WILPF GATHERING -- VERMONT

Cathy Breen's note on the 2011 Gathering

2011-08-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Notes from WILPF Gathering, July 2011 by Cathy Breen

(I had a delightful tour from Joanne Andrews of the Granary and the trail behind (which was thinned 3 years ago), and got a little 5” seedling fir tree to take back to NYC. Am just amazed at how beautifully maintained the houses and extensive grounds are, and at how knowledgeable and adept Joanne is.)

Peggy Luhrs: Militarism and the Environment

Peggy spoke about how the military pollutes the environment. Her special anger was that the mayor of Burlington has invited war profiteer Lockheed Martin to town to “help with climate change". Her outrage was shared. Peggy’s presentation elicited a lively and varied discussion ranging from themes of electrical grids/meters and drones to that of nuclear weapons facilities and the use of DU bullets used at the firing range in Jericho, VT. Many in the circle contributed with their own comments, helpful facts and recommendations for films and books on the topic. (i.e. Scarred Lands/Wounded Lives by Alice and Lincoln Day).

Health Care in Vermont: How have we gotten as far as we've gotten?

Megan Sheehan of the VT Workers Center told how the Center got started. About how people struggling with poor working conditions and health issues were listened to. How a grass roots movement began and people in difficult situations began to unite. How chapters began to be built everywhere in the state…”an opportunity to show how all our struggles are united.” Used media to tell stories and affect legislators. Then Progressive Vt. House Representative Sandy Haas spoke about how the 2005 Single Payer Bill was introduced and was later passed, only to be vetoed by the Republican governor. As Sandy described the present bill (signed by Democrat Governor Peter Shumlin)“for every individual there would be a primary care team, to look at a person holistically. One-third of costs are due to advanced care planning, she said, and she brought up the issues of hospice, palliative care and the scare tactic of calling end of life discussions 'death panels'. She spoke of the “incredible division across the country between Democrats and Republicans. " "Is the bill going to be based only on traditional and pharmaceutical medicine and not holistic?" was one of the questions that arose.

Questions were put to Rep. Sandy, and issues like paying off exorbitant student loans for years and years, and loan forgiveness were brought up. One WILPFer has a 26 year old friend who owes $200,000 in loans from Boston U. Another said “We have to treat health care as a public good.”

Paij Wadley-Bailey: Rwanda

Paij began her presentation about Rwanda by showing a DVD about the use of solar cookers in Africa, particularly in Kenya in a large refugee camp there. Paij will be traveling to Rwanda in August for her 9^th trip there and is hoping to introduce solar cookers. She brought a sample solar cooker with her to show us. Tanya, who has been to Ethiopia, also shared something of the reality of women from that part of Africa. Tanya was able to share only briefly due to time restraints (a scheduled conference call with other WILPF folks) about the extensive degree of female genital mutilation.

The DVD Paij used set the tone of the whole presentation for me. The images graphically depicted the utter impoverishment and destitution of the people due to drought, deforestation and lack of vegetation and/or livestock, and was appalling to witness. The film demonstrated how life-saving a simple solar oven/cooker can be in an area of fuel/wood scarcity, where the women and children have to walk at times 20Km to gather firewood. Paij said, about her talks with women in Rwanda: “I can only hear two stories about genocide or I become a basket case,” underscoring the dire situation our sisters and brothers there face. In the village she goes to there are about 340 women and 50 men. Paij brought up the problem that the plastic bag needed for the solar cooking unit is far from ideal. It is plastic and easily damaged. Then what? The question arose about WILPF not being a charitable organization. Someone else said “If basic needs are not met…..having sustainable projects is a political act.” “Perhaps WILPF has to do it differently….” Hopefully this discussion can continue.

Hattie Nestel spoke on Nuclear Plants and Nuclear Power

She focusing on the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant. Vermont Yankee's license will expire on Mar. 12, 2012. Many US reactors are 40 years old. The Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 against renewing the license. Some figures noted:

-U.S. gets 1/5 of its energy from nuclear plants.

-In Germany 8 of their 17 nuclear plants were closed after Fukushima.

-3/4^th of uranium mining occurs on aboriginal lands.

-She recommends a book about Alice Stewart: The Woman Who Knew Too Much by Gayle Greene.

Paki Weiland: the Gaza Flotilla

She spoke about her recent effort to sail on the US boat “Audacity of Hope” which was part of the flotilla to Gaza. She led us in a very personally engaging way through the difficulties they experienced as well as the positive media coverage. They were in Athens during the general strike; some fasted in front of the US Embassy in Athens and were detained for a period of hours. The fast was in solidarity with the captain of the boat who was detained. She showed us a great slide show.

-On Thurs., Sept 15, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will be coming to the UN to request Palestinian statehood, and there will be demonstrations at the UN on that day.

-One WILPFer spoke about how they are trying to get people to divest their monies from Motorola, Caterpillar, etc., and withdraw money from TIAA- CREF.

-Israel gets $3 billion a year from the US.

Cathy Breen and Charlotte Dennett on the Arab Spring

Cathy from Voices for Creative Nonviolence talked about her recent trip to Syria and Jordan and the restive climate in the Middle East. How Iraq and Iraqi refugees are forgotten, and how things have changed for them in the last two months with respect to decreased resettlement numbers to the US and their fear of returning to ongoing violence and war in Iraq. A Syrian woman Cathy greatly respects for her compassion and astute analysis told her in an official visit last April in Damascus: “I do not question the intentions or the genuineness of the revolutions, of the movements [in the M.E.], but I am skeptical of the outcome…and the media is not helping. Having people in the streets doesn’t create institutions. There are no clear leaders. When a revolution doesn’t have clear leaders or agendas, who will lead the change? Look at Iraq!…which was to be a model, a country that had all the humanitarian assistance, the support of the international community, a clear agenda supported by the west. Look at Iraq today…with an absence of security, of basic services…”

Charlotte Dennett, proficient author and researcher on Middle Eastern events, followed Cathy. She had our rapt attention as she shared her own analysis of events in the Middle East, stressing that it is “too early to assess.” She asked our thoughts on “what are people protesting?” and continued to draw out the listeners' ideas throughout the evening. More than once, Charlotte referred to the publication Foreign Affairs, and recommended David Hirst’s book “Beware of Small States….Lebanon? and “Rock the Kasbah" by Robyn Wright. She spoke about the importance of the Mediterranean Sea…in terms of oil, “the great game for oil.” She outlined three pipeline oil routes and passed various maps around. The great powers have realized that you “can’t have instability where you have pipelines.”

2011-06-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

The US WILPF Gathering will take place at Wing Farm in Rochester, Vermont from Wednesday, July 20 to Sunday, July 24, 2011.

2010-06-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

If you are planning to come please register now (see registration form on sidebar), or e-mail us with arrival and departure dates at robinlloyd@greenvalleymedia.org.

WEDNESDAY: July 20

4 pm: Early birds welcome.

6:30: DINNER. Meet and greet.

THURSDAY: JULY 21

8-9 am: BREAKFAST

10 am: Up for grabs

12 noon: LUNCH

2 pm: film The Whistleblower, based on the story of Madeleine Rees, now International Secretary-General of WILPF

4 pm: Militarism as cause of the environmental crisis: with Burlington feminist and activist Peggy Luhrs

6 pm: DINNER

7:30 pm: Vermont victories and struggles: health care: with Vt. State Representative progressive Sandy Haas and Megan Sheehan of the Vermont Workers Center. Also a Burlington report...

FRIDAY: July 22

8-9 am: BREAKFAST

9:30 am: Rwanda: A slowly growing WILPF section is happening: Paij Wadley-Bailey will tell us about it. She will be going to Rwanda later this summer.

10:30: WILPF : planning for the 100th Anniversary and beyond, with Tanya Henderson, US WILPF's new National Director, Robin Lloyd, chair of the Development Committee, and others on conference call.

12 noon: LUNCH

2 pm: Abolishing Nuclear Weapons & Nuclear Power: with Hattie Nestel, with support from her sisters in the Shut It Down Affinity Group: including Frances Crowe

4 pm: Report from The Audacity of Hope, and the struggle to free Gaza with Paki Weiland, recently detained in Greece!!

6 pm: DINNER

7 pm:The Arab Spring: with Cathy Breen, a Catholic Worker who visits with and helps Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan; and Charlotte Dennett (of Pipeline Politics fame), who recently revisited her birthplace, Lebanon.

SATURDAY: July 23

8-9 am: BREAKFAST

9:30 Women Connect with the Earth: Quaker environmentalist Ruah Swennerfelt, reporting on her travels visiting Transition Towns in Europe and Israel, and Gwendolyn Hallsmith, organizer of the recent tour of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers to Vermont, and director, Planning and Community Development for the city of Montpelier, VT. Also participating are Paij Wadley-Bailey and anthropologist Eleanor Ott.

12 noon: LUNCH

2 pm: Women's Human Rights: domestic and international dimensions: with US WILPF president Laura Roskos, with participation from Denise Johnson, recently retired justice of Vermont's Supreme Court. Plus a report on the upcoming Intl WILPF Congress in Costa Rica.

4 pm: Tea time

4:30 pm: Gifts from within: Four poets and a novelist will read from their work. Cora Brooks, Merry Gangemi, Alexis Lathem, Eleanor Ott and Spencer Smith

7 pm: DINNER (later than usual)

8 pm Where do we go from here? Bring the war dollars home, with Marilyn Levin and Pat O'Brien, activists with the United National Anti-War Committee (UNAC).

Sunday: July 24

8-9 am: PANCAKE BREAKFAST

9:30 am: Wrap up

11:30 am: LUNCH (last meal)

Great 2007 Gathering Photos

2009-06-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

Attend 8th WILPF Gathering in July 2008

2008-07-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Calling all WILPF members and friends! You're invited to the 8th Gathering, July 17-20, 2008, in Rochester, Vermont.

Lloyd's Wing Farm (Wing is the name of the former owners who farmed the land for over a century) is located near the scenic village of Rochester, VT in the heart of the Green Mountains, on Rte 100. There is a main house, a former granary, garden, barns (no animals), a pond, hills and forests to walk amongst, and a hot tub and a sauna.

The Gathering is an opportunity for women to get together in an informal atmosphere and rant and rave and plot revolution and swim and ponder.

Costs include your sharing in food preparation. There are around 20 beds (most of them double) in two houses on the property, and there is plenty of room for camping or sleeping in the barn.
• Each night: $25 including three meals and bed
• Campers: $15 per day including board
• Day rate (staying elsewhere): $10 including lunch

B&B accommodations available nearby (call Sandy Haas or David Marmor at 802-767-4751)

More details and a schedule to follow soon.

Contact us with your ideas and reservations at: robinlloyd@greenvalleymedia.org
Posted by Vermont Gathering, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom at 12:57 PM
Labels: announcement

Opening Event Confirmed

2008-07-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

The WILPF Gathering '08 schedule is coming together!!

This summer’s Gathering, Building Community: After Everything Falls Apart, will begin Thursday evening, July 17 (7 pm) with a video shown at the Park House, on the square in Rochester:

"What A Way To Go: Life At The End Of Empire."

Filmmakers Tim Bennett and Sally Erickson are soon-to-be residents in the Rochester area, and will be available to lead a discussion after the screening.

Gatherers are welcome to arrive in the afternoon to register, swim and relax. A light supper will be served at the farm (5:30 pm) before we go into town for the video.
Posted by Vermont Gathering, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom at 12:43 PM 0 comments
Posted by Vermont Gathering, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom at 6:59 AM 0 comments

Directions to Wing Farm, Rochester, Vermont, 05401

2008-07-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

Phone number at farm: 802-767-3270.
Robin's phone number in Burington until July 16: 802-862-4929.
There is no cell phone reception at the farm.
Please car pool! Participants taking the train or bus: please
remember to call for pick up.

From Burlington International Airport
Exit the airport, turn left, at first light turn left on Rte 2
(Williston Rd).
Follow Rte 2 a few miles to Taft's Corner, take R at light and a half
mile further take L ramp up to 89 S.
Remain on 89 S some 26 miles: take Waterbury exit (exit 10) to 100 S.
Follow 100 S through its twists and turns (check map) some 30-40 miles
to Rochester Vermont. This is a beautiful road through the 'heart of
the Green Mountains' and primo ski country.
From Rochester: Drive one mile on Rte 100 south of Rochester to Rte.
73, take a R on 73 for 1.4 miles to dirt road that veers off on R (not
sharp R: that leads up wrong mountain). I think there is a sign there
that says Maple Hill. One quarter mile further take L on dirt road
(Wing Farm Road). Lloyd's Wing Farm is first house on the right up the
hill past the small bridge. Look for parking signs.

By car from Albany and points south & west. If you're driving from NYC,
for example, you might take Thruway 87 to Albany and then continue on
the 'Northway' (87 N) to exit 20.
Follow signs to 149, and take 149 east to Fort Ann.
At Fort Ann take 4 (N and E) to Whitehall and Fair Haven. Right before
Fair Haven, Rte 4 turns into a minieature thruway and it is easy to
miss the sign to Exit 2 and 22 A (north). Take 22 A some 15 miles to
73 East. Follow 73 E to Brandon (it joins Rte 30 for awhile) and
continue on 73 past Brandon up and over the Brandon Gap of the Green
Mountains. As 73 comes down from the mountain and rolls in to the
bottom land of the White River there is the tiny village of Robinson
and a sharp right turn. A few miles further, 73 crosses the river.
Take the first L (dirt road) after the bridge. This is Maple Hill Road.
One quarter mile further take L on dirt road (Wing Farm Road).
Lloyd's Wing Farm is first house on the right up the hill past the
small bridge. Look for parking signs.

From Interstate 91 (Western Mass, Hartford, etc )
Take 91 N to White River Junction, VT. Follow signs to 89 N. Follow
directions from 89 listed below

From Interstate 89
Take 89 N to Exit 3 (Bethel). Then take 107 West towards Pittsfield,
but peel off to Rte 100 a few miles before Pittsfield.
Go north on Rte 100 through Stockbridge and 8 miles further to
Talcville.
At Talcville take 73 W (towards Brandon). But stay on it only 1.4
miles to dirt road that veers off on R (not sharp R: that leads up
wrong mountain). I think there is a sign there that says Maple Hill.
One quarter mile further take L on dirt road (Wing Farm Road). Lloyd's
Wing Farm is first house on the right up the hill past the small
bridge. Look for parking signs.

AMTRAK: (Call farm to arrange pickup before taking train)
Amtrak stops in Randolph Vt (20 minutes from Rochester) twice a day:
once from the north and once from the south (Penn Station)
There is also the 'Ethan Allen Express' starting in Washington, and
making stops in Philadelphia, NYC, and Albany, final destination
Rutland VT (45 minutes from Rochester).
For reservations call 1-800-USA-RAIL, or visit www.amtrak.com.

VERMONT TRANSIT BUSES: Many bus lines have been cut. The nearest stop now is White River Junction (50 minutes from Rochester). For more info
& reservations call 1- 800- 767-4751 or www.vermonttransit.com. Please notify us if you’d like pickup.