First Church of Jamaica Plain Unitarian Universalist, Sanctuary.

Featuring Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson, co-founders, Military Families Speak Out and Liam Madden, co-founder, Appeal for Redress

The evening will feature JP residents Nancy Lessin and Charlie Richardson, co-founders of the national organization, Military Families Speak Out, and Liam Madden, co-founder of the Appeal for Redress. Our speakers will present a brief history and analysis of the current war in Iraq and describe their personal stake in the movement to oppose US military involvement. Discussion will focus on strategies to support existing troops while working to end the war.

Our Speakers

Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson co-founded Military Families Speak Out (MSFO) in November of 2002 with the goal of building the voice of military families opposed to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. MFSO advocates an end to the war and U.S. military occupation of Iraq, bringing our troops home now and taking care of them when they get home. With over 3,300 member families across the U.S. and on bases in countries around the world, MFSO is the largest organization of military families to oppose a war in the history of the United States. Charley’s son/Nancy’s stepson served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq in the spring of 2003.

Nancy and Charley live in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Charley is the director of the Labor Extension Program at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Nancy works for the United Steelworkers/Tony Mazzocchi Center for Safety, Health and Environmental Education.

Liam Madden is a U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant, an Iraq War Veteran, and co-founder of the Appeal for Redress. Appeal for Redress provides means for individual service members to appeal to their Congressional Representative and U.S. Senators to urge an end to the U.S. military occupation. The first Appeal signatures were delivered to members of Congress on January 16, 2007 to coincide with at the time of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Appeal for Redress will continue to collect signatures until all active duty, Guard, and active reserve soldiers are out of Iraq. Currently, the Appeal for Redress has 1855 signers, and counting.

The wording of the Appeal for Redress is short and direct. It is patriotic and respectful in tone:

“As a patriotic American proud to serve the nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of all American military forces and bases from Iraq . Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come home.”

Members of the military have a legal right to communicate with their member of Congress. Attorneys and counselors experienced in military law are available to help service members who need assistance in countering any attempts to suppress this communication with members of Congress.

The Appeal for Redress is sponsored by active duty service members based in the Norfolk area and by a sponsoring committee of veterans and military family members. The sponsoring committee consists of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans For Peace, and Military Families Speak Out.

In building the Appeal for Redress, Liam has been a spokesperson for the over 1,800 service men and women who have signed the Appeal. Liam has been featured in the national and international media, including CBS’s 60 Minutes, MSNBC, CNN, National Public Radio, Newsweek, LA Times, and The Washington Post. The Army Times quoted Madden in an article covering the Appeal for Redress: “Not one more of my brothers should die for a lie. This is my generation’s call to conscience.”

Liam is from Bellows Falls, Vermont; during his four years of active duty he was based in Quantico, Virginia. He served on deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, Japan and several other areas. He is also a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Related Links:
Military Families Speak Out: www.mfso.org
Appeal for Redress: www.appealforredress.org
Iraq Veterans Against the War: www.ivaw.org
Veterans for Peace: www.veteransforpeace.org