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PORTLAND, ME - July 3 -
The Event: The so-called "Christening" (borderline blasphemy?) of the USS Momsen,
yet another Aegis Arleigh Burke Class nuclear-capable deathship.
The Place: Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine.
The Date: Saturday, August 9, 2003. This date marks the 58th anniversary of the nuclear bomb obliteration of Nagasaki, the historic center of Japanese Christianity, in which more than 75,000 men, women and children perished.
Time of the
Protest: 7 a.m.-12 noon. Warship "Christening" is scheduled for 11 a.m., coincidentally the precise time the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945.
Organizers of the Protest/Rally:
Veterans for Peace-Maine, who have invited anti-nuclear and anti-war groups from throughout New England and beyond, to join the protest.
Among those Participating with VFP-Maine:
Peace Action-Maine; Pax Christi-Maine; Catholic Worker and Buddhist Peace Communities; Maine Women in Black; Peace & Justice Group of Waldo County; Women's International League for Peace and Freedom; Witness for Peace-Maine and Let Cuba Live are just some of the organizations expected to participate.
Members of the Jonah House Peace Community in Baltimore, founded by the late Philip Berrigan, legendary apostle for peace and nonviolence, and the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House in Washington, D.C., will also attend.
Prominent names in the peace movement will address the gathering. The keynote speaker will be Kathy Kelly, founder of "Voices in the Wilderness," who has led over 70 humanitarian medical supplies missions to Iraq. Other speakers will include Bruce Gagnon (Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space) and Philip Berrigan's widow and lifelong peace activist, Liz McAlister.
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