Progressive Film/Lecture Series: JULY

FILM: TORTURING DEMOCRACY.

GENRE: Documentary.

DATE: Thursday, July 9, 2009.

TIME: Pizza buffet and announcements 6pm, film

and discussion 6:30.

VENUE: Poppa Rollo's Pizza, 703 N. Valley Mills

Drive, Waco. West End Meeting Room, enter from

inside restaurant or front outside on right.

AUDIENCE: All welcome. some scenes may be a

bit graphic for small children.

PRICE: Free (donations accepted). Note that free

pizza is provided by Friends of Peace, not Poppa

Rollo's.

RELEASE DATE: 2009 (not widely available yet).

PRESENTER: Harrison Ward, Friends of Peace

member.

BONUS: We still have about 50 free WAR IS NOT

THE ANSWER yard signs you may have. Help

spread the message in this militarized zone of

Waco.

With exclusive interviews, explosive documents and rare archival footage, award winning filmmaker Sherry Jones has

crafted the definitive account of a deeply troubling chapter in recent American history. Torturing Democracy presents the evidence that links orders for torture

straight to the top of the chain of command.

Please join us for this important and timely film and support this forum for progressive thought (not restrained

by political parties) in Central Texas.

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CINDY SHEEHAN : June 9, 2009

CINDY SHEEHAN LECTURE.

DATE: Tuesday, June 9, 2009.

TIME: Pizza/veggie buffet and announcements 6pm, Cindy 6:30.

VENUE: Poppa Rollo's Pizza Outback Meeting Room, 703 N. Valley Mills Dr, Waco.

AUDIENCE: All welcome.

FEE: All Free.

Please join us to welcome our friend Cindy back to Central Texas where her amazing

journey started. She is on a tour now with her most recent book and we are happy

to have her speak in Waco. History may well look back to August 2005 and consider Cindy

the Rosa Parks of the anti-war movement. She ignited the American people against the Iraq

occupation and this fervor eventually swept Barack Obama into the White House. She has traveledthe world with her message of peace and made a courageous run for U.S. Congress against Speaker Pelosi. But the military industrial machine has not been dismantled and the occupations continue. So the struggle must continue. Please come for inspiration in the struggle from Cindy, and experience a piece of history. Thanks for your valuable time.

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PROGRESSIVE FILM SERIES: May 14, 2009

Title: HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.

Genre: Documentary.

Date: Thursday, May 14, 2009.

Time: Pizza/veggie buffet and announcements 6p.m, film and discussion

6:30.

Venue: Poppa Rollo's Pizza meeting room, 703 N. Valley Mills Drive. enter

from outside door to right, or from inside the restaurant.

Run time: 71 minutes.

Rating: unrated. a few scenes of dead persons in South America you might

find objectionable for young children.

Audience: All welcome.

Price: All free.

Every November, thousands of people from across North America gather outside Fort Benning, Georgia to form one of the largest anti-war demonstrations in the U.S. since the

Vietnam war. The issue is the controversial U.S. Army School of the Americas, where over

60,000 Latin soldiers have been trained, among them dictators like Manuel Noriega of Panama and death squad leaders like Roberto D'Aubuisson of El Salvador. Demonstrators

denounce the SOA as a "School of Assassins," but Army officials argue that the school has

played a crucial role in bringing democracy and stability to Latin America. Interviews include Father Roy Bourgeois, Noam Chomsky, Christopher Hitchens, Rep. Barbara Lee, and Michael

Parenti. A bold, unflinching look at the nature and consequences of U.S. policy in Latin America.

"Incredible documentary...required viewing."---Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!

"....the School of the Americas reminds people..that Americans too can be

collectively responsible for torture, for murder, for dictatorship.."--Christopher

Hitchens.

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APRIL Progressive Lecture: RAY Mc GOVERN

Images from Ray's

lecture at Poppa Rollo's Pizza. He is

presented with the

traditional Texas

shaped pizza by the

gracious and helpful owner of Poppa's Mary Duty. The crowd was standing room only and all were spellbound by the depth of insight and truth in Mr. McGovern's words. We truly were honored

to have him speak in Waco.

SPEAKER: Ray McGovern, CIA veteran, peace

activist.

DATE: Thursday, April 16, 2009. (**3rd TH.**)

TIME: Pizza Buffet and announcements 6pm.

Ray McGovern speaks 6:30pm.

VENUE:Poppa Rollo's Pizza, meeting room, 703

N. Valley Mills Drive, Waco.

ORGANIZER: Harrison Ward, Friends of Peace,

Results.

NOTE: Veggies and Fruit available for non-pizza

people.

FEE: All Free.

AUDIENCE: All welcome.

We are pleased to announce that in April our Friends of Peace film / lecture series will present in person Ray McGovern. Ray was a CIA analyst for 27 years, serving under presidents Kennedy through George H. W. Bush. Ray’s responsibilities at CIA included chairing National Intelligence Estimates under presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter, and preparing the President’s Daily Brief (PDB) under presidents Nixon, Ford, and Reagan. He retired in 1990. At his retirement ceremony Ray received the Intelligence Commendation Medallion and a letter of gratitude from then-President George H. W. Bush. In January 2003, after it had become clear that intelligence analysis was being corrupted by political pressure to “justify” an unprovoked attack on Iraq, a handful of intelligence community alumni, including Ray, created Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. VIPS’ first paper, a Memorandum for the President, sent on February 5, 2003, offered a same-day critique of Secretary of State Colin=2 0Powell’s address to the UN. In the memorandum VIPS warned that intelligence analysts were “increasingly distressed at the politicization of intelligence” and “were finding it hard to make themselves heard above the drumbeat for war.” The memo urged the president to “widen the discussion beyond...the circle of those advisers clearly bent on a war for which we see no compelling reason and from which we believe the unintended consequences are likely to be catastrophic.” Of course we know what then happened. However, Ray has continued to speak out, expanding his areas of public concern to such subjects as Afghanistan, Iran, corporate media, and the ongoing Israeli / Palestinian tragedy. In fact, there is no telling what subject Ray will choose to address at Poppa Rollo’s, but we can be sure that we will be hearing from an expert. In order to accommodate Ray’s busy schedule, April’s event will take place on the 3rd Thursday, April 16th. Be sure to mark your calendar and plan to attend – it will be worth it! --Harrison Ward.

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PROGRESSIVE FILM SERIES--MARCH 2009

Title: The Times of Harvey Milk.

Genre: Documentary.

Date: Thursday, March 12.

Time: 6p.m. pizza/veggie buffet

and announcements. 6:30

film and discussion.

Venue: Poppa Rollo's Pizza mtg

room (enter from outside or

inside), 703 N. Valley Mills

Drive, Waco.

Rating: ok for general audience.

Run time: 88 minutes.

Awards: Best Documentary,

Academy Awards.

Admission: film and pizza free. all welcome.

A devastatingly skillful and emotionally compelling documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk charts the political rise and brutal slaying of the first openly gay city official in the United State, Harvey Milk. Ironically, the same election that brought Milk to the board of city supervisors of San Francisco also elected the man who killed him, a former police officer and fireman named Dan White. After White shot both Mayor George Moscone and Milk, his defense lawyers convinced the jury that White's judgment was impaired by depression and junk food, resulting in a conviction for manslaughter instead of murder--a verdict that prompted riots. With care and conviction, The Times of Harvey Milk captures not only Milk himself, but also the political and social landscape in which these events took place. The interviews--with friends, politicians, and journalists--are articulate and heartfelt, expressing the impact that Milk had upon this historical moment. --Bret Fetzer

"Brilliant and gripping...a film for all of us." ---Los Angeles Times.

"Two thumbs up."---Siskel and Ebert.

"Powerful, moving and dramatic."---Newsweek.

The recent drama "Milk" has brought the life of Harvey into the spotlight. So please join us to see the REAL

story of his courageous life in our documentary offering. Its a great film and should spur a lively discussion on

this vital issue of gay equality..

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CHRISTMAS CARD FOR CHET EDWARDS, 2008

In anticipation of President Obama's promise to remove troops from Iraq in 16 months, United for Peace and Justice and other national groups organized efforts to contact Congresspeople prior to January 20. The Waco Friends of Peace decided to have an action during the Christmas break at the office our our District 17 Congressman Chet Edwards. Since Mr. Edwards is clearly a hawkish Democrat who is unlikely to receive any input from constituents supporting rapid withdrawal from Iraq, we felt it important to make a strong statement of our position. We designed a poster sized Christmas card for Mr. Edwards with our message for peace. The fantastic art work was

done by Kay Lucas, director of the Crawford Texas Peace House. On the morning of December 23rd 2008 we presented the card to the Waco office of Congressman Edwards. A local TV station was

present to record the event. Activists who participated included Linda Foley, Kay, and Harrison

Ward. The Congressman's office was very gracious in accepting the card and promised the Congressman would later receive it. The 9-point message can be read in the last image above (clink on photo to enlarge). We have no doubt that the unique nature of this communication

helped ensure that he read it, and hopefully he was influenced by its message.

Thanks to all the activists who helped in making this important statement to our elected

representative.

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PROGRESSIVE FILM SERIES, FEBRUARY 12, 2009

TITLE: PEACE, PROPAGANDA AND THE PROMISED LAND: U.S. MEDIA AND THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT.

GENRE: Documentary.

PRESENTER: Kay Lucas, director, Crawford Texas Peace House.

DATE: Thursday, February 12, 2009.

TIME: 6p.m. pizza/veggi buffet and announcements, 6:30 film and discussion.

VENUE: Poppa Rollo's Pizza mtg, room, 703 N. Valley Mills Drive, Waco. Enter from inside or from

outside door on the right.

RATING: unrated, but some graphic scenes of injured civilians may not be appropriate for children.

RUN TIME: 80 minutes.

PRICE: All free (donations accepted).

AUDIENCE: All welcome.

Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites--oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others--work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported. Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts, Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how--through the use of language, framing and context--the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied territories appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. The documentary also explores the ways that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out Israel's PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics. Interviewees include Seth Ackerman, Mjr. Stav Adivi, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Hanan Ashrawi, Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk, Neve Gordon, Toufic Haddad, Sam Husseini, Hussein Ibish, Robert Jensen, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Karen Pfeifer, Alisa Solomon, and Gila Svirsky.

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