The traveling museum, "Bush Legacy Tour," will be in Erie on Monday June 30 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm.  This offers multimedia exhibits that look at the Bush legacy related to eight issues:  the Iraq War, the economy, the environment,  health care, education, Katrina, workers, and progressive vision.  The Tour will take place outside of Rep. Phil English's Erie office at the Intermodal Center (next to the Erie County Library on the Bayfront Parkway). 

For more on the Tour, visit http://presidentbushlegacy.com/bushlegacy.  For more on the Erie stop, contact Richard McVay 786-351-0303 (cell).

CPJ will be a part of Dunkirk's Memorial Day Parade on Monday May 26.  All are invited to walk with the group under the banner, "Remember the Dead - Work for Peace."  Gather at approximately 10:30 am at Memorial Park (Route 5, Dunkirk). 

An organizational meeting and picnic will follow at the home of Bill and Evelyn Warmbrodt, 5004 Morewood Drive, Dunkirk, at around 1:00 pm. 

The Dunkirk-Fredonia Center for Peace and Justice,  in conjunction with the SUNY Fredonia Students for Peace, will stand  together to protest the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War.  This  Stand for Peace will take place on Saturday, March 15 2:00 to 3:00 PM  on the corner of Central Avenue and the D&F Plaza, at the border of Dunkirk and Fredonia.  Everyone is invited to join in this Stand for Peace.

To mark five years since U.S. armed forces invaded Iraq, a massive rally and march is scheduled in Erie on Sunday afternoon, March 9.  Local candidates for Congress will tell where they stand on pulling our troops out of Iraq.

This public event starts at 1:30 pm, with a rally and speakers at the gazebo on Perry Square. At 2:00 we will march through downtown Erie, led by U.S. military veterans, to St. Patrick's Cauley Center, 215 East 4th Street.  Marchers will carry symbols of the 4,000 brave American service men and women who lost their lives in Iraq.

At 3:00 p.m. in Cauley Auditorium, a presentation about the war's costs will be followed by a forum during which congressional candidates for Pennsylvania District 3 will share their views on ending the Iraq war.  All of the candidates were invited by the Erie Peace Initiative to participate in this Forum. All agreed to do so, with the exception of incumbent Phil English.

These events are sponsored by Erie Peace Initiative For information: (814)460-5522 or (814)864-8818. Or visit www.eriepeaceinitiative.org

From July 2-31, CPJ will be collecting items for its annual appeal to help the impoverished people in Nicaragua.  This effort is led by Ann Marie Zon, a Catholic social worker who spends several months each year at a mission in Nicaragua. 

Among the humanitarian items needed are:

• Clothes: gently used lightweight clothing and shoes for all ages
• Linens:  sheets, pillows, blankets. towels, curtains and draperies
• Household items: dishes, mugs, glasses silverware, unscratched pots and pans or cookie tins, dish detergent, small appliancees such as irons, blenders, and toasters (no coffee makers, please)
• Toys & games: all kinds except war games and guns (not even squirt), no games requiring English
• Non-perishable food: canned goods, jello, cake mixes, peanut butter, jelly, etc.
• Personal care items:  soaps, shampoos, creams, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.
• Religious articles: rosaries, crucifixes, communion dresses, statues, etc. (no prayer books unless in Spanish)
• Medical supplies: bandages, over-the-counter medications, vitamins
• School supplies:  notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, folders, binders, tape

Call Joan and Rodney Houck (673-9258) to make arrangements to deliver your donations to their home (146 Central Ave., Fredonia) and set a time for access to their garage.   Please do not deliver items to their front porch.

Financial support to sponsor children's education, dig wells, support the cow and dairy project, and support the sheep project to benefit the leper colony is also greatly appreciated.  Checks made payable to Dunkirk-Fredonia Center for Peace and Justice, with the notation "Nicaragua," may be sent to the Houcks at 146 Central Ave., Fredonia, NY  14063.  Please specify if you would like to designate a particular project.

Contact the Houcks for further information and/or if you would like to help box up items for shipment or load the truck.

Thank you

Dunkirk-Fredonia Center for Peace and Justice will be represented in Dunkirk's Memorial Day Parade on Monday May 28.  All are welcome to join the group as they march under the banner, "Remember the dead; work for peace."   Marchers should gather at Dunkirk's Memorial Park at 10:30 am.

DFCPJ will convene after the parade (approximately 1:00 pm) at the home of Evelyn and Bill Warmbrodt, 5004 Morewood Dr., Dunkirk for a potluck picnic and meeting.

Professor Jim Miller will present the following lectures at Jamestown Community College's Carnahan Center Theater, both from 7:00 - 9:00 pm, free and open to the public:

Friday May 18 - Islamophobia - The roots of Islamophobia and the importance of objectivity and moderation in understanding the Muslim world are explored.

Friday May 25 - War with Iran: What does History Teach Us? - Learn about Iranian culture, history, and political and social structure.  The Iran-Iraq War, Iran's nuclear program, and the consequence of a possible U.S.-Iran war will be discussed. 

Chautauqua County Rural Ministry will have a Giant Indoor Yard Sale at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds in Floral Hall, Dunkirk on Saturday, June 2 at 9:00 AM,  in conjunction with the annual community  “Attic and Sellar Days.” 

Rural Ministry will also have a Chiavetta's Chicken BBQ on site the same day, starting at 11:30 AM until sold out.  Barbeque tickets are available in advance for $7 each ($8 at the door).  Tickets can be purchased from Rodney Houck (673-9258), Bill Clark (672-8975), Marie
O'Rourke (595-2704), or from the Rural Ministry Office (366-1787).

For over 30 years, Rural Ministry has provided the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter to the less fortunate and those in crisis situations.  Some have lost jobs, some face personal crises, some have come to harvest crops but do not find work, some are subjects of abuse, neglect, government reductions, or deteriorating health.   See http://www.ccrm.netsync.net/ for more information.

This is the major Rural Ministry fundraiser.  Please support it in anyway you can.  Thank  you.

Dr. Vandana Shiva, a physicist, activist and writer, will deliver a lecture Tuesday April 10, at 5 p.m. at W101 Thompson Hall, SUNY Fredonia.   A book-signing/reception follows from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. in Café G at the Williams Center.   All are welcome.

A prolific writer, Dr. Shiva’s recent books examine the appropriation of natural resources by agribusinesses. Her writings address the connections between the global economy, biopiracy and women’s rights, while emphasizing the connectedness of all people on the planet. Her ongoing message is that all people must work together to promote earth democracy, an attentiveness to the earth’s resources and a protective attitude to ecological well-being.

The Political Science Association of SUNY Fredonia will sponsor a screening of "Why We Fight," a film about the US military-industrial complex on Wednesday April 4 at 8:00 pm.   The location is SUNY Fredonia, Williams Center - Multipurpose Room.  There is no charge.  The public is welcome.

Fredonia Students for Peace are sponsoring a peace gathering and march on Saturday March 31 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm to voice opposition to the war in Iraq.    The event will begin with an open discussion and poetry reading at the Peace Pole at SUNY Fredonia, in front of Mason Hall, followed by a march to Barker Common.  All are invited.

"A Christian Witness for Peace - An Ecumenical Vigil" - the Church & Society Team of the Presbytery of WNY invite you to join in a candlelight vigil marking four years of war with Iraq on Friday March 16 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. The vigil will take place at North Park Presbyterian Church at 700 Parkside Avenue in Buffalo.  On this same day in Washington DC, thousands of faithful ecumenical worshippers will gather at the National Cathedral for a march to the White House. All will gather in remembrance of lives lost on both sides and in prayer for peace.  For more information, contact Gladys Giffoed at 716-836-2825 or Pat Townsend at 716-838-2150. to learn more about the national event in DC, visit www.christianpeacewitness.org

"The War is Over:  WNY Sounds Off on Iraq," a Community Speakout and Conference on the 4th Anniversary of the Iraq War, will be held on Monday, March 19th, 6:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 695 Elmwood, Buffalo. 

Join with leaders from the faith, labor, student, and antiwar communities to speak out for peace, and learn from informational and skills-building workshops to make more effective activism.  This is planned to be an educational, interactive and action-oriented event. For more info, call the Peace Center at 894-2013. 

The 24th annual Dunkirk-Fredonia Holocaust Remembrance Service will be Sunday April 22, 4:00 pm, at St. John's United Church of Christ, 713 Central Avenue, Dunkirk. 

The Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration Committee of Chautauqua County has invited Victor Mingal to be the guest speaker.  Mr. Mingal is the son of Max and Ala Mingal.  They survived the Holocaust because of the efforts of Oskar Schindler, whose work was depicted in the film "Schindler's List."  The program will include special music by classical guitarist Michael Puleo. 

All are invited to this special event. 

The theme of the Sunday March 25 service of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northern Chautauqua (UUCNC) will be "Drum Beat for Darfur."  The congregation will stand together with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and UU congregations across the country to speak out against the genocide in Darfur.  March 25 is UU Justice Sunday. 

UUCNC meets at 11:00 Sunday morning at the Grange Hall, 58 W. Main St., Fredonia.  See http://www.uusc.org or http://www.uucnc.org for more information.

CPJ and the Dunkirk-Fredonia Clergy Association will hold an interfaith memorial service, "Peace Yearnings,"  to remember all those killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Sunday January 28 at 7:30 pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, 11 Day Street, Fredonia.   Everyone is invited.

The following has been forwarded from the Western New York Peace Center: 

United for Peace and Justice, the largest antiwar coalition in the US, has called a national demonstration for January 27 in Washington DC to force the new democratic Congress to live up to the rhetoric that got it elected by bringing our troops home from Iraq.
 

The Peace Center will be sending folks to this important demonstration. Due to increased costs and the relatively short notice, buses aren't a possibility. Instead, we'll be renting vans and caravaning to DC.  The cost is $50/person.  We need to guage interest ASAP. You can reserve your space in one of our vans by clicking here:
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=3718, calling us at 894-2013, or mailing payment to 2123 Bailey Ave., Buffalo 14211.

"The War Room," by local playwright Darryl Schneider, is playing in Buffalo at the Road Less Traveled Theater, 635 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14201 from October 27 through November 19. 

From the play's description, "'Bringing the war home' takes on new meaning for a devastated family in the world premiere of Darryl Schneider’s 'The War Room.'  Vietnam vet Carl Schiller remains at attention, even now. He patrols the bedroom of his eldest son, Billy – Killed In Action in Iraq – restlessly searching for the truth behind Billy’s death. Outside the Schiller home, the world seems to have already moved on; inside, the war rages on, and Carl’s quest threatens to destroy his entire family."

This drama "walks the fine line between 'pro-soldier' and 'anti-war' while seeking to address questions that are as troubling today as they were forty years ago."  It is directed by Scott Behrend.

The phone number of the theater is 716-629-3069.  For more information see http://www.roadlesstraveledproductions.org/season_5/war_main.asp.