A Veteran's View of the Afghanistan & Iraq Wars: Babylon Green Party 100 Days Series March 4, 2009

On Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 7pm, the Babylon Green Party Gathering will feature Camillo “Mac” Bica, Ph.D., the Coordinator of Veterans for Peace of Long Island speaking about the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. http://www.BabylonGreens.org The event will be held at Pisces Café, 14A Railroad Avenue, Babylon, NY (631-321-1231) www.piscescafe.net (map) Come hungry! For directions to the Babylon Green Gathering, call 631-422-4702 or email ian.wilder@yahoo.com Children are welcome. All gatherings are free of charge, and open to the public.

A social media version of this press release can be found at http://pitch.pe/4486

Bica will be discussing what is developing as President Obama’s plan for fighting the “war on terrorism.” The question is whether what Obama is offering the American people is truly change and hope for peace or merely a continuation of the Bush policy of occupation and destruction.

Bica is a professor of philosophy at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. As a veteran recovering from his experiences as a United States Marine Corps Officer during the Vietnam War, he founded, and coordinated for five years, the “Veterans Self-Help Initiative,” also known as the HOOTCH Program, a therapeutic community of veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Brooklyn. Bica is a long time activist for peace and justice and the Coordinator of the Long Island Chapter of Veterans for Peace. Articles by Bica have appeared in Cyrano’s Journal, The Humanist Magazine, Znet, Truthout.com, Common Dreams, AntiWar.com, AlterNet, Monthly Review Zine, Foreign Policy in Focus, OpEdNews.Com, AfterDowningStreet.Org, and numerous philosophical journals. Bica’s website is http://www.svaphilosopher.com

Veterans For Peace (VFP) is a national Organization founded in 1985. With many Chapters across the Country, VFP includes men and women veterans from all eras and duty stations including the Spanish Civil War, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is our purpose to raise public awareness of the realities and the true costs of militarism and war, to abolish war as an instrument of national policy, to urge our political leaders to seek peaceful, effective alternatives, and to seek justice and fair treatment for veterans and the victims of war. Veterans For Peace is an official Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) represented at the UN. The website for Veterans For Peace Long Island is http://www.livfp.active.ws

Babylon Green Party Gatherings are held on the first Wednesday of every month:

* The March 4, 2009 Gathering will feature Camillo “Mac” Bica, the Coordinator of Veterans for Peace of Long Island speaking about the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
* The April 1, 2009 Gathering will feature Scott Carlin, the founder of the Long Island Climate Solutions Network speaking about Global Warming: How Immediate is the Crisis?
* The May 6, 2009 Gathering will review Obama’s First 100 days from a Green Party Perspective with former Green Party of New York State Co-Chair Ian Wilder
* The June 3, 2009 Gathering will feature musician Stephanie Carlin.

The Green Party is an alternative party to the Democrats and Republicans. The four pillars of the Green Party are: Nonviolence/Peace; Grassroots Democracy; Social and Economic Justice; and Ecological Wisdom.

For more information about Green Party activities, please go to http://www.gpsuffolk.org or call Green Party of Suffolk Chair Roger Snyder at 631-351-5763. You can enroll in the Green Party by checking the box marked “Other” on the voter registration form and writing in the word “Green” on the line next to it. Click here to find a voter registration form. You can send donations to the Green Party of Suffolk,14 Robin Drive, Huntington, NY 11743.