Dear Members,

Our regular meeting date, March 19th, falls on the tragic fifth anniversary of the  invasion of Iraq. We mourn not only the loss of American lives, but the loss of innocent Iraqi lives.

We will be co-sponsoring a "New Priorities Peace Vigil" with our local MoveOn Council, Pax Christi Fremont, Tri-City Peace and Justice, and South Alameda County Peace and Justice Coalition.

The vigil will take place before our meeting at Veteran's Park, on the corner of Paseo Padre Parkway and Walnut Avenue from 5:30 p.m until 6:30 p.m. We will meet at the flag pole. (The vigil continues,  but we will need to leave for our meeting.)  For more information go to: http://political.moveon.org/event/5yearsvigil/45385

We will gather in memory of those who have died, but also to protest the continuation of a war that we believe should never have started and is long overdue to end. We are asking for new priorities for our country.

It is time that people understand the connection between the war and the economy. As the war enters its sixth year and continues to squander our human, natural, and economic resources, we find that many  are struggling at home to even keep a roof over their heads. While millions go without health care, our tax dollars are spent on bullets, bombs, and body bags. This hardly sounds like the American dream.

This war is being waged in our names and with our money and resources. It is our right and our responsibility to send a message to the country, Congress, and the President that it's time to honor the troops by bringing them home.

Our meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Fukaya Room A at the Fremont Main Library on Stevenson Blvd. Our guest speaker is Nichola Torbett, Director of National Programs for the Network of Spiritual Progressives. Her topic will be "How to End the Iraq War. "

I look forward to seeing you at our meeting on Wednesday. I hope I'll see you at the vigil, too. Together, we can demand better priorities for our country.

Peace,
    Toni