Help Us Celebrate Independence Day!
Join the Huntington Woods Peace, Citizenship and Education Project in the Huntington Woods July 4th Parade.

Once again, we will parade with our giant peace doves (see the photo), always a popular parade attraction.

The 2009 Parade & Celebration Theme: "50 Years of Motown."

Video Now Available: Israel / Palestine Town Hall Meeting
Thanks to all who participated in or attended our Israel / Palestine Town Hall Meeting (Promoting Peace and Justice in the Middle East). It was a lively discussion and a standing room only crowd. Here is the video of the Feb. 10, 2009, event. Many thanks to Jeff Kolakowski for making this possible. Video

HWPCE Members Protest for Peace on Tax Day 2009. More photos.

HWPCE Statement on Israel/Gaza
We, the members of the Huntington Woods (MI) Peace, Citizenship and Education Project call for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire between Israel and Gaza.

We deplore the violence that Israel and Hamas have chosen to visit on each other. The random destruction and constant threat to life endured by the Israelis near Gaza cannot be accepted; nor can the Israeli domination of the lives of millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The policies of both Israel and Hamas have created unbearable hardships and suffering for both peoples. Nevertheless, Israel's current escalation of the conflict by a week of bombing and then a ground invasion have created a human catastrophe for the Palestinians far beyond the provocation of Hamas's rockets. Its scale is conveyed by the staggering disproportion in Israeli/Palestinian casualty figures and deaths of hundreds of Palestinian noncombatants.

None of this would be possible without U.S. military and diplomatic support. Our tax dollars pay for the American F-16 planes bombing Gaza; our United Nations Ambassador first blocked, and then abstained from, a cease-fire resolution in the Security Council. Concern for Israel's security should cease being a justification for a one-sided U.S. policy that ignores UN resolutions, international law, and Palestinian human rights. What would the American reaction be, for example, if a rocket fired from Gaza crashed into an Israeli school and killed forty Jewish children? Outrage should be impartial.

Instead, irresponsible American policies are sowing the seeds for unending violence. Among these is the U.S. Senate Resolution of January 8, 2009 and any similar resolution in the House which places the blame for this current crisis solely on Hamas and supports Israel's invasion into Gaza.

Instead, we urge our government in the strongest terms to demand an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza in tandem with the ending of rocket fire into Israel. This must be followed by an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza, including a resumption of free movement in and out of Gaza, including to the West Bank. And this should lead to negotiations, as suggested by Israeli author David Grossman, to be "mediated by the international and Arab communities" on tangible ways of ending the deprivation of Gaza and finally resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The HWPCE Peace Platform is Complete!
After months of discussion and collaboration, the Huntington Woods Peace, Education and Citizenship Project members are pleased to announce the completion of our Peace Platform. With so much at stake in this year’s election, we hope the Peace Platform serves as a confirmation of positive local and global community values and to further promote non-violence and conflict resolution. It addresses the underlying issues that caused 9/11, U.S. domestic policy issues and foreign policy issues such as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine.  We invite you to read our Fall 2008 Huntington Woods Peace Times for the full text.

HW Peace Group Meetings
6:45 p.m., 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Huntington Woods Library, lower level (26415 Scotia Rd., South of 11 Mile Road, West of Woodward). Join us and help set the direction for our coming activities.

Calendar of Local Peace & Justice Events

Note on photo above: our group and its giant peace doves flying above the parade route were one of the highlights of the 4th of July parade! (Photo above from 2004 parade. More photos.)

New: Photo Gallery page.

Peace Vigils: Join members of our group at 11 Mile & Woodward (in front of St. John's Church) on the last Saturday of every month at 12 noon. And join us and others every Monday from 4:45 to 6:45p.m. at the corner of 9 Mile and Woodward.

Finding Alternatives to Military Enlistment (F.A.M.E.) enables young people to make informed decisions about their lives and military service, based on clear and accurate information. Click here.

Don't Want Your Child Contacted by Military Recruiters?
Did you know that No Child Left Behind requires high schools to turn over private information about students to military recruiters? You can protect your family's privacy. OPT-OUT! Print this Opt-Out form, fill it out, and send it to your child's high school to prevent recruiters from contacting them.

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