiers or Iraqis are killed
and maimed. The war supporters were angry and abusive, jeering
the veterans as traitors and the rest of us as communists.
All along the way, they were yelling, “Shame on you.
Shame on you.” There is, indeed, shame about U.S.
policies of war and torture being carried out in our name.
While sorely tempted to respond and argue, peace participants
met their screams and bullying with peaceful silence and
witness.
Amidst the war marketeering and recruitment,
military planes thundered overhead. For a short while on
this day, there was a powerful presence of peace and nonviolent
witness in a response to militarism and violence.
Crowds observed the procession and accepted
our flyers on what is mostly just a day at the beach. And
the war goes on and on.
Margaret Melkonian
Pax Christi Long Island
Co-Director
LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
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Long Island Says: 5 YEARS TOO MANY
Local Coverage
NASSAU COUNTY DAY OF ACTIONS MARKING THE
5th
ANNIVERSARY OF THE IRAQ WAR A GREAT SUCCESS
People holds signs at Old Country Road during the
Five Years In Iraq rally in Garden
City on Wednesday, March 19, 2008. (Newsday/Ana P. Gutierrez /
March 20, 2008)
In
Nassau County, our day of actions to mark the 5th anniversary
of the Iraq war began with a press conference at the Supreme Court
Building in Mineola. Margaret Melkonian, co-director of the Long
Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, opened with a statement
about the war and its tragic costs in terms of lives and dollars.
She was followed by Ed Ciaccio, Queens/Nassau MoveOn Council,
who read a statement from MoveOn's New Priorities Campaign; Sue
Donnelly, Code Pink Long Island, who spoke about what she witnessed
at the Winter Soldier hearings; and Sister Mary Beth Moore, Pax
Christi Long Island, who read the “LI Clergy and Religious
Against the War” statement, which has thus far been signed
by more than 100 local religious leaders. Reverend Ben Bortin
of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock and
Habeeb Ahmed of the Islamic Center of Long Island also spoke.
The press conference was covered by News 12 Long Island, WCBS
radio, a photographer from Newsday, and the Regional News Network
(RNN).
In the afternoon groups of people visited the offices of Reps.
Steve Israel (CD 2), Peter King (CD 3), and Carolyn McCarthy (CD
4) They met with staff to deliver the message, “End the
war and bring the troops home now.” The delegations left
packets of information for the representatives, including facts
and figures about the cost of the war to taxpayers in each of
LI’s five Congressional districts. Later in the day Rep.
Gary Ackerman (CD 5) joined us at our peace vigil in Garden City.
[Suffolk groups plan to visit Rep. Tim Bishop (CD 1) within the
next few weeks.]
At
5 p.m., more than 200 Long Islanders came out in the rain to call
for an end to the war and for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from
Iraq. We gathered on Old Country Road in Garden City, in our raincoats
or under umbrellas, in a peaceful vigil to mark the 5th anniversary
of the war. There were 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds; students
from several local colleges and universities; and citizens from
the North and South Shores as well as places in between. As people
stood with soggy signs, an occasional song or chant would break
out. There were many honks of support from cars and buses passing
by. Congressman Gary Ackerman joined us for awhile— the
first LI representative to stand with us against the war. The
mood was serious, yet hopeful. On Long Island, we are resolved
to step up our efforts to end the war and bring the troops home—now.
The Nassau County actions were coordinated by
the Stop the War Coalition: Long Island Alliance for Peaceful
Alternatives, Code Pink LI, Great Neck SANE/Peace Action, LI Veterans
for Peace, Pax Christi LI, Shelter Rock Forum, and the Social
Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at
Shelter Rock.
The Long Island Alliance for Peaceful
Alternatives
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Protestors
brave rain at Manhattan anti-war rally
Despite a midday downpour, thousands of anti-war
activists marched from Union Square to lower Manhattan
Saturday in one of 11 coordinated protests from
Orlando to Seattle to New Orleans..
"Stop the war! Stop the rain!" said
Sahai Hiwot, 42, of Jersey City, as she paraded
down Broadway. |
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NYS Peace Action
50th Anniversary
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We come together as LI Clergy and Religious
for Peace to express our moral opposition to the war in
Iraq.
We call for an end to the war in Iraq
and the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
We seek to encourage a broad dialogue
and a discernment process among Long Island clergy, congregations
and communities that will promote a new U.S. foreign policy
based on moral values, human dignity, nonviolence and
the rule of law.
(August 2007)
*Affiliations for Identification Purposes
Please sign on and return to:
LI Alliance, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City, NY 11530
- (516)741-4360/lipeace@broadview.net
LI
ALLIANCE CALLS ON LI
REPRESENTATIVES TO CONTINUE SUPPORT FOR TIMETABLE FOR
WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ
President
Bush has vetoed the troops and the American people in
his refusal to end the war and to bring the troops home.
The Bush Administration lied us into war and launched
an illegal war and occupation in violation of international
law. Congress must heed the demands of the majority of
Americans who want this war to end as quickly as possible.........
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Not
One More Death.
Not
One More Dollar.
End
the War.
Long
Islanders Rally Across Long Island
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March in Washington D.C.
CONGRESS: CHANGE COURSE IN IRAQ-NOW!
In the November elections we gave the 110th Congress
a mandate for peace to end the war. Let's make sure they follow
through.
CALL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON. Tell your representative
to:
1. Oppose any escalation of troops in Iraq.
2. Support the immediate withdrawal of troops.
3. Vote against the $100 B supplemental appropriation that will
fund the continuation of the war.
NOT ONE MORE DEATH. NOT ONE MORE DOLLAR. BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Long
Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
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Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
38 Old Country Road
Garden City, NY 11530-1532
Phone: 516-741-4360, Fax: 516-742-4450
"You can bomb
the world to pieces, but you cannot bomb the world
to peace." |
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Anti
War Vigil in Great Neck
sponsored by Great Neck SANE |
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LI ALLIANCE FOR PEACEFUL ALTERNATIVES
STATEMENT
ON IRAQ
The LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
and millions of people around the world opposed the war in
Iraq on grounds of international law and the assessment that
the invasion of Iraq would have disastrous consequences: the
deaths and injury of Iraq civilians and soldiers; the deaths
and injury of American troops; billions of dollars in costs
of war and reconstruction; chaos in Iraq in the aftermath
of war; destabilization of the Middle East; and the breakdown
of multilateral security institutions, particularly the United
Nations.
Given the urgent need for ensuring the safety
and well-being of the Iraqi people, for Iraqi reconstruction,
for the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty, and for multilateral
security cooperation, we urge that:
1. Interim authority over civilian affairs
and reconstruction should be handed over to the United Nations.
2. U.S. troops should be withdrawn and replaced by a UN multilateral
peacekeeping force as quickly as possible.
3. The United Nations should oversee a period of elections,
constitution-writing and rapid restoration of sovereignty
to the Iraqi nation.
4. The United States should bear the continued responsibility
for meeting the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people and
the costs of reconstruction, as required by international
law.
5. The U.S. Congress should set up a special commission or
select committee to investigate the origins of the war and
the possible misuse of intelligence.
Moreover, mindful of the costs of war both
at home and abroad and of the dangers of war profiteering,
we urge transparency and accountability of corporations awarded
contracts in Iraq. We also call on the Administration and
Congress to heed the warning of President Eisenhower: "Every
gun that is fired, every warship that is launched, every rocket
fired, signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who
hunger and are not fed, those who are cold, and are not clothed.
The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending
the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, and
the hopes of its children."
Adopted on October 15, 2003 at monthly peace meeting at Shelter
Rock, L.I. Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives,
(516) 741-4360
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