News from the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker
Dear Friends,
Twenty-five peacemakers gathered outside the new 40 acre Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD to vigil in protest of the annual Air Force Association “Arms Bazaar, which is attended by 135 weapons manufactures (See Below Leaflet). The vigil, which was sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, was attended by members of TASSC, Maryknoll, Assisi Community, Pax Christi, St. Al’s, Our Lady Queen of Peace, the Carmelite’s, the Episcopal Church, and the Baltimore peace community. Needless to say, we had several special encounters with police and security about where we could hold our vigil. Come to find out, the sidewalk in front of the Gaylord Resort is private property and all other surrounding streets is privately owned by the National Harbor. We informed police and security that this was really God’s property and Piscataway Indian land. Ultimately, we held our prayer service across the street in full view of the resort. We read from the scriptures, heard the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., read accounts of US bombings in Afghanistan, remembered the victims of war and poverty, read an account of Fr. Carl Kabat’s plowshares witness, and offered a litany of repentance. We concluded with a candlelight vigil and singing “This Little Light of Mine.”
We pray that all who witnessed our vigil will reject the way of empire and warmaking, choose the way of nonviolence, and become God’s peacemakers.
We keep our eyes on the prize and hold on!!!
In peace and hope,
Art
Protest Air Force Association Arms Bazaar at New Site
When: Monday, September 14, 2009 from 6:00–7:30 p.m.
Where: Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, MD 20745 We will meet for the vigil at the corner of Waterfront St. and St. George Blvd. on the sidewalk in front of the Gaylord National Resort.
Dear Friends,
The Air Force Association “Arms Bazaar” has moved. For over 25 years many of you have participated in nonviolent protests at the annual AFA Air & Space Expo, what we call an “Arms Bazaar,” held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel (formerly the Sheraton). Now the AFA is holding their convention outside of D.C. at the new Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, located on the National Harbor in Maryland. As in previous years some 150 weapons contractors will be on hand, displaying their latest killing technology and weapons. And as you can see from the below schedule, speakers and seminars will address how the U.S. can continue to remain the preeminent nuclear-military superpower on earth and in space. Our vigil will be held just prior to the “Outstanding Airmen Banquet” that is being held at an opulent ballroom inside the National Resort.
Friends, can we let this Arms Bazaar go by without doing something? Who will give voice to the victims who have suffered and died in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere as a direct result of U.S. warmaking, and weapons, like the Drone “Predator” and “Reaper” bombing planes, produced by the arms contractors participating in the “Arms Bazaar? As in previous years, the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker will sponsor a nonviolent vigil at this new site, which is about a 30 minute ride south of D.C. We at the DDCW will drive there, and if you need a ride we will try our best to accomodate you. Although this site is farther away, it is metro/bus accessible (see below).
Please consider coming to this important vigil say Yes to Life and a resounding No to the war profiteers. We must not let this sinful Arms Bazaar go unaddressed!
With love and gratitude,
Art
Directions from Downtown D.C.
Parking and Meeting Place for Vigil Take 395 South (off of New York Ave. or Constitution Ave. at 9th St. NW) Merge onto 295 South via exit on left (crossing into Maryland)- 7.4 miles. Take the exit toward National Harbor. Take ramp to National Harbor Blvd. Bear left on National Harbor Blvd. and go two blocks to St. George Blvd. Make a right on St. George Blvd. Look for St. George Parking Garage on right (just past the cross street called Mariner Passage). The garage is one block before Waterfront St., where the Gaylord National Resort is located. We will meet for the vigil at the corner of Waterfront St. and St. George Blvd. on the sidewalk in front of the Gaylord National Resort.
Due to limited street parking we will have to park in a garage. If you are coming from Maryland or Virginia I suggest you Map Quest the most precise route to the Gaylord Resort Center at the above address.
Transportation
If you would like to go to the vigil and need a ride, please call Art Laffin at 202-360-6416. If you would like to use public transportation, take the Green Line to Branch Ave. Get off at Branch Ave. and take the NH1 National Harbor bus line. This bus takes you right near the Gaylord National Resort. Call 202-637-7000 and select “ride guide” for best directions. Or go to WMATA web site.
