[act-ma] Sept 27-29th: New England Gathering of War Tax Resisters, Williamsville, VT [Cindy Sheehan talks on Friday night]

Sat Aug 31 14:23:57 PDT 2013

["/No one becomes president who isn't a true believer in the American 
empire of money and murder.//"/ ~Margaret Kimberley

"/The nominal cost for the weekend is $60 per adult. As always, we 
operate on a sliding scale. //../."

  War Tax Resistance in Connection:      Helping Us Help Each Other
  <http://www.nwtrcc.org/ne_gathering_2013.php>

  New England Gathering of War Tax Resisters
  <http://www.nwtrcc.org/ne_gathering_2013.php>

September 27--29, 2013 . Williamsville, Vermont
*Click here for the brochure and registration form (PDF). 
<http://www.nwtrcc.org/PDFs/NEgathering2013.pdf>*

All are heartily invited to the 28th annual New England Gathering of War Tax
    Resisters and Supporters, featuring a Friday evening talk by peace 
activist
    and war tax resister Cindy Sheehan. Weekend discussions will focus 
on the
    challenges faced by war tax resisters especially when it comes to 
relations
    with family and friends, who may not be resisters and often are not
    activists at all. As always, basic war tax resistance information and
    support will be part of the weekend.

The Gathering site is the Amazing  Planet! Farm and Justice Center 
<http://amazingplanetfarm.com/>, which is about 10 miles from downtown 
Brattleboro.

*[re this diagram i inserted: where do you suppose the NSA/CIA $56 
billion handout fits in? Bet it's not 'military']*

    Theme & background of this year's Gathering

As War Tax Resisters, it is in the very nature of our resistance that we
    undertake bold and mindful actions of conscience. We bear witness to the
    appropriation and expenditure of our common wealth for immoral and 
sometimes
    heinous purposes. By its nature, War Tax Resistance confronts, to 
one degree
    or another, the most powerful governments in the world.

For support we rely, also to one degree or another, on our fellow Resisters
    and many other sympathetic and supportive people and organizations 
within
    the spheres of our own personal lives.

But what about our loved ones whom we sometimes simply scare the daylights
    out of by our seemingly stubborn insistence to do the right thing? What
    about friends and family for whom following their own deepest moral 
makeup
    requires them to honor the commitments and responsibilities of 
relationship,
    and who are understandably challenged by our practice of Resistance, 
with
    all its potential fear, economic difficulty, and social implications?

At this year's Gathering, we'll talk about this. We invite Resisters, those
    exploring Resistance, and supportive non-Resisters to attend and 
take part
    in a real sharing of the challenges and gifts of being a War Tax 
Resister or
    being close to one. We'll share our stories about these 
relationships and
    attempt to improve them by giving voice and time for understanding 
to these
    sometimes difficult situations.

Our Friday night session will feature peace activist and War Tax Resister
    Cindy Sheehan! Cindy will speak about her own experience, which is 
broader
    than WTR, and is sure to start us  off with a powerful preface to 
resistance and relationship. Cindy Sheehan is
    a resister and activist whose son,  U.S. Army Specialist Casey 
Sheehan, was killed in the
    U.S. War on Iraq.    She came to international attention in 2005 for 
her extended antiwar protest
    at a makeshift camp outside of President Bush's Texas ranch. On 
April 4, the
    9-year anniversary of the day Casey was killed in action, Cindy 
began the
    "Tour de Peace" from his gravesite in Vacaville,  Calif.. This 
cross-country bicycle trip
    ended in Washington, D.C., on July 3rd.

    Weekend schedule

Friday

   5--7 p.m.:Registration and dinner
   7:15--9 p.m.:Cindy Sheehan Talk: "Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey 
Through Heartache and Activism"

Saturday

   7:15--8 a.m.:Yoga (Gentle Mindful Stretch)
   8--9 a.m.:Breakfast
   9:15--10:15 a.m.:Panel discussion: WTR in Connection. Cindy Sheehan 
will join other resisters, their family members, and friends in sharing 
their stories.
   10:30--11:30 a.m.:Facilitated small groups: Personal response to the 
panel --- sharing our own stories of connection, disconnection, and 
bridge building
   11:30 am--12:15 p.m.:2nd round of small groups (same as above, but to 
allow for maximum sharing, participants are new to each other and not 
from the previous small group.)
   12:30--1:15 p.m.:Lunch
   1:30--2:30 p.m.:Discussion topics. Choose one:
    Reaching out to other communities of resistance --- building the 
movement
    Support for non-resister family and friends
    Support for resisters in need
    Arts response to connection, disconnection, and bridge building
    Other suggested topics

   2:45--3:45 p.m.:Reconnect in a large group. Open discussion. (For 
example, time to talk about our life as a resister, of life with a 
resister, without being held to a certain topic of discussion.)
   4--5 p.m.:Q&A for new and potential resisters orPlanning for next 
year's gathering
   5--6 p.m.:Free time
   6--7 p.m.:Dinner
   7:30--9 p.m.:Talent show. Bring your instruments, voices, songs, 
poetry, jokes, skits, etc.

Sunday

   7:15--8 a.m.:Mindful Yoga
   8--9 a.m.:Breakfast
   9:15--10:45 a.m.:Options: Circle Dance with an experienced dance 
leader or join in on a work project at Amazing Planet! Farm
   11 a.m.--12 noon:Regional reports, announcements
   12 noon--1:30 p.m.:Lunch and clean-up

    Location & facilities

Amazing Planet! Farm & Justice Center 
<http://www.amazingplanetfarm.com/> is a working organic farm and
    retreat center located 10 miles northwest of downtown Brattleboro, 
Vermont.
    This is our second Gathering held at this location --- a place of 
beauty and
    progressive values! (prior was 2009)
    We'll send detailed directions in reply to your submitted 
registration form.

There is ample indoor floor space for sleeping and outside areas for tenting
    (bring your own bedding). For folks who require or desire a real bed, we
    will coordinate arrangements with hosts in the area. Beds are 
available at
    the Center for a limited number of people. Please note housing 
check-offs on
    the registration form.
Children are welcome! If you need child care, please note it on the 
registration form.

Pets are not invited to the farm. Service animals, of course, are welcome.

Please feel free to inquire with any questions or concerns you might
have --- we're eager to make it a great weekend for everyone.

    Meals

Six fabulous meatless meals will be provided from Friday supper through
    Sunday lunch. Please tell us on the registration form about any special
    dietary needs or restrictions.

    Registration

The nominal cost for the weekend is $60 per adult. As always, we operate on
    a sliding scale. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Pay 
less if
    necessary, more if possible. The challenge is for us to just break 
even, so
    we ask folks to keep this in mind. No charge for children under 12. For
    those attending the Friday evening Cindy Sheehan presentation only, we
    suggest a donation of $10 to defray Cindy's travel costs from 
California.

Click here for the brochure and registration form (PDF). 
<http://www.nwtrcc.org/PDFs/NEgathering2013.pdf>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://act-ma.org/pipermail/act-ma_act-ma.org/attachments/20130831/dfe4087a/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: oneday.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 5763 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://act-ma.org/pipermail/act-ma_act-ma.org/attachments/20130831/dfe4087a/attachment.gif>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Military-Spending-300x300.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 29753 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://act-ma.org/pipermail/act-ma_act-ma.org/attachments/20130831/dfe4087a/attachment-0001.gif>