War

War/Protest/Divisiveness/Protest vs. protest boils in W. Chester/Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia/PA/USA/18-Oct-07/…Rich Davis said last Saturday's rally was the "most confrontational."

"I'm not saying it's been total kumbaya," he said. "Some tempers flared. A couple of F-bombs went off. If one of their guys insults one of our guys, things are going to happen. I don't condone it, but for the most part I'd give both sides high grades for keeping tempers in check.

"These are not bad guys," he said of his fellow counterprotesters. "These are patriotic bikers. It's a cheap shot to say that a bunch of jack-booted motorcycle thugs are bullying a bunch of old Quaker ladies."

Charges of intimidation are "totally bogus," said Wayne Lutz, 53, of Glenside, an Army veteran and Pennsylvania coordinator of the Gathering of Eagles. He showed up for the victory rallies on his Harley.

"Maybe some people are intimidated by my appearance," he said. He described himself as 6-foot-1, 250 pounds, with a shaved head, a long mustache, tattoos and an earring. He usually wears biker leather, camo and a vest.

"People see somebody like me and immediately assume the worst," said Lutz, a church administrator. "They make judgments based on their preconceptions and bigotries." ….

AFSC/War/Protest//War Costing $720 Million Each Day, Group Says/Washington Post,/Washington/DC/USA/22-Sep-07/........ according to the American Friends Service Committee, which displayed those statistics on large banners in cities nationwide Thursday and Friday. ..."The wounded are coming home, and many of them have severe brain and spinal injuries, which will require round-the-clock care for the rest of their lives," said Michael McConnell, Great Lakes regional director of the AFSC, a peace group affiliated with the Quaker church.

War/Torture/Wilton Friends Meeting/Wilton screening of 'Ghosts of Abu Ghraib' is tonight/Wilton Bulletin/Wilton/CT/USA/26-Oct-07/... Wilton Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and Social Justice Council of the Unitarian Church in Westport are together ...

War/Humanitarian Assistance/Gainesville Friends Meeting/Merrill, Noah/Alternate to trick or treat: Iraqi refugee crisis/Gainesville Sun/Gainsville/FL/USA/29-Oct-07/… Wednesday, October 31 7:00p
at Gainesville Friends Meeting, Gainesville, FL

Noah Merrill will speak on his work with Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria. Over 2 million Iraqis have fled, a burden on their hosts. Merrill now helps provide medical aid ….

Peace Activities/Rochester Friends Meeting/'Oasis of Peace' speaker visits to share an Arab-Israeli vision/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle/Rochester/NY/USA/23-Oct-07/This free event starts at 7 pm It is hosted by Downtown Presbyterian Church, Spiritus Christi Church, the Society of Friends, the Jewish Community ...