Friday, November 7, 8 p.m.
POETRY: Vets Against War
Puffin Cultural Forum
20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJ
201-836-3499
Vietnam veterans Jan Barry and Gerald McCarthy will headline this evening of anti-war poetry and solidarity with our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Other poets include Dayl Wise, Thomas Brinson, Jim Murphy, Walt Nygard, Sam Weinrab, and Michael Embrich.
This will also be an open mic event emceed by Walt Nygard (VP of Veterans for Peace, Northern NJ, Chapter 21). Free and open to the public.
For more information and directions: http://www.puffinfoundation.org/forum/forum_new/home.html
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Turning Military Uniforms into Art
A thought-provoking project by a band of Iraq veterans is to gather a group of vets and students at local colleges and shred military uniforms into handmade “combat paper”—which is then inscribed with images or messages designed by the vets.
For instance, Drew Cameron printed a poem over photos of a soldier shedding his uniform, titled “You Are Not My Enemy.” His work appears in a collection of poetry and art titled Warrior Writers: Re-Making Sense, published earlier this year by Iraq Veterans Against the War.
The Combat Paper Project is bringing this creative take on war memories to New Jersey on November 10-15 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Garden State vets are invited to participate in the workshops, which are free, at the Brodsky Center for Print and Paper.
“Veterans of wars in Iraq, Viet Nam, World War II and Bosnia, have contributed so far,” says Cameron, an Army vet of the Iraqi campaign who has helped lead more than a dozen such workshops across the country. “From each new participant, I take a piece of fabric and mix it into the lineage pulp. This pulp is then mixed in with each new batch of pulp, so a little piece of each vet’s uniform is in every new piece of paper made.”
Many of these recycled works of art have been shown in a number of art shows and galleries around the country. But the biggest artistic impact may be on the vet who shed the uniform. “The Combat Paper Project gives vets a chance to fight back against their trauma — taking the horrors of war from the battlefield into the studio, sharing their experiences with other veterans, and remaking those experiences into something entirely new,” writer Julia Rappaport noted in a perceptive news report (“Scars & Stripes,” 9/25/08) in the Boston Phoenix.
“The story of the fiber, the blood, sweat and tears, the months of hardship and brutal violence are held within those old uniforms. The uniforms often become inhabitants of closets or boxes in the attic. Reclaiming that association of subordination, of warfare and service into something collective and beautiful is our inspiration,” says Cameron, who founded the Combat Paper Project in Burlington, Vermont with fellow artist Drew Matott.
Cameron, Matott and other papermaking veterans will be at Rutgers November 10–15 at the Judith K. and David J. Brodsky Center for Print and Paper in the Department of Visual Arts, Mason Gross School of the Arts, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. They will conduct a combat paper workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday with area veterans and students, followed by an evening of readings and performances on Friday. To sign up, call 732-932-2222 ext 838 or email Cameron at drewcameron@combatpaper.org.
For more information: http://www.combatpaper.org/index.html
For instance, Drew Cameron printed a poem over photos of a soldier shedding his uniform, titled “You Are Not My Enemy.” His work appears in a collection of poetry and art titled Warrior Writers: Re-Making Sense, published earlier this year by Iraq Veterans Against the War.
The Combat Paper Project is bringing this creative take on war memories to New Jersey on November 10-15 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Garden State vets are invited to participate in the workshops, which are free, at the Brodsky Center for Print and Paper.
“Veterans of wars in Iraq, Viet Nam, World War II and Bosnia, have contributed so far,” says Cameron, an Army vet of the Iraqi campaign who has helped lead more than a dozen such workshops across the country. “From each new participant, I take a piece of fabric and mix it into the lineage pulp. This pulp is then mixed in with each new batch of pulp, so a little piece of each vet’s uniform is in every new piece of paper made.”
Many of these recycled works of art have been shown in a number of art shows and galleries around the country. But the biggest artistic impact may be on the vet who shed the uniform. “The Combat Paper Project gives vets a chance to fight back against their trauma — taking the horrors of war from the battlefield into the studio, sharing their experiences with other veterans, and remaking those experiences into something entirely new,” writer Julia Rappaport noted in a perceptive news report (“Scars & Stripes,” 9/25/08) in the Boston Phoenix.
“The story of the fiber, the blood, sweat and tears, the months of hardship and brutal violence are held within those old uniforms. The uniforms often become inhabitants of closets or boxes in the attic. Reclaiming that association of subordination, of warfare and service into something collective and beautiful is our inspiration,” says Cameron, who founded the Combat Paper Project in Burlington, Vermont with fellow artist Drew Matott.
Cameron, Matott and other papermaking veterans will be at Rutgers November 10–15 at the Judith K. and David J. Brodsky Center for Print and Paper in the Department of Visual Arts, Mason Gross School of the Arts, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. They will conduct a combat paper workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday with area veterans and students, followed by an evening of readings and performances on Friday. To sign up, call 732-932-2222 ext 838 or email Cameron at drewcameron@combatpaper.org.
For more information: http://www.combatpaper.org/index.html
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Another Move to Bring NJ Soldiers Home
The Teaneck town council sent a message this week to Washington that it wants the NJ National Guard out of Iraq. Last month, about half of the state’s National Guard members began shipping out to Iraq, many for a second tour in the war. As host community for a National Guard armory, Teaneck has debated the war since the Bush administration invaded Iraq. Reflecting the course of that debate, the council voted 4-3 on Tuesday to support a bill in the state legislature that calls for keeping the National Guard in the state, unless Congress declares war.
“I think it is part of our responsibility to advocate on behalf of our residents,” Mayor Michael Feit replied to a councilman who questioned the legality of local government addressing a national issue. Councilman Adam Gussen said he felt the message the council majority wanted to send should be directed to Congress, but not via a local resolution in support of a state bill. A local American Legion leader spoke against the resolution from the audience, arguing that "it does not reflect the entire township" and in particular members of his veterans' group.
Teaneck’s resolution was based on one passed by Highland Park in August. The municipal resolutions support bills introduced earlier this year by state Senator Loretta Weinberg (SJR55) and Assemblywomen Connie Wagner and Valerie Huttle (AJR89). The bills challenge Bush’s authority to order National Guard troops to Iraq, arguing that the U.S. Senate’s 2002 authorization to use military force in Iraq has expired.
Paula Rogovin, a leader of Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County and other peace activists in the audience applauded the Teaneck council vote. The next step, Rogovin said after the meeting, is to lobby state legislators to hold hearings and approve the National Guard bill.
“The premise of the bill is simple,” Weinberg said last month as she joined peace activists outside the Teaneck Armory to present a petition with over 4000 signatures to a representative of Governor Corzine that calls for keeping NJ’s National Guard in New Jersey. “The National Guard was called up under an Iraqi threat posed by Weapons of Mass Destruction. There were no weapons, and Iraq’s military has been defeated. There is no threat left for the National Guard to defend us from."
For more information: http://www.bringhometheguard.org/
“I think it is part of our responsibility to advocate on behalf of our residents,” Mayor Michael Feit replied to a councilman who questioned the legality of local government addressing a national issue. Councilman Adam Gussen said he felt the message the council majority wanted to send should be directed to Congress, but not via a local resolution in support of a state bill. A local American Legion leader spoke against the resolution from the audience, arguing that "it does not reflect the entire township" and in particular members of his veterans' group.
Teaneck’s resolution was based on one passed by Highland Park in August. The municipal resolutions support bills introduced earlier this year by state Senator Loretta Weinberg (SJR55) and Assemblywomen Connie Wagner and Valerie Huttle (AJR89). The bills challenge Bush’s authority to order National Guard troops to Iraq, arguing that the U.S. Senate’s 2002 authorization to use military force in Iraq has expired.
Paula Rogovin, a leader of Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County and other peace activists in the audience applauded the Teaneck council vote. The next step, Rogovin said after the meeting, is to lobby state legislators to hold hearings and approve the National Guard bill.
“The premise of the bill is simple,” Weinberg said last month as she joined peace activists outside the Teaneck Armory to present a petition with over 4000 signatures to a representative of Governor Corzine that calls for keeping NJ’s National Guard in New Jersey. “The National Guard was called up under an Iraqi threat posed by Weapons of Mass Destruction. There were no weapons, and Iraq’s military has been defeated. There is no threat left for the National Guard to defend us from."
For more information: http://www.bringhometheguard.org/
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
WE NEED YOU
Vets for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, NJ Peace Action and other peace groups are mobilizing a campaign to bring National Guard units home from Iraq. The next step is to seek resolutions of support from local governments for a bill in the New Jersey Legislature to challenge the Bush administration's misuse of the National Guard in prolonging a reckless war. Activists in Teaneck plan to raise this issue with the town council next week.
WE NEED YOU.
On September 23, we will call on the Teaneck Town Council to pass a resolution of support for Senate Joint Resolution 55, a resolution in the NJ State Legislature. SJR55 explains that the 2002 Congressional Authorization for the use of the National Guard in Iraq has expired and insists that the Governor take action to bring the NJ Guard Home from Iraq NOW and keep them and their equipment here for the safety of the people of NJ (and other states when necessary). We all know that THE NJ NATIONAL GUARD IS A LOCAL ISSUE. It's time for the Teaneck Town Council to take a stand. Of course, we continue with our larger demands: Support the troops, Bring all of the troops home now, Bring the contractor army (of 180,000) home now, take care of our troops when they get here.
Please let us know if you will attend the meeting and if you are willing to speak during Good and Welfare. Please respond to this by hitting reply. Thanks.
_______ Yes, I will attend the September 23 meeting of the Teaneck Town Council. 8:00 pm. Municipal Building. Teaneck Road and Cedar Lane.
_______ Yes, I will speak about this resolution during Good and Welfare.
We are continuing the petition drive calling on other municipal and county governments, as well as members of the NJ Legislature and Governor Corzine to support legislation SJR55. Let us know if you would like to get your municipal government to introduce a resolution. To get more information, sign on-line or download the petition, and get a copy of SJR55 go to www.bringhometheguard.org or www.bergenjustice.net. Please return completed copies of the petition at the Wednesday vigils.
George (age 95!), a World War II veteran, and member of the Wednesday vigil, has been concerned about the numbers of troops wounded in Iraq. Here is some data and a link to www.anti-war.com/casualties. The exact numbers are not known. Injuries such as PTSD and traumatic brain injury, depleted uranium poisoning from US weapons, are not even counted. American Wounded: Official: 30,634, Estimated: Over 100,000.
Peace NOW!
Paula Rogovin, Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County. www.mfsobergencounty.org
paula.rogovin@verizon.net
WE NEED YOU.
On September 23, we will call on the Teaneck Town Council to pass a resolution of support for Senate Joint Resolution 55, a resolution in the NJ State Legislature. SJR55 explains that the 2002 Congressional Authorization for the use of the National Guard in Iraq has expired and insists that the Governor take action to bring the NJ Guard Home from Iraq NOW and keep them and their equipment here for the safety of the people of NJ (and other states when necessary). We all know that THE NJ NATIONAL GUARD IS A LOCAL ISSUE. It's time for the Teaneck Town Council to take a stand. Of course, we continue with our larger demands: Support the troops, Bring all of the troops home now, Bring the contractor army (of 180,000) home now, take care of our troops when they get here.
Please let us know if you will attend the meeting and if you are willing to speak during Good and Welfare. Please respond to this by hitting reply. Thanks.
_______ Yes, I will attend the September 23 meeting of the Teaneck Town Council. 8:00 pm. Municipal Building. Teaneck Road and Cedar Lane.
_______ Yes, I will speak about this resolution during Good and Welfare.
We are continuing the petition drive calling on other municipal and county governments, as well as members of the NJ Legislature and Governor Corzine to support legislation SJR55. Let us know if you would like to get your municipal government to introduce a resolution. To get more information, sign on-line or download the petition, and get a copy of SJR55 go to www.bringhometheguard.org or www.bergenjustice.net. Please return completed copies of the petition at the Wednesday vigils.
George (age 95!), a World War II veteran, and member of the Wednesday vigil, has been concerned about the numbers of troops wounded in Iraq. Here is some data and a link to www.anti-war.com/casualties. The exact numbers are not known. Injuries such as PTSD and traumatic brain injury, depleted uranium poisoning from US weapons, are not even counted. American Wounded: Official: 30,634, Estimated: Over 100,000.
Peace NOW!
Paula Rogovin, Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County. www.mfsobergencounty.org
paula.rogovin@verizon.net
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Action to Keep National Guard in NJ
After no one at the governor's office a week ago Friday would accept copies of the petition to keep New Jersey's National Guard from deployment to Iraq, Jack Donnelly, Policy Advisor to Governor Corzine on Military and Veterans' Affairs, agreed to accept the petitions at the weekly peace vigil at the National Guard Armory in Teaneck on Wednesday, September 3.
In a press release, petitition organizers also asked that vigil participants "please bring school supplies, baby supplies, and/or food for the Family Assistance Center at the National Guard Armory. Many of the families are really hurting during the deployment of their loved ones."
Activists at the vigil will also describe their efforts to gather support for a bill currently in the NJ State legislature, Senate Joint Resolution 55, which instructs Governor Corzine to refuse to send the Guard to Iraq and to return any Guard currently serving in Iraq to New Jersey. The legal basis for this resolution is explained in SJR55. "The New Jersey National Guard, now in Iraq, must be recalled and returned with their equipment to the Garden State immediately to serve the needs of the people of the State during emergencies," said Paula Rogovin, of Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County.
"Governor Corzine has legal grounds to order our National Guard to return home immediately," said Leigh Davis, a NJ coordinator of Keep the National Guard Home - It's the Law. "We want him to stand up and do what should have been done last October - reject an illegal order. States across the nation have legislation pending to return full control of their National Guard troops to the Governors."
"The war in Iraq has wreaked havoc on the U.S. troops (4138 killed and tens of thousands wounded) and contractors (1,200 killed) and on their families who face financial hardship and ruin, and who are left to support loved ones returning with PTSD, alcoholism and high rates of suicides," said Madelyn Hoffman, Director of New Jersey Peace Action. "The Federal Government is sending our National Guard personnel to be prison guards in a powder-keg situation," said Hoffman. "Instead, our NJ Guard members and their equipment should be here in New Jersey to protect the people of New Jersey in case of emergencies. Now is the time to work round the clock to bring all the troops home as quickly as possible."
For more information about the state and national efforts to de-federalize the National Guard, please visit www.bringhometheguard.org or www.bringtheguardhome.org.
People can also sign a petition supporting SJR 55 and contact their state legislators to demand the Guard be brought back from Texas to New Jersey, by visiting www.bergenjustice.net.
In a press release, petitition organizers also asked that vigil participants "please bring school supplies, baby supplies, and/or food for the Family Assistance Center at the National Guard Armory. Many of the families are really hurting during the deployment of their loved ones."
Activists at the vigil will also describe their efforts to gather support for a bill currently in the NJ State legislature, Senate Joint Resolution 55, which instructs Governor Corzine to refuse to send the Guard to Iraq and to return any Guard currently serving in Iraq to New Jersey. The legal basis for this resolution is explained in SJR55. "The New Jersey National Guard, now in Iraq, must be recalled and returned with their equipment to the Garden State immediately to serve the needs of the people of the State during emergencies," said Paula Rogovin, of Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County.
"Governor Corzine has legal grounds to order our National Guard to return home immediately," said Leigh Davis, a NJ coordinator of Keep the National Guard Home - It's the Law. "We want him to stand up and do what should have been done last October - reject an illegal order. States across the nation have legislation pending to return full control of their National Guard troops to the Governors."
"The war in Iraq has wreaked havoc on the U.S. troops (4138 killed and tens of thousands wounded) and contractors (1,200 killed) and on their families who face financial hardship and ruin, and who are left to support loved ones returning with PTSD, alcoholism and high rates of suicides," said Madelyn Hoffman, Director of New Jersey Peace Action. "The Federal Government is sending our National Guard personnel to be prison guards in a powder-keg situation," said Hoffman. "Instead, our NJ Guard members and their equipment should be here in New Jersey to protect the people of New Jersey in case of emergencies. Now is the time to work round the clock to bring all the troops home as quickly as possible."
For more information about the state and national efforts to de-federalize the National Guard, please visit www.bringhometheguard.org or www.bringtheguardhome.org.
People can also sign a petition supporting SJR 55 and contact their state legislators to demand the Guard be brought back from Texas to New Jersey, by visiting www.bergenjustice.net.
Monday, August 18, 2008
NJ National Guard Update
On Friday, a delegation from around NJ went to Trenton to deliver petitions with over 4000 signatures calling on Governor Corzine to take a stand NOW to keep the NJ National Guard here in New Jersey. After months of trying to set up a meeting with the Governor or his staff, there was no one at his office who would meet with us about the issue or even accept the petitions. One staff member, after much prodding, agreed to help set up a meeting. While the Gov claims to oppose the use of our National Guard in Iraq, he has done nothing at all to try to keep them here to serve the needs of the people of NJ. What a disgrace!
Please take time in the next several weeks to collect signatures on petition and flyer for the campaign cancel the deployment of the NJ National Guard and to bring them back to New Jersey where they belong. It will be available at the Wednesday vigil and at www.bringtheguardhome.org. We hope you will make copies and go with friends to supermarkets, street fairs, concerts, etc. to collect signatures. On Tuesday, September 23, we plan to go to the Teaneck Town Council to urge them to support the NO New Jersey National Guard in Iraq – Keep NJ Safe! resolution which has been introduced in the NJ State Legislature. If you want to introduce a resolution in your town council, please let us know, and we’ll support that effort.
Peace NOW!
Paula Rogovin,
Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County
www.mfsobergencounty.org
Please take time in the next several weeks to collect signatures on petition and flyer for the campaign cancel the deployment of the NJ National Guard and to bring them back to New Jersey where they belong. It will be available at the Wednesday vigil and at www.bringtheguardhome.org. We hope you will make copies and go with friends to supermarkets, street fairs, concerts, etc. to collect signatures. On Tuesday, September 23, we plan to go to the Teaneck Town Council to urge them to support the NO New Jersey National Guard in Iraq – Keep NJ Safe! resolution which has been introduced in the NJ State Legislature. If you want to introduce a resolution in your town council, please let us know, and we’ll support that effort.
Peace NOW!
Paula Rogovin,
Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County
www.mfsobergencounty.org
Saturday, August 16, 2008
New Cold War
The administration has been poking a stick in Russia's eye for years. Why do we need missile sites in Poland and Czechlovakia? The stated justification is "protection from Iran." Ludicrous. Has Iran got a beef with Poland? More likely, it is the neo-con policy of continuing projection of US power; yes, let's get another war going.
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