MVPP at Northern Essex Community College

On December 8th, MVPP spoke at the Contemporary Affairs Club at Northern Essex Community College describing MVPP and discussing the war in Iraq.

We donated two copies each of The Peace Book and the Hiroshima Appeal for Banning DU Weapons: NO WAR NO DU, one to Professor Russell and one to the school.

Peace and Justice Discussion Group

A total of 19 people recently participated in a six-week Peace and Justice Group at Jim and Mary Todd's church, First United Methodist Church in North Andover. Three people from MVPP attended.

Candlelight vigils were held the day before and the day after the election

November 2: - Brenda McCarthy invited MVPP members to join her at her home to await the election results. Attendees were grateful for the warm and friendly place, the camaraderie and the great food, all nourishment for the work ahead.

November 3: Thirteen people and a dog came together for an evening vigil in Andover. A truly therapeutic moment after a late night and anxious day waiting for the election results. We held our flags, sang together and spoke of the future. Mary Kate and Don read their poems. Becci and Thea spoke of working at the polls. There were honks and waves from passing cars. We were together, fully committed to the work of peace and justice before us.

Nov. 23, We had a Stone Soup dinner, attended by about 35 people, who contributed $400 for Oxfam. We viewed the video "Hijacking Catastrophe".

We tabled at the Westa Fiesta (Andover Youth Fest), at their invitation.

We distributed most of the 10,000 UFPJ Voter Education Leaflets, many finding their way to New Hampshire and even Ohio and Florida

We tabled at the Know Your Town Day in Andover and moved our vigil one block north for that day.

We held an economic forum entitled Economic Justice? War and the Economy, presented by Mike Prokosch at the Andover Library, co-sponsored by the Ethical Society of Boston, North Bridge Alliance for Democracy, North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice, Reading People for Peace, and WAND (Women’s Actions for New Directions). Over 30 people attended the forum and we all learned a great deal from Mike.

Becci tabled at the Greg Brown concert at Imagine Studios in Newburyport.

Jane had a gathering at her house to meet Stuart Leiderman, environmentalist/expert on devastated marshes in Iraq.

Salem, NH vigils have been well received and have been moved to Saturdays at 1:15.

We welcomed two new members to our Board, Barbara Haack and Brenda McCarthy, after accepting the resignation of Lee Bluemel and Susan Manning.

MVPP voted to endorse the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and donate $100

MVPP voted to send up to 3 representatives to Solidarity School and to support any MVPP members with up to $200 to attend the School of the Americas protest in Fort Benning, Georgia.

MVPP voted to provide $1000 in seed money to Jane to help an Iraqi woman who was shot in the face regain her vision. Jim will coordinate efforts to fundraise and replace these funds.

Many MVPP members volunteered to canvas, phone, and pollwatch with ACT, MoveOn, and other similar organizations

We have legally changed our name from North Andover People for Peace to Merrimack Valley People For Peace

-MVPP celebrated Labor Day at Lawrence's Bread and Roses Festival. Our table was very popular, and we sold over $300 worth of buttons and bumper stickers to a very sympathetic crowd.

-September 9, MVPP vigil commemorating 1,000 US Soldiers killed in Iraq. pictures (in separate window) At Old Town Hall in Andover, thirty-five people attended; including some new faces interested in joining us for vigils, meetings, and events. MVPP members also joined 45 in a vigil in Newburyport's Market Square, and 35 in Marblehead. Reading and Lawrence members also held vigils that evening, joining over 1,000 vigils nationwide, that were organized with only twenty- four hours notice.

We had a very successful and fun 20th anniversary benefit concert on Sept. 18th, with lots of very talented performers, including Dean Stevens, the Prince Myshkins, our own Pat Scanlon, Mary Kate Small, Brian Quirk, Ralph Galen, and the Merrimack Valley Peace Chorus singing an original song composed by Don Abbott. We raised over $1000

Becci tabled at the Groton Fest, and sold more buttons and bumper stickers

We voted on the following donations at our September meeting:

$200 to Alan Pogue, documentary photographer in Iraq to help a bombing victim receive medical care in Texas;

$250 to the Association of Haitian Women, for hurricane relief;

$100 to the Agape Community, for their work promoting non-violence,

$75 to Andover Youth Services, to support their several youth programs, and

$50 to Lazarus House to support their work with the homeless in Lawrence.

Geogia Hollister Isman, Massachusetts Volunteer Coordinator ror ACT (America Coming Together) attended our monthly meeting and explained ways volunteers could help mobilize voters.

-Our Hiroshima vigil had about thirty people, some were new young people.

-Becci set up her table, and some of us sang at girl scout Christen Mills' Peace Festival, at All Saints’ Church, Chelmsford. The festival included speakers, entertainment, food, and information tables.

-The Republican National Convention in NYC: We were over 12 of the 500,000! pictures NYT writeup NYT flash video: go through the link on that page titled "Interactive Graphic..." For the first time, 28 people boarded a UJP bus Andover.

-After some rehearsals, we serenaded the Veterans for Peace harbor cruise. Thanks to Mary Kate and Ralph and Jim Scott.

-Many went to the vets' rally the following evening at Fanuel Hall.

-Many of us attended the Boston Social Forum, July 23-25, held at UMass Boston, gaining strength and ideas. As we debriefed our individual experiences at different seminars, workshops, and plenary sessions, we universally affirmed that this was a “teach-in” with an extraordinary degree of expertise and usefulness, plus the kind of hope that was consistently grounded in practical alternatives. Many members expressed interest in attending other forums in this global series. There will be one in Seattle in October 2004 and another in Porto Allegre in Winter 2005.

-The Raging Grannies sang for our annual meeting. More in the newsletter.
-We started to vigil in Salem NH.
-Many of us enjoyed a concert by Irish singer, Tommy Sands.
-Many of us attended the Michael Moore movie, Farenheit 9/11, and other pertinent movies, Control Room, The Corporation, Outfoxed (others coming soon).
-We attended a demonstration in Boston's Copley square to "bring the troops home".
-The bylaws committee started meeting, to update our legal status.
-Becci, Don, Peter, and Brian visited Rep. Meehan's office.

The Spirit of Resistance Concert by Pete Seeger and The People's Music Network. January 23-25 was uplifting. See our February newsletter for rave reviews! We gained some contacts and sold lots of buttons.

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