A quick update about our weekend of Occupy Peace. Based on the smiles I saw Sunday afternoon and enthusiasm displayed throughout the 
weekend, the meeting was a great success. It was good after three years to come together again as United For Peace and Justice and to see so many friends in the struggle in the same place. Over 100 activists from across the country and our steering committee member Siu Hin Lee all the way from China gathered in Philadelphia to share ideas and experiences. We talked about the political moment and made plans to collaborate together to do the tough work ahead.
Shortly you will receive a full report on the conference and information about opportunities to take action and support the efforts that will flow from Occupy Peace. Until then here are some great pictures from this weekend taken by Coordinating Committee member Siri Margerin. But as a teaser, three areas of focus conference participants want to continue to move within United For Peace and Justice are efforts to stop aggression against Iran, confront corporate power and support and build across the spectrum of peace and justice struggles.
Before I close I want to thank everyone who attended the meeting and those who have supported UFPJ over the years. I formally joined the peace movement as a member of Veterans For Peace because at a time when peace was considered a dirty word and most of the country was willing to accept war or frightened into silence, you were not afraid and spoke out against endless war and for peace. When no one else was willing to occupy that space you did and you made room for others to join us. Whether we were using the word occupy or not that is what you did. I want to thank all of you for Occupying Peace for the past ten years, some of you since before the Vietnam War. 
Thank you for your dedication and perseverance. Now we continue together in the struggle for peace and justice.
Power to you, power to the people and power to the peaceful.
Michael T. McPhearson
National Coordinator
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