Announcements:

Changes to the Maine Peace Justice and Environmental Network

The Maine Peace Justice and Environmental Network is now plugged into a national network: the Peace Justice and Environment Project with over 800 organizations in 26 states with two more state networks to be added this month (Texas & New Jersey).

Note the navigation bar at the top of this page has some additions:
1)"Networks" will connect you to any of our current state networks
2) "PJEP" connects you to our new national site. Check out the calendar and action sections to see what's happening all over the country.
3) "Campaigns" connects you to fundraisers and e-letters (will be functional within the month) as well as the petitions and boycotts now available to member groups.
4) "Social Net" is another feature, still in development, which will allow individuals and groups to have their own political action and social networking page.

Resources on mpjen.org have been enhanced with the ability to play videos on a two column resource page. More changes, including a rating system will be added in the near future.

Here's a New Resource to note: Skeptical Science: Examining the Science of Global Warming Skepticism -- This is an excellent resource for combating some of the common myths being perpetrated by the Right against the science supporting the proposition of human-created climate change.

You can access Skeptical Science, voted "Resource of the Month" by our Resource committee, along with 27 more resources just added to this network when you access mpjen.org/Resources now.

Thanks from your mpjen.org facilitator.

Posted on 6/18/08 by

Sign Petition to Save Sears Island

Fair Play for Sears Island urges you to oppose plans to build a container plant on Sears Island and sign our petition and help to Save Sears Island.

Sierra Club: Don't give green cover to DOT port plan

The Maine chapter of Sierra Club is endorsing an agreement about the future of Sears Island -- the largest undeveloped island on the Atlantic coast -- without knowledge or approval of its members. In signing on to a joint-use policy with Maine Department of Transportation, Sierra Club agrees that industrial development on the island is appropriate. The chapter's position has not changed since the release of new information about MDOT's plan to secure permits for port development by means of wetlands-mitigation banking (comparable to carbon-offset trading). This gives developers a way to circumvent Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates destruction of wetlands.
MDOT has applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to register all of Maine in a federal Umbrella Mitigation Bank for Transportation (UMBT) -- the first in New England -- an instrument that would undermine all land-preservation efforts in the state.
If this agreement, supported by Sierra Club and other environmental partners, is accepted by the legislature's Transportation Committee, the joint-use policy and the wetlands-mitigation scheme for Sears Island -- and all of Maine -- will become law.
Asked to confirm that members are behind the Joint Use plan, Ken Cline, chair of Maine Sierra Club's conservation committee, promised only to consult Club leaders, not the membership (which he said would be too costly).

Please help us by signing this petition. View current signatures and comments by accessing HERE and scrolling down the page.

TO: Maine Sierra Club
CC: Governor John Baldacci
[indent]In light of new information about Maine DOT's plan to establish a port on Sears Island by means of a strategy designed to circumvent the Clean Water Act,

• We the undersigned request that the Maine Sierra Club withdraw its support for the Sears Islands Joint-Use agreement with Maine DOT.
  
• And we request that Governor Baldacci disband the Joint-Use Planning Committee, whose members have been negotiating in bad faith for the environmental community.
  

Please sign the petition to Oppose DOT Container Port Plan: Save Sears Island HERE.

Thank you.
Fair Play for Sears Island

Posted on 6/24/08 by

Occupation Project Update - Jury Acquits Bangor Peace Activists

Standing in front of the Penobscot County Courthouse while the jury deliberated their fate are, from left to right, Doug Rawlings, Henry Braun, Jimmy Freeman, Dud Hendrick, Rob Shetterly and Jonathan Kreps.
More photos available at: http://paxchristimaine.org

Occupation Project Update - Jury Acquits Bangor Peace Activists
By V. Kelly Bellis

Bangor, Maine - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - Six peace activists were found not guilty of criminal trespass after a two-day jury trial in Penobscot County Superior Court. They have been referred to as the "Bangor Six" by some in context with this particular moment, some nearly fourteen months after their alleged crime. However, this precedent-setting case for peace activists here in Maine, and likely beyond, should be placed in an expanded context beginning with the fact that these 6 courageous souls that spoke to the jury with great heart, conviction and eloquence were accompanied by 6 others on March 7, 2007 who together were also arrested, pleaded no contest and paid fines. And these 12 arrests made in March of 2007 are part of a wider image, both locally and nationally, and a series of local peace actions dating back to mid-2002 when the Bush Administration's puffed-up bleatings of preemption began. In total there have been 25 peace activists arrested at Senator Collins' Bangor office and 36 peace activists arrested at Senator Snowe's Bangor office since the beginning of the war on March 19, 2003. Out of those combined 61 arrests, 7 individuals have been arrested twice and four others arrested three times.

Read the complete article here: http://paxchristimaine.org

Jury Finds Six Peace Activists Not Guilty

Jury acquits six in protest
By Judy Harrison
Thursday, May 01, 2008 - Bangor Daily News

BANGOR, Maine - Six longtime anti-war activists arrested last year for refusing to leave the Federal Building when it closed for the day were found not guilty Wednesday of criminal trespass.

A Penobscot County Superior Court jury deliberated for 2½ hours after a two-day trial.

Read Ms. Harrison complete article at the BDN.

From Every Village Green Event in Ellsworth

Pictures are courtesy of Kelly Bellis and the PaxChristie website

Cost of War

New video from the AFSC:

Illuminate the Night

Maine Urban Projection Project (MUPP) presented street theater, sparklers, drums and moving images on the Dakin Bldg. in downtown Bangor Nov 2. The MUPP team projected a program of original and public videos on the subject of impeachment, citizen action and children in a time of war. The program was designed to enlarge public protest of the Iraq War and to support the efforts of citizens who presented charges of impeachment of George Bush & Richard Cheney to Rep. Mike Michaud at his offices in Bangor.
The Maine Urban Projection Project (artist Patricia Wheeler and team) presents views that are different in form from mainstream American media in public space. They are part of the movement for independent media. View slide show here. Photos were taken by V. Kelly Bellis.