About Berkshire Citizens for Peace and Justice (BCP&J)
Berkshire Community College (BCC) Events
Some Other Events (Non-BCP&J and Non-BCC)
Cost of Iraq War as of Dec. 9, 2007
Some Important News Items for the Week
Picture (or cartoon) of the week
Descriptions of Upcoming Thursday Videos
About Berkshire Citizens for Peace and Justice
BCP&J is open to all people interested in promoting peace and justice who live, work, vacation in, or visit Berkshire County.
REGULAR MEETINGS are held every Thursday, 7:30 to 9:30 pm, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue (one block up Broad St. from Rt. 7 & 20, and on the corner of Wendell Avenue and Broad St.). Meetings on 1st and 3rd Thursdays (and some 5th Thursdays) are devoted to showing educational films/videos followed by discussion.
VIGILS FOR PEACE - in cooperation with Berkshire Community CCollege’s Global Issues Resource Organization (GIRO) - are held each Thursday at Park Square in Pittsfield between 5 and 6 pm.
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Note regarding the Jan. 3 & Jan. 17 videos to be followed by discussion (7:30 to 9:30 P.M.)
The word Exposé conjures up images of things "they" didn't want you to know. The next two video nights, sponsored by Berkshire Citizens for Peace and Justice, should go a long way toward satisfying some of your desires to know a good many things that "they" wished to keep secret. If you are cynical and believe big media generally covers up scandals by those in important places, these films should help you to rethink some of your cynicism.
Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008,
at 7:30 P.M., at the UU Church in Pittsfield, BCP&J will present three segments
(click
here for descriptions of segments) from the series: "Exposé: America's
Investigative Reports." The series is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York in
association with the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Thursday, Jan. 10 – Regular 7:30 P.M. planning meeting at the UU Church in Pittsfield
Thursday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 P.M., at the UU Church in Pittsfield, BCP&J will present three more segments (click here for descriptions) from the series, "Exposé: America's Investigative Reports."
Thursday, Jan. 24 – Regular 7:30 P.M. planning meeting at the UU Church in Pittsfield
Saturday, Mar. 22 – Keep this day open for a likely demonstration in Pittsfield marking the fifth anniversary of the start of the current war against Iraq. Early stage thinking/planning has begun, and suggestions are solicited & welcome.
For BCC Events, click here
For other [non BCP&J and non-BCC] events, click here
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Berkshire Community College Events
None currently listed
To return to Upcoming BCP&J Events, click here
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Some Other Events (Non-BCP&J and Non-BCC)
None currently listed
To return to Upcoming BCP&J Events, click here
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Peaceplans is a web site for posting information about peace-related events and issues in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Joining Peaceplans is a good way to stay in touch with events in the area. To join Peaceplans, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Peaceplans/
Once you have joined, make it a habit to regularly check the latest messages at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Peaceplans/messages
You will also be able to post messages yourself.
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Cost of Iraq War as of Dec. 9, 2007
(From www.costofiraqwar.org and http://www.nationalpriorities.org/Cost-of-War/Cost-of-War-3.html)
Cost to U.S. - More than 4,000 military deaths; more than 900 civilian contractor deaths; more than 200 NGO American deaths; more than 27,000 service people wounded; $476 billion.
Dollar cost to Pittsfield = $68,440,000
How the citizens of Pittsfield might have better used $68.4 million:
-To build 616 housing units;
-To pay one year’s salary for 1,186 teachers;
-To pay for 9,065 children to attend a year of Head Start;
-To provide 40,986 children with one year of health care;
-To pay for 3,318 students to attend a public university
for four years.
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Some Important News Items for the Week
None currently listed
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None currently listed
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Picture (or cartoon) of the week
Friendship and cooperation
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Descriptions of Upcoming Thursday Videos
On Thursday, January 3, the three 25 minute films will be:
”Think Like a Terrorist (Pt. 1)”
Reporter Carl Prine of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
reveals security shortfalls in the nation's chemical plants.
”Crisis Mismanagement”
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reveals massive waste and mismanagement
at FEMA a year before Hurricane Katrina.
“Blame Somebody Else”
A Chicago Tribune investigator connects the deaths of
twelve Nepali workers on their way to support U.S. troops in Iraq to a network
of human trafficking, fly-by-night companies, and ties to American corporations.
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On Thursday, January 17, the three 25 minute films will be:
“Question 7”
The Hartford Courant investigates a disturbing trend
in the mental health condition of military personnel sent to Iraq and
Afghanistan - suicide rates are up, and the military has inadequate mechanisms
to care for those in need of help.
”Quid Pro Quo”
The Copley News Service and The San Diego Union-Tribune go inside the
Beltway and expose the bribes-for-government-contracts scheme that made
Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham a rich man, and ultimately landed him in
jail.
”Charity Begins at Home”
The Oregonian exposes the head of a non-profit organization who gets rich
off a federal program designed to help the disabled.
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"Naturally the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, a parliament or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. It is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.” -- Hermann Goering, Hitler's Reich Marshall, said to Gustave Gilbert, a German-speaking intelligence officer and psychologist, during the Nuremberg Trials after WWII
"Our problems stem from our acceptance of the filthy rotten system." -- Dorothy Day, Catholic Worker/Activist
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For comments or questions regarding this newsletter, contact George Desnoyers at 443-4298 or gdesnoye@berkshire.rr.com
For questions about BCP&J, contact one or more of the following members, all regular attendees at meetings:
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FAIR USE NOTICE. This newsletter may contain copyrighted material, and some uses of copyrighted material may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. All copyrighted material in this newsletter is provided without charge and for educational purposes -- to advance the understanding of topics and issues important to the advancement of peace and justice in our time. All copyrighted material is provided in the belief that its use in this newsletter constitutes a “fair use” as provided for in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Determination of whether copyrighted material shall be used in this newsletter involves the consideration of the following factors: (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors. No copyrighted material in this newsletter should be reproduced or distributed if the reproduction or distribution would diminish the potential market or value of the copyrighted work. If you wish to use any copyrighted material provided in this newsletter for purposes of your own that go beyond “fair use” as provided for in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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