Frida Berrigan Speaks This Sunday & Citizen Intervention at Lockheed Martin Monday

Frida Berrigan, renowned peace activist, will speak at The Vallombrosa Center, and the theme of this year’s talk is “Nuclear War and Weapons Profit No One.” Light refreshments to follow. Admission is free and open to the general public.

Vallombrosa Center
250 Oak Grove
Menlo Park, CA 95135
2pm to 4pm
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Get Directions

NONVIOLENT Citizen Intervention

Pacific Life Community welcomes others to join us in our acts of witness by calling for an immediate end to the illegal and reprehensible Trident nuclear weapon system which Lockheed Martin researches, manufactures, maintains, and operates for the US Navy. We are convinced that this weapon system poses an immediate threat to all people everywhere.

We are committed to using only nonviolent means to ease the threat that Lockheed Martin’s activities pose to humanity, but we do not condone or tolerate any form of violence or intimidation. Peacefully, we bring a message of peace and hope.

To join our citizen intervention, bring your banners, flags, and witness to

• The Bay Trail at 7:30am at Borreagas North of Carribean in Sunnyvale, California for rally and march to Lockheed Martin’s gates, or
• to the gates of Lockheed Martin at Java and Mathilda in Sunnyvale, California at 8:30am

Street parking allowed along Bordeaux and Borregas.

PLC 2011 in the San Francisco Bay Area

Dear Friends,

Less than one month from today the Pacific Life Community retreat/action with keynote speaker, Frida Berrigan, will begin at Vallombrosa Retreat Center in Menlo Park, CA on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 2:00 pm. Following the retreat , we will gather at the gates of Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, on Monday morning approximately at 8:30 am.We have a PLC 2011 schedule of events and directions to PLC 2011 available to help you plan for this event.

It’s not (quite) too late for registration. It is most important during this time to mail in the fee of $100 to cover the cost of a bed and all meals. Some scholarships are available so please note this need when you return the email for your registration. To begin the process:  email to pgycoleman@aol.com to let us know you are coming, how many participant/s from your family or community etc. will attend, any special dietary requests, and your mode of transportation to the Bay Area.

Even if you are already on the master list as committed participants, we will need an email address, cell phone # or land phone #, and address from everyone. The most updated information is necessary for accurate organization.

Write checks or money orders to Philanthropic Ventures Foundation – note Catholic Worker at bottom and mail to:

Peggy Coleman
2309 Saidel Drive #1
San Jose, CA 95124
408-221-3424

In and through peace, The Planning Committee:
Bob, Janet, Larry, Bryce, Steve, Ed, Mary Jane, and Peggy

PLC 2011 Schedule

Download our PLC 2011 flyer with a preliminary schedule and full details. The sequence of meetings may change between now and the event.

Saturday March 5

• 1-2pm Registration begins
• 3:30-4:30pm Introductory session with small group breakout
• 6pm Dinner
• 7-8:30pm Panel on PLC history, present, future
• 9-10pm Films available for viewing

Sunday March 6

• 8am Breakfast
• 9-10am Presentation on Lockheed Martin
• 10:15am Proposals and Fishbowl Discussion
• 12 noon Lunch
• 1pm Preparation for next day’s activities
• 2-4pm Frida Berrigan talk and discussion
• 6pm Dinner
• 7pm Liturgy in Chapel
• 8pm Music, singing; Preparation, packing for early departure in AM

Monday March 7

• Morning Gathering at Lockheed Martin, Sunnyvale
• Mid or early afternoon: Review and evaluation

Lockheed Martin, Eisenhower, and the Military Industrial Complex

Last week marked the 50th anniversary of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s famous farewell speech to the nation in which he warned against the rise of a “military-industrial complex.” Watch Democracy Now’s interview with William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation, who traces the rise of the military-industrial complex through the story of the nation’s largest weapons contractor, Lockheed Martin. Hartung’s new book is Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex.

If the rise of United States federal debt and military spending during a recession bother you, take action by registering for the Pacific Life Community’s 2011 gathering in the Bay Area.

Announcing PLC 2011 in the San Francisco Bay Area

Greeting dear friends and resisters,

Almost four months have passed since the PLC gathering in New Mexico and we are now beginning to prepare for the next one. It will take place in California in the Bay Area. The retreat will commence Saturday, March 5 at the Vallombrosa Center, Menlo Park, and will continue through Monday, March 7 at 4:00pm. Note the Saturday start and not Friday.

There is a room limit of 80 beds for the retreat center. In order for us to get a head count, it will be necessary for those who plan to attend to send a $100 nonrefundable registration fee to Peggy Coleman at 2309 Saidel Drive #1, San Jose, CA 95124. Make your check or money order out to Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, noting Catholic Worker Peace Fund on the bottom. (The Bay Area hosts are working very hard to keep participants’ registration at $100, which represents a small portion of the Bay Area lodging expenses.)

Frida Berrigan is the keynote speaker.
Our theme is “Nuclear War and Weapons Profit No One.”

Tentative activities include:

• Public forum with Frida Berrigan (afternoon, Sunday, March 6)
• Nonviolent Action at Sunnyvale Lockheed Martin (morning, Monday, March 7)
• A follow-up evaluation of Action. Please plan to stay until 4:00pm on Monday, March 7!
• Nonviolent civil disobedience workshop for new activists
• Poster making and rehearsal for possible street theater
• Participant updates on other local PLC resistance groups
• Networking opportunities
• Celebration of being together (music, singing, dancing, visiting)
• Prayer and group discussion

Check back for the latest information on PLC 2011 here on the blog. We’ll also be posting information and suggested reading about Lockheed Martin over the coming months via the blog. We can’t wait to be joined together again with you!

In Peace,
Bryce Fisher and Peggy Coleman

Any questions? Call Bryce (419) 705-3462, Peggy (408) 221-3424, or Larry Purcell (650) 366-4415.

Guide for Nonviolent Direct Actions

The Pacific Life Community is a group of grass-roots activists dedicated to nonviolent citizen intervention for the abolition of nuclear weapons which threaten all life on earth. The San Francisco Bay Area hosts of PLC 2011 endorse this Guide for Non-violent Acts of Witness from Ground Zero.

Guide for Non-violent Citizen Intervention

·Refuse to engage in verbal abuse or physical violence;

·Pledge not to bring or use any drugs or alcohol other than for medical
purposes;

·Carry no weapons;

·Refuse to retaliate if injured;

·Maintain a spirit of openness, friendliness and respect toward police
officers, court officials, and all others I encounter;

·Share my message of peace with clarity;

·Listen with my self fully present and alert;

·Remain gentle, never self-righteous or hostile;

·Keep in mind that transformation and conversion to peace must
begin with my own life;

·Sustain this discipline throughout all consequences, even under arrest.