Friday, September 28, 2012

Philadelphia Area Drones Protests During Keep Space for Peace Week (October 6 - 13)

On the anniversary of 11 years of U.S. War in Afghanistan ...

Stop the Killer Drone Strikes in 
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia;

Keep Space for Peace Week (October 6 - 13)


Sunday, October 7, 1p.m. - Vigil/Demonstration/Kite Flying at the University of Pennsylvania - 34th & Walnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA. Speakers, Music, and more; followed by kite flying in Woodland Walk field between UPENN and Drexel University.

Vigil at University of Pennsylvania and Kite Flight for Peace on the anniversary of the U.S.'s longest war. University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) and Drexel University are receiving millions of dollars in Federal research grants for killer and surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles, 'drones'.

Followed by Kite flying with anti-drone/anti-war peace messages between UPENN and Drexel, in the field behind 34th & Walnut Sts. Kite flying is a widespread form of play throughout Afghanistan, expressing the children's hope for an end to war. Stop killer drone research at UPenn and Drexel!
Demonstrate for peace, vigil against drone research at UPENN). Bring your children and your child's heart to the Kite Flight for Peace. A few kites will be available, but bring your own if you can. And don't forget your umbrella in the event of rain.

Join with Bruce Gagnon, International peace organizer; Coordinator,Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space and Keep Space for Peace Week; Vietnam-era veteran; Cable TV talk show host, Author, Come Together Right Now: Organizing Stories From Fading Empire


A Decade plus of War, Drones, and more: Empire and the Militarization of Space

October 7, 5:30p.m. Potluck Supper, Presentation and Discussion at Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA. For more information or directions, www.delcopeacecenter.org.

October 8th, Noon, Brown bag lunch presentation at Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Phila., PA,


Death from Above; Resistance from Below

Saturday, October 13, Noon - Blow the whistle on Lockheed Martin and the Militarization of Space@Lockheed Martin in King of Prussia, Mall & Goddard Boulevards (behind the King of Prussia Mall), PA.

Receiving more than $43 billion a year in Pentagon contracts, Lockheed Martin is the world's #1 war profiteer, the U.S.'s chief producer of nuclear and space weapons, and is among the chief manufacturers of drone warfare technology. Lockheed Martin produces drones vehicles, the Hellfire missiles they carry, and the satellites which enable their remote control from the continental U.S. to targets on the other side of the world.

There will be kites to loft (bring one if you can), balloons to release, and whistles (bring your's if you can) to blow. There's a corporation whose lethal impact must be brought to the public light and stopped. It's making a killing! And, you know its name: Lockheed Martin! (See: Lockheed Martin Chosen For Defense Systems Network)


For more information: Brandywine Peace Community (610) 544-1818

Co-sponsors of above events:
American Friends Service Committee (Afghanistan/Iraq program);
Brandywine Peace Community;
Catholic Peace Fellowship;
Granny Peace Brigade Phila;
Green Party of Philadelphia;
Muslim Peace Coalition;
Peace Center of Delaware County;
Phila. Catholic Worker;
Philly Against War;
Veterans for Peace, Chapter #31;
Women's International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF), Phila./Delco Chapter.
(List in formation.)

Top image: Mountain Kites by Ann Northrup (Philadelphia, PA), from the Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan, a project of the American Friends Service Committee. "For my contribution to the Windows and Mirrors mural exhibition, I wanted to make a painting that looked to a past where human aspiration was possible, and to a peaceful future where children can play. I feel that it is hard for many who have comfortable lives to identify with people trapped in a war situation and see them as 'just like me.' I wanted to show the beautiful Afghanistan that still survives the violent incursions of war, and show ordinary Americans that here is life and value that must be respected and loved. I wanted an image that people could identify with, a child that they could fall in love with and that they would want to cherish and protect."